The station at Asura District is still lively and crowded. Young people from all over the Alliance gather here and look forward to the future.
But for Anali, who was standing there motionless, the noise and words in her ears seemed to be isolated from another world at the moment. She couldn't help but start to look around and count the number of Orc races in the crowd.
As rare as ever----
This is as it should be. After all, Orc is not good at memorizing complex knowledge and theories, and relies more on the combat power brought by the body.
She tried to tell herself that this situation was normal and there was nothing to blame, but the scene she saw that day still appeared in her mind, and the faces that left forever came to mind.
These pictures made Anali uneasy, and she couldn't help but want to return to Agate Street's aunt as soon as possible to seek comfort and answers from her.
Walking hurriedly through the still bustling streets, Anali came to the familiar Agate Street. In the past year, there have been some new buildings here, but the familiar people are still there.
"Anali~You're back." A familiar uncle waved hello to her.
"Yes." Anali allowed himself to smile and replied, just like usual.
Afterwards, people started saying hello and greetings one after another, and several children gathered around her, asking how it was outside and whether they had anything fun or delicious to bring.
"Sorry, sister forgot to bring it this time, but how about taking you to Scallion Street tomorrow?" Scallion Street is a famous food street in Asura District, where there are many food stalls and restaurants.
"Okay~~" the children answered in a long voice.
After finishing the conversation with these children, Anali finally arrived at the familiar restaurant. She walked briskly through the back door, greeted the familiar clerk, then came to the kitchen and saw the busy aunt.
"I'm back." Anali saw the other person, put down his things, and hugged him.
"Anali is back." At this moment, the aunt was still holding the spatula. She wanted to touch Anali with one hand, but she was afraid that the oil would stick to it.
"I guess there's still oil on my clothes. Don't make them dirty. It's rare to see you wearing such a beautiful Academy uniform." The aunt said with a smile.
"I don't mind it." Anali raised his head, his eyes seemed to be filled with water.
"Hey, you kid, why are you crying again?" The aunt handed the spatula to the chef on the side, and then walked out with Anali.
The two came to the lounge at the back. The aunt poured Anali a cup of herbal tea and asked about her experiences and feelings this year.
"How is life in the Academy? Do you feel any pressure? How are you getting along with everyone?" She was a little concerned and concerned about this. After all, Anali is Orc, and the members of Mage Academy are basically human beings.
"There is indeed some pressure, but I can bear it. Everyone is very nice and friendly." Anali replied.
For these Mage members who were admitted to the Academy, most of them were born well, and rarely came into contact with Orc at the bottom. When they saw Anali, they just felt it was novel, and they did not show any special malice.
"That's good, that's good." The aunt repeated, feeling relieved.
After the two sat and reminisced for a while, the aunt stood up again.
"It just so happens that you are back today. I'm going to prepare some delicious food for you." As she said that, she asked Anali to go back and take a nap first, and then come over for dinner later.
"Okay, thank you, aunt." Anali stood up, picked up her luggage, and returned to her room, which was a house not far from the restaurant where she and her aunt had always lived.
In the next few days, Anali met many familiar friends, and took the children to Scallion Street as agreed. He also met several classmates who had studied together.
Some of them are still preparing for the Academy exam, while others have already entered the workshop to participate in work. When they saw Anali coming back, their voices were quite envious.
Less than one-tenth of the members who enrolled together that year were admitted to the Academy. The remaining students had no choice but to find another way out. Seeing that there was no hope of advancement, some left Asura District early and returned to their hometowns.
"Luo Ze wrote to me some time ago, saying that he has settled down in his hometown and is currently working in a local herbal medicine store, responsible for counting and purchasing local herbal medicines. He also told us that Scent-Smelling Technique, which he didn't think was of much use before, has now become the most used ability at work."
"Mositi went to a monitoring tower in the north. The tower owner there is a third-level official Mage, and his daily job is to assist in recording the data of the monitoring instruments there, and to maintain the smoothness of the communication equipment. His work is quite leisurely, and occasionally he can get some barbecue from the local herdsmen."
"Zan En is the busiest one. He went to a workshop that makes mechanical parts. I heard that he has been working overtime recently. Fortunately, the salary is good."
