Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 112 Stars and Dragons, and the Vanished Empire

"The Lord of the Mountains?"

Thales was taken aback: "How come I've never heard of this before?"

“Because this deity has no human representative, it has neither temples nor churches,” Putila explained with a light laugh. “There are very few credible accounts of its manifestations; it exists only in stories and legends passed down orally among the people. For travelers in the mountains and fields, worshipping the Lord of the Mountains is more about a sense of security and peace of mind while traveling far from home. The gifts of the mountains are more like a ritual that helps travelers overcome the harsh cold.”

"Passed down by word of mouth?"

"In the era of the ancient empires, the Lord of the Mountains was once the common belief of all mankind. Not only us Northerners, but also you—the Ludor people who established the empire in the center of the world, the Cairnsa people of the Thornlands and Dragon's Kiss Lands in the southwest, the Bone People of the Great Desert, the 'bandit' Nieda people of the Near East, the Kiseri people who herded livestock on the Eastern steppes, the dark-skinned Red Earth People of the far south, and the Kassa people who roamed the islands. Except for the Far Easterners, almost all mankind knew and acknowledged the existence of the Lord of the Mountains," the old man Caslan said, taking a sip of ale behind the bar.
"But now, even in the North, this simple faith can only be found in the rural areas where people are honest and simple... The name of the Lord of the Mountains has disappeared—just like countless precious North traditions—all that remains are the temples wrapped in power and money."

"The Ludors and the Northerners?" Thales lowered his head curiously, taking a bite of the next piece of bread. "I remember, the title of the Supreme King of the Stars..."

“Yes, we all know that,” Viscount Cambida, advisor to the Duke of Lombard, said with a sarcastic laugh, “‘The overlord of the Ludors and the Northlands of the Western Continent.’ But I sincerely suggest that, in Exter, the latter part can be omitted—the Northlands have never acknowledged your rule over us.”

“As far as I know,” Putila retorted sharply, “two-thirds of the North Province during the ancient empire was within Exter, and the remaining third was in the Star North—those Star People also called themselves North People and acknowledged the High King’s rule over them.”

“That’s the problem,” Viscount Kambida tapped the bar thoughtfully. “The Northland belongs to the people of the Northland. Why should it belong to the stars? Why should it belong to the rule of a Ludor king?”

Thales suddenly realized that "Northland" refers to the Northland Province during the ancient empire a thousand years ago, a geographical concept, while "Northlanders" is a human race that existed and lived on this land before the establishment of the empire. As for "Ext," it is a country established after the final war, and its significance is far less than that of "Northland," let alone "Northlanders."

Just as Starry Sky is a nation that only existed after the final war, the humans living on this land were actually called "Rudol" thousands of years ago, and they seem to be the main ethnic group of an ancient empire.

Today, the Northlanders and the Rudolphs live together in the Black Sand Territory of Exter and the northern border of the Stars.

Thales lowered his head and inadvertently noticed the wheat residue that had settled in his glass. He suddenly remembered the Sunset Bar in the underground street of Yongxing City's XC district, the carefree female bartender Yara, the fierce-looking fat cook Edmund, and the bar owner who had only appeared once or twice.

"Why? Because of history," Putila said calmly. "To this day, whether in Black Sand Territory or the North, the Rudolfs and the Northerners have lived together for many years and are no longer distinguishable from each other."

“Hmph, that’s the land and people you stole from the North,” Kambidar retorted. “For example, Coldhold two hundred years ago, and Lonely Tower three hundred years ago—your North is our South!”

The tavern owner, Caslan, listened to the dispute between Cambida and Putila and couldn't help but burst into laughter, which others found incomprehensible.

Thales felt a chill run down his spine: So this is what the Exter people are thinking?
He immediately understood when he recalled the attitude and behavior of the soldiers when he first entered the Lombard camp.

The stars must defend their northern homeland, while Exter must reclaim the borders belonging to the northerners.

It's ironic that both sides are fighting for their own sense of justice.

These are sounds he can't hear in the Star Kingdom.

“If we’re really going to talk about ‘the North belongs only to the people of the North,’” Putila said, chuckling softly, “the Aarond family of the Starry North was once a royal ducal family that managed the entire North for the Emperor for a thousand years…”

"Hmph, the Star People's pointless pride," Viscount Kambida sneered. "In the end, you still want to go back to that ancient empire that has been extinct for so long, don't you? You still miss the supreme power and glory of the Pegasus Throne, miss those emperors who could make the whole world tremble with a wave of their sleeves, miss that era when you could spread out a map of the country's borders from one end of the room to the other?"

