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Text Chapter 2 To separate light from darkness (2)

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    viii

    Naymen Solayton had a dream.

    In the dream, he stood in front of the city's central avenue, looking at the United Parliament Building of the Republic at the end of the avenue, as well as the Central Library and the Federal Museum on both sides.  Only these two auxiliary buildings of the former Grand Duke's Palace are left, which welcome citizens who come from all over the Four Republics for pilgrimage every day.

    This is the city of intertwined destinies, the capital of the republics, Lenny.

    This crossroads symbolizes the four republics and is called the "crossroads of freedom."  It is said that if you stand here for a whole day, you will see an old acquaintance among the crowd that you have not seen for many years.

    When he really saw that old acquaintance, he immediately realized that this was not reality.

    "Welcome back, Master."

    When she said this, she was wearing a long aqua maid dress trimmed with bright silver. She smiled and nodded slightly, greeting his arrival with a curtsey.  Although the Anne Seifer he knew worked as a maid and opened a shop for others, she had never worn such a long dress or behaved in such a standard manner.  She was originally a girl who was more suited to tight-fitting armor than long skirts.  and¡­¡­

    "Annie, uh, Lieutenant Seifer. Regardless of clothes, what's the deal with the title 'Master'?"

    She let go of her hand, put down the hem of her long skirt, and raised her head: "Isn't this what the master stipulated when you hired me to come to this store? Everyone must call you master."

    "my store?"

    "Yes, it's your shop, master."

    Naimen turned around and saw the store.  The store of his dreams.

    ??A magic shop with a simple signboard and simple decoration, but it is packed with customers.  Engraved on the stone slab next to the door are the words "Hero of the Freedom War" and "Holder of the Union Parliamentary Medal for Distinguished Service".  Anne obediently pushed the door open before him and walked into the store.

    The store has all the strange and magical products he knows.  Guests from the four republics, guests from the empire, and elves from the Saint Forest all shuttled through this store, and the female clerks in maid uniforms received them enthusiastically.  In the corner, a Mureman with a yellow turban was haggling in Intre dialect with a strange accent, and two Orientals in long robes were studying an ancient book.

    "Is this really my store?" He couldn't help but ask again, "This store looks very valuable."

    Annie nodded: "What happened to you today? You lost your memory? Of course this is your shop, master. The war is over."

    "Um, the so-called hero of the Freedom War, do you mean me? I don't remember that I won the Congressional Medal of Distinguished Service."

    "Of course. You have made outstanding achievements, and you deserve everything, Master."

    By this time, Naimen had completely confirmed the nature of this dream.  Delusional kind.

    Of course all this will not happen in reality.  At the same time, he also realized that he had been given a rare opportunity.

    The study of dreams by magicians can be traced back to the first dynasty of Coleman.  After sorting out the racist and erroneous idea of ??"dreams are oracles" in the Elven Empire, the human mages launched a vigorous discussion on the truth.  Mainstream mages believe that dreams are the manifestation of beliefs.  The prophecy school and the reality school are in tit-for-tat opposition. The former points out that dreams must be some kind of topological deformation of future destiny, while the latter retorts and says that dreams are just the sum of past memories and experiences.  Those mages who advocate the static reality theory maintain that dreams are the sum total of all intelligent creatures' understanding of the world.  Space magic experts believe that dreams, like heaven and hell, are real worlds that actually exist.  There are also many theories that have not yet been developed in Naimen's time. For example, some people in the future will think that dreams are a reflection of the Oedipus complex or childhood trauma.  But everyone agrees that dreams have their own power that is different from reality.  There is a lot of magic that comes from dreams, and many ideas are inspired by dreams.

    When you realize that you are in a dream, you can analyze your dream; there are many examples in history of relying on dreams to improve the level of magic.  Naimen had read some papers and journals in this area, but never thought that he would have the opportunity to be personally involved.

    "Then, let's find the key points first. Anne is one, and"

    He looked around, looking for clues.  The store's furnishings are "pure gold" style open sales, and each magic item comes with an instruction manual, still in his own handwriting.  In the corner are rattan chairs and tea tables for guests to rest, with white porcelain oriental teapots placed on them, showing the sincerity of the shop owner.  He walked over, poured a cup of tea, and looked at it.  The tea is fragrant and is the best fermented black tea, containing the rich flavor unique to the Eastern Empire.

    This is indeed his dream store.  However, heIt seems like something is not quite right.

    There is something not quite right in all dreams, or in dreams, but it is difficult for the dreamer to detect them.

    He was thinking hard when he saw the store door being pushed open again.  When several maids saw the visitor, they immediately bowed and saluted.

