Σ Academic Lily

The place where the copy of Haizangshu is stored, or in other words, the origin...

"Ah, finally found it."

She handed the book to Shiori.

The title of the book is "A Fairy Tale Written for You", and the author is Bai Xiaotang.

***

The main store of Hachiro Bookstore, which once had a history of thousands of years and then became eternal in the upper dimension, is bathed in rain at this moment.

On a rainy evening, the bookstore's customers will become very rare, but there will also be some unexpected visitors. This is the experience that the already gray-haired owner Johannes Chen has summed up from years of operation.

He hopes to meet some down-and-out novelists, or young students who are interested in academics, so as to create a good story and bring more vitality to the publishing world.During his operation, Hachiro Bookstore has created many stories.But there was always one regret in his heart that it was not consummated.

However, it was already the end of the evening.Even the shop assistants have gone home from get off work.I'm afraid today is still the same as in the past...

At this time, the wind chime at the door rang.The door was pushed open.

Johannes Chen raised his head and saw a short-haired woman inserting an umbrella on the umbrella stand at the door, and then walked towards his counter.

He finally saw the guest clearly.

"Good evening, Boss Chen," she said.

"It's you. Congratulations on your freedom, Miss Lawrence." Johannes Chen narrowed his eyes behind his round glasses with a smile, "I don't know why, when you walked in, I still felt that you were held by your father. That little girl. When you got closer, I suddenly realized that I was getting old. Now I have short hair...short hair is also good."

Li didn't intend to exchange pleasantries.She cut to the chase:

"I'm here to find a book that was posted here a long time ago." After speaking, he handed him a note in his hand.

Johannes Chen put on a pair of short-sighted glasses, saw the words on them, and then switched back to reading glasses: "I'm getting older, and it's been a long time, so it may be slower to find it. Please wait a moment."

"Then I'll go find it myself."

Li said that she was about to go into the warehouse, but was stopped by Boss Chen.

"Why are you in such a hurry. It's a mess inside." Boss Chen said, "You should just wait here. Don't worry, I won't betray you. Oh yes. This book is quite popular recently, you can read it to relieve boredom. Sometimes in life you need to take a break."

He took a copy of "Fairy Tales Written for You" and handed it to Li with a smile.

"I don't like reading fairy tales." Li said.

"Really? Well, when you said this, you looked exactly like your father back then."

The bookstore owner sighed deliberately.

Not knowing if this sentence played a role, Li frowned, and then stretched out her hand towards the book.

The bookstore owner smiled and poured Li a cup of hot black tea, then walked into the warehouse and gently closed the door.

The author has something to say: Today is the Obon Festival. I originally planned to go to the temple to worship, but I slept very late yesterday and was too tired to go.What a pity.

☆、Delicious things you don’t know

The first story: "The Delicacy You Don't Know".

The ship drifted like a broken reed on the rough sea.Lightning struck the sky covered with dark clouds, as if an ax had been struck from outside, causing cracks and making the situation on the sea even more elusive.The captain stepped onto the bow worriedly, looking at the sea that might swallow them up at any time.Even if we survive this storm, the future is still extremely dangerous, because I just got the news from the first officer that the food will be used up within three days, and the water will be cut off next.Although all the water-holding utensils have been lifted up on the deck, ready to store some rainwater when the heavy rain falls, it is still a drop in the bucket for the long journey.

The captain is most worried about the mental state of the crew.With the dwindling food, some crew members have been vaguely aware of the shortage of food, and bad rumors have begun to arise.But the captain could do nothing about it.Because they came here to find ingredients that Her Royal Highness the Princess who lived in the most gorgeous capital of their country might like.Originally, I came here to find food, but now I have to starve here for food, and even wait to die.Perhaps the fate of mankind is doomed to be teased by heaven.

In the gap between lightning and thunder, the sea breeze suddenly brought a burst of piano sound.This reminded the captain that there was a poet on board.The poets are not his subordinates, they just go with them because they love to travel.He could not steer a ship, could only play the pentatonic, and could sing some folk songs, besides writing poems and plays, and professed to be very famous in the port from which they had departed.Although the crew members liked the pentatonic played by the poet very much, they didn't like the ballads he sang, let alone read the short plays he wrote. Therefore, in the hearts of the crew, the poet had nothing but to eat and play the piano. will do.When the captain was not the captain, there was a food shortage, and the rioting crew conspired to throw useless people into the sea to reduce food consumption.If this scene is repeated on this voyage, the most dangerous situation is undoubtedly the poet who can only eat and play the piano.

