She is an ordinary mountain woman, born in a small tribe, with occasional quarrels, generally harmonious parents, and a younger brother who is always at odds with her, but will be obedient after she does.

She grew up in an environment that was neither strict nor easy, and she learned the family craft, braided rope with reeds and raised fish and shrimp in the reed pond, met her peers from several surrounding families, played together, and worked together.

She met her husband on a soft sunny afternoon, it was a sunny autumn, the forest by the lake was dyed with a pale yellow, and the reflection of the sun was as bright as gold, and the blue eyes that seemed to speak instantly made her stop the mowing sickle in her hand, and he froze in place, looking at the hostess with those light silver eyes, and then smiled shyly.

They got acquainted. He was the son of a herb picker, and invited her to dance at the Winter Closing Festival, and she did not hesitate to agree, and in the spring of the following year they were united as a family, and soon they had a child, who inherited his father's blue eyes, bright and moist, and often giggled and was very cute.

This is her happiest day, her son is growing up, she has a child in her belly, her husband's work is hard, but every time he comes back from collecting medicine, he will bring back a pot of flowers for him, the stone hut is simple, but it is very warm, the backyard behind the house is full of colorful colors, when she stands in the backyard, many flowers are clustered around her, he praises it as the most beautiful scenery in the mountains.

On the day of their second pregnancy, they planted a fifty-year-old orchid in the middle of the backyard, which has a long lifespan but grows slowly, taking ten months from root to germination, just when the child is born.

He told her that if it was a boy, then in the future there would be no shortage of flowers for the children to chase the girl. And if it is a girl, when she is married, she will have the best and most beautiful wreath to wear, and she will never be inferior to the daughter of any chief.

She didn't speak, just leaned on his shoulder, happily staring at the fifty-year-old orchid that had just been planted, as if looking at the happiness after a long future, full of hope.

But the food disaster arose. War followed.

- A rebellion by a group of mountain people bewitched by the Flamelands must be stopped from destroying our homes and traditions, and desecrating our faith and glory!

- We must raise our swords and guns, we must draw our bows and arrows, defend our homes, and defend our loved ones!

These are the words of the chief, and the chieftain, who was originally peaceful and even somewhat honest, roared loudly, and his voice echoed among the mountains, and no one could refute it, because the war was not initiated by them, they were only passively facing it.

The chief took many people, including him.

In the backyard of the stone house, the fifty-year-old orchid grows slowly, expanding its root system, absorbing the nutrients of the earth and rain, and the flowers are blooming with the passage of time.

But she seemed to be drained of her vitality, her heart was uneasy, full of doubt and fear, she gradually became haggard, but she forced herself to eat a lot, for the sake of the child in her belly, she felt like chewing wax, but still forced it in her mouth, swallowing, like a machine.

Bad news after bad news came, their side was losing and many were dying, and most of the tribes were co-opted or conquered by the independent hill people, and only they, the coastal and lake-by-sea, according to the Imperials, were still resisting.

Why resist? Why do I think it's best not to resist? Sometimes she thinks about it, and then the extreme trepidation makes her stop thinking for a short time, unable to continue the train of thought.

But the truth is cold and indifferent, but the reality is cruel and unforgiving. One cloudy afternoon, she waited for the day, the day when her worst premonition came true, and a wooden coffin was brought back.

How lucky. There were too many human bones left, and the bombardment of alchemical artillery could shatter not only the walls and fortresses, but also the bones of people, and the firearms were powerful enough to tear flesh and bones, so that the corpses were so deformed that those closest to him could not recognize them.

It's lucky. She trembled out of the stone hut, and she saw her husband's parents crying and throwing themselves on the wooden coffin, the rudimentary lid of the coffin opened, and inside was one

The corpse was largely intact, but the flesh was blurred with flesh and blood, and the blue eyes had begun to decay, and a gray crystalline mist filled the eye sockets.

She fell to her knees and crawled to the coffin, she could not remember whether she had cried or how she had returned to bed, she only knew that the coffin would be buried the next day, and that he would never return.

Another half a month passed, and the chieftain returned with news of the victory.

But in addition to this, he also brought back many people who had lost their hands, feet, and parts of their bodies.

The news of the victory could not wash away this gloom at all, and the streets of the tribe began to be filled with disabled soldiers, who walked the streets in great fear, as if someone would shoot from the corner at any moment, they would suddenly scream, they would shut themselves in the house, they would cry uncontrollably, they would tremble in the face of the sun.

Where exactly did they become like this? What blow did they suffer to be so devastated?

If that's what a victory is, then what exactly is a victory?