    "Thank you for your hard work shopping, Sister Foreman."

    The woman who walked in handed her satchel to the maid next to her. When she walked in, she noticed Anne who was checking the inventory.

    "Ah, Manager Sephiel is back. So, the master is back too?"

    The tea in Naimen¡¯s mouth spurted out with a pop.  No need to look for anything wrong this time

    Because the woman who walked in and was called "Sister Maid" was his childhood sweetheart, the current Princess Dinica von Fegota.  She just walked in wearing a maid outfit and carrying a heavy iron box.

    Her dress is different from others. It is a Feigota-style short skirt, which is more suitable for fighting than a long skirt - of course, it is also sexier and more suitable for possessing magic power.  Soleton knew about the maid army in the Principality of Fegota.  When Denica surrendered, the troops under her command caused some disputes. In the end, Neimen considered their personal combat effectiveness and classified the entire troops into the officer corps.

    "D-Dinika? Why are you here too?"

    "That's too foreign to say, Master. The foreman also has time to go shopping, right?" Denika threw the iron box on the table in front of him, "Sometimes they also bring back parcels. This seems to be the case.  A congratulatory gift."

    "No, that's not the question I asked"

    His tongue froze, and out of the corner of his eye he spotted the signature on the parcel.  Naimen gasped.

    ¡°Royal Security Department Sid Nasser¡± was clearly written on it.  Nai Men opened the package and a card fell out.

    "I heard that your store sells everything and takes any job. If this is your dream, I will send you this store opening gift. Sid"

    Unlike the usual practice, the signature is not a seal, but a handwritten signature.  Paradoxically, the font looks just like the standard font in the dictionary, neat and emotionless.

    What the Minister of Security means Naimen thought about it and had no clue.  He still hasn't figured out what kind of magic items this store sells, and he has never thought about this issue.

    That letter looked like a mockery.

    He took another deep breath and gently opened the heavy black iron box.

    There were two bombs inside.  The bombs were heavy-duty breakthrough bombs used by the Imperial Grenadiers. Each weighed twelve pounds and contained ten pounds of finely sieved refined gunpowder. It could throw a pre-adjusted steel nail fifty meters away.

    As soon as they saw the bomb, the surrounding maids screamed and ran away.  Only Anne and Denika did not escape.

    Hold your breath.  The nails dig into the flesh and it doesn't hurt at all.

    "This is it. If there is a test in dreams, it must be this."

    ¡°In the middle of the two bombs, there is a necklace set with a huge drop-shaped sapphire.  Different from the one he had seen, the sapphires on this necklace were mixed with black dirt.  The black impurities form a line and coil around the surface of the gemstone like a snake.

    He subconsciously reached out to the necklace, but suddenly remembered something and stopped: "Anne, Denika, you should also stay away. I will defuse this bomb."

    Neither she nor she moved.  Since it was a dream, he didn't force it.

    "This is my dream," Nemen Solayton said to himself, "This is my dream. I can do anything here."

    He picked up the black and blue turbid gem with trembling hands.

    "This is your own dream,"

    Talking to oneself becomes the second person.  Even though something is wrong and a bit chaotic, he should be able to control it.  But the confusion of the dream flustered him.

    "This is the future in your own dreams,"

    But what kind of future is that?  The two incongruous chains on the pendant should be the key.  By breaking through the mystery in this dream, he can gain more powerful magical power.

    ¡°You can do it.¡±

    Of the blue and black wings, choose one circuit to cut off.

    He made his choice.

    Everything calmed down, and only the mechanical impact of the pendulum of the clock echoed.

    ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? tread.  Tread.  Tap tap tap.

    Why didn¡¯t he notice before that there were so many things as goods in this store?bell?

    "What on earth is this store selling? What on earth do I want to do?"

    Is that the right choice?  Nowhich color did he choose?  This doubt rushed into his mind and was unstoppable.

    "No, no, this is a dream, I can't be confused -"

    I don¡¯t want to blink.  Don't want to blink.  Don't want to blink.  He stared intently at the black and blue chaos gem, watching the patterns on it change, merge, and decompose.

    He finally blinked.  Then, the explosive wind blew up, and he closed his eyes in despair.

    "You didn't pass the test."

    When he opened his eyes again, the entire store had been reduced to rubble.  Accompanied by the screams of customers and store clerks, the magic items exploded in flames one after another, turning into colorful lights and pungent smells, which were powerful enough to wipe out half a city block.

    All light sources are blocked behind that slender figure.  Anne Seifer's body was immersed in the backlight, and she spread her arms to block all threats for Denika and Naimen.

