Jobless Reincarnation: Live Seriously Even Without Transfer Events

Time: Autumn of the 680th year of the Kakuryō calendar

[Opening Remarks]

Hello everyone.

There's a saying that goes, "History is written by the victors, but the truth of history is proven by the vanquished." The history we're going to talk about today—the Anemoi and Bereas dynasties—is a classic example of a history written by the victors and then constantly rewritten by those who came after.

In the year 424 of the Gatling calendar, a woman ascended the throne of Asura. In the year 675 of the Gatling calendar, a man abdicated the throne of Asura. Over two hundred and fifty-one years, seventeen monarchs (or nineteen if you include the regent prince who never claimed the title and the posthumously honored "Commoner Emperor"), a great nation rose and fell, flourished and declined, and perished. This story contains intrigue, war, reform, and betrayal, but at its core, only one question remains—

What is power, after all, for?

Lecture 1: The Last Powerful Minister at the End of His Line – The Beginning and End of Gravel's Regentship

(I) The last fierce man of the old era

In the late autumn of the year 423 of the Ankylon calendar, news spread through the capital city of Asura: the old king was dying. At the same time, another piece of news was quietly spreading among the nobles: the first prince, Gravel, was to become regent.

Gravel was an anomaly in the four-hundred-year history of Asura. He was neither like those incompetent and foolish princes, nor like those gentle and refined crown princes. He was more like a knife—sharp, cold, and indiscriminate in its dealings with friend and foe.

After he came to power, he did three things, each one of which was ruthless and damaging.

First thing: deal with Darius.

Who was Darius? A cunning old fox who had served as vizier for over twenty years, with his men throughout the court and the country. What would Gravel do? He wasn't in a hurry. He first heavily relied on Stark Zephyrus, then promoted Rudyus Boreas, waiting for Darius to lower his guard before suddenly turning on him—within a single day, the vizier's residence was besieged, Darius committed suicide, and his entire faction was wiped out.

The second task: to quell the rebellion in the territory of Milbots.

Rob Notos Grerat, known as "First Soldier of Asra," rebelled. Gravel personally led a large army to besiege the city, fighting for nearly half a year before finally capturing this wine city. The price? The territory of Milbots was devastated, with a post-war reparations payment of 300,000 gold coins, and the people forced to sell their children.

The third thing: to force the magicians to use the city-destroying magic "Dragon's Breath" on the city of Grep.

How powerful is this magic? Seventy years ago, during the naval battle between Asura and Milis, a single "dragon's breath" leveled a port city. Gravel used it against his own country's city—simply because there was a lord there who refused to surrender.

Having read this far, you might be thinking: How can this person be so ruthless?

But this is Gravel's logic: power is not for negotiation, but for crushing.

(ii) Why did he lose?

But the most ironic thing about history is that this ruthless prince of the regent kingdom ultimately lost to a woman.

In the year 424 of the Ankylosaurus calendar, Ariel Anemoi Asura descended from the sky, riding the three-headed dragon of the Ankylosaurus king Percius, and flew directly into the Silver Palace. Gravel's 20,000-strong royal guard crumbled instantly upon the sight of this fire-breathing dragon.

Gravel was imprisoned and disappeared from historical records.

What does his failure illustrate? It illustrates a simple truth: power that relies purely on violence will eventually be replaced by even greater violence.

Gravel spent his entire life calculating gains and losses, believing that power was a sword, and whoever had the sharpest blade won. But he forgot: true power must have legitimacy. You kill Darius, and the nobles fear you; you slaughter the city of Greppe, and the people hate you; you mistreat your own sister, and even the gods won't help you—when Ariel descends on her dragon, the entire capital cheers, but not a single person draws their sword for Gravel.

This is his end.

Lecture 2: The Queen's Chess Game – Ariel and the Founding of the Empire

(a) Why was she able to win?

There are three reasons why Ariel can win.

First, she has the support of the dragon god Orsteed.

This isn't superstition. Alsted is the second-ranked of the Seven Great Powers; with him backing her, Ariel has the "ceiling of violence." Therefore, Gravel's 20,000 Royal Guards were utterly powerless against the dragons.

Second, she has the support of the people.

