Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 481 The collapse of the empire is just around the corner.

When humans think, God laughs.

Why?

Because the two are at different levels.

Humans at the lower levels are limited by their knowledge, and their thinking often appears laughable to those at the higher levels.

The so-called gap between upper and lower classes is not only a difference in the essence of life, but also a difference in social class and lifespan.

For example, the most famous joke at Dongda University is about an old farmer who has lived in a village his whole life and has never been to the county town. His most extravagant imagination of the emperor is to use a golden hoe to hoe the ground.

Ridiculous, isn't it?

However, we cannot laugh at the old farmer, because the fault does not lie with him.

However, we need to be more careful not to force those in the upper class to condescend or compromise themselves to adapt to the living conditions of those in the lower class.

For example, mayflies, whose lifespan after metamorphosis is only one day, desperately seek mates and reproduce from the moment they are born; this is the nature of life.

must.

Humans should never reduce themselves to breeding machines because of this. Not to mention humans, even a cricket that can only live for a year would not be in such a hurry.

Xia Zuo was human in his previous life, and most of the Xia Zuos who shared his memories were also human.

But he himself is an elf, and no matter how much he dislikes the elves, he must take the elves as his presupposed stance and starting point for thinking about problems.

Since the lifespan of an elf starts at a thousand years, their thoughts and consciousness must naturally match that lifespan.

The future world belongs to humans, and the elves will inevitably have more frequent contact with humans, thus destined to meet outstanding talents among them.

Frillie has come of age.

According to the customs of the Elven race, Frilian can now live independently.

As her guardian, Shazo needs to take her to Oisaster to complete her coming-of-age ceremony in the presence of Celie.

100 years have passed, and many things have changed.

For example, the Paterson Empire grew to its peak, with its territory centered on the central plains, extending south to include the Holy City and north to the permafrost wasteland.

Humans not only filled the northern plateau, suffocating the dwarf kingdom, but also clashed head-on with the Demon King's army, resulting in several large-scale wars.

The Northern Cult fully pledged allegiance to the Empire, contributing greatly to its expansion and internal integration. Taking advantage of this, the Pope physically annexed the Southern Cult, reaching the pinnacle of his power.

However, as the empire expanded, humanity's centripetal force began to be unable to suppress centrifugal force.

Especially with the fourth change of emperors, the Paterson family lost the throne, and the empire began to show signs of division almost the instant the fifth emperor ascended the throne.

In particular, many noble territories in the northern part of the Central Mountain Range developed powerful military forces during the war with the demons and showed the strongest tendency to split.

Meanwhile, the church, which was deeply intertwined with the empire, also began to show signs of division as the empire crumbled.

In contrast, the magic associations, which began as an absolutely loose platform, expanded to every city in the empire, and were successfully integrated as generations of magicians were drawn to the allure of magic.

The mages learn the same basic magical knowledge and are divided into five levels based on strength and knowledge, establishing a ranking system.

The number of mages is quite large now. Although not enough to form a mage legion, they can certainly be deployed to every unit of the Imperial Army.

Perhaps the core reason why the Magic Association surpassed the Church is that it directly controls violence.

However, these are all changes from a macro perspective; the situation is different from the perspectives of Shazo and Frilian.

The next day, after the two elves set off, Frilian, who hadn't left her house in 47 years, was stunned, and her exclamations never stopped.

"Wow, humans! So many humans! My eyes are going to spin!"

"You have trypophobia. It's okay, you'll get used to it after looking at it more often."

"Why is there a village here? How did we end up in a town?"

"With more humans, you'll need to build more villages."

"Mr. Xia Zuo, the roads are so well-maintained now. As long as you know the direction, you can just follow the road to your destination."

"Yes, humanity's achievements in construction are indeed remarkable."

"Why are there so many carriages? The dust they're kicking up is making me all covered in dust, it's so uncomfortable."

"Haha, there's nothing we can do about it. Humanity's rise to power is still too short; we can't pave all the roads with cobblestones."

Gradually, Frillie fell silent.

After a long while, she sighed softly, "Human empires are truly powerful."

When night fell, Frilian was even more surprised to find that there was no way to camp in the wild.

Because all the land on both sides of the road had been cultivated, they either left the road and went far away to camp in the wilderness, or they paid to stay in hotels.

Frillie's eyes were filled with tears: "Mr. Shazo, what should we do?"

Xia Zuo suppressed a laugh and replied, "Of course, we'll stay in a hotel."

Frilian: "But, but I don't have any money—"

Xia Zuo finally couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter: "Don't worry, little Frillie, I have money."

After settling in Frilian, Shazo maintained the habit of going out for several months each year to search for and observe the birth of demons, so he did not become out of touch with the rapidly changing world.

Xia Zuo skillfully led Frilian to a suitable inn, checked her in for two rooms, and paid two silver coins for the room.

Frilian had no concept of value, but after enjoying a hot bath, carefully prepared food, and soft, clean bedding, she realized that two silver coins were quite valuable.

Because Xia Zuo often taught her that the essence of value is the labor that ordinary people put in, and labor is a combination of three aspects: seriousness, time invested, and skill level.

The next day, after breakfast, as the two elves continued their journey, Frillian remarked, "Staying at the inn yesterday was so comfortable."

"I'll have to find a way to make money so I can enjoy life properly—oh dear!"

