Chapter 351: Sixth Ring Poet, Do Not Go Gentle into Good Night (5K)

The Kingdom of the Golden Lion, London.

The air was filled with mist, and the morning light pierced through the mist like a sword.

The London Bridge spans the sparkling golden river, and on the bridge tower stand longbowmen with extraordinary auras.

The guards stationed in front of the stone tower questioned pedestrians and merchants one by one as they came and went. Suddenly, they noticed a dark shadow passing over their heads.

The guard looked up and saw a figure with burning fighting spirit flying over the top of the tower. He was furious: "Who is so bold as to fly over the capital? Where is the Griffin Guard?"

A dissatisfied reply came from the lookout on top of the tower.

"Stop shouting, there's a Honeysuckle family crest on that cloak! Do you know who that is?"

The guard swallowed dryly.

Those who are qualified to serve as guards in London all have the title of knight. At the very least, they are from a minor noble family with good farmland and tenant farmers at home. They have the confidence to be arrogant even when facing a baron.

However, the honeysuckle family emblem has a profound meaning, and the family behind it, even the Earl family, dare not offend! The guard regretted it in his heart, with a stern face, pretending that nothing happened, waving his hand to let the merchant pass, secretly wondering.

"Who is that person... Could it be Lord Honeysuckle Duke? What is the reason for his visit to Lundu this time?"

In the clouds and mist, it was Yeats who was seeing Helena off and rushing back to the capital from the Gulf of Collins.

Prior to this, Princess Theresa made a special trip to White Night City in order to invite Yeats to stay in London for a while, in order to deter the undercurrents of various forces at the critical juncture when King Lionheart was seriously ill.

Once Theresa succeeds to the throne and is successfully crowned, the Lannister and Wick families will inevitably be liquidated.

Therefore, the two families began to organize military exercises early, and the atmosphere of civil war intensified.

Yeats was a staunch royalist and a thorn in the side of those who coveted the throne, but the two families could not find any evidence against Yeats and could only target his brother Wilson Brown.

Both the Duke of Lannister and the Duke of Wick tried to win over Yeats' brother to their own camp and offered him the position of 'Rear Admiral' as an inducement.

The former admiral of the Golden Lion Kingdom, Holiday Nelson, is over seventy years old. As early as when King Lionheart was young, he was already a renowned six-ring master. In today's impending storm, Nelson took the initiative to declare his position, supporting King Lionheart and his bloodline.

Wilson Brontë, on the one hand, regarded Nelson as his idol, and on the other hand, his brother was a staunch royalist. He had no reason to join the Lannister and Wick families, so he stayed at home on the pretext of illness.

Yeats had two major tasks when he went to the capital. One was to understand the condition of King Lionheart, and the other was to work with Theresa to control the current situation in London.

If the situation deteriorates rapidly, Yeats has already made plans to help Theresa ascend the throne and intimidate the Lannisters and Wicks alone.

"Neither the Lannisters nor the Wicks can afford a six-ring transcendent, but there is no guarantee that they don't have other backup plans."

"However, it doesn't matter even if there is a Six-Ring Master..."

Yeats pondered to himself, his eyes sharp.

"Now is the time to serve the king and show our merits!"

As far as the eye can see, a majestic palace stands tall. Ye Zhi activates his fighting spirit and flies quickly towards the Lion Palace.

As soon as Ye Zhi approached the Lion Palace, Colin, who sensed the aura of the Six Rings, appeared in the sky and confronted Ye Zhi.

Seeing that it was the Duke of Honeysuckle who came to visit, Colin breathed a sigh of relief and said respectfully:

"It's the Duke."

Ye Zhi nodded slightly: "Take me to see His Majesty."

Colin said: "Her Royal Highness the Princess has been waiting for you for a long time. The Princess will meet His Majesty with you!"

Lion Palace.

Marble columns stood on both sides of the corridor, which was covered with crimson carpets. Sunlight shone through the glass, casting shadows on the carved palace gate at the end of the corridor.

"Your Majesty's bedroom is in front," Colin said.

Next to the palace gate stood an elegant and noble figure. Theresa was wearing a white dress, and was followed by two beautiful maids.

