How can you become stronger if you don't build up bonds?

Current aggro level: 912

Lin Wei stared at the line of words that only he could see, standing there motionless for a long time.

His expression remained completely calm, as if the pronouncements he had just heard—arguments that would have driven any Wallis man to the brink of madness—had had no effect on him whatsoever.

But is this really the case?

Luya, standing a meter away from Lin Wei, seemed very anxious and uneasy. She paced back and forth, trying to get closer each time, but was forced back by the emotional signals she sensed from Lin Wei.

After repeating this several times, tears welled up in her eyes.

Heartache was the only emotion she could feel at that moment.

If Lin Wei had to describe his feelings at this moment in one sentence, it would be: he's finished being famous.

The red of "Hongwen" means complete and whole.

As soon as Tina Highpelie mentioned "my hometown, Lyca," Lin Wei had a premonition that what she was about to say was extraordinary.

When Lin Wei was still an unloved illegitimate son in the Duke's mansion, studying maps and map history was his most common way of passing the time.

He soon discovered that maps from different historical periods and from different sources had completely different definitions of ownership for a small area called "Lyca" at the southernmost tip of Wallis, which directly bordered Hossman's territory.

Both Wallis and Hossman officials consider that territory to be their own.

However, the maps issued by the Holy Church kept changing. For example, an update a hundred years ago said that the land belonged to Hossman, and fifty years ago it was changed to Wallis. When Lin Wei, who was not yet six years old, found the latest version of the map, it simply defined the area as a "disputed area" and no longer concerned about its ownership.

You can feel the exhaustion of the mapmakers just by looking at the words.

As a time traveler, Ke Linwei was naturally sensitive and serious about this kind of territorial dispute.

He quickly began in-depth research in the Duke's library and archives, and combined this with information from some of the servants in the mansion, which led him to a relatively accurate conclusion.

Regardless of which side interprets the map, it clearly states that this so-called "disputed area" is not a resource-rich area and contains no natural resources that would warrant the attention of national authorities.

The only thing that can be called a resource is its population.

However, due to its naturally disadvantageous geographical conditions, the Leica region only had a little over a thousand residents at its most prosperous period in history, at most defining it as a town.

To the west are rocky, barren mountains, and to the east are swamps. The arable land is small and discontinuous, and there are even rumors that this is a typical ominous place.

For over a century, no one who could be considered a talent has ever emerged from here. The people living here are often frail and sickly, and their spirits are low.

There are even more exaggerated claims that ordinary people's luck will turn bad if they go there, and they will have to return to a prosperous area to recover for a long time.

Lin Wei, of course, dismissed this claim, believing it to be a classic case of reversing cause and effect and spreading misinformation.

That area is a gathering place for vulnerable groups.

From Lin Wei's perspective, he felt deep sympathy for those who were homeless and forced to gather in Lyca Town due to war, plague, or demonic disaster.

The rulers of Wallis, the Kreddy royal family, seemed to share similar ideas with Lin Wei.

Regardless of their inner thoughts, their actual actions deserve the description "commendable".

For over a century, successive Wallis kings have implemented numerous supportive policies for Lyca, hoping to fully integrate the residents of this region into the kingdom's embrace.

The residents of Lyca Town truly felt the sincerity from the Northern Kingdom and were willing to accept Wallis's rule and become King Wallis's subjects.

However, just when everything was going according to plan, something unexpected happened.

The Kingdom of Hossman in the south immediately sent troops.

As Wallis's centuries-long enemy, they would never allow Wallis to so easily formally incorporate Leica into their territory.

If Wallis were to make Leica a stronghold against Haussmann, it would pose a huge threat to Haussmann.

The war between the two countries, which had been dormant for decades, broke out again quite abruptly.

Unfortunately, Wallis was significantly weaker than Hossman in terms of military strength at that time.

Furthermore, caught off guard by Hossman's preemptive strike, even though the hundreds of residents of Lyca Town were on Wallis' side and did their best to support Wallis during the battle, they still could not achieve their wish of belonging.

Wallis was forced to cease hostilities and negotiate with Hossman. The Holy Church mediated the conflict, and Wallis eventually withdrew his forces from Lyca town on the condition that the Hossmans would not purge the residents of Lyca.

This day was incredibly dark for the residents of Leica.

Although Hossman won and nominally took control of the Lyca town area, they actually had no interest in the barren land of Lyca.

As the militarily stronger party, they had no need to use Lyca as a military stronghold to defend against Wallis.

Strategically, all they need to do is prevent Wallis from getting Lyca Town.

Moreover, the Hossmans deeply resented Lyca Town's assistance to Wallis's army during the war.

Even though the higher-ups signed the agreement, the soldiers below continued to carry out covert retaliations against the residents of Lyca.

After setting up reconnaissance outposts, Laika Town was ruthlessly sidelined by Hossman, and the residents of Laika Town returned to their previous impoverished circumstances.

It's even more bitter than before.

Lin Wei had to admit that his fists clenched when he read this part of history.

Later on, the historical conflicts surrounding Laika Town were not so acute, leaving only a heavy burden.

Wallis never actually gave up on Lyca; he simply shifted to a covert maneuvering.

For example, at that point in time fifty years ago, Wallis's military strength had improved, and Hossman was experiencing internal strife. At that time, King Wallis decisively mobilized his army, intending to resolve the Laika issue in one fell swoop.

But this time, the Hossmans made a completely unexpected response.

They directly dispatched spellcaster units to bombard the barren mountains surrounding Lyca Town.

The town of Laika, which already had a harsh living environment, has now suffered an even heavier blow.

Hossmann executives went so far as to say:

"Any misstep you make in Lyca will only invite more intense bombing. If you don't care about the lives of the people of Lyca, then go ahead and do it."

Hossmann's shameless strategic deterrence precisely hit the Wallis regime's biggest weakness—virtue and trust were the foundation of Wallis's state and the root of its cohesion.

Noble character was something every Wallis king had to possess.

Wallis was once again forced to withdraw his troops.

Subsequently, the Holy Church intervened again to mediate, and Hossman was not allowed to use the lives of the residents of Lyca as strategic threats. Lyca was nominally under the jurisdiction of Wallis, but Wallis was only allowed to provide assistance and development to Lyca, and was not allowed to carry out any military construction.

The then-King of Wallis accepted the treaty.

Later, Hossman completely resolved the internal strife and restored the country's strength, and friction between the two countries has never ceased since then.

Hossman's side seemed to have figured out that Wallis would always suffer losses in the Laika issue, so they repeatedly sabotaged Laika's production and construction in secret to attract the attention of Wallis's defense forces, thereby gaining the upper hand in other conflicts.

This situation persisted for many years. Even though the supreme ruler of Wallis, the king, never publicly expressed a pessimistic view of the situation in Lyca Town, the prevailing opinion in the capital city of Fengdu and other developed cities was already overwhelmingly in favor of Wallis.

Lyca Town is a burden on the kingdom.

Such a weakness should not be left when dealing with the brutal and evil Hossman army.

The kingdom has done more than enough for Lyca; now it is their turn to make sacrifices and defend Wallis's dignity!

It was during this period that rumors began to spread widely that Lyca Town was a land of misfortune.

Apart from members of the royal family, the entire nation of Wallis regards it as worthless. Some regions are even preparing to jointly petition the king, requesting that he abandon Lyca for the sake of Wallis's centuries-old foundation, and that the petitioners themselves bear the sins of this abandonment.

The king never agreed to the request until the lich calamity struck the continent.

The town of Lyca was completely wiped out by a high-ranking lich.

Countries also temporarily set aside all friction and conflict and devoted all their efforts to resisting the lich invasion.