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(This is today's update, a two-in-one chapter. There will be more to make up for it later.)
GOR Chapter 570 Ten Thousand Years of Faith
Rohart looked at the 'breakfast' before him.
It was a dark green leaf with the shape of a bowl. Inside it was a crystal clear liquid – it was said to be the fresh morning dew.
Based on the habits of the elves, this was their breakfast.
This tent was where the Elven King kept Luo Xue.
That day, when he was hung from the frying pan, Rohart thought that he was going to die. In his opinion, there was no need for the enemy to keep a captive like him – besides, these enemies were not 'humans'. Since the beginning of this war, they had no habit of keeping captives. Any human who was captured would only end up being killed and turned into food for these fellows.
Rohart was not afraid of death. However, he was still somewhat fearful of becoming food for these monsters. Thus, the thing he did the most every day was to pray silently to strengthen his faith.
After being released from the frying pan that day, Rohart's entire body was drenched in sweat. Truth be told, if not for the fact that he did not drink any water after being captured, he would have peed on the spot – there was nothing shameful about that. It was a normal physiological reaction. It was not to say that he was not brave. However, the so-called 'brave' was not a glorious image that was deliberately beautified. Even brave people would feel fear before death. However, they had a stronger faith to support them – it was not to say that the fear would disappear. Rather, the power of faith would suppress the fear.
However … … he did not die!
Moreover, he had been locked up in the Elven King's tent all this time and had survived until today.
Luo Xue's attitude towards him was very strange. On one hand, Luo Xue did not interrogate him. In fact, compared to his status as a 'captive', Rohart had received a certain degree of preferential treatment. The Elven King told Rohart that as long as he was in this tent, he could move around freely. He could even look through everything in the tent. As long as he did not leave the tent, he would be treated like a guest.
The only exception was … … the food he ate every day was slightly inferior.
These elves don't seem to eat meat, right?
In the morning, they drank dew. However, there were different types of dew. Rose dew, lily dew … … in the end, it was still dew.
At noon, they would eat some strange pancake-like things. The taste seemed to be made from some kind of plant. And at night … they would produce some fresh and tasty plants and fungi …
Rohart remembered that ever since he woke up, the elves hadn't let him go hungry. However, the food that the elves brought made Rohart feel like he was about to turn into a rabbit – a rabbit that ate grass.
Although the Elf King also said that he could order the orcs to send some meat over. However, Rohart firmly rejected the offer (or should I say, temptation?).
Because Rohart was very afraid. Those Orcs would eat any kind of meat — including human meat! God knows if the meat they sent was from animals, or …
This tent had a certain degree of magic — this was something that Rohart had gradually come to understand over the past two days.
At this moment, winter had already begun in the northern part of the continent. However, this elf's tent was like a giant mushroom — and in fact, it was. It was indeed a huge mushroom with magical properties. The umbrella-shaped edges dragged all the way to the ground. A circular handle in the middle supported the roof high up.
This was something made from a special magic seed of the elves. The temperature inside was very comfortable. Outside, a cold wind was already blowing, but inside, Rohart did not feel the slightest chill at all.
This huge tent was divided into an inner and outer room. The Elf King seemed to live outside. Every day, Luoxue would spend one or two hours chatting with Rohart. In this kind of chatting situation, at the beginning, it was only Luoxue who spoke one-sidedly. Rohart would either shut up and not answer, scold or sneer.
However, gradually, Rohart discovered to his surprise that this elf's patience was ridiculously good. No matter how bad his attitude was, the other party did not seem to get angry at all. Moreover … … Luoxue's knowledge was really amazing!
Luoxue was very careful about the content of the conversation and never touched on human military intelligence. However, Luoxue casually chatted about the human Roland Empire's astronomy, geography, humanities, history, and culture. Most of the time, the topics were very imaginative and said whatever came to mind …
Although Rohart was the son of a carpenter, after entering the Tulip Family's air cavalry regiment, he had also undergone some cultural studies. After all, Du Wei believed that a qualified officer absolutely could not be illiterate. In the Tulip Family, there had already been a system and regulations that specialized in cultural education for officers.
