Above the mage

Chapter 145 The Holy Empire, Plantagenet Dynasty

"Yes!" Instructor Morsen's expression inexplicably turned fervent, and he exclaimed in a slightly longing tone, "This area, which occupies almost half of the Nolan Continent, is all territory belonging to the Holy Empire!"

"The Holy Empire is the only empire on this continent and even in this world."

"It possesses the largest territory and the most powerful force on the Nolan continent, and this remains true even if our vision extends beyond the Nolan continent to the entire world."

"Because what you see is a vast area, which is not even the entire territory of the Holy Empire."

"The Holy Empire also possesses its own territories on both the continent of Terra and the continent of Midgard."

"This is the only country whose territory spans three continents," Mentor Morsen became particularly excited and talkative when talking about the Holy Empire. "Before it, no country could do that, and after it, as things stand, the Holy Empire is still growing stronger and it is almost impossible for it to weaken or be destroyed."

History tells us that no empire has ever survived decline and destruction; even the British Empire collapsed, Gao De thought to himself.

"The Holy Empire originated from a union of barbarian tribes," Instructor Morsen said in a melodious voice. "Several barbarian tribes left the wilderness, came to the civilized land, and then joined forces to occupy an ancient city."

"From the very beginning, as barbarians, they faced threats from civilized people from all sides, because to the 'civilized people,' they were foreign invaders."

According to Gaode Maps' interpretation, it might be equivalent to the Mongolians leaving the grasslands and entering the Central Plains?

"But they were warlike and skilled in battle, clashing with all their enemies and holding grudges. In the end, they won all their battles and established themselves in the civilized world."

"Once we've established a firm foothold, the next step is to continue expanding."

"This period of history makes the people of the Holy Empire feel proud to the core, and it is also of great reference value to the people of other countries."

"It is because of this history that the Holy Empire values ​​talent and strength above all else."

"At the same time, because the barbarian tribes were not good at magic at first, they suffered many losses and sacrificed too many people in the previous battles, so they highly admired and respected the power of magic."

"And they are both savage and enlightened in their thinking, never conservative, and allow for constant innovation in magic."

"In the eyes of many people from other countries, the Holy Empire is a bloody, cruel, and insatiable nation, a warmonger with great power, because since they left the barbaric lands, they have never stopped their expansion."

Mentor Mosen spoke with great enthusiasm, seemingly full of identification with, or even longing for, the Holy Empire.

"As you can see, they have grown from a single ancient city into a powerful empire spanning three continents."

"But for the people of the Holy Empire, the Empire is the most tolerant and harmonious country."

"Even many people from other countries agree with this, because the social atmosphere of the Holy Empire is exceptionally inclusive, something that no other country can match."

"It respects everyone's talents and abilities, rather than valuing their origins, social positions, family backgrounds, or even their homeland."

"Some people who disdain or hate the Holy Empire believe that this is because the Holy Empire itself originated from nothing more than the lowest barbarian tribe, so naturally they don't value such things."

At this point, Professor Mo Sen said with a hint of disdain, "If you can't do it yourself, then you slander it. That's just human nature."

After expressing his disdain, he continued his lecture: "The people of the Holy Empire have the utmost respect for power, but the power they respect is not merely force."

"Power can manifest in more ways than just force."

"Those who demonstrate outstanding talent in politics, magic, creation, and even trade are also respected by the people of the Holy Empire, because these are also forms of power that can make the Holy Empire stronger."

"Of course, this is also closely related to the Holy Empire's continuous expansion—a country that is constantly expanding its territory will always be short of people."

"The Holy Empire has been expanding and waging war since its inception."

"However, their conquest did not rely entirely on force. As the Holy Empire grew stronger, many countries and regions chose to submit to it voluntarily."

"This is because they saw that joining the Holy Empire would be more stable, safer, and even more powerful, and that the country respected talented people."

"In fact, the Holy Empire has always offered such a choice of countries for them to conquer;

"Either swear allegiance to the Holy Empire and then evaluate you and determine your status solely based on your worth, or..."

"Destroyed".

"Countless examples and a long history have shown that this is not an excuse or a trick."

"The people of the Holy Empire are true to their word, and many people have indeed seen their futures greatly improved after submitting to the Holy Empire."

"Of course, all those who defied the Holy Empire were ruthlessly crushed."

As Instructor Mosen spoke, he became increasingly animated, waving his hands as if striking a war drum:

"Anyone—and I mean anyone—as long as they have talent, will inevitably be given important positions in the Holy Empire, and will gain power, status, respect, and wealth!"

"The empire is a cradle of talent!"

"In the Empire, no matter what your background is, as long as you have outstanding talent, you can rise to prominence. The Holy Empire's current three giants, Imperial Grand Commander Du Adolf, is the best example."

"He was once just a poor orphan in a port city who grew up by cheating and swindling. When he was twelve years old, the empire occupied and conquered his port city."

"Then, the miracle began."

