When the Dukes exited the hall, their steps were much faster than when they came in. They were not running, but their eagerness to leave under this huge dome was clearly evident from their tense shoulders and slightly accelerated pace.
The Lord Protector walked at the back, stopped for a moment at the entrance of the hall, and looked back at the golden beast on the throne, with three heads with eyes closed.
He didn't look at it for long, not even two seconds, but there were too many things that were long, long, and complicated in those dark golden vertical pupils.
He didn't speak, turned around and walked out. The door slowly closed behind him, making a dull, heavy roar, like a lid on the entire palace.
Sangis stood under the throne, still holding the golden document in her hand. Her fingers gently rubbed the edge of the parchment, and she could feel the slightly rough texture of the paper and the uneven texture of the paper with the fire paint.
Her breathing was very light, so light that you could barely notice it if you didn't listen carefully, but her heart was beating very fast - it wasn't fear, it was an instinctive reaction that she couldn't explain, like when she had just come out of a long, intense negotiation that she didn't dare to relax, her body was telling her "you are still alive."
Valerirus stood next to her, about three steps away from her. The giant red dragon didn't speak, didn't look at her, didn't look at anything.
His eyes fell on the ground in front of his feet, on the smooth stone slabs that reflected his own blurred reflection.
"Governor Valerirus." Sangis recited the title silently in her heart. This was a position she had thought about for a long time. King Ghidorah asked her to arrange an official position for Valerirus, and she was stunned for a long time.
Arrange an official position for the old emperor? In any story about the change of dynasties, there are only three endings for the old emperor - death, imprisonment, and exile. No one has ever thought of assigning an official position to the old emperor. But King Ghidorah said it, and she was going to do it.
She can't give too low, too low will not look good, not to Valerirus, but to King Ghidorah. A new emperor who can even properly arrange the old emperor, and a new emperor who tramples the old emperor under his feet, leave completely different first impressions on the courtiers.
She needed a position that was neither light nor heavy, had weight and would not threaten the power of the new emperor. She thought about it for a long time. The provincial governor, the highest-level local administrator in the empire, was in charge of the administration, finance, and justice of a province.
This position was high enough, so high that there were only five provincial governors in the entire empire. But this position was also safe enough - the appointment power of the governor was in the hands of the emperor, the power of the governor could be checked by other officials, and the governor's term was determined by the emperor's mood.
As for the original governor of the province, the name Sangis didn't even exist in his mind - that human being had no real power in the first place, and the actual affairs of the province had always been handled by officials sent by Valerirus.
Just transfer him and relocate him to another place. The governor is appointed by the emperor, which is reasonable and irreproachable.
As for Voraksa's position as chief of the bodyguard, it was proposed by King Ghidorah himself. When Sangis heard the word "chief of the bodyguard", his eyelids jumped.
The chief of the bodyguard, the emperor's personal guard, the palace security manager, and the executor of daily affairs. This is a position that must be held by the emperor's most trusted person, and it is also a position whose importance is most easily overlooked.
King Ghidorah gave this position to Voraksa. Sangis doesn't know what the relationship is between King Ghidorah and Voraksa. If a minister is a monarch, then this "minister" is too humble, almost like a servant.
The hall was quiet for a moment. King Ghidorah's three heads were raised from the back of the throne, and six golden vertical pupils opened at the same time.
He glanced at Sangis, then at Valerirus, and finally set his sights on Sangis.
"Now, tell me about Forbidden Land."
Sangis took a deep breath, put the documents in her hands on the table next to her, and took a step forward. She did not speak immediately, but glanced at Valerirus first.
She only knew something about Forbidden Land from documents and rumors. The real insider was the giant red dragon who was still kneeling on the ground.
Valerirus raised his head. His throat had not fully recovered, and when he spoke, his voice was hoarse and low, like dragging a stone on sandpaper. But he spoke.
"Your Majesty." Valerirus said, "According to our clan's legend, the original name there... was "Land Abhorred by the Gods'"."
King Ghidorah's three heads rotated slightly at the same time.
"It is the place where Evil God fell." Valerirus paused, as if recalling a past event that was too ancient and far away, and had been worn away by time until only the skeleton remained.
"Probably tens of thousands of years ago, before this era began... In some ancient era, a god came to find my ancestor.
That god and the ancestors reached a contract - the god will use his power to protect Dragons, and Dragons will guard the place where Evil God fell for him."
"What happened next?" King Ghidorah asked.
"Later, a great disaster occurred in the world." Valerirus's voice became even lower, "Dragons was forced to leave his ancestral land.
That contract was broken during the catastrophe, and we lost our connection with that god and the protective ability of Forbidden Land.
The remaining Dragons fled in all directions, some went to the northern end of the continent, some dived into the deep sea, and some got into the cracks in the ground.
My ancestors wandered on the edge of the continent with the remaining tribesmen for a long time until they found a new habitat. That contract has never been mentioned again, and it seems to have been forgotten by everyone."
Valerirus was silent for a moment, "It wasn't until a thousand years ago that I led some of my race from their habitat and crossed half of the continent to come here. I will continue to fulfill the promise of my ancestors."
It's not because there is any treasure in that small country, that treasure is an excuse. The real reason is--Forbidden Land is here. He is here to continue guarding.
The hall became quiet, and even the light of the gems on the dome seemed to dim a bit.
In a certain room, the four walls are covered with bookshelves. The bookshelves extend from the floor to the ceiling, and each floor is filled with books. Some books are placed vertically, some are stacked horizontally, some have spines facing outward, and some have pages facing outward.
The wood of the bookshelf is dark, with fine lines on the surface that have been worn smooth by time.
The light was warm yellow, emitting from a copper oil lamp on the table. The wick was not burning brightly, and the flame danced slightly, making the shadows in the room grow longer and shorter, as if there were many invisible people hiding in this room who were whispering.
The man in white robe was sitting at the table. His hood was not pulled up, revealing a thin, angular face. His hair was dark brown, mixed with a few white hairs, and was tied up at the back of his head.
His fingers were tapping lightly on the open notebook. His nails were trimmed very short, and his knuckles were slightly deformed from years of holding pens.