Chapter 198: Wisdom

Chapter 198: Wisdom

The wind and rain were wild, and Kurt felt bitterness and sorrow in his heart. His gaze turned to the dense forest by the roadside, where branches and leaves grew in chaos and weeds were thick. Right now, there was only one path to take.

Black Crow Ridge. During the great war with the Demon Clan many years ago, many deserters hid here and became mountain folk. For the sake of victory, the Kingdom took ruthless measures, sending Knights to slaughter this area. Crows, drawn by the corpses, covered this mountain ridge and never dispersed for years. That’s how Black Crow Ridge got its name.

Time flew by. Now, the crows of Black Crow Ridge had long vanished, but the legend of a thousand years made people see this place as inauspicious. On stormy nights, people could still hear chirping sounds.

Following Kurt’s gaze, the others couldn’t help but show sadness on their faces. Several of them already understood his choice.

Kurt gathered the soldiers together and shouted, “We will issue written orders to prove you are not deserters, but merely carried out a disbandment command. Take them back to the Royal Capital and tell everyone—we have already fled in fear of punishment.”

Someone cried out, sounding somewhat desperate, “What will we do in the future?”

“Forget all of this. The war is over. This place no longer needs Knights, no longer needs soldiers. Go! No one will trouble you.”

When the rain stopped and the sky cleared, there was no one left beside Kurt except for a few Knights. They looked at each other and walked into the dark, slippery forest.

…

The room of the Scholar in the City of Wisdom was always kept clean, dry, and warm. A night owl stood on a perch in the room, turning its head back and forth as its master shuffled around.

Baz was too old now; his whole body gave off a smell of decay. The news coming back from the Anya Defense Line delighted him madly. Bran truly held the secrets of The Dead. The Scholars had long suspected this; they just needed strong proof that everything in Sandstone City was not a coincidence.

Immortality. This was the only thing Baz wanted to obtain now, even if he had to steal or rob for it! Because he could feel Death’s footsteps drawing closer day by day. There wasn’t much time left for him.

The Scholars had also thought of using other means to deal with Bran, but he was too cautious. He mostly hid in Northland City, not showing his shadow, and his daily travels had no pattern to follow.

Even when he went out occasionally, he did not follow worldly etiquette. Trying to delay his steps on the road was simply impossible. The last person who made an attempt had already disappeared in Sandstone City.

And even if he was delayed, so what? The power he displayed made all who wanted to deal with him feel despair.

A fair exchange! Baz knew what Bran wanted.

The last exchange clearly caused Bran’s dissatisfaction, making him think the Scholars had deceived him. Such things were supposed to be understood without words, because Bran must also be hiding something. Yet, he unreasonably drove the Scholars away. Afterwards, he refused further cooperation.

The Scholars did possess a lot of knowledge, including about the ocean and the Continent beyond it. But how did Bran know about these? Even among Scholars, only a few could access such information.

He couldn’t figure it out. How could the closed-off, barbaric, backward Northlanders set their sights on the ocean, on beyond this Continent? But this didn’t matter. What mattered was that Bran still had desires, still had needs. So, they could try to communicate. In communication, they could satisfy him, understand him, lure him, control him.

As one of the rulers of the City of Wisdom, he could access all this, but it wasn’t easy to use it for exchange because too many people were watching him. After all, the City of Wisdom was not his private property. He still couldn’t do as he pleased, but this time he was confident he could persuade the others. Using wisdom to survive, to face an unmatched power.

The price paid was only the insignificant acts of humility, fear, and sacrifice. And all of this was only temporary. After enduring for a time, the Scholars would ultimately rise above.

Baz decided to represent the Scholars and communicate with Bran again, expressing submission, and also hoping Bran would grant him Immortality.

…

While Baz was still making his clever plans, his old rival Ge Yin had other arrangements—run!

He believed that as long as there were people, he could build a new City of Wisdom anytime. Since the situation on the Continent was already very unfavorable, they should transfer important materials and personnel out.

Overseas—that was their fallback route. He knew Baz wanted to use the name of wisdom to satisfy his own selfish desires. That was Baz’s business; he didn’t want to interfere. This old dog, who was almost in his coffin, had gone mad. Trying to block his path would only bring a crazy, biting fight.

He hoped the other side would not interfere with his arrangements either. Everyone should go their own way. He had decided to reveal some secrets, including sea charts and information about the World beyond the sea. He needed people to make a choice; he needed more people to join in.

Here, wisdom showed an unfavorable side. The Scholars were used to independent thinking. They wouldn’t blindly follow a person or a suggestion. When an idea or plan was proposed, it often led to meaningless arguments. After arguing, people often split into several camps, dragging their feet to reach a decision, or rather, to split up.

The sea routes had always been his responsibility. He was also one of the few in the city who truly knew the sea charts like the back of his hand. He had sailed the seas and set foot on another Continent. There, the predecessors had already established a stable foothold, but the later generations had stopped moving forward. They were satisfied with small profits and unwilling to explore further.

If they could persist in exploring generation after generation, then he believed the Scholars’ achievements would far exceed the present, and they wouldn’t be at a loss when facing a crisis now.

He was somewhat troubled, unsure what kind of commotion this would cause again. What troubled him more was that he needed time. He hoped his companions would understand the urgency this time.

There were only a few months each year suitable for sailing. He had to finish the preparations as soon as possible this year. He aimed to build several more ships within the year to prepare for a large-scale migration. Even if no one supported him, he decided to lead his own people to settle overseas.

…

Some were preparing to run, some were preparing to surrender, so naturally, some were preparing to stay.

They were all companions who had known each other for many years. Although they often disagreed, they also understood each other’s temperaments and characters very well. Claire watched those two old fellows jumping around and causing a stir, and she found it somewhat amusing.

The City of Wisdom had stood for a thousand years and weathered too many storms. It still stood firm now. She believed it wouldn’t be shaken by just one or two changes. Watching and waiting was the best choice.