Fourth Era, Year 119, Spring.
Gondor's capital, White City, the back garden of the palace.
The pink Dendrobium flowers shone brightly under the sun. The old man's gaze moved away from the colorful butterflies.
"You're here? “
The two people suddenly appeared at the corner of the flower garden and in front of him. The palace guards did not react at all.
However, he was no longer the same person as before. He was not shocked or confused. Instead, he revealed an undetectable joy.
"I'm here to send you off. Just like how I sang the 'Song of Baylon' for your ancestor, Baylon. Then, I'll ask him if there's anything he needs to correct," said the hooded woman with a smile.
"Sigh, go ahead and sing." Old Wang found a stone step that could bathe in the sun. He sat there and squinted his eyes, waiting for the song that described his life to appear.
"You forgot. One gold coin," said Danny.
"Oh …" Old Wang searched around his body and finally tossed over a silver pin from his chest. "Will this work?"
"Very. After two thousand years, I can sell it to your descendants." “
Old Wang's mouth twitched. He could not help but think of the 'teapot made by Lucian' in the study room and the big black pearl that Baylon found in the river '… These were all treasures that he had exchanged with the mysterious person in the early years.
The music was sometimes mellow, sometimes passionate, sometimes tragic, sometimes cheerful … In her song, Old Wang saw his old friends again.
He wanted to immerse himself in the song forever, be with them forever, and stay in that era forever …
The song ended. Old Wang was in a daze. There was a smile on his face, but there were tears on his face.
"Why did it stop? Where's my ending?" he asked.
"The crucial moment has arrived," said Danny faintly. "The human heart can't be controlled. I'm not sure what your ending will be either."
"I'm about to die. Probably next year. Why can't the conclusion be made?" Old Wang was puzzled.
"In the past 120 years, you worked hard to rule the country. You were wise and brave, upright and forthright. You brought the human kingdom to an unprecedented height, a peaceful and prosperous era that will be remembered by future generations. But are you satisfied?
Your friends died one by one. You also reached the end of your life. Your kingdom, your wife, everything that you have and are familiar with will disappear. Are you willing?
But Frodo and Birbo went to the Holy Land of the West with their old friend Gandalf. Even Sam, Frodo's gardener, went to the Land of Everlasting Bliss when he grew old.
Soon, when you are gone, your last two friends, Legolas the Elf and Gimli the Dwarf, will go west.
They will reunite in the Land of Eternity and rekindle the joy and friendship of the past, while you can only lie in the stone coffin, not knowing where to go.
Your elven princess wife will also die of a broken heart not long after your death.
Do you have any resentment, hatred, or unwillingness in your heart? "
Old Wang smiled. "First of all, I'm not alone. Pippin and Merry's graves are right next to mine … You said it yourself, Arwen will come to accompany me soon. My descendants and the people will always remember me.
My glory is fixed at the moment of my death, never withering away.
What's there to be unhappy about with such a beautiful future?
As for Gimli, Legolas, Gandalf, Frodo, and Sam, I'm very happy. Really, knowing that they can live happily forever and reunite again … This is the best news I've heard in the past few years. "
The hooded person stared at him for a long time.
He was sincere and did not force himself to say it.
She sighed. "Darkness will only be defeated and will never disappear from the human world. After your death, the Demon Shadow will reappear, and the suffering and calamity in the future will be even greater than when Søren was alive.
After hearing this news, will you be depressed? Will you feel that the sacrifices you made were not worth it? "
The smile on Old Wang's face disappeared, and his expression became serious. "Demon Shadow … It's you?"
"Hehehe, I'm going to be the Demon King. Who will write the biographies of heroes like you?"
"Søren has disappeared, Mordor has been turned into farmland, and the Half-Beastmen are hiding in a corner of the world, waiting to die out. My people even treat the Half-Beastmen as a legend …"
Old Wang stood up and walked to the railing. He looked down at the shining white city in the distance and roared, "Where did the Demon Shadow come from in such a prosperous time?!"
"Hehe, the Demon Shadow is here, in the hearts of your people who treat the Half-Beastmen as a legend.
The so-called prosperous dynasty was a joke in front of the Númenor Kingdom of the past.
Why don't I sing 'Númenor's West Port Nocturne' for you to see how prosperous your ancestor's empire was? "Danny chuckled.
Old Wang was silent.
He looked at the beautiful scenery below and sighed after a long time. "I've completed the mission of my generation.
Even if the kingdom will fall from prosperity and be invaded by the Demon Shadow, I believe that my descendants and the descendants of my people will be like their ancestors. They will stand up, straighten their backs, and face all evil and darkness with the firmest faith and the greatest courage. "
"Oh, your answer is similar to your ancestor Baylon's." Danny was a little disappointed.
"Is that so?" Old Wang turned back, and a look of joy appeared on his face. "You asked him the same question back then? Facts have proven that we didn't let him down. Humans didn't let him down. "
"Alright, I've already written your ending. Let's meet again." Danny prepared to leave.
"How can there be a chance to meet again?" Old Wang shook his head.
"There should be. When the universe ends, all of Iluvita's children will join the final movement. You will definitely have an important place in the movement. "
Old Wang was deep in thought.
Seeing the hooded man's figure gradually fade away, he quivered and called out, "Wait, I have a few questions too. Can you tell me?"
"Since you've provided me with so much material … go ahead."
"What exactly is the Demon Shadow? Where did it come from?" Old Wang asked with a serious expression.
