"Sounds from beyond the mountains break, passing through winter and spring. The closer I get to my hometown, the more afraid I become to ask who it is. "
As we headed north, the closer I got to this familiar land, the more I felt the feeling of "the closer I get to my hometown, the more afraid I become to my hometown." It was a pity that the situation was getting worse and worse, and I couldn't even be a coward.
Since I was destined to be unable to avoid it, then I would just do my best to face it.
Under my request, the Borealis would stop at every town, and I would walk around to check out the situation.
Due to the frequent stops, the journey from Donglan Principality to the capital, which should have taken at most a week, had already taken more than two months.
This was my usual style of doing things, and it was also the administrative basics that I taught Anne and Renée. Sitting at the top and giving orders blindly wouldn't solve the problem. In order to solve the problem, one had to first find out what the problem was.
In this aspect, waiting at home for a report and personally witnessing it were two completely different feelings. 'Twenty people starved to death' and 'Personally witnessing ten corpses frozen to death on the streets, witnessing the tragedy of swapping children for food' were two completely different things. The former was just a report that the higher-ups would forget after reading it, while the latter would cause any ruler with a conscience to be unable to sleep at night.
But at this moment, the more I investigated, the more depressed I felt. The situation was far worse than I had expected.
The worst-case scenario had come true. After losing the last of its mines, the financially bankrupt Donglan had been struggling at death's door for the past twenty years.
The war with the Beastmen in the north a year ago had shaken the last of Donglan's foundations. After the war had used up the last of the country's resources, the country was unable to purchase enough food to last through the winter. In reality, the Donglan Principality was on the verge of collapse.
This year's harvest was as bad as usual, and the country's treasury was so poor that it didn't even need to close its doors. There would definitely be a large-scale famine. Fortunately, after earning a huge sum of money from the Ottoman Empire, there wouldn't be many frozen corpses this winter.
But even so, it was still painful to see the lives of the citizens who didn't have high expectations. When I met with a situation that I couldn't bear to see, even though I knew that it wouldn't be of much use and wouldn't solve the root of the problem, I would still extend my hand to help.
"Perhaps this can't change the fate of the entire country, but at least it can change the fate of the people in front of me."
Along the way, I have received over 30 orphans with no one to rely on. If it wasn't for the fact that Ailee was taken away by Warrior Cloer, I might have taken her away with me.
Of course, if there was a good child like Ailee who made one's heart ache, there would naturally be no lack of tyrannical lords who bullied men and women, evil merchants who hoarded goods, and such people who made a fortune from a country's calamity.
Whenever I meet with such a situation, I will secretly note it down and look for an opportunity to settle the score with them in the future. If they really go overboard, such as a certain domain lord using the right of first night as an excuse to extort and blackmail, causing the entire territory to be filled with complaints, I will not forget to carry out my duties as an executioner. Of course, at such a time, I will have to thank Renée for giving me the proof of being a royal envoy.
"That's great, the royal family is starting to punish the evil nobles."
Since it was a death sentence even if they were to be brought to a fair trial, for the sake of the citizens who were still being bullied, it would be best to skip this middle procedure.
Even though I was very careful, such rumors still spread like wildfire. On the contrary, for some reason, it increased the authority and prestige of the royal family.
However, what was comforting was that perhaps the nobles who wanted to live a good life had already fled to other countries, or perhaps this country had a tradition of bestowing territories based on military achievements, or perhaps the extravagant and decadent lifestyle of the human nobles hadn't been completely spread here due to the remote Northern Lands. Most of the domain lords whose ancestors were commoners didn't say such nonsense as "Since there's no rice, why not eat meat soup". They still haven't gotten rid of their natural earthy scent and are still carrying out the basic duty of protecting their citizens.
Un, using the words of those "noble pure-blooded" Ottoman "true nobles" who had been passed down for several hundred years, the so-called nobles in the Northern Lands are all barbarians who use their muscles to think. They still haven't gotten rid of their earthy farmer scent.
However, if you ask me, compared to those so-called pure-blooded nobles who are obsessed with feasts, luxury goods, and hallucinogenic drugs, I still prefer these farmers and barbarians. At least they haven't forgotten their origins. At the very least, they are more like the ancient domain lords who pioneered the land, protecting their citizens from wild beasts and famine.
