Chapter 46 Stars and Dragons, and the Far-Off Empire
"Lord of the Mountains?"
Thales was stunned: "How come I haven't heard of it at all?"
“Because this god has no human spokesperson, it has neither a temple nor a church,” Putilai explained with a chuckle: “There are even very few credible records of the apparitions. It only exists through word of mouth among the people.
In stories and legends. For travelers on the mountainous land, worshiping the Lord of the Mountains means more of safety and peace of mind when traveling far away. The gifts of the mountains are more like a passing ceremony, helping
A way for travelers to overcome the cold."
"Word of mouth?"
"In the era of the ancient empire, the Lord of the Mountains was once the common belief of all mankind. Not only us northerners, but also you, the Ludor people who established the empire in the center of the world, as well as those from the southwest thorn land and the dragon's kiss land.
The Kelunsa people, the barren people in the great desert, the 'robber' Nieda people in the Near East, the Githori people grazing on the eastern grasslands, the dark-skinned red earth people in the extreme south, the Kasai people who roam the islands, in addition to the Far East
Humans, almost all human beings know and acknowledge the existence of the Lord of the Mountains," the old man Kaslan himself took a sip of ale and sighed behind the bar:
"But now, even in the North, this simple belief can be seen except in the countryside with simple folk customs... The name of the Lord of the Mountains has disappeared - just like countless precious Northland traditions - what remains
There are only major temples wrapped in power and money."
"Ludoers and Northlanders?" Thales lowered his head curiously and gnawed on the next piece of bread: "I remember the title of the Supreme King of the Stars..."
"Yes, we all know," Viscount Cambida, the counselor of the Grand Duke of Lombard, said with a sarcastic smile: "'The common master of the Dor people and the Northlanders on the Western Continent'. But I sincerely suggest that you, in Egypt,
Buster, you can omit the second half - the Northlanders have never recognized your right to rule us."
"As far as I know," Putilai retorted sharply: "Two-thirds of the Northland province in the ancient empire was in Exeter, and the remaining one-third was in the North of the Stars.
——Those Star People also called themselves Northlanders and recognized the High King's rule over them."
"That's the problem," Viscount Cambida thoughtfully knocked on the bar: "The Northland only belongs to the Northlanders, why should it belong to the stars, why should it belong to the rule of a Ludorian king?
"
Thales suddenly understood that "Northland" refers to the Northland province during the ancient empire thousands of years ago. It is a regional concept, and "Northlanders" are people who existed before the establishment of the empire and lived in this land.
As for the human race in the world, "Exter" was a country established only after the End War, and its weight was far inferior to that of "Northland", let alone "Northlanders".
Just like Xingchen is a country that only existed after the End War, in fact, the humans living in the land of Xingchen were called "Ludor people" thousands of years ago, and they seemed to be from the ancient empire.
The main ethnic group.
Today, the Northlanders and Ludor people have long lived together in the Black Sand Territory of Exeter and the northern border of the stars.
Thales lowered his head and inadvertently saw the wheat dregs settling in the wine glass. He suddenly remembered the Sunset Bar in the underground street of XC District of Yongxing City, the carefree female bartender Yara, the vicious fat cook Edmund, and the
The bar owner who appeared once or twice.
"Why? Because of history," Putilai said calmly: "To this day, whether it is the Black Sand Territory or the Northern Territory, the Ludor people and the Northerners have lived together for many years, and they have long been indistinguishable from each other."
"Huh, that's the land and people you snatched from the North," Cambida retorted: "For example, the Cold Castle four hundred years ago, or the Lonely Old Tower two hundred years ago - your northern border is
Our southern land!."
The owner of the tavern, Kaslan, listened to the dispute between Cambida and Putilai and couldn't help but burst out laughing in a way that others didn't understand.
Thales was shocked: So this is what the Exters thought?
He recalled that when he first entered the Lumba military camp, the attitude and behavior of the sergeants towards them became immediately clear.
Star wants to defend its northern territory, but Exeter wants to regain the territory belonging to the Northlanders.
It's really ironic that the two sides are fighting for their own justice.
These are sounds he can't hear in the country of stars.
"If you really want to say that 'the North belongs only to the people of the North'," Putilai said here, he chuckled: "The Arlend family in the northern border of the stars once managed the entire Northland province for the emperor.
Where is the royal family of dukes that has lasted for thousands of years..."