During Ariel's reign, she accomplished three major feats: abolishing the position of prime minister, establishing a cabinet, and introducing the civil service examination system. Abolishing the prime minister removed a powerful minister who had been a heavy burden on officials; establishing a cabinet gave officials of all ranks a voice; and introducing the civil service examination system provided a path for those from humble backgrounds to rise in society. These three actions brought order to Asura's officialdom, earning widespread praise from the people.

Third, she is good at using people.

Ariel's greatest skill was using two people who disliked each other simultaneously—Rudeus Boreas, who later became known as "the Emperor's Butcher," and her old lover, Luke of the Notos family. She placed these two on either side, letting them check and balance each other, while she reaped the benefits.

She has been practicing this "balancing technique" for ten years.

(ii) Why did she also lose?

But Ariel's reign had one fatal flaw: she was too exhausted.

In the year 432 of the Ankylion calendar, the Kingdom of Bigenliru invaded Asura. The war on the front lines was intense, the national treasury was empty, and Ariel herself was suffering from overwork. By her final year, she was almost bedridden and didn't even have the strength to review memorials.

By this time, Rudeus and Luke had grown into powerful figures, each forming their own faction, and neither could suppress the other. Before Ariel died, she told Luke, "After I die, you must assist Edward well and make good use of Rudeus."

This isn't about entrusting one's children to someone on one's deathbed; it's about entrusting an unsolvable problem to someone on their deathbed.

In the year 434 of the Ankylosaurus calendar, Ariel died at the young age of thirty. Her son Edward ascended the throne at the age of eight. Rudeus, on the other hand, was in his prime.

The Queen has passed away, but the game remains unfinished. The next player has become the "Emperor's Slayer"—Rudius Boreas Greirat.

Lecture 3: The Emperor's Blade – Rudyus and the Formation of the Empire

(a) Who is Rudius?

This person is truly remarkable. His life story is practically a textbook example of a grassroots success story.

Rudius was born in the village of Buena in the territory of Fetoia. His father, Paul, was a low-ranking knight, and his mother, Senis, was a commoner. At the age of seven, he was sent to the household of Boreas to be the governess of his eldest daughter, Alice. At nineteen, he married into the Boreas family. He then entered officialdom, rose through the ranks, and gained power, eventually becoming the Grand Secretary—equivalent to today's Prime Minister.

But his true masterpiece was the "Carter Case" in 443 AD.

(II) The Carter Case – One Thousand Heads Rolled in One Day

Who is Carter Yerosnek? The Yerosnek family were the "treasury stewards" of Asura, managing finances for generations. Carter himself was a favorite of the new Emperor Edward.

Rudeus wanted to take action against him. What was his reason? Collusion with the Dragon King Kingdom.

But the real reason was that the Yerosnek family was blocking the Boreas family's way.

How fast did Rudius act? Overnight, the New Selection seized all of the Yerosnek family's properties; within three days, Carter and more than two hundred of his cronies were executed; within a month, more than a thousand officials in the capital were implicated.

With the execution of these thousand heads, the Asura court was cleansed. From then on, no one dared to oppose the Boreas family.

(III) The Destruction of the Dragon King Kingdom in 40 Days

After purging its internal forces, Rudeus began to expand outwards. In the autumn of Ankylosaurus year 443, the Asura Empire launched a military campaign against the remnants of the Carter case who had fled to the Dragon King Kingdom.

Forty days later, the Kingdom of Wanglong surrendered. Conquering a nation in forty days—that speed is remarkable even in world history.

Rudeus's strategy was simple: a legion of mages cleared the way, heavy cavalry crushed the enemy, and infantry finished them off. While the Kingdom of Dragons was still using melee weapons, Asura's side had already unleashed a rain of fire. This wasn't war; it was a dimensional assault.

(iv) Why didn't he declare himself emperor?

Many people have asked this question. Rudius was the de facto emperor for forty years, but he never usurped the throne.

Why didn't he declare himself emperor?

I believe there are three reasons.

First, he respected Ariel. Ariel was his mentor, and no matter how ruthless Rudyus was, he always maintained respect for this queen.

Secondly, he doesn't need to. What's the difference between being the regent and the emperor? Power is already in his hands, so why add the stigma of "usurping the throne"?