Seeing Yeats, Theresa's sapphire eyes flickered slightly. She nodded and greeted him softly, "Your Excellency the Duke."

The air seemed to be filled with incense, adding a sense of solemnity and dignity.

Ye Zhi nodded, walked to the palace gate, looked at the lion pattern carved on the door, and took a deep breath.

Dongdong——

Theresa's maid knocked on the door and said softly:

"Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, the Duke of Honeysuckle comes to see you."

After a while, a hoarse and low voice came from inside the door.

"Enter."

The door was pushed open a crack, and the scent of herbs wafted in. In the center of the spacious and magnificent bedroom was a four-poster bed. The old and aged king leaned against the head of the bed, his wrinkled face with a gentle look, and the figures of Yeats and Theresa were reflected in his eyes. He said softly:

"I am here."

Ye Zhi was slightly startled. He had not seen King Lionheart for more than a few months. In his memory, the image of King Lionheart was still that of the old lion with furious hair standing on end when he fought against Lord Blood Spider.

At this moment, the white-haired old man lying on the sickbed has become so thin that he is no longer human, with sunken cheeks and fingers as shriveled as dead branches. Only in the depths of his gentle eyes can one still glimpse the king's former firm demeanor.

The candle flame flickered slightly, and Ye Zhi felt lost. Even for a six-ring strong man at the top of the continent, time still passed equally.

Yeats could even smell the breath of "death", which was the irreversible law of nature that filled this invisible realm of creation.

"Your Majesty," Ye Zhi whispered, "I came here to tell you something in person."

“There are no outsiders here.”

The old king still saw through Yeats's worries at a glance, and said slowly:

"It's okay, just speak up."

Yeats hesitated for a moment and said:

"I dare not hide it from you. In fact, I have been promoted to Six-ring Master."

In an instant.

You could hear a pin drop in the bedroom.

Ye Zhi looked up and looked at King Lionheart lying on his sickbed.

He just stared at her motionlessly, with a fleeting look of surprise on his face.

In the eyes of the Lionheart King, there seemed to be leaping flames of life, and then, they became gentle like a deep pool of water.

There are only a handful of six-ring masters in the entire Golden Lion Kingdom!

However, Yeats, who was so young, accomplished this incredible feat! The Lionheart was filled with emotion, and a gratified smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Okay... Yeats... okay... I'm not wrong!"

Then, the Lionheart asked, "How old are you this year?"

"Just turned seventeen."

"Seventeen years old." Lionheart murmured to himself, "A seventeen-year-old six-ring master is a unique genius on the continent today!"

Even Hastings, one of the three giants of the Vatican, was far inferior to Yeats at his age!

It is unclear what Yeats went through to achieve such amazing progress.

But what is certain is that Yeats’s ability is trustworthy enough to entrust important matters to him.

The Lionheart King closed his eyes lightly, revealed a dumb smile, and shook his head: "At your age, I am far inferior to you..."

Colin saw this and pondered secretly.

The fact that the proud King Lionheart was inferior to the Duke of Yeats means that the Duke of Yeats's achievements have reached a level that even Your Majesty is surprised.

If Your Majesty were one or two years younger, you would probably be eager to go into battle and duel with Yeats in person! However.

Colin sighed.

Now, His Majesty's face is full of relief, as if a worry has been put to rest...

At this time, the Lionheart coughed and immediately ordered:

"Okay, everyone else go out, Ye Zhi stay."

Soon, Yeats and the Lionheart were the only ones left in the room.

Looking at the young and handsome knight, the Lionheart King's eyes were a little dazed, and he sighed softly: "Every time I see you, I will think of the battles in the North with your father... At that time, I was still young..."

Yeats has always been known for his eloquence, but when faced with the critically ill King Richard the Lionheart, he opened his mouth and fell silent.

"Look at me, Ye Zhi." The Lionheart King suddenly said, "Tell me, how did you advance to the sixth ring?"

After all, the matter of the Dark Night God's Chosen One could not be told to the Lionheart King, but Ye Zhi was unwilling to lie, and whispered: "It was because of a miracle, Your Majesty."