Rohart had been in the northwest for three years and was no longer the son of a carpenter who only knew how to write his own name. At least, he had learned well in history. However, when chatting with this elf, he often felt very … … humiliated and ashamed.
Yes, it was shame!
When this elf talked about the history of the human Roland Empire, it was clear and logical. The history of which era's civilization, the rise and fall of which dynasty, and even the history of the Roland Empire from its founding to the present, some major national policies, the empire's political system, and so on, this elf would often casually talk about it with assurance and assurance. This kind of bearing, no matter how much Rohart hated these enemies, he had to admit that this fellow's knowledge was probably far better than the teachers who taught him in the northwest!
Perhaps the only people he had seen who could compare with this elf in terms of knowledge were the Duke of the Tulip Family himself and the chief administrator of the northwest, Sir Philip. In order to vigorously promote the culture of officers learning, Du Wei had personally taught these officers in the northwest as an example, and Philip had also taught these officers before.
However, the Duke of the Tulip Family's erudition was well-known in the empire! As for Sir Philip, he was often called a talented prime minister and was also a disciple of the famous great scholar, Mr. Blue Ocean.
The most important thing was … … they were all humans!
However, this elf … … as an elf, he had such a deep understanding of human civilization. Obviously, this was not done casually. He must have gone through careful and painstaking research with a strong purpose!
He even talked about some of the famous buildings of the Roland Empire, such as the city walls of the Imperial Capital, the famous Hexagram Building of the Magician's Guild in the Imperial Capital, the Great Hall of the Light Shrines, and so on. When Luoxue talked about it, he could even go from the origin of this architectural style to the historical origins, the background of the times, and so on … …
These topics were obviously not something that Rohart, who had a rough understanding of literature, could understand.
There were also some brilliant poems left behind by some famous poets in human history, those beautiful chapters, grand epics, beautiful operas, and so on … …
It even gave Rohart the illusion that there was nothing in this world that this elf didn't know about.
What made him very angry was that as a human, when this elf talked to him about the brilliant culture of his own race, he was often left speechless. There were even many things that he either only knew a little about or had never even heard of!
Luoxue could even recite some ancient poems using more than two ancient languages of the Roland Continent — — Rohart did not understand a single word of these languages.
But … … I am a human! I am only a foreign race!!
"I've read your comprehensive history of the continent a total of thirty-one times. There are also some versions from different eras and versions before the revision … Yes, the last time I came to your empire, I obtained many books in some of the cities in the north. I brought back a total of more than four thousand and six hundred books."
Luoxue casually sat in front of Rohart. His expression and tone were as if he was chatting with an old friend. "To be honest, I admire you humans very much. You have indeed created a very brilliant civilization. "
"What are you up to by spending so much effort to learn about our human civilization?" Rohart said coldly.
"A thousand years ago, the founding emperor of the current Roland Empire, Aragon, said: To defeat your enemy, you must first thoroughly understand your enemy. Yes, the original words recorded in the history books should be: Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."
(If Du Wei were here, he would definitely fiercely despise his previous life for plagiarizing Sun Tzu's art of war.)
"Hmph, so you are up to no good. The more you try to learn about our human civilization, the more vicious your intentions are." Rohart shook his head.
"No, actually, it is the exact opposite." Luoxue shook his head. There was a faint smile on his face. "Rohart, I will tell you a secret. Do you want to hear it?"
"Up to you." Rohart's tone was very cold. "If you are willing to say it, you will naturally say it. But I will not tell you any of my secrets."
There was a trace of mockery in Luoxue's smile. "To me, you have no secrets, Rohart."
After saying this, Luoxue stood up. He waved his hand lightly, and the tent door closed soundlessly. Turning his head, the Elf King looked at the human captive. His tone was somewhat faint.
