Back, Asanok returned to Kor Vanas after four thousand years.
Asanok's reaction gave Darkus a feeling that he didn't know what to say. The word colonization was not a good word in his previous life. In other words, it was even a bit taboo because of the pain of history.
Colonization means reproduction, and colonization means that powerful countries immigrate to the conquered areas and plunder the interests of the original local people. However, the meaning of colonization has also changed in each period. In the Western Age of Discovery, colonization was a process in which a large country sought and obtained possession of economically, politically and culturally underdeveloped areas abroad. In modern times, it means that capitalist countries have expanded their economic and political power to underdeveloped countries or regions, plundering and enslaving local people.
However, in Darkus' view, the colonization of elves has nothing to do with this. Instead, it is full of classical and primitive flavor, just like ancient Greece. The Greek region has rugged coasts, numerous islands, and numerous good harbors. The Mediterranean climate is mild and pleasant, and the marine resources are extremely rich. However, the terrain in Greece is also fragmented, and there are no fertile river basins or open plains. Mountains and rivers divide the land into small pieces, resulting in a lack of cultivated land, barren land, frequent food shortages, and prominent contradictions between man and land.
At the same time, the ancient Greeks had more advanced navigation technology than other peoples of the same period, so they had the courage to enter the ocean, enter the Mediterranean by boat, and establish new settlements far away from home.
Colonies then evolved. The founders of colonies in ancient Greece either fled the conquests of their conquerors, failed in civil strife and fled, or the Greek city-states resolved the crisis due to excessive population growth and were assigned to colonies, or they were exiled due to political failure. Persona non grata. But in general, these colonies served the mother state, consolidating trade relations, and developed over time. At their most prosperous, there were Greek city-states and small-scale settlements from Iberia at the western end of the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. trading site.
As for oppression and exploitation, the interests of plundering the local people existed at that time. The local people exchanged grains, dried fish, wool, slaves for products such as handicrafts, wine, and oil from Greece. The kings and nobles of Scythia extracted a large amount of high-quality wheat from local residents and transported it to Greece, making huge profits from it. Greek middlemen also made a lot of profits from it, but the arrival of the Greeks also brought civilization to the local area!
After the Great Invasion of the Middle Ages, when the elves colonized, the facts changed again. The word Elsin Alvin means wilderness in the Elsalin language of the elves. Except for the dwarves in the mountains, the people in the wilderness The only indigenous people are dragons, greenskins and beastmen... The elves and dwarves only have confrontation and war with these indigenous people. As for the objects of exploitation? Humanity? Humanity officially entered the old world when the elves withdrew from Elsin Alvin after the War of Revenge, and the dwarves entered the Age of Sadness after the Longbeard War. They officially debuted after the elves and dwarves ceased their activities in the old world.
Now, Asanok reacts as if he is an ancient Greek who first came to Marseille in France from a Greek city-state. He is very, very familiar with Marseille in ancient Greece. After all, he participated in the construction and was a ruler. By. Then due to various reasons, like the falconer in the Odyssey, he has lived until now. However, during this long time, he did not walk around the world like the falconer, but instead lived in seclusion.
Now, when Asanok returned to Marseille, everything was completely different. The place was still the same, the river was still the same, but it was completely different from what he had experienced and seen before, and earth-shaking changes had taken place. . The splendid buildings of the elves disappeared and were replaced by human buildings.
After lingering for a while, the team continued to set off. Darkus was riding an elf war horse from Lauren Loren, wearing Enil's clothing, and only brought less than fifty companions. He took most of his companions with him. Stayed in the Dragon Forest. The purpose of his coming to Altdorf was very simple. He wanted to go to the city to inspect the city in the name of Enil. He wanted to see where the upper and lower limits of Tzeentch were, and to communicate with that strange man, and then nothing happened. , he expected to stay in Altdorf for no more than a week at most.
As for establishing diplomacy with humans, signing trade agreements, etc., there is no such thing. Things done in each period and each stage are different. Now there is no trace of King's Landing in Ulthuan. It is too early to talk about this. In his opinion, attending a drinking party held by human dignitaries has no meaning and is a pure waste of time. Elves see humans as monkeys, so humans see elves as not monkeys? Being watched like a monkey by humans... this matter should be left to Finubar, and according to the information he received, when Lauren Loren temporarily did not welcome the Asul mission, Finubal chose to go south, and It's through the Gray Mountains to get to Athel Loren.
Seeing the mountain and running away is like the ancient general who saw the spire of the inner city but could never reach it. Fortunately, Darkus' team was flowing smoothly, and no troops from other parts of the empire were blocking them. At dusk, the team finally arrived at the north gate east of the Reik River. The road was crowded with humans coming in and out of Altdorf. , elves are unique among the crowd, and it is difficult not to be noticed. He is a little numb under the curious and prying eyes of humans.
