Borrowing the dim light from the oil lamp, I lay on the bed and read a book, waiting for the first ray of sunlight to shine into the room. The warm sunlight gradually warms my body and mind. This is an ordinary life that most people are used to, but it is my most cherished enjoyment.
I didn't manage to read much of the book, but my thoughts were running wild. My mind is the clearest in the morning, and all kinds of bad ideas pop up one after another. Perhaps, this is the instinct of life to yearn for the light.
It has been almost half a month since I arrived at this Lance Fortress. Yingou's merchant group has already left. They are heading towards the Ottoman Empire to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new Emperor Dasos and that Roland robot is the congratulatory gift. The Ottoman royalty and nobles, who are known for their extravagance, also pursue rare items. There is definitely only one such novel and interesting robot. In Yingou's calculations, this gift of a gift from a thousand miles away is definitely a profitable investment.
The merchant group has long left, but I have no intention of leaving. Every day, I only practice my swordsmanship, read books, stroll the streets, chat, and drink tea. I am as idle as a retired old man.
"Could it be that this fellow really came to the human world for a vacation?"
Amidst the confused gazes of the onlookers, I actually did many things.
For example, collecting information, updating the current situation and changes in the various countries in the continent, and making adjustments for future operations.
I have to say, due to the long and dangerous underground tunnel and the chaos of the underground world, a piece of news on the surface would usually become a thing of the past when it reaches the underground. Unless it is an important piece of news brought back by a spy, normal information would take at least half a year to transmit, and mistakes and errors are unavoidable.
Furthermore, most of the residents of the underground world can't even finish their own lives, so how would they have the leisure to care about the surface that is thousands of miles away? Even gossip travels slowly. Thus, most of the information that Sulfur Mountain City receives comes from the idle chatter of merchants, and most of them are from 30 years ago.
Wrong information can only lead to wrong judgments. Without even knowing the personalities and backgrounds of the leaders of the various countries, how can we make targeted arrangements? This point needs to be corrected.
Un, it sounds elegant and high class, but in reality, it is just reading a newspaper and reading a book.
Due to the existence of the God of Knowledge, the printing technology of the Aichy Continent was rather advanced. Just like the daily newspapers of Sulfur Mountain City, the Ming Dynasty United Kingdom also had its own newspaper industry. Even though the newspapers that were sent from the capital, Casirola City, to this fortress city were usually three months old and there weren't many types of newspapers, it was still much better than the useless information from decades ago in the Underground World.
Even so, the amount of old newspapers and periodicals I had read in half a month was enough to fill three or four rooms.
"The evil underground world is getting restless? The legendary Underground Alliance had surfaced! Our wise King Arthur II has called for a long war!] Heh, even Molly's name was written incorrectly. The Underground Alliance has changed a long time ago, it's just as outdated information. "
However, to be able to foresee the underground world's plan to attack the surface ten years in advance, and to prepare for a long period of time, it seemed that this Arthur II, who was praised as a virtuous king by the later generations, was really capable.
Gathering intelligence was just a daily activity. There were many things that seemed unimportant but were actually very important to deal with.
For example, identity, background and accent. In order to blend into human society, I had to first solve these two problems.
The way ancient people spoke and the way modern people spoke were two completely different concepts. Even the most commonly used common language had many different dialects and accents. This might seem like a small matter, but it was often the easiest way to reveal one's true identity.
To me, learning to imitate an accent wasn't a problem. What was difficult was to remove those ancient words that had long disappeared from history. If I were to recite 300-year-old words and the grammar of the past, no matter how I looked at it, there would be a problem. In this aspect, the most important practice was to chat with others and read newspapers.
In this aspect, I could only try one word at a time. It was time-consuming and exhausting, but it was already effective.
In terms of identity and background, I had already made preparations long ago. Under my arrangements, a declining noble family with the background of the Mist Country had already resided in this city for more than twenty years. Their ancestor had helped the previous king fight for the throne and obtained the title of Knight. Although they had already lost their noble title in this generation and were only relying on a few pieces of land to sustain their lives, they could still be considered as a member of the human nobility.
They had a son, Rolo, who was suffering from leprosy. He was sent to a monastery to live a secluded life. Occasionally, he would return, but in fear of infecting others, he would be wrapped in bandages and black cloth, making it impossible for others to see his face.
Four years ago, perhaps due to their pious prayers being heard by the heavens, the God of Holy Light performed a miracle and healed the pitiful young man, bestowing him the identity of a Holy Knight. Inconceivably, the young man ventured into the underground world alone.
