Sword of Dawn

Page 559

Mirmina's attitude on this matter seems a little too calm, which of course has something to do with her "vision" as a god—she doesn't think that the tendency of some mortal groups at the level of belief is worthwhile. What a fuss, especially with this group of mortals who never made a connection with themselves.

For a god, the mortals in this "isolated area" are as transparent as they don't need to pay attention to, but for Gao Wen, this matter is not so simple.

"This is not just a question of 'a bit strange'." Gawain's mouth trembled, and he said very seriously, "Isn't it said that all mages in the world are believers or superficial believers of the Goddess of Magic? Although the belief in the Goddess of Magic is The loosest and broadest of all belief systems, but it is precisely because of this loose and broad form of belief that magicians generally believe in the goddess of magic..."

He said the "common sense" he knew, but Mirmina shook her head: "This is your own opinion, but I have never said that."

Gao Wen frowned: "Isn't the real situation like this?"

"At least not in Violet," Mirmina said seriously, "and even in the continent of Loren, not all mages believe in me—"shallow believer" is a very vague concept, because it can hardly establish effective beliefs. Therefore, the judgment of it becomes very subjective and general. Sometimes a mage doesn’t believe in God at all, but when he encounters a magic model that he can’t solve, he will still habitually say, “the goddess of magic is not a god.” Will take a look at this thing', in this case, people may regard him as a shallow believer... You will know how unreliable the judgment in this regard is."

Gao Wen rubbed his brows, and said while gathering his thoughts: "Okay, okay, let's not discuss this, let's discuss Violet... You said that so many mages in the Violet Kingdom don't believe in you... It's a bit surprising... "

"It's normal, because mages themselves are very mysterious, and the Violet Kingdom is the most mysterious and sealed off among the mortal kingdoms. Almost no one in the world knows what the real situation inside the Violet Kingdom is, so they just instinctively think that such a country of mages It must be the land ruled by the Goddess of Magic... But what about the actual situation? They have never prayed to me for thousands of years, and this fact is only known to me besides themselves."

While talking, Mirmina spread her hands in a very humane way: "Don't say you think they are mysterious, I think they are quite mysterious too."

"...But why is this happening?" Gao Wen frowned, and couldn't help asking, "Why does a country composed of mages show a state where the belief in the goddess of magic has disappeared..."

"How would I know?" Mirmina shook her head, "This is the situation after I became conscious. Since there are no followers of mine on that land, I have no way of knowing what's going on inside them, and because The Kingdom of Violet has been isolated from the Loren Continent since ancient times. It is difficult for my faith to spread across the strait—not to mention that the belief in the goddess of magic itself is very loose. If they have time to do missionary work and church building, they would rather do two more big questions than study how to spread the faith... I am even less lazy to pay attention to these things.”

For a moment, Gao Wen didn't know what to say. Facing the goddess of magic who took it for granted, he could only tremble at the corner of his mouth, feeling admiration for the lady's resignation mentality in his heart.

It's really worthy of being able to carve a "thank you" on the table after watching your own funeral.

Gathering his mind, Gao Wen finally had to accept this unexpected fact. The series of questions he had prepared before lost their meaning before he could speak, so he had to reorganize his words and ask: "You just said...you can't do it. Know what's going on inside them? You can't see what's going on inside the Violet Kingdom, is that what you mean?"

"Without believers, there will be no eyes and ears. This is the operating rule of our gods," Mirmina finally became serious, and she explained patiently, "We can use believers—at least if they are devout believers, through Their senses come to understand what is happening in the world, but in turn, we can only understand what the believers can see and hear.

"Do you know what the human world looks like in the eyes of the gods? You can imagine it. When I was still on the throne of the gods, the world I saw was countless flickering dots in the darkness, and every flickering dot of light They are all believers with pious beliefs. Around their light spots, a small space is illuminated, which is the area that their sense organs can perceive. The vision of the gods is composed of these countless light spots and their surrounding areas. 'bright regions', and rely on them to piece together a recognizable world.

"And when I set my sights on the Violet Kingdom... all I saw there was darkness, not even a shimmer of light, let alone a 'vision'."

