The owner of the small hotel in the corner of Green Lake Town where Henry and the others lived was a typical Suomir old man.
He is about in his late seventies, tall and thin, with sparse eyebrows and not much beard on his face. He always wears an off-white linen shirt with a long striped woolen apron, and a Suomir characteristic hat. tricorn hat.
Compared with the eloquent Lamanites, the Suomir people always give people an image of doing their work quietly. And every time the three of them met with the store manager, he just said hello in a normal and polite manner. Although he would pay more attention to this strange combination, it was only at the level that ordinary people would have.
Before the evening of the third day, none of the three people, including Henry, thought that the old store manager would hide so many stories.
Should it be said that it is a coincidence? Anyway, things happened by coincidence and seemed to unfold with some inevitability.
One of the coincidences was that they stayed in the town longer than expected because the convoy transporting goods for the owner of the grocery store was delayed due to roads or other factors. The group wanted to change their minds and leave, but the grocery store owner assured them that they would arrive tomorrow and gave some verbal compensation, so after discussion, they decided to wait a little longer.
The second coincidence is that the rumors that began to spread in the town happened to unfold during this time period.
Staying in a hotel with nothing to do and spending no income is too much luxury, but when I went to the local mercenary union in the town, I couldn't find any suitable tasks. In the past ten years, Suomir has been too peaceful. Even the bandit suppression missions that require mercenaries in the Padrosi Empire are not common. It is no wonder that Cuihu is the last supply station on the way north. Town, but apart from hunting mercenaries, there are almost no professional mercenaries listed.
To say it was a prosperous age is not necessarily correct. But overall, there has been no war for more than 20 years, and there is no doubt that the peace has been paralyzing for more than ten years.
But it is precisely because of this situation that the returning swordsman has caused endless discussions.
In bad weather, you may not even notice a ship sinking on a choppy sea, but if you drop a stone on a calm lake, the ripples will be clearly visible.
The great swordsmen have become a topic that the townspeople of Cuihu Town always bring up after dinner, especially after the dragon-winged knights arrived in the town, which added fuel to the fire. Whether the royal family is going to take action against these people, whether a war is coming, all kinds of rumors are circulating in the streets.
And just like when any other incident occurs, there are always some people who are watching the excitement and not taking it too seriously. They don't know if they are just doing nothing or if they are really profitable, and they start to add various personal opinions to the original news. and distortion, spreading further.
In just one day, all kinds of news spread out of control like wildfire. I don’t know the origin, but it seems to have been “established” that the Great Swordsmen returned to their country to bring chaos and bloodshed. Some people even swore that they heard the captain of the Dragon Wing Knights warn the caravan in the hotel.
Although anyone with a little bit of common sense should understand that similar information cannot be exposed casually, even if it really needs to be discussed, it will definitely be discussed in a more private place. But human beings are always like this. Between the truth and the statement that suits their own preferences, they often choose the latter.
The Great Swordsman's northward movement caused businessmen to transfer their assets southward, hoping to escape the coming war. And because they occupied most of the hotel, Henry, Mira and Galeva found this small hotel in the corner to live. And because merchants purchased most of the local supplies, they could only wait for supplies to be replenished locally. Then during this period, the arrival of the Dragon Wing Knight further triggered various discussions.
It's an incomparable coincidence, but it's inevitable if you think about it carefully. In such a complicated situation, after dinner on the evening of the third day, maybe because he had nothing to do, or maybe he had ulterior motives, the old store manager suddenly walked to the round table where the three of them were sitting with a candle and sat down.
"Look at you, you are all very interested in what happened in the town recently." He wiped off the three-cornered hat on his head, revealing his sparse white hair. As soon as he opened his mouth, he let the three of them understand that their actions could not avoid this old man. The store manager’s vision. Henry and Mira both frowned, while Galeva was a little confused by the other party's words and put on a dumb face.
"Haha, don't worry, I don't mean any harm, I'm just an ordinary old man." He said, his eyes that were a little cloudy due to age reflected the light of the candle, but began to look a little sharp.
Mira instinctively noticed something. Just for a moment, she felt some unique aura in this old man.
The feeling is very similar to that of a sage, like the occasional glint of cold light from a sword in its sheath; like the sun reflected in the march of shining armor under a long robe, low-key, forbearing, but disturbing contempt.
"...Did you misunderstand something?" Henry spoke in a calm tone.
