Chapter 751

Chapter 751: The House of Plantagenet

On the Eastern Continent, in the Luo Capital.

In a certain room within the Southern Dipper Academy.

The curtains of the round windows were tightly shut for nearly two weeks before finally being opened. Delicate fingers pulled open the light-colored curtains, pushing the windows wide to let the wind rush into the room, swirling and playing inside, bringing the refreshing air of early autumn.

Lolan Hill changed into a light white ceremonial robe, with touches of indigo at the collar and edges. A fitted corset cinched at her waist, accentuating her graceful figure.

Drying the water droplets on her cheeks with a towel, the silver-haired girl combed her hair in front of the bronze mirror, then tied a light blue hairband around it. After turning slightly left and right to check, she picked up the butterfly hair clip and secured it behind her ear. This made her appearance less monotonous.

After a simple tidy-up, Lolan Hill pushed open the door, ready to go out for a walk.

At that moment, a rustling sound of wings came from behind, and soon after, she felt her right shoulder sink slightly as a plump bird with an orange-red crest landed beside her.

“Are you coming out too?” Lolan Hill stroked the feathers of this Dai Ju bird.

“Chirp chirp~” (I want to eat something delicious)

It seems they’ve been quite hungry lately. Lolan Hill turned around again to look at the blue raven still in the room.

“You must be hungry too, huh.” These two little ones seemed to have slept for some time along with her, so she wasn’t sure if they could endure hunger.

This dark-crested blue raven called out, indicating that it didn’t want to go out for now but hoped that the girl would bring back some tasty food.

“Mm, I’ll remember,” Lolan Hill nodded slightly, then walked down the stairs with the Dai Ju bird.

The buildings within the academy were arranged in a courtyard-like structure, with a central courtyard featuring ponds and artificial mountains. Around it stood seven-story pavilions, each housing rooms for students, generally used to accommodate students from all over the nation.

Unlike the Western nations, which employed a feudal system with lords, the Eastern Dynasty adopted a highly centralized model. It was said that its administrative methods were initially learned from the Mercury Dynasty.

The Mercury Dynasty was unique in that it operated under a system of multiple co-rulers. The highest-ranking ruler even bore the title of king. These rulers, through their long-term collaboration in battles, formed a mechanism similar to a parliament or cabinet, jointly deliberating and deciding major national affairs and enacting unified laws and policies.

However, unlike the Western system where rulers were elected, these co-rulers in the Mercury Dynasty ascended to power purely through strength or achievements.

The criteria for judging strength and achievements were rather straightforward: how many people you could keep alive under your leadership and how many enemies you could defeat.

If one were to use an ancient creature as a metaphor for the Mercury Dynasty, it would be a multi-headed giant. Each co-ruler had a complete system under them. Even if the Mercury Dynasty suffered a major defeat and a co-ruler died, there were still several other co-rulers, allowing the dynasty to recover quickly. Additionally, each co-ruler was considered legitimate, ensuring stability even if one fell.

They utilized a highly unified combat manual and command system. Even if high-ranking officials and necromancers were defeated, other officers and necromancers could quickly take over and reorganize the troops.

Successor co-rulers swiftly absorbed and integrated the armies of deceased co-rulers, readying them for battle again, spreading like an uncontrollable wildfire.

Despite the elves and beastmen repeatedly defeating the armies of the Mercury Dynasty and killing one co-ruler after another, new co-rulers always stepped forward to carry on the fight.

During the most intense period of the Mercury Dynasty’s wars, seven high-ranking co-rulers fought against the three elven kingdoms simultaneously, four against the Beastman Empire, and two against the remnants of the Ogre Kingdom.

Most of these high-ranking co-rulers were level 9 necromancers or witches who had lived for long periods. They shared a deep friendship in battling common enemies. Every few years, they would gather to discuss the next steps for the dynasty and share the latest technological advancements. Thus, despite constant warfare, the Mercury Dynasty continued to advance technologically and politically.

Year after year, decade after decade, until finally uprooting the entrenched beastmen and elven nations, driving them to the fringes of the continent to survive in hiding.

But such a grand and passionate era,

It was all in the past.

