Chapter 223 I Have a Friend

Tiese stood on the city wall, holding a charcoal pencil, and completed the last stroke on the easel.

He let out a long breath, but was reluctant to leave.

On the sheepskin canvas, a crystal city was painted from an oblique bird's-eye view.

The city was guarded by four tall walls, and each wall had a tall and straight obelisk. This was the totem left by the old gods. God Yao did not destroy it, but gave it the responsibility to continue to guard the city.

As long as the killing locusts approached the city wall, they would be burned by the flames spewed out by the totem.

The road extended all the way out along the city gate, splitting to the left and right, forming the first circular main road around the crystal city.

The main road continued to branch out in the west, and spider-web-like paths of different sizes unfolded around this ancient and magnificent city, but the source all came from here.

After the fall of the empire, the villages located on the side of the road were completely abandoned, and the locusts were rampant, and the wooden houses and farmland were destroyed. Now only some stone walls and stone house ruins, as well as sand and gravel all over the ground, remain.

The wind swept the dust into the air, and these dilapidated villages became intermittent, like a fantasy.

The local ghosts said that this place was not like this before, and the war changed everything. The ghosts of the empire hated the killing locusts and cursed these monsters, saying that the locusts completely destroyed their homes.

Tiesai was confused at first.

The real reason was that God Bo launched the war of gods, wasn't it?

War is the driving force and firewood for the Fifth Fearless Empire to continue to move forward. The history of the empire is the process of participating in one war after another.

It's just that the empire lost this time, so everything disappeared.

It seems that the ghosts don't hate war, but only hate failure.

Tiesai thought so.

After staying in Crystal City for three years, he realized that such an idea was both arrogant and frivolous.

The old people of the empire cannot question the gods they believe in.

The will of God Bo is the will of the empire.

They dared not and could not hate the god Bo who used them as sacrificial offerings. They could only curse and hate the locusts, and vent all their resentment and pain by killing the locusts.

After Tiesai became friends with many ghosts, he gradually touched this contradictory and repressed mood.

Some words cannot be said.

It will take a long time to get rid of the mark that the god Bo has left on this world for years.

…

In the capital of the old empire, more than half of the houses collapsed, and the ground became bumpy.

It was as if a giant hand fell from the sky and crushed the originally orderly buildings in the city, causing many of them to be deformed, either collapsed or crooked.

The center of the imperial capital was originally the emperor's palace, and the palace dome was connected to the holy shrine. The tall and majestic palace stood tall, surrounded by circular stairs and inner walls on all sides, like a giant sword inserted into the earth, with only the long hilt exposed.

At the top of the hilt was the shrine, which was high above and shining like a gem.

Its brick walls are made of pieces of glass and glued together to form a sphere. The top is a huge green crystal carved into a vertical eye, representing the gods staring at the world.

In the past, civilians could not get close to the palace, let alone the shrine.

All the wills of the gods were announced through the sacred emperor Soth.

Today, it has been transformed into a ghost lighthouse.

Anyone can enter and visit.

Local civilians can finally enter the place they dream of after death.

Tiesai often went to the lighthouse to ask Yao Pu. He felt that this place was nothing magical. There was no luxurious decoration inside. It was more about showing majesty and deepening the emperor's posture above everyone else.

So even if there were many steps inside, the places on the steps were basically areas and rooms that only the emperor could step into. To him, it looked like a maze.

Under the power of the old gods, the local ghosts not only condensed their bodies into glass, but also suffered a lot of damage to their ghost bodies. There are very few doctors who can treat ghosts, and Yao Pu is one of them. As a ghost doctor, she chose to stay.

Retracting his gaze, Tiesai looked at his painting.

For this work, he stayed in Crystal City for three years, and he had visited the scene in the painting to observe and measure. However, due to the large amount of content in this painting, there are many detailed sketches, and charcoal pencil description is not enough, and it is easy to fade.

So after Tiesai finished the first draft, he had to go to Saniro in the south to borrow Mr. Pava's feather pen and smoke ink. Only by redrawing this copy of Crystal City can it be better preserved in the world.

Before leaving, Tiesai found Yao Pu.

"I'm leaving for Saniro in the south."

"Oh, will you come back?"

"I don't know."

"Then... I wish you a smooth journey."

"This is for you."

Tiesai took out a parchment scroll from his backpack and handed it to the other party.

The ghost doctor spread out the parchment and found a portrait painted on it. It was a young girl in armor, with long hair tied behind her head, tough and sharp eyes, but a smile on the corner of her mouth.

She was stroking a ghost with an illusory figure and treating him.

"How do you know what I look like?"

Yao Pu's voice was full of surprise: "Can you communicate with spirits?"

"No."

Tiese smiled and said: "I am a painter, and painters can always see the models they want to paint."