"It's pitch black..." Gawain subconsciously murmured softly to himself. He sketched the picture described by Mirmina in his mind, and that picture was not difficult to imagine. He frowned, and then cast his eyes on Amoen, "What about you? Can you see the situation in the Violet Kingdom?"

In fact, he was just asking casually, because the area that Amon himself had influenced was limited to the southern part of the mainland, and believers in the God of Nature in the northern region were rare, and the Violet Kingdom was a very closed place, and he had never heard of it What kind of beliefs in the natural field do they still have in them—but he still holds a hope in his heart, that is, the tradition of "traveling" passed down by the silver elves since ancient times.

Adult silver elves will follow the tradition and travel the entire "world". Powerful high-level rangers even dare to explore the elemental realm. Is there any elf traveler who has stepped into the Violet Kingdom in ancient times?If there is, this might become Amoen's gaze...

However, Amoen's answer quickly broke Gawain's expectations. The God of Nature lowered his eyelids, and said with regret in his deep and pleasant voice, "Sorry, I have never looked beyond that strait—there is nothing wrong with me. It’s also pitch black.”

Gawain nodded, put his chin on his fingers and fell into deep thought. Suddenly, a flash of light flashed in his mind, and he thought of something: "Wait, Ms. Milmina, I remember that the Violet Kingdom started 600 years ago. Then there is a new tradition, they will select talented 'apprentices' from the Loren Continent to go to the City of Thousand Towers. Most of these so-called apprentices are Loren spellcasters who already have certain strength. Is there no one who can be your 'eyes'?"

"I also know this tradition—although I don't respond to the prayers of believers in this world, I have been paying attention to the changes in the world. I still understand things outside the Violet Kingdom," Mirmina nodded, "It's really strange to think about it at this time... In the past 600 years, the Violet Kingdom has selected a large number of apprentices from Loren Continent, and none of them actually believed in me, even though some of them later became apprentices. My believers, but at least at the age when they were chosen as 'apprentices', they have not yet established a belief in the 'Goddess of Magic'..."

Mirmina's speaker was unintentional, while Gao Wen's listener was interested. His eyes froze for an instant, as if lightning flashed across his heart, and a clue that no one had thought of came to mind just like that.

Mirmina keenly noticed the change in Gawain's expression: "What did you think of?"

"...For 600 years, countless people have wanted to find out what the criteria for selecting apprentices in the Violet Kingdom were. They looked for clues from a series of possible conditions such as the apprentice's talent, place of residence, race, age, personality, bloodline, etc., but from No one thought that the real common ground is here...

"Violet is a country of mages, and the criterion for selecting apprentices is that they cannot believe in the goddess of magic..."

Amoen has been listening silently without interjecting, and suddenly couldn't help but said: "Isn't it a bit early to draw this conclusion at this time?"

"...Indeed, we can't come to this conclusion now," Gao Wen said after a moment of silence, then nodded slightly, "but at least the existing clues can gather this point: from 600 years ago to today, all the people who have been allowed to enter the millennium The mage apprentices studying in Tower City have at least one thing in common, that is, they have never believed in the goddess of magic. In this regard, I think Ms. Milmina's judgment is absolutely accurate."

"What's the reason behind this?" Amon seemed to be finally interested in this topic, and he asked again, "A country with a large population prevents a certain belief from spreading in its own country with such a strict attitude." , This is something that no country on the Loren Continent has ever done—this is not easy in this world. They must have a reason for doing this, right?"

"And what they did was so successful..." Mirmina on the side added, "'There is no gleam at all', although I don't care about this matter, the abnormality of this matter itself is It is worthy of attention. I don’t know the exact population of the Violet Kingdom, but there is a good saying of mortals—where there are mortals living together, there is a soil of faith. Mortals will always encounter suffering, and among the mortals who encounter suffering, there will always be someone who prays , there are countless spellcasters in the Violet Kingdom, haven't they encountered a big problem that they can't solve for thousands of years? You should mention my name when you curse..."

The voice of Mirmina in the second half of the sentence was obviously lower, and Gawain couldn't help but glance at her more, while Amoen's voice came from the side: "You tell the truth—do you really not care?"

