Sitting in the reception room outside the laboratory, Todd stared blankly at the ancient Tello decorations around him.
“The ancient Talos created a magnificent civilization, and then destroyed it with their own hands.” Iliad walked out of the laboratory, wiping his hands. “No empire can escape the fate of destruction; it’s like a vicious cycle.”
Todd looked at Elijah and said, "Destruction doesn't mean disappearance. Look at these things in the room. At least Taro's culture and heritage have been preserved."
Eliad shook his head and said, “Say these words to the dead… Those in power often only see history, but forget that history is written by the people.”
Todd stated firmly, "At least I'm not that kind of person."
Elijah glanced at Todd, paused for a moment, and said, "I thought you went back."
Todd said, "You know I've been waiting for an answer."
Elijah: "I can't give you the answer you're looking for."
Todd: "But perhaps you can tell me where I can find it."
Eliade sighed, found a chair and sat down: "King of the Dragon Kingdom, do you know why I have been declining your invitation?"
Todd: "Why?"
Elijah: "Because we are not on the same path."
Todd: "I don't understand."
Iliad closed his eyes, waved his hand, and whispered, "Come with me."
Leaving Eliad's residence, Todd followed him down the Supuha Mountains.
As they drove along the winding road through the mountains, Todd admired the snow-covered scenery and asked Elijah, "Where are we going?"
Iliad said, "Not far from here."
Todd: "You're just leaving the Elders' Council like this? Aren't you worried about getting into trouble?"
Eliard raised his hand and pointed to the valley at the end of the mountain range, where wisps of smoke could be faintly seen rising from the chimneys: "The buildings you see on the mountain are only a small part of the Elder Council; the whole of it is right in front of us."
Using his Hawkeye ability, Todd looked into the valley, where thousands of tents were densely packed together, and the noisy voices could be heard even from a great distance.
Eliad quickened his pace and followed the mountain path to the open space at the mouth of the valley, where he bowed to an old woman sitting on a large rock, holding a shepherd's whip in her arms.
The old woman raised her head; her eyes had long since turned gray, and her skin was as rough and deep as parched earth.
She ignored Illid's bow and turned her head toward Todd, "looking" at him for a long time.
Suddenly, the old woman opened her toothless mouth and gave two dry laughs. Then, she raised the shepherd's whip in her arms and cracked it in the air.
After doing all this, the old woman closed her eyes, hugged the whip, and sat back down on the big rock, as if she had fallen into a deep sleep.
Elijah turned and nodded to Todd: "We can go in now."
Todd glanced back at the old woman as he walked and asked, "Who is she?"
“One of the elders from the previous term.” Iliad strode forward, warning as he went, “Don’t look into her eyes.”
With questions in mind, Todd followed Elijah into the settlement in the valley.
There are thousands of tents set up here, some for people to live in, some for storing supplies, and some for raising livestock.
These tents bear the marks of the Southern Empire in their manufacturing process, but in terms of decoration and appearance, they are more similar to the marching tents of the ancient Tyro period.
People passing by noticed Elijah and Todd and stopped in their tracks, whispering among themselves.
Todd carefully observed the crowd around him and asked Elijah, "Are all these people mutants?"
Iliad replied, "That's right."
Todd looked around again and quickly noticed something strange: "Why do I only see old people and children? Where are the young people?"
Elijah glanced at Todd: "You can ask your woman."
Todd frowned and asked, "Rachel?"
Iliad continued walking forward: "Young people don't listen to the advice of the elders and always yearn for the outside world, which is the fundamental reason why they formed the Heterogeneous Association."
Todd was somewhat surprised: "You mean, the organization that Rachel belongs to—the Alien Society—originated here?"
Elijah: "It's not surprising that a bunch of young people, ignorant of their own limitations, fantasizing about becoming saviors of the alien race and taking control of their own destiny, came together."
Todd, annoyed by the sarcasm and disdain in Eliard's tone, said, "At least they're trying, aren't they?"
Iliad seemed to harbor a deep prejudice against the Heterogeneous Association: "We old folks are trying too, but they just turn a blind eye, only..."
Iliad wanted to say something more, but suddenly stopped talking.
Todd glanced at Elijah's retreating figure. In Todd's memory, the old man rarely displayed such emotions in his words and actions.
Eliard sighed softly, patted the head of a child beside him, gesturing for him to move away, and then said in a low voice, "They are the future of the alien race; the others are going further and further down the wrong path."
Todd: "The others?"
Eliard: "Eleanor is obsessed with human cloning and breeding technology, hoping to create an army of mutants to establish an empire belonging to mutants; Rachel and her mutant association actively participate in secular conflicts, attempting to use the power of mutants to influence religion and monarchy..."
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