Longmen Memoirs

The journey was not a smooth one, but since there was no clear destination, it could not be called a rush.

Walking through the wasteland and through the river valley forest, the terrain of Letania is flat, with less mountains and more plains. The further north you go, when you reach the border with Ursus, the originally hot temperature gradually becomes colder due to the latitude. .

Autumn has not yet arrived, but Ursus is a cold country. In every sense, the people there are tough due to the harsh environment, and the environment also makes people feel a little radical and extreme.

Internationally, the evaluation of the Ursus people has always been two-sided. They have strong self-confidence, even arrogance. The boundless fertile soil of Ursus has given the Ursus people the capital to be confident, even if most of the environment is actually not good enough. In an undeveloped state, the Ursans are still proud of their national power, and are therefore radical and confident, often having small-scale frictions with surrounding countries.

Ursus's foreign expansion policy has resulted in continuous expansion of its territory since the founding of the country. However, the endless wars and the struggles between various forces in Ursus have long made the fate of this huge country unstable.

It cannot be said that it is riddled with holes, but it is also full of undercurrents.

Long before the Battle of the Four Emperors began, Ursus had occupied the vast land in northern Terra with its strong military strength. However, the bitter cold north was not suitable for farming, so Ursus had been looking for opportunities to advance south, trying to conquer the land from the south. A piece of territory was seized from the hands of various countries, laying the foundation for Ursus to enter the core circle of Terra and even seek the hegemony of Terra. Ursus and Casimir launched more than ten military conflicts. For this reason, Ursus and Casimir Relations with neighboring countries are cold.

The War of the Four Emperors did not allow Ursus to achieve the expected results. However, after the War of the Four Emperors, the late Emperor and Crown Prince Vladimir Ivanovich of Ursus came to the throne. Under his leadership, Ursus The empire's war machine made Ursus' national power develop rapidly during the war, creating a golden age for Ursus.

Then immersed in the glory and glory brought by the late emperor.

At that time, Ursus was confident and powerful. Now after the death of the former Ursus Emperor, many citizens still remember the glory of the former emperor. Compared with the weak and incompetent new emperor, the Ursus people and the Issas people Proud and brave.

Nowadays, the war dividends obtained by Ursus in the war are gradually fading, and various internal conflicts and disputes caused by the war that were covered up by the war are violently erupting.

The Emperor, the Imperial Parliament, the old and new aristocrats, the reformers and the conservatives.

The old military nobles who used to have the absolute say in Ursus' political arena and the new nobles who now rely on the Source Stone industry to accumulate wealth have risen.

Militaryly, three legions belonging to different camps are restraining each other. The emperor seeks to reform and reorganize the military power, the new nobles are trying to replace the status of the old nobles, and the old nobles are unwilling to become the emperor's victims and control the imperial legions with chips.

Forces representing the interests of all parties are constantly clashing in the political arena and parliament of Ursus' Holy Castle, determining the future fate of the empire.

The contradictions in Ursus are far more than that. The problems in Ursus are not only the internal power disputes caused by the war.

During the Kazdere Civil War, many Sakaz migrated to Ursus and settled in Ursus. Ursus did not exclude foreign races. Non-Usus races could still serve in the army in the Ursus Empire. But those who join the army must meet the standards of the Ursus nation.

However, even so, the treatment of non-Usas nationalities in Ursus is very bad. There is serious racial discrimination and survival problems within Ursus. The general discrimination against Sakaz is more common in Ursus, especially in Ursus. There are many migrating Sarkarz in Usas bordering Kazdaele, and their social status and circumstances are being secretly suppressed and restricted.

Texas listened to Chen Mo's words quietly.

It was like telling myself the history of the country I was about to visit.

But what Texas was curious about was why he knew so clearly.

"Is it clear? It can't be counted. In fact, Ursus himself knows these issues better. Every government that knows something about Ursus has reserved relevant information. Among the people, analysis of Ursus's political arena has been carried out. How many times."

"so……"

"I used to have a teacher, a... great teacher." Chen Mo said: "For a while, Ursus was the one we had to pay attention to. For some reason, we had to consider and analyze this Possibilities and moves the country will take towards the reunification of Kazdaele.”

"Ok?"