"The Empire is undoubtedly the most precious legacy, the most glorious chapter, and the most powerful existence in human history," Putila replied coldly. "Even though it no longer exists, its brilliance has endured to this day and has never faded."

“Ha! I almost forgot!” Kambida raised his hands and laughed sarcastically at Thales: “‘As long as the stars remain, the empire will endure,’ is that right, Your Highness?”

Thales shrugged and smiled in response.

“Don’t joke about royalty,” Putila said coldly. “His bloodline once stood at the top of the world, witnessing the rise and fall of mankind.”

"Bloodline?" Kambida snorted heavily.

“The people of the North do not believe in bloodlines. The hero who can carry the nation and the people is naturally the king,” the Viscount of Exeter said solemnly as he narrowed his eyes. “And listen carefully, Your Highness, the empire ruled by your so-called imperial family has left the world with nothing but chaotic nightmares!”

“Uh, thanks for the tip,” Thales said awkwardly, scratching his head and chuckling dryly. “That’s a really novel idea.”

“Novel?” Cambida stared at him and said calmly, “Have you heard the story of Quesso Lumba, Your Highness?”

"Queso Rumba? The ancestor of the Rumba family? The rebel king?" Thales replied with great interest.

“You don’t need to hear it from the mouth of a local duke’s subordinate…” Putila was about to speak when he noticed Thales raising his hand with interest, stopping him in his tracks.

“Please continue, Viscount Cambida,” Thales said with a smile. “I am interested in all knowledge.”

Putile and Cambida both glanced at Thales in surprise.

“Do you know Grand Duke Trudida of the Rebuilt Tower? One of the ten Grand Dukes of Exter,” Cambida pondered for a moment, then said quietly, “The Rebuilt Tower is adjacent to your Lonely Tower and is ruled by the famous Trudida family of knights in the history of the North. Their family crest is a radiant sword blade.”

“I don’t know much about it, sorry, I’m only seven years old,” Thales shook his head awkwardly, “but I’d love to hear your explanation—what happened to the Trudida family? And what is their connection to Quesso Lumba?”

“It’s not about the Trudida family, but their territory, the Reconstruction Tower and its surroundings,” Kambida sighed. “It’s the far east of the North, and one of the entrances to the Sighing Mountains. In the ancient empires before the continental breakup, the Reconstruction Tower was synonymous with barbarity and chaos—do you know why it got its name?”

Thales shook his head cooperatively.

“That place was once a prison and execution ground for the ancient empire. People who went there needed to be ‘rebuilt’,” Kambida shook his head and said, “The Reconstruction Tower… unfortunately, most of the prisoners inside did not come out alive, thus failing to rebuild their lives.”

Thales nodded thoughtfully.

“And in the ancient empire, a famous man was imprisoned there, Quesso Lumba.”

Thales frowned slightly.

Quesso Lombard.

He knows this man.

At least this is what Gilbert mentioned in the world history he was filling in for him—Quesor Lombard, the “Rebellion King” of the North.

The man who ushered in the first major civil war in the ancient empire.

In the book, however, he is a bandit who roams the Great Needle Forest of the North. During a robbery, he accidentally kills an official of the Empire and is captured by the Empire. His accomplices then attack the execution ground and rescue him.

Knowing he could not escape the Empire's pursuit forever, Quesso, having nowhere else to turn, decided to take matters into his own hands. Taking advantage of the Northlanders' discontent with Duke Arend's oppressive rule, he spread rumors to divide the Northland, stirring up a storm of chaos and embarking on a path of rebellion against the Empire. His rebellion was ultimately easily crushed by the Empire's legions on the side of Lonely Peak.

But this also triggered the empire's first internal strife, which escalated rapidly.

But today, Kambida told him a completely different story.

Kanbida said calmly, "It is said that the Rumba family are descendants of Takmu, the first ruler of the North, from the primitive era before the orcs invaded."

“More than 1,500 years ago, Quesso Lumba was just an ordinary lumberjack in the Northern Province of the ancient empire. However, he was highly skilled, generous and righteous, and helped the poor and weak. He was very famous in the local area, and even the ducal family of the Northern Province, the Arend, knew of such a person.”

"That was the so-called most glorious era of the empire—the elves compromised with the empire, the dwarves became artisans, the orcs fled to the glaciers, and the dragons disappeared, leaving only the Far East unconquered."

