Even though the ground hasn't frozen yet, the winds of the Northern Lands have already turned cold. Based on the previous years, the first snow would fall in at most 2 months. The 7 months of unbearable winter would be the toughest and most dangerous challenge for all life.
Survival of the fittest, eliminating the weak while keeping the strong. There is nothing more suitable than the harsh nature to be the final heartless and cold-blooded examiner.
In the Northern Lands, the short end of autumn isn't a suitable time to travel. Who knows, we might end up stuck in some dangerous place due to the first snow. But, it's a pity that I don't have the right to be picky.
On the day of spring next year, the Beastman army would probably head south. By then, it would be impossible for us to leave. Making full use of the remaining time to do more things is the most important thing right now.
"Mixed Blood Dominion, huh? What an embarrassing past. But, it's probably the only way out. "
The official name of the Mixed Blood Dominion is Sharal Dominion, but not many people use this name. After all, that piece of land is also an embarrassing relic of history.
After a war between different races, the defeated country would usually lose a large amount of land and citizens. Especially the women who were plundered would usually become the spoils of war for the victors. Furthermore, the long reign of the other races would also mean the birth of a large number of embarrassing mixed-bloods.
Most of the Northern Lands, including the Mist Kingdom, were once occupied by the Beastmen who invaded south for almost a hundred years. When the Demons invaded, they didn't do much good either. Along with them, several Elf tribes who had a large share in the slave trade were also affected. Thus, there are quite a few mixed-bloods like Beastmen, Half-Demons, and Half-Elves in this land. Of course, the majority of them are still Beastmen.
Of course, these 'quite a few' are still a negligible number in the perspective of a country. But, when the human kingdoms reclaim this land, while the enslaved humans were cheering, these newborns who were caught in the cracks became very awkward.
Their identity as mixed-bloods allowed them to live better lives than normal humans when they were under the rule of the other races. But, from a certain perspective, they are also fated to become targets of resentment.
When the other races were chased back to their homeland, these Beastmen obviously couldn't stay in their homeland. The characteristics of the other races on them would remind others of that painful history. As long as there was a slight friction, and someone with the intention shouted a few provocative slogans, perhaps it would turn into an uncontrollable racial feud.
Not to mention, many Beastmen aren't kind people. During the era of the Beastmen's rule, in order to express their standpoint, they were extremely cruel to their human 'compatriots'. The most horrifying tragedies often come from the hands of these bastards who were embarrassed by their own standpoint.
When the humans reclaimed this land that had been lost for a hundred years, the great trial and bloody vengeance that followed caused most of the mixed-bloods to be sent to the gallows. As for those who couldn't be found guilty or were too young, they were sentenced to exile. This was the past before the reestablishment of the Donglan Principality, which is also the era of the founding emperor of Donglan, Charles the First.
In the crazy era where even the slightest bit of connection with the Beastmen could be used as a reason for the death penalty, the mixed-bloods who were able to survive the unfair vengeance trials were usually children and women who had no ability to survive at all. Even those Beastmen who were known to be friendly towards humans were only allowed to bring a few belongings with them at most.
At that time, in front of the people who were blinded by the desire for vengeance, no one dared to speak up for those 'Beastmen'. Otherwise, wouldn't they die a wrongful death if they were to be labeled as a Beastman spy?
In that crazy era, not a single country was willing to accept these mixed-bloods. The border to the Beastmen Highlands was sealed (The few who managed to cross the border didn't have a good ending either. They became the objects of the defeated to vent their anger). The so-called exile, to these weaklings, was actually no different from a death sentence. The only difference was that they didn't execute them personally. Instead, they chose to leave them to fend for themselves in the cruel nature.
If the Mist Kingdom was the dark history of the entire human kingdom, then these mixed-bloods would probably be the dark history of the entire Northern Lands.
