"Regarding the history of the empire, whether you adventurers or those who study the documents all day long, you can almost explain those things in a clear way, as if the Frey Empire is the only country in the entire Free Continent... Could it be that you just Have you never paid attention to the history of the Principality?”
In the sunshine of the library, the old man in black robes flicked his hands and sat on a seat not far from the square table: "Although the history of the principality is just a bunch of resistance histories of small countries."
"History of resistance?" Duan Qing asked doubtfully: "Hasn't the Fleur Empire always ruled everyone in the Free Continent?"
"Then how do you think the principality came to be?" the old man said angrily: "Did it appear on the mainland out of thin air and then become the empire's natural rival?"
"..."
After discarding the designs of opposing camps that often appeared in the game, Duan Qing frowned and thought for a while, then turned his attention to the text in his hand: "Then... who does the so-called history of resistance refer to? ?”
"Many people." The old man's voice became low again: "Poverty, injustice, oppression... As these things become more and more numerous, the rule of Frey Empire will not last as long as its founder imagined. , so later... the resistance from various places intensified, and in the end, it evolved into a war that affected the entire continent."
"That was the second continent-wide war since the ancient Magic Empire." The old man's voice was like an echo from the horizon: "Except for Redkar, almost everywhere on the continent... was at war."
"...It must have been a very tragic scene." Duan Qing responded in a low voice.
"Of course." The old man looked at the other person's face: "There are no undead people in a war, so... words like corpses everywhere are no longer enough to describe the world at that time."
"The Kods, the Feche, the Slugs, the Kalonmei...from north to south, from west to east, their corpses are everywhere." The old man's voice fell into a deep voice again: "Countless tribes , countless races disappeared in the flames of war in that era, and never appeared again. The only remaining humans are the surviving humans, and...the descendants who carry their history. In order to commemorate these people, Many people who lived locally, or later came to live locally, recorded this history together with their names, and then passed it down to today, and the collection they represented became the current principality.”
"The Principality... has always been a loose organization, because it is composed of countless different races and people from different countries." The old man finally said: "The so-called strata, parliament, and this extremely inefficient The way of governance is also determined by this composition. Even today, these objective factors still exist, so..."
"So the principalities have never been united, right?" Duan Qing continued: "They... are still a large group of scattered countries, not a principality, right?"
"...Although it is very inaccurate, it is true." The old man nodded: "This is why these people... always like to quarrel."
"Well... I hope they still have a chance to continue arguing." Duan Qing thought for a while, and then showed a sarcastic smile: "The empire is close at hand, and the speaker is injured again. If these guys still like to fight, If we fight them... we might as well destroy them."
"That's not something you should be concerned about." For some reason, the old man's expression became serious: "Even if it's like me...well, that's all, this is just a warning."
"What?"
"You adventurers are naturally nosy." The old man shook his head: "Not only do you like to climb to the heights of power, but you also want to have a hand in everything. With so much energy, can't you do something? Is there something more meaningful? For example, exploring the end of the Fire Land, or uncovering the secrets of Medariel..."
"Fire Land? Medariel? What is that place?" Then Duan Qing's eyes shined again: "Is it a famous secret realm on the Free Continent?"
"Your knowledge is still too little." The old man named Wiggins once again showed a pair of contemptuous eyes: "The Land of Fire is located in the northernmost part of the continent. It is also the hottest place in the entire continent, even in the cold winter. , the hot wind there will also evaporate all the moisture from your body, and then burn your soul to death. As for Medariel..."
He pointed to the page in Duan Qing's hand: "According to legend, that is Tal'darin's hometown."
"What?" Duan Qing said in shock: "Tadarin's hometown? Didn't you say they were the former rulers of the principality?"
"He is the founder, not the ruler." The old man shook his head: "There is still a big gap between the two."
He cleared his throat and then re-entered the memory mode: "At that time, when the war against the empire was in full swing, a group of people wearing strange clothes suddenly appeared on the ground of this continent. They only showed a slight expression of Being unfamiliar with this environment, he then joined the resistance to the empire in an extremely familiar way. Then with his excellent leadership skills and strong strength, he gradually became the center of the resistance and the mainstay of the fight against the imperial forces. "
"If placed in peacetime, their arrival would not bring anyone a sense of security. Unfortunately...it was an era of war." The old man said with regret: "So...their people relied on countless military exploits With powerful influence, the later alliance was established, and that temporary alliance was the predecessor of the Principality of Ernifea."
"What about... Tania?" Duan Qing asked, holding his chin: "Is this where they established the principality?"
"Yes... and no." The old man shook his head: "This... is the place where Tadaya first appeared."
"According to historical records, even in the darkest era of the Provisional Alliance at that time, when the imperial front almost advanced to the east coast, they did not give up this place, the place where they first came. Countless street battles and secret underground struggles , erupting in this place every moment, showing their determination to the world, at the same time, they also overwhelmed the imperial troops at that time, and were completely unable to stabilize their rear. The reason why the later empire became the most powerful force on the continent Countries that are good at stabilizing the front are precisely because of that time. Their experience in how to deal with cities after they were occupied... was developed at that time."
The old man gestured with his hands in the air, as if he were a teacher teaching students: "Of course, in that process, many Tadaya tribesmen also suffered casualties, including many strong men who were praised and praised by later generations, such as Na Taya, Dele, Fordson, Elisa Terrace…”
"That was an era comparable to ancient times." The old man sighed: "Although most of them did not see the dawn of victory later."
