In the evening, the High Priest summoned his youngest son at ho. He had many children, but he particularly favored this youngest one because they looked the most alike.
It’s sowhat strange to say; the previous children of the High Priest all bore so differences in appearance compared to him. Such things aren’t commonplace, but they aren’t that rare either.
He did not question whether these sons were his blood because the mothers of these children brought considerable wealth, power, and so intangible assets of indeterminate value when they married in.
When he competed with other brothers for the position of High Priest, they provided substantial help, so he pretended to be oblivious.
Only the youngest son resembled him the most. He couldn’t quite explain the feeling; at least he thought so himself, therefore showing preference for him.
The High Priest’s youngest son was only seventeen years old. If it weren’t for the girl, who committed suicide by drowning out of sha for being pregnant before marriage, this seventeen-year-old boy would have already been a father.
From the perspective of the Nagariel people, this young man was considered handso. Unlike local nobility mbers who were often heavyset, he was slightly slender, giving a vigorous appearance.
"Father, you called for ."
Shedding the multicolored bird feathers, removing various decorations, and wiping off the body paints, the High Priest revealed his true face.
It was the face of an elderly man, sowhat aged. Tattoos covered his face and arms, and his skin sagged a bit, rendering the tattoos unable to convey what they intended when inked into his skin.
This made the High Priest appear sowhat frightening and sowhat repulsive.
"Do you know Lynch?" the High Priest looked at his youngest son and asked.
The young man nodded, "I know him; recently, everyone is talking about him."
The High Priest nodded noncommittally, "In a couple of days, he will take a ship from Nagariel back to the Bail Federal; you will go with him. You’re not going to Alia anymore; you will go to the Bail Federal."
The High Priest originally intended to send his youngest son to Alie Province as Gafura had won a 120-year ruling right over this area, it was ti for major construction.
It was a great opportunity; the High Priest planned to have his youngest son bring money, attend school, and do business. Ideally, he could beco friends with local politicians—having him as the High Priest father as a backdrop would make people willing to befriend a young man.
Regardless of whether the younger son could inherit his position and power later, at least it was a way out. He even thought if conditions allowed, he would also establish a religion in the Alia Region.
The local people’s and the Gafura people’s oppositional consciousness made them need a "middleman" to diate conflicts. This was a good opportunity, and his youngest son had prepared a lot for it.
Just unexpectedly, a single sentence from Lynch made him change his mind—religious freedom, freedom of faith.
Gafura is a country ruled by monarchs; preaching requires permission. Only when approved by the rulers, can preaching occur within limits; this differs from the Federation.
If the Federation is indeed so free, he could absolutely have his youngest son beco a High Priest in the Federation; that would be the true way out.
Wealthy, advanced, developed, and safe, it’s certainly much better than being a local despot here.
"But I heard that Lynch turned down Mr. Preton’s goodwill..."
The High Priest frowned, his voice slightly stern, "Rember, you are a child of Nagariel, not a child of Preton; don’t speak for him, and don’t be afraid of him."
In fact, his attitude largely represents the current worries and grievances of the ruling class in Nagariel—the younger generation is becoming increasingly externalized under the influence of these outsiders.
So of them can’t even speak Nagariel’s native language fluently, but speak the international lingua franca as smoothly as their mother tongue.
Their attitudes towards life, towards society... don’t quite seem like locals, which is concerning—worried that one day, their descendants will suddenly transform from Nagariel people to "foreigners."
The High Priest felt a sudden irritation for no particular reason, "Let’s end this matter here, you’re going to study this ti and also observe the environnt there. Lynch told there’s a high degree of freedom of religion and belief there, if possible......"
The expressionless face of the youngest son turned into one of surprise, but soon showed joy.
Instead of business, he was more interested in religion.
Growing up in such a family, he knew well that sotis money couldn’t do what the divine could!
The news that the High Priest let his youngest son leave with Lynch swiftly circulated through certain channels. When Mr. Preton heard about it, he rely laughed indifferently, not taking it to heart. At the sa ti, for the face of the High Priest, he instructed people not to trouble him at sea.