When all the countries rejected their entry and used the Knight to drive them away, the helpless mixed-bloods could only migrate to an uninhabited land in the mountains. As time passed, when everyone started to forget about them, thinking that they had died in the snow and the hordes of beasts, in the depths of the mountains, in that miraculous valley, a newly born independent region appeared — Sharal Autonomous Region.
The current Sharal Autonomous Region wasn't the pure mixed-bloods autonomous region it was two hundred years ago. Even though it wasn't recognized by any country, it had become a paradise for those without borders and those without laws. Humans, Beastmen, and Elves could be seen here, but most of them were the mixed-bloods who had unique characteristics.
For example, the young warrior outside the carriage. He had the cat ears and sharp claws of a cat-type Beastman, but a long lizard tail and the lower body of a centaur. Clearly, he was the product of multiple mixed-bloods.
As for the ranger in the shadows, he had beautiful white feathers, as though he had the bloodline of a bird-type Beastman. However, the normal left arm and the long lizard scaled arm on the right made him seem extremely incongruous.
"This is heaven!"
A certain Beast Master, who was becoming more and more philosophical, looked at this paradise and its residents. He instantly abandoned his way of speaking, which was becoming more and more difficult to understand. His words were so direct that it was impossible for others to evaluate him.
At this moment, surrounded by so many mixed-bloods, he was enjoying himself to the point of forgetting about his duties. He kept taking the initiative to chat with the other party, and judging from how they were putting their arms around each other's shoulders, it seemed that the mixed-blood warrior with the bloodline of a Centaur was unable to escape from this old fox's skilled hands.
When we first arrived at this border checkpoint, these half-beastmen weren't very friendly towards us. Some of them threatened us with their weapons, and the ranger in the trees kept aiming his arrows at us.
After I showed the merchant certificate issued by the Donglan Principality, not only did their attitude become much gentler, the inspection of our caravan wasn't as detailed as the previous caravan, and they even started chatting happily with the guards, which gave a certain man an opportunity to sneak in.
"Does Donglan have a good relationship with Sharal Autonomous Region?"
Heloise, who was lying on my head, was forced to leave after completing her evolution. Currently, she was so dispirited that she didn't want to move at all. Every day, she would lay on my head with a displeased expression.
"Donglan has a good relationship with all the powers that are viewed as enemies by the human society, but there are other reasons why they have a good relationship with Sharal Autonomous Region."
That was a dark history that had been unraveled by time. When the mixed-bloods were fortunate enough to find a valley in the mountains that was suitable for living, when the Sharal Autonomous Region had just been established, the former King Charles, who had been feeling uneasy, had secretly provided aid to the mixed-bloods when they were short of food and clothing.
"Initially, I only intended to help the innocent and the descendants of the Mist, but seeing how pitiful it was, I decided to lend them a hand. Alright, more importantly, if you were to only give food and clothing to the descendants of the Mist, they would be snatched away the next moment. This was equivalent to harming their lives. Thus, in the end, I could only help them. Fortunately, we were still wealthy during those years. "
When a paragraph from the diary of the former King was unearthed, the thirty years of aid that the Sharal Autonomous Region provided became the reason why, even after two hundred years, the Sharal Autonomous Region still viewed the Donglan Principality as its only sibling country.
In the past few years, the two countries that were vaguely ostracized by the entire Northern Lands got closer and closer. Their close interactions further strengthened the relationship between the two countries. Even foreign merchants who wanted to enter Sharal would find a way to obtain a merchant certificate from Donglan. Many of the authoritative figures in Sharal Autonomous Region admitted that they were descendants of the Mist.
What was worth mentioning was that the warm valley in the middle of the mountains was one of the few granaries in the Northern Lands. After the tables turned, the residents of this land started to help the descendants of the former King Charles who were in dire straits. If not for the Sharal Autonomous Region's' borrowing of food ', the collapse of Donglan would have been brought forward by many years.
This time, I was accompanied by a batch of medicine and other resources that the Northern Lands lacked. These were definitely good goods that couldn't be bought with money in the Northern Lands, and it was also an overpayment from the Donglan Principality for the food that they had accumulated over the years.
