Chapter 236 The Secret History of the Kingdom
The air is filled with the chill of winter, and the last glorious days of autumn have passed. The woods that once reflected the sunshine with their golden, red and orange leaves are now reduced to skeletons. The branches are shrouded under the gray sky.
On the trade road leading to Tifantun City, two riders galloped on horseback, raising dust behind them.
Just when the two riders were about to reach a village built near the oak forest in front of the trade road, one of the riders suddenly tightened the reins and stopped his mount.
"What village is ahead, Brian?" The rider turned his head and looked at Brian, who was following him, then cast his eyes on the distant villages and towns and asked.
This is a middle-aged man with a solemn expression, with long black hair flying in the wind, and a few strands of white strands emerging from his neatly trimmed beard, making him look older than his actual age of 45.
"Traveling Village, Your Majesty." Brian said calmly.
There is no doubt that the rider who asked him what he said was Yazen V of the Kingdom of Cormyr, the king of Cormyr.
Recalling the purpose of the two of them appearing here, Brian also felt a little depressed.
Nearly 4 months have passed since he successfully cast the legendary golem.
During this period, in addition to spending a small amount of time traveling to the demiplane to eliminate wandering spiritual creatures and gain experience, he also stayed in his wizard tower, studying the mysteries in the scrolls of Nese, and enhancing his own strength in order to cope with the situation. The impending disaster.
Who would have thought that on a cold morning, he finished breakfast as usual and optimized the successful magic pulse cannon.
The female lord of Arabe City suddenly sent him a magical message, claiming that the king of Cormyr had appeared in his territory.
In fact, he was mentally prepared for the king's sudden visit.
Because Myrcella mentioned this to him.
But what he didn't expect was that the king chose to visit privately incognito without making any announcement.
After the two formally met in a private room in a tavern, he proposed to ride a horse with him and patrol the territory of Mokou Town.
So, they set out from Mokou Town and visited various villages and towns outside Mokou Town, as well as the fortress he established at the junction of the Stormhorn Mountains and the Distant Sea Swamp.
During this nearly five-day journey, the only thing that made Brian happy was that the orcs from the Stormhorn Mountains, who had been harassing them for three days and five days, became peaceful. A lot of portions.
However, wasting three days with this king still made him a little depressed.
Fortunately, this king is not a high-ranking person who likes to put on airs, otherwise, this will definitely not be an easy trip for him.
“It’s been such a long journey.” The king looked thoughtfully at the villages and towns in front of him, “Let’s go and accompany me on the last journey. When we arrive at Traveling Village, it’s time for me to leave. "
Hearing that the king finally revealed his intention to leave, Brian was secretly relieved.
After all, the situation has become increasingly unstable recently. Although he has been letting the wizard tower's detection system monitor the Eno Oak Desert, the Sea Swamp and the Stormhorn Mountains around the clock, But I was still very worried about enemies suddenly swarming out from somewhere.
So, at this moment, he naturally did not want to waste his time on this boring journey.
Being able to end it as early as possible is definitely the best choice.
"Thank you, Brian, for letting you stay with me for such a long time." The king said with a slightly apologetic tone:
"I can see that you are just like Myrcella. , has a deep concept of time, which is understandable. After all, people who study magic need to restrain themselves with strict discipline and calm logic. We all have our own responsibilities, and only by going all out can we fulfill these responsibilities. "
"You're welcome, Your Majesty." Brian said politely, "These are what I should do."
After three days of getting along, he has already developed a taste for this king. I know enough to know that this is a person who doesn't like compliments.
This was exactly what he wanted, after all, he was not a person who liked to say such things.
And during the chat, he unexpectedly learned something from the king that even he himself did not know.
Until now, he didn’t know that the Raul family of Arabel still had such a relationship with the royal family. At the same time, he finally understood why the Duchess Myrcella had such a deep affection for the Kingdom of Cormyr.
In Arabel's Raul family, Myrcella's father, the previous Duke of the Raul family, also had a younger brother and sister.
The old Duke's brother is not only a priest of the Church of the God of Knowledge, but also a pioneer. It was he who gathered a group of adventurers and led the Purple Dragon Knights and War Mage to establish the town of Mokou.