"War...should be a war. We have drawn many conclusions. The best conclusion is that Ursus may start a new war to divert domestic conflicts. Starting from the military faction, they are in a frustrated situation and will definitely find a way. To alleviate the disadvantages, but correspondingly, the parliament and the upstarts will not miss this opportunity, and this war is actually unprofitable for them." Chen Mo said: "But there is also the worst conclusion, that is, Ursus follows tradition and tries to To temporarily ease the domestic conflict, Kazdaele must face the first dilemma after unification."

"The results of it?"

"It turns out that people forget traditions. Times are changing, and some things have already changed. At least in Ursus's view, its domestic problems are more difficult and serious than those abroad." Chen Mo said: " In fact, this has been proven a long time ago. When countries sign an agreement, a few pieces of paper cannot bind so many people. An agreement that no one cares about is just a nice old piece of paper filled with words."

"Victoria was forced to split into two countries. After the Battle of the Four Emperors, the struggle among the continental countries never stopped. The throne of Londinium was vacant. In the land we live in, the Witch King of Leitania has passed away, but The remnants of the Witch King are still at war with the Twin Princesses. They are called usurpers. Farther away, Iberia, a once powerful coastal power, how many people have heard of it now, Sargon, the City of Gold? Existing only in folk tales, Bolivar is even worse. He does not even have sovereignty in his own hands, so that Rem Billiton, a former colony, is still penniless after leaving Victoria."

Chen Mo commented one by one as he leaned back on the seat, feeling the slight bumps in the car.

He said: "As for Yanguo and Dongguo to the east, let's not mention Dongguo for now. Yanguo... they haven't paid attention to the affairs of this land for many years."

"This is the best of times, Texas. Every country is looking for its own path in the future, so there is no time to care about others. But it is also the worst of times. Which country has taken the wrong path at this time and stopped. If we follow our footsteps, we are very likely to become the next Gaul. Terra will undergo changes that have not happened in a thousand years, and all generations will depend on one line."

There was a hint of exclamation in his words.

Texas tilted his head slightly and glanced at Chen Mo.

"How do you know so much?"

"Actually, you are thinking about what I used to do. These words are not something that an idle person can say." Chen Mo replied.

"I didn't say that."

"I, didn't I tell you, I used to be the general of Cazdale, and later I almost became the prince of Victoria, but I, tsk, have so many advantages, the only disadvantage is that I am indifferent to fame and wealth, and regard money as nothing. The emperors of Dung, Kazdaele and Victoria cried and begged me to stay, and guess what.”

"..."

Texas silently looked away, and she suddenly felt that she should drive seriously.

"Do not believe?"

"Don't dare."

"Can't believe it or don't believe it?"

"...That's not what you said last time."

"What did I say last time?"

Texas was quiet for a few seconds and opened his mouth.

"...First it was the businessman, and then the butcher who kept Kazdaile awake at night. He caused a huge sea of ​​blood in Victoria, and one person in the Yan Kingdom outnumbered ten thousand people."

"...How do you remember it so clearly!" Chen Mo stared at Texas in surprise.

"..."

Texas suddenly didn't know what to say.

"It was the last time. This time is different. This time I told the truth." Chen Mo sighed, and he said to himself: "I said at that time, Your Majesty, I am not worthy of this. For such an important task, please ask Your Majesty to find another talent. I have to leave. The Emperor of Victoria took my hand on the spot and said that he wanted to make me Prince of Glamorgan. How could this work? Of course it wouldn't work. I am such an ambitious person. , how could I bend my back just for a mere throne, and if people know about it, it’s not like I’m greedy for power, which is incompatible with my personality.”

Texas' eyes twitched and he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

Well, here we go again.

Fortunately, she is a receptive person.

If it were a fox, he would probably follow Chen Mo's tone and start talking crosstalk. Unfortunately, the foreigner Texas didn't understand these skills, so naturally he couldn't understand the joke in Chen Mo's words.

"Is Victoria's emperor a woman?" she asked.

"Ah, so I refused on the spot. I said, Your Majesty, don't humiliate me in this way. When I left, you didn't know that the emperor was watching me from behind. When I left, he was reluctant to take it back. Sight.”

"...You can still see it after you leave?" Texas couldn't help but ask.