Allowing them to owe a debt wasn't considered a favor? Allowing a company that could go bankrupt at any moment to owe a debt and be prepared to lose everything at any moment, while still allowing them to borrow more life-saving food, this was indeed a huge favor.
Since the Sharal Autonomous Region hadn't forgotten the favor that Charles had done for them back then, Donglan would naturally remember to repay this favor.
The good relationship between the two countries was also the reason why I chose to make it my first stop on this trip. In other countries that were filled with hostility and unfamiliar with the land, I probably wouldn't be able to do anything in this short amount of time.
However, an accident gave me a new motive for this trip.
"Senior Amelia, what do you think of this land? Is it suitable for your plants to grow? Will you be able to cultivate the new seedlings that I want here? "
"How can it be that fast! I still need time to experiment and verify it. Right, don't forget what you promised me! "
"I won't forget."
Alright, recalling the promise that we made under the city walls, I couldn't help but smile bitterly. It all started from the coincidental meeting half a month ago.
…
"My Seven Original Sins are unparalleled in the world! They are much stronger than your weeds! "
"Re … weeds? Hehe, you really dare to say that! "
The archmage who had her head lowered suddenly laughed maniacally. Countless shadows spread out from behind her. The wind carried a sense of danger and the sour and sweet smell of venom. The blood-colored man-eating demonic creatures stirred in the shadows.
"Wuuuuuu!"
As if feeling the wrath of the Creator, a certain creature seemed to be crying softly. Gigantic vines grew furiously in the shadows, and sharp mouths with jagged teeth appeared on the green leaves.
Even though the man-eating flower's saliva was dripping right in front of me and the poisonous vines were about to wrap around me, I didn't move at all, as if I didn't see anything at all.
I knew that although she was definitely the one who had killed the most out of all the people I knew and had the least sense of conscience, if she were to make a move now, it would be the same as admitting defeat.
People of the same trade were enemies. When scholars met, especially when their fields of research overlapped and their opinions differed greatly, they would usually start by mocking each other. Then, they would start by shouting at each other and end by slamming bricks on each other.
However, if that scholar obtained victory through murder, it would mean that she admitted that she was unable to defeat her opponent in the academic field and could only use such methods to eliminate her opponent. That would be a complete defeat at the root of the problem.
As expected, the archmage Amelia, who had acted as if she wanted to kill me the moment we met, finally restrained her anger under my mocking. She retracted her dangerous man-eating plants and returned to the battle of words.
"Hmph, the Seven Original Sins? You haven't gathered all of them yet, right? Gluttony, Wrath, and that newly unsealed Pride. That's only three, right? "
"I recently made Greed and Envy. I'm only two away from completing all of them. What about you? Have you gathered all of your Seven Virtues? Could it be that you only have the 'Temperance' and 'Diligence' from more than a hundred years ago? "
"… I, I even made 'Humility' to deal with your Pride!"
"Hm? Interesting? There's no proof. Take it out and let me see. "
Hearing this, Amelia fell silent. Based on my understanding of her, she disdained lying. There was most likely another reason why she couldn't take it out now.
"If it wasn't for that damned Adam who broke my baby …"
Alright then, hearing this, I paused in surprise for a moment before wiping away my cold sweat. I was glad that I had escaped from a calamity, but then I became angry.
If Amelia's new toy was in perfect condition, she would probably take it out and show it off to me. With my current abilities, I would probably be instantly killed. However, I didn't feel any gratitude towards Adam, because I understood the hidden meaning behind her words.
"Alright, you Adam Han. Who was it that leaked information about me, causing this otaku girl who never leaves her house and doesn't care about outside matters to choose to go out? Besides, I finally understand why you've been acting so strangely for the past few days. You intentionally didn't warn me, so that you could watch me make a fool out of myself?"
But now wasn't the time to think about anything else. Taking advantage of the fact that Amelia was weak, I used my trump card.
