Sword of Daybreaker

The midsummer evening breeze blew across the mountains and jungles, and disturbed the lush land with the sound of leaf turning. However, these natural sounds did not sound annoying to the elves, but only brought peace and tranquility to the soul. .

The old elves stood on the top of the mountain and looked into the distance as they did for thousands of years. He saw that this ancient empire was gradually turning into tranquility in the afterglow of the setting sun. The rolling mountains, jungles and river valleys were almost as in his memory. It's exactly the same...Nothing has changed in this land, but in another sense, it has already completely turned into something he doesn't recognize.

Since that day three thousand years ago, this place is no longer his familiar hometown.

The apprentice was silent, seeming to be deeply touched by what his mentor said. However, strong emotions surged in this young elf's heart, making him finally break the silence: "So you know that your Majesty did not intend to let you back, but still ..."

"She needs a conclusion-in the sense of reason, this conclusion is too late," the old man seemed to smile, his tone was flat as if talking about other people's things, "No matter what she brought back from the so-called'alliance' The news was a bit true or false. When she decided to come to see me in person and arrange a trip to that northern country for me, the ending 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 three thousand years, if everything she said is true..."

The old man stopped suddenly, and there were some flashes in his eyes, as if he was recalling something from the old age, and all the memories finally converged into a sigh: "If everything is true, then I will never come back. Up."

The young apprentice seemed to understand, he did not understand why his tutor would be so emotional in the end-because when the silver queen met with the tutor, he was "invited" outside the room. But he knew that there were some secrets that elves of his level shouldn't inquire, especially when his instructor was unwilling to take the initiative to speak, so he didn't follow up at this moment, just couldn't help clenching his fist: " She can't do this to you, what you represent..."

"She is the Queen of Silver, she represents the will of the entire empire-and I am just a rusty gear in this huge machine of the empire that is unwilling to leave by myself," the old man interrupted the apprentice's impulsive words again "She can treat me this way. From her point of view, this is good for this land. Although I don't want to admit it, I... is indeed an obstacle to the operation of this country."

The young apprentice opened his mouth, as if he wanted to refute the words of his instructor, but he seemed to think of something suddenly. No matter how difficult the subsequent words were to say, his instructor smiled and said indifferently: "I know how many elves use it. My name is to run their cult in the forest. How many druids who disagree with the royal family’s political views are operating forces in the name of "restoring traditions" to fight against the new order of the empire over the years. Not all the damage they have caused has been concealed. My sight-but in the past few thousand years, I have pretended to ignore all this, do you know why?"

"...I don't know," the apprentice Carl lowered his head. This topic made him feel pressured, but the habit he had cultivated over the years made him have to respond to every question of his tutor, "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 years was suddenly put down, "After God left, almost all priests didn't know what to do, and we fell into a split. Some members chose to self-determine and go with God. Some members chose to follow the Morningstar family and become the future priests of the Orthodox Church. In the end, we are the most incompetent and cowardly group. There is no way and no decision. , Neither dared to take a step forward to follow the gods, nor dared to find another way to loyalty to the secular emperor, what are my considerations? I just walked in place.

"The most ridiculous thing is that someone like me who is standing still is regarded as a defender of'tradition' and'truth' by some elves. They gather and move recklessly, and I... tacitly approves and even supports silently, It's just because of a bit of illusory luxury. I can't find the way by myself, and I don't dare to find the way, so I hope those elves who have the courage to chase in can really find a way to rebuild the past glory... after all, this It’s just to escape."

The apprentice Carl opened his eyes. This was the first time he heard his mentor comment on himself like this. If these words were spoken by others, he would be furious, but at this moment he could only say nothing in astonishment. Then, after a long pause, he finally squeezed some words from his throat: "You...should not judge yourself that way, you are the most prestigious wizard in the province of Thrandum..."

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

"Tutor, 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 strengths. The two weaknesses of easy tension and loss of assertiveness make most of your strengths dust. I just want to leave before leaving. Let me tell you something that has been held in the bottom of my heart for many years-after all, there are not many elves on this mountain who really want to listen to me talking about these things."

Carl nodded quickly, and shook his head a little hesitantly. Seeing this young elf so entangled and distressed, the old man couldn't help but laughed, and after a while he put away his smile, and said with a slightly serious expression: "Carl , I have something to explain, please listen carefully."

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

"After I leave, you don’t stay here, and don’t have any dealings with those'congregations' gathered in the mountains. Return to your hometown. With the knowledge you have mastered, you will become a very, very Excellent pharmacist and polymath. Think of this century as an ordinary going out to study. Now that your schoolwork is over, you should go home and live your own life.

