Gwen picked up the teacup, but he did not bring it to his mouth. As he pondered, he gradually figured out the long and unknown history of the Silver Empire after the fall of the God of Nature. The elves had a long lifespan, so the secrets in their history were far more mysterious than what humans could imagine. Even in the prosperous Kingdom of Gondor, a span of more than three thousand years was beyond the limit of accurate historical records.
And such a long history was enough for some Druil cults to create a few "gods."
Of course, from Bersetia's description, the gods created by the Druil cults were far from gods. They were not on the same level as the "false god's body" created by the End of All Things and the "Upper Narrators" that were accidentally created in Sandbox No. 1. Those were at most psychological projections created by group thoughts, and there was still a long way to go before they could enter the real world.
Thinking of this, Gwen could not help but feel a little emotional. When it came to courting death, humans were indeed better. The three thousand years of effort by the elves and the Druil was not as big as the two cults.
However, this was not a feat worth bragging about.
"You are deep in thought again." The Silver Queen seemed to have been paying attention to Gwen's expression. Her voice woke Gwen from his thoughts. "But this is normal. What I just said can make anyone think deeply."
"… I was just thinking, after so many years, how much have you learned from the attempts of the secret cults?" Gwen put down the teacup and said while thinking. "You just said that although you are not sure what the secret cults have 'summoned,' you have a certain guess. I think this' guess' is not that simple, right?"
The Silver Queen was silent for a few seconds and then sighed. "To be honest, since the fall of White Star, we have been trying to uncover the truth behind it. After all, it was a big event that changed the structure of the empire, and its influence even affected the whole world. No one was not curious about the truth behind it.
"As you know, the Silver Empire is a country where the imperial and theocracy are united. The elven royal family is also the religious leader of the Druil cult, so the most outstanding scholars of the Druil cult are also loyal to the Elven Court. After the fall of White Star, the Elven Court organized a large-scale and time-consuming investigation. This investigation even lasted until my father put on the golden oak crown.
"But even after organizing the most outstanding scholars and spending such a long time, we still could not find the truth of White Star's fall, nor could we reestablish the connection with the God of Nature. So we could only come to a sad conclusion: the God of Nature has fallen. No matter what the reason is, it has left this world forever.
"And it was under such circumstances that the secret cults appeared and seemed to have established a connection with some mysterious existence, and those mysterious existence to a certain extent showed some characteristics similar to the gods in the ancient records. This was a huge blow to the royal family who was still trying to find out the truth behind White Star's fall. We are not a slow-witted race. We could relate the possible truth behind this, and this truth almost turned our worldview upside down.
"My grandmother … She was the first elf who ordered the destruction of the secret cults. Few people know that she changed into a priestess' robe the night before she died. She prayed and repented all night and finally left in fear and pain. But even so, she did not change the order she had given at that time.
"My father carried out the orders left behind by my grandmother. In the nearly two thousand years of his reign, he destroyed every secret cult he discovered. He also indirectly destroyed every 'god' that the secret cult 'summoned'. He carefully read all the information that the secret cult members wrote on the stone slabs and leaf-patterned papers, including even the most insignificant words. In fact, he was the real 'secret cult expert'. If he wanted to, he could reproduce any ritual performed by any secret cult, but he never did. He brought everything to his grave.
"In my generation … most of my courtiers and I had completely adapted to the 'Druil Orthodox Church' without gods. We even thought it was better this way. But we still managed the forest and the land in the name of the Druil Church. We used the elven alphabet, a simplified version of the 'Language of Nature' from three thousand years ago, as the official language. Many special words in our language were related to the religious activities of three thousand years ago … God had left us, but the cultural imprint was inseparable from our traditions.
"So back to the question just now — what did we 'guess'? We actually guessed everything, but we never admitted it. We could never admit it … What should we admit? Admit that the orthodox leader of all Druil in the world, the representative of the God of Nature in the world, the ruler of the Silver Empire, and that it took three generations to kill seven newborn 'Gods of Nature'? "
The Silver Queen's story came to an end. She picked up the black tea in front of her, took a sip, and then smiled at Gwen. "I seem to have gone a little off-topic."
"… No, you haven't," Gwen said in a low voice as he calmed himself down. He looked up at Bersetia's eyes, trying to see some real emotions in the eyes of the mature ruler of the empire, but he failed. Her eyes were very deep, and all the emotions seemed to have been locked in the depths of her mind for hundreds of years. He could only shake his head. "So, you are not ignorant of gods. On the contrary, you know a lot, far more than humans. It's just that all the secrets are buried deep in the royal records, and all the research is superficial."
The Silver Queen nodded. "You can say that."
"Then what do you think of what I told you in the last letter?" Gwen asked. "It's about the 'countdown' behind the gods that humans discovered in their research, and our plan to find a way to save ourselves."
"This is a field that we have never discovered." The blonde lady in front of him looked serious. "We have noticed the birth of the gods, but no one has ever realized the existence of the terrible 'countdown.' After receiving your letter, I only feel a great sense of relief — relief that we three generations of elves have always made the right decision and did not let things get out of hand. As for the way to save ourselves … you did not elaborate in the letter, but if you are serious, then I am very interested. "
"Of course I am serious," Gwen said frankly. "If not, I would not have to work so hard to change the situation of the entire Lolun Continent. The crazy 'countdown' of the gods is a sword hanging over the heads of all mortals. Whether you want to admit it or not, this sword is something that no single country can resist. Since the operating rules of the gods are based on the 'thoughts' of all living beings, then the key to breaking the game is destined to be 'all living beings.' I am not sure where the critical point of 'all living beings' is, but it is definitely more than a country or a race. So I need to include as many countries and races as possible into the plan. "
Speaking of this, he looked at the blonde lady in front of him very seriously. "In fact, what I was most worried about was the attitude of the Silver Empire toward this matter. Among the countries of the Lolun Continent, only the royal family of the Silver Empire is also the leader of the church. Although the god that the Druil worship has left this world for many years, this identity still affects your actions. But now it seems that … my biggest worry is not a problem."
