The City of Marronligar

After the city of Marunliga was breached, Kurman's army stayed there for several months, and then went south again in the late spring of the second year, intending to attack the territory of the Kirov Kingdom.But in the war not long after, the leader of the Kurmans, Shivlo, was accidentally infected with the plague and died of it.

Of course, these "later things" are far away for people who have left Marunliga and even the continent of Kuno.

"Chloe, if the messenger can deliver the letter on time, at this moment, the Greystone Comrades in Arms Group has probably completed the task of escorting these scholars back to the capital safely, and I will also embark on the return journey with Master Cormac.

Everything is fine here, except that the climate is wetter than Heshan Manor, and not as rainy as Marenliga.Remember the Mount Estuary?Although the canal we passed was not as prosperous as the Utrus River Basin, judging from the density of merchant ships and the value of the goods, it was also thriving.

Compared with Kuno Continent, this place is so peaceful that we are not used to it.When the hired interpreter heard us talking about the Kurman invasion, he was astonished as if he had seen some terrible monster.He said that the grassland tribes here have never developed the strength to compete with the kingdom, and have begun to consider settlement and farming as a better way out, which is probably related to the local climate conditions.

The mission of the comrades-in-arms group was said to be an escort, but it was actually similar to a porter. They didn't encounter any bandits along the way, but the real difficulty was profiteers.Of course, these businessmen are honest compared to their counterparts in Maulliga.Ah, Marenliga... I really don't want to know what it has become now, to be honest.

Let's talk about yourself.Oshim is still the same, but he is finally willing to listen to the master and accept his swordsmanship guidance.I have never intended to compare Torreso's family swordsmanship with the bounty hunter's style, but Ohim seems to be happy with such comparisons. I have to repeatedly emphasize that the two have their own strengths, and there is no need to force them to compete .

You were worried that the child would murder his biological father, and I also had such worries at the beginning.But now it seems that Louis' tolerance has changed some of Oshim's attitudes, and this is something I can't do in my capacity-yes, I still waver between different titles, just like a mercenary We still sometimes call him Captain Nuoze, you can make fun of me as much as you want.

In addition, for the maintenance and transformation of the beacon number, please pay attention to the upper limit of the cost.I still want to mention this matter in the letter, which is enough to show the seriousness of the problem (of course, I also hope that I am too cautious).Now that you are the captain, you should be more economically conscious.In any case, as long as there is a new sailing plan, I will support you without reservation.

Adrian, at the White River Lodge in Theostus City.

(I just saw a flock of wild pigeons from the window, and I was in a trance for a while, and then I remembered the pigeons I raised in Marenliga. It seems that I have also reached the age of nostalgia)”

Chloe rolled up the letter paper, stretched her upper body and leaned back heavily, muttering: "Adrian is still so wordy..." She put away the letter from home that had been on the road for more than a month, and turned her head to read The warm sunshine outside the window.

At noon on the bank of the sky and the water, the beach with coconut groves outside the window is as bright as covered with silver.Fishing boats are moored beside the boardwalk stretching out to the sea, and the beacon located on the innermost side of the pier is the largest ship in the port.Through the window of the wooden building, Chloe could see the mast of the Beacon from afar.

The boat songs in foreign fishing ports use different languages ​​and tunes, and they always seem light and ethereal. As long as you slow down the rhythm and hum gently, it can become a lullaby to lull children to sleep.

Everything here is so peaceful that Chloe can't help but think of the Logmar area he visited many years ago.But unlike Logmar, this kind of calm has a human touch, allowing the wounded wanderer to find long-lost solace.

It has been more than a year since she left Marunliga, and she still dreams from time to time of that dusk that is as intensely colored as blood and fire.Perhaps in a few days, the tragic picture will be washed away by new memories, just like the traces left by Torresor's ancestors in Rogomar are covered with ice, snow and vegetation.

The late spring sunshine warmed the house very much.Chloe leaned on the window sill, overlooking the sea that passed by when she came here, and continued to imagine the scenery in Adrian's eyes amid the gentle sea breeze and the chirping of the chicks on the roof.

In the southwestern hinterland of Kuno Continent, the road lying in the river valley was muddy due to the continuous heavy rain.

Along this road, a convoy of four or five carriages was plodding along.The horse-drawn cart was loaded with heavy wooden boxes, and the wheels made several series of extremely deep ruts on the road.When they reached the remote village deep in the valley, the team was exhausted.The people in the village are used to being closed, and they are very curious about these people who have to go on the road during the war, and they all squeezed to the window to watch the excitement from a distance.

Different from ordinary passing merchants, these passers-by were obviously exhausted, but they kept silent like monks all the time. Even their expressions were extraordinarily solemn and serious. Life is incompatible with extreme self-control.

The light-colored thin cloth covering the outside of the wooden box has absorbed the rainwater, revealing the marks painted on the box faintly.It was a base painted with indigo paint, on which a golden cross star was painted.

"Hey, what do you think that is?" The sharp-eyed village woman poked her husband who was huddled beside her, and pointed out the strange sign to him. "Have you seen that thing?"

The farmer shook his head: "I haven't seen it either."

