Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1836, 1808. Sir Hundred Wisdom
It was precisely because of the golden tree developed by the Elden Ring that the power of its [Life Furnace] was first demonstrated at the border.

Thus, the first intelligent and powerful life forms to appear in this world were beasts, not humans.

This has led to the fact that wild animals are the symbol of wisdom here. There is even a legend that 'wild animals bestow wisdom upon humankind'.

This, in turn, explains why the traditions of the people in the border region strongly believe in the theory that 'wild beasts are attracted to heroes and kings'—a belief in the qualities of a king.

Because wild beasts are symbols of wisdom and strength. The approval of a wise beast is a powerful form of hero certification.

'God' is the being who successfully demonstrated its own 'law' to the Elden Ring, allowing the principles of the world to operate according to the law.

The 'king' is the companion of God.

The conditions for a king to be chosen are clear. But what about a god?
This is all thanks to the "finger" that descended from the supreme will.

After the supreme will from beyond the heavens descended the Elden Ring, it did not abandon the matter. It also sent down many [two fingers] to convey its will remotely.

The [two fingers] select the [god-man] who possesses his own laws. Only when the god-man successfully visits the Elden Ring and applies and demonstrates his own laws on it can the god-man be qualified to be called a god.

It can be said that the supreme will is more in line with the meaning of the so-called 'god' in the vast world.

The two fingers represent the messengers and agents of God. The God of the borderlands is the agent of the supreme will.

In comparison, the "two fingers" might even hold a higher status than God in the belief system of the border region.

This is also why those who have faded from the spotlight in the Round Table Hall hold a transcendent position.

Of course, since there is only one Elden Ring and it can only display one law, it is only natural that when multiple gods are chosen by the two fingers, they will fight each other.

Gideon Ophniel's collection of books clearly records that Queen Marika defeated another god-like being who represented 'death' during her journey to godhood, and sealed that being's power of death.

This has led to the widespread 'immortality' of the Golden Dynasty today.

Perhaps it wasn't just the Golden Dynasty; given the power of the Elden Ring, Queen Marika should have sealed away all the death forces in the world, granting the entire world a universal state of 'immortality'.

One of the elders in the round-table hall held a greatsword that once belonged to that divine being. It was said to be able to unleash a deep black flame, though it no longer possessed the power of death.

The path to godhood can only accommodate one person at a time, so the Golden Law was already surrounded by enemies in its early stages.

Queen Marika married the valiant warrior Gofulei, and together they conquered far and wide, establishing the Golden Dynasty.

Thinking of this, Lan En, who had already walked out of the crowded streets and was strolling with his cat on the wide streets of Rodel, stroked his chin.

They share this camaraderie, and are gods and kings who have been partners since the beginning of their creation.

Why did Marika, at the end of the Govre campaign, simply strip him and his legion of their colors and drive them out of the border region?

Even from books that record historical events from an outsider's perspective, Lan En could sense this bewilderment.

This makes it sound like Queen Marika is a venomous woman who uses Govre and then discards him without hesitation or concern.

But she is a goddess!

He is the god who rules over the borderlands and applies his laws on the Elden Ring!

Would this kind of woman simply be fickle and eager to marry Radagan, who is also married?
Lan En was a little stunned when he saw this part of history.

After all, he had seen plenty of strong-willed and assertive women, especially sorceresses. But even sorceresses, if they had a relatively high status, might have some fun with lovers, but they would never be impulsive in matters of serious marriage.

For those of high status, marriage was no longer a simple domestic matter. Changes in marriage in the aristocratic era generally represented political upheavals and could cause significant upheaval.

Is it possible that Marika is less sensitive in this regard than the sorceress?

Lann was very skeptical about this. But he was the only one who saw it as a problem.

Queen Marika's prestige in the border region was extremely high.

The initial king, who had conquered vast territories through countless battles, was stripped of his golden blessing and banished without any explanation or prior notice. This occurred right after the final battle in the Nymgford region, on the very battlefield! He was stripped of his golden blessing from his eyes and banished by Marika, who was far away in the royal capital!
No one in the entire Golden Dynasty dared to express any opposition or advice to Marika, nor were there any rumors about the Eternal Queen; any such rumors were mostly directed at the second king, Fladagan.

This is the authority and power of being the one and only God.

But Lann doesn't believe in the Golden Tree, the Elden Ring, or Marika herself. That's why he suspects that this is highly unlikely to be a domestic dispute caused by infidelity.

Behind the apparent act of blinding and banishing the First King and his warriors, there may be a deeper purpose at play.

But just as Lan En was still lost in thought, he heard a shout in the distance.

"Mr. Lan! Mr. Lan!"