So the captain decided to go to the cabin to have a look at the situation of the poet.But the scene in the cabin took him by surprise. The poet was forming a circle with other crew members, discussing something with great interest.Everyone has a satisfied expression on their face.So the captain sat down curiously and listened to their chat.

"The most delicious food I've ever seen is the roasted camel on the birthday of His Royal Highness Princess of the Desert Kingdom." said the first mate who once served as an attendant to the prime minister. The male camel having sex, buried its body under the hottest sand dune in the desert, with only its head exposed. After that, the female camels passed in front of it one by one. Lactating, and far from immature. Let them play happily in the nearby oasis, drink leisurely as far as his eyes can see, and leave at night. The desert is hotter than the breast of the amorous virgin by day, The desert at night is as cold as the satin on a ruthless prostitute. After a day and a night, the male camel buried in the dunes is fully cooked, both inside and outside. The internal organs of the male camel cooked in this way are highly poisonous. Yes, if you are not careful, the toxin will seep into the muscles, so it must be dismantled by a professional chef, and let the slaves captured from the vassal state taste it. The chef can only practice the poison after poisoning 43 slaves. Such a profound skill. The princess of the desert country collected a camel liver after eating camel meat, and then used the liver to poison her heartless lover. It’s a pity that the princess of my country thinks this kind of cooking is too cruel , refused to adopt, otherwise we would not have been drifting at sea so far.”

Everyone listened very carefully as the mate told his story.Some crew members didn't even notice that their saliva had already flowed to the ground, forming a small puddle.After he finished speaking, almost everyone was appreciative, but the hunger was also stronger, and even remorse was aroused.The captain couldn't help frowning.He said he, too, had a story.So the crew urged him to speak quickly.Said the captain:

"The most delicious thing I have ever seen is the shortbread my mother baked for me after I returned from my first voyage." The captain said here, with a look of nostalgia on his face, "The flour she uses is from the village. The flour that was ground in the only mill, according to my mother, was the longest day of the year, the sun was hot and the wind was warm. My mother sent the oats and wheat there in the morning and ground them in the evening. So the temperature of the sun that day was also ground into the flour. The oven was built with stones on the wall since my grandfather’s grandfather. My mother sent the unbaked muffins into the oven and sat on the chair. After a while, she was drowsy under the hot sun. She had a sweet dream, and when she woke up, the scent of muffins wafted out just right. So that day, my mother’s dream was also baked into the muffins. I When I got home, the muffins were still warm. I have traveled all over the world, and I have never had muffins anywhere that tasted as good. My mother made muffins a few times later, but never as good as that one. Then I I married my wife and had my son who was worthless. When my son came back from the sea for the first time, he finally tasted this taste again from his wife. I dedicated the secret of this taste to the king, but the king refused to let Her Royal Highness Suffering from the smoke and fire, I don’t want to let Her Royal Highness go out on an adventure. If he is willing, I’m afraid we will lose this opportunity to make contributions. If you die at sea this time, your wives will never be If you let your son go on adventures outside, your son will not have the chance to taste this kind of taste that even the princess can't taste."

The captain's story aroused the deep thinking of the crew.Everyone is ashamed of themselves for ignoring work and indulging in small talk.Only the poet still plucked his own strings with an innocent smile on his face.The captain could not help hating the useless poet.After everyone else left, he took the initiative to go to the poet's side and asked the poet, have you ever seen anything more delicious than this?

"There is indeed such a thing, and it is called the devil fruit," said the poet, "but it is not eaten, it is used for flavor. There are countless fruits growing on the devil tree, and each tastes different , so the devil tree is the sum of all the tastes in the world. Among the endless number of fruits, there is another fruit with a special taste, which itself covers the taste of all fruits. This is the devil fruit. Any failed chef As long as the prepared food is lightly dipped in the devil fruit, it will bring out the best taste it should have. If it is a muffin, it will become the best muffin in the world. If it is highly poisonous, it will become The most potent poison in the world. However, it itself cannot be eaten, and the person who owns it will no longer be able to enjoy the joy of cooking, but he cannot give it up. This is the fruit of the devil."