In the eyes of most of the nobles in the city, this was just another propaganda story used by the Holy Church to expand their influence. Anyway, the young man wouldn't be able to return, so who knows if it was true or not. But surprisingly, there was a continuation to this story recently.
Just when everyone was feeling sorry for the miraculously healed young man who rashly sent himself to his death, half a month ago, he actually returned. Furthermore, he returned with quite a bit of wealth, as if he had reaped a great harvest. His nickname was Rolo and his full name was Rolan.
Now, under the influence of someone with an ulterior motive, this legendary story had already begun to spread in the city.
Alright, speaking of which, everyone should have guessed that the person with an ulterior motive was one of my men.
Yes, this nineteen-year-old Rolo actually didn't exist. That family of his was sent out by me twenty years ago. The real person involved in this identity had long settled down in Sulfur Mountain City.
In order to make the two identities as similar as possible, the few times that Rolo came into contact with his neighbors, I was the one who personally acted as him. In fact, I even purposely left behind some obvious traces of myself, such as the weird tone of voice and the rather weird cross-legged sitting posture.
Plotting twenty years in advance just for the identity of a noble and a clean background, doesn't it seem unnecessary? No, in my eyes, this still isn't enough.
Even though I felt helpless, in this world, as the rulers, humans are probably the most xenophobic race. If one wants to survive in the human society or climb up the ranks to become a Superior Noble, a noble identity that has been passed down for three generations is a must. If one were to be treated as a spy of another race, there would probably be nothing left to do.
Of course, there are quite a few blank spots in this history. If someone were to investigate it in the future, there would definitely be suspicious points. However, suspicious points are much more trustworthy than a completely blank past. Being unclear of one's origin can be used as a weak point to be attacked. But, if one were to attack the other party just because of a suspicious point, at the very least, one would have to come up with evidence to prove that this identity is fake. This isn't an easy task.
Recently, I had been strolling around the streets every day, greeting the neighbors' uncles, aunties and grocery aunties. I even displayed those strange traces of myself in order to make the two identities overlap and increase the authenticity of my fake identity.
But, due to certain reasons, due to my pathetic luck, I went a little overboard …
"Pui, Rolan, I heard that you have a fetish for old ladies?"
Nonsense! How could there be such a ridiculous fetish? It's just that that damned daily quest requires me to help old ladies cross the road ten times. However, there aren't any so-called pedestrian crossings here, and there are even fewer horse carriages. In the end, after waiting for an entire afternoon, I only met three old ladies who fit the criteria. In the end, I even begged them to let me help them cross the road … In the end, my eyes lit up as I looked for old ladies everywhere, trying to please them. That's how I got this bad nickname.
"No, no, I heard that it's the wild dog terminator."
Nonsense, dogs are humans' best friends. I really like that quest of bathing wild dogs, it's just that the dogs don't like it … What a bunch of sharp teeth and claws. Fortunately, I have Holy Light, otherwise I wouldn't be able to see anyone the next day.
"Ah, I heard that you were caught on the spot because you followed a beauty with evil intentions?"
Nonsense, my goal is only to defeat evil and take care of those hoodlums! It's a pity that I didn't manage to catch a single hoodlum that day. As expected, was the Holy Knight's stealth skills lacking? As for being arrested, I am a Holy Knight, so how could they possibly arrest me? It only took a little effort to convince the guards.
The end result of these quests, other than letting me deeply understand that the System is still as deceptive as ever, doing good is harder than doing bad. It also made the 'Miraculous Rolan' and 'Lucky Little Rolan' turn into 'Overly Kind Rolan' and then into 'That Rolande next door who has water in his head' and 'It's a pity that the young lad's brain has been burnt by the Holy Light.'
"It's fine, this way, the impression I leave on others would be deeper. Being a little silly is more in line with the character of a hot-blooded person who rushes into the Underground World to die. It's a good thing, it's a good thing! "This is my self-deception, filled with tears of blood.
But, sometimes, when calamities descend one after another, when one's image collapses, there is a limit to self-deception …
"Good your head, the gaze of the cute lady next door at me has changed from the longing she had when she first met me to the pity of looking at a retard! There are even people shouting 'Don't give up hope, don't give up on treatment' behind my back. It has only been a week and my image has been completely destroyed. If this goes on, I will finally be able to shake off the identity of the Lich Roland who has water in his head, but I will become the Holy Knight Rolan whose brain has been burnt by the Holy Light. "
But it is a pity that in order to become stronger as quickly as possible, I have no choice but to do those daily quests that are getting more and more deceptive. I am starting to miss that evil-doing System. These days, doing good deeds is much harder than doing bad deeds.