"His innate talent as a mage was discovered by the commander of the victorious Imperial Legion, who then recruited him into the army for training."

"And so, in the years that followed, he participated in countless expansion campaigns with the Empire's legions, his footprints spanning three continents. In the process, he grew and climbed the ranks step by step."

"Under the empire's meritocratic system, he eventually rose from an unknown soldier to become the Grand Commander of the empire's Holy Expeditionary Force."

"His surname, Adolf, also became one of the most illustrious surnames in the empire."

"Without a doubt, Du Adolf's achievements are closely related to his own talent, but they are also inseparable from the imperial system."

"Du Adolf's miracle could not have happened in any country or region other than the Holy Empire!"

"The empire values ​​talent so much that it will actively seek out outstanding mages in order to attract more talent, and the search scope is not only within the empire, but also outside the empire."

"They will contact outstanding mages from other countries, recruit them, train them, help them realize their talents, and make them work most efficiently for the empire."

Instructor Morsen's gaze swept across the faces of the students below. "In other words, if any of you demonstrate outstanding talent, you may receive an invitation from the Holy Empire."

"Of course, their definition of excellence is different from ours," Mentor Morsen said, spreading his hands, his excited emotions calming down a bit. "After all, Sean is just a small duchy."

He paused for a moment, took a sip of water, seemingly because his mouth was dry from spitting so much.

Then, Instructor Mosen's tone returned to calm as he slowly said, "However, there's nothing new under the sun. Although the Holy Empire has always upheld the political ideal of meritocratic rule and appointing people based on their abilities, the older generation of noble families were actually the earliest barbarian tribes, only now they are called nobles."

"In short, the older generation of nobles still wield considerable power in the heart of the empire."

"Many people believe that the greatest obstacle to the Holy Empire's continued expansion and power did not come from external enemies, but from the conflict between these old and new blood."

This is an unavoidable contradiction in any world and under any system.

After summarizing the problems of the Holy Empire, Instructor Morsen snapped his fingers, and the light representing the Holy Empire's territory dimmed.

At the southernmost point of the 3D map, in a coastal valley plain with a small section bordering the Irvine Mountains, the area suddenly lights up.

This region is not large compared to the territory of the Holy Empire, less than a quarter of it.

But Gao De understood that Mo Sen would place it in the third area of ​​this lesson that he would explain in detail, and it certainly wouldn't be too simple.

This is indeed the case.

"This area is the territory of the Plantagenet Dynasty."

"The Golden Flower Dynasty was the last dynasty on the continent of Nolan."

"This is a powerful dynasty that adheres to classical beliefs, with a glorious heritage and history of outstanding achievements, and still upholds the ancient doctrines of justice, honor and responsibility."

"They have a long history, and although their territory is not large, their resources are the richest in the entire Nolan continent."

"Within the territory of the Golden Plantagenet Dynasty, there are fertile plains and valleys, and almost everywhere can be used as arable land."

"Moreover, over 90% of the territory has been fully developed, unlike Sean, where more than half of the territory is uninhabited and dangerous."

"The Golden Flower Dynasty also possesses the most ideal and standard bay on the entire continent, and has established the second largest port on the Nolan Continent based on it."

"Furthermore, their border is adjacent to the North, making it very convenient to enter the North whether by crossing the Irwinaya Mountains or by sea."

"For the Plantagenet dynasty, the undeveloped but resource-rich north could become their new frontier at any time, provided they are prepared."

"However, for this dynasty, these are secondary. What is truly important is that the Golden Flower Dynasty possesses a unique product that is unparalleled in the entire material plane—the anti-magic stone."

"A magical mineral that can block magic."

"Weapons and armor crafted from anti-magic stones are the bane of magic."

"Thanks to the anti-magic stone, no matter what, the Golden Flower Dynasty has always been able to stand tall on the Nolan Continent, and is the only country on this continent that can rival the Holy Empire." As he said this, one could clearly sense that Instructor Morsen was somewhat envious.

"As a self-sufficient ancient dynasty, their rulers and subjects regarded the classical doctrines of justice, honor, and responsibility as the supreme principles."

"This is their strength, and also their weakness." Gao De noticed that when this was mentioned, Professor Mo Sen subtly showed a bit of respect.

Could it be that the Plantagenet dynasty's belief in the classics was not merely a brainwashing declaration uttered on the lips of the rulers, but a belief that was actually upheld and practiced?

Gao De couldn't help but ponder.

"Because of its classical nature, it is conservative and exclusive. The mages of the Golden Flower Dynasty are proud of their own traditions and heritage, but at the same time, they are isolated from the world and have not integrated into the ever-evolving trends of magic, and have always inherited ancient magic."

"Many people believe that the golden age of the Plantagenet dynasty has passed."

"Including me."

"Unless it can adapt to the changing times."

Professor Mo Sen gave his final assessment of the Plantagenet dynasty:

"But clearly, this was an impossible task for this ancient dynasty."

(End of this chapter)