met free Chapter 229 Fate and Truth
Chapter 229 Fate and Truth
Night fell quickly, and after dark, bonfires were lit in the open space.
People sang and danced around the bonfire, where fragrant seafood was roasting. The delicious fish and shellfish, enhanced by spices, smelled amazing and made one's mouth water.
The lively fireworks display began amidst the seafood feast.
When Jiang Yu got married, the Jiang family sent people to deliver the fireworks that were popular in the capital. At that time, for various reasons, they were not used at the wedding banquet. It just so happens that they are brought out this time to make everyone in the county happy.
The fireworks here were still very basic, without complicated patterns or multiple colors, only simple monochrome designs. But when a pale blue Holmpur Soul suddenly exploded in the star-studded night sky, Jiang Yu, along with all the people, exclaimed in delight.
Seeing the symbol of one's homeland bloom in the night sky on the land that nurtured one is a momentous experience, though fleeting. The fireworks quickly came to an end; they are expensive and rare here, and even the wealthy Jiang family could only light up the sky for a fleeting instant.
After the fireworks ended, everyone was still excited and continued to sing and dance around the bonfire. Large platters of seafood were brought out, and the children began to feast. Jiang Yu pulled a chubby little boy whose mouth was dripping with oil from eating and chuckled as she used a handkerchief to clean his face. The child looked like a little cat from eating so much, and he was still running around chasing others.
Looking at the seemingly tireless crowd immersed in joy, Jiang Yu felt a sense of pride and honor as a lord. What a leader desires most is probably peace and prosperity under their rule, and happiness for the people.
She walked to a chair and sat down, and immediately a servant brought her some fine wine. The wine had a sweet taste, but it was quite strong. Jiang Yu knew her own alcohol tolerance, so she only sipped it slowly.
Fan Qingyin walked over and brought her a thin shawl. He also put on a cloak himself. Two rubies were adorned on the belt of the off-white cloak, which shimmered softly in the light of the campfire and lamplight, as dazzling as his bright red hair.
He sat down next to Jiang Yu and quietly kept her company as she watched the commotion.
"Qingyin, I've been happy ever since the first day we returned to Hollandpur." Jiang Yu spoke softly, her eyes reflecting the warm glow of the campfire, as if speaking to her husband, but also to herself.
“Me too,” Fan Qingyin replied. “Hollampour is our home, and home naturally gives us a sense of belonging.”
"So we must protect our home and our families." Jiang Yu felt there was still much she could do for the territory. While developing the economy, it was also necessary to strengthen the territory's security.
She had never paid attention to some of the dangerous organizations on this continent before, until she was unexpectedly kidnapped by pirates.
Hollande is located by the sea and is very wealthy. As its businesses develop in the future, it will become a tempting target for unscrupulous people, and may even be seen as a thorn in the side by some. Opportunity always comes with danger, and she needs to plan ahead.
“Hollandpur’s garrison is actually quite small. Even the personal guard that Yi said he wanted to leave behind is far from enough,” Jiang Yu said seriously. “It’s still far from the number I need. Soon, merchants and travelers from all over the country will be coming and going here in an endless stream, and we need strong security. Otherwise, if a riot breaks out, we will be helpless.”
“There are indeed very few public guards in the county now. Basically, the nobles rely on their own security to protect their own families. The three great empires have not been at war for a long time. Almost all of their troops are stationed at the borders and the capital. In addition, elite troops are stationed in some important towns. The defenses in remote towns like our territory have become too lax. This is why Yi spent a lot of effort training the guards here when he first came here.”
“This time, we’re leaving a team of elite guards behind because we’re worried,” Fan Qingyin said. “Unfortunately, the empire’s military spending has been decreasing year by year. Apart from the territories where generals are stationed and live, many cities are practically undefended.”
“But Qingyin, this isn’t normal.” Amidst the laughter and chatter, Jiang Yu turned to look at Fan Qingyin, her eyes filled with confusion. “If I hadn’t met the emperor, perhaps I wouldn’t be thinking like this. This emperor of the Yulia family, though mediocre, is not foolish; he is shrewd but not incompetent. How could such an emperor allow the country’s army to be in such disarray?”