"Haha, is it a misunderstanding? Maybe." He looked directly at the sage's gray-blue eyes with his emerald green eyes, but he felt like he was looking at the vast ocean and couldn't see anything. In the end, he just shook his head. Shaking his head: "Just think of it as wishful thinking on my part."
"You have nothing to do when you are idle. Do you want to hear about these recent things? These are not the boasts of drunkards, but the relatively correct history."
"I will also say what I don't want to hear." The old store manager said with a smile, Mira rolled her eyes, and Henry also raised his eyebrows.
"Just think of it as an old, confused person talking to himself on a whim."
He said this: "I didn't expect anything, I just told the three travelers passing by about this country."
"As for what they will do, whether they will turn around and forget all about it, that is beyond my control."
"Go ahead." Henry shook his head, looking a little helpless.
"Haha." The old store manager smiled happily. He pinched his woolen tricorn hat, looked at Henry, and then at Mira and Galeva. Finally, his eyes returned to the sage and looked deeply. After looking at him, he started to speak in a calm tone.
"This is a story that is different from the official version." He said: "There is no story in this world that can record complete history, and no one can record complete history."
"No matter how convinced of his objectivity, the recorder's record of a certain period of history will inevitably be distorted and changed due to his or her origin, experience, location, and even the wishes of those currently in power."
"The so-called 'history is written by the victors' is an extension of this statement." He looked at the three of them. Henry and Mira seemed unmoved by this, while Galeva nodded repeatedly. .
"The current Seksiyutu royal family in the empire has almost erased all the legacies of the previous dynasty after coming to power during the power struggle. After several generations of blood exchanges and education and brainwashing, especially after the popularization of education through books in the modern printing industry, Almost no modern young Lamanite would doubt the legitimacy of the royal power." The old store manager said, his words seemed to imply something, but he did not go into depth, but continued.
"The 'history' that people believe in as a 'correct record' is often just a 'story' that is strictly shaped according to the interests of those in power."
"So what I said is just a story told from my perspective."
"In the official version of Suomir's history, the great swordsmen." He paused, then stared at Henry and said word by word: "They are villains."
"..." The sage seemed unmoved. The old store manager shook his head, sighed quietly, and then continued: "The actual story is more complicated than this simple conclusion. Some."
"The origin of everything can be traced back to the history of bloody battles between the kingdom and the empire for thousands of years."
"It goes back to the Heinzwom Meteor Lake, that one." He looked at Henry's gray-blue eyes again, but the sage didn't just look at him: "The place where all legends originated."
The store manager was obviously a good storyteller and he was fluent in Lamani, and both Mira and Galeva were attracted to him.
“Klemmer doesn’t have a particularly long history.”
"In fact, it only occupies about one-tenth of the Suomir Kingdom's more than two thousand years of history."
"Before it, there were many more legends."
"The territory of the Kingdom of Thousand Lakes is shaped by many things. Among them, Aurora is the largest lake and the largest lake on the east coast. The miracle of eternal night, Heinzwom Meteor Lake, was created many, many years ago, earlier than La Man civilization; earlier than Morbigas civilization; earlier than humans and even elves, created by meteors falling from the sky."
"The meteor that burns away its outer shell in the atmosphere leaves only the pure core meteorite, which remains around the lake after hitting the ground. In the era when iron could not be effectively extracted from mineral resources, these The easily accessible exposed iron ore became the key to the rise of the Suomir nation."
"In the classical era, when other east coast countries were still using bronze and brass to make weapons and equipment, the Suomir people with high-quality iron ore made iron tools that could be polished thinner and sharper. To this day, Heinzwo The Mu region is still the leading producer of high-quality weapons and armor on the East Coast." The old man's tone began to change here, and the three of them could clearly hear his longing.
"Thinking about it this way, it's not surprising that the Claymer, which needs to be forged to a length of 1.45 meters, is light and easy to use, but still maintains high strength, would be born here."
He said, and with that low, magnetic voice, the picture unfolded vividly in front of Mira and Galeva's eyes.
"The flying battle flag."
"The lily of the valley, the national flower of Suomir, is etched on the blade of the great sword with acid."
"They were outnumbered, with a cruel ratio of 100 to 1 compared to Padrosi's legion, but they never retreated."
"They," the old man said, "were once the pride of this country."
"The Great Swordsman Suomir used his own blood and monuments made by Claymore to resist the invaders from the south time and time again."
"But they still lost after all." His tone suddenly changed from here, as if he was recalling a more touching place. He paused for a while before continuing: "The one who defeated them was none other than the country he protected."