"Thus, when the Empire's campaign to conquer the Far East was in full swing, Quisso was conscripted into the army. He was filled with the supreme honor and pride of fighting for the Empire and gladly went to the battlefield. Quisso was brave and skilled in battle, and because of his prestige among the people of the North, he rose through the ranks until the Empire conferred upon him the title of Earl of the Empire and appointed him as a general of the North Legion."

Thales felt a chill run down his spine.

This story is completely different from the one he remembered.

"Thanks to the efforts of Quess and the other legions, the Far Easterners were forced to retreat in defeat, trapped in a lonely city. Only the Qilin Holy City, with its soldiers and food exhausted and lifeless, was about to fall. It seemed that the empire's great feat of unifying the world was about to be realized."

"Thus, the emperor, immersed in supreme hegemony, became increasingly excessive and unreasonable in his desires. His demands seemed endless. The conscription of laborers never ceased, and the tax burden increased day by day. The northern provinces, as the best source of soldiers, were the first to bear the brunt."

"The people of the North could no longer endure it. They began to resist taxes, to evade corvée labor, to drive away the emperor's tax collectors, and to confront the authority of the empire with anger and curses, rather than with enthusiasm and obedience."

"Therefore, the Duke of Arendt—the Emperor's servant—could no longer collect enough taxes or labor, and there were even frequent incidents of tax resistance: even the Arendt family's army was repeatedly defeated."

"The empire's servants then devised a plan: to find the most renowned man in the North—Quesor, the commander of the North Legion who was on leave and recuperating at home—and have him persuade his people."

Kaslan sighed, while Putila remained silent.

Kambida continued:
"They urged Quetzal to become their colleague and go with them to collect taxes and labor, but Quetzal did not agree; they then urged Quetzal to issue a proclamation to persuade the people of the North to submit to the Empire, but Quetzal did not agree; they then invoked the name of the Empire and ordered the Empire's generals to help them find the rebels in the North, but Quetzal did not agree."

"That's what Quesso said: 'I am loyal to the Empire, but I am a Northman.'"

"The emperor eventually found out about this."

"The Emperor has sent an edict, containing only two words," Kanbida said calmly, his eyes turning icy cold.
"Choose one."

Thales felt a chill run down his spine.

choose one.

empire.

Northland.

choose one.

"What the people of the North knew next was that Quesso was exiled to the Tower of Reconstruction until he proved his loyalty to the Empire again—the Emperor could not tolerate his general failing to do so."

"But for a whole year, Quesso did not budge, and at the same time, the people of the North who learned of the news were even more indignant."

"Finally, the emperor, who heard daily reports of grievances from the people of the North and endured the Duke's apologies for insufficient tax revenue, grew tired of Quesso's toughness and decided to take action against him, using punishment and fear to intimidate the people of the North and reaffirm the majesty of the empire."

"So Quesso Lumbar was taken to the execution ground."

"There, he watched helplessly as his son was beheaded, his wife was hanged, his daughter was strangled, and his friend was whipped to death... all because Quesso refused to obey the emperor's decree!"

"Finally, when it was Quesso's turn, the enraged Northmen and Quesso's men stormed the Tower of Reconstruction, stormed the execution ground, killed the Imperial soldiers, and rescued Quesso."

"The news shook the entire North. People took up arms again, donned armor, and gathered around the dying Quisso—but this time not to serve the Empire, but to rebel against its tyranny." "You know the rest of the story, of course..."

Thales savored the story—it was so different from what was written in the Starry Night books.

“Yes,” Thales murmured to himself as he pondered, “the rebel king fought to the very end, with his last three hundred men…”

But in the end, Cambida still surprised Thales.

“There’s only one difference,” Kambida interrupted him, a glint in his eyes: “There’s no ‘fight to the end’.”

Thales was taken aback.

"Quesso had no intention of fighting at all—he disbanded most of the rebels from the beginning, and only led the last three hundred loyal men in a final charge against the three legions on the side of Lonely Old Man Peak. That was the only battle of the so-called Quesso Rebellion."

"Isn't this more of a silent complaint against the emperor than a rebellion against the empire to which he has been loyal all his life?"

"After Quisso's death, every household in the North lit candles and honored him as king according to the ancient rites of the time of kings—the King of Rebellion, a title that Quisso probably would never have wanted to bear until his death."

"This is the story of the rebel king Quesor Lombar... a story familiar to many Exter people."