When the Mercury Dynasty had no rivals, internal dissent grew increasingly intense until it finally disintegrated completely.

The House of Plantagenet was supported by the Red Phoenix. It had also experienced the glorious era of the Mercury Dynasty alongside Dorothy, and thus adopted many aspects of its systems when establishing the House of Plantagenet.

This included setting up various specialized institutions to handle different issues. However, at the highest levels of governance, the Red Phoenix opted for a more conservative hereditary succession rather than one based solely on strength.

This was actually quite understandable. The person who is best at killing or fighting the hardest might not necessarily be suited to rule. Moreover, there are numerous legal issues with such an approach. Should everyone follow the orders of someone just because they are powerful? If there were a martial arts competition every day, would the ruler change daily?

Considering that the environment and circumstances faced by the Mercury Dynasty could not be replicated, the Red Phoenix ultimately chose the ancient tradition of hereditary succession. This ensured stability during peaceful times and prevented major upheavals. However, in terms of selecting officials with executive power, a rigorous talent assessment system was implemented.

Of course, to ensure that the successor would not be too incompetent, the Red Phoenix sometimes personally tutored and observed their conduct and speech.

Walking through the tall buildings within the academy, Lolan Hill recalled the books she had read about the Eastern Region at Emanas. These books often praised the vastness of the Eastern Dynasty, envying its extensive territory, people, and landscapes.

In fact, the House of Plantagenet in the East was indeed powerful, with many skills surpassing those in the West. One could feel a sense of openness and pride walking down the streets of Luo Capital.

The Central Avenue was paved with light gray and greenish stone slabs, wide enough for eight carriages to pass side by side. Originally, there were some patterns carved on the stones, but after years of wear and tear from foot traffic and rain, they had become smooth and rounded, with many small depressions left by horse hooves and wheels.

On both sides of the avenue, shops of various sizes and styles lined up, offering a dazzling array of goods that kept visitors’ eyes busy.

Some came from the Southwest Sixteen States, with doors adorned with ancient vines and purple flowers, displaying a variety of dark red and deep purple lacquerware. Others came from the distant Western Continent, with alternating pale red and white stone bricks, featuring numerous carvings, oil paintings, and poetry collections. Some shops had walls covered in lush, intertwined roses of red and green, displaying intricate and exquisite ceremonial dresses, which Eastern girls would often try on.

There were also ice wall ice sculptures and crystal pendant-decorated ice elf shops, lily orchid shops selling fragrant fruit wine and accessories, and even stalls from the distant Primrose Islands, selling colorful shells, goldfish, and glassware.

Wandering down the main street of Luo Capital felt like visiting a world exposition. Lolan Hill curiously and surprisingly examined the surrounding architecture. She had expected fewer foreigners in Luo Capital, but they were everywhere. Among them were Westerners wearing formal attire, mage robes, and Western-style skirts. She also encountered several forest elves and ice elves, whom she rarely saw.

From the reactions of the people around, it seemed that such encounters were commonplace and no longer surprised them.

“Welcome! What can I help you with?”

Pushing open the blue glass and yellow wood door, Lolan Hill entered a bookstore. The shopkeeper quickly approached her.

She wore a frost-white cross-collar blouse dress with blue floral prints on the collar and cuffs, but her light red eyes and golden hair indicated that she was from the Western Continent, perhaps even from Cangcui.

“I’d like to look at some books,” Lolan Hill said, noticing that there were already a few customers browsing inside, though everyone was relatively quiet.

“Sure, if you’re looking for a specific type of book, feel free to ask me,” the shopkeeper smiled and nodded, then stepped back to let her browse on her own.

“Chirp chirp.” (I’m hungry)

Dai Ju was very dissatisfied with the silver-haired girl’s decision to visit the bookstore instead of eating first. Perched on Lolan Hill’s shoulder, it chirped a few times, attracting some attention.

“How cute~” A young girl seemed to really like this fluffy bird.

“It seems quite powerful?” An older man nearby nodded slightly, sensing that the bird had Sequence 4 power.

“I bet it’s expensive. I wonder where one could buy it. I’ve never heard of it before.” A noble dressed in blue silk embroidered with gold remarked.

