Chapter 659: Beautiful Palace
North-central Farajo, Floz.
Like many other big cities, there are several rivers around and within Flotz. The rivers provided the initial impetus for the city's development, and the Harvest River is one of them.
The Harvest River is a river that flows from south to north. It crosses Flots, passes through the vast northern Farajo Plain and finally flows into the sea. For a long time, it was polluted by a large amount of domestic waste. It was the main source of water for Flots. However, for rivers, even if it is only pollution, it is only aimed at the downstream, and residents living in the upper reaches of the Harvest River can ignore it.
In the southern suburbs of Flots, the Harvest River makes a big bend. Inside the bend is a huge palace complex. This was the royal palace of the late Pharaoh dynasty, the Palace of the Goddess. In today's Pharaoh, it is also a key place for the official to carry out various important activities.
The entire Palace of the Goddess of Beauty is located in the vast river bend area surrounded by the Harvest River. At this moment, a luxurious banquet is being held in this magnificent and spacious palace. Although it is no longer Persian who rules the country, this place is still an important social venue for the dignitaries of Farajo.
In the daytime, the brown-gray walls and blue tiles of the Palace of the Goddess of Mercy appear particularly bright under the sunlight. Countless exquisite sculptures under the eaves and in front of the corridors are more clearly visible. The gilded roof appears particularly golden and dazzling under the sunlight, and the shining light can be clearly observed from several kilometers away. The people around show the wealth of this place. The nobles from various countries who participated in the banquet were walking around the palace at this time.
In an open courtyard on the east edge of the Palace of the Gods of Beauty, countless noble ladies in gorgeous clothes and fluffy long skirts were gathered in the former royal garden, chatting and laughing with each other while eating delicious cakes. Clear water was flowing in a small fountain, and a small group of skilled violinists stood in the corner of the garden, playing melodious music for the group of noble ladies in front of them, adding to the atmosphere of the scene.
In another corner of the garden, Adele was wearing a pink and white fluffy long skirt and a tight top similar to the other Farajo ladies, with a tied wide-brimmed hat on her head. She was eating a small cake while looking around indifferently. At this moment, Dorothy's voice was ringing in her heart.
"Why don't you chat with them more and try to blend in? Maybe you can find some valuable information."
Listening to Dorothy's words, Adele licked the cream on her lips, and then responded silently in her heart.
"They... Oh, forget it. I really can't chat with these wives and daughters of officials. They talk about love gossip and trivial matters all day long. I would rather chat about politics with the men in the hall than argue with them."
"Oh... Adele, are you more interested in politics?"
"Not really. In my opinion, although politics is also boring, it at least involves a lot of things, and the contradictions between them are very profound. I like the way those foreign officials or those good people who think they can run the country argue over different opinions. Although I am not very interested in the specific content of politics, it is still interesting to watch people who think they understand politics quarreling..."
Adele said this to Dorothy in a leisurely manner. After hearing her words, Dorothy, who was sitting in a carriage far away at this moment, couldn't help but respond with a slightly raised eyebrow.
"I see, that makes sense. Since it's boring to stand here, why not go to other parts of the palace? Maybe you can find clues to the so-called 'treasure' and 'stage'."
"Yeah, that's right." After listening to Dorothy's words, Adele finished the cake in her hand, wiped her mouth, glanced at the ladies' tea party in front of her, and left the scene silently.
Leaving the Royal Garden on the eastern edge of the Palace of Beauty, Adele began to stroll around the entire Palace of Beauty. She first viewed the landscape of other parts of the garden, where there were dense groves and carefully trimmed trees of various shapes, like green sculptures placed on the lawn. The artistic beauty of the trees made her linger. After a few steps, you can see exquisite pavilions where the ladies who came here to rest were resting and enjoying the scenery.
"This Wangjiayuan is really well designed...both in terms of scale and sophistication, it feels much better than the Wangjiayuan in Pritt, especially these tree sculptures are quite pleasing." Adele commented in her heart while admiring the scenery of the surrounding garden, and then she changed her tone and looked at Dorothy and asked.
"Speaking of which, little detective, have you ever looked for the pattern of the seven-step blossoming lotus in this garden? I think many places in this garden are suitable for performances. Is it possible that the King of Costumes, Charles, hid one of the stages here?"
"As for that... I don't know yet. According to the riddle revealed by Mr. F, the three hidden stages should have the pattern of the Seven-Step Blooming Lotus. I used the corpse doll to observe this garden from multiple angles, but I didn't find any traces of the Seven-Step Blooming Lotus. But I thought that the grass sculptures in this garden might form a corresponding pattern when viewed from a high altitude... but I was wrong." Dorothy responded to Adele, and the other party responded after thinking for a moment.
