Chapter 1855 - 1854: Before the Federation Was Established

[38 years old: You returned to Xiqilelan once again, found your wife and son, and encountered those sent by your companions to assassinate you. Fortunately, they didn’t dare to attack right under the eyes of the Queen of the North.

Xiqilelan doesn’t have an inner and outer city, but it does have a region closer to the royal palace. For the safety of your wife and child, you spent all the gold you brought back to buy a house in the residential area next to the palace. You used a pseudonym to find work as a garden caretaker nearby.]

[39 years old: The garden you worked at was known as ’Haine Garden,’ located in the city center of Xiqilelan. At the center of the garden stood a statue of a young knight in heavy armor whose appearance differed from the continent locals.

It is said that this Knight Haine was a close friend of the Queen of the North and once saved the Northern Kingdom alongside her. Thus, the queen established this public garden in his memory.

Your task was simple — to prevent the garden’s flowers from being stolen by thieves and to maintain order within the garden.

On certain mornings, you could see the Queen of the North standing in front of the statue, lost in thought.]

[40 years old: After two long years without finding an opportunity for attack, the assassins from Kovotra seemed to have gradually slackened. You began to lead a peaceful and natural life. Although you didn’t hold a high position here and would occasionally receive reprimands from the street administrators of Xiqilelan, life was so calm and serene that it seemed it would last forever. Once again, you contemplated staying here.]

[41 years old: You started to grow a beard, consciously disguising your original appearance. Despite the hardships, life was passable.

Sometimes you stood in front of Knight Haine’s statue, contemplating how this young knight managed to rescue Xiqilelan at such a tender age. Considering the fact that the Queen of the North was ageless and immortal, you began to wonder if Knight Haine was also an undead, with the youthful appearance being merely a disguise.]

[42 years old: Your wife fell gravely ill and passed away before you could react. You realized that happiness and peace are not eternal; they fleet away quickly and often unexpectedly.

In the fall, you encountered a caravan from Kovotra that told you your ’companion’ had become increasingly brutal and ruthless after your departure, surpassing even previous leaders in cruelty.

He slaughtered wantonly, offering sacrifices to unknown divine beings in hopes of gaining immortality and eternal life. Sometimes, he even likened himself to a divine being incarnate on earth. The residents of Kovotra wished for his demise.

You keenly perceived an opportunity within this, but you no longer wished to meddle in Kovotra’s affairs.]

[43 years old: News arrived from the Kovotra caravan that your companion, the current governor, was killed by rebellious slaves during a sacrifice. Chaos erupted throughout Kovotra, and your father seemed to have returned there, attempting to assert control.]

[44 years old: Your family’s old servant arrived in Xiqilelan, telling you that your father had barely stabilized the situation in Kovotra, yet he couldn’t govern the city nor command public support. The people of Kovotra still hoped for your return.

Eventually, you entrusted your son to friends in Xiqilelan and returned to Kovotra once again, taking up the position of governor.]

[45 years old: The Kovotra left to you was in worse disarray than you imagined. Though the previous governor was killed, due to his excessive favor towards the army, many loyalists remained. Within just the first month, you faced at least five assassination attempts.

Luckily, your father appointed guards to stay by your side day and night, and your family had many skilled officers, allowing you to survive these assassination attempts.

Apart from the military issues, most of Kovotra city was destroyed: even the inner city walls had collapsed. The original population had dwindled to one-third, with many escaping the city. Fields outside the city lay barren, infested by Exotic Beast Groups, and even many trade routes were abandoned.

You started with the army, swiftly executing confidants left by the previous governor, then recruited many soldiers from the outer city’s civilians.

After stabilizing the army, you immediately led troops to clear part of the wilderness outside the city, salvaging the most fertile lands for farming and protection.

Simultaneously, you quickly restored the few prosperous trade routes, striving to recover enough caravans.]

[46 years old: After ensuring food supply and trade routes, you refocused on the city itself, dismantling the inner city walls, and issued incentives to attract returning migrants by offering land and housing.

