Chapter 32 Meditation

The ceremony is still held as scheduled.

The church ignited the incense that could point the way for the dead when sending them to the other side of the Styx River; the aroma of cinnamon and cardamom filled the nasal cavity, and the smell of rosin was like the breath of the dead. Many candles stand on rows of tin wax racks, spreading light. The deep bell echoed leisurely, and a long horn came from outside the church.

When dawn came and the morning sun rose, the boys in black robes first filed in. Their faces were washed away with dust and fatigue. After ample rest, they look energetic. An elderly boy held a copper basin full of precious water in the desert; on his left and right, two eight or nine-year-old boys held a bunch of wild flowers picked in the morning, together with the bronze basin, on the long table in front of the statues of the gods.

The blind child in charge of taking care of Li Ou and others opened a pair of gray-white eyes and rang the gongs on the side of the church, whispering the scriptures of prayer to the gods. His voice penetrated the magic, penetrated the thick stone wall, and echoed over the silent sanctuary, as if it were the decree of the gods. It is foreseeable that he will also be a noble red-robed monk in the future.

The boys finally entered the church and did not stand in the position of their repentance. Instead, they stood on both sides of the gods, as if they were the choir in the temple of Ainblo. However, Li Ou guessed that they not only did not have a sweet girl voice, but also did not know how to sing. They only know how to dance swords and keep silent. However, on this day, the quiet sanctuary is destined to break the silence that has lasted for decades.

The church echoed with footsteps, and the slightly sunken curved stone wall reflected sound waves, amplifying the calm and powerful footsteps of the monks when they entered. For a moment, Leo seemed to feel that there was a whole team of soldiers marching in line.

The red-robed monks walk in the front. Ashbourne is wearing a red monk's robe that mops the floor today. The edge of the robe is embroidered with exquisite silver silk thread, and his chest is the dark blue silent sign of the sanctuary of silence. He held a heavy iron scripture and went up the stone steps. Mario and many red and gray monks stood quietly on his sides. Brandick led two desert warriors in the same white robe to the high platform with the ashes of the unfortunate dead knights and crows and stood solemnly.

When everyone arrived, a white-haired old man came forward and announced the beginning of the sacrifice. The blind child struck the gong again, once or twice, and did not stop until the thirteenth time.

"Thirteen times?" Miss Bachelor said in surprise, "How can you knock thirteen times?"

"This is the way of the quiet sanctuary." Leo told her, "They are announcing the death of the unfortunate." But with thirteen as the choice, Leo doesn't feel auspicious, and he doesn't think it's a good choice. After all, the black sun is cool.

"I hope that bastard can't hear it." Rosie muttered in a low voice.

Her hair is dim and has fallen a lot recently. She has to coil up her hair to hide the thin top of her head. Although she didn't say anything, her troubles were written on her face and her temper became hotter and hotter. The toxin still haunted her and refused to leave. Li Ou was helpless and could only look forward to arriving in Sirius County as soon as possible, hoping that there were raw materials for alchemy.

You will get better. He swore guiltyly.

The aftertwin of the gong gradually faded, and the blind child put down the hammer and recited the scriptures. After a short opening, the gray-robed monks joined in, talking about the glory of the gods in Valris; then the boys joined in and sang hymns of the gods. Their voices are sonorous and powerful, without a sense of softness, as if they were in the golden horse. Leo has no objections or slanders that there are no girls in the Silent Sanctuary. No place is more suitable for a soldier than here.

In the fierce poetry, the red-robed monk stretched out his hand and held out a palm of water in the bronze basin. He whispered and read words. In a moment, a light golden light penetrated through his fingers. That golden light can't be covered up, and it is more eye-catching than the shimmer of candles. In the eyes of the young children in the Silent Sanctuary, this must be a miracle of the gods.

"The mysterious stick." Rosie cursed in a low voice, but it aroused the angry eyes of everyone around her. But it's a lame spell that also tries to seduce others. Lava Choray's dissatisfied glare, and his son couldn't help cursing him. Nianta's puzzled confusion, as well as the worries and uneasiness of Asha and Naliya. They didn't hide their emotions.

Li Ou was glad that the Silent Sanctuary swallowed her words in the sound of chanting like waves. No monk heard her words and pulled her sleeves, but she threw them away. Don't touch me!" She roared.

"Rosie, don't talk." Lu Yuewu advised her.

"You have no right to talk about me." Rosie glanced at her coldly and sneered quickly, "Take care of yourself first."

Liou felt embarrassed and lost. He doesn't know what to say and how to do it.