"Hmph, the Star People are so vainly proud," Viscount Cambida snorted coldly: "In the end, you still want to go back to the ancient empire that perished for a long time, right? Are you still missing the supreme power and authority of the Pegasus Throne?
Glory, miss those emperors who made the whole world tremble with a wave of their sleeves, miss the era when you could spread the map of the national border from one end of the room to the other?"
"The empire is the most precious heritage, the most glorious page, and the most powerful existence in human history. There is no doubt about it." Putilai replied coldly: "Even if it no longer exists, its glory has been passed down to this day.
It never fades.”
"Ha! I almost forgot!" Cambida raised his hands and laughed sarcastically at Thales: "'If the stars are there, the empire will last forever', right? Your Highness?"
Thales shrugged and smiled at him.
"Don't make fun of the royal family," Putilai said coldly: "His bloodline once stood on top of the world and witnessed the rise and fall of mankind."
"Bloodline?" Cambida snorted with a thick nasal voice.
"The people of the North do not believe in blood. A hero who can carry the country and the people will naturally be the king." The next moment, His Excellency Viscount Exeter narrowed his eyes and said seriously: "And you listen carefully, Your Highness, where do you come from?"
The empire under the rule of the so-called imperial family has left the world only a chaotic nightmare!"
"Uh, thank you for the reminder," Thales scratched his hair in embarrassment and laughed twice: "It's really a novel point of view."
"Novelty?" Cambida stared at him and said calmly: "Have you heard the story of Queso Lombard? Your Highness?"
"Queso Lombard? The ancestor of the Lombard family? The rebel king?" Thales replied enthusiastically.
"You don't need to ask from a subordinate of a local grand duke..." Putilai was about to speak, but found Thales raising his hand with interest to stop him.
"Please continue talking, His Excellency Viscount Cambida," Thales said with a smile, "I am interested in all knowledge."
Both Putilai and Cambida glanced at Thales in surprise.
"Do you know the Grand Duke Trudida who rebuilt the Tower? One of the ten Grand Dukes of Exeter," Cambida pondered for a while, then said silently: "The Rebuilding Tower is adjacent to your Lonely Old Tower and is connected by the Northland.
It is ruled by the Trudida family, a famous knight family in history, and their family emblem is a radiant sword blade."
"I don't know much about it. Sorry, I'm only seven years old," Thales shook his head awkwardly: "But I'm happy to listen to your explanation - what happened to the Trudida family? What does it have to do with Queso Lombard?"
"It has nothing to do with the Trudida family, but their territory, the Reconstruction Tower and its surroundings," Cambida sighed: "It is the far east of the North, and it is also one of the entrances to the Sighing Mountains. Before the continental fission,
In the ancient empire era, the Reconstruction Tower was once synonymous with barbarism and chaos - do you know how the Reconstruction Tower got its name?"
Thales shook his head cooperatively.
"It used to be a prison and execution ground in the ancient empire. Everyone who goes there needs to be 'reconstructed'," Cambida shook his head and said: "The Reconstructed Tower... It's a pity that most of the prisoners inside didn't make it out alive.
Rebuild their lives.”
Thales nodded thoughtfully.
"And in the ancient empire, a famous man, Queso Lombard, was imprisoned there."
Thales frowned slightly.
Queso Lombard.
He knows this person.
At least this is what Gilbert told him in the world history he made up for - Queso Lombard, the "Rebellion King" of the North.
The man who kicked off the first civil strife in the ancient empire.
But in the book, he was a green forest bandit who roamed the Great Needle Forest in the North. He accidentally killed an official official of the empire during a robbery, so he was captured by Imperial Sona. His accomplices attacked the execution ground and rescued him.
Desperate, Queso knew that he could not escape the pursuit of the empire forever, so he simply did not stop, and took advantage of the dissatisfaction of the Northlanders with Duke Arend's harsh rule, spreading rumors to divide the Northland, setting off a storm of chaos in the Northland, and completely embarked on a rebellion
Following the path of the empire, his rebellion was eventually easily extinguished by the empire's legion on the side of Gu Lao Peak.
But the first civil strife in the empire started from this and became more and more intense.
But today, Cambida told him a completely different story.
Cambida said calmly: "It is said that the Lomba family is the descendant of Tamu, the ancestor of the north in the savage era before the orcs invaded."
"More than 1,500 years ago, Queso Lombard was just an ordinary lumberjack in the Northland Province of the ancient empire. However, he was highly skilled, generous and righteous, helping the poor and the weak. He was very famous in the local area, even in the Northland Province.
