Chapter 1175 The Surviving Sage

The latest website: The evening wind in midsummer blows through the mountains and jungles, disturbing the sound of leaves turning in this lush land. Calm and serene.

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 three thousand 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 can only be to get rid of a dissident like me who has been stubborn for three thousand 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 difficult 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 against the new order of the empire in the name of 'restoring tradition'. Not all the damage they caused was hidden. My sight—yet in the millennia past,

I'm pretending to ignore it all, do 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 he had suddenly let go of the burden of many years, "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 the 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, and 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 slightly 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 pharmacists and polymaths. Think of the 100 years as an ordinary school trip, now that your studies are over, it's time for you to go home and live your own life.

"If you don't want to, then pack your bags, cross the Bridge of Homecoming, and travel the continent, like other elves of your age, to see what the outside world looks like. Your knowledge and Racial talent can make you welcome in most parts of the Loren continent, and in those places ruled by humans, dwarves, and goblins, you can learn far more abundant and extensive knowledge than me. If you have the opportunity, You can also go to the moss forest in the north, where our distant relatives live, and the way of the gray elves will benefit you a lot.

"No matter which path you choose, remember: don't deal with those congregations gathered in the mountains, they may invite you, they may support you, they may even call you the new sage and leader , but you must not be blinded by these—leave immediately, the farther you go, the better."

Apprentice Karl's eyes widened slightly, and he looked at his mentor in disbelief: "You want me to completely cut off the relationship with your followers... But isn't it too ruthless to do so? After all, they followed You have been here for so many years, everything we need to live here is also them..."

"Carl, have you forgotten what I just said? Don't believe too much in the loyalty and devotion shown by those congregants... After I leave, all their loyalty and devotion will shatter and dissipate like reflections in water, and the royal family's liquidation will It will come soon, when the mob realizes that the Silver Queen is serious this time, they will immediately sell everything they can, and you will be the first 'chip' worth being betrayed."

Apprentice Karl opened his mouth, but finally lowered his head - he knew that his mentor's judgment in this regard was accurate, and as the last apprentice selected by the mentor, he didn't even have this vision.

Beside him, a satisfied smile finally appeared on the mentor's face, and then the venerable old man once again turned his eyes to the distant mountains, watching the golden sunset over the mountains gradually gilding the bridge of returning home. Bright colors like a rainbow.

In a trance, he seemed to see a figure from three thousand years ago. It was the highest priestess wearing gorgeous robes, standing in the distance like a messenger of God. It was the silver monarch of the previous generation, the empress he had loyal to .

A long, long time ago, the Silver Queen once threw out an invitation to him, inviting him to become a sharp blade of secular imperial power to stabilize the situation in the empire and rebuild the people's faith, but at that time he flinched—he dared not To do those "rebellious" things, he sat by and watched the former highest priestess fight alone, and watched her be denounced as a "fallen" and "believers" by countless priests and believers, and watched her die early.

Today, another silver queen once again threw out an invitation to him, asking him to go to a "covenant of the gods" - the young queen didn't say anything clearly, but the old priest who had dealt with her belief all her life knew that This invitation never came back.

He was finally able to make up for the regrets of the year.

"His Majesty Istar... I will gladly attend the appointment this time."

The old priest withdrew his gaze, turned around and walked towards the hut behind him, and at the same time said to his apprentice: "Carl, go back and help me pack my luggage—the sun is going down."

...

"The sun is going down...we've been here for so long."

On a wide avenue at the edge of the dense forest, the high-ranking maid Elaine looked up at the gradually darkening sky, and muttered softly.

In the distance, the high mountain where the "sage" lives in seclusion is gradually being swallowed by the spreading twilight, and at the foot of the mountain, bright lights are shining on both sides of the wide road extending from the valley all the way—those light sources come from the road The quaint stone tablets neatly arranged on both sides, the stone tablet looks like some kind of ancient ruins covered with moss and vines, and on the top is a ball of light that is as bright as a high-quality magic spar. These unique "street lamps" are buried in the The underground vein control nodes are under unified command. The nodes collect the sensor signals from the treetops, judge the light, and then transmit the activation instructions to the light-emitting units on the stele.

This simple and stable system has been running in infrastructure throughout the empire for tens of thousands of years. It has undergone countless renovations and maintenance, and it is still sensitive and reliable.

"It should be cool tonight in most of Thrandumen Province," the Silver Queen Belsetia said casually. "The weather is not bad."

Elaine turned her head and looked at Belsetia: "Your Majesty, do you think that the sage of Azmael will really cooperate with us to the north as he promised? I am always a little worried, after all He has been refusing the invitation of the royal family and various honorary titles bestowed by you personally..."

"He will," Belsetia nodded lightly. "Since he has already agreed, there will be no other twists and turns in this matter—I know him very well, just as he knows me very well."

"...The Sage of Azmore was the most trusted high-ranking priest of His Majesty Istar. During the Istar period, he was once regarded as the second eye of the God of Nature," Elaine was silent for a moment, leading He said with a little emotion, "Even after so many years, even if he has long chosen to live in seclusion, there are still a large number of elves gathered around him in Thrandumen Province..."

"Those who gather around him are not necessarily those who really follow the gods of nature, but those who really follow the gods of nature... in the past three thousand years, most of them have really 'followed the gods'," Belsay said. Tia said lightly, and then shook her head, "There are not many 'ancient sages' like Azmael who are still alive in the world, and each of them is concerned about those who have tried their best to establish themselves outside the imperial order. For the members of the secret religion who established order, they are equivalent to living "harbors" and "big trees". Those who are low-key and neutral enough like Azmore...neither my grandmother nor my father can do anything about them."

"...You sent these sages to the north for an 'appointment'. In essence, it is no different from forced liquidation. No matter how good your reasons are, many things behind this cannot be explained publicly," Elaine said with some concern , as the closest person to the Queen of Silver, and as one of the staff of the Silver Empire in the Theocracy Council, she has recently learned many truths related to the gods, "As long as the core facts are not made public, then your political opponents They will definitely find a way to make a fuss—those elves who follow behind the sages will definitely become restless."

"Sooner or later there will be such a chaos, and from my father's reign, we know it is inevitable," Belsetia said quietly, "My father left this problem to me, and I can't Leave this question to the next generation—those ancient sages are very old, but they have been blessed by God, and the blessing has not dissipated until today. God knows how many years they can live.

"I can't let those secret religion groups continue to gain cohesion from the sages, and I can't let them continue this cycle of 'breeding-destroying-hunting-clearing-re-breeding' indefinitely.

"This 'invitation' from the gods at least gave me a chance to make up my mind and... a reason."

The maid Elaine lowered her head and stopped talking.

Belsetia smiled faintly, and looked away from Elaine. She glanced at the sky in the distance, shook her head and said, "We should go, Elaine—the sun is really going down."

("Sword of Dawn" comic still needs everyone's support)