Durin's Diary

Yishu followed Elder Philo, feeling a need to speak, he turned to his contemporary, "My child, he's too prone to killing."

"I'm not blaming your child. Indeed, he has a murderous side, but he's still part of the younger generation, and as the little master of the town, he has not overstepped in his responsibility to those his age. If it weren't for him and Anta speaking out, those children might well be suffering in the hands of traffickers in some dark dungeon by now. It was he and Anta who saved these peers," Philo said, then turned his head to look at his old companion, "You, Yishu, I know what you're thinking. You want him to inherit the House of Ailish, you don't want him to wear the thorny bracelet, nor do you want him to be at a disadvantage. Yet what he did today was like that of a great master—none of our elders in their younger days showed such decisiveness."

"Wearing this bracelet requires selflessness, something the child does not possess. I know it; he's curious about the outside world, often inquiring from the wandering merchants... My fear is that this land is too small for him, you know. His ambitions too vast, and this land cannot hold them," Yishu spoke, furrowing his brows, for he noticed his old companion narrowing his eyes, "What are you thinking? I warn you, not even a bracelet is acceptable, and if you dare let this child wear a diadem, I'll find you a grave right now."

"I came to Lublin town on a mission, if I were to disappear, what would happen when the Elders' Council asks about me?" Philo asked with a smile.

"I'll share a grave with you," Yishu's eyes widened.

"Can't even take a joke, wearing a diadem. You're thinking of it at a hundred and thirty years of age? I'm twenty-one years shy, you're twenty-three years shy, and for this child, it's over a hundred years into the future. What are you thinking? By the time he wears a diadem, you'll be just shy of three hundred years old. Although a Green-skinned Orcs Magician could grit his teeth and live that long, do you really want to be responsible for this child for so long?" Philo chuckled, then stepped forward, signaling Yishu to follow him.

"So, what are you thinking?" Yishu followed him downstairs and asked while they were on the staircase.

"I'm thinking that since this child dreams of measuring this land with his own feet, come the start of next year, we should let him explore the common word in the Northern Kingdom... What do you think?" He was asking Yishu.

"Wasn't there talk before of having him handle intelligence? I'm all set for that. Next year I'll send him to the Northern Kingdom to study at the Arts Academy. He likes movies, so I'll let him go learn that. Having an official status as a foreign student is also safer," Old Yishu frowned slightly, visibly displeased.

"What they say and what you and your grandson are actually planning to do are two different things. My Yishu, think about it, a thirteen-year-old child working in intelligence? Only those crazed enough could come up with such an idea. They've exhausted every option to take Durin away from Anta," Philo said, laughing and waving his hand dismissively.

"Our Eastern Territory isn't short of people, and we certainly wouldn't let a child do such things. The reason we're sending your Durin is that your daughter is a Human's wife, and he's a future master, the heir you see in him. Therefore, his perspective is different from his mother's, his identity is different, and inevitably what he sees will also differ," Philo concluded.

"Yes, I know, but... you are sending Durin to see what the Human World is really like, and I feel the goal of this task might be too broad."

Yishu frowned at his old friend, while his old friend smiled and said, "I had previously sent Fabien to observe this world, but what happened? He joined the Northern Doctrine and naively thought its teachings were akin to those of the Prime Creator. However, humans are humans, gods are gods, the true cannot be false, and the false cannot be true. Everyone says that the Human World is in turmoil, the land filled with all manner of injustices and madness, and the School of Prophecy's enigmatic sayings keep predicting an impending doomsday, the end is nigh. Therefore, we, the eleven, wish to understand whether the ideologies humans devise and the things they do are good or bad. If indeed there looms an end, we... might we once again forge an alliance with the humans and endure hardship together."

Philo spoke thus, then looked towards the gate: "Humans, short-lived as they are, have long forgotten what this land beneath our feet truly is, while we, the Long-Lived Race, the children enlightened by the Prime Creator, have always remembered. Civilization has passed down knowledge and memory, we still remember that we were once the beloved of our forebears, but now we are the masters of this land, and of the forebears, only remains within their life pods are left."

Having said that, Philo sighed and turned to look at his old compatriot still standing on the steps: "Yishu, recently, there have been more and more unusual monsters in the Dark Zone, creatures and Mutants that once only appeared in books are now stepping out from the pages. We must take precautions before it is too late."

"...I understand. Once winter is over, I will send the boy out. With the onset of humanity's scientific progress and the first wave of industrialization, as their society's ideologies shift and change, Philo, just like the books say, our civilization has once again reached a crossroads, and the lost children are desperately seeking to know where their path lies." Yishu then nodded and said, "Given that's the case, it would be good for my grandson to see the world. His eagerness to kill is too strong—if he is to gather intelligence, impatience often spoils great plans. Seeing more of the world might soften his nature."

