The Magic Empire for 20,000 years

Chapter 41, Section 40: The Rebel's Oath! (4k)

Elion knew that in the original history, many centuries later, Aros, the wife of the elven chief god Corellon—later Lolth, the drow goddess and spider queen—would betray her husband.

This betrayal caused a rift in the elven pantheon of the outer planes, indirectly triggering a major civil war within the elven royal court on this planet.

This unprecedented internal strife among the elves weakened the once-dominant elven royal court, leaving it with no time to attend to other matters.

This gave humanity the opportunity to step onto the stage of history.

Otherwise, even 2 years from now, when the apocalypse arrives, humanity will likely remain a lowly race confined to a corner of the continent.

However, with Elian's return from his time travel, history has already been altered.

Elian did not intend to wait such a long time until the elves began to fight amongst themselves.

He wants to take the first step and head to another world!
The Abyss Invasion, which would have destroyed Eldoron, presented just such an opportunity—providing a natural portal for a reverse invasion of the Abyss and the occupation of a portion of the Abyss's first layer of land.

"Sirs, many spells will temporarily link to those other planes."

"You should have discovered long ago that those other dimensions beyond this world are brimming with magical energy far more powerful than the prime material plane, and naturally contain vaster lands, inexhaustible supernatural minerals, and biological resources."

"My goal is to allow Eldoron two or three decades to prepare before launching the long march to explore other planes!"

"This requires undead and constructs to carry out dangerous missions, a new team of battle mages skilled in systematic and information-based warfare, tens of thousands of spellcasters who obey the Empire's orders and serve in different departments, and a stronger sense of racial identity and national cohesion in Eldoron."

"In short, I need a great country to realize this grand plan."

"A magic education system that teaches all children without discrimination was the beginning of it all."

So that's it, this is Elian's goal...

As Guter and Helen listened, they felt a surge of emotion welling up inside them.

At that moment, Guter felt a profound sense of loss and regret!
If he hadn't orchestrated this rebellion to overthrow El-Erian, he would have had the chance to see that day come.

To see the great human race, in some ways, surpass those arrogant and conceited elves!
As a human supremacist, it's hard to imagine anything stirring Gutt's emotions more than this.

"That's it. I've finished explaining my goals."

Elian waved his hand gently, removing the illusionary projection in the air.

"My esteemed leaders, now that I have answered one of your questions, I would like to ask you a question in return."

Helen and Gutt lowered their heads, waiting quietly for Elian to ask his question.

Although they felt that since Elion already knew about Chief Prophet Cassandra's rebellion, they had nothing left for Elion to investigate.

“Gutt, you previously told me about the battle of the gods you witnessed in your childhood.”

“I remember there was a key point in your story that I didn’t know before.”

"You and Helen, were childhood sweethearts?"

Uh……

Gutt was taken aback and looked at Elian with a puzzled expression.

I never expected El-Erian to ask such a question.

"Yes……"

Helen answered first:

“Gutt and I have been friends since we were very young.”

“I see. I thought you were just ordinary colleagues in the Imperial Council. No wonder you get along so well…” Elion said meaningfully.

"Are you lovers now?" he asked again.

what?
Guter was completely dumbfounded.

What kind of questions are these?!
"Yes."

Before Gutt could react, Helen answered softly.

Chief Protector Card, watching Elian questioning Gut and Helen ahead, felt slightly superfluous and obediently lowered his head, remaining silent.

Did you have any plans or ideas about getting married before?

El-Erian then asked.

"Why ask such a question..." Gutt's lips twitched slightly.

The man with sharp eyes and handsome features gripped the soil on the ground tightly with both hands.

“Not for now,” Helen said softly, her tone tinged with sadness. “We all have more important tasks and research to do, and we don’t have time to think about these things right now.”

"That's it..."

El-Erian appreciated the slightly awkward expressions on their faces, a faint smile playing on his lips.

He knew that in the original history, the two did not actually marry.

Thirty years later, Eldoron was destroyed by the invasion of the Abyss, and the high-ranking mages fled by teleportation, scattering to various parts of the continent.

Gutt and Helen, along with their families, fled to two other small human settlements on the continent, where they established new city-states.

As high-ranking monks with lifespans exceeding 200 years, they were still capable of reproduction and left offspring in their new settlements.

Among Helen's descendants emerged a witch named Dolores. This ambitious and talented young woman, with the help of various forces, ultimately usurped the throne of the god of death, Naraku, becoming the new goddess of death, the Queen of Ravens. She became the first mortal in history to ascend to godhood.

Among the descendants of Gutt was a mage-king named "Vek'na," who, through a deal with the demon lord Orcus, became the first lich in history and ultimately ascended to godhood after the destruction of his physical body. His legacy, including the "Hand of Vek'na," the "Eye of Vek'na," and the "Book of Evil," are all renowned artifacts.

