Durin's Diary

Chapter 8: A calm sea is also a miracle

After dinner, my grandfather left home, saying that he was going to the telegraph office to call an old friend in Copenhagen.

He wanted to prepare an official identity for Durin - Fabien had previously refused an official identity, which also led to the fact that after his disappearance, the grassland elves were unable to force the secret police to hand him over through official channels.

Old Ish couldn't let his grandson take any more risks.

Du Lin also hopes to have such an identity, so that things will become easier in many cases.

So Yi Xu decided to let his grandson study in the Northern Kingdom as an international student, and at the same time be responsible for rebuilding the intelligence department.

Du Lin thought about it and realized that the military in the Eastern Elf Territory would not like Du Lin going to a place like the Engineering College. Then he thought of his own little dream and said, "If possible, I want to learn how to make movies. Is that okay?"

"As for art? I believe the Council of Elders will agree." At this point, Old Yishi smiled and nodded: "No problem, I'll help you contact my old friend."

After bidding farewell to his grandfather, Du Lin sat on the sofa and read the newspaper in his hand. In this era without mobile phones and computers, Du Lin's life at night was only reading newspapers, listening to music played on the gramophone, or inviting a few friends to play cards.

It’s not that there aren’t other forms of entertainment, but no bar in Lublin Town or Lublin City would let Durin in. The Elf Territory was very strict in this regard. Maybe other grassland elves could get away with being cute, but not Durin—the Little Master of Lublin, the eldest grandson of the Elsh family. Durin was so well-known in the Lublin area that even without his face printed on gold coins, countless people in the territory would know him.

So it was impossible for him to drink secretly with his friends, because no bartender would dare to sell him alcohol. After all, everyone is afraid of the Silver Dragon riding on their face afterwards.

It was even more impossible to go to other entertainment venues opened by the descendants of escaped slaves - speaking of escaped slaves, everything in the Eastern Elf Territory seemed very primitive to Durin. There were no dishwashers, no washing machines, and everything had to be done by oneself. Even the maids wore ancient long skirts, with no skin exposed.

But in the eyes of those fugitive slaves, the Eastern Elf Territory had one good thing - there was no slavery. Although there was no slavery in the southern part of the human world, there were slave mercenaries in the south who would capture fugitive slaves and collect rewards. In the Eastern Elf Territory, such people would usually be hanged on the gallows at the entrance of the village.

Although this land is vast, people cannot enslave one another here. Even runaway slaves who work as indentured laborers receive wages.

Here, the temple often only charges cost for treatment, and even provides free treatment for runaway slaves and indentured laborers who have no money.

Every year during the harvest festival, the lord gives everyone a small gift.

Everyone had enough to eat, and even runaway slaves who had signed an indenture could save their wages and work hard for ten years to redeem themselves as free men.

Even two people who are in love can get married freely with the approval of each other's lords. Even if they are clumsy, spend a lot of money, can't make money or save money, as long as they can have five children, they can still be free.

There are also schools that accept escaped slaves and their descendants, and teach them to use the common language of humans and the language of the grassland elves.

In the hometowns of these escaped slaves, their ancestors were all slaves, and even reproduction was designated by the slave owners. Only the strongest slaves were worthy of having multiple offspring. They and their children were nothing more than commodities and tools... but not human beings.

Therefore, the hard days that Du Lin saw were like heaven to them.

It's ridiculous, right? But this is reality.

So in the Eastern Elf Territory, the descendants of escaped slaves gathered together to talk about how to have better opportunities to make money, or whose master is better, or they wanted to join the army to obtain the status of free citizens more quickly.

Turning my attention to the newspaper, there was no fresh news in the paper, and the news that ordinary people could see did not contain any intelligence. The first page was always talking about the same old things, saying that humans were terrible slave owners; the second page was always lecturing, saying why the Engineering College had not launched any new weapons in the past five years, and whether there were fifteen old guys who were just sitting there doing nothing.

Du Lin thought to himself, I have drawn several sets of drawings for the college, but either my materials science is not up to standard or they are too advanced to be displayed. Not to mention me, even the fifteen old guys at the Supreme Round Table of the School of Engineering who are just sitting there doing nothing can do anything about it.

On the third page, Du Lin saw brand new content - the newspaper said that the old king of the Northern Kingdom was ninety-seven years old, and it was said that there would be a very grand celebration ceremony when he turned one hundred.

That's right, humans are notoriously short-lived. This king is said to be a warrior and was injured in battle in his early years. It is not easy for him to live to be a hundred years old.

What interested Du Lin the most was that the reporter ended the report with a sentence: May His Majesty Robert Walter live a long life and enjoy a hundred years.

Please, he is already 97 years old. In your words, are you just expecting him to die in the next two years?

But judging from the name, Royce Karpinski, a standard Northern Kingdom surname, it is obvious that he must be a descendant of escaped slaves or immigrants. They are naturally indifferent to everything in the Northern Kingdom, especially the so-called king.

These fugitives and immigrants from the Northern Kingdom truly wished their king and his family would be wiped out. After all, they all called the king a traitor, a phrase Durin had heard so many times in his twelve years here that he was practically numb to it.

Du Lin was a little curious about how this traitor was called, but he was not so curious that he had to die.

Putting down the newspaper, Du Lin stood in front of the mirror in the hall corridor and looked at himself in the floor-length mirror. The two Du Lins were still one standing and one sitting.

It turns out I wasn't dreaming.

Just as I was feeling emotional, I heard the sound of the door being pushed open.

Du Lin raised his eyebrows.

His grandfather's return trip was much faster than he expected.

Walking out of the corridor, Du Lin stood in front of his grandfather.

"I've asked Robert Walter for you. It's no problem. By the time you get there, I believe the Copenhagen First Academy of the Arts will have a film program. You can just enroll there. There's an old friend of mine there. You can just call her Mrs. Salin. The dean is Sean, a half-dwarf and halfling, and also a good friend of mine."

Perhaps feeling a bit worried, Old Ish started to name some dishes. "If someone bullies you and I can't get there right away, go find Karl Malone in the Mage Tower or Joel Nelson in the Adventurer's Guild. I baptized the sons of both of these old guys, so they'll definitely help you. If they don't, I'll kill those two old bastards."

Sure, it's easy since they're all acquaintances.

"There's a ninety-seven-year-old man in the newspaper, also named Robert Walter."

Thinking of this, Du Lin asked curiously again.

"That's Robert Walter... Also, don't trust this clueless old fox too much. It's best not to believe even the punctuation. If you try to outsmart this kind of person, I'm afraid you'll suffer, okay?"

Although he didn't know what his old Ish would say, Du Lin still nodded obediently.

However, just like the names of the previous dishes, it seems that his grandfather has a good relationship with the king - old Ish even calls him an old fox without eyes, if he calls him the king, that would be really strange.

"The world outside is big and dangerous. Remember to protect yourself when you go out." At this point, Old Yi Xu reached out and patted Du Lin on the shoulder: "Grandpa doesn't want to lose you."

"Don't worry, a true wise man will never let himself be stupid to death. As for me, you still don't believe in your grandson." Du Lin replied with a smile.

This answer satisfied Old Ish. He glanced at the pocket watch he pulled out of his pocket and said, "It's getting late. I need to go back to the city to take care of some official business. You should get some rest. Anta should come to see you tomorrow. Don't get up late. Take the initiative to go find her."

Du Lin nodded in agreement.

Indeed, as a gentleman, you should not let a lady take the initiative.

(End of this chapter)