Chapter 038 – Cataclysm
...
Due to living in a cabin outside the city recently and occasionally having visitors, Matthew decided to designate Mondays and Tuesdays as his rest days.
During these two days, he would return home and take care of matters related to himself in the town.
However, he didn't expect that his first visitor on his day off would exceed the number of fingers on one hand.
Fortunately, the living room was spacious enough.
After preliminary hospitality, Matthew went to each visitor to inquire about their purpose--
Sif came to attend a class, and the value of a super version of the Mysterious Spell Satchel was obviously not something that could be offset by a hasty history lesson. In fact, Matthew had already mentally prepared to give her special treatment for half a year. He had no choice but to make do with the limited manpower.
As for Raga's arrival, it was quite interesting.
Matthew estimated that this father and daughter had caused quite a commotion at home. The final result was that Raga agreed to come to Matthew's place for tutoring every Monday, but the condition was that he had to attend the class as well.
Matthew had no objections to this. After all, whether he was teaching one person or two people, it was still teaching.
As long as Raga didn't interfere, there would be no problem.
As for the other visitors...
Blade came specifically to ask if Matthew needed the assistance of the Guard Unit. He knew that Matthew had been staying in the Oak Forest recently, and coincidentally, he received orders to strengthen patrols. So he came to ask if Matthew needed the support of the Guard Unit.
Zeller and Richard's visit was obviously related to the "Plundering Ritual" that Matthew had recalled before.
As for Samantha...
She should have brought the organized information about the Su Kingdom according to the agreement.
In the living room...
Matthew's brain quickly spun.
He was preparing to prioritize the reception according to the importance and urgency of the matters.
At this moment...
Sif stood up obediently and said, "Matthew, since you have so many guests, Peggy and I will go to the kitchen first."
She planned to take the confused Raga to the kitchen as well.
But at this moment...
Zeller, who had been smiling all along, spoke up, "Wait, I just observed outside and it seems that everyone who came to find Matthew doesn't have anything particularly urgent, right? I heard Sif say that she came for tutoring. I've been interested in Mr. Matthew's history class for a long time. If you don't mind, you can teach Sif first, and we can listen on the side. Isn't this a novel experience?"
Whether it was due to his extremely high charm or not, Zeller's words received unanimous agreement from the others.
"Yes, yes, I've heard that Matthew's class is very popular, but I never had the chance to attend," Blade scratched his beard, his face filled with interest.
Richard elegantly placed his cane aside and said, "I have no objections."
Raga was originally here to listen, so naturally, he wouldn't say much.
Only Samantha was left.
Matthew looked at her with an inquiring gaze.
She smiled and said, "I have almost zero knowledge of history. If you don't mind, I would love to sit down and listen."
So, the previously slightly chaotic living room quickly quieted down.
Everyone stared at Matthew with curious eyes.
Matthew was not intimidated.
He treated the living room as a school and the adults in front of him as children.
He took out the thick history book he had prepared for Sif.
He was about to open it and start the lesson.
But at this moment...
A soft voice came from the kitchen, "Matthew, remember to make it exciting. The first lesson can be free, but for the rest, you have to charge per person."
Matthew smiled helplessly.
He cleared his throat and said, "Last time, I talked about the 'Feudal Division of the Hundred Cities,' which is a well-known historical event. It marked the peak of the Seven Saints Alliance's influence over the cities on the continent.
Its significance is objective.
After the division, every major city on the continent had at least one mage from the Seven Saints Alliance stationed there. These mages made indelible contributions to the development and construction of their respective cities.
Even a hundred years later, people will not forget the contributions of those mages.
However, the follow-up to the Feudal Division did not completely develop according to the Seven Saints Alliance's intentions. Many flaws appeared during the actual execution of the plan, leading to several disputes within the alliance regarding whether to continue firmly executing the strategy.
From a retrospective perspective, this plan was a failure.
Even hundreds of years after the departure of the gods, the largest human organization in Aindor is still the loosely organized 'Seven Saints Alliance,' which is essentially a mage organization!
The 'Human Kingdom' is just a fictitious name created by the Seven Saints Alliance. In fact, we all know that there is no human force on this continent that qualifies to be called a 'kingdom.'
We have villages, cities, manors, and lords, but we don't have a country or a king.
And all of this is thanks to the gods."
At this point.