You broke the tradition that only nobles could become officers in Kovotra by promoting a batch of civilian officers based on merit and granting them land and housing.

That way, you thoroughly stabilized the city’s military while weakening familial clan influence.]

[47 years old: As more migrants were attracted, you further reclaimed fields, opened trade routes, and rebuilt destroyed houses in the city.

You reduced taxes, allowing more merchants and farmers time to recuperate while tightly grasping commercial taxes from passing caravans to ensure the city’s normal operation.

You constructed four large markets at the four city gates, allowing all caravans to trade normally within the markets.

Exquisite handicrafts no longer needed to be sought from Julia Kingdom; they were available at the eastern market of the city. Pretty furs needn’t be sourced deep into the Northern Borders; they were obtainable at the northern market.

The entire city quickly began prospering.]

[48 years old: The city regained its previous prosperity, even surpassing it, solidifying your position significantly, so you began dealing with internal affairs.

You promoted more civilian officers and simultaneously allowed more nobles to enter the army, enabling a balance between the two.

You dispatched troops to neighboring small cities, bringing them under Kovotra’s rule to supply population and granaries while maintaining security of surrounding trade routes.

You arrested many incompetent nobles, reducing their influence and punishing those violating laws.]

[49 years old: You improved the original city’s talent selection system, hired scholars to conduct examinations, allowing outstanding civilians to become city officials through the exams, breaking the monopoly of nobles over the city’s resources.

The situation in Xiqilelan gradually improved, and your position continued to solidify.

Upon your father’s death, the opposing nobles united to assassinate you and launched a military coup, but your army contacts quickly informed you. Preemptively, you captured these nobles and completely removed them from the city’s ruling class.]

[50 years old: You acquired a potion from a merchant coming from the east; it was the subsequent promotion potion from the ’Antique Merchant.’ The merchant called it the ’Collector.’ You consumed the potion and became the Collector.

Having thoroughly secured your position, you brought your child back from Xiqilelan. Only at this moment did your child realize they had a governor as a father.]

[Age 51: As you grow older, your subordinates hope you can establish a successor to continue your policies and guidelines. They have high hopes for your children, but you know your son is just an ordinary person.

You begin to think about the future of the city-state.]

[Age 52: You established the Senate as the highest authority in the entire city-state. Naturally, the great nobles received a seat in the Senate, while the lesser nobles could elect representatives based on a certain ratio to enter the Senate.

You reserved about one-third of the seats for military officers and municipal administrators from the commoners, as well as merchants from common backgrounds. You know there are some hidden dangers in this, but it is indeed the most suitable structure for now.

You changed the selection rules for governors, turning it into a term system of one year, elected by the senators within the Senate. The governor is the highest leader of the city-state and can convene Senate meetings.

In the first year of the Senate election, you were elected without a doubt.]

[Age 53: You begin to truly try to select and cultivate your own successor, a young officer who comes from a common background, has considerable military knowledge, and maintains a good relationship with the nobility.

Under your leadership, Kovotra underwent another city expansion, gradually evolving into the largest city nearby.

Many people believe that Kovotra is already larger than many small kingdoms on the continent.]

[Age 54: Your child is already in his twenties, and he is not very interested in politics. He loves winemaking and opened a tavern in the southern part of the city-state.

You start collecting some special little objects. These things are often not expensive, but they are beautiful, and this collection behavior stabilizes your mood.]

[Age 55: Your successor gradually stands out, gaining more and more recognition. You are already in your fifties, surpassing the lifespan of many, yet you still feel healthy.]

[Age 56: You begin to gradually try to let the successor take on more work while nurturing more young people. A merchant from the south brings you a magical potion, telling you it is an extraordinary power of back-ranked, a C-level extraordinary power, referred to as ’Record Master,’ but taking it carries a high risk of death, so you didn’t take it immediately.]