Only the cries of the relatives and friends of the victims in the tribe, while the rest of the people lived as usual, even a little festive.

Victory. Victory......

She chewed on the word, she couldn't understand the word, where did she win? If the mountain people who want independence win, will all of them die? Oh, yes. Perhaps, perhaps, it may be more cruel than death, but how can such a victory be celebrated now?

She hated. She hated those who came back alive, whether disabled or not, who waited for the day of victory and returned to their homeland alive.

She hated. She hated the dragon god messenger in the chief's mouth, why didn't the legendary hero inheritor strike sooner and bring victory to save him?

She hated. She hated the independent mountain people, she hated the Flying Flamelands, she hated the empire and all the big men she didn't know the name of, hiding behind the war. What exactly did these people destroy, do they really understand for themselves?

But they may not care, they don't care what their actions will do, they don't care that there is a widow, a mother, and many more people who hate them.

Oh, yes. That's it. I hate that I can't do anything. Her brother and her husband's brother came to comfort her, and they fought together but survived, and they knelt down before her, and the two men wept bitterly and told her that her husband was brave and had died in battle to cover a flanking army, and that he was a warrior of the tribe.

They swore to the dragon gods, the ancestors, and the spirits of heaven and earth that they would protect her, protect her children, the blood of their own brothers, the chieftain testified.

This is already very lucky. The thought that occasionally came to her mind was that she had relatives and children, she had family and friends, and that he had died like a hero, and that she should praise his bravery after crying, which was the tradition of the mountain people. Not to mention, I'm not the worst one...... Even more tragic than a widow like her was the loss of her mother's only son, the loss of her father's son whom she had painstakingly raised, the death of those young warriors without even an heir, and their parents' tears without even a hint of comfort.

She took the hand of her four-year-old eldest son, stroked her bulging abdomen, looked at the other party's blue innocent eyes, felt the slightly vibrating heartbeat in her abdomen, and the pain in her heart subsided slightly.

But such a consolation is like a gust of wind stirring up in the heart, and the heart that has been pierced by the thorns and broken is blown out of the devastated earth, and floats lightly in the air, temporarily leaving the source of pain.

But soon, the fluttering heart will fall back to the earth again, and be pierced by pain again.

The pain was not a direct death, but a silence in the kitchen, a gentle breeze that seemed to caress it, a gaze with a pair of similar eyes, and a sudden rise of memories in the middle of the night—like a volcanic eruption, irrepressible memories mixed with exploding pain, and then a dazed feeling that bordered on despair.

She will understand, she has long understood, what does the suffering of other people have to do with her? No one can understand anyone else, and no one can really hide their grief with other people's pain.

She often dreamed that her husband would return with scars, and they would still do the same thing as before

Pie, he kneaded the dough

She peels the shrimp, and the house is filled with the smell of baked wheat cakes, and the children laugh and wait for the hot shrimp patties to be served.

And now, when she gets up every day and sees the morning light, it seems as if the sun is going out.

What the chief was talking about, what the chief was agitating, the chief persuaded many people, including her parents, so she left her hometown with the chief and went to the distant holy land, the canyon around the holy mountain of Nagang.

It was not a long time, but many mountain people would never leave their tribe's sphere of influence, would not leave the mountains where they lived, and on this day, mountain people from all over the world gathered, bustling, looking up in reverence and awe, looking at the top of the holy mountain, under the clouds, shining brighter than the sun, but not hurting the eyes of the dragon god sacrifice fire, they looked at the wreckage of the tower that called for thunder to fall, and the white-haired messenger who stood on the wreckage.

That is the messenger of the dragon god, who has the story of his predecessors in the legends of the past, and has his current prestige in the current war.

He was the one who brought the victory, and simply because of his presence, all the mountain people held their breath and silenced the valley.

She gently took her child's hand, took her own child, and quietly raised her head to look at the figure that was invisible, but indeed gave everyone a palpable presence, while a row of towering iron knights stood on either side of the road leading to the top of the mountain, the light of lightning flowing from the magnetic storm generator, and the thunder flowing in the cloudy sky.