"The desire in a person's heart is the greatest evil. Think about it carefully. How many humans and dwarves are there in Søren's Demon Army?
There are even Black Númenoreans who are loyal to him.
You think Søren is your enemy, but in reality, he's just a symbol, a symbol. Your enemy has always been yourselves. "
"Uncontrollable desire will give birth to evil, but it's not evil itself," Old Wang said with a serious expression.
"You can say whatever you want, but evil and desire will never be separated."
"What exactly is it?" Old Wang insisted.
"Heh, you're about to be buried, and you still want to leave something behind for your descendants?" Danny laughed.
"I'm not buried yet. One day I wear the crown, another day I'm the Human Emperor!" Old Wang said solemnly.
Danny secretly laughed and said with a serious expression, "Immortality and extreme power are the greatest desires of humans, and the Demon Arts can help them realize their desires.
The magic power in Middle-earth is fading, and the elves have fled overseas. Is the world weakening?
No!
On the contrary, the world only started to mature in the Fourth Era.
The more mature the universe is, the easier it is to sense the power of darkness.
Next, there will be a new era where the Demon Arts will flourish, and the Demon Shadow will be born. "
Danny was very proud. The Dark Demon Arts Era was her era, the era that she had created. And she was certain that unless the universe was destroyed, the Demon Arts Era would never completely disappear.
.....
Year 119 of the Fourth Era, Summer.
The Human Emperor Aragon found the "Axe King" Tyrion, who had not appeared for a long time.
For the future of Middle-earth, they discussed for a long time and finally made a decision.
At the beginning of the new year 120, the Human Emperor issued a "Martial Prohibition Order": Burn all secret demonic arts manuals and summon all those who practiced demonic arts in front of him, making them swear — — in their lifetime, they would never pass on their martial arts to others.
In the autumn of the year 120, the Human Emperor Aragon handed over his scepter and crown, and said goodbye to his wife and children. He entered the royal tomb, lay in his coffin, and breathed his last.
In the same year, after attending the funeral of his old friend, the Elf Prince Legolas built a small boat and prepared to sail west.
Seeing this, the dwarf Jinzhe also boarded the boat, and the two of them disappeared from Middle-earth forever.
In the spring of the year 121, Queen Arwen passed away silently. Her children buried her with the late king.
In the spring of the year 150, the "Martial Prohibition Order" reached its peak. Many Demon Arts practitioners fled the Human Emperor's kingdom and entered the mountains and forests to protect themselves.
In the spring of the year 170, Gondor established the first Demon Arts Sect in Middle-earth, the Mountain Assembly, at the border of Middle-earth.
Yes, it was a sect that practiced Strength Arts. It was rumored that the sect master could "lift mountains and move seas".
In the spring of the year 175, the Human Emperor Eldarian (Aragon's son) killed the sect master of the Mountain Assembly with a hammer. The first Demon Arts Sect was destroyed, but there were already many sects in Middle-earth.
In the spring of the year 200, on the day of the New Year celebration, the sect masters of 36 Demon Arts Sects joined forces to assassinate the Human Emperor. The Human Emperor was chopped into minced meat. The Crown Prince was furious and swore to avenge his father. In the autumn of the same year, the Crown Prince was assassinated again.
The Queen and the Crown Prince's wife took care of the Crown Prince's orphan. The Martial Prohibition Order had not been lifted, but it was only in name.
In the spring of the year 201, the Axe King Tyrion came out of seclusion and learned about the tragedy that happened to the Human Emperor's family. Without saying a word, he left Moria alone with his two axes.
In the spring of the year 202, the 36 strongest Demon Arts Sects were massacred. The whole world was shocked. Among the humans, there was a saying that "the Dwarves are killing humans. We must take revenge and completely destroy the other races".
In the spring of the year 210, Rohan was forced to dissolve the Holy Alliance with the Turin Dwarves.
In the spring of the year 220, with the help of many Demon Arts Sects, the human kingdoms in the northeast of Middle-earth joined forces to attack the underground kingdom of Moria.
The Human Emperor Gondor led his troops to help, but they were ambushed halfway. The Human Emperor Dengdan, who did not practice any Arts, died in battle at the age of 25. He did not leave behind any descendants.
Since then, the throne of the Human Emperor was inherited by the descendants of Aragon's grandson.
The war broke out. Both the humans and the Dwarves suffered heavy losses. Blood flowed like a river in front of the gate of Moria.
The Axe King was besieged by eighty Martial Arts Sects. He killed sixty-three of them and was seriously injured. His nephew Phillip was cut into eight pieces in order to save him.
Since then, the Dwarves rarely appeared in the human world.
In the spring of the year 221, Tyrion the Axe King recovered from his injuries. He sat alone in the dark for a long time. He put on his hood and went to Gray Harbor by the West Sea. The Elf King Sedan received him.
Sedan was the leader of the Teleri Elves who had been searching for Elvay, who had been seduced by Melian. He had lived since the era of the Twin Holy Trees.
Sedan wanted to send the white-haired Axe King to Velinor for retirement. The Axe King, who cared about the world, smiled and refused.
The Axe King said, "Aragon and I knew this day would come. We've prepared for it."
He then told him about the plan he had discussed with Aragon and the purpose of his trip — to seek help from Velinor.
Sedan thought for a long time and said, "I don't think this plan is reliable."
"You don't believe me?" The Axe King's face turned cold.
"I believe you now, but if you —" Sedan could not continue when he saw the Axe King's determined and clear eyes.
"Forget it. I'll help you send a message to Velinor," he said helplessly.
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