Durin's Diary

Chapter 1026 Five Lakes Connected

Dulin smiled as he accepted the elder's touch.

"I'm relieved to see that you're alright."

He smiled and took out a box containing pastries made from powdered World Tree fruit: "This is just a small token of my appreciation."

"You're such a good child." She smiled, sitting in an oak chair, her hunched, old flesh wrapped in a lead-gray wool dress.

The skirt hem reached her ankles, with tassels hanging from the folds, and a floral fabric neck warmer adorned the neckline. The clothes were old, but the delicate patterns still revealed the exquisite craftsmanship of the northern kingdom of art.

The old lady's face resembled a crumpled piece of parchment, with wrinkles spreading from the corners of her eyes to her temples. Her silver hair was coiled into a bun on top of her head, and her eyes were cloudy, yet still somewhat lively.

She wore a brooch on her collar.

Dulin had seen this brooch before in that house—every woman behind every male member of the Corleone family in the hall wore this brooch, its purple gemstone seemingly weaving the scene into a scroll of history, slowly unfolding before Dulin.

“It’s my duty to give you food. My brother can’t come back to be with you because of his great career; my sister is also busy, she has her own life, and I have my own path…” Dulin sighed after saying this in one breath: “I should have let my sister come back to be with you during the holidays, but her talent is obvious to the naked eye, and the masters of the Mage Tower are eager to nurture her.”

“I know, there’s no need to apologize to me, child.” The old lady withdrew her hand and gestured for Dulin to pull up a chair.

Dulin pulled up a chair and sat down next to her.

Her hands were folded in front of her chest, her knuckles swollen from rheumatism, which is normal in the north, but she was still wearing her wedding ring on her finger.

Like the brooch on her chest, Durin had also seen similar rings in paintings.

It has been passed down from generation to generation, and eventually it should be passed to Brother Poole and given to his wife.

She looked up at the distant harbor, her cloudy pupils appearing as if veiled in mist.

A whistle could be heard from across the harbor, signaling a skilled and daring captain directing his ship to dock.

As the whistle blew, light burst forth from afar, immersing the entire harbor in a greyish-white chaos. The black night was fading away, leaving only the light moving forward.

The bells of the Everlasting Fortress rang precisely on time, signifying the end of yet another cycle of day and night.

“When I was young and hadn’t married him yet, my home was near the harbor. Every morning when I woke up, I could see the same view through the window of my room. It was the same yet different, day after day, year after year.”

The old lady's words were filled with reminiscence of the past. She smiled and pointed into the distance: "Back then, my father told me that I would soon get tired of such scenery. I didn't believe him, because to this day, I haven't gotten tired of it."

At this point, she glanced at Dulin.

“My child, I have always tried to downplay our identities. I know about the deal my child made with the Duke of Lublin, and I understand why the descendants of the Corleone family would join the revolution. I am heartbroken by Roy's sacrifice, but I also understand that only in this way can the Corleone family pay back the blood tax. Every family was responsible for the collapse of the First Commune, including the Corleone family and the Walter family. We all bear the burden of blood debt, and blood debts must be repaid with blood…”

She fell silent at this point.

Dulin nodded. "I understand. Just as I know my own identity, but I must also consider the Elsh family... When my grandmother, father, and mother used me as a commodity to pawn off the Duke of Elsh, I shouldn't have addressed you that way anymore." "Yes, child, I'm already very grateful that you called me that even once." The old lady's face was full of joyful smiles; at this moment, she was extremely content.

“When I was little, I wondered why I was treated like a commodity from a young age, because I didn’t think a duke’s daughter would marry a vagrant. But when I learned about my background, I was incredibly surprised because I couldn’t understand why my father would do such a thing. He was the heir to a count’s title and should have had a bright future. It wasn’t until I read a history book about the Northern Kingdom in the Great Library of the Grassland Elves that I learned what Northernism was, what the First Commune was, and why it came to an end.”

"Child, tell me, how do you understand this?"

Dulin looked at the distant harbor. At this moment, the silhouettes of leaden gray ships on the berths represented the presence of the ships, while the lights that were on indicated that the stevedores had begun their work. Their shouts came from the fog, carrying a distinctive southern accent.

"The First Commune is still the same First Commune, but the people are no longer the same. You see, a hundred years has passed, which is enough to pass on to three or four generations. I heard this view in Changtang: the first generation breaks through suffering, the second generation witnesses suffering, the third generation hears about suffering, and the fourth generation has no suffering."

The old lady laughed, wiping the corners of her eyes with her laughter.

"This is the blood debt we must repay, my child. We betrayed our ancestors, our principles, and our path. So when the allied forces of the kings returned, few people were willing to believe in us anymore."

A waiter came over with a blanket. He recognized the people sitting there and immediately bowed his head: "Madam, young master, what would you like for breakfast?"

"Prepare two breakfasts for me and my grandmother, mine should be larger," Dulin said, gesturing for the young tall hoof to leave.

The old lady sighed, "You shouldn't call me maternal grandmother."

"It's better than being called 'old woman' in front of outsiders, isn't it?"

Dulin's witty remark made the old lady laugh, and in the end she nodded: "Whatever you say, child."

Just then, the sound of the anchor chain being pulled came from the fog. The early morning ferry sounded its horn, startling many creatures. Seagulls cried out and flapped their wings as they flew past Dulin and the old lady.

Behind them, the distant cathedral bells rang out for morning prayers.

The old lady's eyelids drooped, and she sighed.

"You are better than your brother."

"My brother is doing well too."

"But he harbored unrealistic ideals. In this era, ideals without substance are not worthy of living." As the old lady said this, she covered herself with the blanket left behind by the tall young man.

“I once begged all the gods to let my grandson live peacefully in this world, even if he were to live as a grassland spirit.”

At that moment, her aura suddenly ignited.

"who are you."

She asked.

(End of this chapter)