Just as the procession was filing into the city, lights and lanterns began to light up throughout the city. The guards lit the brazier at the door, partly to keep the soldiers warm, and partly to check the people entering the city. The situation in the empire is not stable now. In addition to the Three Emperors era, there is also a vampire war. During the conflict, anyone will be killed. I doubt it, but fortunately they are not Darkus and the others. They are the immortals that humans call them, and are not within the scope.
The only special person in the team was Genevieve. She was a higher-ranking elf spellcaster, so the guards and the witch hunters next to her didn't notice anything unusual about her at all.
After entering the north gate of Altdorf, you will find the northern city of Altdorf. To the right after entering the door is the legendary magic center, which is the Tower of Wolan, the Amethyst Academy, the Gray Academy, the Bright Academy, the Gold Academy, the Blazing Academy, Sky Academy, Emerald Academy, Arcane Towers, and the Elder's Abode. To the left are Wolfert, Königsplatz, Thousand Bottle Alley, Docklands, Neusgerd, Great Markt and the Isle of Death.
The North City is busy and noisy. The greatest commercial center of the empire is located here. It is also the final destination for humans entering the city through roads or rivers.
Dakoos could see the city's residents using every available piece of land to grow food, using almost every space. The soil on their balconies was filled with leafy vegetables and fruits that served as home kitchens. A kind of supplement, but he felt that these products were a little malnourished and a little wilted. Maybe it was a problem with the soil and chemical fertilizers? Maybe the surrounding buildings are blocking the sunlight? But overall it's better than nothing.
On the left after entering the door, that is, in the north of Altdorf City, there is the Tower of Wolan. Wolan was the first human to learn magic from Teclis. It was built under the order of Magnus the Pious as the earliest magic institution, but As the scale of human spellcasters expanded, various colleges began to be established in Beicheng District.
However, Darkus came at the wrong time. Teclis, Magnus and Volan were not born at this time. Naturally, there is no Volan Tower, but the University of Altdorf does exist. Even before the Academy of Magic was founded, Ulthuan scholars visited the University of Altdorf as guest lecturers. Most of these "professors" are secret agents such as the Swordsmen of Hoth, whose mission is to recover lost scrolls and artifacts for Ulthuan.
During the twenty years that Teclis taught human magic, Phoenix King Finubar sent many scholars to broaden human understanding of astrology, mathematics, and philosophy. This was a necessary prerequisite for deepening the theory of magic. Some academic missionaries Scholars even settled in the city, living in the university district and serving as advisors and supervisors.
Altdorf's spiritual node was too powerful to be left unsupervised, and it was difficult for human apprentices to master the simplified version of Elsalin, so humans paid Asul a fee to act as a tutor to teach those human apprentices. But... these things are all out of the question now. What will happen with the appearance of Darkus...
Darkus had dismounted, and he entered the future mage area, near the future Tower of Volan, but it was now a bustling slum, shrouded in greasy smoke from thousands of pigment burning furnaces and tanneries. The floors are stacked on top of each other, with the upper shadows of each building suspended over the street below, so that the narrow, twisting alleyways are completely enclosed and filled with shadows from the floors above. He could even feel that if the two people in the window above wanted to, they could make physical contact with the people in the window on the next building opposite.
At first, it was fine when the team walked along the main road, but as they went deeper into the winding streets, they began to narrow, and they had to walk in a long snake formation. Darkus can clearly feel that these local residents know how the streets work, just like ordinary people who enter a village in the city and beat the wall, but people who have lived in the village all year round know which gaps can be passed through and which roads can be taken shortcuts. .
The local residents, who may have been born in some soot-filled basement, knew the intertwining alleys well, while those who came from out of town needed some proper help. Fortunately, there was Enil in the team who knew how to get to where the team was going. .
A courier stood on the street corner. She was dressed as a courier, with a herald's collar on her chest. She held a leather briefcase under one arm. She glanced back and looked at the fairy people walking towards her, but she was no longer surprised by the existence of the fairy people. She turned her head and looked forward, and then looked back. Darkus felt her Determining the direction you should go in.
Darkus also looked back. In addition to seeing his companions, he also felt confused and slightly nauseated for a moment. In his eyes, the street when he came had changed. The street that was supposed to lead here had changed. The passage turned into a street with a vertical angle of 90 degrees. In a daze, he no longer looked at the street, but continued to look at the messenger.
Then a passerby in leather overalls stopped and spoke to the messenger, with a condescending look on his face, as if he were talking to a very stupid person about something they should have known.
However, what surprised Darkus was that although the messenger had shown irritation and impatience, he did not care about the passerby's attitude and listened patiently to the passerby's instructions on what she should do.