When the royal family fell into a predicament due to the long war, most of the domain lords were still working hard to support this country. There were many who were diligent and loved their citizens. I have also seen many who spent their entire family fortune to help their citizens. Every time this happened, I couldn't help but sigh. When the citizens and domain lords didn't give up hope, it meant that the bones of this country weren't rotten yet. There was still hope.
This was the good news that made me the happiest. No matter how difficult the external problems were, there were always ways to solve them. If even the bones were rotten, then there really was no hope.
I had already promised little Ailey that I would change everything, but how to save her had become a huge problem in front of me.
In this era where the citizens didn't have high expectations, to maintain the stable development of a country, there were two basic prerequisites. The first was the supply of food, and the second was social security. These two were directly related to the most fundamental problem of survival. As for employment, business, education, and so on, those were of a higher level.
The Northern Lands had never been a land that produced food, but it was rich in mineral resources. Exchanging mineral resources for food and daily necessities had been a habit for thousands of years. In the past, the Mist Kingdom stood tall in the North, while the current Donglan Principality was constantly losing land and was on the verge of collapse. This couldn't be blamed on the incompetence of the later generations of rulers. In reality, there was only one reason.
"If the country is strong, then the people are strong. If the country is weak, then the people are weak. It really is the sorrow of a weak country. "
With a slight comparison, the root of the problem could be seen.
Back then, the Mist Kingdom was an awe-inspiring country. Even though it was a small country, it wasn't a weak one. The people of the country valued martial prowess, and they had many different kinds of tier-3 troops. The lowest tier-4 Aurora Knight was renowned throughout the human world. Under the Royal Knight Order, there were seven ace Knight Orders. Any two of them were more than enough to sweep through the Northern Lands.
That year, the powerful Mist Kingdom repelled the Beastmen and Elves to the North and sealed the Demon Abyss to the East. Furthermore, it was rich in mineral resources. Not to mention the threat of the Mist Kingdom's' throat ', the surrounding countries would take the initiative to trade with the Mist Kingdom every year.
However, the current Donglan Principality could be said to have risen again after the fall of the Mist Kingdom. Most of its powerful troops had been lost, and its rich mineral resources had been taken over by other countries. Coupled with the accumulated grudges in its history, it had made many enemies. Faced with internal and external problems, it was only natural that it would grow weaker and weaker.
"A weak country yearns for prosperity." Perhaps, Donglan's current weakness was also the reason why the Gemini Knight was viewed as the God of Protection. Even though the Mist Kingdom still fell into its doom in the end, the story of how the Mist Kingdom single-handedly defeated a dozen allied armies and forced them to flee like rats was still being spread far and wide. Those powerful troops that had been lost became legends in the mouths of the men of Donglan.
However, compared to the glory of the past, the current dismal state was even more depressing. Even though the tradition of martial prowess was still present, the current Donglan Principality had been reduced to a small third-rate country. With its current military prowess, not to mention ruling over the Northern Lands, it was hard for it to even protect its citizens from the beast hordes and ambitious neighboring countries.
"If we had sufficient rations and resources, Ailey's mother wouldn't have starved to death. If we had a stronger military prowess, even if we weren't able to hold a Winter Hunt like the Mist Kingdom and view the beast hordes as rare prey, at the very least, we would be able to control the scale of the beast hordes before winter. But at the very least, we would have been able to control the scale of the beast hordes before winter. At the same time, we wouldn't have been forced to migrate the entire city in the face of the beast hordes, causing little Ailey's father to die along the way. "
This was also the reason why I said that 'the aid to the individual is only a temporary solution and not a permanent solution'. The rations that they extorted would run out sooner or later. Without sufficient military prowess, even if they managed to survive this winter's beast hordes, there would still be problems in the coming year.
So, if I wanted to turn everything around, what I had to do was very clear. Since the lack of rations and a weak army were the most important problems at the moment, then solving the issue of rations and strengthening the army was the first thing I had to do. This was the only way to solve the root of the problem.
I already had a plan to strengthen the army, but the biggest problem now was still food.
"Rations huh … This is going to be difficult."
This barren frozen land was rich in minerals, but it wasn't suitable for crops to grow. It was possible to ask the Mages to provide some temporary weather conditions, but the Mages also needed materials to cast spells. If they were to do so on a large scale, no one would be able to afford the huge bill.
Since it was difficult, I would look up the strategy guide. Of course, the 'History Guide' didn't have the answer to this question. I had to look up another book.
