Xiaoshan Town was located about three hundred li southwest of Auspicious Light City. It was a garrison established by the Protectorate in the Wilderness. The entire town had a population of about three thousand. A third of them were militia, while the rest were townspeople who were in charge of land reclamation.
Zhang Yu's group arrived before evening with two horses each. They needed to stay here for at least two days to check if there were any heretical believers and eliminate any spiritual monsters that might exist.
The townspeople were very enthusiastic. When they saw them riding in, they all came up to greet them. There were also many children who ran out cheering and jumping, climbing the railings and high places to look at them curiously.
Under the arrangement of the land reclamation officer, they placed their luggage in the courtyard built by the Xuanfu. After that, there were many people who came to visit them. Most of them were the land reclamation officers and local officials of Xiaoshan Town.
The ones who received the most visits were naturally Zhang Yu's group of four. Because the disciples of the Xuanfu went out as Daoists, these people would ask for divination when they came.
The people of the Protectorate were not allowed to worship, but they could only worship the ancestors of the Tianxia people. Heretical gods were definitely forbidden.
Zhang Yu did not think that their actions were foolish. This was because this place was far from the center of civilization of the Protectorate. It could be said that they were in the wilderness. There were often monsters and barbarians roaming around, threatening the lives of the townspeople. Therefore, praying to their ancestors and supernatural powers for their own safety was not only to make themselves feel at ease, but also to comfort their families.
The town's Academic Supervisor, Chen Zheng, came from Taiyang Academy. He had been the administrative officer here for six years. When he found out that Zhang Yu also came from Taiyang Academy and was an assistant teacher, he was very happy.
He knew that many people who came from the academy did not like to socialize. Therefore, before the sky was completely dark, he decided to be the guide and bring Zhang Yu out to familiarize himself with the surroundings.
The two of them rode out of Xiaoshan Town and headed north to a sparse forest. Not far away, they could see a large expanse of green farmland. However, as they gradually approached, Zhang Yu noticed that there were some broken walls hidden in the grass. He asked, "Brother Chen, are there ancient ruins here as well?"
Chen Zheng said, "Yes, and the scale is not small. The academy sent people to investigate the surrounding geography before, and they speculated that there should have been a large lake here in ancient times, and those ruins are the ancient cities built next to the lake."
Of course, there was a reason why Xiaoshan Town was built here. Although the ancient lake was gone, there was still a large underground river underground.
When Zhang Yu heard him say this, his heart skipped a beat. Previously, because of the Origin Energy stored in the Mutant Bone Fragment, when he was searching through the documents in Xuan Wen Tang, he paid special attention to the places where the ancient Mutants had once lived.
Most of these places existed in lakes and valleys. Since he was already here, he naturally had to explore them.
After walking around with Chen Zheng, he found the original entrance to the ruins. The two of them dismounted from their horses and walked in.
The afterglow of the setting sun fell on the barren weeds and rocks. In this world, in countless years, the civilizations of several eras might only be glorious for a moment, but this kind of ruined scene occupied a much longer period of time.
After the two of them walked for about a hundred steps, Zhang Yu noticed a half-collapsed stone tablet. He went up to take a closer look, using his gloved hands to brush away the dirt and try to identify it.
After looking for a while, he said, "It really is a building from the Omezo era."
"Omezo era?" Chen Zheng thought for a moment, then said, "Is it the definition of an ancient era?"
Zhang Yu nodded. He stepped on the ground and said, "The continent under our feet is far away from the Tianxia mainland. It is said that no one has ever visited it in the past few eras, until the people of Tianxia came here."
"But in fact, we are not the first 'outsiders' to set foot on this land. According to the research of predecessors, there was once a larger island outside this land. A civilization was born on it, and its creators called themselves the 'Itans'. Their most glorious era was the Omezo era. The Itans were one step ahead of everyone else. They came to this land and built a large number of cities here."
"However, the expansion of the Itans infringed on the interests of the natives in the depths of the continent. From the knotted records kept by the natives of Mount An, the gods of both sides waged a divine war that lasted for more than three hundred years."
Chen Zheng listened attentively and said, "What happened after that?"
Zhang Yu said, "It is difficult to know the specific process. In the end, the Itans lost the war, and the entire island they lived on sank to the bottom of the sea. The islands in the sea now are the remnants of the continent that did not sink. However, the natives did not have it easy either. Legend has it that the country that once ruled half of the continent also fell apart not long after. Their descendants are the native tribes that our protectorate has to face. "
Chen Zheng thought for a moment and said firmly, "We, the people of Tianxia, are not the Itans. We will not lose."
Zhang Yu nodded slightly and asked, "Brother Chen has been in town for so long. Have you seen EsGod?"
Chen Zheng said, "I have not seen EsGod, but I have seen many heretics. Every time, they were chased away by the garrison in the town." He looked at Zhang Yu and saw that he did not have any reaction. "I thought you would ask why they were not captured or killed."