"This is sad." He looked at the sage again, but the latter remained unmoved. The old store manager lowered his head, and Mira keenly noticed a hint of disappointment in his expression through the firelight.
"Sad, but inevitable."
"The great swordsmen's foundation is out of touch with the times."
"This lovely mercenary lady may not know." The old man smiled at Mira and said: "In the Suomi language, the word 'Suomi' means country, but it is not the same as ordinary people. The concept of dynasty and regime."
"Suomi's concept does not involve political power, but the people and mountains and rivers. The oath sworn by the great swordsmen is not about any royal power or nobility."
"It's the country Suomir itself."
"These mountains, rivers, lakes, these beautiful lands and the hard-working people on them have nurtured them."
"——In other words." Henry suddenly interrupted the old store manager's longing talk: "They do not obey the orders of the Suomir royal family, nor the general church of the Yetina Sect, but To a certain extent, it has the privilege of being free from the two, similar to the existence of a third-party force."
"Sounds like a thorn in the side of religion and royal power." The sage said, and the old store manager was stunned for a while, sighed, and then nodded.
"Yes, that's right." The old man continued.
"Klemmer should be a sword that belongs to the people, a sword that belongs to Suomi. It was born from the shores of Heinzwom Meteor Lake. Guard Suomi in the darkest years, and use the bright starlight to carve out a nation. The way to continue." This statement reminded Galeva of the story told by his mother. He and Mira both set their sights on the sage. The old store manager noticed this detail, but Henry remained silent. language.
"Nominally loyal to the royal family and loyal to the Holy See, this sword is wielded for the people. What it should protect is not only the territory, but also the national soul of the Suomir people."
"Klemmer is the national totem of Suomir." He said: "It is like a stubborn reef on the seashore, which remains motionless despite being beaten by the waves."
"Territory can be regained no matter how many times it is lost. But if the people's hearts are eroded by Lamanite culture, they will identify with the Padrosi Empire as their suzerain. Then even if the territory still belongs to Suomir, even if the people above The people who live here still have northern faces, but their food, clothing, housing and transportation have all been Lamanized, and the language they speak and communicate with is all Lamani. Is this still Suomir?" the old man said, his tone seemed a little excited. , Galeva nodded repeatedly, obviously quite agreeing with this.
"But they lost." Henry mentioned this fact again in an extremely flat tone.
"..." The old store manager clenched his skinny fists.
"Suomir, defeated." The sage raised his head, his gray-blue eyes filled with tranquility.
"Yes, defeated." The radiant appearance dimmed in an instant, and the old man continued: "They were able to grit their teeth and persevere on the worst battlefield, but they lost to peace and prosperity."
"The commercial reforms of the Padrosi Empire, the combination of nobles and merchants, and the commercial prosperity of Parnilla Port. In the past century, the empire has rapidly accumulated wealth, which has made the royal nobles of Suomir still have The gentry are itching.”
"Everything is connected. In their eyes, the great swordsmen who want to preserve their own culture and Suomir's human tradition are old stubborns who do not conform to the trend and refuse to progress!" The old store manager said His tone became excited again, and he reached out and banged the table, which startled Galeva who was listening in rapt attention.
"This statement is simply ridiculous..."
"But it is indeed true." Henry still looked at him. It was clear that according to the Luoan girl's understanding, this matter was inextricably linked to him, but the sage seemed to be staying out of it when he spoke.
"Yes." Although he was reluctant, the old man could only agree with Henry again.
"The concept is incompatible with today's world, and even the sword has become an antique from the old era."
"The brilliant great sword Claymer, the wooden shield and soft chain armor that faced the imperial knights and infantry two hundred years ago, can be effectively killed with powerful skills and strength, leaving a deep impression on them, but today Facing the highly developed full-body plate armor, it gradually began to become useless."
"Business prospered and wealth accumulated. With sufficient funds, the Imperial people were able to improve their armaments again and again. All these improvements made the great sword, an originally very effective weapon, begin to look backward. "
"It's even worse after entering the new century. In recent decades, Padrosi's imperial cavalry has become larger and larger, and its training has become more and more professional. However, the great swordsman, who is the top combat power of Suomir, has ended up... They can only fight light infantry. Facing the Imperial Knights, both of whom are wearing heavy plate armor, they can't achieve effective results despite their best efforts."
"The old hound's teeth are blunt, and his legs and feet can no longer run fast."
"When I was your age," the old man said to Galeva, "They had several conflicts with the empire before. They tried their best, but they just managed to draw a tie."