【Roland's Survival in a Different World Booklet】
The thick and tattered notebook was covered in dust. After being processed, the pages had already turned yellow. It could totally be sent to a museum as an ancient book with a new cover.
This was a notebook that I had made when I first transmigrated to this world in order to prevent myself from forgetting the knowledge of another world. Considering that it might be useful this time, I had brought it with me.
"Making glass to sell for money." At the very front of the notebook were various ideas, but there were often annotations behind the ideas. "Making glass was barely successful, but this idea was a failure from the very start. The Alchemists had already invented an even more transparent glass in an accidental experiment. My efforts were in vain."
"Invented gunpowder … The Gnomes have already invented it. Movable type printing … The God of Knowledge relied on this to start his career."
Behind the ideas in the notebook were all kinds of failures. The various annotations were all traces of my efforts and failures back then. If people were like their words, the immaturity and anger of these twisted words were so obvious.
With just a little bit of knowledge from another world, I wanted to achieve great things in a real world. It seemed that the ambitious me back then was repeatedly beaten down by the harsh reality.
But now wasn't the time to look back at the past. Thinking of my goal, I flipped to the page titled "Food" and was shocked once more.
"Got it, solve the problem of food. Un, then I should plant high-yield and high-tolerance corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, hybrid rice … Using high-yield crops from another world to replace ordinary low-yield crops? This is really a good idea. "
Sighing, I closed the book and threw it harshly to the corner of the wall.
"Easy for you to say! Where can I find high-yield crops like corn in this world! "
Yes, this was the crux of the matter. If this world had such crops, there wouldn't have been famine a long time ago. It seemed that I was really unreliable back then.
"Although I know that the possibility isn't high, I should still give it a try. System, is it possible to exchange for these high-yield crops again?"
【Yes.】
Initially, I didn't have any expectations for this question, but I actually received an affirmative answer. However, I was still unmoved. After all, I had already been scammed too many times.
"What conditions do I need? If it was that easy, I would have exchanged for them long ago."
【Ten million Fate Points for one crop.】
Alright, as expected, it was such a scam. However, this time, I unexpectedly received an explanation.
【As long as such high-yield crops appear, with the help of Druil and the Mages, they will be able to change the entire world very quickly. In fact, they might even shake the feudal society that is based on land. It's impossible for you to pay for such a huge amount of karma.】
So this was the reason why I couldn't exchange for the crops. However, the System's explanation made me think of a possible way to obtain help.
"Looks like I should write a letter to Eaglestorm as well. It's true that we can't afford to hire the Mages, but most countries view Druil as a dangerous individual. As long as we acknowledge their teachings, they shouldn't have any other requests. "
Since even the Undead were willing to accept it, then Druil was naturally willing to accept it as well. Unlike the expensive Mages, Druil didn't require any materials to cast Divine Arts. Making plants mature early was their specialty.
"However, it's still not enough. No matter how many Druil people there are, it won't be enough for a country. We still have to think of other ways."
【Notification: You still haven't realized it? The System is indeed unable to exchange for high-yield crops for you, but can't you create it yourself?】
Create it myself? My first thought was that the System was still scamming me. I only knew Undead Creation. It was possible for me to create a creature that would turn someone into an Undead after eating it, but it was impossible for me to create a safe high-yield crop.
【Have you forgotten where you learned Life Structure Theory from? She still has a deep impression of you.】
At that moment, I came to a realization. My Undead Creation Theory was created by combining the knowledge of several different subjects. Many of the theories originated from the Life Structure Theory of a certain Great Mage. If I didn't remember wrongly, that Great Mage specialized in the creation and summoning of plants. Perhaps it wasn't possible for her to create a high-yield crop that could change the world, but it shouldn't be difficult for her to create a cold-resistant crop for a small country in the north.
Thus, I hesitated on how to write the second letter. That Great Mage was different from Eaglestorm. If it was possible, I didn't want to come into contact with her for the rest of my life.
However, after thinking about it, I couldn't think of any other way. In the end, I could only start writing helplessly.
"Dear Senior Amelia, long time no see. Your junior has something to ask of you …"
… …
No matter how long the journey was, it would come to an end one day. All of the preliminary work was completed and the familiar capital, Diffindor, was finally in front of me. However, I fell into a state of worry.
There was no reason for me to drag it any longer. Just as I was about to enter the city, I received a new piece of news and immediately turned the ship around.