Third, he had foresight. Rudius knew very well that once the Bereas family declared themselves emperors, they would lose their legitimacy as "loyal subjects." At that point, the nobles of various territories would rise up against them, and the Bereas family might not be able to withstand it.

Therefore, he chose his son, Yars, to be the emperor. He himself became "Emperor Taizu Wulie," a title he bestowed upon him posthumously.

This is what a true politician is like—I don't want fame, I want substance.

In the year 482 of the Ankylon calendar, Rudius died at the age of seventy-five. In the same year, his eldest son Ars ascended the throne, and the Bereas dynasty was officially established.

Lecture 4: From Peak to Abyss – The Early Glory of the Bereas Dynasty

(I) Emperor Taizu Yars Wu (482-490)

Emperor Yars had a relatively "easy" reign. His father had paved the way, and he only needed to follow the established procedures. During his eight-year reign, the government was stable, the people lived in peace, and the only major event was posthumously honoring his father as the founding emperor.

But he also made an important decision: to maintain all of his father's policies. This seemed simple, but it actually required great courage. Because Rudius's methods were too ruthless, many of the old nobles wanted nothing more than to overthrow him and start anew. Jars withstood the pressure, neither overturning the verdict nor purging the family, thus maintaining the continuity of the policies.

This is what a "ruler who maintains the status quo" should be like.

(II) Saladin, Emperor Huizong (490-500)

Saladin did something far-reaching: he built ironclad warships and opened up sea routes for mining.

Prior to this, Asra's naval power was virtually nonexistent. The Milis monopolized maritime trade routes and resources, leaving Asra helpless. Saladin realized that the future competition would be at sea.

So he invested heavily in shipbuilding, establishing naval academies, and sending people to explore sea routes to the mining continent. Ten years later, Asura finally had a decent navy. This was also the foundation upon which the empire later was able to fight Milis in the Gulins Sea.

(III) Emperor Weizong Auster Wei (500-549) – Turning Point

Auster was a complex figure. When I teach my students, I often ask them a question: If an emperor was a wise ruler in the first half of his life and a tyrant in the second half, what exactly was he in history?

Auster is the best example of this problem.

First half of his life (500-520 AD):

Through diligent governance, the power of the old aristocracy was diminished, the people were allowed to rest and recuperate, and the navy was developed. The Asura Empire reached its zenith within these twenty years.

Second half of his life (520-549):

First, the Sieghart lineage was purged. Who was Sieghart? Rudius's son, Ars's brother, and a meritorious general in the Empire's northern expedition. Why did Auster kill him? Because his achievements threatened the emperor's position. Sieghart's prestige was too high, so high that Auster felt his throne was insecure.

Thus began a bloody purge. In the year 520 of the Ankylosaurus calendar, Sieghart died, and Auster immediately turned against him, exterminating his entire lineage. More than two thousand people were implicated. Sieghart's great-granddaughter, Fitz, who had just turned fifteen at the time, also met her end on the gallows.

Then came the tyrannical and oppressive taxation that enraged both heaven and man. To fund the military, build palaces, and appease his close advisors, Auster continuously increased taxes. Farmers could not afford it, so they sold their land, fled, and became beggars.

Finally, Asura suffered a defeat in the Battle of Gulins Sea. In 549 of the Ankylō calendar, the Asura navy clashed with the Milis fleet in the Battle of Gulins Sea, resulting in a crushing defeat for Asura. After this battle, Asura's naval power was severely weakened, and its mining trade routes shrank accordingly.

In the same year, Auster died. It is said that before his death, he only said one sentence: "I have failed my ancestors."

What is Auster's lesson? Power, once unchecked, leads to self-destruction. His achievements in the first half of his life were wiped out by the tyranny of the second half. Later historians' assessment of him can be summed up in four words: "Bright in the first half, dark in the second."

Lecture 5: Three Rise and Three Decline – The Struggles of the Late Empire

After Auster's death, the Asra Empire entered a 126-year cycle of "three rises and three falls".

(I) First Round: Emperor Sejong Leonhard Xing (549-565) – Xing

When Leonhardt came to power, he inherited a mess. The navy's elite forces were wiped out, the spirits of the Sieg lineage remained unburied, public resentment was boiling, and the national treasury was empty.

