The Somir Crystal was also known as the Somir Ore in the game. When it was first discovered, it was thought to be a crystal ore that was rich in magic. Later on, people gradually discovered another characteristic of this crystal – the ability to crystallize. The Somir Crystal had the ability to crystallize any living organism that came close to it. However, the crystallized organism did not lose its life. Instead, it was transformed into a kind of life form made up of crystals – a semi-crystallized organism. As this ability was not only effective on animals, it also had the same effect on plants. Therefore, large areas of crystal forests were often found around the Somir Crystal. In fact, it was one of the reasons why crystal forests were formed.
However, the assimilation effect of the Somir Crystal on living organisms was a slow and gradual process. It usually took a few years or even longer to complete the process. According to Tulman's description, the soldiers of the three empires were affected by the crystallization disease after only two or three days of entering the final battlefield. Although this crystal sounded very similar to the Somir Crystal that Brando had heard of before, the effect was obviously much stronger. Perhaps it was a variant of a stronger magic power, or perhaps it was something else entirely.
But no matter which it was, the crystallization process should be an irreversible process. That was why he had such a headache when he faced Elaine's crystallization disease. In fact, in the game's records, there were only a few cases of crystallization disease being cured. Most of them were thanks to the miraculous abilities like the Fountain of Life or the Miracle Spell. On the battlefield of the final battle, it was obviously impossible for so many miracles to exist at the same time. There were countless soldiers on the battlefield, and in addition to the basic soldiers, there were also a large number of nobles. There was no lack of upper-class nobles among them. If these people died on the battlefield, it would be a big matter for any country at that time. Judging from Tulman's tone, when the crystallization disease spread, it was obvious that most of the people were affected.
Speaking of which, it was necessary to mention the attitude of the nobles in Wohnde during that time. Before the Second Holy War, the nobles generally regarded participating in the war as a kind of glory. It was not because they still had the heroic spirit of their ancestors who had cut through the thorns in the wilderness. On the contrary, in the heart of the civilization, after the first generation of pioneering Knight gradually faded from the view of the world, the descendants were increasingly addicted to playing and having fun. They had long lost the demeanor of their ancestors. During the War of the Holy Saints, the human nobles could easily die for a word or a promise. But today, after a thousand years, this kind of behavior was regarded as something that only fools would do.
The nobles were not afraid of war because it was not a matter of life and death for them. This was especially so for the Empire of Cruz. There were very few records of upper-class nobles dying in the war. Unless they were too unlucky to be shot by stray arrows, or died of diseases because they could not acclimatize to the climate. Even if they were captured, they would still be treated with dignity. For their enemies, hostages meant a large sum of ransom. To this day, most of the nobles still reminisced about that era. They thought that the war of that era was a classic and romantic war that combined the spirit of the Knight and the virtues of kindness.
Of course, this privilege was only for the nobles. For the soldiers from the lower class, the original intention of war had never changed. It was still mixed with the cold metal and the smell of death.
From this, it could be seen that if hundreds or thousands of nobles died in a war, it would be a nightmare for any country of that era. Even the royal family could be torn apart by the angry family members of the deceased. One had to know what kind of power was behind the deceased. For example, Brando remembered very clearly that on the side of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, there were three Dukes in the Cruz Empire who participated in the war. There were also a bunch of lords under them, big and small. Behind each of them was a tangled and complicated network of relationships. It was not an exaggeration to say that it included the bloodlines of the nobles in the entire empire.
If these people died on the battlefield, it was very likely that an empire's princess would be implicated. The situation on the side of Saint-ausol and Fanzin was similar. If such a thing happened, it would be impossible to cover it up no matter which side it was. There was no way to cover it up at all. Thinking of this, Brando's thoughts suddenly flashed. He realized who his grandfather's scapegoat was, but this thought only flashed through his mind. He immediately shook his head.