[I am not here to tell you about the arrival of a victory worth celebrating, but to tell you that suffering and winter are coming]

And a voice, a calm, clear, young but giving people a sense of majesty, he opened his mouth to the point, without any nonsense, and his tone was flat like a narrative: [The civil war of the mountain people does not originate from our own hatred, but from the war between the Empire and the Flying Flame Land, as long as the war between the two countries continues, we will not be able to get peace, and the Flying Flame Land will use us as a weapon to affect the South Ridge, constantly attacking us]

[And the question is, why did Flameland choose us?] 】

He paused for a moment, and then stated the facts: "Because our mountain people do have enough capital for Flying Flame Land to spend their hearts and minds]

[Because we have a large population - so if we don't have enough food, we'll be in chaos]

[Flying Flame Land doesn't need to bother to let those traitors win, they just need to let these traitors delay our efforts to ask for help from the outside world, in this winter of lack of food, many people will starve to death, and the remaining people will become refugees, wailing and leaving the mountains, storming the Agate Plain, and completely disturbing the South Ridge]

[Because we do have power—right behind me, this burning dragon god sacrifice fire, with the power of this magnificent holy land, I call for thunder and defeat the three knights in armor]

But what if it weren't for me? What if I fail? Then the power of the Holy Land, the power of our mountain people, will be stolen by the fanatics of the Flame Land, and in what blasphemous ways will they exploit the legacy left by our ancestors? We can't imagine it, but it was definitely the worst nightmare]

The mountain people listened to the voice, and they held their breath and listened quietly to the words of the messenger who brought victory in this solemn atmosphere.

And he continued: "Because if we are united, then no one can ignore the fact that the reason why the Flying Flame Land went to great lengths to bewitch those traitors is really for the good of our mountain people, and for the sake of our "independence," he continued. Miss by a mile! 】

[They knew from the beginning that this conspiracy could not succeed and that the traitors would inevitably fail, but with this civil war, the tenacious and fragile relationship between the tribes was torn apart! 】

[Some of us, killing other people's friends, killing other people's husbands and wives, killing other people's sons and daughters—the sorrow of death and the anger of farewell fill our hearts, and since this civil war, we mountain people can no longer be as united as we used to]

[Since this civil war, we mountain people can no longer return to the glory of the past, restore the glory of the Dragon Kingdom, and revitalize ourselves! 】

For we have the blood of our own countrymen on our hands, between us

, already full of hatred and despair

It's a big deal! 】

[We, the mountain people, will become an independent tribe divided between the mountains and never get along! 】

The voice of the messenger grew louder and louder, and the loud response reverberated among the mountains, and even turned into layers of roars and questions: "Do you want such an ending? 】

My answer is, never! 】

- Never......

- Never.

- Never !!

Many of the people in the crowd seemed to wake up from a dream, they raised their hands and shouted, repeating the cry of "never, never—and a moment later, the roar of the mountains and a tsunami resounded through the mountains, the boiling anger, the awakening after being reminded to understand the truth, and the unwillingness and hatred that came from the heart, the will not to let the enemy's goal be achieved, supported the crowd to roar hoarsely.

And the messenger of the dragon god raised his hand and pointed to the sky, where the clouds in the sky were lined up one after another, and the fiery sun hung down a pillar of light visible to the naked eye from the great hole in the clouds, which shrouded the top of the sacred mountain and shone on the remains of the thunderous tower.

Shine on the white-haired messenger.

[Compatriots, listen to me! 】

His voice was like thunder, shaking away the clouds: [The reason why we are in war is not because we are weak, but because we are strong! 】

[It's just that because of the sinking of two hundred years, we have forgotten our own power, so we have been used by others and hurt ourselves!] 】

[Yes - our civilization has fallen, we have lost to the Empire and become one of them, this is the war, we have already lost once, there is nothing to be ashamed of - but more importantly, we cannot lose all the time, lose until we no longer exist]

[We still have the capital to revitalize, and voila, our Wrong Steel Holy Mountain! It is majestic and strong, standing between these lofty mountains, sacred and solemn, and its power can still protect our mountain people, and can also guide us to glory again]

[Listen to me, fellow citizens—the condition of our mountain people today is like the crumbling tower at the top of this mountain, which once stood tall on the top of the mountain, blooming brighter than the sun, and crushing an almost invincible enemy with the most powerful posture...... Then it will overturn and become a ruin before my eyes.]

[However, the tower has overturned, and we can rebuild it!] It's covered in scars, and you can also slowly repair it to make up for it! 】

[I will lead you to do all this, I will rebuild the tower, I will lead the mountain people to glory again!] 】

[Yes, we will face more ferocious and terrible enemies in the future, we will face more cunning and despicable villains, who will fear our strength, our numbers, and our unity, who will hinder our progress in revival and our efforts to rebuild the Tower]

[But this time, we will fight against their intrigues and tricks!] D...... [This time - compatriots! ] 】

[We won't lose!] 】

"We won't lose!" "We won't lose!" "We won't lose!"

Because of the sun, because of the warm atmosphere, because of the anger aroused by thousands of people, the air was scorching, and even the cold air of the beginning of winter was heated among the white air rising from the crowd.