The old Duke's sister, Myrcella's aunt, is the queen of Cormyr.
The Red Dragon Rebellion ten years ago caused accidents to the queen and the two little princesses she led.
As for why the queen did not stay well in Susar City and appeared in the border town of Mokou Town, although the king in front of him did not say it clearly, Brian guessed the reason based on the other party's vague words. reason.
It is said that ten years ago, the city of Arabe was occupied by the orc coalition and the history of the loss of Mokou Town humiliated the Raul family. Reinforcements from the imperial capital and other territories arrived belatedly. The female lord who successfully advanced to the legendary realm in the Mage Tower reorganized her army and regained her family territory.
There are many things in this history that are intriguing, and conspirators even unearthed a lot of wild Smithsin.
Because of this, the attitude of the female lords of Arabe City towards the king was that of being disobedient to orders rather than announcements.
"Brian, do you know why the Kingdom of Cormyr is also called the Kingdom of the Purple Dragon." The king deliberately slowed down his horse and asked.
“As a citizen of the Kingdom of Cormyr, if you don’t even know about this matter, that would be a bit outrageous.” Brian nodded slightly, indicating that of course he knew.
The reason why he knew this was from the mouth of a forest dweller in the Kingdom of Cormyr in the game world.
It is said that somewhere in the Kingdom of Cormyr, it may be the wasteland or the Stormhorn Mountains, or it may be deep in the dense forest, hiding a purple dragon.
A giant dragon with purple scales was hidden in the crowd in human form, although his eyes were like two burning purple flames.
No one clearly knows the limit of this purple dragon's power, but he hates excessive deforestation and too much law and greed. He likes natural things and the beautiful scenery in the kingdom.
He hopes that his relatives can freely realize their dreams and actions.
This purple dragon is alone and independent. No one knows what he is thinking. He can be kind and compassionate, or ferocious and deadly, rescuing a missing child one moment and bloodily tearing apart an arrogant and brutal knight the next.
A long time ago, the purple dragon was born from some kind of elven magic mixed with dragon blood. No one knew what happened, and no one dared to ask.
This magic makes the creature take on the appearance of a human being. In addition, it also does other more shocking and terrible things.
It is said that when the last purple dragon dies, Cormyr will cease to exist.
Some say that day is not far away. Others - enemies of the royal family - are searching for the purple dragon, intending to kill him and bring about the end of the forest kingdom.
"The truth of the matter is not what you think." The king sighed, his expression full of thoughts, "After all, history is usually written by the victors."
When Brian heard this, his expression changed and he immediately listened.
He knew that since the king had said this, he must have wanted to tell himself the truth.
“The birth of the Kingdom of Cormyr was a complete accident.” The king said in a deep voice, “Before 1,600 years ago, the territory of the Kingdom of Cormyr was called Wolf Forest and was ruled by the Kingdom of Elf.”
“There was an elf girl named Lauralei Aravala, who was said to be very beautiful. She lived in Wolf Forest when the first humans settled in this land. Her fiancé was Thatcher, A handsome young ranger who was foolish enough to argue with a group of human poachers over whose arrow killed a bear, an argument that ended when he became the first wolfwood elf to be killed by a human.
Laurale Alavala's grief for the death of her fiancé knew no bounds, and she persuaded the Elf Kingdom's King of Wands, Ilfal Nelneuf, to help her avenge the human settlers and drive them out This land.
Before Cormyr founded the kingdom, it was she who organized the massacre of Mondal Bryce, the largest settlement established by humans in the Wolf Woods. She killed a total of 100 people before the Elf Kingdom grew tired of Lauralei's desire for revenge. After killing more than 3,000 people, her people eventually banished her to Dragonstone Island in the Sea of Fallen Stars. "
Brian recalled the meaning of the king's story, and he vaguely felt that things might not be as simple as imagined.
