Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 601: Duty, honor or an old promise (3)

The kingdom of course wanted to build ports, settlements and claim this land beyond the mountain as part of the Vernium kingdom. 

But they could not even manipulate it because of the Wide Mountain. This mountain is situated around Nuath to the ends of Ashwind. 

Nuath was the first state that tries to take it but failed. Each state had certain autonomy about the things they could do as a state even under Vernium.

In the past if they need to use the sea, they would go to Luxermbough from Wyld to go to Surkeye which has large port. 

It is not that Raya did not have thought to see whether the stories were true. It is that the Wide Mountain is on the way.

And there were many villages of the mountain people there. 

They live on the shore down the mountain. 

The reason that they were called the mountain people even though they lived on the shore is because they did not allow anyone to go over the mountain.

And some of them do live on the mountain. 

But whether it is the people living on the shore or the people living on top of the mountain, they considered themselves one and the same as they both hated outsider from Outside the Mountain.

The Three Great Tribes refer to those coming from the outside of the walls as Outlanders. 

It is the same as the mountain people labeling anyone outside of the mountain area as people from Outside the Mountain.

The Mountain people must not be underestimated

They are an independence force by themselves. Most of them come from the Three kingdoms. 

Some of them are exiles, criminals but they are also some who were political opponent of some of the great nobles and lords of the Three Kingdoms

The Three Kingdom is wide and large. 

One state is even larger than a kingdom in Davarus. 

And it took quite a long time for the people of the Three Great tribes to truly explore all the areas of the Three Kingdom in the pastjosei

After all, they were monsters and dark spawn appearing out of the Darkness and so exploration of new lands was not as easy as it was in some other continent.

However, what they lack was that they have too much land but have too little of a population compared to the Ten tribes that lives outside the Shadowlands or even in some state of Davarus. 

They were constrained by the lack of population. If no for that, it would have been a long time ago, that the Three Great Tribes might have overwhelmed the other ten tribes.

The Mountain people might be composed of the people of the Three Great Tribes but they have considered themselves separate from the Three Great tribes. 

They created their own community and culture along the mountain range.

To the Vernium kingdom officials, they regarded the Mountain people as primitive and uncivilized.

But one things are quite evident. 

They are capable enough to control the Wide Mountains. 

They have look out towers and they set up patrol on the top of mountain. 

Even if someone were able to get pass the lookout towers on the mountain when they do get down they would then be greeted by tens of thousands of this mountain people.

They did not name their sons and daughters by attaching the amen of the tribe with them as they have developed their own culture.

And their strength is formidable. Raya compare them to the mountain tribes of the Ming dynasty.

They are hardy and they are barbaric when they wage war against each other. 

But this itself did not mean that these mountain people itself is barbaric. 

Instead it is because of the environment of their living place that causes them to be very barbaric when they wage war.

Wars in the Three kingdom while brutal does have its own rules. 

Nobody wage wars until the last man standing. 

Vernium itself had many times engage with the other two kingdoms in the past. 

It is either because of some border dispute, an act of dishonor or some act of stealing that causes the war to be waged. 

Whatever the case was, when they wage war, they make sure that it would not deplete their entire national strength and as such before the war reach to such an extent, they would discuss truce and pay compensation to the winning side

The reason is simply because in the past even if they fight each other, they were the same Three Great tribes. 

And if they all fought crazily like the mountain people then who would fight the Darkness after that?

If Vernium wipes out Luxermbough or Iathus in the past who should fight the Dark Spawn all over that large area?

The reason why the Darkness was contained and the people of the Three Kingdoms could live in peace even inside the Shadowlands is because regardless of petty squabbles, the Three Kingdoms aided each other in the matter of the Darkspawn.

When other kingdoms in other continent fight wars, they only need to worry about a few things which is logistic, their armies, their supplies.

But for the kings and Queens of the Three Kingdoms, they also need to think about their charge and their duty to the Shadowlands

This is a duty that has been passed down for thousands of years. 

It is not like they could just go out of the Shadowlands a. If they went out they would be rejected by the Ten tribes. They might even get hunted 

Of course they could always go to other continents. But there…it is not their people. It is not their kind.

They would always be called back to the land, like a calling that kept haunting them. They were some royalty in the past that fled the continent.

But those that tried either get struck down by lightning, had their ship wrecked by storms or were inflicted upon diseases and misfortune after they leave.

As for normal tribespeople they did not have such destiny burdened upon them. Most of them even made a life trading with other people of other continents. 

And they were some of the tribespeople that went sailing the seas and then when they found an island they would create a colony or live among the people of that island

But this is an unusual case and is not the norm. 

Because of the fact that they could not leave and they still need to fight the Darkness, there is an unspoken agreement between them to not let a war last too long and to damaging. 

It is the reason why the Three kingdoms even after the many wars they waged against each other is still quite close with each other.

Because of that the Vernium kingdom had even made a truce with them. 

They trade with the Vernium kingdom by giving the produce of the sea and the Vernium kingdom would not interfere or intervene in the matters of the mountain 

Time pass slowly inside the office. Raya waited if Varnikar wanted to weigh in on all of these. Varnikar remains silent.

But there is still that amiable smile on his face. Sighing, he then continues back to the topic of the Outlander Monarch

'Whether he is an Emperor of a foreign empire or not, the royal family would not be afraid. It is not like it is the first time a foreign empire had tried to conquer the New World. Most of them had tried like the Ming Empire. They tried and they failed.' Varnikar only smiles and then raising his eyebrows he said

'get to the point'

Raya pursed his lips and then he said

'Do you believe that this Outlander Monarch is Him?' All of that running around in circle in his conversation and it finally reach this question. Half believing, half not believing. Raya had always been torn.

'Him who?' Varnikar asked back

'Asrana' Raya said and Varnikar only smiles

'You said I was wrong' 

'I said it did not mean you were right.'

'Words and more words' Varnikar said. 

'If I am not mistaken that is how you get into trouble the last time' Varnikar added. Raya laid back on his chair and close his eyes for a second before sighing

'Old friend. Are you thinking of rebelling?' he said. 

The atmosphere inside the room immediately turn tense. Varnikar only had a slight smile on his face as he takes another gulp from the glass. 

Two gulp and the brandy is already all gone.

He then said with a sigh

'Many of the Veranians might have forgotten the old promise but I did not. I have read the lore since I was a child. But it was not like I do not have my own thoughts. Orhan Erlang taught us if one were to have wisdom, one had to seek knowledge. On the process of seeking that knowledge, wisdom would be formed. The journey to the knowledge is as important as the knowledge that one would get at the end. Before having the knowledge and after having the knowledge, the journey in between and the journey after, the culmination of the journey and the destination would be wisdom'

Raya nodded. He recognized the words.

'The Words of Orhan. I've read that' Varnikar nodded and then he continued speaking