Matthew paused, took a sip of water, and observed the reactions of the audience.
There were six listeners present.
Half of them, Sif, Blade, and Samantha, looked confused. The remaining three showed thoughtful expressions.
Clearly.
This was a difference in experience.
"Isn't this how it should be?" Encouraged by Matthew's gaze, Samantha boldly asked, "Whether it's humans, elves, or druids, we are all living well now. What I mean is, the form of city-states is also good. People can coexist without disturbing each other, so why do we have to form kingdoms?"
Matthew didn't answer immediately.
He looked at Raga.
The latter's expression was also very serious, and he took the initiative to speak, "From the perspective of social organization, a kingdom that can control more city-state resources at the same time is undoubtedly a more advanced, more resilient, and more powerful existence than independent city-states. I have traveled to otherworldly kingdoms, and many places there are indeed more developed than ours. The simplest and most straightforward example is that if a kingdom composed of multiple city-states declares war on an independent city-state, the latter will almost certainly be defeated."
Matthew nodded in agreement:
"We all know the principle of strength in numbers.
As social creatures, a form of organization that allows more humans to band together smoothly will certainly not be worse than the mode of fighting alone.
In fact, the transition from a single city-state to a union of multiple city-states is an inevitability of historical development—
This can be confirmed from the development of other planes or worlds. Although there is not much information on this, the Seven Saints Alliance has actually collected quite a bit."
Sif asked in confusion:
"Why hasn't a kingdom developed on the continent to this day? Weren't the gods exiled long ago?"
Matthew said solemnly:
"What I'm about to say, you might forget after hearing it today, but that's okay, forgetting doesn't mean the truth doesn't exist."
"We all know that four hundred and seventy years ago, the founder of the Seven Saints Alliance, that great being whose name people still do not know—we usually honor her as the first and only 'Cataclysm Mage' in human history. Out of anger at the gods' lack of progress and enslavement of all beings, she personally planned and executed the most spectacular performance of a spellcaster in history—'The Ascension of the Heavenly Palace'.
Before the Ascension of the Heavenly Palace.
Our world had been stuck in the 'Enlightenment Era' spoken of by the gods for a full two thousand years.
During these two thousand years, human society made no meaningful progress.
Two thousand years ago, our ancestors were fishing in rivers and farming on land; two thousand years later, their descendants were still using the same unchanged fishing tools and farming methods.
The world at that time was stagnant, you couldn't feel the progress of the world from the passage of time, because at the beginning of the Enlightenment Era, the gods who had divided up divine power and faith had woven rules for everything in the world.
They used divine positions to divide territories, and concepts to bind everything.
They treated this world as their pasture, they just wanted to harvest the faith of all beings day after day, they didn't want to see any meaningful progress from their believers.
Time was meaningless to this world at that time, it was just a counter for the gods to harvest faith.
Under the high-pressure rule of the gods.
All beings could not save themselves—they couldn't even generate the consciousness to save themselves.
Until the arrival of the 'Cataclysm Mage'.
This pattern was finally broken.
That day.
All the statues of gods on this continent collapsed.
Countless shrines or temples rose out of thin air, and the Heavenly Palace, which symbolized the past glory of the gods, also rose into the sky. They carried and bound the will of the gods, screaming and flying to the highest point of the Star Realm.
People knelt in fear around the temples, they didn't know what had happened.
In fact, even today we don't know what happened that day.
We only know that after that day, most of the divine beings in this world were permanently exiled by the Cataclysm Mage with her own power.
This.
Is the 'Ascension of the Heavenly Palace'."
Matthew's tone was very calm.
However, the astonishing degree of history itself was enough to shock all the listeners.
Even Raga and Zeller.
They might have heard a little about the Ascension of the Heavenly Palace.
But they only vaguely knew that it was the opportunity for the gods to leave.
They didn't know that the gods were actually exiled!
And they couldn't imagine that the one who exiled the gods was just a human mage!
"Is this a myth?"
Raga murmured:
"I thought it was the original 'Seven Saints' who reached an agreement with the gods."
Matthew shook his head with a smile:
"The original Seven Saints were strong, but they were not enough to bargain with the gods. In history, they were all disciples of the Cataclysm Mage."