All the Dukes and Arends know such a person."
"It was the so-called most glorious era of the empire - the elves compromised with the empire, the dwarves became craftsmen, and after the orcs escaped from the glacier, the dragons disappeared, leaving only the Far East unconquered."
"So, when the empire's campaign to attack the Far East was in full swing, Quesso was drafted into the army. With the supreme honor and pride of fighting for the empire in mind, he happily went to the battlefield. Quesso was brave and capable of fighting, and because he was
The prestige in the hearts of the people of the North rose all the way until the empire made him the count of the empire and appointed him the general of the North Army."
Thales was shocked.
This story is completely different from the one he remembered.
"With the efforts of Queso and other legions, the Far Easterners retreated steadily and were trapped in the isolated city. Only the Qilin Holy City, which was depleted of troops and food, lifeless and about to fall, was about to fall. The empire's feat of unifying the world was about to be realized.
"
"As a result, the emperor, who was immersed in supreme hegemony, became more and more excessive in his desires. His demands seemed to be endless. The recruitment of labor never stopped. Taxes and fees were increasing day by day. The Northland Province was the best source of troops.
, is the first to bear the brunt.”
"The people of the North could no longer bear it. They began to resist taxes, began to escape from service, drove away the emperor's tax collectors, and began to face the authority of the empire with anger and abuse instead of enthusiasm and obedience."
"So the Duke of Arlend, the emperor's servant, could no longer collect enough taxes, could not collect enough labor, and even had repeated tax resistance incidents: even the army of the Arlend family was often disgraced."
"The servants of the empire came up with a way: find the most famous man in the North—Quiso, the commander of the North Army who is returning home to recuperate during the legion's rotation, and let him convince his hometown people."
Kaslan sighed and Putilai remained silent.
Cambida continued:
"They persuaded Quesso to become their colleague and go with them to collect taxes and labor, but Quesso did not nod; they also urged Quesso to come forward and use proclamations to persuade the people of the North to submit to the empire, but Quesso did not nod; they again
They used the empire's name and ordered the empire's generals to help them find the rebels in the North, but Queiso didn't nod."
"Quiso said this: 'I am loyal to the Empire, but I am a Northlander.'"
"The emperor finally found out about this matter."
"The emperor sent an edict. There are only two words in it," Cambida's eyes became extremely cold, and he said calmly:
"'choose one.'"
Thales felt a chill in his back.
choose one.
empire.
Northland.
choose one.
"The next thing the Northlanders knew, Queso was exiled to the Tower of Reconstruction until he could prove his loyalty to the Empire again - something the Emperor could not tolerate in his generals."
"But for a whole year, Queso did not relent. At the same time, the people in the North who learned the news became even more resentful."
"Finally, the emperor, who heard the reports of people's grievances in the North every day and endured the Duke's apology for insufficient taxation, finally got tired of Queso's toughness and decided to attack him, using punishment and fear to intimidate the people of the North and reaffirm the majesty of the empire.
.”
"So Queso Lombard was led to the execution ground."
"There, he watched his son being beheaded, his wife being hanged, his daughter being hanged, and his friends being whipped to death...all this because Queiso did not want to respond to the emperor's demands.
Edict!"
"Finally, when it was Quesso's turn, the angry Northlanders and Quesso's subordinates broke through the Reconstruction Tower, rushed into the execution ground, killed the Imperial soldiers, and rescued Quesso."
"When the news spread, the entire Northland was shocked. People took up weapons again, put on armor, and gathered around the dying Queiso - but this time it was not to serve the empire, but to resist the empire.
"
"Of course you know the subsequent story..."
Thales savored this story - it was very different from what was written in the books of the stars.
"Yes," Thales said silently while thinking: "The rebel king fought to the end, and his last three hundred people..."
But at the end of the story, Cambida still surprised Thales.
"There's only one difference," Cambida interrupted, his eyes shining brightly: "There is no such thing as 'fighting to the end'."
Thales was stunned.
"Quisuo had no intention of fighting at all - he disbanded most of the rebels at the beginning, and only led the last three hundred people who would never leave, and launched the final charge against the three legions on the side of Gu Lao Peak. That was the so-called Kuisuo
The only battle of the Suo Uprising."
"This is more like a silent complaint against the emperor than a rebellion against the empire to which he has been loyal all his life, isn't it?"
