The sky was still dark when Murphy woke up the next day.
There was the soft sound of soldiers’ footsteps outside. As Murphy’s General Guards, the soldiers had woken up as soon as the sun appeared in the east. They started looking for wood that was dry and started to prepare a fire to make food. As soldiers of the General Guards, not only did they need to possess decent fighting skills, absolute loyalty, and the courage to use their body to shield the General from sword attacks, but they also needed to know many other life skills. This was because during the march, they also bore the responsibility of taking care of the General.
As a token of the Governor’s gratitude, they each had a certain plot of land so they and their loved ones could live near the Governor’s Mansion.
The General Guards were like guards, but they more closely resembled the ancient generals of the East.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Murphy didn’t sleep too well the previous night, and his eyes were a bit sore when he got up.
It was easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but going from extravagance to frugality was difficult.
He was used to sleeping in a large bed covered with soft goose down quilts, so sleeping on the ground covered with only a blanket was uncomfortable for him. This, coupled with the dangerous conditions of the wilderness, meant he remained semi-awake and alert. As long as there was grass outside and a light breeze, he would immediately wake up.
Nothing at all happened during the night. The night watch soldiers were very responsible.
Murphy slept with his clothes on. When he got up, he gently walked out of the tent and took a bowl to the stream to freshen up.
The soldiers were making a fire to make food. They were about to salute Murphy when they saw him, but Murphy stopped them with a wave of his hand.
The harpy queen was still asleep when he returned to the tent. People who had lost a lot of blood would naturally be sleepy. She was in a deep sleep, and her washed-out face didn’t have the same charm that it had before. A gentle smile hung about her bright red lips, which were slightly pouted. She looked a bit coquettish.
You can see who a person really is when they’re asleep and defenseless.
As if she had heard noises from outside, she unconsciously turned over and changed to a more comfortable sleeping position. But because she touched the wound on her chest, the pain made her frown involuntarily, and her eyebrows tightly furrowed together. Then she gasped and slowly opened her eyes.
“Does it hurt a lot?” Murphy asked, leaning down and lifting her up. He lifted his hand to wipe away the sweat that had gathered on her forehead from the pain.
The harpy queen shook her head and slowly propped herself up with her hands.
The harpy queen slowly closed her eyes and put both her palms together. Then, she knelt on the ground in a standard prayer position.
Murphy took a step back and looked at her carefully.
Murphy had also seen the high priestess in this sort of prayer position. It seemed that every morning she would lead the new priests to kneel down in front of the statue of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, in this exact pose. This kind of prayer usually lasted for two hours and started at about six in the morning until the sun rose at eight in the morning. During this time, the priests would open the door of the temple and allow believers to enter to pray in the morning.
The harpy queen’s lips were sealed, and she didn’t make a sound at first. This was soon followed by a deep and low note.
It was a very special note, and all the notes were blurred together. It sounded like some kind of obscure tune.
It must be mentioned here that in ancient sacrificial rituals, many divine rituals involved singing songs.
As they say, a witch festival would have a dancing witch.
It’s said that sacrificial rituals were all performed with some form of singing and dancing.
Murphy had also seen the high priestess preside over the ritual ceremony, but her voice was soft and calm, which made the people feel soothed and relaxed. People would feel an inexplicable peacefulness in their hearts. It was her unique voice that allowed people to feel a certain peace of mind.
The sounds spat out from the harpy queen gradually became faster and more high-pitched, as if they carried some sort of divine power. Even Murphy felt his heartbeat quicken, and an inexplicable excitement and power raced through his blood!
It circulated through his whole body!
What was going on?
Murphy felt extremely excited. His heart was beating very fast, as if there were a fire brewing in his heart.
He wished to roar fiercely and find an opponent to vent his desire to fight!
Fortunately, this didn’t last very long.
About two minutes later, the harpy queen stopped her prayer ritual. She opened her eyes and her ruby red eyes flashed with a golden gleam.
This was the real radiance!
Murphy could be sure that he wasn’t wrong!
“Repeat my chant,” Evanna, the harpy queen said, pressing her hands against Murphy’s chest. In a low and strict tone, she said: “Err – Rr – Do – Ni – Aa!”
Murphy involuntarily followed her and said these syllables aloud.
As if this chant had some special magical power, after repeating these syllables, the blood coursing through Murphy’s veins gradually calmed down, and his heartbeat slowed. The excitement and fanaticism generated by the mysterious power also gradually subsided.
Murphy let out a long sigh and couldn’t help but wonder:
“Is this the power of the priest?”
The brief prayer ceremony seemed to have given the harpy queen a certain type of special power. Her face appeared flushed, and her eyes were bright and radiant. It was as if she had all at once regained her vitality!
She gently flapped her pure white wings and came over to Murphy. She said softly: “Human, I’ll be leaving now. Thank you for saving me!”
“What about your injury?” Murphy asked, looking at the wound on her chest.
“I have used the power from my wings of the sky to remove the remaining elemental powers in my body. This physical wound is nothing to me now,” said Evanna, the harpy queen. Her charming face revealed a complex and inexplicable look, and she stared intently at Murphy with her ruby red eyes. It was as if she were hesitating, and a struggled seemed to pass over her features. In the end, she sighed again and removed the quaint ring inlaid with rubies on her finger. She took Murphy’s slender hand and gently put the ring on his ring finger.
“Human, what is your name?” the harpy queen sighed, as if she had given up some precious treasure.
“Murphy,” he said. He didn’t refuse and allowed the beautiful winged man to put the quaint ruby ring on his left ring finger. He wasn’t sure if it was just an illusion, but the moment the winged man put the ring on his finger, he seemed to feel a certain heat flow into his body from the ring. “Murphy Sparta.”
“Murphy…” the harpy queen murmured. She folded her white wings and gently encircled her arms around Murphy’s waist. Then she leaned over and kissed him on his forehead.
Her soft, jade-like lips gently touched his forehead and made him fall under a trance.
They just had one night together and had barely touched, but Murphy felt a little bit reluctant now that the other party was leaving.
The harpy queen released him from her embrace. Then she turned around and walked out of the tent without looking back.
When she reached the door, she paused.
“Human, my name is Evanna. I am the queen of the Kadia harpy clan. Human! Remember my name!” After saying this in a low voice, the harpy queen fanned her pair of pure white wings and flew toward the other side of the Karazan Mountains.
Murphy was shocked and speechless!
Hold up!
Didn’t she say she was a harpy sacrifice?
Now she was the queen of the Kadia harpy clan?