The person who shouted was a street away from where Lan En was, and he seemed to be trying to rush into the crowd to find someone.

This is completely contrary to Lan En's direction, and will only lead them further and further away.

Lann recognized the voice—it was the voice of Sir Rodel, who had led him to his lodgings in the Round Table Hall a few days earlier. “Let’s go, Velvet Ball, this way.”

Turning around, the Witcher entered the alleyway between the magnificent and imposing white stone buildings of Rodel.

The velvet ball was no longer surprised by Lan En's sudden, seemingly signaled action.

Its two little hind paws moved quickly as it followed: "I'm coming, meow!"

"Mr. Lan En!"

Knight Rodel was not wearing a helmet this time, which allowed him to be distinguished from the group of knights who were on duty maintaining order and closing the roads.

He was shouting, trying to find his target among the crowd cheering for the prince.

Immediately afterwards, he felt a sudden tug at the back of his collar, pulling him out of the crowd of pious shouters.

Turning around, I saw it was exactly what I was looking for.

Knight Rodel was still a little stunned: "Huh? Mr. Lann! You are...?"

His eyes, glowing with a blessed golden light, scanned Lan En and the surrounding noisy, crowded environment.

"I was right next to you just now, what a coincidence," Lan En explained casually. "You didn't see me and went straight into the crowd, so I had to pull you out."

Exceptionally keen senses are often a good card, representing an intelligence advantage. Lann won't reveal this card unless absolutely necessary.

"Is that so?" Sir Rodel couldn't find a better explanation, and since he did have something to attend to, he stopped dwelling on it. "Please come back to the Round Table Hall with me quickly. Sir Hundred Wisdom has just returned."

Lan En raised an eyebrow.

Sir Hundred Wisdom, also known as Gideon Ofnir, was the owner of the collection of books he was looking at.

Lann and Knight Rodel rushed back to the Round Table Hall.
-
When Lann returned to the Hall of the Round Table, he went directly to his room under the guidance of Knight Rodel.

Sure enough, as I walked across the wooden floor and past the piles of books to enter the bedroom, there was already someone standing inside, looking at the Qilin with great interest.

The man stood against the wall, wearing a strange suit of armor.

The helmet part of the armor, as well as many corner seams, uses a lot of ear-shaped designs, with a bunch of ears connected together looking like waves.

The chest area of ​​the armor features a large eye pattern.

The helmet's gaps were completely dark, obscuring any facial features. There might be supernatural interference involved.

Although he was wearing armor, he stood with an iron staff, hunched over, and lacked the bearing of a warrior.

At the top of the iron staff is a hand holding a precious pearl, and his own hand clasps down from above, perfectly interlocking with the iron hand.

Ears and eyes...represent gathering intelligence? Or seeking knowledge?

Based on his experience, Lan En began to assess the situation of the other side from the slightest clues during the first encounter.

As the organs that receive the most information and are most efficient in the human body, the emphasis on the shape of the eyes and ears is basically inseparable from these two tendencies.

Judging from their physical appearance, the opponent is much more likely to be a spellcaster than a warrior.

"You've piled all my books into a mess." Before Lann could even speak, Sir Hundred Wisdom began to speak. "No, don't worry. I can tell from the order in which you've read these books. You've explained things in a simple and easy-to-understand way; at least you're quite organized."

"Books are meant to be read, and I don't really care about these books. I've already read them and memorized them in their entirety. These books are just here because I don't want to deal with them; they're practically useless now."

Jazz Bai Zhi's voice was deep and calm, making it clear to listeners that he was constantly thinking.

“I am very grateful for your collection of books,” Lan En said as he walked in. “They have taught me a lot.”

The plush ball followed Lann one after the other, and Sir Bai Zhi tilted his head slightly to look at the cat standing upright, wearing armor and carrying a sword.

“Losing the blessing is not pleasant.” After looking away, Gideon Ophniel continued, “If these books can help clear your muddled mind, then they haven’t been sitting here for nothing.”

"By the way, these two, are they the wise creatures you attracted? As a cat, this fluffy ball seems very strong, but that's about it. But the Qilin... what exactly is it?"

Sir Hundred's curiosity was laid bare.

Lan En observed the Qilin: the ancient dragon from the New World was lazily lying on the red carpet, its head resting on the chair Lan En had specifically placed there that morning. It stared at the intruder who had disturbed its sleep with the air of a lazy dog ​​reluctant to get out of bed.

Lan En figured the two of them had probably been glaring at each other for quite some time before he returned.

“Sir,” Lann shook his head, “I thought you wanted me to come back quickly so that I could see Twofinger.”

(End of this chapter)