"Good. Since I am the one asking a favor of you, I shall keep Antanya with me in Mage Tower for a year. I will personally help her ascend to the Seventh Ring. Once her advancement is complete, I will let her go find Durin. By the name of the house, I swear, how about that?" Recognizing he needed to provide something of equal value in a negotiation, Philo naturally understood the need for chips and fair trade.

Enrique approached at this time, looking at Yishu and Philo: "We've extracted the confession. Who will preside over the action against the House of Klein Salik?"

"Let the boy, Durin, who thought of the idea take care of it," said Philo.

"Isn't he too young, perhaps too young to command respect?" Yishu hesitated.

"In times of crisis, only responsibility remains. The boy has said that this harsh land does not spare a child for being young. I believe Philo is right, let Durin take the lead." Enrique spoke and then looked at Philo, "Your grandson is a fine boy, so I will vouch for him. I'll accompany him this once so he can earn a favor, for we old bones don't possess his level of awareness. As for your oath, Philo, I will bear witness. If Anta's future changes due to going to the capital or because of her mother, I will act as the decider and, in the name of the Dual Mothers' Judge, I shall exact justice to the fullest, how about that?"

"You're still the same as ever. I'll rely on you," Philo laughed, and raising his left hand, he drew the Holy Insignia of the Prime Creator on his chest, looking at Yishu: "I swear, those who ask must give in return."

"...Well, come spring, I shall send Durin to the Northern Kingdom, for Lublin is after all too small, unable to contain a free heart." Finished speaking, Yishu and Philo exchanged glances as their left hands began to draw the Holy Insignia of the Prime Creator on their chests: "I promise, those who give shall reap in return."

Durin drew his sword and thrust it into the earth before him, holding the hilt with both hands as he bowed his head, "I witness that those who reap must be rewarded."

And thus, there were no further objections.

......

When Durin stepped out of the police station, he glanced back at the second floor where his grandfather from the House of Ailish and the old Philo were, the two must have been acquainted, for often, gazes cannot lie; he and he must share a significant connection, perhaps their friendship had been maintained for a century.

The Grassland Elves valued familial bloodlines and took great care in maintaining friendships, but whether it was a town chief or a duke governing a province, the position was not hereditary forever. For instance, the House of Ailish family had taken over the governance of the Lublin province from the Elders' Council five generations prior. Now, with the bloodline of the House of Ailish waning, if not for Durin, another family would have taken the position of the Duke of Lublin.

This puzzled Durin greatly, this peculiarity of power transition was something Durin had never seen before—you might call it medieval, but the eleven Elders and the Grand Elder managed everything; you might say it was parliamentary, but the new Elder was recommended by the retiring Elder; you could argue it was nepotism, yet the retiring Elder's recommendations were always individuals of virtue at the time, never once did an Elder promote someone from their own kin.

Considering the existence of True Gods in this world, Durin could only comprehend this as another world's odd ways; moreover, traders coming from the North and South of the Elven Territory all said that without the Elven Territory, Da Lin Di, and the Church of Justice holding the front against the Dark Zone, the Human World would not enjoy the days they have now.

It was half gratitude towards the three parties, half resentment towards their own.

Durin had read newspapers in the Human World, claiming that some people were dissatisfied with the rule of the nobility and the King, seeking ways to change it all.

Now, what? Serfs remain serfs, lords remain lords, what's called a 'human purgatory,' that's what it is.

The God of Nobility truly deserves to die a thousand deaths.

And why do the Grassland Elves have a poor view of humankind? Isn't it because the three Eastern countries and monsters in the Dark Zone are locked in constant combat, with the Green-skinned Orcs' Patrol Teams clashing with the armies from the east at every moment while the humans, nestled in their safe havens, are skilled in internal strife since they cannot fight external battles, right?

What nonsense.

As for Durin being human in his previous life, how could he condescend upon humanity... Ha, Earthlings truly should not be associated with the waste of another world side by side.

And then there's that supposed number one team from the North, even trashier than Farsilan, fundamentally it's just aristocratic self-governance.

It's like that saying goes.

The noble have their tombstones, the vulgar have their passes; flipping through the history books, it's all such nonsense that's written.

As for justice.

Justice comes and goes, yet it can never suppress the demons and monsters that infest this land.

And the common folk?

There's a succinct expression for that.

Never-ending foes to slay, unceasing heroic blood to flow.