Sally and I bumped around on the sea for nearly a month and finally arrived at the capital of the Eindhoven Empire.

Regarding this city, I have heard how majestic it is in stories more than once. Bards from all over the world have praised it and affectionately called it "the Pearl of the Continent" and "all bards".

The Troubadour’s Second Home.”

I thought I was mentally prepared, but I wasn't, and I have to admit, when I actually saw it, it was a shocking experience on another level.

Our ship slowly sailed into the Xiacheng District port. On the horizon were single-person aircraft coming and going. Countless sky rails extended from the port area. During the dense sky rail trains, there were factories that worked around the clock in the distance.

and workshops, I couldn't see them, but I could see the thick black smoke that blocked the sky.

There is a sea of ​​people on the ground, a crowd you will never see in other cities. It belongs only to this city. Countless travelers come to this city every day, and countless people leave.

But these are not what surprised me the most. When the ship entered the port, there was a whaling ship slowly docking in the cargo area. A huge beast as big as a hill was dragged by it, making a scream that shook the world.

Almost all the tourists on the ship ran to the deck to watch the excitement. Sally and I were no exception. That was the first time I was shocked by the power of human beings. Without magic or alchemy, a group of ordinary people captured such

giant.

I understand that this is the power of science. This power is hidden in the knowledge that Terrazo taught me. Apart from runes, this is the first time that I want to master something or some knowledge from the bottom of my heart.

The boat slowly stopped amidst the cheers of the passengers, and Sally and I queued up to get off the boat. Brinto is already a very vibrant coastal city, but compared with the imperial capital, it pales in comparison.

Already.

The noise around me has not disappeared. I pulled Sally and struggled to squeeze through the crowd and move forward. Fortunately, the first-class ticket came with a sky rail train, so I was able to avoid the pain of buying a ticket and take it with me.

Sally got into the car.

About five minutes later, the sky rail train took off in the air amid bursts of trembling, and slowly traveled along the track towards the interior of the city. Outside the window were countless tall buildings, and the loud noise of mechanical roar came through the window.

I looked out the window and found that the source of the sound was a huge robot crawling on all fours, almost as tall as the four-story building next to it.

Its body was covered with a variety of densely packed weapons, and it made a dull loud noise every time it took a step. Behind it were imperial soldiers marching in formation. Their uniform black military uniforms highlighted their identities.

The train continued to move forward, and the scenery in front of me gradually broadened. We were leaving the port area.

I don’t know how to describe what I saw and heard in words. The Imperial Capital is different from any other city in the world. Steam robots can be seen everywhere here, and there are traces of emerging technologies everywhere. I once thought that the Imperial Capital is the only city in the world.

The city with the highest technological level.

At first I was shocked by the giant robot or another sky train, but I soon became numb.

Sally is no exception. When I first got in the car, she kept pulling me, "Sarah, Sara, look at this.", "Sarah, look at that." But now this curious baby is also accustomed to it.

With her look on her face, people who didn't know her would think she was a native of the Imperial Capital.

The train moved forward slowly and steadily, and my thoughts gradually faded away with the regular vibration of the train, and I began to think about the future of myself and Sally.

"The train has arrived at Bard College Station. Passengers who get off at Bard College Station, please get off as soon as possible." The train's announcement woke me up from my thoughts, and I pulled Sally out of the train. Bard College Station

It's right opposite the station, and the sign is so big that it's impossible not to see it.

I looked at this door and felt a little uneasy. To be honest, I didn't know if I could find what I needed here. Neither the location and information of the Rune Master Academy nor Strader's story seemed possible.

Easily accessible news.

But I have no choice.

At this moment, enrollment is taking place, and many students are holding lutes, playing and singing at the door to welcome new students.

I touched the piano on my back, took a deep breath, and walked in with Sally. No matter what the outcome, I will spend the next three years here and then graduate. Either find my goal and continue to work hard.

Don't give up and become an excellent bard.

It seems that the enrollment peak has passed, or there are no applicants at all, so the admissions office is empty except for a group of teachers who are bored and singing to each other on their seats.

"I'm here to sign up." I decided to get straight to the point, and Sally quickly raised her hand and shouted, "Me too."

I saw the oldest teacher turn his head, "New student?" He threw over two forms, "You're really late. My name is Chavez. Please fill out the registration form. By the way,

This academy offers elementary magic courses, but there are additional charges. If you need it, just check it. If you don’t, just ignore it."

I took the registration form and handed one to Sally. The lower left corner of the registration form indeed had "Elementary Magic Course" written in bold black letters. I was not interested in this course at all, but Sally hugged me.

hand.

"Um?"

"Saren, I want to learn that." Sally first held my hand and shook it, then pointed to the elementary magic course like a coquettish person.

I nodded, checked the magic courses on the two registration forms, and handed them back to Chavez.

"Oh?" Chavez took off his glasses and looked a little surprised. He looked up at us, "Are you sure you all want to take the magic course?"

I nodded, and without saying much, Chavez put the registration form away and pointed to the box next to him.

"One hundred and fifty gold Pu'er per person per year, three hundred gold Pu'er for two people. Please pay."