"So pirates can easily storm the royal city, and even a dignified emperor needs to scheme for many years to eradicate enemy forces within the royal court. Isn't this all because the army is incompetent? Even so, military spending is still decreasing? I don't understand."
“Xiao Yu, it’s not just the Ocean Empire.” Fan Qingyin also looked at Jiang Yu, her eyes filled with pity: “The Aurora Empire and the Forest Empire are the same. The rulers have no heart for war. War is just for plundering resources. War has no meaning.”
Fan Qingyin looked at Jiang Yu, believing that with her intelligence, she would definitely be able to see something. He had long expected that one day Jiang Yu would ask about the origin of the world, but he did not expect it to happen so soon.
"Is it meaningless because plundering resources is meaningless? Or is it meaningless even after plundering?" Jiang Yu felt a chill run down her spine. "So even though the empire holds the rights to marriage and procreation, the rules they create are still the reason for the continuous decline in population. Is that it too?"
"Is it because there aren't enough resources?" Jiang Yu racked his brains, and this was the only possibility he could think of.
The gods' departure sounds nice, but in reality, it means they abandoned the world to protect themselves. The divine power that supported the world's operation collapsed, and a protracted war broke out to plunder resources. It wasn't until the oceans had barely recovered their ecology that the last ray of divine light deep in the sacred mountain was once again worshipped, and the two worked together to support the operation of the world's resources.
Therefore, all of this will decay and come to an end, and this world will gradually head towards destruction.
Therefore, the decreasing population is a deliberate act by the empire, intended to artificially eliminate humanity before the world runs out of resources.
Is that so?
Jiang Yu looked at Fan Qingyin in disbelief. Was this the origin of the world?
“Not only that.” Fan Qingyin said with a bitter smile, “The god we believe in does not love the world. In His eyes, humans are nothing but ants, nothing but dust. When He left, He did not leave us a way to survive. The fact that the world has been able to continue until now is just a matter of the entire human race’s efforts to prolong its existence.”
"God carelessly left a curse, so human children cannot be born healthy, men's reproductive rights are weakened and sealed, and women die immediately after giving birth. How many tribes sacrificed themselves to ensure the continuation of human reproduction? Do you know how many generations of human effort it took to produce the fertility fruit? How many illustrious families have borne the curse and defied fate to have the opportunity to reproduce through the mate selection conference and the fertility fruit?"
Even so, relying on the fertility fruit can only result in the birth of a male child with a high probability, and a woman can only conceive three times. Once she conceives more than three times, she will die.
A look of sorrow filled Fan Qingyin's eyes, a sense of helplessness in the face of humanity's fate. He looked at Jiang Yu and said bitterly, "Humanity is destined to become extinct. Many things are meaningless."
“Xiao Yu, do you still remember the Shadow Servants your father trained for you?” Fan Qingyin smiled. “Those were children born from spoiled fertility fruits. They would be uniformly recycled by the Empire. Those that could become Shadow Servants were considered to be of good quality; some others could no longer be called human.”
"Also, do you know why the Yulia family suffers from madness?" Fan Qingyin looked at the people singing and dancing, her tone tinged with cruelty: "Because their family sealed certain aspects of the people's minds, concerning their thoughts about the origin of the world and the fate of their race, by imposing a curse upon them."
"Therefore, people will not think about these issues. They will live and work in peace under the order of the empire. They will fight because their personal desires are not satisfied or because of unequal distribution, but they will not dig out the truth. All of humanity will march toward destruction in an orderly manner."
“All the karmic consequences have beenfallen every emperor of the Yuria family. How could they not go mad? The bloodline of the Yuria family has also been tainted.”
Fan Qingyin's tone remained gentle: "Besides the emperors, the core members of our priestly families also know these things. Others don't know, and they all live in a dream woven by humans. Xiaoyu, you are a visitor from another world, so naturally you are not bound by these curses and rules."
"Do you understand now?"