Eileenburg (7)
At the Derek Palace, Mi cautiously shut out all her senses, maintaining a completely isolated space with Queen Angus. The Flower Kingdom was shrouded in mystery, and Mi had to be on her guard. Queen Angus's words filled her with both anger and helplessness. Of the forty-three neighboring cities in the Flower Kingdom, only two had girls' schools, and the City of the Sun deliberately controlled the number of female city lords. In places like the Citadel and neighboring cities, where the city lord was practically a local emperor, everyone understood the difference between cities ruled by male and female city lords.
The Flower Kingdom has a five-hundred-year history. The first hundred years can be considered a honeymoon period for both outsiders and locals. A stable environment, abundant food, and the gentle nature of the locals allowed outsiders to quickly integrate into the world, leading to rapid population growth, with a surge in the second and third generations. During this time, the longevity of the race was discovered, resulting in two centuries of massacres and wars against them. The exodus of the longevity race and the destruction of their habitat disrupted the original balance of the land until Derek I re-established a new order. Now, two hundred years later, the nobles of Sun City have lived too comfortably and have forgotten their noble status and the origins of their insignia.
"Are you unhappy?" Ailian asked cautiously, looking at Mi who had been silent the whole way.
"The Flower Queen competition is next month?" Mi didn't want to talk to this naive nobleman about the affairs of the Citadel and the city. This Lady Ailian neither preyed on the common people nor committed any crimes. She was so innocent that she didn't seem like a nobleman. Perhaps it was because her parents left her early and no one took her into that decadent and licentious cesspool that she didn't pick up those vices.
“Hmm.” Ailian sat demurely, maintaining impeccable aristocratic manners.
"You must remember our promise." Mi wanted to leave the Flower Kingdom after she had seen the Longevity Seed. She was a powerless person and only wanted to escape all of this.
"An agreement?" Ailian looked at Mi with a puzzled expression.
“A long-lived species,” Mi reminded her.
“Oh, of course.” Ailian nodded. “If I win the Flower Nightingale Award, you’ll give me a reward, right?” Ailian looked at Mi expectantly, like a little girl waiting for praise.
"good."
Back in Ellenburg, Mi locked herself in her study. She wanted to plant a bomb in Sun City. She revised the lyrics again and again, changed the stage repeatedly. Mi was never satisfied. The adventurers' story already had the Snow Theater, and Sun City was no stranger to monsters, but they always thought monsters were like Yetis, obediently staying in the snowfields, waiting for adventurers to slaughter them.
On the dark stage, there was only an empty room. A howling wind carried sand and gravel straight to people's faces. Heavy footsteps came from afar. A group of huge figures slowly walked from behind the curtain to the front of the stage. Two big men carrying huge stone hammers hummed a tune as they entered.
In the dictionary of the Shari people
The food is defined as "non-Sari".
Our diet is interesting
They were all non-Sari.
On the quiet stage stood several sections of city wall and a doorway. The dim lights slowly dimmed, and a quiet, even somewhat somber voice rose, the melody mournful, strings and soft percussion blending together, with a faint sob from a trumpet. Behind the doorway, a light shone, and a solitary girl in black, Ailian, sat on the leftmost doorway, softly singing:
Perhaps you will say goodbye and never come back.
Perhaps you will return, covered in dust.
I've been waiting, I've been waiting
Sad news will never come.
If that's the case, I won't wait.
I want to guard the border with you.
Together, we kept the Shari people out.
The lights went out again, the doorframe was slid open, and the towering Shari men smashed through the city wall with axes. The soldiers looked like little children before them, their bodies smashed into the wall and falling to the ground again. The Shari men picked up their broken bodies and stuffed them into their mouths. The Shari folk song began again, this time accompanied by cheerful drumming.
We are Shari people.
We are the invincible and unconquerable Shari people.
We are Shari people.
We are the Sharia searching for food.
We are Shari people.
We are the Shari people who eat everything.
The Sharians breached the city walls. At one end of the stage stood a castle, a replica of the Derek Palace, the city lord's mansion, bearing a large number—18. The Sharians swung their axes, smashing a corner of the castle. The inhabitants scattered like chicks, their laughter mingling with the children's screams, until the sounds gradually subsided. Beneath the walls lay a girl in black, her forehead streaked with blood, her face covered in dust. A flute began to play, leaving only a low, mournful string accompaniment as Eileen sang her sorrowful song:
Perhaps my eyes will never open again.
Perhaps I will sleep forever and never wake up.
I've been waiting, I've been waiting
The Sharians will never come
If that's the case, don't be sad.
The Sharians will eventually come.
The Shari carried strings of corpses on their backs, like heroes returning from a hunt. The Shari folk tunes rang out again throughout the venue before disappearing from the stage.
The lights came on again, this time in a luxurious banquet hall. Beautiful women and gentlemen danced gracefully, elegant arias and lively waltzes mingling, until the stage fell silent once more, the dancers frozen in place, and the magnificent lights went out. A little girl in black, carrying a broken lamp, walked from the side of the stage to the center. She was singing:
Perhaps I will fall and never rise again.
Do you believe I have turned to dust?
Perhaps I will leave and never return.
Do you understand the helplessness of having no choice?