Then the messenger frowned again, trying to understand how this narrow alley, just a shoulder-width gap between two walls, could possibly lead to the street on the other side of the building she was standing on, or, after turning left at the exit , how could she find herself facing the direction she came from, she had no idea whether her destination should be in front of or behind her now.
Passers-by just smiled contemptuously, then shook their heads and hissed.
When Darkus got closer, he heard the conversation between the passerby and the messenger. It turned out that the messenger was lost... He couldn't comment much. Maybe there were many reasons?
After the messenger thanked the passerby, he walked towards the gap he pointed at, and he waved as if sending away an annoying child. He took off his wide-brimmed hat after seeing Darkus. Darkus noticed that he was bald because he was bowing to Darkus. Darkus ignored him or even nodded to him. Darkus' attitude was not at all concerned, and he kept bowing to the immortals who came later.
"I really don't understand. Why did you choose this crappy place? Isn't it good for him in Xicheng District?" Darkus cursed secretly as he walked to the left of the elf war horse, riding the reins with his left hand and holding on to the saddle with his right hand. The hilt of the knife, the trident hanging diagonally on the saddle is faintly ready to be fired. After marching for a while, the team came to the end of the road and entered a small square. The buildings surrounding the small square were vague and looked like they might collapse at any time. The small square is probably the oldest place in the area, and what puzzles Darkus is that it is still paved with stone slabs that have not been stripped for building materials or tombstones. The shallow rectangular pond in the center of the square is also free of garbage or dirt. .
It seems that the vendors have regarded this square as their own home. The square has its own mode of operation. The vendors sell different things, including cow and horse leather freshly produced in the leather workshop, medicines that can cure all diseases, and gadgets. Or spices. There are more daily necessities needed by local residents, and a young human like a scholar is leaning over the table, writing letters according to the customer's requirements. A group of children ran across the square, playing an unknown game, chasing each other and screaming.
Although the sun has not yet completely set, the square is like those twisting and narrow streets, sky and light are scarce, and only at noon can the sun reach the unnaturally clear water of the pond.
The team had already arrived, and Darkus, who had put down his guard, began to wander around. He came to the stall filled with meat and took a look. The stall owner was an elderly woman, using a blunt-curved knife. The blade of the knife scraped off the flesh, leaving it oily and smelly. When she saw him approaching, the woman put the knife down and bowed to him.
Darkus had no intention of communicating. He nodded to the woman and left, walking towards the vendor next to him. By the time the team was settled, it was already completely dark. There was no intention of lighting torches in the square. As night came, it seemed that the square was about to become a dangerous place. The vendors selling various items began to close their stalls and leave, returning to their safe homes.
Compared to the Forest of Dragons, Darkus believes that Altdorf is also full of dangers. Everyone has a different perspective and standpoint on things. In his eyes, Altdorf is an area full of corrosion. For most of the old people, Altdorf is an area full of corrosion. In the world's cities, the harshness of living conditions is directly proportional to the size of the city. Almost no city is clean and warm. All he sees is overcrowded space and poor people eager to improve their lives.
The miserable urban life leads to the comprehensive spread of human evil, which in turn spreads despair, anger, jealousy, etc., and this is the source of Chaos Corruption. After hating the injustice of fate and witnessing the luxurious carriages and palaces of the rich and powerful, negative emotions such as resentment, pain, and self-loathing gradually occupy human hearts. Most people seek relief from religion, while other groups of humans allow negative emotions to ferment, giving rise to gangs and cults until they mutate. The more people in an area, the greater the chance of mutation and spread.
Darkus, who was no longer thinking, came to a vendor selling magic medicine that could cure all diseases. The result was just as he expected. The vendor looked like a Mongolian doctor. When he saw him coming, the miracle doctor stood up and shook his hands. Drugs from Arabi. He didn't pay attention to the miracle doctor or the magic medicine in the hands of the miracle doctor, but came to the pool. It was difficult for him not to be attracted, because all the spellcasters in the team were standing around the pool, observing and sensing.
"Although this place has changed beyond recognition, this pool is still standing here." Asanok sighed after seeing Darkus arrive.
Darkus glanced at the pool first, then looked at Asanok. When Asanok nodded, he also nodded. He knew why it was like this, and it had to be like this.
The weirdest place in the future Altdorf Mage District is where Darkus is now. At least six intersecting spiritual vein nodes have created a place hidden in the folds of space. The mark only appears every few decades. Once, only briefly, it appears in the pool during certain star alignments and the evil moon Morsrib is consummated in the night sky.
A place composed of six intersecting spiritual vein nodes must be extraordinary. In the future, this area will be composed of a group of strange buildings, obelisks and statues. In the center of this mysterious mixture, there is a main body composed of a main pyramid and two subsidiary pyramids. Unlike the neighboring buildings, these three pyramids belonging to the Academy of Light are not built of stone, but are works of art of light itself, made of some strange translucent materials, neither large nor gorgeous, as if such a very important one The organization has become extremely simple and simple.