"Helping an old lady cross the road is treated as an attempt to rob the elderly, helping someone carry their luggage is treated as an attempt to steal, volunteering to sweep the streets is treated as a lunatic, bathing a dog and shaving its fur is treated as an attempt to make a dog meat hotpot. Can't humans have a little more trust in one another? Sir System, you win. Take pity on my ruined reputation and image, let me go! "
Now, even that silly big sister Diana is looking at me strangely. When she sees me being scammed by the System, she doesn't look as surprised as before. Instead, she nods her head matter-of-factly, as though saying "Yeah, that's how Roland should be. As expected, that dignified Judge Wumianzhe is just a facade."
But today, just as I was halfway through reading the newspaper, I was attracted by a piece of news from three months ago.
"The new Emperor of the powerful Ottoman Empire has ascended to the throne. Including the Bubi Principality, Donglan Principality, and Kassilo Kingdom, 42 vassal states have sent their royalty to congratulate him. It is expected that during the ceremony, they will present their flags as a symbol of their loyalty and trust …"
"Kacha." With a crisp sound, the newspaper is split into two halves.
"Vassal states!?"
My blood surges and I can no longer see the rest of the words. An inexplicable anger and grievance makes my heart burn, but I don't know how to vent it.
Even though I already knew that the current Donglan Principality is no longer the powerful warring state that was independent for a thousand years, and I can understand that it is international practice for a small country to submit to a large country, but when I think about how the Mist War Flag, which symbolizes unyielding and protection, is actually going to be placed under the royal flag of a certain empire, an inexplicable feeling of grievance makes me so angry that I want to kill someone.
"Darned unfilial descendants, useless things!! To think that you would actually dare to force other countries to submit to you! You have thrown away the dignity of the Mist Bloodline and the thousand years of glory. "
Alright, even though I know that my complaints are unreasonable, the inexplicable anger in me still causes me to fly into a rage in the room.
After a long while, I finally calm down and sigh helplessly.
"Sigh, actually, you can't blame them."
I know that there are some things that cannot be blamed on the later generations. It is already impressive that the later generations are able to rebuild their country. If we really want to blame someone, we can only blame the previous generation's ruler.
Thus, after calming down, I look at the torn newspaper once again and piece him together.
Even though it is infuriating, this intelligence is indeed very important, so I have to study it carefully.
"The new Emperor Dasos, isn't he the King of Winter Wolves in history? Even though he is an unlucky fellow who was turned gay by Victoria, his achievements in history are outstanding. He is indeed not to be underestimated. "
When I think of Victoria, I think of Dasos's tragic ending. For some reason, my mood becomes much better. A devious idea that is filled with malice pops up in my mind.
"For an Emperor of a large country like him, he might have gotten tired of eating luxurious food, that's why he is infatuated with Victoria, that rare androgynous beauty. Perhaps, even though Victoria is no longer around, Kolos is still around. She is also an androgynous beauty. Why don't I try to turn him gay again and leave him in history once more?"
Alright, even though I am just saying it casually to vent my anger over the Mist Royalty being forced to lower their heads, Kolos, who is preaching in the square, suddenly feels a chill down her spine. She shudders, as though misfortune is about to descend upon her.
Following that, I flip to the last page of the newspaper. There, there are portraits and a brief introduction of the representatives of the various vassal states who are participating in the succession ceremony.
"Donglan Principality, I got it. Is it a princess? Renée Qin Mist? "
"Kacha!" The newspaper that was barely pieced together is completely destroyed. This time, it isn't because of anger, but because of the scene in front of me.
At the corner of the newspaper, there is a vivid portrait. On the portrait, a valiant female Knight wearing silver armor is waving to the people with a bright smile.
"Knight Princess Renée, the only descendant of the Mist in the world. She is deeply trusted by the people."
An imposter of the descendant of the Mist? All my guesses are useless now. In front of the valiant face of the female Knight, I have to admit it even if I don't want to.
"Rolande!! Look at this! This Lord Princess looks so similar to Rolo and you. Could it be that you are a family? Don't try to deny it. This time, the evidence is conclusive. Hurry up and let Momo meet the cute little Rolo. "
Momo rushes in. In her hands, she is waving a newspaper that is exactly the same as the one in my hands.
As for that Knight Princess named Renée, she actually looks 90% similar to me! If it wasn't for the gentleness of a female instead of a male, the sharpness of her face and the thinness of her eyebrows, it would seem as though we are the same person.
Staring at the portrait of the young lady, I make up my mind.
"Looks like we have to make a trip to the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Kagesi City."
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