Mirmina said casually, "Do you think I care about my free and easy attitude?"

"...It's what you say."

Gao Wen didn't care about the seemingly daily disruptive interaction between Mirmina and Amorn, he was already lost in thought.

The Goddess of Magic is right - such a large kingdom is still dominated by mages, and there is not even a single member who believes in the Goddess of Magic. The reasons behind the criteria for selecting "apprentices" beyond the Violet Kingdom...

The most critical question is: how did they do it?

Amoen and Mirmina noticed that Gao Wen fell silent in his thinking, and they stopped at the same time. I don't know how long it took before Mirmina said suddenly: "You just mentioned that some of the actions of the Violet Kingdom are impressive to you. Come 'very suspicious', what is the specific situation?"

There is no need to hide this matter, Gao Wen sorted it out a little, and told the former goddess in front of him what he had just discovered: "It's a technical black box—a technical black box with a full scope, a long time, and it is difficult to explain it by coincidence." .which includes a large number of traditional domains…”

After a detailed narration, Gao Wen's voice fell, and Amorn spoke after thinking for a while: "This can be considered from the perspective of secrecy requirements and national interests—and to be honest, after you apply rune logic to this Before this kind of thing is established, this kind of black-box technology inheritance is the norm in this world, and those things that can be analyzed and disassembled are rare, and even despised by mainstream academic groups.”

Gao Wen nodded: "It's true to say that, but considering the various anomalies displayed by the Violet Kingdom, the 'black box' they spread...it's hard not to let people pay attention."

Mirmina has not spoken since listening to Gawain's narration just now. She was silent for a long time, which finally caught Amoen's attention. The God of Nature glanced at her: "What did you think of?" ?”

"I'm guessing... what those violet mages want to do," Mirmina said softly as if talking to herself, without raising her head, "'Black Box Magic', technology and knowledge encapsulation will not affect As far as the inheritance and effectiveness of spells, even to a certain extent, even with the existence of a black box, mages can still carry out 'research' and 'personal refinement', which is determined by the special nature of magic.

"So, the black box spells spread by the Violet mages will not affect the establishment of Loren's magic system and the growth of Loren's spellcasters, so at least to a certain extent, these 'obstacles' they set up are not for themselves national security or retard the development of competitors - I mean if they see the land of Loren as a competitor.

"What they want to achieve should be something else - if they have such a 'purpose' at all."

"Just say what comes to mind," Amoen urged, "There are no outsiders here."

"Let me remind you." Mirmina didn't care about Amorn, but turned her attention to Gao Wen, "If there are more and more 'black boxes' in a magic system, and even gradually develop into all the most basic elements of the entire system Theories are also made up of black boxes; if all the powers mastered by spellcasters are in an unexplainable state, people can only chant ancestral spellcasting mantras as if they were chanting classic prayers, and no one knows the meaning behind those symbols. Mathematical logic and energy rules; if rational analysis and research behaviors are completely suppressed, scholars will no longer pursue the knowledge behind the technology, but only know the miraculous effects produced by the encapsulated spell models. This situation will last for a long time. What will it lead to?"

Gao Wen finally understood the deep meaning of Mirmina's words, and the answer behind it made his expression stern for a moment: "...magic will become a miracle."

"This is just my speculation." Mirmina said calmly.

Chapter 1174 "schizophrenia"?

In this world, is there anything that can scare gods like Amorn and Mirmina?

Not church wars, not great waves of disobedience, not even self-fall, but—God will be born.

The birth of each god means that the relationship between humans and gods is further locked, and the more such locked relationships, it means that this season's human civilization will be more biased on the road of "humanity" and "divinity". The latter step, when this tendency develops to a certain extent, even gods like them who have already left the position of gods, may be pulled back into the ranks of gods by mortals who have fallen into religious fanaticism at any time. For Amorn and Mirmina, who finally gained limited freedom at the price... It is undoubtedly a terrifying thing.

There was a moment of silence in the disobedient courtyard, neither Gawain nor Mirmina spoke, and the hazy light on the silent Amorn shrank unsteadily, which seemed to show that the God of Nature was not at peace. After a while, Gao Wen said again: "Maybe our speculation is too far."

