Alien Knights

Stepping off the carriage with one foot, Todd looked up at the signboards of "Liliel" that could be seen everywhere on the street, and asked the attendant a little confused: "Why are there such signs everywhere on this street, which one is the real one?"

"Your Majesty, every shop you see belongs to "Liliel". Almost half of the shops on this street are rented by Lady Mary."

"Half the street is rented?" Todd was taken aback.

"That's right, the Liliel brand has spread to many countries. Whether it's the northern barbarian country, the southern empire, or the holy city of the east, a large number of customers come here every year to buy clothes in carriages or boats."

Todd shook his head and laughed. Who would have thought that the queen who was in trouble a few years ago could earn such a huge family fortune in Muxi City.

Without prior notice, Todd found a small three-story building in the center of the block with the royal attendants and knight guards.

This was originally the shop where "Liliel" started, and now it has been transformed into the brand's office building.

In the lobby on the first floor, a group of young women who were busy checking warehouse receipts and goods suddenly saw many armed men walking in, and the timid ones were frightened and screamed.

The accompanying attendants found the shop staff in charge of reception and asked where Lady Mary was.

Before he could come up with a result, Mary, who was dressed in studio overalls, walked down the stairs surrounded by shop assistants, and looked at the person who came by suspiciously.

"Master Mary, His Majesty is waiting for you in the gallery in the front hall."

Mary was stunned for a moment, looked down at her still-painted clothes, touched her hair that had not been taken care of, and said hastily, "Your Majesty, please wait for ten minutes, no, five minutes! I need to go up and freshen up!"

"Master Mary, His Majesty has specifically confessed that there is no need to go through a lot of trouble. He only needs to talk to you for a few minutes."

Mary agreed to the invitation in embarrassment, and only had time to find a clean handkerchief to wrap up her unkempt hair, and followed the attendants out.

The knights firmly guarded the gate of the small building, and any visitor who wanted to enter was told to wait outside the gate.

Todd, who was walking in the lobby gallery, stopped in front of a painting called "Redemption".

The god in the painting bears a cross that symbolizes the sins of mankind. His body is gradually engulfed by flames, and he walks step by step into the depths of hell.

"Your Majesty, Lady Mary is here."

Todd turned his head, looked at the woman who seemed to have just stepped out of the paint pile, and said with a smile, "Did I interrupt your creation?"

Mary shook her head slightly.

In another world, although they can meet each other almost every day, when they reunite after half a year, Mary can feel that something is changing in the other party.

"The paintings here are all your works?"

"Part of it is, and some are from those painters who were influenced by the Renaissance." Mary looked around and said sincerely: "Speaking of which, Your Majesty is the leader of the Renaissance. Most of the inspirations in these paintings actually come from your world."

Todd found a chair and sat down. He was not at all complacent about the woman's praise: "I am not a leader. Everything you see belongs to this era. Strictly speaking, I can only be regarded as a porter."

Mary opened her eyes wide, and could only vaguely understand half of the profound words.

Todd looked at Mary's bright face, and said softly: "You should have heard about the dinner for the Holy Acropolis Mission."

Mary frowned, and finally nodded slightly.

"Do you want to come?"

Mary was taken aback, and asked in an unbelievable tone: "Are you asking for my permission?"

Todd didn't understand why the other party had such a big reaction: "That's right, but there is one thing I must remind you. If you are willing to show up, your identity will only be related to Twilight City, and will have nothing to do with the past..."

Todd's words were intended to remind Mary that Muxi City gave her a happy and independent new life, and it was the only hometown in her life. As for Silver Ring City and Holy Acropolis, it was just her past. During this dinner, she should keep this in mind and pretend to be a Muxi.

But Mary misunderstood this sentence...

"Your Majesty, you are an incredible person."

"Unbelievable?"

"You are completely different from those in power I have seen... My father once told me that this world is full of danger and death. Deceit, hypocrisy, indifference, and cruelty are the souls that a king should have. But look at his country. The staff members are afraid that telling the truth will lead to death, so they are silent; Ruthless political tactics and reckless behavior, caught in endless civil strife..."

Mary walked up to Todd, knelt down on the ground quietly, and gently held the other's palm with both hands, with tears in her eyes: "The past days were more like nightmares after falling asleep to me, but by your side, I felt peaceful and calm for the first time. As long as you don't tell me to leave, I am willing to stay by your side..."

The guard knights exchanged winks, and everyone turned around tacitly, turned their faces to the wall, and left their backs to the two people in the room.