His grandfather could not bear this scapegoat at all, even if he was the commander of the allied forces of the Holy Cathedral of Fire. Moreover, he also knew that although many nobles died in the battle of Algash, it was not to the extent that it was unacceptable. At least the princess, the three Dukes, and a few important people returned to the country intact.
Could it be that the Crystallization Disease knew how to differentiate between high and low, and that nobles were immune to it? This kind of nonsense was obviously not worth mentioning. There was only one possibility, and that was that someone turned the tide and saved the allied forces of the three empires at the last moment. This would also explain why the three Holy Cathedrals stopped fighting after that, and the second Holy War came to an end.
Regarding that person, Brando already had a strong premonition in his heart. More than once, the tall figure of that person appeared in his mind. Under the blood-red setting sun of Braggs, the Stag Forest seemed to be dyed with a layer of soft bronze color, the flowing golden river soaked the shallows, the silent old man stood quietly, thoughtfully watching his grandson practice swordsmanship. Now that Brando thought about it, his grandfather's broad shoulders and tightly pursed lips had always been guarding some unknown secret. The whispers behind that secret lingered around the old man's life, and with the arrival of the final moment, it turned into dust and was buried in the grave.
And at this moment, it was finally time for this secret to be revealed.
Facing Hao Ren's questioning gaze, Tulman did not keep Hao Ren in suspense and told him everything that happened at that time.
The Crystallization Disease seemed to have spread overnight among the allied forces of the three empires, and countless people were infected. Although the Crystallization Disease was not that serious at first, under the influence of the magic of the Somir Crystal, all the infected became manic and agitated, gathering together to attack each other, or attack the normal people who tried to separate them. As more and more people joined them, the situation in the Alcala area gradually became out of control. Some people fled out of fear, and among them were nobles who commanded the army, and the number of normal people gradually decreased to the point where they could barely keep themselves safe.
Under the circumstances at that time, discussing how to solve the problem was already a joke. The only thing left to do was to wait for death, and the only thing left to do was to gamble. The Buga sorcerer suggested that perhaps they could break the Somir Crystal in the Holy Cathedral, or throw it into some spatial turbulence through magic. Although this may not change what had happened, at least it could stop the situation from worsening.
After a few rounds of discussion, this proposal was approved by most of the remaining people, but the question was, who would do it?
In the ruins of the last battle, there were countless soldiers infected by the Crystallization Disease wandering in the fog. Just passing through them to reach the temple was as difficult as ascending to the heavens, not to mention the dangers in the mysterious temple. It was simply impossible to predict what kind of dangers there would be. It could be said that carrying out this mission was suicide, and not everyone was willing to do it because to complete this impossible mission, it was obviously not enough to rely on the strength of a few people. What they needed was an army, and an army needed a commander. Ironically, in order to compete for the so-called inheritance of the 'Miirnas', no one in the three empires was willing to be left behind. As soon as the news spread, most of the nobles, including the commanders of the imperial coalition forces, entered the fog immediately, for fear of being left behind. At this moment, none of these noble commanders came out of the fog again.
And the remaining people in the coalition forces who were qualified to command the army had either fled or were unwilling to enter the fog. In the end, the Bugas found that only one person perfectly met their expectations, and that was Darius, who was under house arrest by the Silver Queen. In terms of seniority, he was originally the commander of the coalition forces on the side of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, and his prestige was definitely enough. On the other hand, because of his disagreement with Constance, he escaped the disaster in the first place and was not infected by the Crystallization Disease.
Now, all that was left was his own will.
But as Brando expected, after learning the ins and outs of the whole thing, his grandfather did not say a word and took over the position of commander. This may seem inconceivable to others, but at that moment, Brando somewhat understood his grandfather. This was not only because of the pride of being a soldier, but also because in the fog, there was the woman he loved deeply.
As the old man grew older, he had to succumb to time and fate, and his tall figure gradually stooped. In his silent heart, there was also a different kind of pride and passion. It was a pity that he had never seen his grandfather in that era. In Brando's memory, a vivid memory belonging to that old man seemed to gradually yellowed and faded, and then overlapped with another image.