[Age 57: You announce you will no longer run for governor. The successor you arranged was successfully elected and became the governor of the city-state. The Senate awarded you the honorary title of lifetime honorary governor, and you decided to leave the city-state for a while to see the outside world.]

[Age 58: You first head south and reach the Julia Kingdom, where there is a pervasive display of exquisite and magnificent creations. Even the houses are built in a style of contending beauty, and they have the best craftsmanship on the continent.

The monarch of the Julia Kingdom worships a god called Venus. Here, if you are good-looking, you naturally have a higher status. The most beautiful offspring of the royal family will inherit the kingdom, as they believe this is the grace of Venus.

You have pleasant conversations with the king of the kingdom for many days and nights; the only disagreement comes from the Queen of the North.

You insist that the Queen of the North is the most beautiful person on the continent, but King Julia believes the most beautiful person is in the Julia Kingdom. Neither of you could convince the other, and ultimately King Julia said he would personally travel north to meet the queen.

Your appearance is decent, and many women who saw you wanted to communicate with you, leaving one or two offspring.]

[Age 59: Passing through the Julia Kingdom, heading south, it is a vast desert, with small city-states standing amid the desert. These city-states worship the Grim Reaper, believing death is just another beginning of life, so the people here are brave and fearless of death, and many tools made of corpses can even be found.]

[Age 60: You attempt to continue to the south but are blocked by the vast ocean. You hear that there are also some powerful kingdoms to the south, but their caravans are hardly left intact after crossing the perilous sea, and you are unwilling to continue the adventure.]

[Age 61: You turn east, moving along the southern border of the Julia Kingdom, heading east. East of Julia Kingdom are scattered city-states and some vast wastelands.

The beliefs in the eastern city-states are somewhat chaotic; some believe in glory, others in knowledge. There is a particularly unique city-state filled with charming and seductive men and women who engage in uninhibited communication and even invite you to join.

The ruler of the city-state is a clear and beautiful woman, even surpassing the beauty of the King of Julia Kingdom. She invites you to leave a child there, which you eventually politely refuse.]

[Age 62: You reach the east coast of the continent, where there is only the endless sea. Locals tell tales of a vast and powerful land beyond the sea that holds a civilization completely different from that of the continent, but there are too many terrifying exotic beasts in the sea now, and no one dares to cross the sea.

A small city-state circulates an ancient prophecy, saying that a savior who will change everything will come from across the sea and land on the coast.

You go to the prophesied coast, which is no different from any other place. If one must say, the sunrise is particularly beautiful.

However, in this small city-state, you receive information called ’Ritual,’ which suggests that using the C-level Secret Medicine with the ritual would greatly enhance survival chances.

You visit the city’s witch who has the gift of prophecy. She tells you that you need to return to your origins to find traces of the Record Master Ritual.]

[Age 63: You bid farewell to the witch and move all the way north. You reach the land of the Andaville Tribe, where there are no cities, but there is a thriving presence. They are very hospitable, and the tribe’s elder tells you ancient legends about stonemasons and mysterious strongmen.

North of the Andaville Tribe is a dangerous area of exotic beast activity. The tribal elder personally leads people to escort you through the dangerous area, reaching the Northern Kingdom.]

[Age 64: You return to Xiqilelan and participate in the Snow Festival once again, where you see the Queen of the North again.

The first time you met her, you were still a young, robust youth with a beloved wife by your side. At that time, you were full of energy and excitement for the future.

Now, you are old and frail, and your wife has long since passed away.

Yet she remains as radiant and beautiful as ever, her beauty unchanged from years ago.

You suddenly understand the expression your father had when he mentioned ’ageless and undying.’

After the Snow Festival, you find your wife’s grave, carefully clearing the weeds in front of the grave and securing the tombstone.

You sit in front of her grave and talk to her for a long time, talking about the Kovotra she never saw, and about the marvelous sights and exotic stories of the continent you encountered in your travels.

You once promised to show her the landscapes of the continent, and now you have told it all to her.]