Chapter 540: The lion left the forest

The banquet at the Gelansidunbao City Hall started on time at dusk, and everyone shared the rich prey brought back by the Grand Duke and the Prince to the back kitchen, and toasted to their principality.

During the banquet, a small episode occurred, a musician walked to the front of everyone and raised the champagne in his hand.

"Gentlemen."

He said, his tone gentle and restrained, "I want to dedicate a piano piece to our Campbell Principality. If you don't mind, please give me some inspiration."

After a short silence, someone mentioned the white deer horn sound coming from the hunting ground in the early morning, and an elderly noblewoman hummed the first two bars of the royal anthem in a low voice.

Edward, who was talking to Kelin, also stopped talking, and the two cast interested gazes at the musician.

"Who is he?" Luo Yan asked casually.

Edward seemed to know him, saying with a smile.

"Li'an Valiqi, his father was a jazz from the Twilight Province, possessing a surname, but no hereditary territory. And his mother came from a city that never sleeps."

It seems this wasn't entirely an "impromptu performance," but this gentleman's inspiration shouldn't have settled for too long either.

Perhaps it was just last night or the night before last.

Luo Yan pondered slightly, so that the question wouldn't appear too boring.

"Lei Ming City?"

Edward smiled slightly.

"Nothing can hide from you."

After listening to everyone's opinions, the musician nodded, seeming to just write it down casually, and placed the champagne aside.

Sitting on the piano bench, he straightened his cuffs, and the moment his fingertips fell on the keys, the melody didn't have the slightest hesitation.

The bass part went first, short and restrained. His piano sound was like a horn coming from afar, hidden in the smoke of steam, and then returned to the forest path.

The melody of the prelude wasn't flamboyant, but made people stop talking unconsciously, immersed in that winding piano sound.

Then, the treble intervened quietly, he dismantled and lengthened the two bars of the royal anthem... transformed into a familiar yet unfamiliar appearance.

People saw a train coming head-on, and after crossing mountains and ridges, it turned into soldiers marching in line.

After a section of inspiring marching, the windmill turned into a chimney, the flock turned into a textile machine, and the city wall was pushed down into a street scene paved with red bricks.

Little Eagle standing on the edge of the dance floor couldn't help but show a surprised expression, not expecting this game to be so realistic, even using enough effort for such a simple transition.

And Qiqi standing not far away was just as surprised, not expecting the wild human world to have such excellent artistic expression ability.

It seems the bookshelf of the Demon Academy isn't completely accurate, she finds it hard to imagine these people would really dig her intestines out, and then force her to eat them back...

She is a commoner of the Demon Capital, and they are just commoners of another city.

The end of the piano piece came restrained and solemn, just like the train entering the station, leaking the steam of the previous journey for the start of the next journey.

When the last chord fell, the hall was silent.

Until the musician stood up to salute, the thunderous applause erupted, sweeping the entire banquet hall like a pouring rain.

Little Eagle listened very fascinated.

Speaking of which, she hadn't heard a complete piece of music for a long time, not expecting to eat so well in this *Disaster OL*.

This was truly an unexpected joy.

As the applause subsided, the gaze of Mr. Li'an Valiqi fell on the main seat, continuing to say in that gentle and restrained voice.

"Your Majesty, if this piece can get your love, I hope you can name it."

Everyone's gaze came to Edward, their eyes full of curiosity. Especially the nobles and gentry of Gelansidunbao, they all wanted to hear what kind of name this "notorious" white-haired Duke could think of.

Edward pondered slightly, then said with a smile.

"Just call it... Forward, *Forward March*! May our principality be like our train, may our republic always move forward!"

A trace of short surprise appeared on everyone's faces, especially those nobles and gentry of Gelansidunbao, all writing disbelief on their faces.

Generally speaking, the nobles of the Ao Si Continent would unhesitatingly use their own surnames to name those classic pieces, or use them to commemorate personal bravery and legendary deeds.

Dedicating the piece offered by the musician to the principality... this was the first time.

Thunderous applause sounded again, accompanied by enthusiastic shouts, especially from those commoners who were invited to attend the noble banquet for the first time.

For example, Holles.

This group of guys had no foundation, didn't know they should just applaud, bringing some habits from the tavern in Lei Ming City to the royal banquet.

"Long live the Campbell Principality!"

"May our republic be immortal!"

Looking at the excited people, Edward didn't reprimand their rudeness, and even smiled and returned an elegant noble salute to them.

Luo Yan couldn't help but think of the appearance of Edward when he first met him, that young Grand Duke was quite "rebellious."

Hearing You You, floating beside Luo Yan, sighed lightly.

"Time passes so fast..."

"Yeah."

Luo Yan nodded slightly, this time not letting Hearing You You shut up, and temporarily immersed in that dream belonging to mortals.

The edge of the Twilight Forest, dusk slowly sank into the horizon.

