Chapter 26 Soldiers and Tinderbox
Tinder box!
The familiar noun suddenly awakened Rhine's memories.
"Call her back quickly!"
Rhine was reminded of the classic Andersen fairy tale "The Tinderbox," sometimes called "The Soldier and the Tinderbox."
In this story, an ordinary soldier obtained gold and a magic tinder box from a tree hole with the help of a witch.
But instead of handing the tinder box to the witch as agreed, the soldier killed the witch who told him the secret and monopolized the tinder box.
After that, he relied on the magic of the tinderbox to gain wealth, killed the old king, became the new king, and married the old king's daughter, a beautiful princess who was locked up deep in the palace.
The plot routine can be described as a standard "diaosi counterattacks after picking up a golden finger" plot, and the ending is also as expected.
And now the witch looking for the tinderbox is actually Granny Rosa!
"I saw it, I saw a dangerous future. Granny Rosa may be in danger!" Rhine said seriously.
"But she has been away for a while...she may not be able to catch up..." The Violet Fairy's face was clouded.
……
Most of a day ago.
On the road at the border of the kingdom.
A stooped, white-haired old witch looked at the hole in the big tree next to the road and shouted:
"Did you get the tinderbox?"
This old witch is none other than Granny Rosa.
This 173-year-old old witch has lived in the forest for a long time and lives in seclusion. She rarely shows her face in front of the public in the kingdom. Only other witches and princes and nobles knew her.
Among the 13 good witches in the kingdom, Rosa's magic is the least good at fighting.
But she also has her own strengths - from time to time she can hear some wonderful whispers, which contain useful knowledge.
Not long ago, a whisper told Granny Rosa a secret involving a secret chamber left by an ancient legendary magician and a powerful magical item in the secret chamber - the tinder box.
This secret room is guarded by three magical and terrifying magical creatures, and the tinder box is the tool that controls them. Its value far exceeds all the gold and silver in the secret room, making it a priceless treasure!
"Her Royal Highness Princess Aurora is destined to become a heroic rider. Ordinary war horses cannot withstand her battles. The magical creatures summoned from the tinderbox are just right to become Her Royal Highness's mounts!
"Hahaha, I didn't expect that I, an old thing who has lived for hundreds of years and has no merit, also contributed to the defeat of the dark witch Maleficent.
"When I get the tinder box, I will give it to Aurora as a gift for her 10th birthday. Oh, I don't know how happy she will be when she receives this gift."
Grandma Rosa imagined the process of giving the tinderbox to Aurora, and suddenly laughed. Her wrinkles were squeezed together by her smile and became deeper, like the marks left by the wind and frost over time.
In her mind, Aurora's beautiful face appeared, and the girl's beautiful singing voice was like the sound of nature.
——Aurora's addictive and irresistible voice was the gift she personally gave to the little princess at the christening ceremony 10 years ago.
The voice in her ears also told Grandma Rosa how to "clear" the secret room, which involves a weird magic ritual - as long as you find the first person dressed as a soldier that you see on the road on the right day. , handing him the cast blue plaid apron will make the magical creatures guarding the secret room peaceful and take away the money and tinder box without hindrance.
Of course, Grandma Rosa would not let others help her for nothing.
As long as the tinder box can be obtained, it doesn't matter if all the money in the tree hole is given to the soldiers. "The gold in the tree hole is definitely a windfall for an ordinary soldier!
"He can live a good life, eat good food, live in a good house, and then use the remaining money to marry a congenial wife, have his own family and children, and live a life of ease and ease."
Under the tree hole, there were sparse sounds, and from time to time, soldiers' exclamations and laughter could be heard.
It looks like everything is progressing in an orderly manner... Granny Rosa thought.
At this moment, the soldier's voice came from under the tree hole:
"I've got the tinder box, pull me up quickly!"
Granny Rosa pulled the soldier out.
I saw that the soldiers' pockets, leather boots, marching bags, and hats were all filled with gold and silver coins.
"Well, thank you, handsome and strong soldier. Now all the gold belongs to you, please give me the tinderbox." Granny Rosa smiled broadly.
The next second, Granny Rosa's eyes widened.
The soldier's sword pierced her chest.
As a 173-year-old man, Rosa was too slow to even react.
The soldier whipped out his sword.
Crimson blood gushes out like a fountain, hot as fire.
"The old witch cares so much about this tinderbox, it must be a good thing! Now it belongs to me!"
The soldier laughed.
Then, taking the tinder box and money, humming a light tune, he went straight to the city.
In a pool of blood, the 173-year-old man's mouth was open, and he had not yet recovered from the shock of the sudden attack.
Her eyes bulged, wider than ever.
The soldier's back was reflected in her pupils, and she watched helplessly as he walked further and further away with the tinder box.
She didn't expect that the soldiers would be so greedy.
The soldier walked farther and farther, muttering quietly as he walked:
"If what the Ender prisoner said is true, and the kingdom is really cursed, and disaster will strike in a few years, then I can only enjoy it for a year or two, and then I will start escaping from this doomed country. …”
Ten minutes later.
After confirming that the soldiers were completely gone, the old witch, who was lying in a pool of blood and should have been dead, suddenly opened her eyes again.
I rewrote this chapter and completely changed my perspective.
(End of chapter)