"The more I learn about your human civilization, the more a thought in my heart protrudes. Although we are enemies now, as I understand your race, I increasingly feel that perhaps it is possible to defeat you on the battlefield, but … to completely defeat the human race, or to say, to completely exterminate your race, is absolutely impossible."
When he said this, the gaze in his eyes was very clear and very calm.
As the commander-in-chief of the Sinners' invasion, Rohart was stunned for a moment when he said such words.
"Do you still remember what I told you two days ago? A long, long time ago, our race was expelled from this continent, right?"
"Yes, ten thousand years ago, you were expelled …" Rohart shook his head. "Of course I remember."
Luoxue nodded.
The voice that followed had a hint of faintly drifting in and out …
"When I was born, it was in a place far, far away in the north. Past your frozen forest, past a huge ice field, then past a mountain guarded by Dragons, past a boundless wasteland, all the way to the north. That was where I was born. It's different from the fertile land of you humans. It's a barren land. There was a lack of water, and the land could not even be described with the word 'barren'. If you have been to that place, you will understand. If you squat on the ground and forcefully grab a handful of soil, you will find that half of your hand is hard gravel. There were also many dangerous mountains, but most of those mountains were made of hard stones. Iron ore was extremely rare and rare. Even the forests that are commonly seen on your continent … we do not have them there. Even if we planted the magic seeds of our Elf Race, they are sparse.
Cold winds blew there all year round. Once winter came, the strong wind would fill people's eyes. Even the strong Orcs could not go out. Because the fierce wind could directly sweep people up into the sky. That kind of wind would blow for about two months every year.
Since I was born … or even before that, since our race was first expelled there, food has always been a scarce thing.
In our place, the Orcs were very thorough. All the old and weak Orcs, when they reached a certain age, would take the initiative to bid farewell to their families, walk into the depths of the wilderness alone, and then quietly die — just to reduce the waste of food!
Also, when the young Orcs were born, the tribe would strictly check the constitution of the baby. If they unanimously determined that the baby's constitution was very weak and might not be able to become a strong laborer when he grew up, then the parents would have to suppress their sadness and despair and kill the weak baby. Or … the tribe would specially send people to drive a broken carriage from afar into the depths of the wilderness …
Every autumn … to you humans, it is a festival to celebrate the harvest.
Oh, yes, you humans also have a major festival called the Qingfeng Festival. But in our place, what you don't know is that autumn, to us, means war!
The amount of food harvested every year is very little and is never enough! Therefore, when autumn comes, many tribes will start wars between themselves. In order to seize the food to survive the winter, those tribes will kill each other and snatch the pitiful amount of food in each other's hands …
But in the end, there is never a winner! Because war reduces a lot of population, after a large number of people die in the war every autumn, the remaining people will have enough food to survive the winter.
I've read in books that you humans celebrate the harvest festival every year, singing and dancing, and brewing a large amount of wine … But in our world, when winter comes, the beastmen in their prime have to bid farewell to their wives and children, and then gather in batches to go to the battlefield to die. When they leave, no one knows whether they can come back alive, whether they can survive this winter.
You who live on this fertile continent may never experience that kind of pain and cruelty. "
Even though they were on opposing sides, when Rohart heard this, he still could not help but be moved!
Luoxue's voice was still so faint, and there seemed to be a faint trace of sadness in his tone …
"All the Orcs, Dwarves, and us Elves, including me. Every one of our races, when we were born and came to this world, after we became sensible, our elders would tell us that we were not born to live in such a barren world. Our ancestors used to live on a fertile continent, where there were countless sweet and clear lakes, countless rivers, dense and boundless forests, and fertile soil that could even be squeezed out of oil by grabbing a handful of it! There was plenty of rain, gentle winds, and warm sunshine. Our ancestors used to live in such a beautiful land.
But we lost that piece of land.
