Chapter 820: Former Rivals
In the forest shrouded by night, the man with short wine-red hair led his horse through the mountainous woodland. There were no roads here; he navigated by the stars and his past experiences.
Although it was easy to get lost, this method allowed him to avoid the checkpoints on the main road and enter the southern part of the Central Empire.
After traveling over ten miles along the rugged mountain path, he gradually found familiar terrain, and the scenery around him began to match his memories.
He should be close now.
A thought flashed through his mind, and then he suddenly jumped aside, dodging an arrow shot from the shadows at dusk.
Not bad, there’s still a hidden guard. He wasn’t angry at the attack but felt relieved instead. His figure leaped up, darting swiftly through the treetops, quickly locating the hidden figure in the distance.
The hidden guard, about to draw his short sword, was restrained by the man.
“Hush, don’t be nervous, it’s me,” he said, pulling down the black cloth covering his face.
“Uh, Teacher Rock.” The hidden guard under him spoke with a young voice.
Afterward, both slowly stood up and began talking.
“Why have you returned, Teacher?” The young man rubbed his sore arms, looking slightly surprised at the figure in the night.
“I received a letter from an old friend, so I came back to check,” Rock walked ahead, scanning the concealed arrangements in the mountains, nodding occasionally.
“Not bad, great progress.”
“Thank you for your praise, hehe,” the young man followed closely behind, guiding Rock.
“Follow me.”
They headed deeper into the forest, passing through dense shrubbery. A door covered by foliage opened, and they entered a passage leading into the mountain.
The tunnel was well-dug, with reinforced structures around it. After passing through winding stairs, they saw a warm yellow light and heard voices ahead.
The guards in the tunnel nodded and opened the door, letting them in. Suddenly, a vast underground hall appeared before their eyes, filled with people listening to someone speaking from a high platform.
“Why do we fight!” He looked down at the hundreds of people, holding a thick book, his voice ringing out.
“To survive, to eat clean bread, drink clean water, have a warm house in winter, and stores of grain that last all year. To play with our children without fear of those brutal soldiers invading our homes.”
“Isn’t such a life worth hoping for? Isn’t it possible to achieve?”
“Look at your own hands—how many calluses, scars, and marks! How many days have you worked, how many nights, how much have you given? Why should they take what you’ve created without a word!”
“Those comfortable woods, beautiful furniture, fine bows, how much food could they buy outside, how much warm cotton, how much sweet honey. And they give you nothing!”
“Don’t fear the nobles. Yes, they’re strong, with many extraordinary beings, but we can gather strength too. We have more brothers and friends, we have oceans of rage!”
“They are human too, needing to eat, drink, and defecate daily. How can they have endless energy? Burn their grain, destroy their houses, harass them while they sleep, tire them out, make them regret, make them weep.”
“How did the Clancians come here? They only have two hands and two eyes, no extra arm. Why can they do it, and we can’t?”
“It’s okay if we can’t win yet, develop quietly, bring in more brothers and sisters. When this nation is full of our comrades, what can’t we achieve?”
“We are small, unnoticed, weak, but we are also glorious, proud, great.”
“Years later, when your descendants remember this, they won’t be ashamed of our identity. Instead, they’ll proudly say, ‘Look, this is my ancestor, so brave and wise. Because of them, we have our lives now.'”
The inspiring speech echoed in the underground hall. Faces illuminated by the firelight reflected hope and excitement, like burning flames.
Impressive, Rock thought, even he was moved by the speech. Imagine how these local mountain folk must feel.
Recalling the rebellion in Clancia, it seemed to start in the mines among many miners.
As the speech ended and people dispersed, the man on the high platform drank some water, nodded upon hearing something from someone else, and slowly approached.
“Long time no see, Rock.”
“Long time no see, Tokelin.” They walked side by side into a small room.
Called a room, it was actually a small hollow carved into the mountain. The walls were yellow and compacted earth.
A lamp burned on the table. They sat down. Rock looked at the gray-haired man, seeing the lines of hardship on his face, feeling a sense of weariness.
Both came from County Aike in the western mountains of the Empire. Tokelin’s father was once a baron, but he was stripped of his title and executed in a struggle when Tokelin was young. Tokelin also had a tough youth.
Once, Rock competed with Tokelin in a county-wide election to gain admission to Emanas. Rock won because he knew Tokelin’s tricks. Since then, they left a deep impression on each other.
Unlike Rock who went to Emanas, Tokelin’s path was much rougher. He failed to get a recommendation letter from Emanas in subsequent competitions due to new geniuses emerging.
Desperate, he joined the army in the south directly. Without his noble status, he received no favors. Neither officers nor soldiers liked him.
Isolated and ostracized, he endured for a long time until Emperor’s far-reaching expedition gave him a chance. He became a logistics officer and slowly advanced.
Years of setbacks and hardships smoothed his once arrogant edges, making him more silent and low-key, his heart numb.
Until he entered Clancia, new changes came.
“War is a cruel mirror, revealing the ugliest parts of humanity,” he said to Rock later, reflecting on those years.
“In a foreign land without laws or morals, anything goes. Any attack or abuse is sanctified because we are on a ‘great’ expedition.”
Unlike ordinary soldiers, he came from a noble background, received good education, and witnessed the upper-class lifestyle. But he fell into the dirt, struggling to survive amidst filth and mud.
“I hate this disgusting country.”
Years later, when they met by chance on the street and went to a bar, Tokelin told Rock, drunk.
“Actually, I often dreamed that if I had won that day and gone to Emanas, what a better future it would have been. I hated you for a long time.”
“Things changed when I joined the army in the south.”
“Do you know who joined the army before the Great Expedition?” Tokelin asked that day, hugging Rock’s shoulder.