"Indeed, everything is speculation now, without evidence, all of this is nothing more than an extension of conspiracy theories," Milmina sighed softly, "It's just based on what the Violet Kingdom has done for 600 years and what is behind the operation of the gods." From the perspective of logic, these black boxes do have the hidden danger of shaping 'artificial miracles'..."

"But in fact magic is not miraculous, is it?" Amorn's voice came from the side, "These black boxes have been spread for 600 years, magic is still magic, and magicians are still the most unconvinced in the world ordinary people are deeply in awe of magic and spellcasters, but it is always the awe of mortals for mortals-no one really treats magic as a miracle, even an ignorant countryman. Know that those lightning bolts and fireballs are man-made."

"So this is where our speculations are untenable," Gao Wen nodded, "The 'black box' is just one of the possible factors that make ordinary people regard magic as a miracle, but it is neither a necessary factor nor a sufficient factor. It is indeed too arbitrary to think that the Violet Kingdom is trying to 'create gods', and another fact is also very puzzling...that is their 'isolated' attitude towards the existing belief in the goddess of magic."

"There is one thing to say, indeed," Amon agreed, "They tried their best to exclude the belief of the goddess of magic from the kingdom, but exported a black-box magic system that might be regarded as a 'miracle', It would be too contradictory to say that they were doing this to create a belief in the magic field... Of course, there is also a possibility that they feel that the Goddess of Magic is unreliable, so they decided to create a reliable one..."

Before Amoen finished speaking, Mirmina had already glared at her: "Discuss the problem, let's discuss the problem, don't rise to the attack of the godhead..."

"I'm making an inference based on the existing conditions—how about you think of a more reasonable explanation?" Amoen said blankly (he has always been expressionless), "Do you really think that you are qualified as a god? "

"Okay, okay, the crux of the problem is not here." Gao Wen saw that the situation was not right, and hurriedly interrupted the two gods' conversation, "Let's pay more attention to the Violet Kingdom. Anxiety is getting stronger..."

"We can't discuss anything here," Mirmina said in a serious tone, looking down at Gao Wen. "That land is a darkness to me. I'm afraid the things I know are nothing more than that." If you want to figure out what those mysterious 'Violet Mages' are doing, you still have to find a way to infiltrate them."

"We have already tried this, but with little success." Gao Wen shook his head regretfully, "Of course, we will continue to work hard, and at the same time, we will continue to try to establish a direct relationship with Violet's upper echelons through official channels." The way of dialogue... They still haven't responded to the invitation sent by the Alliance, but at least in the private letter with Cecil or Typhon, the 'Prince of the Secret Law' is not a 'hermit' who... completely refuses to communicate."

After deliberating in his mind, he replaced the word "do not speak human language" with the more peaceful "refused to communicate".

At this moment, Amoen suddenly spoke up: "Actually, I'm suddenly a little curious... Is there no belief in the goddess of magic and the god of nature in the Violet Kingdom, or...there is no belief in other gods?"

Gao Wen was stunned for a moment, this was a direction he had never thought of before, only now that he was reminded by Amoen, he suddenly realized... There seems to be a trick behind it.

"If the Violet Territory only rejects the belief in the Goddess of Magic, then things can be more or less conjectured in the direction of conspiracy—they may want to usurp the god's position, just like the "artificial gods" of the Death of All Things Society, their goal may be It is aimed at the position occupied by Mirmina, and if they reject all gods internally, this matter will become more subtle," Amoen said slowly, "A country that is untrustworthy by the whole people is promoting it to the outside world. Black box technology that can easily lead to 'miracle', this kind of behavior is somewhat... schizophrenic."

"Spiritual schizophrenia..." Gao Wen's eyebrows trembled uncontrollably. Amon's words were quite surprising, but soon he felt that this description was very appropriate, and it accurately described the feeling that the Violet Kingdom had always given him. — Definitely schizophrenic.