More than half an hour later, I found my target in a mountainous region about twenty kilometers southwest of Diffindor. It was a silent campsite with a bonfire burning silently. The cloaked figures in the campsite were silent and silent.
"The Church of Law led by Xueti has long entered the city and has already established a church to preach. As for Sir Ferdinand and the other Undead Knight, they are camped outside the city."
This simple piece of news astonished me. After all, I understood Sir Ferdinand. He was extremely stubborn when it came to promises and military orders. Since I said that I wanted him and the Undead Knight to enter the city to teach those young Knight of the new generation, he definitely wouldn't go easy on me. He should have entered the city long ago.
However, the moment I alighted from the ship and saw the situation in the camp, I understood the reason.
Originally, I thought that Ferdinand would bring 20 to 30 Elite Knight of various military types as instructors. Naturally, they would be able to easily sneak into the city. However, there were at least 300 black cloaked figures resting in the camp!
Not to mention sneaking into the city, there were more than 300 intelligent high-level Undead, with at least 30 Undead Lords among them. They could summon an Undead Calamity at any moment and easily take down any city of the living. If news of them were to leak out, it would be impossible to hide or clean them up.
"What's going on with all of you? Didn't I say …"
Old Sir Ferdinand was the first to greet me. On the other hand, the Skeleton Old General showed an embarrassed expression. He knew that he didn't do things well.
"When everyone heard that we are heading to Diffindor, they all wanted to take a look. The number of people who signed up kept increasing. In the end, if it wasn't for Leader Bastian suppressing the situation and making adjustments to the number of people, I'm afraid that there would have been five to six thousand of them."
Looking around, Fayde, Lucas, Timier, Slance, Lani, Kakana, the various ace Knight were all here. When I looked at them, they felt a little embarrassed.
I sighed helplessly.
"To think that you guys didn't get noticed along the way from the Underground World? Forget it, it is a good thing that you guys are here. I happen to be in need of manpower. "
"Resting in the day and traveling at night, searching for barren mountains. The other countries are a little troublesome and there were a few small conflicts, but no one was hurt. On the other hand, the Mist Country is a familiar place, so no one should have noticed us yet. "
"That's right, but since someone managed to sneak into the vicinity of the capital silently, this generation's Guardian Knight is too weak."
Alright, it is one thing for these fellows to easily sneak in, but to think that they would complain about the weak defense of the other party.
"Then, they should have entered the city, right? How do you feel? "
Even though it is impossible for a large group to enter the city, given their capabilities, it shouldn't be a problem for a dozen of them to enter. However, my question was met with an awkward silence.
"You guys, it can't be that you guys haven't entered the city all this while, right?"
Still silence, but this is already a form of tacit agreement.
"Even though we are clearly far away, we still want to take a look. But, when we get close, we don't dare to enter. "
Fayde's words received a wave of agreement.
Perhaps, this is another form of 'fear of returning home'. But other than that, the Undead Knight has other concerns.
"After all, we are already Undead, so we are on a different path from the living. Actually, I am already satisfied just by looking at it from afar. "
"This generation's Mist Country doesn't seem to be in a good situation. If we were to get involved with the Undead, we would probably be ostracized by the human society."
"Your Highness, our stubbornness has caused you trouble. Actually, we are already satisfied to be able to revisit our homeland. We have already discussed it, leaving behind 20 of us as instructors, while the rest return via the route we came from …"
"Enough!"
An inexplicable anger made me interrupt the Knight's self-pity.
"Have you all said enough? Are you all satisfied just by looking at it? Tell me loudly, you all traveled a thousand miles and braved the dangers to pass through the borders of several countries just to look at it from afar? Are you all satisfied just like that? Are you all willing to return just like that? Do you think that I am a fool?! "
"Of course …" Lucas swallowed his words after being glared at by me. He seems to be feeling a little guilty.
The scene before me is extremely similar to that of Camisia and Fanderk. A few days ago, didn't they say the same thing as well? "These few days have been enjoyable. There are still differences between the living and the dead. It is enough for us to just follow them."
In reality, I know that no intelligent being would like to be alone, not to mention being treated as a different species. Since they are already enjoying themselves, then why should they stop this enjoyable interaction just because of how others view them?
I also know that when facing the living, they are hesitant and fearful. They are worried that they will affect my plans, worried that I will be viewed as an enemy by the world because of them. After all, the mainstream view of this world is that the dead are evil. I can understand how this feeling of inferiority is born, but I have no intention of accepting it at all!
