Chapter 225 Hope in Despair

Drizzt desperately wanted to defend himself. He could not tolerate his life being denied like this.

"There are indeed many people with high moral character among the people on the surface... The folk customs of the people on the surface are also more simple and kind..."

Drizzt thought hard, recalled, and looked for reasons: "These cannot be seen in the Underdark and among the dark elves..."

The ranger recalled the moment when he walked out of the Underdark. The reason why he left the land shrouded in darkness was actually very simple - he could not find peace in that darkness.

"The surface of the earth represents light?"

Bradlow said with a smile: "The city of Ascatra we are in was once known as the 'City of Gold Coins', but now it is praised as the 'Pearl of Faerûn' and the 'City of Miracles'. The troupe passed by Trimi when traveling. Town, a child once asked me: 'I heard that the roads in Ascatra are paved with gold, is it true?' This was once the richest and most prosperous city on the Faerûn Road. The shortcomings in the past have also been made up, and it should be the peaceful paradise and the kingdom of God on earth that you yearn for, right?"

With that said, Bredero walked to the window, stretched out his hand and pointed outside, and continued: "Then see with your own eyes what this Pearl of Faerûn looks like. Have you seen the beggar? Have you seen the woman standing on the street? Are you there? Have you seen the thieves?"

Drizzt doesn't need to look, he is very familiar with this city. The port area where Gallows' mansion is located is already considered a relatively safe area in Ascaltra. The shadow thieves maintain order here.

But even so, beggars were everywhere and coquettish women gathered on the street corners to solicit business from the sailors, not to mention the shadow thief patrol team that had replaced the town guards and was strutting through the streets.

The slums and the Bridge District are even worse than here.

Only in the Administrative District and the Temple District can you see no beggars, thieves, and women standing on the street. This is not because there is a better and more civilized place, but because such low-class people who dare to approach the noble community will be severely punished by the Amn guards. Beat him up and throw him into jail where he'll get maggots.

"This is the best city on the surface of Faerûn. What will other places look like?"

Bradlow smiled and asked: "Drizzt, you have also traveled to many places in Faerûn. How do the towns and cities you see compare to this one?"

"The Pearl of Faerûn, Askatra City, is a miraculous city for the nobles, a miraculous city for the rich, and a miraculous city for the gods. It has nothing to do with the common people."

He frowned, thinking and calculating and asked Drizzt: "How many common people are there in Faerûn, and how many nobles, rich people, priests and mages are there? Take Amn, for example, the adult population is 360 Ten thousand, can the nobles, wealthy merchants, priests and mages combined add up to ten thousand people?"

"Is there any essential difference between this and the enslavement of 10,000 slaves by 20,000 dark elves in Menzoberranzan? There are some differences. At least the so-called good gods and the neo-colonial imperialists in essence need to be papered over. Hypocritical lies and sacred slogans to deceive the people are not as naked and bloody as the city of Menzoberranzan. There is still a difference between being slaughtered and dying of illness in lies, at least before the death of the miserable soul In order to relieve pain and self-anesthesia, I pray to the gods for forgiveness, which contributes more power of faith.”

Drizzt couldn't answer this question. He wanted to refute, but he couldn't lie. He traveled all over the continent of Faerûn, and what he saw and heard was exactly what Bradlow said.

Bredreau continued: "In any city in Faerûn, you can't find any school open to civilians, nor can you find a low-cost hospital. A civilian wants to learn knowledge. , either become magic apprentices or trainee priests, but what they learn is knowledge that can promote social progress? It is obvious that alchemy can be researched to a certain level and can create good medicines to cure diseases and save lives from ordinary things, but the alchemists But they only select expensive and rare magic raw materials, and the healing potions created are surprisingly effective, but the price is beyond the reach of ordinary people. Only adventurers will benefit, and it cannot be popularized at all."