If that's the case, don't wait.
You will join me in guarding the border.
Together, we kept the Shari people out.
If that's the case, don't wait.
You will join me in guarding the border.
Together, we kept the Shari people out.
Ailian raised the broken lantern, its light illuminating the scars on her face and the single tear about to fall from the corner of her eye. The music ended in complete silence. At that moment, Mi especially wanted the photographic stone that Zara had shown her, so that the nobles of Sun City could see how the Citadel had crumbled and how the Sandi people had resorted to cannibalism.
The Flower Nightingale Competition is a live singing contest where each performer has only fifteen minutes to perform. All contestants showcase their skills, displaying magnificent high notes, melodious coloratura, and constantly spinning while singing at the top of their lungs. Posture, breath control, pitch accuracy, and overall performance are all criteria that the judges pay particular attention to. This competition is hosted by the Lord of Sun City, and the judges include the Royal Soprano Beth, the principal soprano of the Royal Family, and the principal singers and managers of the major theaters in Sun City. Although it is an official selection, the winner is determined by a panel of judges composed of civilian referees. The Royal Family and the Adventurers' Guild only serve as supervisors.
Ailian's performance surprised everyone, and the judges were unable to give a score for a while. The competition was interrupted, but the Queen's lady-in-waiting came out to allow the competition to continue, and the judges continued their discussion later.
Over the past year, many folk songs and ditties have emerged in Sun City, and this year's newly selected Dahlia Flower Crown winner, Amy, is also a mezzo-soprano. What makes her special is not only her rich mezzo-soprano voice, but also her outstanding high notes. For this year's Flower Crown, she specially commissioned someone to write a song to match her voice - "Waiting Foolishly".
The stage, too, forwent elaborate lighting and set design, featuring only a table and a lamp. Amy, dressed in the simplest loungewear, sang a plaintive, mournful song: "Waiting foolishly, just waiting foolishly..."
After all the performers finished their performances, the judges finally selected Elaine as the winner of the Flower of the Nightingale competition. The entire audience and performers fell silent. King Derek, who had been sitting in the audience, presented Elaine with the award and delivered a speech, expressing his admiration for the border guards, his hatred for the Shari people, and his hope for peace.
Inside Derek Palace, Flora angrily ripped off her costume, threw it on the floor, and then swept everything off the dressing table. The maids rose and left the room, leaving Flora alone. When Beth approached, she saw a maid at the door and whispered, "What happened?"
“She’s throwing a tantrum,” a maid whispered. “She’s already declared that she’s the winner of this year’s Flower of the Year, and now she feels like everyone is laughing at her.”
Another maid whispered, "She said the king didn't keep his word, and that—" The maid looked at the closed door, pressed her ear to the doorway to listen for a while, and then continued, "She said the king deceived her."
"I understand. I'll try to persuade her. You can all go down now. Don't say those things again."
“We know.” The two maids left hand in hand, and only then did Beth push open Flora’s door.
"Get out!" A comb slammed against the door. "You think I don't know what you're thinking? That because I've fallen out of favor, Ailian will take her place tomorrow? Open your eyes and watch—"
Beth stepped forward and slapped her: "Flora, this is Derek's Palace. If you don't want to stay, you can leave now."
Beth slapped Flora's head to the side, trying hard to hold back her tears: "You're here to laugh at me too?"
“You know that all the titles in the Flower Kingdom are obtained through special contributions. Ailian won the award because of the title, not because of the king’s favor.” Beth poured Flora a basin of water, held her down and buried her face in the water before continuing, “You need to wake up. The Flower Warbler has never been a toy for the king to reward his beloved pets. The dahlia crown is already the highest reward His Majesty can give you.”
"Why?"
“Because as the king’s canary, you can’t bring revenue to the theater, so no one dares to mess with you, and no one will spend a lot of money to support you.” Beth sighed. “Flora, I warned you before that as His Majesty the King’s canary, you can only please one person.”
“They, you, the entire city of Sun City, all have to please His Majesty. Only if I receive the Flower Crown will I be able to please His Majesty more, and only then will I be worthy to stand by His Majesty’s side.” Flora raised her head, water dripping from her face, her chest heaving with excitement, making no attempt to hide her anger and desire.
"Flora, you should leave the palace."
"You're kicking me out? On what grounds? I need to go see the King."
"Flora, did you see Irene's performance?"
"Hmm, a bizarre performance." Flora grew angrier the more she thought about it; that little tune about the Sand People was simply grotesque.
“The Shali people really exist and they really do eat people.” Beth shuddered. She had seen the Queen show the King a photograph of the Acropolis’s fall. She warned her, “The last person who was arrogant and spoiled has already been sent to the Acropolis, the city that was destroyed in the song of Eileen. What do you think the forty-three Acropolises of the Flower Kingdom are for?”
Flora turned her head in surprise, looking at Beth, the woman who had served the king for twelve years. Before and after Flora, countless women came and went around the king, but Beth remained constant. When Flora first entered the palace, Beth had given her several pointers on how to avoid the king's wrath. Those in the world of pleasure could tell best whether it was genuine or feigned. "Are you telling the truth?" she asked incredulously, seeing Beth nod. "How dare Ellen?"
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