Chapter 212 Leaving
In the spring of 1848 in the Ambrose calendar, during the reign of Cassius II of the Silver Iris Empire, a strange group of workers, sailors, farmers, slaves, and even beggars gathered on the coast, forming a dark crowd.
The air was still thick with the lingering, acrid smell of gunpowder, and the salty smell of the sea mingled with a faint scent of blood. The waves pushed piles of charred wreckage ashore, but fortunately, they all belonged to the ship, as all the remaining human remains had been collected, regardless of friend or foe.
Modern thinking suggests that cremation would be the safest and cleanest option for these bodies, which could potentially cause disease. However, in a port city with a strong faith in the sea god, cremation would be a harsh punishment for those who worshipped the god. Ultimately, the Liberal Party chose to adhere to local tradition, placing the bodies of their victims on a boat. After relatives and friends had come forward to bid farewell, the boat was allowed to sail alone out to sea, where it was swallowed by the waves.
This is one of the classic scenes depicting the founding of the People's Republic of China, a scene beloved by later artists. Beneath heavy clouds, the dark, turbulent sea is dotted with ships in the distance. On the shore, a group of counter-revolutionaries, their heads covered with sacks, kneel. Opposite them, a ragged crowd: a weeping mother covering her face, an angry soldier, a silent elderly man clutching his pension, and a bewildered child—all with faces glistening wet from the rain.
Greven Warriff usually stood at the front of the crowd. To his left stood Marshilin Melda, and to his right was Daniga, who was speaking. The painter would sometimes assign Ole to stand guard in a corner, knife in hand, and sometimes he would be in charge of the execution. Also in the crowd were Ivan Adrian, Esker Rabbi, and others—and as for the most legendary of them all, "Mr. Ghost," he stood in a further corner, clearly at a distance from the crowd, observing everything before him with clear, cold gray eyes.
He is widely considered the most solitary and self-conscious leader, yet also the most important. Many painters even deliberately depict him with a few bright rays of sunlight filtering through the clouds, clearly separating him from the crowd and hinting at his undisputed transcendent status in history.
In fact, almost all of the future core figures of the entire People's Democratic Party were now included in the painting. One of the most significant historical documents, repeatedly studied by countless scholars, was now just a group of solemn-looking young people.
They only know that they are making history, but have no idea how much energy and aftermath will be unleashed in the future.
After the memorial service ended, Adrian aimed at the figure hidden in the crowd: "Teacher!"
At the last moment, he remembered that the other party wanted to hide his identity temporarily, and quickly changed his words.
"Little Ivan, long time no see!" Daniga, who had not left yet, reached out to touch the student leader's hair with a look of surprise on his face. He didn't care when his hand was opened and shrugged with a smile.
"Sir, it's an important matter." Adrian had no time for a quarrel. He seriously pulled the man to a safe corner and took out a letter from his pocket: "A letter from Dean Rabelais, sent expedited this morning, and asked me to give it to you."
Nova raised his eyebrows slightly and reached out to take the letter. Adrien nervously observed the other person's facial expression - it didn't change at all, and he couldn't see any emotion at all.
"The Limin Daily has been shut down, and a wanted warrant has been issued for the editor. It hasn't been issued to the public yet, but it's likely to be out soon." Then, like a bolt from the blue, the other party spoke: "The teachers and vice-principal have been working hard on this for a long time, but it's said that the Queen herself issued the order, so the officials dare not disobey too much."
Adrian's eyes suddenly widened, a look of panic on his face. The Limin Daily was the most influential and widely circulated media outlet, and its revenue accounted for a large portion of its operating expenses. If such a crucial outlet were shut down, the Limin Party would be in a very awkward position.
As a result, the wanted soul of the "Limin Daily" still looked as if he was not afraid of the collapse of the mountain - indeed, this person is still a fugitive death row prisoner of the Holy See, and he has too many debts to worry about.
Looking at the gentleman's expressionless face, Adrian also forced himself to calm down.
"You should be safe here for the time being." He anxiously began to help think of ideas: "Baita University also has a school magazine, and we can continue to publish your articles. I have also dealt with reporters and editors from many major newspapers, and there are many like-minded people among them. Maybe they will be happy to help..."
...This kid has made a lot of progress. Nova gave the student an admiring look and calmly replied, "It doesn't matter. They're shutting down Limin Daily, and the wanted person is Nova. What does this have to do with Dawn and Red Star?"
Adrian: “…”
Adrian: “???”