"After Quesso's death, every household in the Northland lit candles. According to the ancient rituals of the kings' eras, they honored him as king - the King of the Rebellion, a title that Quesso probably did not want to bear until his death."
"This is the story of the rebel king Queso Lombard...many Exeter people are familiar with it."
"Do you understand, descendant of the emperor?" Cambida said calmly: "What exactly did the empire leave to the North?"
Kaslan watched Thales' reaction with interest.
Fortunately, everyone else was sitting at a round table some distance away from them, otherwise, Thales would probably have another tavern fight between the Star People and the Exeter People soon.
"A carefully decorated story," Putilai said with a smile: "I'm curious, how do you know the emperor's order so clearly, and are you sure it is correct word for word?"
"Feel free to be sarcastic, Imperial people, anyway, you only have the glory of the Empire in your mind," Cambida's eyes were full of disgust, and he continued:
"What has the empire given to the world? Years of endless military conquests, unreasonable exorbitant taxes and heavy taxes. From the Xitao cliff to the red soil, from the thorny land to the Far East, no one knows the cruelty and harshness of the empire; no one knows it;
"Greedy and corrupt high-ranking officials and petty officials, cruel and high-pressure rule by ignorant people, the so-called great human empire has long been rotten, from top to bottom, from the inside out, from the Pegasus Throne to the Expeditionary Legion, from the Imperial Guards to the City Gate Officers
.”
"The intensifying ethnic conflicts, the ugly and dark religious oppression - how many people died under the unreasonable torture of the Empire's secret army, and how many people died in the name of heresy of the Myojin Church, you know, like the Lord of the Mountains, the Shepherd
Did primitive beliefs such as the Sea Maiden, the Prairie Heavenly Father, etc. disappear under the ban of the ancient empire and in the conspiracy between the emperor and the Myojin Church?"
"There is also the Northern Knight Temple, which was forcibly demolished by the emperor a thousand years ago... It was the cradle and holy land of the birth of knights, and a legendary place where humans jointly resisted the ancient orcs in the North!"
"Imperial people," Cambida took a sip of wine and sneered: "Stop lying in the glory of the past. When you are climaxing for false prosperity, you have no idea what your position in history is.
How ugly.”
"Continue to hold on to that idea, but history cannot be changed, even now," Putilai said disdainfully:
"I only see your carriages galloping on the roads built by the empire. They rely on them for everything from the king traveling to the people leaving home;"
"Your currency casting follows the gold, silver and copper standards set by the empire. These small coins stabilize your national economy and people's livelihood and prevent you from regressing to the period of kings;"
"No matter how much northern accents and customs your language has, it is still the ancient language and lingua franca derived from the empire. From birth to death, what you talk about are the culture and traditions that have been preserved and carried forward through the empire;"
"Your paintings, poetry, and music all draw nourishment from the glory of the imperial period. Although Exeter is called a cultural wilderness, you must admit this;"
"Your army follows the imperial organization of regiments, brigades, guards, and squads. Your noble organization adopts the imperial organization of dukes, counts, viscounts, barons, and lords... Without an empire, I'm afraid Northland would still be here today.
It’s just a piece of loose sand, backward and barbaric!”
"What does that prove?" Cambida interrupted him rudely: "If we call what the empire violently imposed on us a gift, and we are complacent about it..."
"Imposed?" Putilai also seemed to be aroused: "The knights of the kings of the North joined the army of Emperor Comorra Carother at almost the same time as the armies of the kings of Shavin. You are the first of the emperor.
Supporters are the most active sword and blade when building an empire!"
"Very good," Cambida said coldly: "Now, we, the children of North Wind and Dragon, no longer need that evil empire. We are self-reliant - please put away the pride of the empire, Imperial people."
"Beifeng has seen a lot," Putilai said calmly: "As for the dragon, if you are referring to the one embroidered on the Exeter flag, well, the quality is pretty good."
"The significance of the dragon on the Exeter flag does not depend on whether it exists. After all, we do not rely on a legendary beast to protect this country." Cambida said seriously.
"But it represents the belief and temperament of our Eckster nation when it was founded. It is the revelation left to us by the hero of the North, Nekaru, in the final battle - strength, patience, strength, tenacity, pride, and perseverance.
And," Cambida glanced at the people in the stars, then picked up the wine glass and took a big sip, and said with a deep smile: "Never surrender...even to a behemoth like the Empire."
