Pendor Calendar 358 August 10, early morning, light rain.
I went with His Majesty Li Ang to meet Emperor Marius of the Bacchus Empire.
Li Ang His Majesty went in a hurry, he didn't even bring many guards.
I originally thought that Your Majesty went to the enemy's military camp to meet the enemy's emperor in such a hurry so that both parties could quickly reach an understanding so that they could deal with a more powerful enemy. I thought that this negotiation would be full of cunning games and exchanges, just like what Your Majesty has done many times before.
But I didn't expect that this was not a negotiation at all, just a farewell between friends.
Li Ang Your Majesty left in such a hurry, actually just to rush to see the friend who might die at any time for the last time.
He was a emaciated, dying old man, perhaps an addict - I smelled a strong opium smell from him.
But His Majesty Li Ang said that this drug addict (the word is crossed out) Emperor is both his opponent and his friend, and the most powerful enemy in the entire continent...
I don't quite understand His Majesty Li Ang's definition of "powerful".
I have been following His Majesty, and I know how terrifying Aziz Dahaka, also known as Kavala, is. I have always thought that gods and demons like Kavala are the most powerful enemies in the entire continent, but His Majesty Li Ang does not think so.
Your Majesty told me that Emperor Marius has always been a person who created life for Bax, and a destroyer like Kavala cannot be compared with him.
His Majesty said, Emperor Marius is the most powerful emperor in the entire continent for hundreds of years, but he was born at the wrong time.
I don't quite understand why a person who can't even save his own life would be a person who creates life.
I don't quite understand why the most powerful emperor, who controls the most powerful country, failed to unify the continent...
Li Ang What exactly is the 'powerful' His Majesty refers to?
--Excerpted from <New Pendor Battlefield Diary>, written by Risadiran Aino.
--
In the early morning, Li Ang took Alina and Risadiran to Seren Village.
Emperor Marius is currently in Seren Village, which is currently the territory of the Bacchus Empire. The military camp of Bax is not far to the north of Seren Village.
In other words, Li Ang passed through the military camp of Bax and was located behind the enemy's army...
This is of course a very dangerous move, and Li Ang only brought his own Noldo Guard.
But Li Ang knows that he is not in danger.
Because he knew that since Emperor Marius sent Agason to sue for peace, he did not want to deepen the hatred between him and Noldo Elves, nor did he want this war to continue.
On the contrary, Agason was more nervous - he led a team of people to follow Li Ang, not because he was afraid that Li Ang would suddenly cause trouble, but to maintain the safety of Li Ang...
Bacchus Army is currently full of wounded soldiers. It is estimated that many people do not like Li Ang. If something happens to Li Ang at this time, it will ultimately bring real disaster to both countries.
Seren Village currently has few residents. When Bacchus Empire took back Calundru Castle, Ansen took away most of the residents in this area.
Most of the houses in the village are empty and look a little dilapidated.
But Li Ang was taken into a military tent by Agason.
Emperor Marius did not occupy any residential houses, even though most of the residential houses here were empty - this was obviously due to years of habit. His large army did not enter the village, but camped in the north of the village.
This is probably to prevent large-scale troops from entering places where civilians live, even though there are not many residents in the village.
Emperor Marius's military tent is large, but without any decoration.
It is basically the same as the military tent commonly used by Li Ang - simple, inconspicuous, but very spacious.
Li Ang did not take off his sword, and no one asked Li Ang to take off his sword. He just entered Emperor Marius's military tent.
After entering the military tent, what Li Ang saw was a skinny old man leaning on a camp bed, wearing an Immortal officer's armor and holding his championship helmet in his arms.
His small stove was still placed on the table in front of him, and a delicate copper kettle was steaming on the stove.
After seeing Li Ang, Emperor Marius smiled slightly, like an ordinary old man meeting a familiar junior, and waved gently to Li Ang.
It's like yesterday's war never happened.
"Li Ang... As you may have guessed, I originally planned to die on the battlefield. That is the best destination for me."
Emperor Marius looks extremely weak now. It seems that yesterday's battle has exhausted his little energy.
"Your Majesty, this is also a battlefield, and you are still wearing the Immortal Armor."
Li Ang walked forward and sat in front of Marius like a junior.
Similarly, it's as if he didn't charge towards Emperor Marius yesterday, as if yesterday's battle had nothing to do with the two of them...
Risadiran and Agason stood on both sides of the entrance to the military tent with clear distinctions, one on the left and one on the right.
Several immortals who were originally serving as guards in the military tent also consciously hid in the corner.