The captain did not believe the poet's words.Seeing the captain's suspicion, the poet picked up the pentatonic and began to sing.At the end of one of his songs, land appeared at the end of the sea.After he played the second piece, the ship docked safely in the bay.

It was an island with a village.The hungry crew immediately sought food from the villagers.The dinner made of fish and shellfish served by the ignorant villagers was very rough, but it made the crew feel extremely delicious.At first they thought it was hunger, but after three days, the food magic of hunger had expired and the food still tasted unbelievable.The crew tried to catch fish and cook it, but they couldn't achieve this taste.The captain remembered the story told by the poet, and secretly watched the cooking process of the villagers, only to find that there was a flying bird with five-color feathers parked on the roof of each of their kitchens, and salt should have been placed next to the kitchen stove. There is a kind of black fruit placed in the place of the pot, as long as the fruit is dipped in the soup pot, the most delicious food in the world will be completed.

The captain thought this was what the poet called the devil fruit.He wanted to ask the poet for proof, but the poet was busy falling in love with the most beautiful girl in the village, and he could not be found anywhere.So the captain expressed his desire to buy this fruit, and they were willing to exchange it with the tea and silk that came with the ship.The villagers expressed their embarrassment.They said it took a little time to prepare.Because only the five-color bird, a special bird on the island, can find the devil fruit, and this opportunity is only once in a lifetime.Once they find the location of the devil fruit, they will grow into guardians of the devil fruit and be bound by the devil fruit for a lifetime.Only when the devil fruit is eaten can they regain their freedom.Since the last chick flew away, there hadn't been a newborn colorful bird in this village for a long time.So the captain asked to trade the devil fruit they already had to the villagers, but was severely refused.When the captain tried to ask again, the villagers refused to provide them with any more food, as did all the villagers.

After tasting the delicacy created by the devil fruit, the crew no longer tastes anything else.Someone tried to steal the devil fruit from the villagers, but was violently attacked by the colorful bird on the kitchen top, seriously injured, and soon died of infection and thirst for delicious food.The chief mate who once served as an attendant to the prime minister lost his mind and led all the crew to surround the village and demanded that they hand over the devil fruit and the five-color bird, otherwise they would kill one villager every day.The captain suddenly found that under the temptation of the devil's fruit, he could no longer control the behavior of the crew members, and even couldn't help but want to let them run amok.This made him feel deep fear, but he was powerless.

The villagers refused to do so, and on the first day, an old man died.The next day, a child's mother died.On the third day, all the villagers stayed behind closed doors. Only the most beautiful girl in the village appeared by the well in order to have a tryst with the poet, and was captured by the irrational crew.

Facing the first officer's black muzzle, the girl finally shed tears saltier than sea water.Tears that are too salty will make the taste of love bitter.Then the laughing poet sighed.He took out his pentatonic and played a piece that no one had heard before.Playing and playing, beautiful wings suddenly spread out from behind him, and the five sounds of the strings became the five colors of his wings.When the five-color spectrum was completed, the piano sound stopped, and the pair of wings took him to the tallest tree in the forest outside the village, hovered for a long time, and finally took down a black fruit.

The moment he took off the fruit, he turned back into an ordinary poet again. He fell from the tall tree and landed in the dense plantain forest, but he did not fall to his death.

The crew left the island with the poet and the devil fruit, leaving the weeping girl behind.The poet who left the island stopped drinking, eating, playing and singing, and sat in the kitchen every day, looking at the black devil fruit.The crew lost all appetite at the sight of the poet.Others say that without the accompaniment of the pentatonic, the food becomes mediocre and tasteless.Only the captain knows the real reason.The crew negotiated to throw the poet blindfolded, with his legs tied, into the sea, just like the pirates executed the crew.And they did.But the next morning, the poet reappeared in the kitchen, staring at the fruit on the plate with unchanging eyes.