The exchange with old classmates made Anali feel a lot better, and the previous feeling of hesitation and uneasiness gradually subsided.
Although she still can't forget the things that happened to her when she was a child, it is very difficult for her to maintain hatred towards the Mage Alliance so many innocent people.
It was a certain group of people who made the mistake, and she could not arbitrarily transfer her anger to unrelated people.
In August, she and her classmates went to Meteor Lake in the south of the Mage Alliance, which is the inland sea of the Fourth Continent and the only place with coastal beaches suitable for vacation.
"Anali, then~" A blond girl jumped up and swatted the rubber ball towards the girl with animal horns.
Anali caught it slightly nervously, and then fought back. It has to be said that as Orc, her physical fitness is a weakness, and she is not as good as some of her classmates.
--
A few people played ball on the beach, and then when they were tired, they lay down in the shade to rest and enjoy the sea breeze.
"It's really nice here."
"Yes, there is no such comfortable seaside in the Mage Alliance."
"Actually, there is a sea, but it's Ice Sea in the north. It's too cold." Several people talked about their feelings during the holiday.
"Is this Merchant City Union's territory?" someone suddenly asked.
"Of course, didn't the teacher teach you before that the Meteor Lake shores and several islands in the lake are all Merchant City Union's sphere of influence."
"But which force do those ships come from?" A classmate pointed into the distance.
In the distance on the sea level, tall sailing battleships marched together, their sails were fully loaded, and the patterns of golden spikes and horns were painted on them. After entering the port, groups of elite warriors wearing uniforms with gold ornaments on a white background stepped off these ships, and then they marched in formation. Soon, the flags originally planted in the port were changed.
"Is this a change of power? Or is it some kind of coup?" A classmate watched this scene from a distance.
"The process was extremely peaceful. There wasn't even a fight. It was like a peaceful handover."
"I don't know, but I feel like something big is about to happen. Maybe we are witnesses." Someone pointed to the docked sailing warship in the distance.
"Did you see it clearly? The Cannon carried by those warships is very new. It seems powerful when you look at it. This kind of technology can be ranked in the middle of the Mage Alliance. But I have never heard of Merchant City Union having such a powerful fleet before."
"The situation is not right, or we should go back first." Some of them have advanced to the third level, but they still feel unsafe. After all, this is not Mage Alliance. If there is a conflict, no one can support and protect them.
"Yes, let's go first."
As a result, several people's seaside vacation plan ended early. Before Anali left, they also took a long look at the port where they came from. Now the flag of the city lord's palace there has completely changed.
On the way back, several people discovered that many cities in the original Merchant City Union had changed their flags and forces and were taken over by a brand new organization. This organization was called Golden Sheaf Horn. It not only owned the territory of the previous Merchant City Union, but also occupied dozens of surrounding countries, large and small. Its sphere of influence was close to the standards of the empire. The population under its rule was roughly estimated to be close to 100 million.
After more than ten years of constant conflicts, wars, negotiations, negotiations, and mediation, Woodland Alliance's integration plan has finally reached the final stage. With the support of the Woodland Alliance, five super-large countries have gradually formed in the southern part of the continent. They each occupy one side, and each has a population base and strength close to the empire.
The establishment of these super-large countries has allowed the scattered forces in the southern part of the continent to gradually merge together, resources have been fully and uniformly deployed, and the overall strength has gradually become stronger.
"Golden Sheaf Horn" is one of the five newly established countries. Because it is at the intersection of the three forces of the Mage Alliance, Harp Flower Union and Woodland Alliance, it is naturally suitable for trade. Within its sphere of influence, handicrafts and agriculture are developed, and a large number of chambers of commerce gather.
The country's governing body is Merchants' Alliance Council". Members of the parliament are all representatives of chambers of commerce, and votes are allocated according to the taxes paid by each chamber. The entire country advocates money and wealth, and the social system favors those who can create wealth. The country strictly protects the rights and safety of citizens, but citizenship needs to be maintained by paying taxes. People who cannot pay taxes will lose their citizenship rights and also lose many rights, making it extremely difficult to survive.
This kind of national system is extremely radical, and it is the first time it has appeared in this world. No one can predict where it will go in the future, whether it will develop or destroy.