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Chapter 119 Mountain Bandits, Nobles, Officials, and Ordinary People
Chapter 119 Mountain Bandits, Nobles, Officials, and Ordinary People (4K)
Cliffs, steep walls.
A natural barrier, hundreds of meters high, stands on the coastline.
On one side are mountains, and on the other side is the sea.
The mountains are steep and precipitous, as if cleaved by a knife and axe; the sea is vast, as if the sky and water meet at the horizon.
"Swish—whoosh—"
Waves of azure sea rhythmically lapped against the rocks, while white spray licked the dark rocks at the base of the cliffs.
The sound of the waves was gentle and soothing.
Seagulls and other birds called out and flapped their wings as they foraged among the rocks.
If this were a modern society, such a place would definitely become a popular spot for online influencers.
Xu Yuan's submarine remains hidden in the water.
It was moored behind a huge reef, about tens of meters from the bottom of the cliff.
At this moment, he was using his spiritual power to observe the situation.
Suddenly, he let out a soft exclamation and took out the [Dai Zong] sword.
The energy of the virtual attribute flowed along the meridians, from the dantian to the palm, and covered the sword.
Immediately, Xu Yuan raised his hand and tossed it gently.
The [Dai Zong] shot upwards, then passed through the submarine's hull like an illusion and disappeared from everyone's sight.
Theresa clicked her tongue in amazement and said, "Your energy is really strange; how come it has all sorts of attributes?"
Other attributes are fine too.
However, this illusory energy is so dangerous that even those stronger than Xu Yuan can easily fall victim to it if they are not careful.
Unfortunately, the quantity is too small, so it can only be used a limited number of times.
"I put in a lot of effort to develop [Virtualization]," Xu Yuan said casually.
He didn't create this during his journey.
It was a skill created before leaving Dawn Island.
The principle is not complicated; it simply relies on the magic of virtual attribute energy itself.
The challenge lies in control, adjustment, and stabilization.
Like [Creation], which is based on real-attribute energy, it is essentially a very simple skill.
However, it is very difficult to apply in practice.
Before meeting Avina and the other two, he mainly practiced [Etherealization] during this journey.
As for what happened after they met Avina and her two companions.
His main focus was on studying magic, and he also learned two movement techniques from Levendir and Feraldir.
One of them is called "Wind Trace," which is a wind-based spell.
The effect is to make the body feel lighter.
Another technique is called "Refractive Flash," which is a purely skill-based movement technique that does not involve energy circulation.
As for their archery skills, he had no interest in learning them.
After all, he doesn't use a bow and arrow.
Incidentally, by drawing on the magic concentration techniques from the [Fire Ring Technique], Xu Yuan managed to create the [Wind Blade].
He didn't name it.
Rather, skills are named from the moment they are created.
This explains that [Wind Blade] is that kind of spell.
As for its power, it's about the same as what he used before.
However, it is more efficient and convenient than simply compressing and releasing wind-attribute energy.
It can be considered to have a certain level of skill.
From this perspective, the reason why his [Fireball] spell can be considered a skill is because he has accumulated enough technique in the process of continuously compressing energy.
When Xu Yuan was teaching Avina how to compress energy (which for Avina meant compressing magic), she struggled to learn and needed him to break it down and teach her step by step.
【Divine Spear】is a fusion of the compression of 【Fireball】 (Xu Yuan's original Fireball) and the convergence of 【Fire Ring】.
It was created by combining the shaping of [Fire Serpent], the acceleration of [Rocket], and the burst of [Fire Wall], optimizing them, and then incorporating other techniques.
The structure of spells is actually quite complex.
The core of this spell is his self-created compression technique.
To learn how to use a sharpshooter, you must first learn compression.
Closer to home.
Since [Wind Blade], Xu Yuan has stopped tinkering with those simple spells.
Because its power is limited, having more of it is meaningless.
After exchanging a few words, Xu Yuan said, "That's fine."
After saying that, he took over from Xiao Ya and personally operated the submarine, constantly navigating between the reefs.
A short while later, the submarine began to surface.
They had now reached the edge of the cliff.
The hatch opened.
The group exited the submarine one by one, stood on the nearby reefs, looked around, and were somewhat surprised.
"This place looks like it's full of reefs, but I never expected there would be a path in and out."
"Otherwise, why would it be used as an escape route?"