I took out three gold tickets with a face value of one hundred and stuffed them in. One thousand gold Pu'er was too heavy to carry on my back, and it was troublesome to count, so Brin gave me ten gold tickets worth one hundred.

Chavez smiled with satisfaction, "That's quite generous, kid." He adjusted his glasses, "In the freshman season, our college has a special rule for recruiting students every year. Both of you can request a story."

At this point, he raised a finger and said, "If we can't tell this story, your tuition this year will be waived."

"What if we tell it?" Sally asked curiously.

"If I tell you, nothing will change. It is equivalent to giving you a story, whether you have heard it or not. And for a bard, the story is undoubtedly the most important thing."

I realized this might be an opportunity, so I blurted out: "Do you know the story about Strader?"

The teachers who were still singing to each other suddenly fell into silence. Chavez showed an incredulous expression, "Did I just hear you say 'Strade'?" He stared at me, and his originally cloudy eyes became

Sharp and clear.

I nodded, not knowing what would happen next.

Chavez sighed, "Then let's tell Strader's story. Please get me a glass of water, thank you." He motioned to the teacher next to him to get him a glass of water. "Sit tight and listen carefully. This is a story."

Regarding the story of the civil strife in the empire, we must start from before the civil strife in the empire."

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A long time ago, there was only one country on this continent, and that was the Eindhoven Empire. A great hero established the empire with the first humans. In order to commemorate him and highlight his glory and achievements, he became

The emperor of the empire, from now on everyone will take his name as "Emperor".

The Emperor had twenty children, and the two he loved the most and were the most brave were Horus and Strahd. The former's martial arts were unparalleled in the world, and even the Emperor was only equal to him, while the latter was

He is a natural general and the best general in the empire.

In the endless campaigns, Horus always acted as the Emperor's bodyguard, while Strahd mobilized troops and captured cities on his father's behalf.

But soon a tragic thing happened. The emperor's favorite child, Horus, changed his temperament after a solo outing. Rumors said that he had been corrupted by the demon, which soon corrupted Strahd. They

After contacting several other lords who were dissatisfied with the empire, a huge conspiracy gradually formed.

Tragedy finally happened. Horus launched a rebellion and attacked the Emperor unprepared. The attack was so ruthless that the Emperor was split into two pieces. He should have died immediately, but the Emperor was a

A powerful rune master, so powerful that he was even proficient in naming other people's names. He fell to the ground and shouted in the most piercing voice.

"Horus, my beloved son, I call you by name, and may the name of the eyes cover your light."

"Horus, the most despicable enemy, I call your name, and may the name of my mouthpiece take away your words."

"Horus, cursed villain, I call your name, may the name of my ears and eyes silence your voice."

"Horus, you are a sinner throughout the ages. I call your name, and may the name of life accept your soul."

The emperor's voice contained supreme magic and rules. Every time he shouted, the same curse came true on Horus: he shed tears of blood, became speechless for a moment, panicked like a cornered beast, and finally seemed to be snatched away by the invisible god of death.

Like a spirit, he slowly fell to the ground and made no more noise.

But the Emperor was still not satisfied. The pain and resentment in his heart were so deep that he cursed Horus to never be reincarnated and to taste this terrible punishment endlessly.

After doing all this, he still felt resentful. No one knew how he knew the names of other rebel sons and lords, but he did know them clearly.

For another of his proud sons, Strahd, the Emperor had no intention of letting him off easily, just because he mercilessly waved the butcher knife at his brothers.

The Emperor could feel that life was passing quickly. He no longer wasted time and used his last strength to curse:

"Strad, parricide beast, I call your name, cursing you to always thirst for blood but not being able to satisfy it; cursing you to have no human emotions and experiences; cursing you not to grow old and to be alone forever."

The effect of the curse was powerful, because the Emperor also knew Strahd's real name. He howled in pain under the curse, and terrible things happened to him. He was transformed into a vampire alive, ensuring that he would never have any need for blood.

The desire to end; his body quickly became cold and stiff, his heart turned into stone, the emperor succeeded, he would never cry or laugh again, get no love, and no hatred. No matter what delicacies came to him

It's all in vain.

In the end, he and his rebel army were surrounded by a sudden surge of fog. When the fog disappeared, they also went to another world. That world was imprisoned by the fog, and he could only enjoy endless loneliness and emptiness.

After cursing Strahd, the emperor finally could no longer hold on, and Long controlled Bintian. After his death, the eldest of his sons succeeded him as emperor, and the rebellious lords took the opportunity to leave the empire and go their own way.

After independence, they are today's federation, republic and kingdom.

In the first hundred years, Strader felt happy, although he had no actual sense of happiness. He felt that he had avenged his father, even if he paid the price of being imprisoned.

But how can the emperor's punishment be so simple? His power is so powerful. There are many subjects in Strahd's cage who belong to his vampire. Sadly, Strahd found himself falling in love with

One of the girls, but he couldn't feel love or the fluctuations in his heart.

He loved the girl so deeply, but the deeper the love, the more painful the lack of emotion made him. He began to kill ordinary people crazily, but was horrified to find that he could not get any pleasure from it, not even the pain.
To be continued...