"I see there should be a lot of hibiscus plants planted in this hibiscus garden, but now it is late winter and not many hibiscus plants are in bloom. If all the hibiscus plants here are in full bloom, will we be able to see something?"
"That... is indeed possible, but if that's the case, we won't be able to find all the stages in the near future. It's still some time before most of the trees are open." Dorothy continued to respond to Adele's questions, and the other party nodded in understanding.
"That's true... Then let's go check out other places. The puzzle says there are three stages, so we need to look around a bit..."
"Um……"
Dorothy nodded in response, and then she continued to tour the Palace of Beauty from Adele's perspective, trying to find clues about the so-called stage.
After leaving Wangjiayuan, Adele walked eastward and soon came to a small river. Exquisite river banks decorated both sides of the river, rows of street lights stood on the river banks, and a wide stone bridge crossed the river to connect the two sides of the river bank. The edge of the stone bridge was lined with exquisite stone carvings.
"This seems to be a canal that was specially dug when the Palace of the Goddess of Mercy was built. It provides water for the fountains and artificial lakes in the Palace of the Goddess of Mercy and creates a river view. It looks well decorated." When Adele walked on the bridge, Dorothy's voice commented in her heart, and Adele also spoke curiously.
"Oh... if it's not an artificial canal... would it be specially dug into a pattern of seven-step blooming lotus?"
"No, I've seen it from an aerial perspective. Although the shape of this small canal was not specially designed, it is not in the shape of a lotus. I've also looked at the surrounding riverbanks and this bridge, and I didn't find any traces of a lotus pattern. Maybe it's not here." Dorothy continued to respond to Adele. After listening to Dorothy's words, she nodded, and then continued to move forward and walked across the bridge.
After walking across the stone bridge, Adele officially entered the building area of the Palace of the Goddess of Mercy. She first passed through a tall gilded fence gate and came to a wide square. The east side of the square faced the canal and the stone bridge, and the other three sides were the exquisite halls with golden and blue roofs of the Palace of the Goddess of Mercy. In the center of the square stood a tall bronze statue of a horse rider. Riding on the bronze saddle was a handsome man in luxurious clothes and with an imposing manner. Many people were visiting below.
"This is the ceremonial square. This bronze statue depicts Charles, the builder of the Palace of the Goddess of Mercy. He was the most successful and famous king in the late Persian Dynasty. He won many wars and seized a large number of colonies for Farajo. He weakened the power of the nobles and strengthened the royal power. He even openly attacked the church and limited the church's privileges in Farajo.
"Charles not only had outstanding achievements in ruling, but he was also very flamboyant and full of personality. He loved to celebrate, and during his reign he built many magnificent buildings and held many lavish celebrations. He was also happy to show off in front of his subjects. He liked to wear all kinds of luxurious clothes and make public speeches. He even played the role of a hero in public performances and danced on the stage to show his dancing skills. It is said that he was quite good at both acting and dancing."
Looking at the majestic bronze statue on the square, Adele recalled and spoke in her mind like a tour guide, and Dorothy also responded based on what she knew.
"He was a unique king... But some people criticized him for his fame, but his extravagance and publicity also made the Farajo treasury empty, which in turn led to his son Robert's crazy money-making behavior. They said that Robert levied excessive taxes to make up for the financial deficit caused by his father."
"There are such claims, but most of them come from scholars in the church. It is well known that the church and King Charles have a bad relationship. King Charles is committed to taking all the power in Farajo for himself and is opposed to the privileges that the church has in every country.
"The symbolic event of Charles's rebellion against the church was a play he once performed publicly. The play was a classic replay of the Black Forest Victory. When everyone thought that Charles would play the role of his ancestor, the Duke of Porto, he did something unusual and performed the Forest Dancer in disguise, causing a sensation in the audience.
"The forest dancer played by Charles not only went against tradition in terms of gender, but also had her lines modified. The previous forest dancers in the play all called themselves messengers of the Three Saints, but the forest dancer played by Charles called herself the messenger of Farajo, the incarnation of the goddess who brought Farajo life. This change in the lines angered the church and triggered a serious diplomatic crisis at the time."
Looking at the bronze statue in front of her, Adele spoke with a twinkling gaze. After taking another look at the bronze statue and the surrounding environment, she continued to speak to Dorothy.
"How is it? Have you found the lotus mark on this ceremonial square?"
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