"When I asked Mr. Owl to help me file newspaper and periodical information, I probably gave him over twenty alternative names." As Adrian stood stunned, the man explained casually, "Thanks to the society's coordination, these newspapers and periodicals actually have copyright numbers and can be published at any time. However, due to insufficient funds, only one edition of the 'Limin Bao' has been published."
…Is this really possible?! Adrian was quite shocked. He felt as if the door to a new world had been opened to him.
The impact of the Limin Daily's closure far exceeded Adrian's imagination. On the day the ban was announced, thoroughly enraged readers rushed to the censorship office, posting protest letters, staging sit-ins, and even publicly chopping off their pinkies, lamenting the impending demise of their nation. Suddenly, a vast array of similar political tabloids sprang up, each more radical than the last.
The professor was not too worried about publicity issues. As a modern person who had long been accustomed to being bombarded by various means of public opinion warfare, this could be considered a dimensionality-reduction attack on this alien world where the field of communication was still in its wild growth stage.
He was more worried about the physical industry in the port because it involved the most basic means of production, which meant whether there was food, minerals, weapons, transportation, and money.
After dealing with a large number of people, the Chamber of Commerce became noticeably more disciplined, and the implementation of factory reforms became much easier. This was especially true when the workers gradually realized that this new political party wasn't just empty promises, but was actually verifying their promises step by step. The factory became theirs, and with hope for the future, their work enthusiasm visibly increased.
However, Port Morris is a seaport city whose main business is trade. The only remaining arable land is highly saline and not suitable for farming. It is impossible to achieve self-sufficiency and produce food to feed all the people in Port. The ships docked in the dock and the iron plates piled up in the factory cannot be eaten.
Unfortunately, Port Morris now bears the reputation of "divine punishment", and there are rumors that the Ruskin family fleet was engulfed in flames and attacked by dragons on the sea. Although it is clearly located in a prime area, all the surrounding ships chose to take a detour for a while.
Every day when he opened his eyes, there were endless new problems. To be honest, personal feelings could no longer occupy the professor's energy. The only thing he could do was to use the multi-function communicator to talk to people and exchange information at night. Sometimes he would even fall asleep while talking, leaving the other person to greedily listen to the breathing sounds from his lover on the other end of the communicator.
On the other side, Azuka successfully passed through the Wall of Sighs and returned to the devastated Asachi Valley.
On the day he returned on his dragon, he happened upon a strange wave of monsters. The Natalinians, using the dragon-blocking nets and catapults left by the professor, managed to kill some of them, but the strange attraction deep within the Asaqi Front seemed to be gradually spreading to the monsters. The frantic monsters seemed to be rushing in a single direction, and the Natalinians living in the Asaqi Valley simply happened to be blocking their path.
After dealing with the group of monsters with lightning speed, Azuka looked towards the snow-capped mountains with an extremely solemn expression.
The Natalin people's faces were a mixture of awe, joy, and fear as they surrounded their young god-favored one. After not seeing him for a while, he seemed even more unfathomable. Although his attitude remained as gentle as ever, the strange majesty he exuded was almost too much to bear looking directly at.
"Everyone, pack your bags and prepare the boats, food, and water for the long sea voyage," the other party suddenly announced without warning, but with an unequivocal attitude. "We must leave the Asaqi Valley, the sooner the better."
If Azuka were alone, he would have delved into the Assage Front to investigate, lest the strange attraction gradually expand and even affect the world beyond the Wall of Sighs. But now, he was accompanied by hundreds of bewildered tribesmen. Without his help, no one could cross the Wall of Sighs and would be left to die in the Assage Valley.
"God's chosen one, where should we go? What should we do with our dragon?" Some Natalin people couldn't help but hug the dragon cub in their arms.
Over the years, they've grown accustomed to living with dragons, treating them like family. But according to stories told by the elders, the outside world isn't so friendly to dragons; fear and disgust reign supreme. Even a decade or so ago, the Natalin people viewed dragons as winged bandits to be shot.
Upon hearing that the dragons might have to be abandoned, some children even hugged their own dragons and cried in panic.
"Come on," the professor on the other end of the communicator agreed immediately and even began to arrange the next steps with remarkable efficiency. "Port Morris is already in chaos enough, and we don't need a bunch of you and a few dragons. Besides, that's a considerable fighting force—of course, the Natalin people must ensure that the dragons don't cause trouble. Any damage to public property will be compensated."
He is a man who clearly distinguishes between public and private affairs and will not cover up for others or show favoritism because of special relationships.
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