In that image, Brando saw a cloud of flags, a sea of Knight, and a man standing in front of the tide-like army, the marshal of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, and the undying ambition in his heart.
That was an era that belonged to Erouine, Anson and his two important ministers. One was in front of him, and the other was forever in his memory.
Erouine in that era was far more glorious than he was now.
Brando gradually became silent, just like his grandfather. He listened to Tuman talk about his grandfather's success. It was like a hero in a classical myth who survived a desperate situation and often saved the day in the most impossible situation. The people of Cruz, the people of Fanzin, and the Wind Elves finally put down their prejudice at the most critical moment and united together. Just like a thousand years ago, they accepted the command of a human. They passed through the final battlefield filled with fog, opened a bloody path from the encirclement of the semi-crystallized creatures, and overcame the layers of illusions. It was like the ancestors who walked through the blood and thorns in the dark era to reach the Holy Cathedral with unyielding will.
"Your grandfather broke the crystal, and the huge crystal pillar was split into two. After it collapsed, it lost its magic. Not only did the crystallization disease stop spreading, even the crystallized human and elven soldiers gradually returned to normal," Tuman said slowly. "That crystal is still in the museum of Felan. Anram erected a wordless stone tablet for it to commemorate the heroes of the past. It's just that few people know its origin."
"Why a wordless stone tablet?" Brando asked quietly.
Sword Saint Darius, his grandfather had saved the three empires. It could be said that Kirrlutz, Farnezain, and even countless nobles of the Wind Elves owed him a favor, but what he received was an unfair trial. Brendel's heart was already filled with cold murderous intent. If he found out who was behind all this, he would definitely make them regret everything they had done in the past.
Because the Cardiloso family still had descendants, and because Darius' grandson's name was Brando.
Unexpectedly, Tuman shook his head and said a little heavily, "I know what you're thinking, little guy, but it's not what you think. It's your grandfather who took the initiative to accept the trial."
Brando was stunned.
"Why?" He couldn't help but blurt out.
"Because if he didn't accept the trial, the Silver Princess would die."
…
Garden of White Roses — —
Tap, tap. Two crimson boots with golden roses on the tips stepped on the footboard of the carriage one after another, followed by a wave-like dark skirt. The Empress of the Empire, Constance, elegantly walked down the carriage with the help of a maid. Two women hurriedly stepped forward and rolled up her long skirt. Her Majesty the Empress glanced around coldly. Her furrowed brows showed that the supreme ruler of a vast territory was not calm.
"Your Majesty."
The two rows of maids bowed.
Constance ignored them. She quickly walked past them and through the corridor. Her cold face seemed to be pregnant with a storm of anger. Bang! The golden walnut door of the sleeping chamber was pushed open. The maids' outstretched hands froze in mid-air. They looked at the "bad-tempered" Empress in shock, but the latter had already said coldly.
"You may leave."
The maids didn't dare to disobey her orders. A few of the noblewomen looked at each other in bewilderment, then bowed and left. The room quickly quieted down.
"She rejected you again?" After a while, the soft voice of the Dragon Empress came from the sofa, as if the lady was there. She asked in her usual calm tone. But Constance didn't need to turn her head to know that the expensive golden camel fur sofa made by Sedaris was empty.
"She will agree. I don't have much time left for that little mountain girl," Constance replied coldly, "When the time comes, I'll let her know that I won't just speak gently."
"That's for sure. The wrath of a king will cause blood to flow. So, you're going to use your sword on the mountain people?"
"No, it's the opposite." The Silver Queen sneered, "I'm going to marry her to that self-righteous guy, that 'mountain people's prince'. Anyway, he has begged me more than once to marry an imperial princess to him. Since they are of the same race, I think she will be satisfied."