Xu Yuan casually remarked, then looked at Avina and the other two, "Did you leave anything behind?"
He cannot add items from this world to his inventory.
This rule is absolute.
It doesn't mean that you can put things from this world into a submarine and then store them away with the submarine.
That won't work.
Xu Yuan had already tried it with an iron pot.
When the iron pot is put away, the stones of this world that were placed inside it will fall to the ground.
Avina, who was empty-handed, and her two younger brothers, who were carrying several large bundles, nodded simultaneously: "We brought them all."
After receiving confirmation, Xu Yuan put the submarine away.
Some trash fell out.
For example, dust, or the peel of an unknown fruit found on a deserted island.
It disappeared after being swept away by the seawater.
"Let's go." Xu Yuan flew to the cliff.
The mechanisms here cannot be activated from the outside.
Because it wasn't meant for people to come and go, but rather as an escape route in an emergency.
Xu Yuan manipulated energy to open the mechanism from the inside.
Then, hold onto the outer stones and pull outwards.
What appeared to be a seamless cliff face suddenly revealed a stone door.
The stone gate is located some distance from the sea.
But this was no challenge for everyone.
After the group entered, they found that it was a space that was neither too big nor too small.
It contained a lot of gold and silver jewelry, as well as some daily necessities, plus a longship.
In addition, there are slide rails and hooks installed overhead.
The boat can be safely lowered from here.
Everyone suddenly understood why Xu Yuan had said this was an escape route.
I just don't know who did it.
But I doubt he's a good person.
After all, Xu Yuan had just piloted the sword out of the submarine.
Everyone knew what the sword had gone to do.
After closing and locking the stone gate, Xu Yuan took out a flashlight and walked up the steps inside the mountain.
Soon, everyone emerged from the tunnel.
This place is a dense, primeval forest.
After the entrance was re-covered and locked, and then slightly modified, it was really hard to notice unless you looked closely.
In addition, this place looks like it's rarely visited by people.
As an escape route, it is indeed very well hidden.
Xu Yuan led the group out of the forest.
"There's a mountain stronghold here, but some of the things here don't seem like things that mountain bandits could get or accomplish."
Just like that escape route we just saw.
The forest, though pristine, is not very large.
Moreover, the entrance to the passage is not located deep inside.
Soon, everyone came out.
Then I saw the mountain village not far away.
To be precise, it's the other side of the counterfeit.
A strong smell of blood emanated from the mountain stronghold, and lifeless corpses could even be seen on the tower.
Upon entering the mountain stronghold, corpses lay strewn everywhere.
All of them were killed with a single blow.
Some were beheaded by a single sword, while others died from having their chests pierced.
There were dozens of people in sight.
I don't know how many people there are in the whole mountain stronghold.
Where had Avina and her two companions ever seen such a spectacle?
Suddenly, I felt my face turn pale, and I felt nauseous and uncomfortable in my stomach.
In the end, I couldn't resist.
He vomited with a "whoosh".
Seeing this, Xu Yuan did not go any further inside.
Instead, he said to Little Crow, "I left a few alive; go and interrogate them."
The crow responded and flew away.
"Let's go."
Xu Yuan, along with Avina and the other two who were feeling unwell, left the mountain stronghold.
At the same time, Mount Tai flew out.
The crows have taken over there.
After a while, it returned and began to report the situation to Xu Yuan.
This land originally belonged to the Rosk family's fiefdom.
The Rothschild family is a viscount family.
However, it is not a family with a long history.
Instead, it was granted by the Duke of Maysfield more than a hundred years ago, and he swore allegiance to the Maysfield family.
More than a hundred years is a long time for ordinary people.
However, for a family, especially for a noble family that highly values its family history, a history of only a hundred years or so is really quite meager.
It can only be considered a newly established family.
It's the kind of situation where, at a gathering of nobles, one encounters a viscount family that is less powerful than oneself but has a long history, and one would feel inferior to them.
However, the Rothke family's history as the owners of this land came to an abrupt end ten years ago.
Through a series of political and military actions, the Baird dynasty reclaimed the land and people from the feudal lords and completed the centralization of power.
The Maysfield family is no exception.
Not to mention the Rothske family, which was granted fiefdoms by the Maysfield family.
Despite losing land and population, the Rosk family remains a behemoth on this land, but its influence is gradually diminishing under the continuous suppression of officials appointed by the Baird royal family.