A widow, a mother, feeling a little deprived of oxygen in her brain, looked up blankly and looked at the young man at the top of the mountain.

The young man who is announcing the future, announcing the beginning of another war......

Unlike those who had fallen into a frenzy, she felt an icy chill sweeping over her.

- Under the noble goal, there will be bones buried; On the side of the passionate declaration, there will be sacrifice.

Glory and Death, Merit and War...... It may only take a few battles to revive a tribe, but it takes several wars to revive the civilization of the mountain people.

Feeling dizzy, out of fear of that future, she staggered backwards and almost fell, and if it weren't for the child's tight grip on her hand, I'm afraid she would have fallen...... And the surrounding mountain people didn't notice this because they were in excitement.

She won't believe appearances. She has lost a lot. Her heart had already been hurt

Bitter tearing, so that you can experience the future more clearly

rather than the sublime of the grand narrative.

But.

She understood it very clearly...... If there is no dragon god messenger in front of them, then what awaits the mountain people is definitely dozens or hundreds of times more cruel than that cruel future.

Just caring about the happiness of his family is destined to not change such a desperate ending, just fantasizing that "if you are alone, you are destined to be swallowed up by the tide of the times."

INTERVIEWER What should I do?

How many times do ordinary people have to go through life and death before they can see the so-called "brilliance,?"

"Mom, don't cry......"

The child's childish voice recalled her thoughts, and she wiped the corners of her eyes to find that she had already burst into tears, while the other mountain people around her roared feverishly, "We won't lose!" , the sound resounded through the world.

It's a good day. The messenger of the dragon god is indeed a real person, and he has the strength and courage to lead the mountain people to the future in his heart.

But that's not the case for everyone.

She wanted pain, but it was too out of place, and in the cheers of the people, she lost the power of pain.

She wanted to scold, but she was too ignorant of what to do, and she knew very well that the war was not the messenger's fault, and she lost the courage to scold.

If only she were really lonely, then she would be able to seek death.

But the child, her child was beside her, tugging at her hand, taking small bites of the biscuits sent by the tribe, and staring worriedly at himself who was crying just now with his father's blue eyes.

The child did not understand anything, he was dressed in shabby clothes, and from time to time he looked sideways at the holy mountain.

He is surrounded by a frenzied crowd, he will be taught by the tribe, and he will eventually become like his father.

Brave, fearless, full of glory, a man who charges for the sake of the tribe and then dies somewhere.

- O dragon god. O messenger.

- Whoever it is, please let me know.

- How can we stay away from these pains, how can we leave a small happiness on our side?

She closed her eyes, knelt on the ground, folded her hands, and prayed in the direction of the holy mountain.

In the cheers of the mountain people, there are roars, roars, joyful smiles, and blank prayers.

Ian calmly overlooks it all, taking in all of it.

- The strong is the evil.

Because in the face of the will of the strong, the weak can only be swept away, swept towards the future that the strong hope for.

He knows. He is not the chosen one who can bring about a happy ending.

He knows. He will protect some of the mountain people to reach the future, and he will also let some of the mountain people die on the road of the future.

He knows. He had seen so much, from Ryan to the Imperial Capital, from Avak back to the Bison Mountains, and the boy had seen so much suffering, frustration and tragedy.

He remembered the apparitions of the Azure City, the weeping souls and bloodstains, the decaying corpses and the people who had dreams.

Ian has always known that in the general trend of social civilization, human individuals will always be as adrift and at a loss as they are now, just like those parents who have lost their children and children who have lost their parents, just like those wives who have lost their husbands and husbands who have lost their wives, they will sink into irreparable despair and grief for the rest of their lives, and they will never recover.

War. War has never changed.

The all-out war between the Flame Land and the Empire is imminent, and even if it has already begun, no one can escape.

If you want to break this cycle, you have to recreate a world, a new world.

And such a new world will inevitably be born only in the most extreme pain and destruction.

"I have never experienced pain......

Ian looked around at the thousands of figures in front of him: "I can't imagine heaven. ”

He stared at the mountain people, who were easily agitated by a civil war and victory, and whispered to himself: "If you don't lose anything, you don't want to hold on to anything." ”

"Because I've seen tragedy, I want to create a happy ending."

"Mountain people...... Fortunately or unfortunately, you meet this condition. ”

"So it can be used by me."

Murmuring like this, Ian feels like he might be a devil who is exploiting people's pain and desperate desires to accomplish what he wants to accomplish.

But if it's for your own goals......

Then the devil is the devil.

"I will be the most terrible devil in this world, using your desires and dreams to shape a new world."

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