"Miracle... Miracle..."

The Lionheart murmured Yeats' words, leaning against the head of the bed, with a bitter smile: "I never believed in miracles, but until the death came, I was looking forward to miracles..."

"It was not until now that I realized that I was not fearless. I was afraid of death. Like everyone else, I was afraid of the day that would come..."

The old man closed his eyes lightly, his chest heaving as he let out a sigh.

"I'm afraid... my end will be to die on the hospital bed, and my soul will fall into the cold and hopeless underworld..."

The soul can be reincarnated.

But is the soul after reincarnation still the original self?

This is like the philosophical problem of the Ship of Theseus: if the wood on Theseus' ship is gradually replaced, and all the wood is not the original wood, then is the ship still the original one?

Ye Zhi was thinking silently, when he suddenly heard King Lionheart's self-deprecating laughter.

"Have I ever told you that the Plantagenets were actually northern barbarians a long time ago?"

Yeats shook his head.

"The Plantagenet family was originally a branch of the Northerners who drifted to the northern part of the Kingdom of Roland. They were mocked by the people of Roland as northerners. Later, the northerners occupied the Kingdom of Golden Lion and accepted the culture of Golden Lion."

The Lionheart paused and said hoarsely, "But in my bones, I still have warlike blood flowing... Yeats, you are smart. Tell me, what are the people in the North afraid of?"

"Fear of not being able to die in battle."

Ye Zhi whispered, "It is a shame for the people of the North to die in a sickbed."

"That's right." The Lionheart said bitterly, "I'm afraid... I'm afraid that a lifetime of prosperity will end in humiliation."

"but……"

King Lionheart shook his head, a look of sadness on his face, and said no more.

The implication was that he was no longer able to fight and could only lie in bed like he was now, accepting his fate.

Please...collect 6...9...books...!

Ye Zhi's eyes flickered.

In the legends of the Northerners, only those who died on the battlefield could their souls return to Valhalla.

Until the end of the world comes, raise the battle flag to the eternal and unchanging destiny.

Once again, Yeats thought of the Apocalypse, the day of destruction recorded in Vatican mythology.

In preparation for the arrival of the apocalypse, both gods and demons are accumulating their strength.

The demon who defected from heaven to hell is waiting for the day when he will counterattack heaven.

The war maniac sitting on the throne of Valhalla, waiting for the end of the world to come, plays the war song.

Yeats suddenly understood why the Lionheart felt sad because he could not die in battle. Helpless and helpless due to old age, painful and desperate due to aging, it is far more glorious and heroic to die in battle than to die helplessly.

This is the ambition of an old lion. Yeats has no intention of commenting on it. Regardless of going to the [Underworld] or ascending to [Valhalla], when a person dies, the soul will eventually find its destination.

"Death is the fate that every human being will eventually face."

Ye Zhi slowly said, "But how people react to fate divides them into different types..."

Looking at the old man lying on the bed, breathing weakly, with his eyes closed, as if he had fallen into a coma, Ye Zhi placed his hand gently on the back of his bony hand and whispered:

“Old age should burn and roar at close of day… rage against the dying of the light…”

King Lionheart was stunned for a moment, then understood the meaning of Ye Zhi's words, and a relieved smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

“That’s very well said.”

Before his eyes, it was as if he saw the flames bursting out from a falling meteor. The Lionheart opened his sparkling eyes and said, "Yeats, I only ask one thing of you."

The Lionheart said nothing, but just watched in silence.

Meeting his hopeful eyes, Ye Zhi understood his intention and nodded:

"I will do it."

It was not until Ye Zhi nodded that the Lionheart King smiled peacefully and sighed:

"Tomorrow, I will take you and Theresa to Avalon... not the fake island we saw before, but a real wonderland..."

"Only the Golden Lion Kings of all time are qualified to go to Avalon, but... you are Theresa's knight, a knight as noble, dazzling, and loyal as the sun."

"In Avalon, the spirits of the lake will baptize you, which will be beneficial even for you who are six rings."

