After the song and dance, the princes gathered in remembrance of the dead.
The crown prince was the first to walk on stage.
"This very day marks the departure of the man I most respected in this world. A virtuous, far-seeing leader—noble and mighty, the ruler of this realm! He bestowed us with warmth and peace, riches and freedom—our greatest leader! Calamity befell him all too soon, and he left before any of us were parped for it."
The crown prince's voice was deeply sorrowful, and it struck the gathered crowd's hearts like a mallet. Everyone could sense the visceral sorrow and pain that filled the crown prince.
"To everyone here, he was a worthy king, the embodiment of a perfect ruler. To me, he was a father, an excellent father who nurtured and encouraged me to become who I am today."
More scalemen attended this funeral than the last. Everyone had at least a few flowers in their hands—some had a full bouquet or two.
Those with just a few flowers were here to attend the funeral of the king of the realm and the fallen princes, while those with bouquets were here to attend those funerals in addition to those of their loved ones.
Zhang Lie even saw an alien with ten bouquets in his hands, signifying that ten close friends or relatives had perished in the coup.
The crown prince continued orating, "Before the king of the realm left us all, the last time I saw him, he entrusted me with his hopes and expectations. He wished that I would inherit his strength, courage, and intelligence—but in truth, I did not succeed. Compared to him who was almost perfect, I was far too immature."
Some of the aliens began to cry upon hearing the crown prince's speech, as though they too had been caught up in his emotions.
The crown prince's feelings resonated with them and magnified their own.
"As I lifted my father's coffin and recalled the roads we traveled together, the memories we developed—my heart dripped with blood. How I regret not having accompanied him more, how I regret not having seen him before his death!"
The crown prince bowed to a captive audience as everyone clapped and cried, to be followed by the ninth prince. This was the ninth prince's first public speech, but he wasn't nervous. Rather, he was so dedicated to the speech that he had forgotten how to be nervous.
"Those soldiers, guards, and fighters who lie dead, their souls drifting on the wind—for these noble souls, I pay my respects. They may leave no trace in the heavens, but they remain forever in our hearts."
The crown prince's speech commemorated the king of the realm and the princes, whereas the ninth prince's would commemorate those who had been casualties during the coup.
"All our hearts have been ripped apart by loss; these dead guards, just like the rest of us gathered here, have their own names and families. They led simple lives filled with hope. They are brothers and sisters to us all. On this day, as the ninth prince, in the name of this world, we commemorate the dead who have given their lives that we may live."
The ninth prince observed a moment of silence for the fallen, and the crowd mourned.
"Rest in peace. May your souls head toward a happier future, free of loss and burden."
"Sleep forevermore, brethren."
"You may have departed from your home, but you'll live on in our hearts!"
Everyone in the plaza wiped at their tears. Such was the nature of calamity—it could never be planned for. Some of the more unfortunate had memorialized their fathers just half a month prior; now, they stood and mourned their husbands, their wives, their children.
Such was the cruelty of war.
"Today, the entire world shall grieve for your absence, the greatest of respects we can pay—a memorial to disaster and the resulting humanity we witnessed in its aftermath. Disaster may have struck, but we remain standing. It may have weakened us temporarily, but I assure you all, we shall grow stronger for it."
The two princes' speeches finally reminded Zhang Lie of a human funeral. contemporary romance
"Friends and family, comrades-in-arms, we hope you will find peace. We live on because of your sacrifice, with love and strength and endurance aplenty. We know that this will be the best way to commemorate you, that this is what you would have wished for, from a world away."
The ninth prince bowed deeply as the crowd applauded.
They dispersed and offered flowers to the dead, starting with the king and princes before moving to their friends, relatives, and loved ones. Flowers were heaped atop the royal coffins, a sign of respect from the masses.
The king of the realm, who had brokered a long-lasting peace for the world with his ascension, was worthy of respect.
The princes gathered once more. They, the guards of the plaza, and the dead's friends and family, lifted up their loved ones' coffins. With the crown prince taking the lead, the princes began to sing and dance as they led the procession out of the plaza.
Only when the king of the realm and princes had been safely buried in the royal mausoleum did the ceremony truly come to an end.
Afterwards, the ninth prince asked Zhang Lie for the method he had spoken of that would allow the ninth prince to ascend to the throne. When he saw what was required for that method, however, he was shocked stiff.
"Master, this is..."
Before the ninth prince lay nothing other than alcohol, huge vats of it.
"You're not looking down on this alcohol, are you? I specially procured it from another world—it'll dramatically increase your body's constitution once you drink it, and allow you to become truly strong."
The ninth prince peered at his master in doubt. "Are you certain, Master?"
Zhang Lie scowled. "Of course! Otherwise, if not for my promise, I wouldn't be sharing this with you!"
The ninth prince unsealed a vat of alcohol and could immediately smell its concentrated aroma.
Zhang Lie continued, "This alcohol is particularly precious—it has to age for over a century to reach full effect."
When the ninth prince swallowed a big cup, his face flushed red. His stomach felt as though it were burning up from the inside, and his body turned the color and consistency of a cooked prawn. Simultaneously, a mysterious strength seemed to flood through him.
"Come, drink some more, drink some more!" Zhang Lie poured more and more alcohol for the ninth prince...
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