"On the continent of Faerûn, bandits are rampant even in the main transportation routes, monsters are raging, wild beasts are everywhere, and even the undead are entrenched. Doing business is like taking an adventure. Even within the territory of Amn, the country of merchants, unprotected caravans are bound to be attacked by jackals. The consequences of human banditry and looting, and the security situation in other countries is not as good as Amn. Is this a phenomenon that should occur in a normal country and normal society? Warlords controlled by gods are separatist, wars are everywhere, poverty and backwardness, and bandits are rampant. This is just like when I went there At a certain time and space stage in a certain world in the past, the people of that world once relied on this set of books to create a new civilized country with no bandits within the borders and universal education and medical care. And the continent of Faerûn, between the closed rings It will always be like this, with a few heroes like you popping up sporadically, going on a "wonderful" adventure, becoming a bard and relieving the people's boredom with songs that will be sung forever. But has your adventure changed anything? Is the life of the people of Faerûn better? Maybe it just prevents them from being worse off."

Drizzt frowned and thought deeply. He knew that everything Bredlow said was true, and he yearned for what Bredlow said: "a civilized country that popularizes education and medical care and eliminates bandits."

On the continent of Faerûn, no matter where he went, there were poor people in need of help. However, after he extended a helping hand again and again to eliminate evil and promote good, he found that the number of people in need of help did not decrease because of his heroic deeds. more and more.

Even, in the same place, he got rid of the evil forces, but when he came back a few days later, he found that new evil forces had appeared.

This is also where he is confused. He does not understand why the evil in this world cannot be eradicated, and the bright future he dreams of is out of reach.

Now he seems to understand that his existence is just to give hope to the desperate people, just like a carrot on a stick that keeps the donkey going in circles.

He's a catfish in a shipping tank, stirring up the water so that other fish won't suffocate.

But how could a new country like what Bredreau said be established on the ancient land of Faerûn?

In ancient times, the arcane masters of Netheril's Golden Age created a miraculous floating city civilization, but wasn't it because of a covetous pursuit of the divine power that led to its destruction?

Mortals covet the power of the gods and fight against them. How can they win?

What the great arcane masters of Netheril could not do, how could he, a mere dark elf who was discriminated against, do it?

He once thought that he had escaped the shackles of fate, fought against the gods, and betrayed Ross, but in fact it was just a self-comforting boast. He had no influence on the trajectory of the world. Like every mortal, he was just a closed circle. A tiny, spinning point in a ring.

The dark elf ranger was deeply discouraged. He shook his head helplessly: "Bredro, maybe you are right, but what's the use? If all this is arranged by the gods, as mortals, we, How can you resist the will of the gods? You tell me all this, but it makes me not even want to be a ranger."

"Yes." Bradlow actually nodded in agreement with him: "Suppose an iron house has no windows and is extremely difficult to destroy. There are many sleeping people inside, and they will soon be suffocated to death. However, after falling asleep, Death does not feel the sorrow of dying. Now that you are shouting, you have shocked a few more sober people, and made these unfortunate few suffer the irreparable pain of death. Do you think you are worthy of them? "

"It is indeed better to die in sleep..." the dark elf ranger said dejectedly.

Luo Feng curled his lips, but he didn't expect that his words would completely depress Drizzt. This was not his original intention.

"Ahem..."

Luo Feng cleared his throat, picked up the red-covered book, changed his tone and said, "There are no absolutes in anything. Now that a few people are up, you can't say that there is no hope of destroying this iron house."

"Hope?" Drizzt lowered his head and murmured: "I am a symbol of hope. I think I am the savior, but I am just a pawn on the chessboard of the gods."

Luo Feng handed the red book to Drizzt and said solemnly: "This book is hope."

Drizzt raised his head and looked at the book blankly. He had studied it carefully and read many philosophical passages, but he could not understand some basic terms and concepts and did not fully understand them.

After Bredreau's explanation, it was like a thread connecting pearls together. He had a deeper understanding of the principles described in the book. However, combined with the reality of Faerun and wanting to change the fate of the people of Faerun, Overthrowing the three mountains pressing on their heads, the enemies they had to face were so powerful that they were desperate.

——Noble lords with legal regimes who possess armies, magical creatures with extraordinary powers and children of destiny, and even great gods who control divine power in the outer world.

These are beyond what he, a mere sixteenth-level warrior and part-time ranger, can contend with. Compared with these powerful forces, he and his team are like ants, or even worse than ants.