The Silver Queen's eyes stayed on Gwen for a short while. She suddenly laughed. "I can see that you are serious. Then I am happy to be your supporter."
Gawain's expression did not change much, but he breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. He could no longer associate the mature and pressurizing woman in front of him with the "little princess" in his memory. She had changed so much that Gawain Cecil's memory was almost useless. All he could do was adapt to the situation.
Then he thought for a while and was about to ask the next question. But before he could say anything, the Silver Queen said, "You have asked a lot. Now it is the lady's turn to ask a question."
Gwen was startled, but then he nodded. "Of course, ask away."
The woman smiled. She looked into Gawain's eyes and said unhurriedly, "You're not the real Uncle Gawain, are you?"
Gwen was speechless.
There was only a moment of silence. Gwen felt his heartbeat quicken, but his strong will came into play. He did not show any abnormality on his face, even the rhythm of his breathing was not disturbed. He just showed a surprised and surprised expression. He pointed at himself and looked at the blonde lady in front of him. "Why do you say that? Do you think I am a fake? "
The Silver Queen looked at Gwen calmly. After a long time, she said softly, "I am not lying to you. I know you are not him, at least not completely him … I can see it."
The garden was silent for a moment. The stagnant air seemed to have solidified, making it even more oppressive. Gwen and the Silver Queen looked at each other quietly. He looked at her eyes, and at the same time, he was thinking of countless excuses and ways to prove himself. But in the end, he just smiled and shook his head. "How did all of you find out in the end …"
"All?" Hearing this, the Silver Queen's expression did not change much. She only noticed the key words in Gwen's words. There was a hint of curiosity in her voice. "Who else found out?"
Gwen shook his head. "Bertilla Augustus, Selena Geerfen — you should remember them. You used to mess around with them. You even secretly hid Selena's lantern, but you didn't know it was a magic lantern. It recorded the whole process of you hiding the lantern."
"Bertilla and Selena … I haven't heard these two names for a long time." The Silver Queen looked like she was reminiscing. "They are still alive?!"
"… In a sense," Gwen said. "A lot of things have happened, and it would take a whole day to explain. If there is a chance, I can take you to see them — of course, that is if they are willing to talk to you. "
Speaking of this, he shook his head. "Let's not talk about this for now. How did you know that I am not 'Uncle Gwen'? Although it's a bit boastful, I don't think there is anything unusual about my behavior. From the way I speak to my habitual little movements, I am no different from Gwen Cecil 700 years ago. "
"Yes, no difference … How can you be no different?" The Silver Queen looked calmly into Gwen's eyes. "If you are really Uncle Gwen, how can you be the same as you were 700 years ago?"
Gwen frowned, feeling a little confused. "'Gwen Cecil has been asleep for 700 years.' Since these 700 years were spent in hibernation, then in fact, there is only a difference of a few years between 'me' now and when 'I died.' Just a few years, it should be …"
"If you are the real Uncle Gwen, then you have gone through life and death, haven't you?" The Silver Queen interrupted Gawain and stated word by word, "You've experienced life and death, experienced the instantaneous change of times, and experienced everything that has changed. You've woken up in a completely unfamiliar era and done so many earth-shattering things in this unfamiliar era. Most importantly, there's an almost completely unfamiliar me in front of you. You did not go through those 700 years, but you have gone through a greater change than 700 years of life, so how can you remain the same as in my memory without being affected? "
She paused and looked into Gwen's eyes. After a long time, she said softly, "You are too much like the Uncle Gwen in my memory. Almost 100% the same, so it can't be real."
"… I was careless." Gwen was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly slapped his forehead and sighed. "But is that the only reason?"
"If that's the only reason, I would probably just be suspicious," said the Silver Queen. "But I know another thing, I know about the rumors of 'extraterrestrial wanderers' … Under this premise, I am not just suspicious."
Gwen resisted the urge to twitch the corner of his mouth. "The elves' footprints are all over the continent, and the world calls the Silver Queen the ruler with the most up-to-date information in the world … Now I understand deeply."
He sighed and then said, "But since you have found out that I am not real, why did you tell me so much? Even willing to support my plan? Don't you think I am a dangerous' Soul Stealer ', or some' Descended One 'with an unknown purpose? "
The blonde woman in front of him laughed. "You just said that the Silver Queen is the ruler with the most up-to-date information in the world."
"You mean …"
"The northern part of the continent and the Silver Empire are not in good contact, but that is only relative. In fact, the information about you is piled up on my desk, from you establishing a territory in the Gloom Mountains, to the revival of the Cecil family, from you establishing your empire, and then to the war of the deicide … I know everything you have brought to the world, even the font used in the third report of the second Cecil's Weekly this month." The Silver Queen smiled. "After knowing all this, do I need to know more?
"As for the other reason why I told you so much … it is actually very simple.
"You have defeated the gods, and more than one."
(End of Chapter)
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