Avalon, according to legend, is the burial place of the King of Lorraine, where the legend of the sword in the lake is circulated.

King Lionheart sensed that his death was near and wanted to give Yeats a final favor.

"Okay." The Lionheart King waved his hand gently, "You go out and let Theresa come in..."

Ye Zhi nodded silently, stood up and walked to the door, looked back at the frail old man on the hospital bed, his heart was touched, and he pushed the door and left.

Outside the door, Theresa's eyes were slightly red. She seemed to have heard the conversation between the two. She looked up at Yeats and said softly, "Your Excellency the Duke, I have a request."

"Your Highness, please speak."

"I would like to ask you to write a poem for me."

Theresa's voice trembled as she smiled and said, "Father...he will definitely like it."

Yeats was silent, and whispered: "I can give this poem to you now, Your Highness."

Theresa's eyes flashed with surprise, and then she nodded her head and said softly, "Thank you for your help..."

The breath of space was fleeting, and Yeats took out a quill pen and a parchment scroll. It seemed that artistic divinity was pouring down, leaving an immortal masterpiece on the parchment.

Dylan Thomas, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.

When Yeats stopped writing, he felt something in his heart, digesting the artistic divinity that emerged from the field of creation, and was filled with emotion.

The bard's professional path, successfully promoted to the sixth ring!

The newly realized blessing, called the "Unyielding Battle Song", can not only inspire fighting spirit, but even those who are on the verge of death can continue to fight under the encouragement of this blessing, but they cannot save their fate of death.

Yeats stopped and handed the parchment scroll to Theresa, watching her gently close the door. Then he asked Colin, "What's the situation with Lannister and Duke Wick?"

Colin shook his head and said in a deep voice: "Friction is about to turn into war, Your Excellency the Duke."

“Disasters are also opportunities.”

Ye Zhi said: "As long as the dispute between these two families is resolved, no one will be an obstacle to Your Highness."

Colin nodded and said, "I hope so."

In the bedroom.

Hearing the footsteps, the Lionheart King opened his drooping eyelids slightly and revealed a gentle smile.

"Teresa, my daughter..."

"Father..." Theresa's voice choked.

"I have done many things that are sorry for you, but I have also paved a lot for you..."

The Lionheart spoke in a low voice, slowly saying: "Yeats, Colin, and Nelson are all capable of great tasks. Especially Yeats..."

"He will become the pillar of the Golden Lion Kingdom, and you, Theresa..."

"Don't be suspicious of him." The Lionheart King smiled, "For rare treasures, there shouldn't be too much carving. Just placing it there will make the crown shine more."

"I will, Father..." Theresa nodded slightly.

"What is this?" King Lionheart noticed the parchment in Theresa's hand.

"The poem I prepared for you... was written by Duke Yeats..." said Theresa.

“You…”

The Lionheart King laughed in silence, closed his eyes, and murmured:

"Read it to me. It's right here. I don't think it will disappoint me..."

Theresa unfolded the parchment in her hand and read softly.

“Do not go gentle into that good night, “Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

As the poem was recited, a glimmer of light flashed in the eyes of the Lionheart King. He looked at the ceiling, his lips moving, and countless scenes flashed before his eyes.

"A serious man, approaching death, with dazzling vision

"Seeing that blind eyes can shine like meteors,

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light..."

When she read the second half, Theresa's voice trembled and her tears wet the parchment.

"You, my father, are there on that sad height.

"Curse me now with your hot tears, bless me. I beg you"Do not go gentle into that good night.

“Rage! Rage against the dying of the light.”

The Lionheart King was touched. The man, as majestic as a lion, had red eyes and hot tears running down his eyes. He said hoarsely:

"Theresa..."

Hearing the call, Theresa's nose became more and more sore, and she choked up and said, "I'm here, father."

"Carve those last two sentences on my tombstone."

The Lionheart King placed his hands on his chest, closed his eyes, and murmured softly:

"A new era is coming..."

"And you, my daughter...you will be the helmsman of the times."

"My era, washed away by the waves, scattered like sand, brought me you... my daughter."

The Lionheart smiled and said:

“This feeling is not bad.”

(End of this chapter)