"Schiper" nibbled a small piece of the Golden Apple flesh and began speaking softly, "Once upon a time, there was a King..."
As "Schiper" narrated, the entire desert quieted down.
The scorching Fierce Sun overhead seemed to slowly blur, its heat not as oppressive as before.
It was as if the whole world was left with only the rustling of the Golden Apple Tree’s leaves and the low, slow voice of "Schiper".
"...He was wise and valiant, possessed of remarkable wisdom and powerful means.
He governed his Kingdom well; the people lived in peace and happiness, his army strong and robust."
"He was beloved by all, dedicating his life to his Kingdom and its people."
"He never married nor had any offspring... He could truly be called the most sagacious Monarch in history, Elves, Dwarves, Beastmen, Barbarians... all living in peaceful coexistence under his rule."
"He almost ruled three-quarters of the entire continent’s lands.."
"However... even such a perfect Monarch had his own troubles."
"The King gradually noticed that with the passing of time, more and more white hairs appeared on his head, his back grew more and more hunched by the day, wrinkles began forming on his face, his teeth started to loosen, he could not even sit on his throne for longer than the duration of an Hourglass, he..."
"Schiper’s" low voice suddenly became intense, setting the direction for the following tale; all the beauty violently shattered and broken.
"The King was afraid.
Because there were still many things he had not done, many ideas he had not realized.
He had just learned that beyond the great continent there were yet more continents, with many people suffering in desperation waiting for his rescue.
He had not yet planted his Kingdom’s banner in every corner; he was also unwilling to hand over his vast empire, wrought from his own hardships, to a successor who would surely be more foolish than himself.
The King... desired immortality!"
"So, he sought the help of the continent’s greatest Wise Wizard."
"No one knew what kind of deal the King had struck with the Wizard.
But after returning from visiting the Wizard, he began to crazily amass gold.
Before the age of eighty, he was wise; he sacrificed everything for his people.
However, after turning eighty, the King began to take back everything from his people... and even more."
"The process of the King collecting gold was far from smooth; under his command, his army killed many people, countless were displaced, countless families broken and lives lost...
The entire Kingdom wailed under the scourge of war."
"But the King did not care, for he had finally gathered all the gold on the continent.
Now, he only needed to follow the Wizard’s instructions to obtain immortality, confident that he could return all he had taken from his people tenfold, a hundredfold, in the future."
"The King built a city with that gold!"
"A city entirely constructed of gold!"
"The King assembled his entire army in the Golden City, for his thoughts had changed.
He no longer wished only for his own immortality, but for every soldier loyal to him to also gain eternal life, only then would he have the capital to create an empire far greater than the first half of his life, a hundredfold, a thousandfold, more vast."
"Finally, the King sat upon his golden throne, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Wise Wizard to grant him true eternal life..."
"Schiper’s" tale came to an abrupt end.
Underneath the Apple Tree, Ronan blinked and asked, unable to help himself, "What happened then? How does the story end?"
"Just like the ending of every fairy tale..."
"Schiper" slowly swallowed the last bite of the apple, shrugged his shoulders, and said to Ronan, "The evil and foolish King, along with his evil army, met a bad end."
"Did the Wise Wizard deceive him?"
"Schiper" shook his head, "Quite the opposite, every single word the Wizard taught the King about the art of immortality was true.
Unfortunately, before the Wizard could arrive at the Golden City, the elderly King had the misfortune of dying on his throne...
However, the Wizard did not go back on his word; he indeed granted the King eternal life.
He turned the dead King’s body, along with his entire army, into eternal, undying golden statues, burying them forever with the Golden City beneath the ground..."
Ronan nodded, revealing an expression of "I knew the ending from the beginning", then stood up from beneath the Golden Apple Tree, gazing at the golden sand of the desert below, and inquired, "Is it beneath this desert that we stand on?"
"Schiper" laughed, shaking his head, "You take it too seriously.
It’s just a story, after all."
"Then, let me guess again..."
Ronan looked into "Schiper’s" black eyes and said calmly, "You are the Wise Wizard from the story?"
"I told you, it’s just a story."
"Schiper" stood up from under the tree, stretching himself with a great yawn, and patted the sand off his buttocks, turning to Ronan, "Come on, I’ll take you to see around up ahead."
Ronan’s eyes flickered slightly, and without a word, he followed "Schiper" towards the front of the desert.
When climbing up a high dune, Ronan looked back to see the Golden Apple Tree they had stayed under was still standing quietly in the sand, like a marker.
Ronan turned his head back when suddenly a dark shadow emerged from the sand pile, sprinting quickly towards him.