Chapter 9: First Meeting with Old Strom

—The Age of the Great Orc Empire…

Orcs, the seventh protagonists of the continent!

They were the last inheritors of chivalry. They were the embodiment of loyalty and courage. They witnessed their own rise with their will…

Nine thousand years ago, the Orcs inexplicably gave up their rise, which extended the Human race’s role as protagonist for another nine thousand years. When Human rule entered its eighteen-thousandth year, the continent’s history finally returned to its predetermined track. Led by the “Orc King of Slaughter,” Emperor Baiyu Dong, the rising Orcs gave the Humans no chance this time. They seized the crown of the continent’s protagonist with their Battle Aura and longswords, then placed it upon their own heads with their own hands. The discordant note finally sounded, and the continent’s history turned to a new chapter.

That was another bloody transition of protagonists. For a full two hundred years, blood and slaughter became the main theme of the Amelia Continent. Conspiracy and passion intertwined into countless moving arias. When the Orcs finally established their position as protagonists, the continent’s population had been reduced by more than a third, and the Humans had barely one-tenth remaining. This doomed the Orc rule to be anything but peaceful and gentle.

Strength, courage, and roars! The iron-and-blood era of the Orcs had arrived!!

“The Protagonist After One Hundred Thousand Years — Strolling Under the Wheels of History”

…

Since he had decided to go to Old Strom’s house to perform an “Element Affinity Test” for Luo Yan, Luo Pei made some preparations. He had Sophie take a bottle of self-brewed wild grape wine, and had Isaiah buy a pound of malt candy and two kinds of pastries from the village shop. He also cut a slice of the meat from the nameless giant beast that had been divided up that day. This was considered enough to make up the traditional “Five-Colored Gift.” He brought Luo Yan and Isaiah along, strolling leisurely toward the east end of the village.

Actually, because “Professional Appraisers” were so common, when ordinary people had their children appraised for career aptitude, they would at most prepare one or two gifts. Many even went empty-handed. Preparing such a formal “Five-Colored Gift” was rare. But Luo Pei was a man of propriety. He came from the Luo Family of Flax City, and was also from a noble clan. Although he was only from a distant branch, he was impeccable in social manners. Otherwise, he would not have been chosen to be sent over as the Director of Talim Village.

Talim Village was not large. Although the three of them chatted and laughed along the way, they soon arrived at Old Strom’s home. It was a standalone small courtyard at the easternmost edge of the village, decorated rather elegantly. It was clear that the owner had put in real effort. However, in some of the details at the corners of the walls and under the eaves, one could still see age and dilapidation. It was obvious that the owner’s means were limited, and there were some places he simply could not manage to fix.

Arriving at Old Strom’s doorstep, Luo Pei knocked politely on the door. Soon, a voice from inside asked, “Who is it?” A tired-sounding voice spoke, and as the words came, a middle-aged woman of lingering charm walked out. The moment she saw Luo Pei, her face lit up with surprise.

“Director? Please come in, please come in~~~ What brings you here today!” As she spoke, the middle-aged woman walked quickly over, opening the door while warmly greeting them.

Mrs. Strom’s enthusiastic attitude made Luo Pei quite happy. He was a man of propriety, courteous to others while also mindful of his own dignity. He chuckled and said, “I apologize for the unannounced visit, Madam. I’ve come specially today to pay a visit to Mr. Strom with my young son.”

This kind of refined way of speaking was not the habit of ordinary villagers. But today he was visiting Old Strom—a fallen noble was still a noble—so Luo Pei used very traditional formalities.

The respect Luo Pei showed clearly delighted Mrs. Strom even more. She immediately turned her head and called out, “Erl~~~Erl~~~Get up quickly! The Director is here!” After saying that, she turned back and gave Luo Pei an apologetic smile, explaining somewhat sheepishly, “This old man, he has no sense of decorum at all. He just lay down right after finishing lunch. Heh, heh~~ Director, come in and have a seat first… Oh my, you didn’t have to bring anything!”

When she suddenly spotted the gifts Isaiah was carrying, Mrs. Strom seemed quite surprised. That made sense—they were a fallen noble family. Who would normally come to visit them, let alone bring gifts?

They had barely entered the house and sat down when they heard footsteps from inside. A middle-aged man with graying hair walked out slowly. Seeing the gifts Luo Pei had brought, he was also slightly taken aback, and a hard-to-describe expression flickered across his face. There was no doubt that this was the man Luo Yan had come to visit today—the only Magic Professional currently in Talim Village—Erl Strom.