The crew members were very afraid of such a mutation, but they were unwilling to abandon the fruit.In this way, tormented by fear, they arrived at the port, changed into a carriage, and arrived at the capital.And the mute poet walked with them.When he was about to enter the city, the captain saw the mill in the distance and recalled the taste of his mother's muffins, so he jumped out of the carriage involuntarily and left his subordinates.At that moment, he could suddenly smell the aroma of barbecued meat in the market again—although it didn't seem so delicious compared to the devil fruit seasoned meal he tasted in the village.The captain never came back after leaving the carriage.

So the first officer decided to go to the city to receive the reward instead of the captain. In addition to the same wealth reward as other crew members, it also included a castle and a thousand hectares of fertile land below the city.An hour later, the silver plate containing the devil's fruit was brought to the position not far in front of the princess who was greedy for food.

When the princess's slender fingers picked up the devil's fruit that had been removed for a month but was still full of moisture, the first officer and other crew members felt extremely regretful.They wished that the princess would be cut to pieces immediately, or that the poet would kill the princess like the colorful bird on the kitchen top of the villagers on the island.But they soon realized that they had voluntarily handed over the fruit.As the guardian bird of the devil fruit, the poet has no reason to resist the master's decision.

The princess swallowed the devil's fruit, and died immediately before chewing it carefully.The chief mate and the crew also regained their sobriety immediately.

The king was furious: "Kill them all!"

The first officer and the crew were all blood spattered on the spot.Only the pentatonic appeared again in the hands of the poet.His eyes would move and his appearance would come to life.He lightly plucked the strings, and beautiful wings appeared behind him, and the five-color brilliance gradually disappeared, turning into a pair of pure white wings.When the executioner's ax struck the poet, the poet flew into the air and out of the palace.

After that there was no news of the poet.Probably he is still in some tavern now, playing his pentatonic and listening to others telling stories about "delicious things you don't know".

☆、Famous paintings of Master Sheng’s family

The second story: "The Famous Paintings of Master Sheng's Family".

In Jiangcheng, there are especially many mosquitoes in summer nights.Maybe it's because of the humidity.

However, the residents of Jiangcheng don't care about these things, and they can rest early after setting up the mosquito nets.But travelers have to work a lot harder.Because there is no inn in Jiangcheng, travelers all stay on the big three-story boat that is stationed by the riverside, and there are especially many mosquitoes by the waterside in summer, and the mosquito nets are fragile, and they are always not enough.So after sunset, the well-meaning boatman simply sealed the four sides of the top floor used for viewing with broken curtains, and lit the lights all night.Guests who can't sleep can come to sit on the top floor, while catching mosquitoes that slip through the net, while drinking, so as to spend the short summer night.

It is for this reason that the night view of Jiangcheng is always very beautiful.There are many bright lights reflecting on the dark river, and you can also see the shadows of men and women gossiping on the curtains. Their movements of beating mosquitoes seem to be like gods clapping their hands.Then the shadows in the water clapped their hands too.When people are drunk, the lights are turned off, and the sky will be bright.

Although the activities of the people on the boat look like fairy games on the riverside, if you really go on board and listen to their gossip, you will find that it is not extraordinary at all, but mostly shocking market gossip.Anyway, the people who sit together are all travelers who have traveled far and wide. If we get together today, we don’t know where we will go tomorrow. Accounting is much more.

That night, a new guest came to the top of the passenger ship, a young man who only came to check in at dusk that day.He said that he was a businessman from Worry-free City, and he just arrived in Jiangcheng today.After he was seated, he didn't drink the wine from the store, so he thought the wine in the store was not good, so he sent his men out to buy wine, and invited all the insomniacs on board to drink freely.

The female shopkeeper on the boat smiled and said: "Wait a minute, the boat owner has his own collection." After speaking, she bent down to go under the counter and brought out a jar of wine.As soon as the lid was opened, the charming aroma intoxicated half of the fish in the river.

