Chapter 246

Chapter 246: As Free as the Wind

On the Guophia Grassland, at the Fire Harvest Festival gathering, within a certain tent in the center.

Inside the tall tent, a warm red flame burned quietly. The green-haired young lady sat on a wooden chair, which was made according to the size of a beastman’s body, thus quite high. Her feet could not even touch the ground directly; they dangled about an inch or two above the floor.

Lolan Hill gently swung her legs, her slender calves appearing and disappearing among the white chiffon skirt. She leaned back on the wooden chair, looking at the thick book in her arms. The cover was somewhat old, the copper corners polished to a shine, and the paper inside was thick, showing a yellowish hue like fallen leaves.

This book recounted the process of how the Beastmen’s nation, the Fanged Empire, was established.

Since the beginning of the First Era, the Elves emerged from under the World Tree, defeating the Giant King’s court. The Giants did not immediately perish; some remnants migrated southward and westward.

Due to the significant reduction in their numbers, these Giants were unable to resist the Iron Cavalry of the Silver Elves. Those in the south supported the local Beastmen, while those in the west supported the local Ogres.

Thus, the Beastmen’s beliefs were greatly influenced by the Giants, also worshipping the Sun and Fire. Unfortunately, this part of the Giants did not thrive, as the Silver Elves relentlessly pursued them, and with the initial weakness of the Beastmen, the Giant race gradually became extinct.

It was centuries later that King Kedaren of the Fangs united various tribes and established the Fanged Empire. After that came the rise and fall of the human Crimson Empire.

Engrossed in reading the legends and stories in the book, Lolan Hill turned over the thick pages and then picked up the teacup on the small table, taking a tiny sip.

The Fire Harvest Festival was coming to an end today. After revealing the [Red Clover] before, she had been teaching these Beastmen farming techniques for several days. Fortunately, this type of pasture grass was very easy to cultivate, requiring minimal effort, and many Shamans quickly learned it.

After finishing her instruction, Lolan Hill didn’t ask for any payment. She merely wanted to look through some of the ancient texts the Beastmen cherished, to learn about the distant past when Giants and Dragons still existed.

That was in the era when humans had yet to shake off their ignorance, the age of Giants and Dragons.

Although most Beastmen hadn’t experienced it firsthand, they had inherited much knowledge from the Giants, uncovering some traces. The Giant race was once immensely powerful. According to ancient myths, it seemed that the Giants…

The king of men reached the height of divinity, which is the standard of Sequence 10.

Unfortunately, as opponents to the giants, there are also Sequence 10 existences among the dragons. It is said that the enormous canyon in Emanas was caused by Bahamut’s attack.

Clearly, both the giants and the dragons were powerful existences in their own right, but for some unknown reason, they engaged in a relentless war without death or extinction. The leaders of both sides tore apart the sky and severed the earth, dividing the originally united continent into two parts, east and west.

The scattered parts then became islands, such as the archipelago in the Southern Region.

These Sequence 10 beings, who were akin to deities, are said to have perished together and dissipated from this world. As a result, both races suffered heavy losses. Otherwise, with the strength of the elves, they would not have been able to defeat the giant clan that once ruled the world.

Additionally, since the giants worshiped the sun, the king of the giants should have been the embodiment of the sun. However, early ancient texts did not refer to the king of the giants as the sun itself but rather as the followers and beneficiaries of the sun.

It was only in the era after the giants’ downfall that myths gradually described the king of the giants as the sun.

Was Eralani real? Her experiences were quite fascinating.

At this moment, the quiet tent flap was lifted, and Nia walked in with a somewhat cheerful expression.

“Lolan, the final evening gathering has begun~”

After resolving the food problem on the grassland, this goat-horned girl had become much more cheerful. She wore a white top and a short gray skirt with wool, giving her a rather cute style, unlike before when she was so restrained and plain.

Nia walked lightly behind Lolan and hugged the girl still engrossed in her book, her little hand unconsciously reaching out to touch Lolan’s blue hair.

Lolan Hill gently shook her head, trying to escape the grasp of her roommate, then turned around with a displeased look. Recently, Nia had become increasingly bold, always wanting to touch her hair for no reason.

“I think I’ll skip the evening gathering,” Lolan recalled the frenzied looks of those beastmen, which made her feel a bit scared. If she went out tonight, she might be surrounded again and unable to leave easily.

“No way, the shaman specifically instructed me to make sure you attend,” Nia shook her head and said firmly.

“I promised the shaman that I would definitely free you from the absolute seal in the tent.”

“What do you mean, talking about me like I’m sealed?”

“Lolan Hill chuckled lightly, her eyes twinkling with a hint of playfulness.”

“Because Lolan has been hiding in the tent these past few days, refusing to see anyone, the line of people outside requesting an audience is incredibly long.”

Nia raised her hand, gesturing in front of her, then continued happily.

“Thanks to Lolan, everyone has become much more harmonious this year, and there were no deaths at the Flame Festival.”

“Did many people die in past competitions?”

“Yes, they took pride in killing their opponents,” Nia’s voice sank as she recalled the wild fire battle last year and the opponent who fell in the Sea of Fire.

After a while, she recovered.

“Lolan has changed so many things,” Nia leaned her head against Lolan Hill’s back, gazing at the burning bonfire, murmuring as she recalled her experiences and observations since childhood.

Since she was young, she had to fight with her peers; winning meant food, losing meant hunger. No one ever told her about the importance of knowledge and culture, nor did she ever witness any lifestyle beyond grazing and fighting. Life seemed monotonous and cruel, with only occasional warmth among her own kind.

The lush green grassland was not a gentle harbor but a battlefield filled with slaughter. The adults would shout at each other, brandishing curved swords, each claiming their own truths. Nobody cared about ancient poetry, nobody looked up at the beautiful starry sky.

Anxiety over food kept everyone tightly locked in the daily grind, never able to relax, always running for their next meal.

Today they might have eaten their fill, but tomorrow they worried about where their next meal would come from.

Like beasts trapped in a cage, destined to endlessly chase their tails, gnawing at each other just to survive.

But fortunately, finally, a passing young lady used her hands to open this blood-stained cage, releasing the beast trapped inside, allowing it to run under the stars.

The verdant wilderness finally returned to its rightful beauty.

Free like the wind, bold and unrestrained like a flame.

Thank you, Sword Asking Heart, recalling the days gone by like threads of silk, the book’s youth devouring the eclipse, flowers blooming in the clouds, the impatient little corgi, reaching the pinnacle, Tangmen infantry, O金色旋律Oo, Eve’s fan, the book’s youth, the starlight of the moonlit night, the ancient moon shadow flying, and 14 other readers for their support.

Typing…

(End of Chapter)