Rome Must Fall

Stepping on the thick fallen leaves, accompanied by the sound of bells, the whole person seemed to be integrated into this nature, throwing away all the fatigue and distracting thoughts along the way... I didn't know how far I had walked in a trance, and I saw A gate appeared on the path ahead.

Two thick white boulders, as tall as a person, stand on both sides of the path. A thinner white stone is placed on the top of the two boulders, forming a stone gate.

From a distance, these two white boulders each appear to be a man and a woman standing. When you look closer, you can see no obvious traces of carving, as if they were naturally formed.

A semicircular mark was carved in the center of the stone slab on the top, just like a wave stirred up in the river. When the sunlight shines on it through the gaps in the leaves, the mark actually emits dazzling five-color light.

The people of Segestica and the slaves of Skodisci, who had a complex of worshiping the sacred stone, came here and all fell to their knees.

The druid who led the way reminded in a low voice: "Get up quickly, pass through this holy stone door, and you will arrive at the temple!"

Prolo, the only one who did not kneel down, was the first to pass through the stone door, and Celysis quickly stood up and followed closely behind.

As soon as he stepped through the stone gate, he suddenly felt the light was dazzling. He quickly closed his eyes and slowly opened them. After a while, he could see clearly.

It turned out that the path we took before was surrounded by dense trees and leafy branches. The sunlight was blocked and the light was very dim. But when we arrived here, it was a flat green space, and the sunlight poured down unimpeded. It was naturally extremely bright compared to before, and our eyes couldn't adapt to it for a while.

But for simple villagers like Selixis, this is a display of the divine power of the goddess Danu, which makes them even more awe-inspiring.

At this time, the villagers who crossed the stone gate focused their attention on the center of the green space, which was full of small white flowers. They were densely packed and layered, as if they were covered with a layer of white carpet, making the temple more attractive. Holy.

Some of the villagers have seen this small white flower before when grazing. It is scattered in the mountains and fields. It blooms in late autumn and can bloom until the next spring. However, it can be so numerous, so dense, and blooming so beautifully like now. That must be the blessing of Goddess Danu!

The villagers, who were becoming more and more awed, quietly turned their attention to the majestic figure in the center.

The statue of Goddess Danu is more than three meters high. She is holding a lively and lovely child in her left hand. She is holding the water jar above her head with her right hand. She leans forward slightly. The water in the jar pours down and turns into a robe draped on her body. , light and gorgeous, like brocade in the clouds and mist, which not only highlights His graceful and graceful figure, but also sets off His solemn majesty as the residence of God.

His face is as soft and beautiful as the lotus in early summer, fresh and natural; His eyes are deep and clear, as if he can see through everyone's heart; His face is smiling, as warm and bright as the spring sunshine, but there is compassion in his brows. His expression seemed to be able to see through all the sufferings in the world; His lips were slightly open, and He seemed to be asking with concern to every believer who came to worship Him: "My child, how are you doing recently?"

Celysis stared at the goddess Danu and felt extremely kind, which suddenly reminded him of his mother whom he had forgotten for many years. When he was about to be sent to Savatoi that day, his mother hugged him tightly and repeatedly He warned, the concern and reluctance in his eyes were just like the goddess Danu at this moment...

Unknowingly, hot tears flowed down his cheeks. Selicis was about to wipe them away with his hands when he heard someone crying next to him. He quietly turned his head, but it was Lerdus, who had tears streaming down his face.

"Holy place, please stay as quiet as possible!" A deep voice came from the front.

Just now, the villagers' eyes were attracted by the statue of the god. At this time, Selicis looked for his voice and found that on both sides of the statue stood an old man wearing a flower crown, wearing a robe, and with long hair and beard.

The person who spoke felt very familiar to Selicis. He opened his eyes and looked carefully: it turned out to be Hermigas, the former chief priest of Segestica.

Not only Selicis, but many villagers also recognized Hermigas. After all, he would hold a sacrificial ceremony for the tribe’s harvest at the beginning of summer every year. Village No. 21 is relatively close to the main village, so most of the villagers would go there. Join in the fun to watch, so I am no stranger to this priest.

But at this moment, everyone was not surprised about "why Hermigas appeared here", because at this time they felt that the goddess Danu was so great, and it was natural for Hermigas to join Nyx and become the priest of the goddess.

"Please ask the assistant priest to arrange for believers to come forward to worship!" the old priest on the other side said softly.

Immediately, four young druids in robes and grass crowns came over from the edge of the green space.

Only then did everyone notice a circle of young men in robes, a total of forty of them, standing in front of the oak forest on the outskirts of the green space.