Xia Zuo withdrew his right hand: "Of course, we have to find ways to earn money, because there are more and more things that can be bought with money. Not to mention cities, even some bustling towns can sell magic materials and magic books."

"However, enjoyment should be done in moderation."

Frillie rubbed her head and asked, "Huh? Why?"

Xia Zuo replied, "Because the foundation of human prosperity is no longer solid, the human empire may be able to see the meteor shower three years from now, but it will definitely not be able to maintain itself until the next one."

Frillie mumbled, indicating that she couldn't understand.

During the rest of their journey, Shazo pointed out to Frilian the various signs of the impending collapse of the human empire.

For example, the increasingly tall and sophisticated military facilities within the empire, as well as the growing number of privately established checkpoints and tax stations.

For example, there were noble soldiers with bright armor and excellent weapons, and imperial soldiers with old and rusty armor and weapons.

For example, the nobles' flags in various places were hung at the highest point, while the flags representing the empire were hung at the lowest point, or the empire's flags were not hung at all.

Frillie gradually came to understand.

Imperial pills!

Xia Zuo sighed, "Prosperity is built on the foundation of order. When the human empire collapses and disintegrates, it will inevitably lead to a massive chaos, and the current prosperity will cease to exist."

"At that time, the roads, inns, and carriages we see now will be greatly reduced, making it difficult to enjoy hot baths."

Frillie looked utterly desperate: "What are we going to do?"

From frugality to luxury is easy, from luxury to frugality.

Although Frilian has only been enjoying human civilization for less than a month, she can already imagine how painful it would be to lose it.

Shazo asked with a smile, "Little Frilian, you can develop magic."

"For example, there's the [Hot Spring Heating Magic] that can turn a stream into a hot spring, the [Clothes Cleaning Magic] that can clean clothes, and the [Magic Hut] that's similar to the Druid spell I use to build a small cabin."

"Magic is the most convenient tool; why should it be something so inconvenient?"

Frillie nodded: "I understand, Mr. Shazo."

This is the ideology that Xia Zuo has been instilling, so naturally it can be accepted by Frilian.

Because she found it very interesting, she quickly came up with concrete ideas.

That evening, in her hotel room, Frilian completed the [Magic Tent], a spell that could provide warmth and protect against cold winds, mosquitoes, flies, and snakes.

Xia Zuo tested it briefly and then cautioned, "The comfort level is indeed quite good, but the defense is very poor. It can be destroyed by any slightly stronger beast. It's only suitable for use when someone is on guard."

Frillie nodded slightly, looking troubled, and said, "There's a problem with the basic magical structure I envisioned; the defensive strength is insufficient."

"I'm not going up."

Xia Zuo said, "It's okay, we can improve it gradually."

"Actually, the [Magic Tent] is quite practical and suitable for adventure teams of three to five people."

A few days later, the two elves approached the capital, but as soon as they arrived at the riverbank, Xia Zuo keenly sensed the unusual atmosphere.

Today, the capital city is much larger, with a population of over 20, and bridges have been built across the smaller river, making it a super city spanning the river.

Not far along the river towards the ferry crossing, Xia Zuo saw two wooden bridges spanning the river.

They were also surprised to find that the bridge was densely packed with people, and these people were holding weapons and torches, and there was a tense standoff.

Xia Zuo gasped: "The fact that such an armed standoff has broken out in the capital shows that I overestimated the empire's cohesion and underestimated the influence of the Paterson family."

"Frilian, let's take a detour. We absolutely cannot get involved in humanity's civil war."

Shazo pulled an exceptionally large greatsword from his briefcase, slung it over his shoulder, and instructed Frilian as well:

"Bring out your magic wand."

"Yes, Mr. Xia Zuo."

Frilian nodded solemnly, freed her magic wand, held it in her right hand, and then followed Shazo westward along the riverside path.

Xia Zuo wasn't the only one with a keen sense of danger; businessmen among humans were equally sensitive to it.

Not long after the two elves gave up crossing the river, a merchant driving a horse-drawn carriage caught up with them.

The chubby merchant was overjoyed to see the two elves and warmly invited them to ride in his carriage.

Frillie was puzzled, but Shazo smiled and asked, "It's not appropriate to expect us to ride in your car without any explanation, is it?"

The portly merchant laughed heartily: "Don't worry, Mr. Elf, I will pay you."

Xia Zuo and the merchant spent a few minutes negotiating the price before taking Frilian into the carriage.

Once the carriage started moving again, a bewildered Frillie asked in a low voice, "Mr. Shazo, why do we have to pay for our ride?"

Xia Zuo chuckled and flicked the greatsword on his back, replying softly, "Because of my height and this greatsword."

"When order is chaotic, the merchants are the most worried and the most likely to suffer losses. They want the protection of force, especially force like mine that looks very powerful, which can scare away those with ill intentions."

Frillie suddenly realized, "Oh, I see. I understand now."

With horse-drawn carriages, they covered a full 200 li (approximately 100 kilometers) in just one day, leaving the chaos that had erupted in the capital far behind.

The merchant finally felt relieved and pointed to the fork in the road, saying, "My lords, going north from here leads to Oisast."

After receiving their payment, Shazo and Frilian parted ways with the merchant.

The merchant continued westward, while the two elves turned northward.

They continued their journey for five more days and finally arrived at Oisaster, the headquarters of the Magic Association.