The guests on the top floor were very happy and thanked the female shopkeeper for her generosity.Only the businessman was slightly displeased.But after drinking a bowl of wine, the displeasure on his face disappeared immediately, and he started talking more.Because he is a businessman, he has more knowledge than ordinary people, and the stories he tells are more interesting.He talked a lot about the scenery of Wuyou City, where the folk customs are simple and the people's livelihood is prosperous. Although the street market is not as prosperous as Jiangcheng, it is like a paradise, and everyone listened with great interest.

Suddenly someone asked the businessman: You came to Jiangcheng to trade, what do you want to buy back?

The merchant said: I am not here to buy, but to sell a painting.I went back when it was sold out.

Everyone laughed when they heard it.

Because people who have traveled all over the world know that only the most ignorant businessmen will go to Jiangcheng to sell paintings. In the history of Jiangcheng, there have been many court painters, among which the Gu family and the Lu family are the most famous.These two families have been passed down from generation to generation, and now there are descendants who are on duty at the Royal Academy of Painting. The two practice drafts drawn by the seven-year-old child in the family can be sold for unimaginable prices in other provinces.And this businessman from Wuyou City actually planned to come here to sell paintings, which is really ridiculous.

So people asked, is the painting you brought here the authentic work of some famous ancient artist?

But the businessman said: There is no signature on the painting, and it is only a hundred years old, so it is not an authentic ancient work.

So everyone felt that the businessman was talking drunk, or that everyone was drunk.Because the bowl of wine brought by the female shopkeeper was so mellow that the humming of mosquitoes could no longer be heard half an hour ago.Even those mosquitoes have passed out and dozed off on the table, let alone this businessman.

After everyone laughed, the businessman slowly explained:

The painting I brought with me was not an ordinary painting.It was a hanging painting in the center of the ancestral hall of a family named Sheng in Wuyou City.

When the Sheng family was there, they made wine for generations, so they made a fortune.A hundred years ago, when the ancestral hall of the Sheng family was completed, an old painter in ragged clothes suddenly came to visit and asked to paint for their ancestral hall.The family members who opened the door saw that he was in rags, and they must have no ability, so they were destitute, so they wanted to drive him out.Unexpectedly, the mistress of the Sheng family believed in gods, she saw the extraordinary appearance of the old man from a distance, so she welcomed him in, offered money, and asked the servants to treat him well.

The old painter painted alone in the quiet room of the ancestral hall for three days and three nights, and quietly left on the day he finished painting.The owner of the Sheng family opened the scroll and saw that although there were mountains, rivers and pavilions in the painting, he searched every corner of the painting, but there was not a single figure.

The owner of the Sheng family was furious, saying that the old man was a liar, and went to the government to report the crime, asking for the arrest of the old painter.Master Guan is a man of culture. He said that the skill of this painting is not bad, so why not just hang it in the hall of the mansion.Unexpectedly, the painting disappeared from the government office the next day.Looking again, the painting was hanging in the center of the Sheng family's ancestral hall.Everyone was shocked and frightened.Suddenly, a sharp-eyed person saw something suddenly added between the misty clouds and smoke in the corner of the painting. Looking carefully, it turned out to be the old lady of the Sheng family who had just passed away, riding a white deer upside down to the sky.Only then did the owner of the Sheng family know that the old painter was extraordinary.It was summer at that time, and the owner of the Sheng family ordered someone to enshrine some flat peaches in front of the portrait. The next day, the enshrined peaches in front of the painting disappeared, and the old man in the painting was smiling, with a peach in his arms.

In the 100 years since then, some people in the Sheng family were born and some died, and more and more people were depicted in the paintings.Offering a pot of flowers, a peach blossom tree will grow in the valley, and a stack of paper money will be burnt, and a treasure chest will appear in the bedroom.The lives of the people in the paintings are getting better and better. They all live in the pavilions and pavilions painted by the old painters, among the misty clouds and mountains.Old people recite poems, young people drink alcohol, and they live like gods.When outsiders heard about it, they all said it was a blessing from the Sheng family's good deeds.

However, the family is always ups and downs. 30 years ago, the children of the Sheng family were not good at management, and they encountered natural disasters. The grain harvest in the fields failed and they almost went bankrupt.So everyone prayed to the ancestors in the ancestral hall. On the second day, there was a lot of money in the ancestral hall for no reason.The Sheng family finally pulled through the storm.It can be seen that in this world, there are indeed immortals, and the world after death is also connected with the present world.Later, the Sheng family became extinct and finally fell into decline. This painting was purchased by a businessman after another, and he was planning to sell the painting.