"Most of the content of this story has been revealed since the royal family members came of age. told them. "The king continued, "But there is more, passed down only from the chief mage of the royal family to the chief mage, and ultimately told to every reigning monarch. ”
“Because Thatcher’s murderer was Andal Obaischier, the younger brother of the founder of Cormier. When the elves took revenge, Andal listened to the call of nature deep in the woods and escaped punishment. The massacre made Andal dare not step into the elves' territory again. Who would have thought that the peace of the Wolf Forest would only last? Three years later, Lauralei, who was exiled to Dragonstone Island, used the blood of the black dragon and used the secret method of the ancient elves to transform herself into a purple dragon. She came to the Wolf Forest again and vented her anger on the people who had exiled her. . "
"Although the five high elf mages used secret techniques to imprison the purple dragon in an unknown demiplane, the elf kingdom's vitality was severely damaged by the purple dragon's ravages, and the entire family had to move to The valleys of the north for self-preservation. With the departure of the elves, Andal's brother established the first city on the border of Wolf Forest, which is now the city of Susar, and finally established the Kingdom of Cormyr with the purple dragon as its flag. ”
"The establishment of Cormyr was due to such a misjudgment. This fact has been the most closely guarded secret of the kingdom for more than 1,600 years."
Brian fell silent after hearing this. He did not ask the other party since it was Secret, then why did you tell yourself, but asked instead: "I'm afraid things are not as simple as imagined, for example, the elf girl Laurale who transformed into a purple dragon..."
"That's right." The king nodded slightly and stretched out his hand to push away the dead branches blocking the road. "When Zilong was imprisoned in the unknown demiplane, she imposed a curse of 'disaster evil spirit' on this land."
Disaster Source Evil spirit?
Brian frowned, finally understanding the root cause of why the Kingdom of Cormyr was in such trouble.
The source of disaster is an unpredictable alien creature. Death or life is not important to them. If they are killed, they will automatically transform into undead creatures.
They use magic as their energy source. They can absorb the energy from spells or magic items and use this energy to survive or perform their abilities.
Even without these supply sources, you can directly enter a dormant state and obtain energy from the magic network. It is an existence that is more feared than the Felin Demon Sunflower.
“According to the prophecy of the prophet Arando, there are seven evil spirits that are sources of disaster in this land of the Kingdom of Cormyr, and they will bring seven disasters until they are destroyed. Five of the evil spirits that are sources of disaster will One has appeared in the past, one appears in the present, and the last one appears in the future. "
Seven times?
Brian recalled the major disasters that had occurred in the history of the Kingdom of Cormyr, and suddenly found that the times were quite consistent.
Unknowingly, they had driven their horses to a forest clearing in Traveling Village, which was a resting place for travelers, adventurers and merchants.
Except for the fading music and the sound of tall oak branches swaying in the wind, the surroundings are silent.
There was a circle of carriages parked around the oak tree. When the two got off their horses, a goat tied to the carriage suddenly barked.
As if hearing the signal, the audience gathered in a semicircle began to cheer, or raised their hands to greet the poet surrounding the center.
Among the noisy crowd, an old man who looked like a wizard first appeared in Brian's sight.
Wearing simple robes, breeches and old soft leather boots, he was as weather-beaten as a tramp. He was dressed like a traveler with little money, but Brian was keenly aware of the dangers of being a spellcaster. Invisible aura.
Sandra Cote, Royal Chief Mage of Cormyr.
After thinking for a while, he guessed the identity of the other party.
Obviously, this old wizard is waiting for their king here.
"That's it, Brian." The king turned to look at him and said in a sincere tone, "Thank you again for taking time out of your busy schedule."
"In fact, I know your I understand your true identity and your true intentions."
He thought for a moment and said with satisfaction, "The most important thing is that in the territory you govern, I see an extraordinary system and a high degree of consciousness. "
The king looked at each other and the old wizard who came over, pulled the reins, and made the final addition, "If there is an opportunity, I will fully support you and promote your system to the world. Kingdom of Cormyr. Farewell, young mage lord, descendant of the Netheril Empire, I hope we will have a chance to meet again."
After King Azern V of Cormyr left these words, Along with the buzzing sound of the magic circle, he disappeared from the spot together with the old wizard beside him.
"Maybe there will be a chance to meet again."
Brian stared at the disintegrating light of the magic circle, recalling the history of the Kingdom of Cormyr that the king told him, and whispered.
He glanced at the forest glade filled with laughter and laughter, knowing in his heart that this was just the last calm before the storm.
Then, without wasting any more time, he stepped on the six-pointed star array and disappeared.
(End of this chapter)