"I will continue to investigate this matter." Finally, Gao Wen took a long breath. He did not get the clues he wanted from Mirmina this time, but he got something unexpected. I need to go back and think about the intelligence. As for now, it is time to say goodbye and leave, "If you two have any new ideas or discoveries, you can also contact me as soon as possible."

Mirmina lowered her head, and there seemed to be a hint of a smile in her eyes hidden in the mysterious mist: "Of course, I am very happy."

Gawain nodded, but before turning to leave, his eyes suddenly fell on Amoen again: "By the way, there is one more thing."

Amorn's voice came immediately: "It seems to be related to me?"

"Beersetia sent a message. She has contacted those...the ancient druid priests who are still 'sticking to the tradition'. These priests may leave the Silver Empire soon. She hopes that you...can do Get ready."

The giant deer Amoen fell silent. He didn't speak for the next half a minute. Gawain didn't rush, but just stood aside and waited silently until the former God of Nature finally broke the silence: "Reply to that little Empress... let them come. I have prepared here for 3000 years, and now there is nothing left to prepare."

……

At the southernmost tip of the Loren Continent, the vast and boundless jungle has blocked the home of the elves for generations. The lush tropical plants cover the main island of the Silver Empire and the vast land beside the return coast. This lush forest is connected to each other. The frontier of the Ogure Tribal State and the Typhon Empire, extending to the territory of the Gaoling Kingdom in the north, and extending to the southern coast of the main island in the south.

The extremely high coverage of the jungle makes most of the land of the Silver Empire look as if it is in a primitive state to be developed, so that residents of many surrounding countries will have such a wrong impression of the territory of the elves, thinking that the elf empire is a traditional and Obsolete, a country that has maintained a state of low development for thousands of years, has advanced ancestral technology but is unwilling to actively change the living environment - the more backward the information dissemination is, the more the aliens have the wrong impression of the elven empire So, because in those rural taverns and streets and alleys, the processed poems of the bards still occupy the dominant position, and in the stories of the bards, the "primitive, natural, peaceful and elegant elf" is obviously far more advanced than the "advanced , Discipline, and a fighting nation with martial arts" is much more cordial and friendly.

However, the actual Silver Empire is not as gentle and harmless as described in the story—in the depths of the primeval jungle, there is an advanced and powerful ancient empire hidden. Countless ancestral legacies that have been settled on this land through untold hardships.

In the depths of the vast jungle, there are extraction factories and gas delivery stations with a history of tens of thousands of years. Under the solid ground are countless production facilities and energy distribution nodes. The receiving and sending terminals of real-time communication, between every river and the source of magic power, there are sensors and interference devices with a long history.

These things that condense the thick history have spanned thousands of years and jointly maintained the operation of a huge empire, and the elves just hid all of this skillfully in the green mountains and green waters of their hometown just out of their own aesthetics and nature Between the forest and the valley, so that in the entire Silver Empire, there are only three places that stand out from the primitive jungle, displaying their advanced existence in a high-profile way——

One is undoubtedly the sky fortress "Temple of Stars" that floats in the sky and never falls, and it is also the control node of the Sentinel Tower system; the other is the prosperous capital standing in the heart of the empire, the true residence of the Silver Queen. The royal court is located in the center of the royal city; the third is the magnificent bridge connecting the main island of the empire and the mainland of Loren, known as one of the "miracles of the ancient times", the "Bridge of Homecoming".

On the north side of the main island of the Silver Empire, on a quiet high mountain near the Huiliu coast, the pale golden sunset is casting the last light of today on the horizon. In the gradually darkening sky, a huge ancient tree standing on the top of the mountain is blowing in the wind There was a rustling sound.

At the foot of the giant tree, an oak hut is built next to the tree. The hut is surrounded by quiet flower fields and wooden fences that seem to grow and form directly from the land. A primitive and natural atmosphere fills this quiet hermitage. An old elf with a hunched back was walking out of the house and came to the edge of the mountain, looking into the distance in a daze.

Silver elves have a long lifespan, and for most of their lives, their appearance remains between youth and middle age. Although the elves can accurately judge the approximate age of a compatriot from their appearance, at least In the eyes of foreigners, more than 90.00% of the silver elves are "young and beautiful"-the ability to show an aging state that is particularly obvious in the eyes of foreigners can only show that a silver elf has lived for too long. A long history far beyond human imagination.