The sentry of the Lionheart Knight Order looked at the direction where dusk went away in silence, and behind him was a camp even heavier than his face.

Dozens of marching pots were placed on the fire, the firewood at the bottom of the pot crackled, stewing bland wheat fragrance, and that was the only lively breath in this dead camp.

The cook waved the long spoon numbly, the bottom of the spoon hitting the iron pot, emitting a dull thud.

"This is also called dinner?" The young soldier stared at the wooden bowl in his hand, unable to help but curse, but finally swallowed his temper.

The oatmeal inside was thin to the point of being outrageous, reflecting a face with sunken eye sockets as it shook.

An old soldier sat on a horse stool, raised the bowl to his eyes, and pulled the corners of his mouth.

"Even if it's taken to feed the horses, you have to add a handful of beans to it."

"Be content."

Another old soldier didn't look up, just drank a mouthful of hot porridge quietly, comforting the guy beside him blandly.

"Think of it in a better way, at least we are walking west."

Every step you take, you are closer to home.

Although from the family letters sent to the front line, the situation in Luo Lan City didn't seem very good either, but it was better than here anyway.

Imagining the dishes of his hometown, everyone felt that the food in the bowl wasn't so hard to swallow, and the fragrance of bread and stew seemed to be in front of them.

If they could have a cup of pine nut wine, that would be a heavenly enjoyment, even if the King exchanged his throne for it, they wouldn't give it.

"... After returning to Luo Lan City, I want to go to 'Old Oak' and get drunk by the wine barrel, sleep for three days and three nights before going back!"

"Haha! Then can you still find the door to your house?"

"Ha, smelling the roast goose my wife roasted sizzling with oil, I can find it back with my eyes closed!"

Go home.

This word with temperature was like a spark falling into a dry straw pile, and the originally dead air suddenly flowed.

The soldiers moved their buttocks, leaning closer to the fire, the originally empty eyes having a little more light, as if that roast goose was turning on the fire.

However, this little light was still too thin in the increasingly deep evening wind, and wasn't enough to make everyone forget the bitterness in front of them.

Someone threw a stone into the fire, watching the sparks explode, rise, and then quickly extinguish in the cold wind.

"I don't understand."

That was the young soldier who complained about dinner just now. He put the bowl on his knees, his voice very low, but carrying a gnashing hatred.

"All the way we have been protecting them! If it weren't for us blocking, that group of mad dogs from the Tribunal would have tied this group of bumpkins to the stake as heretics! But how do they look at us?"

He remembered the eyes hiding in the window cracks when passing through the village, none of them were grateful, all were eyes looking at devils.

Especially those children, these things that grew up eating mud, actually confused them with the Tribunal!

They should have cut the weeds and removed the roots in the first place!

"Clearly the Campbell people cheated them."

The old soldier sitting beside him picked up his words, that bland tone just like the wheat porridge in the wooden bowl, barely filling the void in his conscience.

"That group of cunning 'Swamp People' spread rumors... wait and see, when we leave, the real monsters come, they will cry and shout for us to come back."

Everyone nodded one after another, temporarily chewing the guilt that couldn't be resolved and swallowing it into their stomachs.

Unfortunately, with the Ao Si Empire watching, they couldn't help but ignore the ancient legal principles and draw their swords against that group of "lizard species" in the swamp.

Otherwise, their iron hooves would definitely crush that decaying land built on the labyrinth, and they didn't doubt at all that their glorious knights had such strength!

After all, no matter how legendary the Light of Transmission is, it shouldn't be a match for a demigod...

The tent in the center of the camp, Haigemo Devalu sitting in the camp, was looking down at the long sword in his hand.

That straight sword body was still polished, but the reflected dusk couldn't light up the haze hidden in the bottom of his eyes.

In the past, he had no distractions when waving his sword, firmly believing that he represented the will of God. However, now, every time he waved his sword, what appeared before his eyes were faces full of hatred.

Although this doubt about his mission wouldn't make him fall from the realm he had already reached, the confusion piled up in his heart still made him feel unprecedentedly weak.

His sword seemed to have become heavy.

The loss of power made a trace of faint chill rise in Haigemo's heart, and it was hard for him not to suspect whether he, who was also at the demigod level, could still beat a hell demon.

And just as he had such a thought, a more blasphemous thought flashed through his mind—

Could it be that Saint Xisi has already abandoned the Lei En Kingdom?!

"No..."

Haigemo closed his eyes fiercely, then took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the absurd thought that was knotted in his heart.

This must be an illusion!

It must be because this place is too far from Luo Lan City, the church in Dusk City cannot hear the gospel of God, and he hasn't prayed for too long!

As long as he returns to Luo Lan City, stands in front of the statue in Saint Luo Lan Cathedral, and tells the Bishop his troubles...

Everything will definitely get better! ===== CHAPTER 541 =====