The children of the Provincial Governor’s family didn’t dare to say anything like not allowing soone to leave without paying; with the High Priest stepping in, unless their father stood his ground, no one dared to stop Lynch from leaving the country.
For the sake of a minor figure, triggering new conflicts between the ruling power and divine authority would be a loss for the entire society.
This matter seed to calm down just like that. A few days later, Lynch, with a shipload of goods and a young man eager for the outside world leaving his father’s sight for the first ti, embarked on his return journey to the Bail Federal.
...
"Why are there so many people?" A freshly disembarked Federation citizen looked at the caran at the harbor with surprise, inquiring if so foreign head of state or political dignitary was visiting again.
As the Federation began participating in more international affairs, state visits beca more frequent and usual.
A new player joined the table, and old players were certainly curious about what this new friend might think and whether there were any collaborative projects.
In the past few years, state visits that happened infrequently had beco a routine occurrence. The Gafura Pri Minister had just left, and the Foreign Minister of the Reins Federal Republic had arrived right after, along with a long list of diplomatic agendas.
This intrigued the Federation public, increasing national cohesion and confidence.
As the President put it in a televised speech, "We are participating in more international decision-making, becoming more critical, raising our status, the great revival of the Federation is foreseeable..." boosting morale in truth.
Though the current economic situation remained tough, it was not as bottomless as before. The ergence of so international orders allowed factories to resu operations, signaling positive changes and heightened awareness of the importance of integrating into the international community.
Certainly, all of this also further illustrated the fault in the "isolationist" route; the forr president is now under investigation, with reports that the Bail Federal Security Committee plans to charge the forr president with "dereliction of duty," "endangering national security," and other offenses.
Rapid and significant changes unroll one after another, to the point where people disembarking first think there’s a visit from a foreign dignitary.
So people lingered at the port, hoping to feel the pulse of the era up close. However, they were dood to be disappointed, though not necessarily at a loss—this sentence was quite intriguing.
As a rather unnoticed dium-sized cargo ship slowly approached the dock, the reporters suddenly beca excited, and so curious people surged forward.
They first saw crates being unloaded from the ship; the photographers’ flashes went wild, and people exclaid in constant awe and raised questions about what on earth it was.
"Is this a lion?" asked a stylish lady wearing a sun hat, a blue dress, and holding a handbag, sowhat uncertain, "Its fur is beautiful, shining under the sun!"
Her male companion seed unsure, "Lions have a much denser mane, and look at the spots on its coat. I think it might be a leopard."
"I’ve seen leopards; they don’t have that kind of fur!" the stylish lady imdiately disagreed.
The male companion was just about to argue, but seeing the determination in the lady’s eyes, and having just ended a month-long celibacy, he instantly conceded, "You’re right, dear!"
The lady smiled very elegantly, "I knew I was right!"
More items continued to be unloaded from the ship; these were rarely seen in the Federation, including furniture made from Red Blood Wood—didn’t a kid co along with Lynch? Cutting down a few worthless trees is just a matter of words, right?
People discussed among themselves, discussing where these items ca from, who they belonged to, and why there were so many reporters.
anwhile, the owner of these goods was on the deck of the cargo ship.
"I feel it, Lynch..." The seventeen-year-old boy, after three days of getting along, had already ford a good relationship with Lynch. He was holding onto the rail and slightly tilting his head back, inhaling deeply.
The air quickly filled his lungs, causing his sowhat slender body to appear more robust, "This is the taste of freedom; I never thought the flavor here could be so sweet!"
He turned back, looking at Lynch with surprise. The air lacked the stench that couldn’t be dispersed without scent bags, maybe except for a salty sea breeze. But that alone was already a delightful surprise for a first-ti traveler abroad.
"I told you, this is the best place in the world; you will fall in love with it!" Lynch’s smile had always been infectious, easily convincing the boy of his view since Lynch wasn’t much older than him.
"I believe that now too, Lynch!"
User Comments
0 comments from readers