The Magic Empire for 20,000 years

Chapter 157 The Star Sorcerer and the [Human] Cleric

"This strange guy named Hudson is quite problematic."

"Based on the information gathered, this strange person who worships stars comes from the neighboring village that was abnormally destroyed by the meteor shower."

"Clearly, during this meteor shower that destroyed the village, Hudson must have been corrupted by some force, to the point that his mind became twisted and he turned into the crazy person he is now."

Elian looked at the strange figure in the crystal ball and analyzed.

He had already guessed what the eccentric Hudson was transforming into—

Those were the professionals later known as the "Star Sorcerers" or "Ancient Sorcerers"!
These sorcerers have made pacts with the stars in the sky or with ancient evil beings, and have been corrupted by the power of distant lands.

Through rituals, they were even able to summon monsters from distant stars to the earth.

"Starry Sky Evil Sorcerers actually appeared in such an early era?"

"As expected, Aion's observation of the demon star also alerted the outer gods behind those stars..."

"These great beings from distant lands will not sit idly by; they have accelerated their erosion, making these demonic stars more active and more likely to corrupt the mortal realm..."

As his thoughts raced, Elion couldn't help but be wary of something—

There exists a strange man named Hudson who worships stars...

It is likely that countless believers in the starry sky have already emerged across the entire continent, and even on other continents!

These cultists, corrupted by the starry sky, are hidden bombs buried in the mortal realm.

During the Doomsday War, a large number of Star Sorcerers were active.

These servants of the Outer Gods caused chaos everywhere, held blood sacrifices, and even summoned monsters from distant lands directly into the real world, overthrowing many countries from within.

The fact that the mortal kingdoms are so vulnerable and easily defeated when faced with the fleets of Outer Gods' minions and other sorcerers is also related to the destruction caused by these sorcerers from within!
Beside Elian, the Archmage of Prophecy Cassandra, with her gold-rimmed glasses, somber demeanor, head bowed, and face obscured by her jet-black hair, clearly recognized the seriousness of the situation and asked warily:
“Your Majesty El-Erian, this strange man is clearly mentally unstable and has been corrupted by some strange force. Is it necessary to eliminate him?”

El-Erian shook his head:
"Don't do that for now."

“We will send someone to keep a close watch on him and monitor his every move.”

"If he exhibits any other abnormalities, notify me immediately."

"For example, receiving a revelation from the stars and suddenly starting to set up some kind of ritual, or going to a certain ruin to search for something, or to meet with some outsider..."

Cassandra did not fully understand His Majesty El-Erian's arrangements, but she still followed the instructions:

“No problem, Your Majesty. I will draw a few people from my team of divination mages to take turns keeping an eye on this man named Hudson.”

"If he shows any other abnormalities, we will notify you immediately!"

El-An nodded slightly, looking into the crystal ball at Hudson's expression, which alternated between dejection and madness, his eyes narrowing.

Eliminating a Star Sorcerer is naturally easy.

But it's meaningless in extinguishing the danger lurking in the shadows.

Elian's goal is to use this sorcerer who can hear the revelations of the stars as bait to see if he can uncover more hidden Outer God forces, and then wipe them out in one fell swoop!
That night.

The eccentric Hudson returned alone to his dirty, shabby thatched hut, still muttering strange, incomprehensible words:
"Why did it become like this?"

Why do those foolish villagers believe in a strange land from the north, instead of the great stars hanging high in the night sky?

Suddenly, this eccentric, deranged man knelt down and, facing the countless stars in the sky, prayed in an almost fanatical tone:
"Stars, please guide me, what should I do in the future?"

Perhaps because he was already somewhat confused, Hudson did not notice:
In the thick darkness of night, an owl perched on a distant treetop, silently watching him.

All the sights seen by this magical owl were transmitted to its mage master in the distance via the [Perspective Link] spell.

……

Over the next two months, Gretel led a dozen or so envoy teams from Eldoron to visit various human settlements in the southern mountains.

They displayed wondrous magic and brought various novel gifts, letting the people of the southern mountains know that to the north of those verdant mountains lay a great magical empire. A very few human settlements, however, were extremely xenophobic, resisting these envoys from the northern magical empire and even launching attacks against them.

However, given the absolute disparity in military strength, the final outcome was predictable.

During this time, under His Majesty Elian's instructions, Grete also traveled to the village that was said to have been destroyed by a meteor shower.

But all that remained was ruins; nothing was left.

At the end of the 12th year of the Empire, batches of mage envoys arrived at several large human settlements in the southern part of the mountain region that had previously been in friendly contact with each other.

Their mission is to spread the history and culture of Eldoron in this new land!

Because of the friendly groundwork laid in the initial contact, the arrival of this new group of envoys was generally welcomed by the locals.

Given the disparity in civilization level and magical power, many envoys naturally became de facto leaders or opinion leaders in these settlements.

The vast majority of these messengers were born on the surface of Eldoron and were once taught by the Sky City. Now, they too have taken on the mission of spreading knowledge.

It is foreseeable that, as time goes by, Shannan will eventually become part of the Eldoran Empire...

……

The 13th year of the Empire.

Elrian sat in his ornate chair, looking at the newly drawn map of Eldoron.

— Today, Eldoron is much larger than before. Its territory no longer consists only of the narrow river valley and surrounding areas, but also includes the Emerald Mountains to the south and the plains further south.

El-Erian tapped his fingertips lightly on the dark wooden tabletop, analyzing the situation while envisioning future plans:

"Although Shannan has only tens of thousands of people, it is a vast and sparsely populated area with great potential for future population growth."

"Before the first year of the Empire, the total population of the hundreds of human settlements of varying sizes on the surface of Eldoron was just over 70. Even after years of rapid development, the population is only slightly over one million."

"This high population growth rate is the result of a sudden and significant decrease in the death rate and pro-natalist policies."

"We are still a long way from achieving the goal of forming a divine order for humanity..."

As a deity in his previous life, Elion was quite knowledgeable about acquiring divine office.

According to his estimates, the empire would need a population of tens of millions to seize the divine positions currently held by the gods. Furthermore, the entire nation firmly regards him as the "leader of humanity" and the "god-emperor of humanity."

In addition, we must proactively promote several major events involving the human race, deeply binding our own fate with that of humanity.

For example, launching a technological revolution that could rewrite the fate of countless people; or making the human kingdom of Eldorlon have a continental-level influence, approaching the current level of the elven kingdom.

dong dong dong.

A crisp knock came at the door.

"Come in."

Secretary Hiluka, who had received Elian's permission, came excitedly:
"Your Majesty Elion, the teleportation array connecting the Elven Royal Court and our Eldoron has been fully constructed."

"Large-scale trade between the two countries is about to begin!"

El-Erian smiled with satisfaction, as if a long journey had finally reached a milestone:

"After many hardships and setbacks, this day has finally come!"

After more than a decade of development, living conditions on the surface of Eldoron have improved considerably, but it remains a poor, small country in the eastern part of the continent. Its economy is underdeveloped, and neither the pockets of most people nor the national treasury are filled with savings.

Only by establishing trade relations with the wealthiest elven kingdom on the continent, which holds the power to set the currency, can the nation convert its production advantages into cash, rapidly accumulate wealth, and enrich itself. Based on this foundation, it can then develop its magical military industry to counter the empire's 30-year-long invasion from the abyss.

At the same time, influencing life in the Elf Kingdom by exporting goods is the first step in "extending human influence to the continental level".

(End of this chapter)