"If you don't want to, then take your bags, cross the bridge of the homecomers, and travel to the mainland, 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 places of Loren, and in those places ruled by humans, dwarves, and fairies, you can learn far more abundant and extensive knowledge than by my side. If you have the opportunity, You can also go to the moss woods in the north, where there are our distant relatives, and the gray elves’ way of life will benefit you a lot.

"No matter which path you choose, remember: stop dealing with the congregants who gather in the mountains. They may invite you, they may support you, and they may even call you the new sage and leader. , But you must not be blinded by these-leave immediately, and go as far as possible."

Apprentice Carl's eyes widened slightly, and he looked at his mentor in disbelief: "You mean to let me completely cut off the relationship with your followers... But is this too ruthless? They follow after all. You have 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 church members... When I leave, all their loyalty and devotion will be shattered and dissipated like a reflection in the water, and the royal liquidation will Immediately, when those mobs realize that the Silver Queen is serious this time, they will immediately sell everything they can sell, and you will be the first'bargaining chip' worth betrayed."

Apprentice Carl opened his mouth, and finally lowered his head-he knew that his tutor's judgment in this regard was accurate. As the last apprentice selected by his tutor, he would not even lose sight of this.

Beside him, the instructor finally showed a satisfied smile on his face, and then the respectable old man once again cast his gaze to the distant mountains, watching the golden sunset over the mountains slightly gilding the bridge of the homecomers. The gorgeous colors like a rainbow.

In a trance, he seemed to see a figure three thousand years ago. It was the highest priestess dressed in gorgeous robes, standing in the distance like a god’s messenger. It was the silver monarch of the previous generation and the queen he had been loyal to. .

A long, long time ago, the Queen of Silver offered him an invitation, inviting him to become a sharp blade of the secular imperial power to stabilize the situation of the empire and rebuild the people’s faith, but at that time he flinched-he did not dare To do those "rebellious gods" things, he sat and watched the once highest priestess fighting alone, watching her being denounced by countless priests and believers as "fallen" and "believers", and watching her die early.

Today, another silver queen offered him an invitation again, asking him to go to a "God's Covenant"-the young queen did not express anything, but the old priest who had been in contact with her faith for a lifetime knew, This invitation has never been returned.

He can finally make up for the regret that year.

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

The old priest retracted his gaze and turned to walk towards the hut behind him. At the same time, he said to his apprentice: "Carl, go back and help me pack my luggage-the sun is going down."

...

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

On a wide road on the edge of the dense forest, the high-ranking maid Elaine looked up at the darkening sky and mumbled softly.

The distant mountain where the "sages" live in seclusion is gradually being swallowed by the spreading twilight, and at the foot of the mountain, the broad roads that extend all the way from the valleys are shining brightly on both sides-those light sources come from the road The simple stone steles lined up on both sides look like some kind of ancient relics covered with moss and vines. At the top, there is a light ball whose brightness is comparable to that of high-quality magic spar. These unique "street lights" are buried in The underground vein control nodes are unified in command. The nodes collect sensor signals from the treetops, judge the light, and then transmit the activation instructions to the light-emitting unit on the stone tablet.

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

"Most parts of the province of Serandu will be cool tonight," the silver queen Bersetia said casually. "Nice weather."

Elaine turned her head and looked at Bersetia: "Your Majesty, do you think the Sage of Azmore will really do as he promised... Will he follow us to the north very cooperatively? I am always a little worried, after all He has always rejected the royal solicitation and various honorary titles granted by you personally..."

"He will," Bersetia nodded slightly, "Since he has agreed, there will be no other twists and turns in this matter-I know him well, just as he knows me well."

"...The Sage of Azmore is the most trusted high-ranking priest ever trusted by His Majesty Istar. During the time of Istar, he was once regarded as the second eye of the God of Nature," Elaine was silent, He said with a little emotion, "Even after all these years, even if he has chosen to live in seclusion, there are still a large number of elves gathered around him in Thrandum province..."

"Those who gather around him are not necessarily those who really follow the God of Nature, but those who really follow the God of Nature... In the past three thousand years, most of them have really'followed God'," Belce Tia said lightly, and then shook her head, "There are not many'ancient sages' like Azmore who are still alive today. As far as the members of the esoteric religion are concerned, they are equivalent to living'harbours' and'big trees'. In the past thirty centuries, some'sages' have made mistakes and were found opportunities for liquidation by the royal family, but there are still As low-key and neutral as Azmore...neither my grandmother nor my father can do anything about them."

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

"Sooner or later there will be such a chaos. From the time of my father's reign, we knew it was inevitable," Bersetia 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 cannot allow those esoteric groups to continue to gain cohesion from the sages, nor allow them to continue the cycle of ‘breeding-sabotage-hunting-clearing-breeding again" indefinitely.

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

The maid Elaine lowered her head and stopped talking.

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

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