"See you again if we are lucky."

The painter carried his bag, walked out of the tower, and came to an underground cave. He got on the underground boat, traveled all the way underground, avoided the killing locusts, and rushed to the south.

Yaopu watched his friend leave through the window on the tower.

She opened the parchment again.

There is a line of small words on the back of the painting.

——To the most beautiful woman in my heart.

Yaopu sighed: "What a fool."

…

After many bumps and turns, the iron plug finally arrived at its destination.

In the inner city of Saniro City, the Pava House is directly opposite the fountain.

Pava, a legendary travel storyteller, is now quite old. His hair is half white. He is sitting on a rickety wicker chair and drinking a glass of honey water in front of the fire.

What made Tiesai envious was that the lady standing next to him - Pava's wife Jyoti, still looked young, as if she was only in her twenties. She had a delicate face and was very energetic.

"finished."

Tiesai handed the sketch he had drawn to the couple.

On the drawing paper, Pava and Jyoti are cuddling together, looking plain but warm.

"The painting is really good, Mr. Tiese, thank you."

With a happy face on her face, Jyoti sealed the painting in resin and fixed it on the wall.

Pava narrowed his eyes, crossed his legs and said, "Tiese, you seem to have something on your mind. Why don't you talk and listen."

Tiesai smiled and said no.

Jyoti handed him a glass of honey water and said with a smile: "If you need help, we will help you."

After hesitating for a moment, Tiesai said: "I have a friend who likes a beautiful girl..."

After listening, Pava said coldly: "Are you a fool?"

"You think you are romantic, free and stylish, don't you?"

"Leave a painting for the woman you love, make her sad and emotional, and then go find another man and wait for another man to comfort and hold her. Is this what you want?"

"No, it's not..." Tiesai was a little flustered.

"Then why are you doing this?"

"I just don't know what to say..."

"Tell it like it is."

Pava interrupted: "Remember, tell the truth."

Jodi also smiled and agreed: "Husband is right."

"Go. Take advantage of the last chance." Pava waved his hand impatiently: "I don't want to watch tragedies and stupid dramas, do what you can do."

"I see……"

Tiesai picked up his backpack and ran out.

Jodi reminded: "Don't leave your quill and cigarette ink behind."

She pointed her finger and a bundle flew towards the man at the door.

"Oh, okay, thank you."

…

Tiesai flew all the way on his spade armor, and returned to the high tower of Crystal City half a month later, rushing towards the ghost doctor.

"Come back so soon?" Yao Pu was a little surprised.

"I……"

Tiesai plucked up the courage and said, "I want you to marry me!"

"Eh?"

Yaopu was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't react.

"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

"So you liked my past appearance."

Tiesai said honestly: "Yes. Ever since I saw your appearance when I was sketching, I can't forget it. I fell in love with you. In fact, it will take less than three years to paint this city. I just want to see more of you."

"I see."

Yaopu paused and whispered cautiously: "But, I am a married woman."

"Huh?? What?"

Tiesai felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his smile completely frozen: "No, no...why didn't you ever say that?"

"You didn't even ask."

"You lied to me! You're lying to me!"

"I did not lie to you."

Yaopu spread his hands: "My husband's name is Fabiani, and he is an archaeologist. Although he has little money and is a bit stubborn, he is a very good person."

"I've never heard of Mr. Fabiani having a wife!" Tiesai's mood exploded and his face turned pale.

"Because he said he didn't have money to hold a wedding and said he would make up for it later." Yaopu patiently explained: "An archaeologist doesn't have much money. It's not easy for him to be exposed to wind and rain all day long. So I also applied to become one. A martial monk can save more money to get married. "

Tiesai clenched his fists and reluctantly launched his final inquiry: "Why did you marry him?"

Yaopu raised his helmet slightly and seemed to think seriously for a while.

"forgotten."

"..."

"We had known each other for two days, and he proposed to me. I thought he was good, so that was it."

"No...I don't believe it..."

"This is the fact. We also registered at the YC City Hall. At that time, the mayor, Mr. Tonghai, and the commander, Mr. Botu, came to congratulate us."

"I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear it!"

Tiesai ran out with a roar, tore his painting into pieces, and cried in the rain.

…

On this night, Tiese painted his pinnacle work "Lying".

Since then, the painter Tiesai's style has changed drastically, changing his previous realistic and heavy painting style.

His paintings became sombre and abstract, with most of the themes depicting and celebrating the tragic love affairs between men and women.

Thanks to: Yuan Yongye supports 500 starting coins, book friend 20221227210721927 supports 100 starting coins, Sky Angel's Heartbeat supports 100 starting coins, Jiuli Sword Master supports 100 starting coins, and Bing Xin Zhuiyu supports 100 starting coins.