Chapter 1452: Chapter 1453: The Story of Moon City
The young king tried his best to maintain his majesty, but his voice trembled slightly. After he spoke, the guards in the hall beca even more nervous.
“Why would I do such a thing?” Xu Huo retorted, “I made it very clear when I arrived. I am here on behalf of the King of Jewel City to retrieve the Most Beautiful Gemstone. If you refuse to return it, there is nothing I can do. Why would I kill for a re stone?”
“But that is no ordinary gemstone. It’s the Most Beautiful Gemstone,” the king argued back, then had the guards deliver a docunt to him, “The Most Beautiful Gemstone we borrowed at the ti has already been returned. This is Jewel City’s signature.”
Docunts that had once been torn and nded between the two countries were crinkled and encased in a glass fra, and the guards cautiously kept a certain distance from Xu Huo, as if extrely afraid he would damage the already tattered page.
“This docunt is genuine,” the king said, with a hint of urgency: “Since you are sent by Jewel City, you should be able to verify the signatures on it.”
“Signatures are easy to forge,” Xu Huo replied, “This cannot prove that you have indeed returned the Most Beautiful Gemstone.”
“We really have returned it!” The king couldn’t help but stand up, “Besides this return docunt, we have all the correspondence between the fifth king and Jewel City, including the thank you letter accompanying the final return of the gemstone, in duplicate. One copy was sent to Jewel City, and one remains in Moon City. If you don’t believe it, I can show you all of them!”
After listening, Xu Huo pondered for a mont, “Indeed, letters are more difficult to forge if you have a reply from the King of Jewel City.”
The king imdiately ordered the guards to fetch the letters, but a man dressed as a duke stopped them, “Your Majesty, we have shown these letters to outsiders many tis, and no one will believe them.”
The young king held on to great hope, “What if he believes them?”
Then he lowered his voice, “Uncle, I don’t want to die…”
The guards soon brought the letters and set up tables and chairs, and Xu Huo read these letters right at the door.
Although Moon City was now under the tenth king’s reign, it didn’t an that the fifth king’s era was far distant. In fact, the fifth king’s reign lasted only a few years, and it was at the end of his reign that he borrowed the Most Beautiful Gemstone from Jewel City, resulting in a refusal to return it.
However, from these letters, it seed that the process of borrowing and returning the Most Beautiful Gemstone was smooth, and there were no conflicts between the two parties.
“Since you say you have returned the Most Beautiful Gemstone, what are you going to display tomorrow at noon?” Xu Huo looked up and asked.
“It’s Moon City’s gemstone,” the king said, “It’s a story from a long ti ago. Would the guest like to hear it?”
Having co this far, of course, he would listen.
Then Xu Huo heard about the background of borrowing and returning the Most Beautiful Gemstone.
This matter had to be traced back to the third king of Moon City. This king disliked governntal affairs, could not stay in the castle, and handed over all state affairs to his brother and indulged in finding gemstones, often running around outside the city. After a three-month absence, he suddenly sent back a box containing a half-fist-sized White Gleaming Gemstone and a letter.
The letter ntioned that he and his companions found this type of gemstone in a remote deep mountain. Unlike other gemstones, this one was perfect from any angle and could release more brilliant and dazzling light than other gemstones, especially when placed in sunlight.
He decided to make this gemstone the symbol of Moon City and inford his brother that he would gradually send other gemstones back.
In the following months, the third king sent back a white gemstone every so often. In the last letter, he ntioned discovering an unprecedented white gemstone, the most beautiful to date, accompanied by a drawing, and said he would personally return to the city with this gemstone.
However, a month later, an attendant of the third king brought back the bad news. Along the way, soone coveted the Most Beautiful Gemstone, intoxicated them, and stole the gemstone. After waking and learning that the gemstone was missing, the king seed possessed and searched everywhere. Finding nothing, he returned to the mountain where the gemstones were discovered initially, hoping to find another. Unexpectedly, he was attacked by a beast and killed, with his remains never fully recovered.
This was a significant blow to Moon City, but being a country surrounded by forests, Moon City frequently suffered beast attacks. It could only be considered a tragedy.
Later, the king’s brother ascended the throne as the Fourth King. Saddened by his brother’s death, he sealed those white gemstones and did not follow his brother’s plan to make them the symbol of Moon City.
However, by chance, a rchant from Jewel City ntioned seeing an exquisite white gemstone in the King’s Castle, capable of emitting light at night.
Thus, the Fourth King began trying to gather information about Jewel City, but the King of Jewel City guarded the gemstone closely. Moreover, the gemstone was left over after a fair distribution among all the city’s citizens, so he couldn’t ascertain its source or question Jewel City.
During this period, he sent people to Jewel City, but they failed to see that white gemstone until relations between the two countries gradually improved, leading to the fifth king’s borrowing of the gemstone.
The King of Jewel City agreed and sent soone to deliver the gemstone to Moon City. However, the fifth king felt there was nothing outstanding about it after seeing it. That white gemstone wasn’t much different from those stored in their warehouse and didn’t match the beauty described by the third king.
After long consideration, Moon City concluded that it was rely one of the sa white gemstones, possibly found by soone else in the mountains, and not the one stolen from the third king.
However, after the escort team from Jewel City left, rumors of the King of Jewel City stealing the Most Beautiful Gemstone spread in the castle because so guards had seen the white gemstones in the warehouse and were aware of the third king’s circumstances. They insisted that since no other white gemstone had appeared after so long, it must be that the King of Jewel City stole the Most Beautiful Gemstone.
Although the fifth king strictly ordered no more ntion of this matter after returning the Most Beautiful Gemstone, the guards and maids continued to pass it around privately.
The rumors had no real impact, and just when the fifth king thought it could be laid to rest, suddenly, rumors erged from Jewel City, saying Moon City borrowed the Most Beautiful Gemstone and did not return it. Before the king could investigate further, a group of outsiders arrived in the city, forcibly demanding the Most Beautiful Gemstone from him.
The king talked until his mouth was dry and presented ample evidence, but he still couldn’t convince the outsiders. He had to give them a white gemstone.
Unexpectedly, the outsiders returned just a few days after leaving, and they began a massacre inside the castle.
Reviews
All reviews (0)