Muttering to herself, this person seemed to frequently visit flower and bird shops.

Walking through the layers of bookshelves, Lolan Hill scanned one by one, then stopped at a bookshelf, bending down to retrieve a thick book.

Opening the thick book, she gently turned the pages, touching the clear and distinct words, and the delicate texture of the paper also came through her fingertips.

“The Bluebird Carries Branches, Falls and Establishes a Nation.”

This book recounted the rise and fall of five nations in the Fog Chain Mountains, with the bluebird symbolizing Qingluan, one of the Five Virtues Phoenixes. These five nations were influenced to varying degrees by the lineage of the bluebird during their formation, making their customs, culture, and cultivation methods quite similar.

Under the influence of that witch-like phoenix, the Eastern Continent gradually transformed from a wilderness to a civilized land. The five witches she raised, known as the Five Virtues Phoenixes, deeply influenced the establishment of these nations on the continent.

After flipping through for a while, Lolan Hill temporarily closed the book, holding it in front of her, and continued walking.

She couldn’t finish reading all the books right away, so she decided to pick a few to buy and study them more thoroughly later. She also noticed that Daju on her shoulder seemed a bit restless, pacing back and forth, constantly reminding the young lady that it was time to eat.

“How much do these cost?”

After a cursory look around, Lolan Hill picked out four books and placed them on the counter to ask.

“Please wait, let me check,” the shopkeeper standing behind the counter said. He noted down the titles and then flipped through a nearby booklet to find the recorded prices.

“In total, it’s 4 gold plates and 62 silver rings.”

That’s quite expensive, Lolan Hill thought to herself, then took out five gleaming gold plates from her small pouch at her waist and placed them on the table.

“Alright, I’ll give you change.” This girl seemed to have natural sequence 3 strength. After quickly checking the gold plates, she smiled slightly and opened the drawer, taking out 38 silver rings and placing them in front of the young lady.

Then she used a gray velvet pouch to gather the silver rings, along with the books, and handed them to Lolan Hill.

“Welcome back anytime~”

“Hmm. Can I ask why it’s so expensive? This is my first time here.”

“It is indeed surprising when you first come. However, many things in Luo Capital are more expensive. Additionally, the price of these books isn’t just the cost of production; it also includes the remuneration we pay to the authors.”

“Although the books are excellent, each type is not bought by many people. If the price were lower, the writers would earn very little, and over time, there would be fewer good books available.”

The shopkeeper briefly explained the reasons.

“No wonder,” Lolan Hill understood.

Seeing how reasonable this silver-haired girl was, the shopkeeper seemed quite pleased and then talked about other matters.

“In fact, some cultivation-related books are cheaper because they are bought by many people, which helps share the costs. But some books unrelated to cultivation are bought by fewer people, even though the authors put in effort, they don’t make much money. To keep going, we have no choice but to raise the prices.”

“In fact, our Goldleaf Bookstore only has branches in a few major cities; it’s hard to establish them in smaller towns, due to this reason.”

“Perhaps one day, when everyone is no longer worried about cultivation and can afford to eat well and dress warmly, with leisure time to read these ‘useless’ books, the prices will gradually decrease.”

“You mean that kind of scene is a time of peace and prosperity, right? It does seem to make sense. But now, it’s impossible. Many places in the world are still suffering disasters, and many people can barely get enough food, naturally having no mind for reading.”

“Are you asking me? My parents were from the Verdant Empire, but I grew up in the East since childhood and am more familiar with this area. I studied at Winter Cicada Academy and am currently a student at Qingxiu. If I want to work in a government institution in the future, I need to pass the Silver Embroidery exam, which is still far off. There’s Blue Embroidery and Purple Embroidery above it.”

“Hehe, thank you for your encouragement. But Golden Embroidery is still too far away for me. If I had such ability, it wouldn’t be a problem to join a major sect, and compared to public office, it would be more free.”

Thus, Lolan Hill did not leave immediately but exchanged many words with this girl who grew up near Luo Capital, learning a lot about the affairs within the House of Plantagenet.

Cheep cheep~ (When are we eating?)

Just before midnight, I finally didn’t break the streak, yay~

(End of Chapter)