"Is there no one who survived?" Duan Qing asked: "Survived to the era after the establishment of the principality?"
"Their fate... is almost similar to Tolia." The old man looked steadily into the distance outside the library window: "After the establishment of the principality, their people gradually disappeared from the stage of history, not in everyone's eyes. Fading away from the eyes is to merge with people of other races. In the principality now, it is difficult to find their bloodline. The only things that can be found are the places where they have fought, and...the nobles who claim to be their descendants .”
"From this perspective, those nobles... still have some reasons to be proud." The old man shook his head helplessly and said: "Unfortunately... apart from that, they seem to have no use."
"Then..." Duan Qing thought for a moment: "Then where is the Medariel mentioned before...?"
"The only thing that can be confirmed now is this name." The old man laughed inexplicably: "During the past inspections, countless people claimed to have found Medariel, but later facts proved that it was not Tadaya at all. My hometown is just an ordinary ruin. So..."
"According to my guess, that group of people... should be a group of real outsiders."
"Outsiders?"
"Yes, outsiders." The old man pointed to the top of his head: "Visitors from outside the world."
"There is actually such a race in this world?" Duan Qing asked in a low voice.
"Of course... oh no, that's just my guess." The old man suddenly closed his mouth mid-sentence, and then showed a mysterious smile: "Please don't take it seriously, thank you."
Please don't wear such an expression... Duan Qing thought dullly in his heart.
"According to this book, Medariel should exist on this free continent." The old man rubbed his waist, as if he was a little tired from sitting for too long: "It may be in Tania. Nearby, or somewhere on the Free Continent, or perhaps it sank into the sea over a long period of time... But no matter what, it must have existed, because... At the end of the Tadaya era, the principality had just been established. At that time, powerful warriors from several tribes once mentioned some relevant content in the few words left behind."
The old man stroked his beard again and looked at Duan Qing, who looked confused: "Many people even left notes and statues, but... they were gradually erased by the nobles of the principality."
"Why?" Duan Qing asked: "Do they want to erase their existence?"
"There are many theories about this." The old man replied: "But the most likely theory is that the rulers of the principality need to get rid of their influence and consolidate their rule."
"The rulers of the principality? Aren't the rulers of the principality themselves?"
"No, to be precise, it was the nobles." The old man continued to explain in a familiar manner: "It was not until today, hundreds of years later, that some parliamentarians representing the interests of the common people began to appear on the stage of history, and before that... the Principality Almost all the battles are the playthings of the nobles. Struggles and contests of power occur all the time inside and outside those big families. Countless families that were once glorious have been destroyed because of this, not to mention those that were once prosperous and powerful. Race. The fall of Farah, the dusk of Laches, oh...and Fordson, he was one of the few remaining heroes at that time, but since his death, countless natives of the principality have robbed his inheritance, Inheriting the power he left behind, and then using these things that did not belong to them, they achieved their later glory."
"Could it be..." Duan Qing's eyes narrowed.
"Yes, that's the Fords family." The old man stroked his beard and smiled: "It's those people who claim to be descendants of Fordson. Many people also call them Fordson for this reason."
"As expected, he is a famous noble." Duan Qing touched his nose: "It fits their reputation very well."
"Have you... heard of them?" the old man asked with squinting eyes: "Is that Fortes guy... so famous now? Even an adventurer..."
"No, I just heard some rumors from some companions." Duan Qing waved his hand: "It's nothing."
"In that case...then listen to my advice." The old man closed his eyes and his face gradually became serious: "I know that some of you adventurers have dealt with nobles, but... ...No matter what rumors you have heard or what promises you have been made..."
"Don't - believe - them." The old man said word by word: "Stay away from them."
***************************
Time passed extremely quickly, because under the guidance of the old man, Duan Qing listened to stories one after another and read books one after another. Of course, this includes not only content related to the history of the Free Continent, but also things in many other fields. For example, the existence of human beings on the Free Continent is much longer than the existence of the Magic Empire; and for example, the magicians use The four major elements actually have their original birthplace. If you can obtain the power there, you will definitely become the strongest magician on the continent; for example, the establishment of the Warrior House is actually much earlier than the Mage Council. , but the Warrior House at that time was not aimed at unifying professions, but was just an organization similar to a club, and its internal management was much looser than it is now, just like a group of friends communicating together. Of course...he later learned that the former Emperor Frey was once a member of the Warrior House.
"There are many more powerful people in this world than you think." This sentence inexplicably flashed in his mind. He shook his head and sighed, and then walked to the counter with exhaustion all over his body - one day The fatigue caused by the copying was more serious than he imagined, although in the end... he was almost all listening and the old man was talking.
"You are a very patient adventurer." The old man's face was as hale as before, as if the spiritless old man who appeared in the early morning had never appeared before: "If you are willing, we can continue tomorrow... "
"Hey, hey, hey! It's okay if you don't pay me, but you're still wasting more of my time?" Duan Qing hurriedly interrupted the other party and raised his hands at the same time: "If this continues, I will be scolded by our group leader again. Do you understand? If I don’t make some money and go back, what if I get fired from the adventure group..."
"Speaking of which..."
Suddenly a long voice appeared behind the counter, and the old man gathered his hands calmly and showed a kind smile: "I seem to see the emblem of the Council of Mages on your body... right? ?”
"ah?"
"How about bringing it to me and taking a look at it?" the old man said with a smile.