    "I said, I will protect you." Anne's smile was so beautiful that it was hard to imagine the severe pain that should have occurred.

    Unknown magic gathered on her arm, attracting all the shrapnel and steel nails.  The steel nails pierced her back and arms, and the swishing sound could be heard.  Drops of blood splashed out and landed on his face.

    "Miss Sephiel!"

    Naimen faced the blood foam and took two steps forward.  At this moment, an unknown piece of hidden goods caused a second explosion, and the violent explosion collapsed the entire building.  Broken bricks and tiles fell on him and he fell.

    "Annie!!"

    My vision blurred, and everything in front of me seemed very familiar.  He felt a pressure on his chest, as if someone was sitting on him.  The man quickly kicked the rubble off his body and dragged him out of the rubble like a dead dog.

    "That's enough." In the smoke, Denika's smile was equally dazzling, "I'm sorry, Solayton. It's time for you to wake up. The war is not over yet."

    Her right hand was burning with cyan light and pressed directly on his face.

    He has seen this before.

    The next future is empty and dark.

    *********

    "Hahaha¡­¡­"

    Naimen Solayton gasped violently and sat up suddenly.

    He remembered it all.  The last scene between Denika and him was not a dream, it was reality that happened not long ago.

    That morning, he chased Denika¡¯s figure, passed the transmission point in Jena, and returned to Lenny.

    What awaited him there was a tragic defeat.  The soldiers outside the teleportation point were all fooled by Denika. She actually brought in gunpowder and firesol in just a few minutes.  Naimen didn't know if the spies of the Royal Security Department were responsible for this; from a common sense point of view, there should be.

    Lenny's teleportation point was reduced to ashes in the storm, and the small building used as a shelter collapsed. The flames swept away all the data on the recording point. Naimen, who had just been tracked from the location point, was almost buried in the  in.

    If it weren¡¯t for Denika, he would probably have died there.

    Just like in the dream, Denika dragged him out of the ruins, and then used a stun magic to interrupt his consciousness.

    And then he was here.

    "Where is here? What time is it now?"

    Solayton murmured to himself, looking out the window.

    It was also dark outside the window, with only a few rays of dawn showing on the horizon.  Brighter than those dawn lights are the magic cannon shells trailing the light.  The light of the magic cannon shines on the ring-shaped city wall in the distance. On the city wall are guard towers and small bastions of varying heights.  A city guarded by five ring-shaped walls, this is Lenny, his hometown.

    Of course the war is not over.  The familiar sound of shelling echoed across the sky, and those sounds were intertwined, as punctual as the routine alarm clock every morning.

    He could hear the cheerful singing of the six-pound infantry cannon and the nine-pound magic cannon, recognize the gloomy roar of the twenty-four-pound mountain cannon and the mortar cannon, and recall the deafening thunder of the seventy-two-pound siege cannon.  The Imperial Army's artillery sounds slightly sharper, while the Free Army's artillery sounds are calmer, showing the subtle differences in the cannon-casting technology between the two sides.  He could even hear the unique "hissing" sound of the Empire's magic rockets breaking through the air. In Kengel and Jena-Blenheim, this weapon symbolized the Empire's strongest elite troops.

    He looked around. The surrounding windows were bright and clean. The neat white hospital beds and white sheets all described the environment here.  Even amid the artillery fire, the sound of hymns can be heard.?On the bedside table lay his military uniform and calendar.

    "Today is August 8thHave I been unconscious for a day? Fortunately, this is Lenny, and it's not too late to set off to chase Denika. She doesn't think she can get out of Lenny City with a military uniform  Is she out? How did she get the full set of passwords and passes? No, maybe she has been caught If so, I will have to find a way, which is really troublesome. "

    He seemed to be the only patient in the entire ward.  There was a man in military clergy uniform leaning on a chair by the far door, his head lowered and snoring slightly.

    "Is this the cathedral of the medical goddess Fotila?" Nemen asked, raising his voice slightly.

    "Ah, no, it's the Fotila Order of the General Headquarters"

    The man yawned and raised his head to answer.  He woke up immediately, jumped up from the chair like a spring, clicked his heels together, and made a crisp sound: "Uh I'm sorry, sir! I, I was lazy!"

    "It's okay, respected military priest hello, hello?"

    Before Naimen could finish speaking, the priest had already run into the corridor and opened another door in a panic: "Report to the chief! Captain Solayton is awake!"

    "Ah? Are you awake? As instructed by the marshal, everyone must assemble!"

    "Guards of honor, get up! I'll give you five minutes!"