"That must be it." Chen Mo, who had been guessed, hurriedly covered it up: "You can know it even without looking."

"Oh." Texas' attitude was extremely perfunctory.

"Do you think you are lucky? Don't put too much pressure on me. It's all over. You see, I'm very approachable and don't have any airs."

"Then you should have agreed then." Texas said suddenly.

"Ok?"

"Because you seem to care."

"...I don't care, well, a little bit." Chen Mo said, and then hurriedly changed his words: "But it's useless to care. In Texas, people know what can belong to them and what cannot, and I know it very clearly."

He said a little proudly. Under his smile, Texas failed to notice that there was no smile in his black eyes.

Chen Mo occasionally dreams about that night of heavy rain.

The wind was mixed with heavy rain, and the rain washed away the blood on the armor, but the smell of blood did not dissipate.

He walked step by step into the palace hall [-

Looking at the girl on the throne, when I first met her, the days were boring but fulfilling. At that time, I said that they would come back one day.

Now they are back, but he who took her away in the first place has become an obstacle to her throne.

Chen Mo never made things difficult for anyone, not only when he was in Kazdale, but also when he was in Victoria.

Until he left, he thought that Wei Na would say something, but in the end she said nothing. Perhaps this was for the best, because they both knew that even if Wei Na spoke, he would not and could not stop.

The situation in life is to gain, lose, lose, gain, over and over again, so everyone has to understand when to give up and when to pick up.

Those who want to leave cannot stay, and those who can stay will not leave.

Texas felt that she was almost used to this pace of life. It didn't matter to her. She was the kind of person who could adapt to whatever environment she was thrown into.

Good or bad, she doesn't complain or complain.

Because her gap was already big enough, no matter how difficult it was, it would be difficult for her to react, and just complaining would not help. Texas was not used to doing such meaningless things, so she would rather save more energy.

Snake was a talkative person, although most of what he said made no sense, and she told jokes that Texas didn't understand at all and it was difficult for Texas to understand what was funny.

At this time, he will sigh, Texas, you are not a Longmen person.

Maybe those random things he made up actually meant something, Texas didn't understand.

But Texas doesn't hate this nagging person, nor does he hate how much truth there is in his words that are always wrong.

Chapter 30 Gradually

Snake has recently started trying to learn Ursus.

The unpronounceable and unfamiliar pronunciation kept ringing during their journey. Thanks to this, Texas could often see him sitting in the passenger seat wearing headphones and holding the book he bought from the bookstore in the previous town. Books, mumbling in a language Texas didn't understand.

Occasionally, he would share with Texas some of his recent learning experiences, such as he had learned a certain word, slang, or an Ursusian joke he had read in a book. He said it was sharing, but it was a bit showy. The ingredients, I even kindly asked Texas if I could learn them together.

Texas refused out of hand.

However, Texas couldn't help but have the idea of ​​learning Longmen dialect. Of course, it was just an idea. She didn't want to ask Snake for advice. Snake didn't look like a good teacher at first sight.

When he was serious, he was okay, like a normal person, but when he was not serious, Texas didn't even think about it. He might learn some weird things from him.

He is probably someone who can do this kind of thing, and then stand aside and watch other people's jokes that have nothing to do with him. He may not have any malicious intent, but he will definitely take pleasure in others' misfortune.

It’s not surprising that Texas had such thoughts, because Chen Mo himself thought so too.

In fact, there is a common language popular on the mainland, but this language also takes time to learn and requires at least a certain level of education. Generally speaking, most residents living in mobile cities have learned about it in school since childhood. However, not everyone can master this language proficiently. Compared with the lingua franca, due to habits and geography, the usage rate and convenience of local languages ​​are much higher.

For example, in Syracuse, using the official language of Syracuse is the most common way of communication. Few people use the common language in their own country. Of course, when communicating with people from other countries, the common language can save both parties a lot of trouble.

Due to mobile cities and natural disasters, the population movement on the earth is actually not intensive. Most people may never leave the country where they live in their lives. And those who have the ability and need to leave their country naturally do not care about the cost. It takes time and capital to master one or even several different languages.

For example, Texas himself. In addition to Syracuse, Texas is also proficient in Colombian and Lingua Franca, and has some knowledge of Letanian and several other major languages. Snake, according to himself According to reports, he is also proficient in Colombian, Yanguo, Sargonian and the rare Kazdean language.

