In the blink of an eye, the empire was falling apart

When humans think, God laughs.

Why?

Because they are at different levels.

Humans at the lower levels are limited by their knowledge, and their thinking often appears laughable to those at the higher levels.

The so-called gap between upper and lower classes is not only a difference in the essence of life, but also a difference in social class and lifespan.

For example, the most famous joke at East University is about an old farmer who has lived in a village his whole life and has never been to the county town. The most luxurious thing he can imagine about the emperor is: using a golden hoe to hoe the ground.

Ridiculous, isn't it?

However, we cannot laugh at the old farmer, because the fault does not lie with him.

However, what we need to be more careful about is that we cannot force the upper class to condescend and compromise themselves to adapt to the living conditions of the lower class.

For example, mayflies, whose lifespan after metamorphosis is only one day, desperately seek mates and reproduce from the moment they are born; this is the nature of life.

must.

Humans should absolutely not reduce themselves to breeding machines because of this. Not to mention humans, even a cricket that can only live for a year wouldn't be in such a hurry.

Shazo was human in his previous life, and most of the Shazo who shared his memories were also human.

But he himself is an elf, and no matter how much he dislikes the Elf Race, he must take the elf as the premise and starting point for thinking about problems.

Since the lifespan of spirits starts at a thousand years, their thoughts and consciousness must naturally match their thousand-year lifespan.

The future world belongs to humans, and the elves will inevitably have more frequent contact with humans, thus destined to meet outstanding talents among them.

From now on, the elves will have to get used to meeting and getting to know humans, and then experiencing the bewilderment of parting forever.

Remember them, but don't let the dead trap your heart.

Shazo sighed and patted Frieren's head again.

Frieren, who was engrossed in her reading, looked up curiously and asked, "Mr. Shazo, what's wrong?"

Shazo replied, "It's nothing, I just feel that the future is too difficult for you."

Frieren paused for a moment, then smiled, "No, Mr. Shazo, I'm very strong!"

Shazo: "That's good. Go and rest. Don't stay up too late reading."

We need to get up early tomorrow.

Frieren closed the book, as if she had just remembered. "Oh right, I'm going to Brilliant Gem tomorrow to meet my master."

This time, I'm determined to make her admit she was wrong!

Shazo couldn't help but cover his forehead. "You guys have been arguing about a magic problem for almost 100 years, can't you put the problem aside and look forward?"

"Absolutely not!" Frieren immediately became agitated, jumping up to protest, "How can we possibly postpone it?"

"This is the foundation of my and Great-Grandmaster Serie's understanding of the world. Only from this starting point can we construct the entire magical world. We must distinguish right from wrong!"

Shazo's head throbbed even more. "Alright, alright, little Frieren, stop reading, my head hurts!"

"You and Frieren can discuss the magic issue yourselves; I'm not involved anymore—"

"Go and get some rest."

After calming Frieren down, Shazo finally regained his composure.

This was 97 years after the establishment of the First Human Empire, and 101 years after Frieren entrusted Frieren to Shazo.

Frieren has come of age.

According to Elf Race customs, Frieren can now live independently.

As her guardian, Shazo needs to take her to Brilliant Gem to complete her coming-of-age ceremony in the presence of Frieren.

100 years have passed, and many things have changed.

For example, the Patterson Empire grew to its peak, with its territory centered on the Central Plains, extending south to include the Holy City and north to the Frozen Wasteland.

Humans not only filled the Northern Plateau, suffocating the Dwarves kingdom, but also clashed head-on with the Demon King's Army, resulting in several large-scale wars.

The Northern Sect fully pledged allegiance to the Empire, contributing greatly to its expansion and internal integration. Taking advantage of this, the Pope physically annexed the Southern Sect, reaching the pinnacle of his power.

However, as the empire expanded, humanity's centripetal force began to be unable to suppress centrifugal force.

Especially with the fourth change of Emperor, the Patterson Family lost the throne, and the empire began to show signs of division almost the instant the fifth Emperor ascended the throne.

In particular, the many noble territories in the northern part of the Central Mountains developed powerful military forces during the war with the Demon Race and showed the strongest tendency to split.