    "Military music! Military music! This scene is going to be played to all Lennys, everyone, please be energetic!"

    Naimen listened in astonishment to the chaos in the corridor, and probably guessed what they were preparing.  Five minutes later, all the sounds outside the door fell silent at the same time - and at the same time, the melodious sound of the trumpet sounded.

    A middle-aged man with the rank of major general opened the door cleanly and walked into the room with military steps. More honor guards followed him and poured in.

    "Captain Naymen Solayton."

    "My subordinate is here." Naimen straightened his waist, held on to the edge of the bed, and tried to stand up.  He knew this wasn't the time to ask, "What's going on?"

    "You don't have to stand up, hero." The major general stretched out his hand to hold him down. "I am General McCash, commander of the 7th Great Sword National Guard Division. I was the defense chief of the Lenny Central Defense Area yesterday. Your  Heroic performance, saved Lenny's waypoint, saved me, saved my troops, saved the Free Army, saved Lenny, saved the Republics. Before the formal ceremony begins, please allow me to express my personal gratitude.  ."

    The major general¡ªalthough he was only a major general in the National Guard¡ªbowed respectfully to his captain.  Naimen tensed up the nerves on his face to prevent the shock in his heart from showing up.

    How is this going?  He has no memory at all.  No matter how he recalled it, there were only those few minutes of completely defeated battle before he passed out: Lenny's teleport point was blown to pieces, the dilemma of being completely defeated by Denika, and even the helplessness of being rescued by the enemy.  In contrast, the dream that lacked logic was a bit clearer.

    The major general raised his head and waved his hand vigorously: "Military band, play music!"

    The national anthem echoed.  The major general cleared his throat, pulled out a piece of paper, and began to read the words on it.

    "We all know that this war to defend freedom has reached its most critical moment. In Jena and Blenheim, we have achieved brilliant victories. In order to reverse the situation of the war, the emperor's servants have no choice but to  Attack our great capital, Lenny, with all their strength. If they cannot take Lenny, the entire empire will become history here."

    A magic officer set up several magic items beside him, preparing to record and transfer the ritual process.  Naimen felt increasingly uneasy: this ceremony seemed too formal.  He had thought it was just a formal consolation prize.

    "However, we issued an emergency call-up order, and all the free officers and soldiers on leave, shift, reserve, retired, and even volunteer militiamen came to the city wall. They didn't have any chance. In this case, the Emperor  The slaves can only turn the desperate war situation around through the most insidious plots and the most daring adventures."

    When he was unconscious, an emergency call was made?  It seemed Lenny's battle was much more intense than it had been in the previous two months.

    "Just yesterday, on the morning of August 7, 1666, a group of dirty and cunning Imperial agents sneaked into our Lenny Inner City teleport point and tried to obtain the coordinates and password of the Lenny Inner City teleport point. They assassinated  Our guards captured our teleportation point and obtained the teleportation password and coordinates. Just when their plot was about to succeed, and the Imperial Guards were about to surge through the teleportation circle¡ª"

    What is this major general talking about?  Naimen was certain that there was no way Denika could get the complete set of data on Lenny's positioning points.  From now on?It's one thing for Jena, who has adjusted the distance, orientation and coordinates, to start a teleportation point and go to Lenny; it's a completely different thing to teleport to Lenny from a certain positioning point in the empire.  The difference in difficulty between the two is as big as the difference between igniting the fuse of the artillery and directing the artillery to hit a moving target three hundred meters away.  If the Imperial spies could have obtained the entire set of location data scattered among five people, they would have obtained it long ago without any insidious plots or daring adventures.  Being able to blow up Lenny's location point is already the limit of the Royal Security Department agents.  Espionage is by no means omnipotent.

    "Lady Luck is on our side. Our brave hero, Captain Soleton and his adjutant passed the teleporter at this critical moment and returned from Jena to Lenny."

    General McCash continued to read this article affectionately, pausing occasionally to whet the audience's appetite.  Naimen tried his best to tighten his lips and thought about what he had done.  No matter how I recall it, the answer seems to be ¡°nothing.¡±

    "Faced with the ferocious attack by the Royal Security Department agents, the captain did not lose his calmness. He organized the surviving guards, blocked the enemy's crazy attack, and collected gunpowder and firesol for emergencies after the battle.  . In the brutal battle, the people around him fell one after another, and finally only he and his adjutant were left. The captain knew that the time had come. In order to protect the important teleportation point, he lit the fuse of the gun.  Everyone knew that this choice was tantamount to suicide; but he chose it anyway."