Alina looked around, shook his head, walked to the table, picked up the kettle and prepared to pour water for the two kings.
"Actually, the name Immortal was given by Justus. I originally planned to name this legion the Mortal Legion... Mortals are mortal. But Justus said that the name had no deterrent effect at all, so he played a word game... In fact, Imperial Guards is the real meaning of Immortal." (Note)
Emperor Marius stroked the tassel of the championship helmet in his arms and smiled like a retired uncle next door, "I never think that I am an immortal. I am just a Imperial Guards, a mortal who will eventually die."
Li Ang shook his head gently. "You shouldn't say such unlucky words..."
"I'm going to die, Li Ang."
Emperor Marius said very calmly, "Only weak people will paralyze themselves with auspicious words... I am not a person who is afraid of death, I will happily accept my fate."
As he said that, he glanced at Alina: "Luciana, don't pour the water, the wine is warm on the table... How can you not drink when your friends are here?"
He called Alina by his original name.
Alina was about to bring two water glasses. Hearing this, he was stunned and turned to look at Li Ang.
Li Ang also turned his head and glanced, and then he caught a glimpse of a box of black paste on the desk.
He could realize what it was.
Opium is indeed a commonly used drug by doctors in this era, and Ansen usually prepares a lot of it, mainly for cough and analgesia or to relieve those incurable diseases - simply put, it allows people to die relatively easily when encountering severe cases that cannot be treated, so as to avoid torture.
So Li Ang nodded. "Indeed, we should pour wine."
Alina was silent for a while, poured out the water in the cup, and replaced it with warm red wine in the copper kettle on the stove.
Then, she stood behind Emperor Marius, just like she did when she was at Siyuan City.
"Li Ang... There are too many people in this world who long for immortality... If you conquer the entire continent in the future, will you try to make yourself immortal?"
Marius held the wine glass, added opium to his glass in front of Li Ang, and then continued the previous topic.
"I'm not sure - I haven't conquered the continent yet. Who knows what will happen in the future?"
Li Ang smiled honestly, "But like you, no matter what happens in the future, I will happily accept my fate."
"Hahaha... Shouldn't a young man like you pursue 'controlling one's own destiny' or 'changing one's own destiny'? You actually accept the arrangement of fate like an old man like me?"
Emperor Marius laughed.
"Because I'm not that kind of weak person..."
Li Ang also smiled and said, "What is fate? What we can change and what we cannot change, what has changed and what remains unchanged, what I can choose and what I cannot choose, what I have mastered and what I cannot control... All of these results are fate... Of course I have to accept it, because that is the final result after I have tried my best."
"Hahahaha... That's right! Only weak people will clamor all day long to change their unfair fate..."
Emperor Marius raised his head and smiled even more happily, "I want power because I am humble, and I want immortality because I am short-lived... People in the world always think that the so-called resistance to fate is a sign of strength, but in fact it is just dissatisfaction with desire!"
"It seems that you already know about Kavala? That Pande late king has been fighting against fate. What he wants is eternal power and immortality."
Li Ang realized that Emperor Marius probably knew something about Kavala, otherwise he wouldn't be feeling emotional all the time.
"I do know something. I know that you have something to do with him... I guess you had something to do with him during the year or so you disappeared, right? Can you first tell me the story of what you experienced during that year or so?"
Marius nodded and looked at Li Ang, as if he were an elder who wanted to listen to his children's travel experiences.
"This matter begins with the civil war between the gods of the Pande Continent and Sindar Elves..."
Li Ang began to tell his experience and things about Kavala and Snake Worship Cult as concisely as possible.
"It seems that even if he is sealed in a distant temple, Kavala can still drive Snake Worship Cult to provoke a war between us. If Snake Worship Cult is not completely destroyed, there will never be peace in this world."
Emperor Marius felt a little emotional after listening to the story for half the morning. "He pursues power and immortality to the extreme, and wants to become the only god... He is the bravest coward..."
"His Majesty Marus, I don't quite understand... If Kairos and his son provoked a dispute between elves and humans because they were afraid of death, and called them cowards, I can understand it. But why do you say that such a terrible character as Kavala is also a coward?"
Risadiran suddenly asked.
"Risadiran, is that your name? I know you... your name was written by Creon on the list of 'those who made outstanding contributions to the control of Red Death'. I also personally ordered that you be eliminated from the crime of murdering nobles..."
Emperor Marius looked at Risadiran: "You are a brave and fearless assassin... and an elf with a long life, so you may not understand it."