“All sorts, ha. Thieves, criminals, troublemakers, those who couldn’t survive, nearly starving, tricked in. Officers didn’t care about your background. Followed strict rules, disobey? Killed outright. People died often, no one cared.”
“At first, I despised those people, feeling it was insulting to be their comrade.”
“But later, I didn’t think so anymore,” Tokelin said slowly, putting down his glass.
“If they had a better future, a warm home, why would they choose this uncertain path?”
“There’s no choice. You can only work for the nobles, run errands, labor. Almost no decent jobs available.”
“Their fields, mountains, rivers, shops, workshops—all belong to them. Want to get involved? Impossible. Yet, they pay miserly wages, often withholding and delaying payments.”
“They don’t care, there are plenty of people. If you don’t work, others will.”
“The world seems inherently sad, everything under the surface is dark and bleak,” Tokelin sighed, drinking another cup.
“Luckily, I still had some savings and could rely on relatives. Not entirely like them.”
“But there’s a pressure in my heart, why is the world like this? I can’t understand.”
“So, I joined the expedition, heading west. Finally, I saw that new Western nation.”
“Clancia is a strange term, many Empire citizens didn’t know of it. If you mentioned the West Wind, they might have some idea.”
“But when those soldiers lined up straight, swords like a forest, I felt a shock and awe for the first time.”
“Indeed, there are people living in the country of my dreams and ideals.”
“They are so fearless, their wills as strong as steel. Though outnumbered, they often prevailed in battles.”
“From then on, I became interested in this country. Why are they so calm facing death? Is it fanaticism, ignorance, or noble ideals?”
“Finally, I found my answer.”
“In a major battle, I captured a mountain officer. Of course, I didn’t kill him but helped treat his wounds and asked many questions.”
“Before leaving, he gave me a small booklet and said many things can’t be conveyed by words. If I wanted to know more, visit Clancia after the war.”
“Why are you so sure Clancia will still exist after the war?” I asked him.
“He smiled, pointed to his heart, then turned and left.”
“So, since then, have you started promoting these ideas within the Empire?” Rock asked him.
“Yes, I want more people to know, I want more to join.”
“But such actions are dangerous. I worry about their success,” Rock said, drinking his wine.
He was no longer the young hero-worshipping boy. This world isn’t simple, justice is a vague concept with no unified standard. He harbored doubts and caution about human nature.
After graduation, he saw many classmates become mundane and selfish. Even Prince Adren, with grand ambitions, increasingly valued power, deviating from his original ideals.
“Somebody has to do it, right? Why not me?”
Scenes from years ago flashed in Rock’s mind. Comparing past and present Tokelin, though older, his eyes were more spirited. He seemed resolute on his chosen path.
With guilt for taking Tokelin’s recommendation letter, Rock agreed to help him. Later, he trained a group of skilled scouts and spies.
Initially, he didn’t expect this former rival to go so far in just two years, developing well in Purple Robe Province. Perhaps he misjudged.
Briefly recalling the past, Rock and Tokelin discussed recent events.
“Since the emperor’s death, the Empire has become increasingly unstable. The south is rebelling, local nobles are seeking independence, and other dukes remain ambiguous,” Rock told Tokelin.
“If so, I feel an opportunity is coming,” Tokelin’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
“Be patient. The High Nobility still holds strong power, beyond your reach,” Rock shook his head.
“I know, I’ll wait until they weaken each other.”
“But not enough, Tokelin. Purple Robe Province is too small to cause a big stir. Any of the three dukes could mobilize almost a million troops, including elite forces.”
“You don’t understand the nobles’ roots. They’ve operated in their territories for centuries, with extensive bloodlines and interests.”
“Clancia faced a smaller West Wind. Besides, the Star Witch has long vanished in the Sun and Moon’s conflict.”
“Without that fateful star falling, the outcome remains uncertain.”
“Starting a war is easy, but do you know how to end it? The Empire is different from West Wind. People have diverse cultures and customs, and not everyone will accept your ideas.”
“Perhaps in their hearts, you are the demon bringing disaster.”
“Facing such a nation, you are far from ready,” the young man analyzed calmly.
“I know, but everything is moving in our favor, right? Also, when will you join us? I know you, Rock, like I know my enemy. I know your aspirations and thoughts.”
“Though childish, they show a similar desire in your heart,” Tokelin looked at Rock, extending an invitation.
“Me? Haha,” Rock thought he wasn’t that great and didn’t hold much hope for the plan.
But he paused, perhaps remnants of youthful bravado lingered, preventing him from completely rejecting it.
What should he do?
Rock looked at the flickering candle flame on the table, remembering the campus days.
There was a night like this, sitting in the library, feeling lost about his future, unsure of his path.
“I don’t know what kind of hero you want to be, but if there’s something you want to do, that makes everyone happy and better, do it.”
“If you get tired, rest. Heroic praise is tempting, but your life is important. May this praise enhance your life, not burden it.”
Rock savored the words of the girl in his memory, realizing he hadn’t escaped his youthful self. Perhaps the romantic ideal had always flowed in his dreams, never forgotten.
“Boring stuff,” Rock said, shaking his head, then took the offered hand.
“As repayment for taking your recommendation letter. But let’s be clear, I’ll only offer limited help. Don’t expect me to risk my life.”
“Also, I have many roles. Sometimes I assist the Regent. Keep some secrets away from me.”
“Hahaha, what of it,” Tokelin and Rock stood up, hugged briefly, then clapped Rock’s shoulder forcefully.
“Thanks for your help, good brother.”
In the candlelit underground room, these former rivals stood together, gazing at the map on the wall, sharing a beautiful and grand dream.
Time erodes many edges, but it also reveals the crystals and gold in the sand. Some things remain unnoticed in daily life but appear in dreams, drawing longing and anticipation for their realization.
(End of Chapter)