He wore a simple, elegant brown autumn outfit that appeared to be made of quite good material, though the color was somewhat dull, and the edges of his clothes were slightly worn. His boots seemed to be made of deerskin, but the stitching at the seams was already coming loose. Although he was only a little older than Luo Pei, his hair was already graying, showing that the pressure of daily life was far from light.

[This is Erl Strom? The famous “Golden Yuan Caesar” of the later Davoma Empire, the powerful minister who single-handedly controlled the nation’s finances for nearly twenty years?!]

Looking at this great figure who would one day be unreachable in the future, Luo Yan suddenly felt a sense of dizziness…

Five years later, when Luo Yan was ten years old, Old Strom’s third son, William Strom, underwent his first “Element Affinity Test” and was found to possess “miraculous magical talent,” with a Fire Element Affinity as high as 96%. When the news spread, it caused a sensation. Coincidentally, the ninth-rank Fire Archmage Phil Jackson happened to be vacationing in Hall City at the time. Hearing the news, he immediately rushed over and decided on the spot to take young William as his last disciple. Archmage Phil Jackson was also the Royal Guardian Archmage of the Davoma Empire. And so, the Strom family stepped back into the sight of the Empire’s upper echelons, beginning their legendary path of rise.

With the influence of his youngest son’s teacher, Old Strom and his eldest son, Desai Strom, smoothly rose to power in Hall City. They soon displayed astonishing political talent, and from then on their careers soared without limit. In the end, Old Strom became the Imperial Minister of Finance with power over the entire court, Desai Strom was appointed Governor of Sedan Province, and Old Strom’s second son, Carven Strom, was equally brilliant. At a young age, he broke through to become a Quasi-Sword Saint of the seventh rank, becoming the Empire’s youngest legion commander, commanding the Empire’s Third Field Legion. The Strom family instantly became a prominent great house, arrogantly outshining even the century-old noble families in the Imperial Capital.

—All of this seemed quite inspiring, and the Strom family seemed to have become a legend, a real-life inspirational story. Everything looked so uplifting, and people believed that the Strom family would prosper forever and pass down their glory through the ages, just like in those inspirational tales… But unfortunately, reality is not an inspirational story. At least Luo Yan knew very well that the Strom family’s ending was quite tragic.

In Davoma year 570, the old Emperor was critically ill, and the imperial princes were locked in a fierce struggle for the throne. The Strom family, being at the height of their power in the court, was inevitably drawn into the conflict. However, it was at this very moment that the Royal Guardian Archmage, Archmage Phil Jackson, was killed in the “Battle of the Ram River,” and the Empire’s youngest eighth-rank genius Archmage, William Strom, disappeared at the same time. Having lost their greatest backing, the Strom family was soon brutally purged for backing the wrong side, becoming the first sacrifice in that famous “Bloody Night of the Imperial Capital.”

Three autumns passed, and all the flowers fell…

[More than five hundred members of the entire household were slaughtered. The once-proud Strom family was scattered to the winds overnight, leaving only endless memories in people’s conversations.]

…

Of course, now that Luo Yan was here, whether all of this would still happen was hard to say!!

Since Luo Yan planned to cling to the Strom family’s powerful thigh, he naturally had to plan carefully. He did not want to enjoy glory for thirty years only to be branded a “rebel” and purged.

But this matter had to be considered in the long term. At least Luo Yan knew that the Strom family’s choice at that time could not be called wrong. The Third Prince they supported was kind, wise, decisive, and bold—indeed the most suitable and most promising prince to inherit the throne. Their ultimate failure could only be described as “the will of heaven, not the fault of their strategy.”

—At that time, the old Emperor had already intended for the Third Prince to succeed him. But unfortunately, the Seventh Prince suddenly launched a palace coup, killing all his brothers in a single night and seizing the throne.

And according to what Luo Yan knew, Old Strom seemed to have anticipated that the Seventh Prince might rebel and had made careful arrangements. But who could have imagined that the Seventh Prince would break through on the spot and become a ninth-rank Sword Saint, killing the Imperial Guard Commander John Stockton on the spot? At the same time, an unexpected earthquake destroyed the road that Carven Strom’s Third Field Legion needed to take to reach the capital, forcing Carven to detour three hundred li. And it was precisely that distance of three hundred li that completely destroyed the Strom family’s last hope…

If not for the will of heaven, how could everything have been so coincidental? Thinking about this, Luo Yan kept wanting to touch his nose.

[Am I going to have to contend with the will of heaven again?]

Hmm~~~ Why did he say “again”?