Everyone thought they didn't believe it, so they asked the businessman to take out the painting to see what happened.The businessman did not refuse.He opened the bag that he carried with him, and there was indeed a somewhat old scroll inside.Everyone hastily cleaned up an empty table and let the businessman unfold the painting for a look.Unexpectedly, the scenery in the painting is exactly the same as what the businessman said, with green mountains and green waters, pavilions, pavilions, flowers and trees.It's just that the trees in the painting are all withered, and the people are all sad.At the bottom of the steps, a child took a slingshot and secretly aimed at the old man's back. In the cave behind the rockery, two naked men and women were hooking up and having an affair.As for the cash box in the bedroom, the lid was already wide open, and it was empty.

Everyone was shocked and asked the businessman why.The businessman said: "This is the sign of the Sheng family's downfall." So everyone shook their heads and sighed, and drank another jar of wine.

After drinking for three rounds, the morning star of the East appeared.The businessman asked everyone if anyone was willing to pay for the painting.Although everyone loves the story of this painting, none of them is willing to pay the price offered by the merchant, so the merchant prepares to leave angrily.At this moment, he was stopped by the female shopkeeper:

"Guest officer, listen to what I said. The guest officer may have been deceived by a fool. This painting is not something enshrined in the Sheng family's ancestral hall, but a fake."

The businessman was quite annoyed, thinking that the female shopkeeper was trying to sabotage his business.The female shopkeeper said:

"The guest officer only knows one thing, but not the other. Thirty years ago, the Sheng family encountered robbers as soon as they got the silver box. After it got out, this painting was targeted by the new powerful in the city. The powerful designed to take the painting away so that he could live the life of the gods in the painting. The Sheng family did not want their ancestors to fall into In the hands of others, but afraid of tyranny, for fear that if there is disobedience, he will become the ghost in the painting in advance.

"Before this, there was a child born in the Sheng family named Sheng An, who was the same age as the young lady of the Sheng family. His family guarded the ancestral hall for the Sheng family for generations. Sheng An grew up in the ancestral hall since he was a child, and the young lady came to him To play, he played games with the little lady in the ancestral hall. Some people have seen them play games, and they often ran to the painting, took some candies for children to offer, and then talked with the person in the painting. I don’t know what they were talking about. I don’t know. Unexpectedly, it was the age to avoid suspicion, Sheng An had an affair with the young miss, and finally couldn't keep it a secret, and was expelled from the Sheng mansion by the adults of the Sheng family, and happened to be bought by the Haoqiang family.

"This Sheng'an probably heard about the painting being confiscated at Haoqiang's house. On the night before he was going to hand over the painting to Haoqiang, he quietly came back over the wall alone. Instead of looking for the little lady, he slipped into the ancestral hall. He prayed to the ancestors in the painting, and the ancestors flew away from the painting with a smile. He lit the portrait with a candle, and it turned into ashes in a short while, and disappeared into the dark night of the ancestral hall. Since the painting no longer exists, the Sheng family has escaped the disaster."

The businessman still didn't believe the female shopkeeper's words, and asked instead: "Then what happened to the Sheng family? If it really escaped this catastrophe, why is there no sign of the Sheng family in Wuyou City today? You are not Sheng'an, so how do you know what happened in the dark night?" About burning paintings?"

"The general situation is over. Even if you escaped the catastrophe, you will still be doomed. However, the young lady of the Sheng family has a daughter with Sheng Ansheng, who is still alive today. She is the servant's family. The fine wine you drank just now is genuine. Sheng's family handed down craftsmanship."

It is said that the businessman still did not believe what the proprietress said, and was looking for a seller everywhere.However, the picture on his scroll painting was too ominous, so it was not sold in the end, maybe it was indeed a fake.Up to now, there are still stories about the famous paintings of Master Sheng's family in Wuyou City, but this story may not be heard in Wuyou City.

The author has something to say: some words and sentences have been modified, and it looks much smoother.