Ashburn glanced at him with caution. While whispering to maintain the spell, he sprinkled the golden water in his hand on the desert warrior holding the ashes. The golden holy water fell on the ashes and quickly penetrated into it. In the blink of an eye, the gray-white ceramic urn seemed to be painted with a layer of gold powder, becoming dazzling and hot. In the scattered golden light, even Leo seemed to see the hazy shape of the dead twisting around the urn.

"They are fearless warriors," the red-robed monks sang their condolences. "They are strong warriors. They protect the weak and challenge injustice and power. They never flinched on this thorny road until they sacrificed their lives. His voice echoed in the church and resounded through the quiet sanctuary. Although their path has not been completed, their death is glorious and worthy of the name of their holy knight. The gods are willing to spread their favors and give them the name of the holy warrior. They did not stop before they died, and now they will always enjoy peace and peace in the kingdom of the gods.

"Mr. Sir?" The Tario knight next to him suddenly opened his mouth in a very low voice. He buried his head, and his voice came from under the black scarf around his neck. Their eulogy, what's going on? We are not believers in the gods. What's more, they are not fools who fight for the gods and are deceived.

You only fight for the orders of the city lord and officers. Who is nobler? I agree," Leo told him, "they died in a foreign country, so let's follow local customs, which is also part of knighthood."

Knight Tario said no more. He squeezed his lips and stared at Ahiburn, who presided over the ceremony with a little anger. Leo knew that nothing could change the knight's view, and he wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.

The red-robed monks chattered on the high platform, and the long eulogy was extremely boasting. Perhaps both kings and beggars, thieves and soldiers hope that there will be such a glorious past after death. However, death is death. How can there be the kingdom of God and the afterlife? Leo does not believe in gods or the existence of other gods, but after all, he respects the choices and dedication of others, and naturally has their beliefs. Their faith and dedication, at the cost of the silent vows, will make them better and greater beings, at least this possibility - just like Ashbourne. But the knights can't do this, and Rosie doesn't seem to be able to. They looked irritable, like loach trapped in a dry mud pond, as if they had had enough of the heat in the church after the sun rose.

Towards the end of the sacrifice, the prayers of the monks in red robes finally stopped. The golden urn finally faded away. The surroundings fell back into darkness and shadow, leaving only colored glass beams of light shining on the statues of different gods.

The red-robed monk lowered his head. May they rest in peace."

"May they rest in peace." Everyone said in one voice.

When leaving the church, Li Ou took a deep breath, and the bright sunshine outside made him unable to open his eyes for a while. It's finally over." Rosie said, "It's stinky and long. I've had enough." She subconsciously touched her hair and shook her hand fiercely. "I want to go to rest. Don't call me for dinner tonight." She strode away.

Liou couldn't hold her. The monks passed by him and returned to their rooms. After leaving the church, they resumed their silence again, closed their mouths and stopped talking.

"I thought they didn't have tongues." Feiduo, the Raven, stood beside him and said.

Li Ou turned his head and looked at him. The mask on the crow's face reflects the cyan light in the sun. Just like your mask." The alchemist told him, "It's just a vow. When I was young, I also thought that some ascetic who made such vows did not have tongues. In fact, this statement is not true at any time and anywhere. Swearing to remain silent is a way to express repentance and make sacrifices to prove their piety to the gods. A mute oath to be silent is like a legless person declaring to give up dancing.

"I won't take off my mask, no matter what."

"But gestures can't accurately express all the meanings." Leo repeated the words of the Mario monk, "such as confession."

They said as they walked, but Ashburn suddenly called him in the language of the West on the stairs of the church. "Li Ou," he waved to him, "Can you come with me?"

Li Ou motioned the Ravens to rest, and he walked towards the monks in red robes. He noticed that the blind child who beat the gongs on the ceremony and led the hymn was standing beside Ashburn. What's the matter?" Li Ou asked puzzledly, "My injury is almost healed."

"It's still very early to recover." Ashburn said, gestured to Leo to follow up. You also come and follow closely, Parker. He suddenly paused and pointed to the blind child, "Oh, his name is Pakdwin. Just call him Pak."

They walked through the corridor, passed the square where the boys practiced martial arts, and they passed through the middle of a row of stone houses. Where are we going?" Leo couldn't help asking.

"The quiet hall." Ashburn said, "We need a quiet environment."

"Why are you going?" Leo is puzzled. The sanctuary of silence is quite quiet everywhere. Besides, my injury probably doesn't need to meditate to hypnotize myself.

"Your injury?" Ashbourne said coldly, "You shouldn't have hurt yourself, but you were not only injured, but also serious and almost fatal. Where is your guard? What about your alchemy? Are they all dead? Or do you want to die by yourself?

"I..."

