The Magic Empire for 20,000 years

Chapter 155 New Human Gathering Place - [Southern Mountain Region]

Mid-year of the 12th year of the Empire.

The teleportation array connecting Eldoron and the Elven Kingdom is more than halfway complete.

The Elven Kingdom did not react to this, but a few Sun Elf families with vested interests occasionally voiced their protests, but they never gained any real influence.

Unlike the detached nature of the elves, the humans of Eldoron did not waste the time before formal trade began.

Numerous magical production bases have received orders for goods from various elven families in advance and are working diligently using the [Divine Craftsmanship] spell to produce the goods as quickly as possible, so that they can be sent over once the teleportation array is fully completed.

Meanwhile, under Elian's arrangement, the production mages also organized several study groups to quickly master the skills of crafting magical items such as wands, staves, artifacts, magic rings, and enchanted weapons.

They knew that once the teleportation array was fully completed, large-scale trade between the two countries would begin.

At that time, the entire elven kingdom will face a huge demand for magical items. Simply learning the "Masterful Craftsmanship" skill to produce ordinary items will not be enough; only those who can create magical items will be the darlings of the new era.

Nobody wants to be left behind by this new era!

In major towns and cities, higher magic schools, adhering to the theory of combining industry and academia, have also started offering courses related to the creation of magical items.

Wand Crafting

"Robe Decoration Patterns and Runic Texts"

The Forging of the Rings

……

Elion thought that nothing noteworthy would happen in Eldoron until the teleportation array was completed the following year and the two countries officially began trade.

Unexpectedly, in October, another exciting piece of good news reached the floating city.

"Reporting, Your Majesty El-Erian."

"An amazing discovery!"

The messenger rushed into Elian's office, his face filled with excitement and urgency.

"What's wrong? Why the rush?"

Gutt shrugged as he was handing over the task to Elian.

The messenger reported:

“In the plains south of the Emerald Mountains, we discovered numerous scattered human settlements.”

"This human settlement appears to have existed for centuries. It's just that we haven't noticed it before because of the obstruction of the Emerald Mountains."

"Your Majesty, this is the first time that we in Eldoron have come into contact with another large-scale human settlement!"

A new human settlement?
Guter raised an eyebrow, suddenly remembering:

Indeed, outside of Eldoron, there are many other human settlements scattered across this continent.

Wasn't that high-ranking mage, Ms. Aenelia, from one of them?

Upon hearing this news, Elion showed little surprise and smiled, saying:
"A good discovery."

"There are numerous human settlements scattered across this continent. As the territory of Eldoron expands, it will only be a matter of time before we come into contact with them."

"We must strive to incorporate these human settlements and make them part of Eldoron!"

—This was a plan that Elion had proposed when Ian visited Eldoron.

This is necessary work in order to gain control of the divine office of [humanity] in the future.

"Approximately what is the total population of these human settlements in the southern plains of the Emerald Mountains? What is their level of civilization?" Elion asked for more details.

The monk who reported the news said:

"According to the information sent back by the forward-looking prophecy mage exploration team, the total population of human settlements of all sizes in the entire plain area is estimated to be over 5."

"The actual number is difficult to count, and it may be much higher." "However, the level of civilization in these human settlements is not high, and the mortality rate of the residents is very high, similar to the surface of Eldoron before Your Majesty carried out the reforms."

"Currently, the exploration team has not found any evidence that they have mastered magic."

Elian nodded slightly, not surprised by the result.

The humans of Eldoron in the valley possess the ability to wield magic, a skill honed over 300 years ago by Seymour Moon Whisper and more than 100 servants. They are the most fortunate of all humans on this continent.

Other human settlements could only struggle to survive on this land teeming with extraordinary races.

El-Erian asked a few more questions, then said:

"'Human settlements in the southern Emerald Mountains' is a bit too long."

"From now on, let's call this area 'Shannan'."

"In contrast, the area where we now live, north of the Emerald Mountains, is the 'River Valley' or 'Old Eldoron'."

The secretary, Shiluka, standing beside her, smiled broadly and gave a curtsy.
"As you wish, Your Majesty Elion."

"We will immediately spread this message, organize manpower, and make contact with the human settlements in the southern part of the mountains!"

News of the discovery of the new human settlement in Eldoron quickly spread throughout the floating city and several towns.

Domestically, many people are eager to see the humans outside of Eldoron with their own eyes.

A few weeks later, Eldoron assembled more than a dozen teams of envoys tasked with "friendly contact" and they set off for the southern Emerald Mountains.

……

Freya, who lives on the southern plains of the Emerald Mountains, is nine years old this year.

From the time she could remember, she had to learn to help with household chores, feeding the livestock, sowing seeds, weeding, and mending clothes. She was busy from morning till night, often not knowing where her next meal would come from.

And, along with other children, they learned to take up arms and fight against the seemingly endless numbers of goblins and gnolls who invaded their homes.

She has never left the land of her birth. From the moment she was born, she could see the lush, green mountains to the north.

The village elders say that a terrifying dragon lives on the verdant mountains to the north, ruling over the entire mountain range.

Some people have even witnessed the dragon soaring through the sky.

Legend has it that the dragon is named Emerald, with scales as green as a forest, a body as massive as a small mountain, and the ability to spew poisonous mist from its mouth that corrodes everything. Its claws can easily crush the hardest rock. A single roar is enough to make an entire village tremble and houses collapse.

Even the strongest and most robust human warriors are no different from ants and insects in front of a dragon that has lived for countless centuries.

In such stories, little Freya believed that the dragon must be a god, invincible and immortal.

Although Freya herself has never seen the dragon, there is one piece of evidence that proves its existence—

In rare cases, a few goblins and kobolds with dragon heads and scales would come down from the lush mountains in the north and plunder their livestock and grain.

It is said that these half-dragons with the appearance of dragons are soldiers under the command of that terrifying dragon.

These half-dragons were ten times more terrifying than ordinary alien races. Their dragon scales were harder than iron armor, and they could spew out pungent poison gas from their mouths. They were practically miniature dragons.

Faced with these raiders, the villagers were completely powerless to resist and could only be slaughtered at their mercy.

As she grew older, Freya believed that her life would always be like this:

She will forever live this impoverished life, barely having enough to eat, and will remain on this land forever.

When she grows up a little older, she will marry a man from the village and then live a busy life like her mother.

She will give birth to seven or eight children, some of whom will live to adulthood and inherit her destiny—just as she inherits her mother's destiny.

Until one day, a strange man who "believed in stars" came to the village.

(End of this chapter)