The four young druids walked into the crowd and asked the ten villagers in the front row to walk in front of the white flower and face the statue of the goddess. These ten people included Selixis, but not Puluo, because he was already an official member of the clan. The people do not need to swear in front of the gods.

The further Selysis walked, the clearer the face of the goddess became. Those clear eyes seemed to be moving with his movement, always watching him with a kind smile, which made his heart beat faster and excited. Incomparable.

In fact, every villager who came forward had the same feeling as Selicis.

"Please ask the descendants of the goddess Danu, the high priest of the Nyx tribe, and the leader Maximus to bless the believers and guide them to swear an oath!" The old druid finished speaking solemnly, and immediately bowed his head, and the other druids They all also bent down.

A young man walked out from behind the statue of Goddess Danu. He was also wearing a robe, but he had a golden crown on his head. The sun shone on him, emitting a dazzling aura that made it impossible to look directly at him.

Celysis and the others lowered their heads unconsciously, but their hearts were greatly shocked: Maximus? ! This is the leader of the Knicks who defeated Andres and Cabros and destroyed Segestica!

Selicis couldn't stop his curiosity and peeked up, and found the young tribal leader standing calmly and calmly at the altar table in front of the statue of the goddess Danu. At a glance, the right side of the leader seemed to be next to the lively and cute child, and then the statue of the goddess. The three seemed to be on the same plane.

Selicis suddenly felt that the leader's appearance was somewhat familiar, and his eyes moved to the statue of the child next to him. A flash of lightning flashed through his mind, and he suddenly shuddered: The child looked very similar to the leader of Nyx... Could it be that Danu The child held by the goddess is the leader of the Knicks? ! ...No wonder! No wonder the druid just now said that the leader of Nyx is the descendant of the goddess Danu! …

Thinking of these, Selicis only felt that Maximus in front of him was extremely noble and majestic. His clear and deep eyes were very similar to the face of the goddess Danu, as if he could suck in the whole person's heart.

Selicis lowered his upper body lower, but his heart was extremely excited.

Maximus spoke, his voice melodious, like the wind blowing: "Millions of years ago, our world was in chaos, and in the chaos was the great goddess Danu... I don't know how many years later, the goddess was born, so With the land, the rivers on the ground began to emerge, and then there was light, and then there was darkness, and then spring, summer, autumn, and winter began again and again, and the years continued, and all things grew... and finally we humans were born!"

Maximus's voice became louder and struck everyone's heart: "Goddess Danu is the mother of the earth and the source of water! She is the mother of all things and the mother of all us humans! Now, she protects me, Nix Tribe is the protector of my Knicks tribe!

Whether they are Illyrians, Pannonians, Skodisci... or all other races living in this mountainous area, this plain, this land, as long as they are willing to join Nyx and worship Him devoutly, He will surely protect you! If he is an enemy of Knicks, he will definitely reject him! People of the goddess, raise your heads! "

Selicis and the others raised their heads obediently. At this moment, the statue of goddess Danu and leader Maximus in front of them were no longer so dazzling. The sun still shone on them, but they looked bright and warm.

At this time, a group of young men in long robes came to them and handed each of them a small wooden jar filled with soil mixed with water. The young man motioned for them to hold the jar with their left hand and press the palm of their right hand lightly on the soil. superior.

Celysis and the others obeyed and obeyed.

Maximus said: "The soil you are pressing on is the most fertile soil in this land, and the water you are holding is the purest water melted from the snow on the top of the mountain. The soil and water are both transformed by the body of the goddess. You His thoughts will also be known to the goddess through them, and now—"

Maximus's expression was solemn and solemn, and his voice became thick and deep: "I ask! You answer! Face the goddess and make your most faithful promise!"

"Can you worship Goddess Danu forever?!"

"Yes!!" Everyone answered in unison without hesitation.

"Can you be loyal to the Knicks tribe and never betray?!"

"Yes!!" Everyone's answers were still uniform. At this moment, what they were thinking was not "If you don't swear, the land you get will be lost" and so on, but "Goddess Danu protects Nyx, and the leader of Nyx is Heirs of the goddess, how could we betray Nix..." Such a firm thought.

"Can we live in peace with other ethnic groups in the Nyx tribe, such as the Skodisqi people, and create a beautiful homeland together?!"

"Yes!" Selicis' answer was still quick, but others hesitated. However, in this sacred place, facing the goddess's all-inclusive smile, and the majesty of Maximus, they finally made up their minds. Determined to answer in the affirmative.