"...I'm not your father, and I can't teach you how to please girls. But first of all, you have to remember that if the guard fails to do his duty because of a dispute, then he is no longer reliable. The battle should be done by the guards, not by yourself. Don't treat yourself as a hero. Ahiburn paused and laughed sarcastically, "My mercenary career told me the most important thing, that is, all those who think they are heroes who try to turn the tide, and their final end up being food for crows."

"I see." Leo doesn't know what to say. For him, they are no longer just guards.

"You don't understand. If you understand, you won't be entangled with it all day and change your mood for their emotions. Ahiburn sighed, and a low stone house without windows stood on a slope. He sighed, "Okay, we're here."

You need to climb a common staircase before entering the stone house. Leo looked at the blind boy Pikedwin who followed them all the way, "Does he want to be with us?" He approached the other party, "Don't you want to help him?"

The blind boy cleverly avoided his hand and turned to the other side, and his right foot had stepped up the steps. He saw it." Ashburn said, "His eyes are sharper than yours. Come on, let's go up first."

Sure enough, for a blind child, this uneven ladder seems to be flat. He didn't need to help, let alone remind him, and he always followed Ashbourne and didn't trip once. Leo couldn't help but be surprised. There is nothing to sigh about. If you have his ability, you can do it. The words of the red-robed monk aroused Leo's curiosity. But the other party took care of his mouth this time and didn't say anything more.

The rotten wooden door creaked, and the stone house was dark, with only a little dim light. Come in." Ashburn greeted him. Lower your head." He reminded.

The door frame is extremely low, not only bowing his head, but also bending down, and the roof is also low. Li Ou has to bend down and feel inside. If this can be regarded as humility to the gods, then the gods will be satisfied too easily.

"Sit down."

The blind boy closed the wooden door, and the surroundings suddenly became dark. Li Ou sat down cross-legged, and then straightened his back. This feels so good. He sighed contentedly. A candlelight is like the eyes of a monster beating in the dark, showing greedy eyes. Li Ou tried to open his eyes wide, but only saw two blurred shadows in front of him. There was only their breathing around, but soon, Leo noticed that he was the only one breathing in the end. The breath of Ashburn and the blind child Pikedwin completely disappeared, as if there were only two wooden men sitting in front of him.

Darkness suppressed him, and manic emotions began to emerge. What on earth does he want to do? Did you ask him to come here to torture him like this? Or do you treat him as his student and plan to train him from scratch? I don't need it!

"Say, what do you want me to do?" Leo said loudly. The sound shook back and forth, hitting his ear and making the dust above his head fall straight down. Say it quickly and don't hesitate."

"Quiet, Li Ou, this is a quiet hall, not a battlefield." Ahiburn's gentle voice sounded. Calm down, Li Ou, hold your breath and make your brain empty..."

Li Ou interrupted him, "I don't need you to teach me how to meditate." He told the other party, "I just want to know what you want to do!"

"Meditation." He said, "Deep meditation."

"I don't know what's the point of doing this." Li Ou said coldly, "I don't need it to calm my heart, let alone use it to heal my soul. That's the matter of you believers, not the alchemists!"

"But," Ashburn's tone softened. Meditation is not bad for you, is it? Besides, I think you need such a meditation.

"I don't need it."

"You need it and it's very urgent." Ashbourne sighed and was full of sadness. Li Ou sat down, looked at himself and asked himself. You know better than me, not only your body, but also your soul. ...You have been cursed, haven't you?"

Li Ou was so shocked that even Rosie didn't know, "How did you...how did you know?"

"Pike told me." His answer surprised him more than he knew the details.

"He? How could he?"

"He has a talent," Ahiburn turned his head and looked at the blind child, who nodded gently. Where there is loss, there is gain. The gods did not give him eyes, but gave him charming talent. When you were in a coma, Parker touched you and... 'seeed' these. He said that you are troubled by the curse and have not been separated until now.

"No, it's impossible." Leo shook his head, "I killed the curser, and I have lifted the curse."

"This is exactly what I'm confused about." Ashburn said, "That's why I said you need a meditation."

Li Ou sneered, "Can meditation lift the curse? Then those mages and priests will not die from the curse.

"I'm not joking!" The red-robed monk told him angrily, "Meditation can help eliminate some adverse effects. And Pike will also help you, and he will carefully examine your dreams..."

"As a medium for yourself? Isn't it a bit of a big deal?"

Pike is not a medium or a psychiatrist. He is gifted. Don't look like that. I promise that he will be fine and you will be fine. We just need a simple meditation. Then everything will be fine. We need to find out the root of the disease... Don't you think you have become more and more manic recently? It's like an enraged beast.