These are fair, but they are also unfair.

Some people are born with the convenience to obtain these, while others need to spend countless efforts on their own.

Unlike the obscure language in the snake's memory, on the mainland, language is not a difficult knowledge to master, of course, only for people with a good education and a certain talent base.

Similar to Source Stone Skills, at least language is not more difficult to learn and master than Source Stone Skills. Unlike Source Stone Skills, which is the privilege of a few people and requires good talent and resources, language requirements are relatively lower. Quite a few, but only relatively speaking.

Chen Mo has experienced such hardships. In a foreign country, language barrier is always the most direct and serious problem.

Speech is the earliest bridge and the easiest way to connect people. It is the best tool that every living thing, especially humans, is born with.

Words can avoid a lot of troubles and misunderstandings. Words can save people, but they can also kill people. Words are never empty words. Words can be like the spring breeze in March, and they can also be stronger than the severe winter snow.

Chen Mo's Colombian came from the Survival Force and Black Steel courses. Similarly, his Victorian and Colombian only have subtle differences in nouns and grammatical habits. This was mentioned by Vina when he was in Londinium. , Sargon is not very proficient in Sargon, but after living in Sargon for more than half a year, he can barely understand sentences that are not too complicated. As for Yanguo and Kazdaile, the former does not need to be mentioned much, and the latter probably It was the third language he truly mastered.

Fortunately, due to historical factors and occupation, in his past experience, Colombian, which was not much different from Victoria's, was enough to cope with most situations.

Most of the languages ​​he masters have relatively direct needs for this.

Among all the people Chen Mo knows, only Kelsey and the Doctor are the only ones. The former is not only proficient in the languages ​​​​of all countries on the entire land, but even the dialects of some long-extinct countries and unknown remote areas. The latter, the Doctor has always been a mysterious person. Chen Mo didn't know much about him. He just heard Theresa once mentioned that the doctor's interests may be even wider than Kelsey's, including military, medical, and academic. This guy seems to know a little bit about everything and has achieved a lot. Surprisingly good.

Kelsey could understand it. After all, a certain unnamed Blood Demon lady and an unnamed royal family member secretly mentioned that she was getting older. Although she looked young, she was actually young. Doctor, maybe he is also an old man.

The topic of doctors has always been the most curious thing in the Tower of Babel. Unfortunately, due to Kelsey, no one dared to be too blatant. Even Chen Mo, well, at that time, Chen Mo and the Tower of Babel The relationship between them is not very good.

Everyone is not on the same page for some reason or need.

Although it was a bit disappointing that Texas refused his kind proposal, Chen Mo could understand it. After all, based on his senses during this period, if Texas wanted to learn Longmen language, it would probably not be too difficult. The environment would be is her best teacher.

Chen Mo didn't expect to learn the Ursus language in this short period of time, let alone the more complicated and difficult dialects. Common language can cope with many situations, and Victoria can actually be used for emergencies, but if he can master simple daily life The Ursus language can save him some unnecessary effort when encountering some emergencies.

He has always been accustomed to making more preparations when conditions permit. This is a habit developed in Black Steel. The birth of the World Tree came from this, and the previous position arrangements of Vina and the Glasgow Gang came from this. There is no need to detail everything. , but at least not at a loss.

April 7

They stopped at Chalmerston, the town closest to Letania to the southern border of Ursus.

This is the town closest to the Ursus border in Letania, and it is also one of the last border towns legally ruled by Letania. Due to the consideration of Ursus's long-term foreign military expansion policy, this border line has always been It’s not exactly peaceful, but a hundred kilometers further north is the Ursus border, west into Casimir, and east to Kazdaele.

The two sides maintain a military buffer zone to shelve the dispute, which is often said to be yours. You say it is yours, and I say it is mine. No one is convinced by the other, and no one can take it away, so no one has occupied the territory.

It is a no-no-no zone and is the favorite place for smugglers, illegal immigrants, criminals and infected people to live.

There are border defense corps stations and outposts deployed by Letania on the border all year round to defend Ursus, but compared to Casimir, Letania pays far less attention to this border defense line than their neighbors.