But for creatures without second vision, this building complex is completely hidden. In fact, only one of the pyramids in the complex is critical. The other two only serve as auxiliary and daily cover. The main pyramid extends far away. Far beyond the visible range, it leads to a vast underground complex, a place that exists only in the folds of space, a place that existed long before the founding of Kor Vanus.
In human terms, the pool leads to a place in the folds of space, which is the Ancient Holy Sanctuary...
One of the purposes of Darkus coming to Altdorf is to visit this Ancient Holy Sanctuary. He asked Aldo before he came. Sanok asked if there was anything special about Kor Vanas at that time. Sanok told him about the existence of the pool.
Let’s gather some other information. For example, on the other side of the small square, directly opposite the pool, an independent building covered with flowers and plants and wrapped in vines stands there.
"It's very smart. Whenever a certain time comes, I think the vines on the building will definitely rise." Belloda, who is proficient in heavenly spells and can pull down comets from outer space, looked at the pool for a while and then started to look up. He looked at it as if he was looking for something in the sky, then pointed to the roof of the independent building and said.
"To block Morsrib from shining into the pool?" The elves were either thinking or observing, and the atmosphere fell into a brief dull moment. After a while, after seeing the look in Franais's hand, Alyssa ran out of words to find something to say.
"Yes!"
Darkus looked over with the faint light. At this moment, the roof of the single building did not block Morslieb. It may be like Beloda said, at a specific time, the building Only objects will block the moonlight, so that the pool can be protected and not be discovered by the surrounding human residents.
For the human residents living in the square or the northern city area, it is not a good thing to find an abnormality in the pool. In addition to causing panic, it will also cause some bad things, such as attracting the attention of wizards, wild mages and cult followers. , after all, the pool is at its weakest at certain times and during the full moon.
And that single building is the team's foothold in the city of Altdorf, and it is Enil's contact point in Altdorf. Enil, who is active in Altdorf or comes from Lauren Loren, will choose to stay here. At the same time, it could monitor abnormalities in the pool and silently protect humans in disguise. It was not until more than three hundred years later, with the appearance of Teclis and Magnus, that the rise of the Academy of Light replaced Enil's foothold.
"Forest House?" The sign outside the building had words written in both Elsalin and Reik languages. Darkus, who was approaching, looked at the sign and read it out. He felt that the name was too cliche.
The size of the team was just in line with the configuration of the Forest House, and it would not be able to accommodate any more. Darkus did not choose to bring any luggage, and they would only stay for a week in total. He could not carry the Anvil of Doom in and let Altdorf's Imperial Dwarves You see, even if the relationship between the empire dwarves and the mountain dwarves is not good, it is the anvil of doom. In addition to the equipment, the most valuable thing in the team is the pure-blooded war horse of the elves.
For the imperial guys, nothing can attract their attention more than the pure-blooded elf warhorse. Bretonnian hybrid war horses are a treasure to Bretonnia, almost a national treasure. The highest royal decree strictly prohibits the export of these gorgeous animals outside the kingdom. Imperial guys can only ride imperial horses that are not as good as hybrid horses.
To be honest, Darkus admires the Cloudwalker family of Lindyalok. At the same time, he can better understand Lindyalok's dissatisfaction with Marist. After the signing of the Treaty of Leaves, the situation in the Frostfall area was particularly special. In a complicated situation, Cloudwalker was able to protect the Elf War Horse and prevent the Empire from taking advantage of the loophole, which is really amazing.
"It's been arranged, and I can't wait to have some fun." Maranur nodded to Darkus, who was leaning over, with a hint of excitement in his tone.
As arranged before, Maranur mobilized thirty elves to take turns guarding the elf war horses in this complex environment to prevent the elf war horses from flowing out of their hands. These elf war horses were either obtained from Nagas. What Ross transferred to the Lustria continent was either obtained from Asul during that operation. The rest was exchanged by Darkus and Lindyalok, using fifteen cold lizards for thirty elf war horses. He did not want the elf war horses to flow out of his hands, and the horses would be gone early the next morning.
In addition to the pool within easy reach, the Moor Gardens not far away is also a place suitable for adventure.
Darkus shrugged in response. He just wanted to eat something good now, then take a hot bath and lie on the bed and have a good sleep. Traveling through the Dragon Forest was very uncomfortable for him. He slept in a tent every day. There is no condition for taking a shower. Moore's Garden? It was said to be a garden, but it was actually a cemetery. He might be able to get some things, but he was not interested. He should leave this kind of fighting to Ren and Genevieve.
I'm not feeling right today...there are too many messy things to look at.