Imagination System: I Can Build Anything-Chapter 196: Biqdar and Ghimdar

A man with a crystalline face emerged from amidst the houses and approached the Prince. The Prince braced himself for a confrontation, but noted that despite the man’s Frankish physiology, he was clad in the attire of the Ghlizan. The Prince warned him against drawing closer, but the man prostrated himself, pressing his face into the dirt.

"O great, just, and fair Prince," the man implored. "I seek to join you. I severed my ties with the Franks long ago when my own people abandoned me at the threshold of this village. A wandering Ghlizan and his son saved me, and the villagers cared for me. They even hid me when General Hugo returned to burn the village again. I beg you, my lord, shower me with your generosity and take me in. I wish to join the Lunix and be one of the Ghlizan, though I differ in face and race. If race divides us, then belonging to the Lunix unites us. Does it not?"

The Prince arched an eyebrow, regarding him for a long moment, then burst into laughter that echoed throughout the village.

"A Frank joining the Ghlizan resistance! Is the world coming to an end? Or are you a spy attempting to deceive me, boy? I may have grown old, but my mind is still whetted and sharp. Rise, boy, and do not rub your face in the dust for anyone but the Lord. Rise."

The Frankish soldier raised his head, dust clinging to his forehead, his expression moved. "You are more majestic than I imagined, my lord. I am no spy, and I carry nothing with which to communicate with the Franks. You may search me to verify the sincerity of my intentions."

The Prince nodded. "I accept your joining, but only after a search. And you shall remain under surveillance until you prove your goodwill to us."

The Prince turned to Noor, who had wiped away his tears. "And you, boy. Will you come with us, or will you chase after your friend?"

Noor hesitated for a moment, looking at the ground with a gloomy face, then raised his head to the Prince, determination in his eyes. "I will come with you on one condition. Leave Hugo to me. He is mine."

The Prince laughed his boisterous laugh. "And are you a match for the Commander of the Third Galactic Army, boy?"

Noor raised his hand and conjured a doll in the Prince’s likeness. "I possess a power that might give me a fighting chance. If he defeats me, then he is yours. But let me try my luck first."

The Prince clapped Noor on the back with such force that it knocked him to the ground. "What a wondrous ability, boy! Granted. Welcome to our ranks."

Noor stood up, angry at the Prince’s roughness, and dusted off his body. "If this is your welcome, do not welcome me again."

The Prince smiled, then looked back at the approaching mobile capital, Guelma, which now loomed large. He looked at the surrounding village and the corpses with sorrow, his eyes welling with tears. "I apologize for my tardiness. Your souls were taken in injustice and aggression, and I was not present to defend you. Forgive me. Forgive me."

Noor was astonished by the Prince’s character—laughing one moment, weeping the next—and realized the universe was full of wonders.

Noor gazed contemplatively at the city with its four massive mechanical legs, reaching sixty meters in height. Atop it sat the circular city with red and yellow domes. He was awestruck, his mouth agape at the majesty of this wondrous metropolis; he had never seen its like in his life, nor even in tales of fantasy.

Massive birds descended from the sky, resembling the phoenix of legend, but green, with long feathery tails of every vibrant color. They flapped their great wings and landed. Noor and the Frankish soldier recoiled in fear.

"Do not worry," the Prince said. "They have come to carry us to the upper city. These massive birds are one of the few ways we can ascend to the capital."

Minutes later, Noor found himself soaring above the beautiful planet of Ghlizan. He saw translucent lemon clouds around him, and the seas separating the continents shimmering in the green sunlight. He saw vast blue and green expanses, great and small trees filling the planet, with villages scattered among them. Joy seized him, and he forgot his grief for a moment.

He then contemplated the mobile capital as they approached. He found its houses were conical, painted green and blue, with many yellow and red domes. Tree branches wrapped around them, covered in flowers of brilliant colors and fragrant scents. Red messenger birds chirped and played above, carrying letters. He saw animals resembling rhinoceroses, but black, as if their bodies were clad in iron, pulling cargo carts behind them. Beautiful golden deer were everywhere, ridden by the Ghlizan. Markets filled the place, along with houses of worship; it was a complete, self-contained city.

The birds touched down in an empty square, where men tethered them with ropes and saluted the Prince. Then, two young men approached, identical to one another, save that one wore a blue headband across his forehead and the other a red one. They had soft, lemon-colored hair reaching their necks.

One welcomed the Prince, saying, "Welcome back, Father. Who are these?"

The Prince introduced them to Noor and the repentant Frankish soldier, whom they viewed with apprehension and suspicion. Noor learned that these twins were the Prince’s sons, Biqdar and Ghimdar, who protected the capital in his absence and managed its affairs.

They looked Noor up and down, examining him from head to toe. Then Biqdar, scratching his hair, said, "I have never seen such a strange creature in my life."

Ghimdar laughed softly, though his eyes remained cautious. Around them, the square slowly filled with onlookers, whispering among themselves. Noor felt their gazes weigh upon him, yet he stood firm, sensing that his fate, like the city itself, had begun to move.