Constance couldn't hide the contempt in her voice when she talked about the 'mountain people's prince'. In fact, it was an insult. After all, the country bumpkin from the mountains was always so self-righteous. In fact, no orthodox imperial nobles would associate with them. The funny thing was that he took this identity seriously, so the title of 'mountain people' came into being.
Generally speaking, as the role model of the empire and the supreme person on the throne, Constance rarely used such frivolous words. But now, she was obviously in an extreme rage.
The Dragon Queen looked at her strangely from the void, "She's that little guy's woman. He's that person's grandson, isn't he? You really don't care about him at all."
"He's that woman's grandson." Constance corrected her coldly.
"So, this is the jealousy between human women?" The Dragon Queen's voice became a little curious.
To this question, the Silver Queen had never answered. She stood silently on the spot, her eyes calm, resting on the black sandalwood desk.
"What are you thinking, Your Majesty?"
"I'm thinking, if I wasn't so naive back then, maybe I would be different now, Gwendolyn."
"But you once had the chance to choose, Your Majesty."
"I …" Constance's voice hesitated, "Because I don't want to lie to myself."
…
The fleet was about to set sail —
Brando slowly stepped onto the deck and looked back. On the bridge, the Silver Folk were entering the portal in a single file. Tulman was walking at the back. As if he felt something, he turned around and raised his head slightly. Under the shadow of the silver silk hood with silver patterns, two silver-gray eyes shone brightly. Between his thin lips, there was a faint mysterious smile.
He took a deep breath, and could not help but gently press his hand on the side of the ship that was engraved with the relief of Leviathan.
About the conversation before, it was as if in an instant, it reappeared before his eyes —
"I don't understand." Brando stared at the old man in front of him, his cold eyes seemed to see through him completely.
"It's very simple. As I said before, on the battlefield of the final battle, in the temple, that strange crystal was sealed at the beginning. But the person who sealed it was not the four sages, but the Darkness Dragon Odin. The first one to touch that seal was Her Majesty the Queen, whom you know well. "
"When the seal was opened, the mystery was also revealed. The secret of the final battle of the War of the Holy Saints was displayed in front of everyone. Because I was with your grandfather at that time, I don't know what they saw, but I only know one thing. "
"That is, the answer to this mystery is related to the agreement between the four sages and the Darkness Dragon Odin …"
"So, from this, it can be inferred that a legend about a rumor for a thousand years may be true." The old man's voice was a little hoarse. "You know, the order of the mortal world and the legitimacy of the four empires are based on the righteousness of the Battle of the Holy Saints. But in fact, there has been a saying in the past thousand years that the actions of the four sages in the Battle of the Holy Saints may not be so sacred and righteous."
"… That is to say, in this story, the Darkness Dragon is a tyrant, but the four sages are just usurpers."
Tulman looked up and narrowed his eyes at Brando, "Do you know what this means?"
Brando did not answer. He had actually heard of such a legend, but it was spread in The Amber Sword.
There were countless legends of all kinds, and there was such a saying that for every bard, there would be an additional version of the story, so no one would delve into it. But he also understood what it meant if this was true.
In the history of the replacement of human dynasties, fights for the throne and conspiracies to usurp the throne were not uncommon.
But the sacred War of the Holy Saints was based on the covenant between the Silver Folk and the races of the continent. The cornerstone of the covenant was to end the dark reign of the Miirnas and fulfill the prophecy — the so-called era of mortals. This covenant was described as a sacred covenant in the Pale Poem, also known as the Sacred Oath. Since it was sacred, it must first be based on justice.
And this was also the basis of the legitimacy of the era of mortals.
If all this was just a lie.
Then not only would the status of the four sages be questioned, but more importantly, it would violently impact the current world order, and the legitimacy of the four holy shrines would be gone. Once the prophecy came true, then the world would inevitably be plunged into endless disputes and wars, because no one could interpret morality and justice, then the only stage left would be for the ambitious.
Brendel shuddered at the thought.
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