Zhang Yu said, "I think the town must have made such a decision based on the most practical situation."
Chen Zheng sighed. "Yes, most of the people in the town just want to live a good life. The militia only wants to live a few years peacefully before being transferred back. If EsGod is really provoked, the town will definitely not be able to stop him."
This ruin was quite large. As the sky was gradually darkening, the two of them did not go too deep and left.
That day, the mayor of Nightfall Town held a banquet in his house. Other than Cai Pa, Zhang Yu, and the other guests, most of the administrative officers and militia leaders in the town also came. Many of the townspeople also came to join in the fun. However, they only lit bonfires outside, played musical instruments around the bonfires, drank wine, and sang.
That night, everyone in the town had a good time.
The next morning, after Zhang Yu went out, he was invited by Chen Zheng to the only school in town.
This Xiaoshan Academy was the best and most meticulously constructed building in the entire town. It was built in a typical Tianxia style. Outside, there were four or five hundred students who could study together here. Xiaoshan Academy was the best building in the entire town. It was built in a typical Tianxia style. Outside, there were four or five hundred students studying together.
Because Zhang Yu was an assistant teacher, Chen Zheng tried his best to invite him to give a lesson here. He did not decline and talked about how to avoid conflict with the Earth Barbarians if they accidentally bumped into them. He also talked about how to eat various insects and wild vegetables.
Unexpectedly, the content at the back was especially popular with the students because it was novel and interesting. After the lesson, many people came over to ask if Zhang Yu could leave some notes about this knowledge.
Zhang Yu agreed readily and said that he would write some articles about this when he returned to Auspicious Light and send them over.
Because of this matter, Chen Zheng was very grateful to Zhang Yu and thanked him repeatedly.
After that, Chen Zheng invited Zhang Yu upstairs to drink tea. Through the window, he looked at the lively children playing in the open space and said emotionally, "Before I came to Nightfall Town, I only wanted to leave this place as soon as possible, but after being here for so long, I began to have feelings for this place. It feels like I've entrusted some things to this place. The last time I wanted to leave, those children urged me to stay, so I stayed. Now, six years have passed and I have to move again … Sigh, looking at those pairs of pure eyes, I really can't bear to leave."
Zhang Yu asked, "Brother Chen, what about your family?"
Chen Zheng sighed and said, "I'm an orphan. I was only able to study after Tianxia Academy opened a preschool school. After I left the academy, I thought of giving more children like me a chance to study. At that time, I married a woman from a good family with the help of a friend. However, I stayed here for a few years and couldn't delay her any longer. Therefore, I sent her a divorce letter. Last year, she sent me a letter saying that she had burned the letter and told me to focus on teaching here. She told me not to worry about the children at home and that she would raise them."
He shook his head, his eyes slightly red. "She's a good wife, but I'm not a good husband."
Zhang Yu said, "Just now, I saw the children in the academy. There were Tianxia people and mixed blood, but many of them were barbarian children. But now, they are all writing the same words and speaking the same language. This is the merit of etiquette and education. Chen Jun lost out to the small family, but to Dongting and Tianxia, his contributions are great. You should accept my salute. "
As he said, he stood up, clasped his hands together and bowed to Chen Zheng.
Chen Zheng hurriedly stood up and returned the salute, somewhat at a loss. "I don't dare, I don't dare …"
Zhang Yu bowed and said, "But I have to say that without Chen Jun here, there's no one here to teach. You should also give others a chance. Besides, practicing Tianxia's etiquette and music is not necessarily limited to one place. With the size of the Protectorate, Chen Jun can go to Ruiguang and display his talent elsewhere."
He paused for a moment, then said, "Even if Chen Jun can't bear to leave here, it's only half a day's journey from here to Ruiguang. He can still take time out to come back and take a look."
Chen Zheng was stunned. After a long time, he seemed to have let go of something. He looked at Zhang Yu and said, "Thank you for your advice, Brother Zhang. I am grateful." He sighed, "It's been so many years. I think it's time for me to go back and make up for the past."
Zhang Yu came here mainly to investigate the strange creatures and heretical followers, so he couldn't stay in the school for too long. After bidding farewell to Chen Zheng, he left the town with two helpers and went to the north to investigate.
According to the plan discussed with Cai Pa and the Wen brothers last night, the four of them were each in charge of one direction. They would meet at night to communicate.
Soon, he came to the vicinity of the ruins.
Looking here, he had a feeling that if there was a problem around Xiaoshan town, it must be related to this place.
It wasn't without reason. The remains of these ancient buildings provided a natural shelter for the wild beasts and barbarians in the Wilderness. Moreover, the water source was also nearby. Whether it was strange creatures or heretical followers, it was possible for them to come here.
When he came here yesterday, he didn't find anything special. But this time, when he approached, a strange feeling suddenly emerged in his heart.
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