"Do you understand now, descendant of the emperor?" Kambida said calmly, "What exactly did the empire leave behind for the North?"

Kaslan watched Thales's reaction with great interest.

Fortunately, everyone else was sitting at a round table some distance away from them; otherwise, Thales estimated that it would soon have been another brawl between the Starfolk and the Exterfolk in the tavern.

“A carefully crafted story,” Putila chuckled. “I’m curious how you know the Emperor’s edict so clearly, down to the last word?”

"Go ahead and mock me, Imperial man, all you ever think about is the glory of the Empire," Kambida continued, his eyes filled with disgust.
"What has the empire given to the world? Endless military conscription and war, and immeasurable heavy taxes. From West Tao Cliff to Red Earth, from Thorn Land to the Far East, the empire's brutality and harshness are known to all."

"The greedy and corrupt high-ranking officials and petty bureaucrats, the cruel and oppressive rule of the ignorant masses, the so-called great human empire has long been rotten to the core, from top to bottom, from the inside out, from the Pegasus Throne to the expeditionary legion, from the royal guards to the city gate officials."

"The escalating ethnic conflicts and the ugly, dark religious oppression—how many people died under the unreasonable torture of the Imperial Secret Army, and how many died under the guise of heresy by the Church of the Bright God? Do you know that primitive beliefs such as the Lord of the Mountains, the Sea Maiden, and the Heavenly Father of the Grasslands disappeared under the prohibition of the ancient empire and in the conspiracy of the emperor and the Church of the Bright God?"

"And there's the Northern Knights' Temple, which was forcibly demolished by the emperor a thousand years ago... It was the cradle and holy land of knights, a legendary place where humanity fought together against the ancient orcs in the North!"

“Imperial people,” Kambida took a sip of his drink and sneered, “Stop comforting yourselves with past glories. While you’re ecstatic about this false prosperity, you have no idea how ugly your position in history is.”

“Keep holding onto that idea, but history cannot be changed, even now,” Putila said dismissively.

"I only see your carriages speeding along the roads built by the empire, relied upon by everyone from the king's outings to the people's departures from home;"

"Your currency is minted according to the gold, silver, and copper standards established by the Empire. These small coins stabilize your national economy and people's livelihood, preventing a regression to the era of the princes."

"Even with your many northern accents and customs, your language and script still originate from the ancient and common language of the Empire. From birth to death, you speak of the culture and traditions preserved and carried forward through the Empire."

"Your painting, poetry, and music all draw nourishment from the splendor of the imperial era, and you must acknowledge this, no matter how Exte may be called a cultural wasteland."

"Your army uses the imperial system of legions, battalions, guards, and squads, and your nobility uses the imperial system of dukes, earls, viscounts, barons, and lords... Without the empire, the North would probably still be a piece of scattered sand, backward and barbaric!"

"What does that prove?" Kambida interrupted him bluntly: "To call what the Empire forcibly imposed upon us a gift, and to be complacent about it..."

"Imposed?" Putila seemed to be provoked as well: "The knights of the Northern Kings joined Emperor Comorra Carother's ranks at almost the same time as the legions of the Chauvin Kings. You were the Emperor's earliest supporters and the most active swords and blades in the establishment of the Empire!"

“Very well,” Kambida said coldly, “Now, we, the children of the North Wind and the Dragon, no longer need that evil empire. We are self-reliant—please put away your imperial pride, Imperials.”

“I’ve seen plenty of North Winds,” Putile said casually. “As for the dragon, if you’re referring to the one embroidered on the Exeter flag, well, the material is quite good.”

"The significance of the dragon on the Exeter flag lies not in its existence, after all, we do not rely on a legendary beast to protect this country," Kambida said solemnly.

“But that represents the faith and spirit of our nation when Exter was founded. It is the revelation that the hero of the North, Nekaru, left us in the final battle—strength, patience, robustness, resilience, pride, perseverance, and,” Kambida glanced at the people of Starfall, then picked up his glass and took a big gulp, smiling meaningfully, “Never give up… even to a behemoth like the Empire.”

"And what do you have left?" Kambida sneered. "The Star Kingdom is just an antique. It has no meaning to exist in itself. Its reason for existing is only to bear witness to a past history and to revive a country that has been extinct for a long time."