We were defeated by a race called 'humans'. The evil and greedy humans chased us away and occupied that continent, causing our descendants to be forced to live in this world of hunger and cold!
Generation after generation!
Every one of us was instilled with these things from the moment we became sensible. Then, every time the elders finished talking, they would tell us with a tone full of longing, 'We must work hard. One day, when we are strong enough, we will return to that fertile land and avenge our ancestors. We will kill all those greedy and evil humans and take back our homeland!' "
Speaking up to this point, Luoxue clenched his fists. "Every Orc, Dwarf, and Elf was instilled with these things from a young age until the day they died!"
Rohart was moved.
Even though he was only the son of a carpenter, he could still feel the shock in the content of these words!
This … the desire and hatred that were repeatedly instilled with such thoughts for countless generations and settled down for tens of thousands of years … when they exploded, how terrifying would this be?!
Did the current humans … have such an almost crazy belief??
"I am the king of the Elf Race," Luoxue said softly. "I was destined to bear this responsibility from the moment I was born. I have to bear the future fate of my tribe on my shoulders. My father was a king, my grandfather was a king, and my great-grandfather was also a king. I … am also a king! Therefore, as the king of every generation, we are constantly searching for a way to return.
On the day I was born, it was snowing heavily. My father gave me the name Luoxue. When I was not yet an adult, my father died … He left the tribe and took a few strong people from the tribe to the human world.
I know … he must have died at the foot of the divine mountain guarded by the Dragons.
In fact, for us' sinners', the leaders of every generation would take the strongest people in the tribe to your human world on an adventure and try to open a way to return home. However, no one in every generation could return alive. "
"I used to hate humans with all my heart." Luoxue smiled. There was a hint of mockery in his smile. "Just like the thoughts I was instilled with when I was young: Humans are bandits, a greedy and evil race. They robbed and occupied our home. And the only goal of us sinners is to kill our way back! Kill all of you humans! Completely exterminate your race! Otherwise, it would not be enough to wash away the tragic fate we have suffered for the past ten thousand years with blood. It would also not be enough to make up for those old people who committed suicide in the wilderness after they grew old, and those weak little lives who were killed when they were just born … After ten thousand years, this blood debt is really too big! It is so big that unless it is washed away with blood, there is no room for reconciliation!! "
"I used to have this strong belief: Kill all humans! Destroy the human race!! But … "
Luoxue shook his head lightly. His smile was a little strange. "But now, I don't think so anymore … Because, as I learned about your human civilization, I had to force myself to accept a fact: A race like yours cannot be exterminated! At least, our race can't do it! Perhaps we can win, but we can't exterminate you! "
As he said this, Luoxue sighed softly. His voice gradually lowered. "But this way of thinking is only mine … Those orcs, they don't think so. Until now, the orcs have insisted that only by killing and exterminating all humans can we live … But I am very pessimistic and think that this goal will probably never be achieved — even if the war continues for ten years, fifty years, or a hundred years … it will not be achieved!
Perhaps it is possible to defeat an entire race. But to completely wipe out a race that has developed for ten thousand years and has a mature civilization … This is definitely not something we can do. In my opinion, this is a dead end. This war will continue — and it will continue! Continue! I can't see the direction of the future, and I can't see even a trace of hope. I'm afraid that my generation, my generation, and the generation after that will continue to fight like this. Endlessly and without end! "
When Rohart heard this, he frowned. Finally, he could not help but ask Luoxue a question. "Then, what do you want?"
"Me?" Luoxue smiled softly. He looked at the human in front of him. "I want peace … We elves have never been a race that likes war. We only want peace. As long as we have a home where we can reproduce and live, it's enough. "
As he spoke, Luoxue pointed outside the tent.