Now, with the changing course of history, these two pivotal figures in the long river of fate will most likely be born again, but their backgrounds, origins, and even personalities will certainly be different...

Pulling his wandering thoughts back, Elian looked up at the twinkling stars in the night sky and murmured:

"Oh, right, there's one more thing..."

El-Erian suddenly changed the subject without warning:

"I have a bold idea."

"I believe that Eldorum needs its own calendar, a calendar that belongs to humankind!"

"The calendar, dates, and year-counting methods used in Eldorum today are very disorganized."

"I have taken into account the trajectories of celestial bodies in the material plane and the natural laws governing the fitting and separation between various planes, and have set up a completely new and more accurate calendar!"

"In this brand-new chronicle, I plan to designate this year as the first year of the Empire."

"After all, this year marks the first year of the empire's great reforms, a year of renewal and vitality!"

Indeed, it was the first year since Elian's soul returned from the distant apocalypse...

Is it a new calendar and chronology system belonging to humankind?

As Gutt listened to Elian's words, he felt both a sense of grandeur from the epic narrative and a touch of bewilderment:
Why are you telling us all this?

It's as if we can still survive...

"Tomorrow, I will convene a brief meeting of the members of the Imperial Magic Council to propose this suggestion."

El-Erian said calmly.

"When the time comes, remember to vote to show your agreement."

what?
Gutt and Helen's eyes widened simultaneously.

The two top chiefs could hardly believe their ears, and a slight chill ran down their spines.

The bald man, Cade, who was huddled in the back, also looked up in surprise and stared straight at Elian.

Your Majesty means...

"Alright, enough talk, get up now."

“My student will be back in one minute; General Thor and his battle mages will arrive in three minutes.”

"You wouldn't want others to see you in such a disheveled state, would you?"

El-Erian turned around and snapped his fingers lightly.

Magic flows through the air, and shimmering light drifts in the wind.

Circles of light appeared on Gutt's body, and his tattered robe began to repair itself. The bloodstains on his face and chest were also wiped away by an invisible hand.

The flames that had been burning on the hillside previously bombarded by the "meteor explosion" gradually died down.

The soil moved on its own, filling the pits and covering up the traces of the bombing.

Everything was restored to its original state.

It was as if a battle had never taken place between the High Mage of Eldoron and the other three chiefs.

"Why? Why? Why! Why! Why! Your Majesty..."

Gutt looked at the human emperor's leisurely strolling back.

His eyes were blank and helpless, and his voice was almost a scream.

Just then, a large group of people came noisily from the bottom of the hillside.

It's Little Grete, who just ran away from "Elf Village"!
Behind Little Grete followed a large group of humans wearing fake pointed ears—the villagers of the elven village. "Elven Master, where are you going?"

The boy ran straight up to Elian:

"I'm back, Your Majesty. Has anything happened here?"

"nothing."

El-Erian smiled and gently patted the boy's shoulder:

"I just met the other three chief mages of the empire and discussed with some uncles and aunts the future goals and development direction of Eldoron."

“I see…” Little Grete nodded obediently, then saw Gutt, Helen, and Card standing there blankly.

They are the chief mages of the Eldorong school.

"Greetings, Your Excellencies!"

Little Gret didn't know how to address them, so he could only bow respectfully to the three of them.

Guter silently watched this scene, biting his lower lip lightly with his upper teeth, speechless.

"Alright, let those villagers go back."

Elian smiled and said to Gret.

"Oh yes."

Grete then realized that a large group of villagers had followed him out.

He waved to the villagers behind him:

"Alright, alright, we have things to do. Don't follow us. Go back to the village."

The villagers, of course, would not disobey the elf's orders. After saying many flattering words, they all left.

"Those people on the hillside just now were all wearing robes. Were they mages from the floating city?"

"It seems so. They are all humans. And the elf is so respectful to them!"

"Even the elves look down on those humans who know magic?"

"Speaking of which, our little Aylan, just a few days ago, followed the teacher who came from the sky and unleashed a zero-ring spell! Once she becomes a formal mage, will she also be able to win the favor of the elf lord?"

"..."

Amidst the clamor and chatter, the people of the elf village dispersed one after another.

Gutt and Helen watched silently as the civilians on the ground retreated, without uttering a word.

Whoosh whoosh!
Whoosh whoosh!
One after another, high-speed flying figures pierced the night sky, flying in from afar.

The twenty or thirty monks descended from the sky to the ground.

Leading the group was none other than General Thor. The others were all mid-to-high-level mages at least at the fifth ring.

"Your Majesty, we've finally found you!"