    Naimen pinched himself hard.  It hurts.  If this is not a dream, then he has lost his memory.  No matter how I recall it, all I can remember is the fiasco, the sea of ????fire, and Denika¡¯s friendly but spine-chilling smile.  He has definitely never done anything like "blocking the enemy's crazy attacks".

    "He succeeded. My troops and I noticed the explosion and rushed over. Although it was a little late, we still eliminated all the Imperial invaders. But I won't say that we have anything worth mentioning-if  Without Captain Soleton's bloody battle and sacrifice, what we have done would be meaningless."

    Major General McCash didn¡¯t look like he was acting, his emotion seemed to come from the bottom of his heart.  However, Naimen asked himself, had he really done these things?  When did you do it?

    "When we were clearing the wreckage of the anchor point, miraculously we found the captain and his adjutant still alive under the rubble. At that moment, I really felt that the gods were indeed blessing us and all the brave people.  There are always things in this world that can make us feel their grace.¡±

    Seeing the moved expressions of the major general and the surrounding soldiers, Naimen did not dare to raise any objection.  The siege of Lenny has reached its most critical moment, and the morale of the defenders is the key.  The Free Army will not allow anyone to question their hero, even if that person is the hero himself.

    "The Free Army thanks you for your heroic fighting and outstanding performance, Captain. It was your efforts and self-sacrifice that thwarted the empire's conspiracy and saved Lenny. You wisely blew up the teleportation circle that had been leaked, completely putting an end to  This eliminates the possibility of the Emperor's further invasion through this teleportation point."

    The major general rolled up the paper and put it back in the box.  Naimen glanced at the box and stood up in fright: There was a large medal in the box.

    A medal that is too big to be true.  The pure gold surface is inlaid with dozens of colorful gems, and the gems are connected by bright silver and purple wire magic circuits.  Could that be¡ª¡ª?

    "In the name of the Union Council of Lunni, authorized by the republics, and as a representative of the Free Army-Free Navy established with the permission of the Union Council, I award this Medal of Distinguished Service to you, Captain Nemen Soleton."

    Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute - Naimen really wanted to say this.  It happened so fast, so directly, so gorgeously that he didn't know what was wrong.  Is it another dream?  Medal of Distinguished Contribution?  The joke was a little too big.

    That is the highest honor of the Free Army.  For every five dollars given out to the Medal of Honor, four were given to the dead.  Just based on the magic effect attached to it, it may not be possible to imitate it with 200,000 gold pounds.

    "¡ª¡ªI can't accept this"

    "Stand up straight, Captain!" the Major General yelled, interrupting him, "All of you!"

    All the honor guards stood upright.

    ¡°Salute to Lenny¡¯s savior!¡±

    The powerful singing voice sounded, blocking all Naimen¡¯s words.  The national anthem echoed over Lenny through the amplification array.

    "Long live our free motherland, it was founded with the hands of the people! May the gods bless them with unity and freedom, and may the four-color cross flag fly for a long time!"

      The major general personally hung the medal, which was larger than a palm, on Naimen¡¯s chest.  In this way, the ceremony is over, it is a done deal and cannot be changed.

    Naimen gently stroked the surface of the medal.  There is no sense of reality.  There's nothing touching about receiving a medal for something you can't remember doing.

    "Your heroic act has been reported to the entire Free Army. As long as everyone fights as hard as you do, the Emperor will not have any chance. He has reached the end! I believe that after the war is over, you will get what you deserve."  Everything you get, Captain. Tell me, what else do you want? Marshal Fox has authorized me to grant any request you have."

    I have a question, but you can¡¯t answer it, Naimen thought.

    "I would like to ask, my adjutant¡ª¡ª"

    The major general nodded: "I was just about to tell you. Lieutenant Anne Seifer was only slightly injured. She has received the Medal of Freedom and is on leave. By the time the leave is over, the war will be almost over.  Bar."

    This reply was like lightning, wiping away all the doubts in Naimen Solayton's heart.

    All the mysteries are solved.  He has not lost his memory, and this is not a dream.  He burst out laughing; people around him thought he was happy to hear the news that his comrades were safe.

    ¡°It is truly the greatest luck in my life to have such a shrewd and cunning girl as my companion.¡±

    The war is coming to an end.  Yes.

    "Then, I also want to go home for a vacation, is that okay? I'm from Lenny."

    The major general showed the kind of smile that only men know: "I think that girl is good. Seize the opportunity, captain."

    "I will."

    Let us decide the outcome.

    Captain Neiman Soleton, the recipient of the Medal of Distinguished Contribution, put on his military uniform, got his pass, asked for today's password, and walked out of the Free Army headquarters in the early morning.

    It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been home, he thought.

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