The Church, which was deeply intertwined with the empire, also began to show signs of division along with the empire's fragmentation.

Conversely, the Magic Association, which initially expanded into every city of the empire in an absolutely loosely structured platform, were successfully integrated as generations of Mage were drawn to the allure of magic.

The Mage learn the same basic magical knowledge and are divided into five levels based on Mage and knowledge, establishing a ranking system.

The number of Mage is quite large now. Although not enough to form Mage legion, they can certainly be deployed to every unit of the Imperial Army.

Perhaps the direct control of violence is the core reason why the Magic Association's status surpasses that of the Church.

However, these are all changes from a macro perspective; the situation is different from the perspectives of Shazo and Frieren.

The next day, after the two elves set off, Frieren, who hadn't left her house for 47 years, was stunned, and her exclamations never stopped.

Wow, humans! So many humans! My eyes are going to spin!

"You have trypophobia, huh? It's okay, you'll get used to it after looking at it more often."

"Why is there a village here? How did we end up in a town?"

"With more humans, you'll need to build more villages."

"Mr. Shazo, the roads are so well-maintained now! As long as you know the direction, you can just follow the road to your destination."

"Yes, humanity's achievements in construction are indeed remarkable."

"Why are there so many carriages? The dust they're kicking up is making me all covered in dust, it's so uncomfortable."

"Haha, well, there's nothing we can do about that. Humanity's rise to power is still too short; we can't pave all the roads with cobblestones."

Slowly, Frieren fell silent.

After a long while, she sighed softly, "Human empires are truly powerful."

When night fell, Frieren was even more surprised to find that there was no way to camp in the wild.

Because all the land on both sides of the road had been cultivated, they either left the road and went far away to camp in the wilderness, or they paid to stay in hotels.

Frieren's eyes were full of tears. "Mr. Shazo, what should we do?"

Shazo suppressed a laugh and replied, "Of course, we'll stay in a hotel."

Frieren: "But, but I don't have any money—"

Shazo finally couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter. "Don't worry, little Frieren, I have money."

After settling in Frieren, Shazo maintained the habit of going out for several months each year to search for and observe the birth of Demon Race, so he did not become out of touch with the rapidly changing world.

Shazo skillfully led Frieren to a suitable inn, checked her in for two rooms, and paid two silver coins for the room.

Frieren had no concept of value, but after enjoying a hot bath, carefully prepared food, and soft, clean bedding, she realized that two silver coins were quite valuable.

Because Shazo often taught her that the essence of value is the labor that ordinary people put in, and labor is a combination of three aspects: seriousness, time invested, and skill level.

The next day, after breakfast, as the two elves continued their journey, Frieren remarked, "Staying at the inn yesterday was so comfortable."

"I'll have to find a way to make money so I can enjoy life properly—oh dear!"

Shazo withdrew his right hand. "Of course, we have to find ways to earn money, because there are more and more things you can buy with money. Not to mention cities, even some bustling towns can sell magic materials and spellbooks."

However, enjoyment should be practiced in moderation.

Frieren rubbed her head and asked, "Huh? Why?"

Shazo replied, "Because the foundation of human prosperity is no longer solid. Human empires may be able to see the meteor shower three years from now, but they definitely won't be able to sustain themselves until the next one."

Frieren mumbled, indicating that she couldn't understand.

During the rest of their journey, Shazo pointed out various signs of the impending collapse of the human empire to Frieren.

For example, there are increasingly tall and sophisticated military facilities within the empire, as well as more and more privately established checkpoints and tax stations.

For example, there were noble soldiers with bright armor and excellent weapons, and Imperial Army soldiers with old and rusty armor and weapons.

For example, the banners of nobles in various regions were hung at the highest point, while the banners representing the empire were hung at the lowest point, or the empire's banners were not even displayed at all.

Frieren gradually came to understand.

Imperial pills!

Shazo sighed, "Prosperity is built on the foundation of order. When the human empire collapses and disintegrates, it will inevitably lead to massive chaos, and the current prosperity will cease to exist."