In midsummer, this country near the equator is shrouded in scorching heat. Even though dusk is approaching, the heat in the air has not dissipated at all, but the wind on the top of the mountain is still cooler. Then, the old elf with hunched back and blond hair that had turned pale smiled slightly, squinting his eyes and looking to the north.

At the edge of the forest, at the end of the main island, the gigantic miracle "Bridge of Homecoming" made of ancient alloys and enchanted boulders is bathed in the setting sun. With a certain texture between metal and rock, the wide and abnormal bridge surface is full of brilliance. The magic "light boat" used to transport materials and the mechanical puppet responsible for maintaining the bridge deck diversion facilities shuttle back and forth on the bridge. Like a school of fish in the river, busy.

That is the most important lifeline of the Silver Empire, the main artery that connects the main island of the empire with the continent of Loren. The ancestors of the ancient times built it with technology that is now irreproducible, and named it "Homecoming" ——The elves of later generations are not quite sure why their ancestors chose such a name in the first place, but everyone still gives this bridge a meaning that fits its name in this era: the elves who go out to experience must leave the main island. Passing through that bridge, one must also pass through that bridge when returning. The giant bridge connecting Loren is like a sustenance for the elves traveling abroad, a sustenance for returning home.

The old elf narrowed his eyes slightly, and the glow of the setting sun reflected by the Homecoming Bridge gradually blurred in his vision.

Not long after, when I stepped on that bridge... Will there be a day to return home?

A sound of footsteps came from behind suddenly, and the old elf didn't turn his head. He had already confirmed the identity of the comer from the familiar breath: "Karl, have you sent His Majesty to the foot of the mountain?"

"Yes, mentor," the young apprentice druid stood behind the old man, and replied respectfully, "I sent the Silver Queen to the foot of the mountain, watched her join the soldiers and servants waiting at the foot of the mountain, and then returned. "

The old elf nodded, and said in a low voice while slowly turning around: "That's good... But you still have to pay attention, you should respectfully call her 'Your Majesty' instead of calling her by her title."

The young druid apprentice named Carl looked a little hesitant, but finally nodded: "I see, mentor."

The old elf showed a satisfied look on his face. He smiled and said slowly, "Come and watch the scenery with me, Karl."

The apprentice's expression became tangled again, but he did not disobey the teacher's wishes, but walked to the old elf's side. After holding back for another half a minute, he finally said, "Teacher, you really want to promise Baiyin... Your Majesty's Invitation, go to that distant northern empire?"

"Karl, this matter has been settled," the old elf smiled and shook his head gently, "what's the need to discuss it now?"

Seeing the mentor's indifferent attitude, the apprentice finally stopped suppressing his emotions forcibly, and his voice raised: "But don't you think there is a trap behind this invitation? What if there..."

"Carl," the old elf smiled gently, interrupting the apprentice's excited words with a very soft voice, "I don't think it's a trap—but one thing I know, whether it's a trap or not, this After I go, I probably won’t come back.”

Chapter 1175 Surviving Sages

The evening wind in midsummer blows through the mountains and jungles, disturbing the sound of leaves turning in this lush land. However, these sounds of nature are not at all irritating to the elves, but will only bring peace and serenity to the soul. .

The old elf stood on the top of the mountain, looking into the distance as he had done thousands of years ago. He saw that this ancient empire was gradually becoming quiet in the afterglow of the setting sun. Those rolling hills, jungles and river valleys were almost the same as the ones in his memory. It's exactly the same... Nothing has changed in this land, but in another sense, it has completely changed into something he doesn't recognize.

From that day 3000 years ago, this place is no longer his familiar hometown.

The apprentice remained silent, as if he was deeply moved by what his mentor said, but strong emotions surged in the young elf's heart, and he finally broke the silence: "So you know that His Majesty has no intention of letting you come back, but still ..."