Of course, the villagers here would not recognize the symbol of the order—the last time a priest passed by this place was centuries ago.Due to the lack of news, they only vaguely knew that the nomads from the north had invaded the south, and they had never even heard of the siege of Marenliga, which caused a sensation in the entire continent, let alone the disintegrated religious order.

The village is very small, there are only about [-] self-sufficient families who are hunting and farming, and there is not even a shop.Members of the horse team approached a family and asked if there was a place to rest, but only got a few confused looks.

The villagers shook their heads and said that if you go further for a while, the villages there are bigger and there are also hostels where outsiders can live.

The person who asked the question went back to the end of the cavalry and discussed with his superior: "The rain won't stop for a while, but the villagers probably won't have a place for us to shelter. See...?"

The highest-ranking and longest-serving de facto leader of the team escorting the legacy of the Order from the war is an elderly (former) Inquisitor.He pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice, "...the only thing we can do is keep going."

The people sat under the big tree on the side of the road, took a breath in the drizzle, and went back to the front and back of the carriage, tightened the ropes that fixed the wooden box, fastened the saddle on the horse's back, and continued this endless journey like penance.

The road gets narrower the closer you get to the ancient fortress at the pass.The brick-paved carriageway that has been in disrepair for a long time is uneven, and the mud is wrapped in sand and gravel, flowing in the vague ruts between the broken bricks.The continuous rain and fog rolled in the cold air, dragging the already dignified mood to sink.

While walking, one of the horses accidentally stepped on the loose stones at the edge of the puddle. The horse's hooves flipped over, and the horse's body tilted uncontrollably to one side, and the cart tied behind it also lost its balance.The spokes with cracks snapped, and the wooden box slid down the inclined plane to the ground, causing a huge hole in the corner of the box.

The other horses were also frightened to varying degrees, and the owners took a lot of effort to calm them down.When the last horse was frightened by the movement ahead, it accidentally stepped on a moss-covered and extremely slippery stone brick, bringing the person on its back to the ground.

This fall directly threw the judge into a mud pit by the side of the road. His old robe and religious order uniform were soaked in mud, and his desolate appearance was embarrassing.His legs and feet were inconvenient, and the cane tied to the side of the saddle bag was out of reach of his arms, so it seemed so difficult to even get up for a while.

The accompanying parishioners and priests panicked and were about to help him up.

But the judge raised his hand and said calmly, "Leave me alone." He pointed to the overturned carriage. "You guys first... help the box up, and find a way to fix the car."

The subordinates couldn't bear it, but still respected his will.They gathered around the carriage, one of them was responsible for controlling the frightened horse, while the rest were busy helping the overturned wooden box to check whether the contents were damaged.Outside the deserted ancient fortress, under the fine rain, the scene was chaotic and desolate.

A mysterious pedestrian appeared in front of the road, and the ghostly vague and thin figure gradually became clear.

The visitor was wearing a brown-black cloak wrapped around his hunting suit, the hem was frayed badly, and there were still many scratches or scratches, giving him a dusty look.Except for the well-maintained saber at the waist, everything is old, and it is as weathered as the guardians of the heritage of the order.

The last heretic judge raised his head, and was shocked to find that the other party had a face and aura that was both familiar and unfamiliar to him, but there was no longer the dangling snake-shaped coat of arms on his chest.

The mysterious lone traveler knelt down on one knee, allowing the hem of his clothes to dip into the muddy and sticky muddy water, not caring at all that he was half-stained.Then, he stretched out his hands, just like the scene in the ancient temple of Rogmar nearly 20 years ago, without saying a word, he lifted the judge's scarred body.

*end*

When the workers sent by the Supervisory Academy were carefully transporting the collection of books out of the Silver Bay Tower, the archaeologist Sutherland and his students heard joking singing not far away.

"You were called Marunliga, and now you are called Wisla; if you choose, would you prefer to be called Marunliga? The Kurmans come and go, the Kirovians come and go ; except for graves, firewood, and bricks, there is nothing left of the huge city."

Looking at the broken statue under the shattered dome of the Silver Bay Tower, Swain muttered in a low voice, "It's not 'nothing left'."

They discovered the mysterious dead man hidden in the side tower of Silver Bay Tower, and the man's last words.According to the manuscripts left by the deceased, Sudran and others found some books and cultural relics that survived in several hidden mezzanines of the library.With these documents, the real history before and after the fall of Maren Riga will break through the fog and return to people's vision.

When they opened the underground library, everyone was surprised to find that there was a lonely coffin there.

Comparing the newly discovered written materials with the inscriptions on the coffin, the identity of the owner of the coffin was quickly determined.As for the mysterious deceased in the side tower, the last "gravekeeper" of Yinwan Tower, he did not leave his name and resume, and posterity can only speculate based on a few words in the manuscript: the relationship between him and the last curator There is a mentorship relationship.

Leisa took a deep breath of the dusty and sea-scented air, and suddenly found that the ruins she visited for the first time brought an inexplicable sense of intimacy, as if she had lived here centuries ago.