"… Back then, you all died for the people of this land. Now, you all have returned to save them! You all are returning in glory, not cowardly deserters! You all have never owed anyone anything, only this bastard world owes you all. "
"Puff out your chests, my proudest Knight! Put down those insignificant worries. Today is the day of your triumphant return. You all have sacrificed yourselves for this land. Returning to this homeland that you sacrificed everything to protect, what is there to hesitate about? What is there to be afraid of? Answer me, why are you cowering? Do you all feel that you were wrong back then? Do you all regret it? "
Following my questioning, the three hundred pairs of soulfires burned quietly in the dark night. Their emotions weren't calm at all.
"No, we have never regretted it!"
"Even if we were to turn back time, we would still be willing to sacrifice everything for our homeland. But now, we …"
Who would be willing to just look at the homeland of their dreams from afar? The Knight has a clear conscience. Why must they suffer such a cruel fate? They are indeed afraid, but the one they are afraid of isn't a powerful enemy. On the battlefield, my Knight never fears anything. I know that what they are afraid of now is. It is the people whom they sacrificed themselves for in the past. Yet, they are looking at them with hatred and enmity, just because they are Undead.
"Very well! Since you all have no regrets, what is there to hesitate about? Take off that boring cloak and follow me openly just like in the past. Please continue to trust me, I will give you all the glory and respect that you deserve! "
All of the Undead Knight take off their cloaks one by one. A black aura of death starts to spread, but I smile. Fearless and without regrets, this is my most adorable Knight.
"Fayde, my flag bearer, are you ready?"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"Raise the flag!! Tell everyone that after 377 years, we have returned in triumph! "
The tall Skeleton General carries the army flag on his back and starts to beat the war drum. The raising of the Mist's War Flag signifies the gathering of the indestructible army once again.
Just like in the past, when the war horn blows and the army's flag flutters, the Knight raises their weapons and march forward in formation.
Since it is a triumphant return, how can there only be a single flag? Under my gaze, the Knight also raises their flags. Among them, there is the emblem that represents the glory of the family, the army's flag that represents the honor of the army, and even the individual's flag that represents the military merit.
To a Knight, the war flag is his honor. Even if he loses his weapon, he will not lose his flag.
The continuation of the family, the army's honor, and the individual's military merit. There are quite a few who carry three flags. Some Knight even carry more than ten flags. However, he stubbornly intends to carry the war souls of his brothers on his back.
Slance has 12 flags, Fanderk has 15, Barak has 20, Setta has 17 …
The skeleton of a Knight holding the war flag trembles. It isn't because he is too timid, but because the war flag is too heavy. As the last flag bearer of an army, he is afraid that he will be shamed by the glory represented by the Snow Lion War Flag.
Ed Lun. His family has served in the Snow Lion Heavy Infantry Regiment for generations. Before the Battle of Diffindor, this regiment was attacked by a Forbidden Spell. Less than a hundred survivors fought to their last drop of blood in the war that followed.
There is also a Knight who lost his and the army's final war flag in the war. However, he used the blood of the enemy to redraw his own glory. The war flag that he personally assembled was so shabby that no one could bear to look at it. However, none of his comrades ever mocked him. On the contrary, he was allowed to walk to the front of the army.
His name is Timier. The Black Griffin Aerial Cavalry Regiment was completely annihilated and not even their bones were left. Only he, as a Dragon Knight, responded to my summons and returned from hell.
The war flag is the continuation of history. What it carries is the loyal bones under the mountains, the warriors who sacrificed their everything for this land.
Every single flag is so tattered. Every single war flag represents the sacrifice and hot-bloodedness of countless warriors. Beneath every war flag are memories of blood and fire.
The sun rises slowly in the distance. The last night breeze blows past and these tattered war flags flutter along with the wind. Our defeated army has returned triumphantly.
"Play! The third movement of Rydstein's Great Victory — Triumphant Celebration! "
Accompanied by the sound of the horn was the triumphant march, which represented the return of victory. The banshees began to lead the singing in the softest and most cheerful rhythm. In the cheerful harmony, even the clumsy knights began to hum along with them.
The joyous Triumphant March of the past echoes in our ears. The Triumphant Celebration of the past reappears in the eyes of the crowd. It is as though we have won countless times in the past and are preparing to return to the city to receive the cheers of our citizens.
"We are home!"
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