"She needs a closure—because of emotion and reason, this conclusion is too late," the old man seemed to smile, and his tone was flat as if he was talking about other people's affairs, "no matter what she brought back from the so-called 'alliance' The news was partly true and partly false. When she decided to meet me in person and arranged for me to travel to that northern country, the end was already doomed. If everything is a lie, then the purpose of these lies It could only be to get rid of a dissident like me who has been stubborn for 3000 years, if everything she said is true..."

The old man stopped suddenly, there was some flicker in his eyes, as if he was recalling something from the ancient times, and all the memories finally converged into a sigh: "If everything is true, then it is even more impossible for me to come back gone."

The young apprentice seemed to understand, but he didn't understand why his mentor was so emotional in the end - because when the Silver Queen met with the mentor, he was "invited" out of the room.But he knew that there are some secrets that elves at his level should not inquire about, especially when his mentors are unwilling to speak up, so he didn't pursue the question at this moment, but couldn't help but clenched his fists: " She can't treat you like this, you represent..."

"She is the Silver Queen, and she represents the will of the entire empire—and I'm just a rusty cog in the huge machine of the empire, but I don't want to leave by myself," the old man interrupted the apprentice's impulsive words again , "She can treat me like this, from her point of view, it is beneficial to this land. Although I don't want to admit it, I... have indeed been an obstacle to the operation of this country."

The young apprentice opened his mouth, as if he wanted to refute the teacher's words, but he seemed to think of something suddenly. No matter how hard it was to say the follow-up words, his mentor smiled and said in a calm tone: "I know how many elves use My name is to run their church in the forest. How many Druids who disagree with the royal family's political views are operating forces in the name of 'restoring tradition' to fight against the new order of the empire these years. Not all the damage they caused was hidden. My sight—yet I've pretended to be blind to it for thousands of years, and you know why?"

"...I don't know." Apprentice Karl lowered his head. This topic made him feel more pressured, but the habit he had developed over the years made him have to respond to every question from his mentor, "but I know you have your considerations... ..."

"My only consideration is—I don't know what to do," the old man smiled and shook his head, as if the burden of many years had suddenly been let go. "After the god left, almost all the priests didn't know what to do, and we fell into a split , some members chose to kill themselves and go with the gods, some members chose to follow the Morning Star family and become the orthodox priests in the future, and the last ones left are us... the most incompetent and cowardly group, who have no choice but no decision , neither dare to take a step forward to follow the gods, nor dare to find another way to serve the secular imperial power, what should I consider? I am just standing still.

"And the most ridiculous thing is that a guy like me who stands still is regarded by some elves as a defender of 'tradition' and 'truth'. They gather together and act recklessly, while I... acquiesce, even silently support, It's just because of some illusory extravagant thoughts. I can't find my way, and I don't dare to find it, so I hope those elves who have the courage to run wild can really find a way to rebuild their past glory... After all, this Just escape."

Apprentice Carl's eyes widened. This was the first time he heard his mentor comment on him. If these words were spoken by others, he would probably be furious, but at this moment he could only speak in astonishment. Come on, after being stunned for a long time, he finally squeezed some words out of his throat: "You...you shouldn't judge yourself like that, you are the most prestigious elf in Thrandumen Province..."

"The most prestigious elf doesn't even have the qualifications to judge himself?"

"Teacher, I didn't mean that..."

Faced with the apprentice's sudden panic, the old man shook his head: "Don't be so nervous, Carl, you have countless advantages, but the two weaknesses of being easily nervous and losing your mind have clouded most of your advantages. I just want to leave before I leave. I’m just telling you some things that have been in my heart for many years—after all, there are not many elves on this mountain who are really willing to listen to me talking about these things.”

Karl nodded quickly, then shook his head hesitantly. Seeing the young elf's tangled and troubled appearance, the old man couldn't help laughing. After a while, he put away his smile and said with a serious expression: "Karl , I have something to explain, so listen carefully."

The young apprentice hurriedly straightened up: "Yes... yes, mentor!"

"After I leave, don't stay here, and don't deal with those 'religionists' gathered in the mountains. Return to your hometown. With the knowledge you have acquired, you will become a very, very Excellent pharmacist and polymath. Think of the 100 years as a normal school trip, now that your studies are over, it's time for you to go home and live your life.