"And what are you left with?" Cambida sneered: "The Kingdom of Stars is just an antique. It has no meaning of existence at all - the reason for its existence is just to testify to a past history and for a country that has been destroyed for a long time.
spiritualism."
Putilai was about to reply, but heard Thales let out a long sigh at this moment.
"do you know?"
Cambida and Putilai turned simultaneously to the Second Prince of the Stars.
"Whether it is Putilai or His Excellency Viscount Cambida," Thales sighed deeply: "Although one is a Starman and the other is an Exeter, in your unpleasant encounter, I found
The two biggest things you have in common.”
Putilai and Kambida were stunned at the same time.
"So what is that?"
The person who spoke out was actually the tavern owner, Kaslan, who had been watching the show. He nodded his chin with interest and asked Thales, "What do they have in common?"
Thales raised his eyebrows and shrugged:
"When you two meet each other, even though you each speak for your own position, you both only have the same thing in your mind."
"The most unoriginal thing."
Putilai showed a puzzled look, while Kambida frowned slightly.
"empire."
Thales said softly.
He took the last bite of bread.
Putilai and Cambida were stunned at the same time.
"Hahahaha..." Kaslan clapped his hands and laughed: "What an interesting conclusion. What about the second common point?"
"The second one, well," Thales muttered as he bit into the black bread, "the two of them, even though they talked so much about the empire..."
"But in fact, none of them have ever seen the empire with their own eyes - whether it was the final empire six hundred years ago or the ancient empire more than a thousand years ago."
Kaslan's laughter grew louder and louder.
Putilai and Cambida's faces darkened together.
"Well said! The second prince of the stars!" Kaslan slapped the table with joy and looked at Thales with a laugh: "They have never seen the empire!"
"Thanks for the support," Thales shrugged: "On the one hand, it shows that the empire has a profound influence, but on the other hand..."
He looked at the two quarrels helplessly: "You are arguing with each other's imagination..."
Putilai and Cambida were both stunned.
"What you are arguing about is probably the empire in each other's imaginations," Thales spread his hands: "The empire in your imagination must be based on everything you encounter in reality, how you feel about the present, and how you feel about the empire.
It was established based on the evaluation and view of history.”
The two people arguing then looked at each other, turned their heads, and stopped looking at each other.
"Look away, boys."
The old man Kaslan shook his head: "The ancient legends, the glorious past, the lost history, the sacred traditions, except for the nobles who boast about their families and the stinky scholars, who still remembers them now? But this thing," he pointed
Point outside the door:
"The gift of the mountains can prevent young men who go out in the cold winter from freezing to death... This is enough. It is useful to people and has its own meaning of existence - Lord of the Mountains
It has not disappeared, it has always lived in the cracks of every extreme cold among us, and in the gratitude of travelers who take food from the trees."
"As for dragons and empires," Kaslan sneered, "it's the same thing."
Putilai and Cambida stopped talking, but each other's faces were not good-looking.
Thales showed a bright smile.
"Pah!" Kaslan snapped his fingers.
"Dong!" The tavern boy with a bad expression, who looked like everyone owed him wine money, the scarred-faced man named Brian, at the boss's signal, rudely poured a glass of wine with an obviously different color.
The wine glass hit the bar and was pushed in front of Thales.
He also glared at Thales fiercely before turning back to the kitchen.
Thales raised his head in surprise.
"The best rye wine, a special supply from the Hero Tavern!" The old man said carelessly under Thales's surprised eyes: "The rye provided by my old comrades in Wellandland is limited every day."
"It's not the bad stuff they drank - it's because of what you just said!"
Thales opened his eyes wide, looked at the white-haired old man, and then looked down at the wine in the glass.
"Don't hesitate, kid! Drink it all!" Kaslan showed off his powerful, vigorous, and aging right arm muscles: "The criteria for judging a good man are, first, whether he can swing the ax powerfully, and second, drinking.
Have you drunk enough to feel refreshed?"
"Uh... man? I'm only seven years old..." Thales looked at the wine glass the size of his head, his eyes widened, and he awkwardly quoted what he said to the Duke of Black Sand: "You know, children can't drink, what will happen to them?
Not in good health..."
"That's nonsense!" Kaslan waved his thumb and his yellow teeth.
With Putilai's face almost darkened, the old man immediately slapped Thales on the shoulder. The unrestrained force made the latter stagger: "You only have to drink when you are seven years old!"
"Children, you will never grow up if you don't drink!"