"If you call passing on humanity's most precious past 'summoning the soul'—well," Putila shook his head dismissively, "at least we care about these things, and what do you Northlands have left? You accuse the Empire of demolishing the Knights' Temple, but the truth is, by now, the so-called Exter, the so-called Northlands, have even lost the 'Northern Military Swordsmanship'!"

Just as Cambida was about to reply, Thales let out a long sigh.

"do you know?"

Cambida and Putilae both turned toward the second prince of the stars.

“Whether it’s Putila or Viscount Cambida,” Thales sighed deeply, “although one is a Starman and the other an Exter, I’ve found your two greatest commonalities in your less-than-pleasant encounter.”

Putile and Cambida were both taken aback.

"So what is that?"

Surprisingly, it was the tavern owner, Caslan, who had been watching the spectacle unfold. He nodded with interest and asked Thales, "What do we have in common?"

Thales raised an eyebrow and shrugged:

"When you two meet, even though you each speak from your own standpoint, you both only have the same thing in your minds."

"The most unoriginal thing."

Putila looked puzzled, while Kambida frowned slightly.

"empire."

"Thales said softly."

He took the last bite of bread.

Putila and Cambida were both stunned.

"Hahahaha..." Kaslan clapped his hands and laughed, "What an interesting conclusion! What's the second common point?"

“The second one, um,” Thales muttered, biting into his black bread, “those two, despite talking so much about the Empire…”

"But in fact, none of them had ever seen what the empire looked like—neither the final empire six hundred years ago, nor the ancient empire more than a thousand years ago."

Kaslan's laughter grew louder and louder.

Putila and Cambida's faces darkened simultaneously.

“Well said! The second prince of the stars!” Kaslan slapped the table with glee, laughing as he looked at Thales: “They’ve never seen the Empire!”

“Thanks for your support,” Thales shrugged. “On the one hand, this shows that the Empire’s influence is indeed profound. As for the other hand…”

He looked helplessly at the two arguing individuals: "You're arguing using your imaginations..."

Putile and Cambida were both taken aback.
“What you’re arguing about is probably the empire you each imagine,” Thales said, shrugging. “That imagined empire is probably something you’ve built up based on everything you’ve encountered in reality, your feelings about the present, your evaluation of the empire, and your views on history.”

The two people arguing then exchanged a glance, turned their heads, and stopped looking at each other.

"Take it easy, kids."

Old man Kaslan shook his head: "Ancient legends, a glorious past, lost history, sacred traditions—who remembers them now, except for the boastful nobles and pedantic scholars? But this thing," he pointed to the door:
"The gifts of the mountains can keep young men from freezing and starving to death when they go out in the cold winter... That's enough. It is useful to people, and that gives it its meaning. The master of the mountains has not disappeared. It lives on in every crevice of our extreme cold, and in the gratitude of travelers who take food from the trees."

“And dragons and empires,” Kaslan scoffed, “are the same thing.”

Putila and Cambida fell silent, but their expressions were grim.

Thales flashed a bright smile.

"Snap!" Kaslan snapped his fingers.

"Thump!" The bartender, a scarred man named Brein, whose face was pale and who looked like everyone owed him money for drinks, slammed a glass of wine that was clearly different in color onto the bar and pushed it in front of Thales at the owner's signal.

He glared at Thales before turning back to the kitchen.

Thales looked up in surprise.

"The finest rye liquor, a special supply from the Hero's Tavern!" the old man said casually under Thales's surprised gaze. "It's rye liquor provided by my old comrades in the Weilan Territory, and it's limited daily."

"It's not about the cheap stuff they drink—it's because of what you just said!"

Thales stared wide-eyed at the white-haired old man, then looked down at the wine in his glass.

"Don't hesitate, kid! Drink it all!" Kaslan showed off his strong, powerful right arm muscles, which showed no signs of aging: "The standards for judging a good man are, first, how powerfully he swings his axe, and second, how heartily he drinks!"

“Uh… a man? I’m only seven years old…” Thales stared wide-eyed at the wine glass, which was the size of his head, and awkwardly offered the same excuse he’d used to the Grand Duke of Black Sands: “You know, children shouldn’t drink alcohol, it’s bad for their health…”

“That’s nonsense!” Kaslan flicked out a thumb and his yellow teeth.

Under Putila's almost blackened face, the old man immediately slapped Thales on the shoulder with unrestrained force, causing the latter to stagger: "Seven years old should drink even more!"

"Kids, you'll never grow up if you don't drink!"

It wasn't until I met old man Kaslan that I finally discovered why Thales never grew up!



(End of this chapter)