"Klemmer." He lowered his head and said lonely.
"We can no longer defend Suomir's land, and we can no longer defend Suomir's people."
"After being defeated several times, the royal family and nobles are very inclined to learn from the cavalry of the Padrosi Empire."
"But the Great Swordsmen obstructed this in every possible way in order not to lose their status. Their long-standing traditional status gained the support of the people at the beginning, but as time went by, business in the empire became more and more prosperous, and the Great Swordsmen However, in order to protect the traditional culture of Suomir, the soldiers strictly controlled business and other matters that had interactions with the Lamanites."
"Business and construction were banned, allowing the entire country to remain self-sufficient and avoid being poisoned by Laman poison. This approach has led to many local people living in dire straits, and because the opponents' weapons and equipment are becoming more and more advanced, in order to maintain the Lebanese As war expenditures increased, they also began to collect various taxes."
"Existing in the kingdom with a transcendent status, independent of religious forces, royal family and aristocratic forces, this is a very dangerous situation. Now they have begun to reach out to the people and play the role of tax collectors. 'Charity funds' were forcibly collected for various reasons."
The old store manager recalled, while speaking in a feeble and regretful tone like a burned out candle: "The last spark that ignited everything was a project called 'Firewood Tax'."
"Suomir is a vast land with sparsely populated areas and a huge forest area. People have used the forest for their own use since ancient times. However, due to the economic difficulties they faced, 37 years ago, the great swordsmen issued firewood The tax decree means that in the name of the royal family, the entire forest in Suomir is owned by the king. Ordinary people are not allowed to cut down trees privately, and firewood for cooking must be paid regularly before they can go into the forest to pick it up."
"That's what cost them the last bit of support."
"So after the current Queen Suomir came to the throne, and with the momentum of changing the dynasty, she also expelled them..." After listening to this long narrative, Mira looked a little melancholy, and she said this, The old store manager nodded slowly.
"The Queen was only 15 years old when she issued the order. She didn't understand this. She even thought that she could let them put down weapons like Kramer and enter peace and prosperity together."
"She doesn't understand the human heart and the beliefs that these people have held on to since ancient times."
"One side wants to preserve Suomir's own native culture and avoid being assimilated by the Lamanites. The other side wants the country to progress and prosper, so it needs to open up and normalize relations with the empire so that it can communicate with the people. Learning. Both parties felt they were doing the right thing, which ultimately led to this outcome."
"The royal family and nobles expelled the Great Swordsmen due to their interests. Judging from the results, the open policy has indeed made the country prosperous. But we have begun to lose the traditional Suomir culture and have been invaded by Lamanite culture. It’s everywhere, too.”
"And this kind of simple and crude expulsion cannot really solve the problem."
"More than twenty years have only postponed the outbreak of conflicts. People who agree with the Great Swordsman's position and are still hostile to the Lamanites still exist in this country. This time they return, things will not be simple. ."
"The Suomir people are too stubborn and single-minded." The old store manager shook his head and sighed: "Without someone's guidance and coordination, they will only end up on the same road." He said. Said, his eyes glanced at the sage.
"I don't know what you're expecting, I'm just a mercenary." Henry shrugged.
"Haha." The old store manager smiled again: "As a mercenary, you know a lot."
"To each other, you are not just an old man who can be seen everywhere." The sage glanced at him.
"I can only say." The old man shook his head: "I can't escape my involvement in all this turning into the current situation."
"The pen can hurt more than the sword. Have you ever heard of this?" He made a writing gesture, and then continued: "Rhetoric spread according to human intentions, shortcomings and evil deeds deliberately exaggerated, Arousing public anger. Although you can use the sitting position to defend yourself by saying that you can't help yourself."
“But it was the article I wrote that drove them to the wall, and that’s a fact.”
"So you were once the clerk of the royal family." Henry half-squinted his eyes, and the old store manager shook his head again: "Now you are just the manager of a small shabby hotel that no one patronizes."
"Hey, just think I'm talking to myself. When I tell you this, I'm probably just afraid that this old bone will suddenly come to an end one day, and no one will remember the truth anymore, and just treat them as pure villains."
"What's the difference between me and them? We are all antiques left over from the old times."
"I just hope someone can stop it," he said.
"Even if it's a fairy tale."
"Even if it's just an ancient legend."
"Before everything gets into the worst situation."
"Let me believe it again."
He looked at Henry longingly, and the sage turned his head away.