"Because he is afraid of a short life, he is afraid of losing power, he is afraid of being abandoned by the gods, he is afraid of being forgotten after completing his mission... He is afraid of everything, so he will pursue to make himself the only god - even if the whole world is plunged into turmoil, even if he is framed and supported as a comrade of Supreme King, even if everything is destroyed... Such a person is not a mortal, but he is indeed a coward."
Li Ang explained, "Even now that he is sealed, he still has not given up his pursuit, so he is a brave coward..."
"Noldo Forest's fire was started by Kairos and his son. Although they were forced to do so, they were indeed cowards, so I gave their heads to you."
Emperor Marius continued, "But I know that the blood of their father and son is far from enough to extinguish the anger of the elves. The soldiers of the empire burned the forest. This is a fact. I can't explain it, so I can only fight this battle with you... I originally planned to either die on the battlefield or repel your attack... because I know that both results will prevent you from continuing to attack Bax."
Li Ang nodded, that is indeed the case.
The forest was burned before, and Li Ang tried his best to make Noldo Elves not be impulsive for the time being. If Li Ang did not fight this battle with Bax, all the elves would take revenge on their own, so this battle must be fought.
But if Marius died in battle, and died in Li Ang's charge, then Baxian would definitely resist Li Ang's troops with hatred, and Li Ang would have to retreat even if he won a big victory - Marius obviously understood Li Ang, and with Li Ang's character, of course he would not fight against the mourning troops.
Of course, if Marius had repelled Li Ang's attack yesterday... then there would be nothing to say.
"However, now that you have won a great victory and the empire has paid a heavy price, you should be able to listen to my explanation calmly... We should not continue to fight, otherwise we will only let the real enemy take advantage. I know you want food, and I can give you Erudition City food."
After Emperor Marius finished speaking, he looked at Li Ang and then at Risadiran: "Do you accept it?"
Li Ang looked at Emperor Marius and smiled, "If you had won the battle yesterday, then you would definitely continue to march until you defeat Long River City and then negotiate peace with us, right?"
"Of course... if you were me, you would do the same..."
Emperor Marius took it for granted. "No matter what, I have to consider Bax's interests..."
"That's true... then, what happened over there Imperial Port?"
Li Ang also knows that Emperor Marius is telling the truth, and if we can get food, there is really no need to continue the attack.
Lion Territory was beaten to a pulp before, and what he needs most now is to regain his strength. If it weren't for Noldo Forest being burned, Li Ang would definitely have been engaged in real estate at Long River City and would not have sent troops at all - who wants to fight an uncertain battle?
"The news I got is that the fleet of Snake Worship Cult appeared near Imperial Port, and the families of Kairos and Antonius, that is, the wife of Kairos and other tribesmen, also returned to Imperial Port with the fleet of Snake Worship Cult..."
Emperor Marius sighed after saying this, "Shortly afterwards, a terrible disaster occurred in Imperial Port. A strange man wearing a mask caused the entire Imperial Port defenders to be wiped out in an instant. It is said that General Ivaylo betrayed the country and surrendered to the enemy, and Imperial Port was basically occupied by Snake Worship Cult. Moreover, they should start marching north."
"Ivaylo, that serf general who was a pig farmer... will he betray the country and surrender to the enemy? I'm afraid he did it as a last resort in the face of a desperate situation... General Sura is not here, has he already gone to Imperial Port?"
Li Ang turned around and looked, but didn't see Sura.
"Yes, Sura is not my subordinate, he just helped me a little more as a friend. His mission is to deal with Snake Worship Cult, Shadow Wolf Pack has already set off for Imperial Port, and Phoenix Knight Order is also setting off."
Emperor Marius nodded. "If you no longer attack the empire, I will take all the troops to Imperial Port... I said that I want to die on the battlefield, that is my rightful destination. I am a mortal mortal, I do not need immortality... but I want to use this dying body to do truly useful things."
If Marius died in Imperial Port, then the entire Bax people would resolutely resist Snake Worship Cult with the same hatred...
Li Ang mentally added Marius' unstated intention.
This is the immortality of mortals, the immortal mortals.
"Then, let's each retreat. Your Majesty, take care..."
Li Ang picked up the wine glass and drank the last glass of wine with his friend.
Note:
Imperial Immortals(Empire immortal);
Imperial Guards(Empire mortal);
mortal: mortal, mortal, mortal.
immortal: eternal, immortal, immortal, immortal.
Immortal can actually be translated as 'Eternal Army', and Imperial Guards can be translated as 'Death-Defying Army'.
In fact, Immortal Legion somewhat means 'ordinary mortals are the eternal imperial guards'.