"After the gods left, our world finally began to change. Farmers invented farming tools and discovered crops with higher yields;
Fishing boats floated on the sea and rivers, we had fishing nets, harpoons and all kinds of the latest fishing gear;
Tailors discovered better clothing materials than cotton, hemp and animal skins;
Craftsmen improved their craftsmanship and production processes;
City-states rose from the ground, and human interactions became more frequent.
If development had proceeded normally.
We should have welcomed the first real human kingdom.
However, the distant gods were still unwilling to be lonely. After the Cataclysm Mage left, they placed three curses on this land in an attempt to slow down the changes in the world and ensure to the greatest extent that the 'concepts' they defined were still continuing."
Hearing this.
Everyone's faces were serious.
They were all shocked by this magical and bold narrative, and at the same time they were extremely curious about the curses of the gods mentioned by Matthew.
Matthew didn't keep them in suspense.
He took a sip of water and continued:
"I only know two of the three curses, the last one is not even mentioned in the books that Archmage Ronan gave me. The two curses I know are called 'Enigma Lock of Intelligence' and 'Enigma Lock of Civilization'."
With that.
He first explained the content of the Enigma Lock of Intelligence.
Then he mentioned the Enigma Lock of Civilization:
"Similar to the Enigma Lock of Intelligence, the curse of the gods actually invisibly took away a healthy part of us as humans—the Enigma Lock of Intelligence took away the memory ability of all humans with an intelligence of less than 15 points for history and knowledge, while the Enigma Lock of Civilization, blocked the possibility of human civilization evolution."
With that.
Matthew looked at Raga:
"Mr. Raga, you are the lord of Rolling Stone Town, possessing a large amount of territory including sixteen villages to the north and south and two trading stations. Have you ever thought about expanding the scale of Rolling Stone Town? Have you ever thought about annexing the surrounding cities? Do you want to gain more power?"
Raga frowned and thought for a while, then shook his head vigorously:
"Reason tells me that might not be bad, but for some reason, I can't get interested in the concept of 'expanding territory'—is this the effect of the Enigma Lock of Civilization?"
Matthew nodded:
"If only you are averse to expanding territory, it might be a coincidence, but almost all city lords have no ambition to annex the world, this is clearly the power of the curse."
Samantha suddenly spoke:
"But isn't the absence of war also a good thing? At least there won't be so many people displaced and separated by life and death."Matthew responded seriously:
"From an individual perspective, that may be true. But we cannot ignore the objective laws. If our civilization remains stagnant, it may suddenly die one day, possibly due to an accident or an invasion by external enemies. This is not an exaggeration, but the words left by the Archmage of Catastrophe within the alliance.
I think she came from beyond the heavens and must have witnessed the rise and fall of some civilizations, which may have led her to make the decision to exile the gods, not out of anger, but for other reasons."
Samantha was stunned for a moment.
Although her thinking was outdated, her mind was quite clever, and she instantly understood the implied meaning behind Matthew's words:
"Are you saying that our world may face an invasion from external enemies? In the face of such enemies, only by organizing as kingdoms with humans and other races is there a possibility of resistance?"
Matthew blinked:
"That is indeed a possibility. The Seven Saints Alliance has also made many speculations about this, but currently, they are only at the level of speculation. After all, the existence of Purgatory and the Abyss has been confirmed. If one day, demons or devils invade our world and we lose the protection of the gods, it will be very difficult to rely on our own strength.
In short, the era of the gods has long gone, and even with their curses, their power will continue to weaken.
According to the prediction of Archmage Ronan, our world is on the eve of rapid change. It is possible that in the next second, this world will undergo earth-shattering changes. I think it is our fortune to be born in this era.
At least, compared to our ancestors, we will have the opportunity to use our own power to change the world, and even... redefine some new concepts."
Samantha looked at Matthew thoughtfully:
"For example, 'nature'?"
Matthew smiled and closed the book:
"That will be the content of future lessons."
Peggy, who appeared out of nowhere, interjected:
"Yes, that's right. That's premium content!"
The class ended.
The living room fell silent.
Everyone was silently digesting the cognitive impact brought by Matthew.
Matthew himself was using this opportunity to strengthen his memory.
His intelligence was enough to exempt him from the Enigma Lock, but there was still a chance of forgetting. Teaching was a good way to reinforce his memory, which was the core reason why he did not refuse to give everyone a lesson tonight.
...
Ten minutes later.
Matthew took a bag of Su Kingdom information from Samantha's hand and then escorted her out.