"Do you still remember Teacher Heloise? Now, she's my Greed! Hey hey, silly cat, wake up! I'm waiting for you to save me! "
Ever since she ate the 'Dark God's Breath of Death', Heloise had been drowsy, as though she was preparing to evolve once more. But now, it was time for her to appear to save me.
"Teacher Heloise? Isn't she a Banshee? "
After I took out that silly cat, I didn't need to say anything else. That Slime monster with the appearance of a Cat Alien was more convincing than anything else.
Thus, while Amelia was focused on studying the sleeping silly cat, I finally had the leisure to ask what happened and why this fellow would come knocking on our door.
"Let me explain. That day, not long after we put up our signboard, this lady said that she was your old acquaintance and wanted to give you a surprise, so she wanted us to inform you. However, Big Brother said that he could feel that she was of the same kind as us, but also your enemy, so he kept delaying her. That lady always locked herself in her room, as though she was researching something. As time passed, she seemed to have forgotten to ask about it, until you came knocking on our door. "
Hearing this, I didn't know what to say. Perhaps they really did have good intentions, but it could only be said that they were lucky to be able to survive until now.
"You guys dare to stay in the headquarters of the Mage Country's perverted murder case that spanned over a hundred years? She even dared to commit crimes in the Cloud Tower for the sake of experimental subjects and inspiration. You guys … wait a moment, Big Brother? You are? "
He was a tall and muscular man, and under his tight leather clothing were muscles that were as sturdy as a statue's. He wore a pair of glasses that blocked out the light, and his calm and expressionless face gave off a feeling that he was an abnormally reliable existence.
"Pier Papin, the new number two of our True Love Siblings. We all call him Yonai Papa San!"
Alright then, I took back my evaluation of him as "reliable". Merely being a new member of the True Love Siblings was still the best explanation.
"Um … Do you have a daughter?"
"Yep, I love my daughter Yonai deeply, more than myself, more than anything in the world. This is also the reason why everyone allowed me to join the True Love Siblings."
Hearing this, I couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. This was just a case of having a daughter complex, so it was still acceptable.
"Yonai is a ship, and she's a battleship."
Alright then, Momo's words instantly made me understand. As expected, things like gentlemen would increase in value if left unattended! So this guy was a shipgirl complex.
"Um, I've heard that sailors who live overseas for a long time will view their ships as women. I can understand, I really can understand."
Although I said that, I silently took two steps back, distancing myself from this group of gentlemen who were becoming more and more ridiculous.
"Heehee, Second Brother Papin, I told you that you were overthinking things. How could the prince not understand you? He's the King of Gentlemen himself. You're only 0.4 Beifeng, but he's 10 Beifeng in Sulfur Mountain City! "
However, Momo's explanation was unnecessary. At this moment, Yonai Papa San had sunk into a mysterious frenzy.
"It's not such a superficial fetish! Don't compare those vulgar things to Yonai. Yonai is the cutest girl in the world. Do other ships have such towering turrets? Do they have such smooth and beautiful decks? Was there a ship with such a beautiful curve? There are … "
Looking at this unique 'daughter complex' who had entered a frenzied state, I couldn't help but sigh helplessly. As expected, it was impossible for there to be normal people in the Gentlemen Alliance! How could siblings who truly loved each other fall in love with a normal existence!
Alright, regardless of the new Gentleman who was still singing "Ah, that warm engine room, oh, that charming main shaft", I turned my gaze over there. Amelia was already squatting on the ground with a depressed expression, muttering softly to herself.
"A half-dead Undead? How is that possible? This should involve the height of the Creator. Did he improve again? Could it be that I've regressed? "
Seeing her in this state made me feel good. However, if I were to drag on for a while longer, if she really gave up on her last shred of dignity, she might go berserk and interrogate me for my technical information. It was impossible for me to defeat her now, so I offered my bait.
"Senior Amelia, as long as you help me with two things, I'll help you reach a higher level!"
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