"By then, the roads, inns, and carriages we see now will be greatly reduced, making it much harder to enjoy hot baths."

Frieren looked utterly desperate. "What are we going to do?"

It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

Although Frieren has only been enjoying human civilization for less than a month, she can already imagine how painful it would be to lose it.

Shazo asked with a smile, "Little Frieren, you can develop magic."

"For example, there's the [Hot Spring Heating Magic] that can turn a stream into a hot spring, the [Clothes-Cleaning Magic] that can clean clothes, and the [Magic Hut] that's similar to the Druid spell I use to build a small cabin."

"Magic is the most convenient tool; how can it be something so inconvenient?"

Frieren nodded. "I understand, Mr. Shazo."

This is the ideology that Shazo has been instilling in her, so naturally it was accepted by Frieren.

Because she found it very interesting, she quickly came up with concrete ideas.

That evening, in her hotel room, Frieren completed the [Magic Tent], a spell that could provide warmth and protect against the cold wind and insects.

Shazo tested it briefly and then cautioned, "The comfort level is indeed quite good, but the defense is very poor. It can be destroyed by any slightly stronger Beast. It's only suitable for use when someone is on guard."

Frieren nodded slightly, looking troubled, and said, "There's a problem with the basic magical structure I envisioned; the defensive strength is insufficient."

"I'm not going up."

Shazo said, "It's alright, we can improve it gradually."

"Actually, the [Magic Tent] is quite practical; it's very suitable for adventure teams of three to five people."

A few days later, the two elves approached the Imperial Capital, but as soon as they arrived at the riverbank, Shazo keenly sensed the unusual atmosphere.

Today, the Imperial Capital is much larger, with a population of over 200,000, and has even built bridges across the smaller river, becoming a super city spanning the river.

Not far along the river towards the ferry, Shazo saw two wooden bridges spanning the river.

They were also surprised to find that the bridge was densely packed with people, and these people were holding weapons and torches, and there was a tense standoff.

Shazo Zuo gasped, "Such an armed standoff has broken out in the Imperial Capital. It seems I overestimated the empire's cohesion and underestimated the Patterson Family's influence."

"Frieren, let's take a detour. We absolutely cannot get involved in humanity's Civil War."

Shazo pulled an exceptionally large greatsword from his briefcase, slung it over his shoulder, and gave the same instructions to Frieren:

"Take out your magic wand."

"Yes, Mr. Shazo."

Frieren nodded solemnly, freeing her magic wand and holding it in her right hand. Then she followed Shazo westward along the riverside path.

Shazo wasn't the only one with a keen sense of danger; businessmen among humans were equally sensitive to it.

Not long after the two elves gave up crossing the river, a merchant driving a carriage caught up with them.

The chubby merchant was overjoyed to see the two elves and warmly invited them to ride in his carriage.

Frieren was puzzled, but Shazo asked with a smile, "It's not appropriate to expect us to ride in your car without any White Fang, is it?"

The portly merchant laughed heartily, "Don't worry, Mr. Elf, I will pay you."

Shazo and the merchant spent a few minutes negotiating a price before Frieren boarded the carriage.

Once the carriage started moving again, a bewildered Frieren asked in a low voice, "Mr. Shazo, why do we have to pay for our ride?"

Shazo chuckled and flicked the greatsword on his back, replying softly, "Because of my height and this Claymore."

"When order is chaotic, the merchants are the most worried and the most vulnerable to losses. They want the protection of force, especially force like mine that looks very powerful, which would be best if it could scare away those with ill intentions."

Frieren Satori, "Oh, I see. I understand now."

With horse-drawn carriages for transportation, they covered a full 200 li (approximately 100 kilometers) in just one day, leaving the chaos that had erupted in the Imperial Capital far behind.

The merchant finally felt relieved and pointed to the fork in the road, saying, "My lords, going north from here leads to Brilliant Gem."

After receiving their payment, Shazo and Frieren parted ways with the merchant.

The merchant continued westward, while the two elves turned northward.

They continued their journey for five days and finally arrived at Brilliant Gem, the headquarters of the Magic Association.