As soon as he landed, General Saul rushed to Elian and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the emperor was safe and sound.

"Your Majesty El-Erian, have you encountered any mishaps?"

Thor looked warily at the three chiefs behind Elian, who were bowing their heads and remaining silent.

Didn't they do anything?

"Have."

El-Erian said.

The three chiefs were on tenterhooks.

"Tonight, while I was strolling around the surface with little Gretel, I happened to run into the three chiefs."

"I presented my latest research findings on planar geometry to the three chiefs, discussed the future development direction of the empire with them, and proposed several initiatives."

"For example, creating a new calendar, or the empire embarking on expeditions to other planes in the future."

"The three chief scientists were very interested in my research findings and expressed their support for my plan."

That's it...

General Saul breathed a sigh of relief, his heart finally at ease.

He looked at the three chiefs standing timidly together and found that they were properly dressed and showed no signs of fighting.

Was I being too suspicious before?
So, did Gutt and the other two actually have no intention of rebelling?
Thor thought to himself.

"How about it?"

El-Erian smiled and looked at the three people behind him:
"What do you think of my suggestion to designate this year as the first year of the Empire?"

With his teeth clenched and head bowed, Gutt listened to Elian's words, feeling a warm, stinging sensation in his nose and eyes, and finally could no longer hold back.

The leader of the Energistic School suddenly stepped forward, faced Elian, knelt on one knee, and spoke in a firm voice:
"Your Majesty Elion, the Arcane Emperor of Eldoron, the greatest High Mage, the King of All Mages in the Empire..."

"I, Gutt, the chief executive of Energy Conversion, am forever loyal to you and will obey Your Majesty's every command!"

The next moment, Helen followed suit, kneeling on one knee, her voice trembling with emotion:

"Me too! I, Helen, the leader of the School of Change, will forever be loyal to Your Majesty!"

Chief Protector Card was startled, but quickly realized what was happening and followed the other two, making the same movement as before, and said in a trembling voice:
"Me too……"

"I...I will forever follow and be loyal to His Majesty El-Erian..."

General Saul looked at the three men kneeling on the ground, making their vows, his eyes filled with bewilderment.

Your Majesty, what exactly did you say to them?
"Gutt, you have declared your complete allegiance to me. So, you are willing to obey my next orders, right?"

El-Erian stood straight in front of Gutt, looked at the chief kneeling on the ground, and asked in a deep voice.

“Yes, Your Majesty, High Mage of Eldoron.” Gut bowed his head deeply, his voice filled with solemn reverence, “Please give the order!”

"Perfect timing. I have a very long-term mission. You might need to dedicate your entire future to achieving it, and it's a very difficult mission that could very well fail."

"My orders are..."

Elian waved his hand, creating a barrier that isolated the sound.

He leaned forward, lowered his head, and brought his mouth close to Gutt's ear, speaking in a soft yet stern voice:

"Go and become a god."

"To become humanity's own god, to become the guardian deity of Eldoron."

"Just like the vow you made to me with such passion 20 minutes ago."

"This is the mission you once said you were destined to bear."

Guter's eyes narrowed, and his heart skipped a beat.

The next moment, he placed his hands on his chest, lowered his head completely, and made a vow in a firm and resolute voice:

"As you command, Your Majesty!"

"Rest assured, Gutt, I will accomplish this great task before you, giving you a successful example..." the human emperor smiled.

Elion rose, withdrew the sound-blocking barrier, and turned around, flicking his robes:
"Let's go back, Thor."

"Tomorrow, I will convene an Imperial Diet meeting to issue a new decree."

“Oh, before that, I need to see Chief Prophet Cassandra.”

Behind the emperor, faintly glowing, invisible runes appeared and disappeared in the wind, transforming the three men's heartfelt oath of loyalty into a powerful contract, engraved in their souls and history...

While writing about Elion's subjugation of Gut and others, I was reminded of that phrase again—

"For a true mage, everything is a resource that can be utilized."

"Any environment or enemy that may be unfavorable to us can be forged into a sharp blade that helps us overcome all obstacles..."

This is called the unity of knowledge and action.

Of course, I could also write a story where all four conspirators were killed or brainwashed, which might better meet some people's expectations of "decisiveness and ruthlessness."

However, I believe that this ending undermines the protagonist's personal charm, the natural emotional build-up to this point in the story, and the naive, foolish yet heroic idea of ​​the Primordial Mage that "gods are nothing more than more powerful mages."

Therefore, I choose this final result.

The vow at the end of this chapter can be considered a result that balances emotional build-up with logical coherence.

………………

Of course, some people might ask, what if you really just take it easy, pretend nothing happened, and don't make any vows?

We're all adults here, so don't be ungrateful for giving me face.

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(End of this chapter)