His smile was very bitter. "Just a few days ago, we have already started to grow food in the surrounding land that we have already occupied. To you humans, this is the north of the continent, and the land is not fertile enough. But to us, compared to the place where we have lived for generations, the land here is simply unimaginably fertile! They have already started to grow food, and we can get the first harvest next year! Those food will continue to supply our army to continue fighting here! On the land that we have already occupied, we will firmly guard here. Unless we all die, we will definitely not leave! We have waited ten thousand years to return here. Now, there is no power that can make us retreat! This year's food has already been planted, and it will continue next year! The year after that, the year after that … and the year after that … generation after generation, the war will not stop! "
Rohart's expression involuntarily became serious. He muttered, "I think, I understand what you want to say … hmph!"
"This is a war that is destined to have no winner. There will never be a winner, "Luoxue said softly.
— — —
Lancang Grand Canal.
A Roland Empire navy warship was anchored at the docks of the imperial capital.
What surprised the porters at the docks was that such a warship was actually anchored at the civilian docks. Moreover, very quickly, a group of fully armed imperial city guards arrived from the imperial capital and tightly guarded the docks.
For an entire day, no goods were unloaded from this ship, and no one disembarked. And there were onlookers in the surroundings. From afar, someone had seen that within a day, three palace envoys dressed in the attire of court officials had boarded this large ship, accompanied by the imperial guards.
This kind of novelty immediately attracted the attention of many people.
At the same time, in the imperial palace of the imperial capital, a fierce debate was unfolding.
"I firmly oppose!"
In the main hall, an old man with white hair and beard, wearing an extremely strict and loose robe, waved his hands excitedly and argued loudly.
Then, he raised his head and looked at the two people sitting high up on the throne … the current emperor of the empire, little Charlie, and the emperor's father, the empire's regent.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!! " The old man quickly and firmly roared in a low voice, "I firmly oppose giving those aboriginals treatment that exceeds the norm!! They are different from the envoys of the grasslands! The grasslands have been at odds with us for many generations. Although I don't want to admit it, but I have to say, we have basically tacitly accepted the fact that the grasslands have an independent regime! They have the power to contend with us in certain areas. As a compromise, the empire has already recognized the fact that the grasslands are the 'kings' of the grasslands! In terms of etiquette, if they are the envoys of the grasslands' king, we can give them the treatment of a vassal state. But … these Nanyang aboriginals absolutely cannot!! If we … that is a kind of humiliation! It is equivalent to the empire recognizing the legitimacy of the kingdom these aboriginals made in Nanyang! Your Majesty! Your Majesty! If there is a first time, there will be a second time! If there is a third time … it will become a routine in the future!! I think that this kind of precedent must not be set! Otherwise, in the future, if any of the aboriginals on the island call themselves king and send people to the empire, will we give them the treatment of a kingdom's envoys?? "
Following that, some of the older veterans in the military echoed. Many of them belonged to the navy system.
"I agree with the etiquette minister's words." An old military official bowed. There was a trace of anger and pain between his brows, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Once upon a time, our huge navy was invincible in Nanyang, taking whatever we wanted! Those Nanyang aboriginals can only endure our wanton kneading! Even now, they have never had the power to contend with us, never!! To these aboriginals, they are just the granaries of the empire's Nanyang. When we need them, we can harvest them at any time. But now, we actually call ourselves a 'kingdom'! This is definitely something we cannot admit! They are different from the grasslands. The grasslands have the strength to contend with us, but these Nanyang aboriginals do not! "
"If we admit that they are a 'kingdom', then according to the empire's laws and etiquette, we must give them the treatment of a kingdom … and in the future, there will be a lot of trouble! We also have to consider the impact of public opinion. If the northwest grasslands people know about this, they will definitely mock us for being too weak!! The Nanyang aboriginals are only worthy of being our slaves, they are not worthy of being our guests! "
The etiquette minister raised his fist and roared.
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(Note, this is only today's fixed update, two in one. There will be more later.
If everyone feels that it is too late and does not want to wait, you can wait until tomorrow morning to read it. No matter what, I will definitely write it tonight, even if it takes until midnight.)
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