Todd looked at the woman in front of him, and then at the knights around him, with a dazed look on his face. I thought to myself, something seems wrong...

"Tomorrow night's banquet, I will attend on time." Wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, Mary stood up and said firmly to Todd, "Even if the envoys from the Holy Acropolis bring a letter from my father, I will stay by your side!"

Looking at the dozens of heads protruding from the end of the corridor, some of them chirped excitedly, some wiped the corners of their eyes deeply, and Todd's mind suddenly rang.

It seems that something is really wrong!

—————————————

The eastern suburbs of Muxi City, the immigrant area.

"How long until tomorrow's dinner?"

Gordon, the head of the Holy Acropolis Mission, lay on the haystack of the shack, looked up at the leaks in the roof, and said weakly.

Cavalier Harry looked at the setting sun that was about to set outside the window, and said softly, "There are still about 24 hours..."

The trainee knight Neiljie, who was lying beside Harry, pressed his abdomen with his hand, and said weakly, "I haven't eaten anything for a whole day, and my stomach feels like it's on fire!"

"Be patient! Think about it, by this time tomorrow night, we can have a big meal that we will never have the chance to eat again in this life!" Harry turned his body sideways, and drew the outline of a "roasted chicken" on the ground with his fingers, and his saliva flowed down the corner of his mouth to form a "stream".

The door of the shack was suddenly opened, and two people rushed in, startled by the "corpses" all over the floor.

One of them shouted loudly: "Master Gordon! Harry, and Neljie! What's the matter with you?! Has an enemy come?!"

Gordon squinted at the door, and said softly, "It's Kaponodas and Diz, where have you been?"

Kaponodas stared at the three half-dead people on the ground, and said hesitantly: "Yesterday, the two of us planned to sell our swordsmanship at the gate of the city to make some money, but those Muxi people would rather spend 20 Bronze Stars to listen to a drama than take out a Bronze Star to watch a real sword fight."

"Later, we met a fellow from the Holy Acropolis in a nearby village. He was willing to take us to a restaurant where we had free meals and money. We thought, hurry back and bring everyone in the regiment to fill our stomachs first... By the way, why are you lying on the ground in broad daylight?"

Harry snorted twice: "Tomorrow night, King Muxi will hold a grand dinner for the envoys of the Holy Acropolis. In the past two days, please try not to move around without eating. Let's make up for a few days with a meal tomorrow!"

Nairjie pressed his belly and shouted loudly: "Tomorrow night, I will eat a whole whole roasted lamb!"

The head of the group, Gordon, said to everyone: "The key is that we can save the meal money for these two days and use it as travel expenses back to the city. So, from now on, you should try to talk as little as possible and rest more, so as to save energy!"

Kaponodas and Diz, who had just entered the door, glanced at each other, shrugged, and sat down against the corner of the wall.

Nairjie, who was lying on the ground, struggled to climb to the side of the two, turned around and glanced at the head of the resting group with closed eyes, and whispered to them: "Hey! What did you just say, free meals and money?"

Kaponodas patted his stomach with a smug expression: "My fellow countryman told me that there are a group of guys in the city who opened a "free food shop" in the immigrant area, where food is provided for free."

"Is there such a good thing?!"

"Of course, although the food is some beans for horses, unpalatable wheat bran, and similar worthless things. But the key point is that the shopkeeper there promises to eat as much as you want, and you can eat as much as you want!"

Kaponodas paused for a moment, and then said: "However, the shop owner also has a condition. After eating, he must defecate once in the toilet of the shop before leaving."

Hearing such a "wonderful" condition, Nairjie didn't come back to his senses for a long time: "After eating, customers are required to shit in the restaurant?! What kind of restaurant is this?!"

Kaponodas sat up: "Listen to what I have to say. After finishing speaking, the owner will not treat you badly. Everyone can receive three bronze stars."

Glancing at the sky outside the window, Kaponodas lowered his voice and said to Neljie: "Since the dinner is tomorrow night, Diz and I are going to have something tonight."

"However, Lord Gordon has ordered that we have dinner together tomorrow..."

Kaponodas put his arms around Nerjie's neck and whispered to him: "You haven't eaten for a day, and you are so hungry. If you have another day, do you think you still have the strength to walk? Listen to my advice, go eat with us tonight, at least to fill your stomach."

The intense hunger is like a sea wave, hitting the fragile nerves.

Nelja finally succumbed to his appetite and grabbed Kaponodas's hand tightly.