☆, Exile your own king

The third story: "The Great Witch and the King of Sorrows".

Once upon a time there was a great witch.She can make dead trees bloom instantly in the cold winter, and she can turn a thousand hectares of lake into an ice sheet in the blink of an eye in hot summer.The big witch is very nerdy, she lives in seclusion on a high tower far away by the sea, and the spire is facing the brightest star in the north of the sky.

Although the residence of the great witch is far away from the world, people visit her every day with various problems.Even if she stays at home, she can still use this to know what is happening around the world.Where is the flames of war again, where plague and famine are breaking out again, where the knights launched a thrilling duel for honor, and where the pirate's treasure is discovered.Over time, these things gradually made her feel tired of ordinary people.Finally one day, she couldn't help but said to the visitor: "Ah! Are human beings such insatiable creatures? Could it be that there is no virtuous king who can rule a piece of paradise and let the people live happily and freely? "

The visitor was a little surprised at first, and then couldn't help smiling.He said: "It seems, respected great witch, you must not know the existence of the King of Sorrow. His country is in the extreme north, not far from here. If possible, I also hope to live there."

The Grand Witch was very suspicious of her visitor's words.But her pride did not allow her to ask the other visitors what the land of the Mourn King was like.However, she gradually discovered one thing, that is, none of the people under King Sorrow's rule came to trade with her.The big witch released her crow and black cat, wanting to know the real situation in that country.

The honest crow said: "Ah, my honorable master, the people of that country are very happy, and the King of Mourn must be a great and virtuous king."

The skeptical black cat said: "Ah, my venerable master, the people of that country don't even know what sorrow is. It must be the evil king of sorrow who controls their thoughts."

The great witch believed neither in crows nor in black cats, and she decided to go to the land of the King of Mourn to see for herself.

It took only half a day for the big witch who left the tower to reach the snow-covered territory of the King of Sorrow.As the man said, although the people here live a normal life, they have no desires and desires, so they are very happy.She couldn't help but let her black cat catch a roadside resident, and asked him:

"Why is the king of such a happy country called the King of Sorrow?"

Neither did the first two residents know the answer to that question.The third person asked was an old man with a white beard.He said: "The king's queen killed the evil dragon that harmed one side in order to protect the country, but she was also cursed because of this and gave her young life. Since the king lost his most precious queen, he has got the title of King of Sorrows. Name. People called him the Wise King before that. But people still respect him a lot, even though he looks sad all the time."

The big witch rolled her eyes and decided to meet the King of Sorrows to see if he was really as wise as the legend said.She asked the guards of the palace to write a letter to the king, recommending herself as the chief wizard of the royal family, hoping to have the opportunity to meet the legendary virtuous king.As she had hoped, the King of Mourn granted her request.So in the palace of the King of Mourn, the great witch met the King of Mourn on the throne.

The King of Sorrows was much younger and more handsome than the great witch imagined, but as the legend said, he seemed to be overwhelmed by sorrow, as if he only sighed, and the trees in the whole country would instantly wither.

The big witch saluted the King of Sorrows, and then repeated the content of her letter.King of Sorrows said:

"Unfortunately, the royal family of our country has no tradition of hiring wizards. But please tell us what you can do."

The great witch said: "You will definitely hire me, because my witchcraft can make your wishes come true."

"I'm afraid this will disappoint you. I don't have any wishes that need the power of witchcraft to come true."

"Is that true? Don't you want your territory to be a hundred times larger than it is now, extending south from the snow-capped mountains to the scorching seashore?"

"Expanding the territory depends on the king's way, not the magic spell with immediate results. The land you promised me will melt with the ice and snow in the spring of the land, or earlier, it will sink to the bottom of the sea together with the sun at dusk."

"Don't you want to be in power forever and let the world all worship under your throne?"

"My throne is a gift from the people. If the people bow down under the throne forever, they will not be able to see the way forward."

"You don't want your people to have a virtuous king like you forever? I can give you eternal life, as long as you surrender your current name."

"I am afraid that what you are asking for is not my name, but the reputation and belief that I have always cherished."

"I can also refine potions to revive your beloved queen, as long as you hand over one of your eyes as a material