At the doorstep.
Samantha suddenly turned back and looked into Matthew's eyes:
"Is Eli with you now?"
Matthew calmly explained:
"He is working as a forest ranger with me temporarily to show his gratitude for my unintentional enlightenment."
Samantha nodded thoughtfully:
"Is it the birthplace of your Oak Domain?"
Matthew nodded.
"Your Domain Enlightenment was very special and left a deep impression on me. The oak forest as well. Perhaps, I should find some time to go and see."
Samantha bit her lip.
Her gaze flickered and she left with a leap, transforming into a leopard.
...
The second person to leave was Blade.
Matthew was grateful that the bearded man always remembered him.
But after discussing for a while, he ultimately declined Blade's suggestion to increase the number of patrols near the oak forest.
That might startle the snake in the grass.
The alternative solution Matthew proposed was to set up a hidden outpost not far from the oak forest.
Most of the time, there would be members of the Guard Unit on duty at the outpost.
In this way, if a battle broke out in the oak forest, Blade would receive the news and come to support as soon as possible.
Matthew did not feel invincible just because he had the Bone Dragon.
Having the support of the Guard Unit was safer.
Blade agreed to this request.
He promised Matthew that the outpost would be established no later than tomorrow night.
This made Matthew feel relieved.
...
Finally, it was Zeller and Richard's turn to leave.
"Matthew, according to your explanation of the initiation ceremony, we have chosen three iconic buildings—the 'Giant Windmill' of the North Trade Station, the 'Black Vulture Inn' of the South Trade Station, and the 'Seven Saints Square' of Rolling Stone Town.
If there is a bloody tragedy at these three places, it will surely shock the entire Rolling Stone Town the next day. Currently, we have secretly strengthened the surveillance and patrols of these three locations."
Zeller asked quickly:
"In addition, our operation must be carried out. Are you ready?"
Matthew knew that the operation Zeller mentioned was to play the role of Ronan, create doubts, and thus delay the pace of the evil organization's crimes.
"I have no problem personally, but you need to tell me your plan first."
Matthew replied.
"The Spring Delay Festival is coming soon. As we all know, every year during the festival, Archmage Ronan releases huge magical fireworks at Seven Saints Square, the North and South Trade Stations, and some small villages to celebrate the arrival of spring."
Zeller calmly explained:
"But in fact, Ronan is very busy, and for several years, he has not been in Rolling Stone Town during the Spring Delay Festival. Those fireworks are set off by his apprentices.
To avoid affecting the festive atmosphere, he has made arrangements for this. Currently, there are still some devices for releasing magical fireworks in the warehouse of the city hall, so there is no problem with releasing the fireworks itself.
This year, we couldn't get in touch with Ronan, and there has been no news from his apprentices. The key difficulty in impersonating him lies in his appearance. It is difficult to deceive others with just makeup. We need the help of magic."
Matthew shook his head:
"I know nothing about Transfiguration."
Zeller smiled gently:
"Coincidentally, I don't either. However, I have another way. Since our goal is to create suspicion, we don't need everything to be realistic. We just need to keep them doubtful without actually making them believe that Ronan is present.
I will try to dress you up as much as possible like Ronan, and then use Mirror Image to send your image to various places in Rolling Stone Town. At that time, there will naturally be other people to ignite the fireworks devices.
And what you need to do is to make yourself look as much like an Archmage as possible.""After all, you are the only mage we can find in Rolling Stone Town right now."
Matthew clasped his hands together and pondered for a while, eventually agreeing to Zeller's plan.
The plan posed no risk to him.
If it could indeed deter the evil organization, it would be a merit.
At the moment.
The two discussed many details.
Until late at night.
Zeller reluctantly left Matthew's house with a yawning Richard.
Sif had been taken home by Raga early on.
After all the guests left.
The lively atmosphere disappeared instantly.
Matthew sat alone in the living room, enjoying the sweet tranquility.
As he sat there.
Suddenly, it felt as if something powerful was prying open his chest.
The scenery in front of him began to blur.
A thought crossed Matthew's mind.
Suddenly.
He saw that the gray comma of the Tai Chi symbol was full without knowing when.
At this moment.
Countless gray dots were jumping out from it!
......
"Prompt: You are visiting the subdomain 'Undead' of 'Death'!"
......