He did three things: he honored the Sieg lineage to stabilize public sentiment; he appointed Hermann Heberis to quell the peasant uprising; and he established a shipyard to replicate Millis's internal combustion engine to revitalize the navy.

This was the first "rise" in the "three rises and three falls" cycle. But Leonhard was not a great founding emperor; his abilities were limited to "restoration" and he could not achieve a "leap forward."

(II) Emperor Frederick the Great (565-583) – Restoration

Frederick was a very interesting man. For the first ten years of his eighteen-year reign, he was fighting against a family called "Hyperis"—a powerful family that rose to prominence during the reign of Leonhard, controlling the government and forming cliques for personal gain.

Frederick's methods were swift and decisive: he first lured the head of the House of Heberis into the palace and arrested him on the spot; then, he executed the entire family on charges of "treason." The court was thus cleansed.

Having cleared away internal obstacles, Frederick began to focus on external expansion: establishing naval academies, expanding the fleet, and protecting maritime trade. By the end of his reign, the Imperial Navy had recovered to the level it had been at the beginning of Auster's reign.

(III) Emperor Wilhelm Huai (583-600) – Decline

William was Frederick's younger brother, and succession occurred when the elder brother died. He wanted to continue Frederick's policies, but there was a problem—he didn't have Frederick's abilities.

In 599, the Imperial Navy suffered another defeat at Gullings Sea, and was once again annihilated. To make matters worse, after this defeat, William was indecisive, wanting to negotiate peace but refusing to cede territory; wanting to prepare for war but lacking funds. Torn between these conflicting desires, he accomplished nothing.

His condition in his later years can be described in four words: willing but unable.

(iv) Emperor Xuanzong Otto Huan (600-615) – Re-emerging

Otto was William's son, who ascended to the throne through military merit. When he took over, the empire was already on the verge of collapse.

Otto's methods were swift and decisive: eliminating powerful ministers, reforming the bureaucracy, and strengthening coastal defenses. In 612 of the Ankylosaurus calendar, the Gulins Sea decisively defeated the Milis fleet, avenging their previous defeat. After this battle, the Asura Empire regained its maritime dominance, and the entire empire was greatly invigorated.

Otto was the emperor in the later period of the Bereas dynasty who most resembled Rudyus: ruthless, decisive, and with clear goals. He reigned for fifteen years, extending the empire's life by at least thirty years.

(V) Emperor Frederick Ann (615-640) – Gou An

Friedrich was Otto's son, but his personality was the complete opposite of his father's. He avoided trouble whenever possible and spent as little money as possible. During his twenty-five-year reign, the country was peaceful.

Sounds good, right? But the problem is—nothing happening doesn't mean there's no trouble.

During his twenty-five-year reign, worker strikes and student demonstrations occurred frequently. Although each one was suppressed, it demonstrated one thing: problems had arisen at the bottom of the empire.

Friedrich's problem was that he only saw the "peace before his eyes" and not the "undercurrents beneath the surface."

(vi) Emperor Albrecht Ling (640-668) – Great Chaos

Albrecht was the direct cause of the fall of the Bereas dynasty.

This man did several major things after coming to power—but each of his actions was a mistake. He promoted education but published the "Complete Book of Emperor Asura" and forced the people to read it; he was ambitious and built numerous memorial halls, emptying the national treasury; he suppressed workers' and students' movements with extremely cruel methods, causing a great deal of bloodshed.

If Friedrich was guilty of "inaction," then Albrecht was guilty of "misconduct." Every action he took increased the resentment of the people; every suppression of a movement added to the empire's crisis.

By the time he died, the Asura Empire was nothing but an empty shell.

(VII) Emperor Ai of Cronville (668-675) – Died

Colombell was better than his father—at least he knew where the problem lay.

He dismissed the palace, reduced expenditures, and issued an edict soliciting honest opinions, hoping to win back the people's hearts. But the people's hearts, once lost, are difficult to regain. In 675 of the Jialong calendar, the rebel army besieged the city. Coleman did not resist, nor did he flee; he chose to abdicate, live in seclusion in a village, and remain a commoner for the rest of his life.