As for the bandits here, they are actually the Rosk family's black gloves, who have been entrenched here for decades, doing shady things for the Rosk family.
Especially in the last decade.
In an effort to undermine the prestige of officials appointed by the royal family and shake their rule, these bandits committed murder, arson, looting, and all sorts of atrocities.
However, it has never been eradicated.
There are three reasons.
First, the terrain is treacherous.
Many places are difficult to pass through, making them easy to defend but difficult to attack.
It can be said that one man can hold the pass against ten thousand.
Second, the Roosevelt family interfered.
The family that had ruled this land for over a hundred years was secretly obstructing the operation, making the suppression of the bandits even more difficult.
Third, official corruption and inaction.
Suppressing the old aristocracy does not mean that officials are of noble character.
This only indicates that the two sides have different positions and classes.
In fact, in order to curb these former feudal lords, the Baird royal family appointed a large number of commoners as officials.
The results proved how terrible sugar-coated bullets can be.
Over the course of the decade, these newly promoted commoners have become the new aristocracy.
They're too busy sucking blood from civilians to bother with suppressing bandits.
"So you work for nobles. No wonder you know so much." Xu Yuan nodded.
Avina and the other two were completely dumbfounded.
This was the first time they had ever heard of such a thing.
The royal family suppressed the old nobility, but in doing so, they created a new generation of nobles?!
The old one hasn't even left, and the new one is already here?!
And it seems that the situation for ordinary people hasn't improved, but rather gotten worse?!
"Doesn't the royal family care?" Avina asked, puzzled.
"What do you mean, 'mind your own business'?" Xu Yuan asked.
"Those officials."
Why should the royal family interfere?
"They're corrupt and incompetent!"
"No, they did. They actively suppressed the old aristocracy."
"But haven't they become the new aristocracy?"
"Avina, you're wrong."
"These so-called new nobles are fundamentally different from the old nobles."
"The power of officials comes from the emperor."
"These new nobles, in terms of both influence and entrenched roots, are far inferior to the old nobles."
"The royal family now needs them to suppress the old aristocracy."
"Sending officials to conduct strict oversight is like tying their hands and feet."
"Moreover, the royal family needs to give them enough incentives."
"That's the only way to motivate them."
"They are like hounds released by the royal family."
"As long as we can suppress the old aristocracy, we can turn a blind eye to everything else."
"Once the old aristocracy has been suppressed to a certain extent, the royal family will begin to improve the official system and rectify the bureaucracy."
"As for whether the emperor will discard the donkey after it has served its purpose, or whether he will kill a group of typical cases and make the rest vomit up what they have taken in, that will depend on the emperor's style at the time."
"Avina, this is a political trade-off."
"It is difficult to achieve centralized power, but it is even more difficult to consolidate it."
"It's not enough to just take back the land and people; we also need to dismantle those stubborn old forces."
"But what about the civilians?"
"In the eyes of the royal family, the threat comes from the old nobles, not from the docile commoners."
"—Do you think so too?"
"Me?" Xu Yuan shook his head. "We have an old saying where I'm from: water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."
"Compared to those conspiracies, schemes, and political maneuvering."
"I still prefer to find ways to make people's lives better than before."
"This is the right and proper way."
"As long as they have their support, the old aristocracy and the new aristocracy are all paper tigers."
"Unfortunately, people of this era cannot recognize their power and always think of them as insignificant as ants."
"In fact, even those emperors in history who said that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it" did not truly recognize the power of the common people.
"Uh, why are you all looking at me like that?"
Xu Yuan frowned slightly, while Avina and her two siblings looked at him with sparkling eyes.
They initially thought Mr. Xu was being too cruel.
There were so many people in the mountain stronghold, and they were killed without warning.
Perhaps they were too weak.
They were being too presumptuous and naive.
A person who does nothing will accomplish nothing.
The world may not be as wonderful as your mother described, but there are still people who bow their heads and shine their own light on the common people at the bottom of society, who have good intentions towards them and want to help them live a better life.
They didn't fully understand what Xu Yuan was saying.
For example, his advocacy for the power of the people.
But this does not prevent their pure, kind, and untainted hearts from instinctively drawn to the simple idea of wanting people to live better lives.
I really want to go and see Dawn Island!
77
Avina couldn't help but sigh.
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