It’s just that Marunliga at that time hadn’t been polluted by the flames of war, and the sunlight penetrated through the glass dome of the Silver Bay Tower, calmly shining on the full bookshelves and the students who shuttled between them.The clear water of the Pearl River is like a harp, and the townspeople in the tavern are drinking to their heart's content, and the sweet fragrance of honey wafts through the streets.

In a trance, everything turned into layers of vines and moss, a broken wall toppled among the grass and trees, and broken beams and rafters beside the broken wall.

As night fell, the archaeological team of the National Institute of History prepares to return to the ship docked at the pier.Under Sutherland's leadership, they changed paths, passed through the once luxurious and beautiful "noble district", and then walked from the northern edge of the harbor area to Silver Bay.

On the way, everyone passed by the "Flying Lion Mansion" that originally belonged to the Torresso family.

After all, the stone structure is stronger than the wooden structure, and basically retains the original shape, but the empty house has become a paradise for seabirds and rats.Behind the collapsed courtyard wall, the vegetation is growing luxuriantly, almost engulfing the corridor of the courtyard.If it weren't for the stone lion with outspread wings on the door, they might not be able to tell which noble family this house belongs to.

Sutherland took a quick look.Under the joy of discovering the Silver Bay Tower, nothing else was so important to him.Therefore, the older archaeologist simply sighed: "No matter how prominent the lineage is, it will fade out of the stage of history one day, let alone anyone."

Swain nodded silently.

Because he was always slowed down by the decadent but uniquely beautiful scenery along the way, he walked at the end of the archaeological team.Turning around by chance, Swain suddenly found another person on the corner of the street silently staring at the ruined Feishi mansion.

It was a stranger he had never seen before, with black hair rarely seen in the Kirov Kingdom, gray-blue eyes with a touch of green, dressed like an explorer traveling around.

Sensing Swain's gaze, the man also turned his head to look at him, his eyes filled with sentimentality that Swain couldn't understand at the moment.

Swain froze for a moment, then subconsciously spoke up: "Hi, may I ask you—"

The stranger with the blood of Torresso flowing in his body, but no longer bears this surname, did not speak, but just looked at Swain in silence, then shifted his gaze to the back of the archaeological team, and turned around without saying a word for a moment leave.

The stranger who "returned" to Marunliga after traveling thousands of miles didn't take anything, and he didn't even step into the courtyard in the end. He only took a deep look at the mottled flying lion stone carvings on the ruins before leaving.

Seabirds sang loudly and flitted over the stone lions, as if the wandering spirit of Maren Liga was still singing in the sea breeze of Silver Bay.

The author has something to say: Writing bgm: OurMarkonthisWorld - MarvinKopp

End of the full text.

Writing this article is a bit difficult, especially looking for materials that can be used as references and sources of inspiration, but overall I am happy-my original intention is actually "write a story that I want to read", not "everyone Stories I like to watch", so it reflects more of my own tastes and interests.But if a friend can gain something from it (of course, not necessarily happiness), then this thing can be regarded as an added value QUQ

Next, write a little bit of scattered ideas in the creative process (otherwise I will forget it myself)

*A few years ago, when Moyu had just figured out the outline and the title of the novel had not yet been decided, the story was still centered on the characters. Although there was also the setting of the city "Malenliga", its meaning was more "this The story happened in a certain place”; when I actually started writing a few years later, influenced by the literature I came into contact with, my idea has changed, and Macheng has become the real protagonist instead, and it has become “a certain story happened here”.If written according to the original outline, although there is still the background of the invasion of the Kurmans and the fall of Marunliga, Governor Morgis probably will not die, and some branches in the early stage will not appear (.

*Macheng is actually not a "complete" and "healthy" city from the root: it was directly established on an underdeveloped land (ordinary fishing village) by exiled nobles after the disintegration of the empire, and the earliest driving force for development was foreign Resources, rather than using time and generations of labor to complete the accumulation of agricultural and handicraft industry foundations, lacking the stable growth curve and strategic depth of traditional settlements, and not actively developing military power (beginning to eat old money within three centuries), because they live far away in the southeast It lacks a sense of crisis due to its coastal location, and its business-centric positioning makes it highly dependent on external markets. It can be said to be prosperous but fragile.

Named "Commercial City-States" and "Urban Republics", its regime and social structure have served the needs of nobles and merchants since its inception, and the contradictions between rulers and ruled were overshadowed by the monopoly of urban culture.But with the intensification of resource inclination, class conflicts have intensified.However, the "mechanical descendant"-style foreign enemy failed to become a "safety valve" to eliminate internal conflicts, but instead aggravated the destruction of the city.

*Adrian is actually a special "observer": starting from the "immature foreigner" at the beginning of the story, he has witnessed the last glory and fall of Marcheng.Louis is different. People and things such as mother, biological father, responsibility, and suffering are entangled together, making his fate and Macheng itself inextricably linked, from "cannot leave" to "can only leave" When it comes to "The Last Homecoming", his position can be said to be vacillating and ambiguous.

*The two lines of Louis/Adrian and Hagrid/Samuel are relatively independent and intertwined, and it is hard to say which is the main line and which is the branch line.The former basically takes place in the city, emphasizing the relationship with "people" (although monsters were fought during the period), and the final ending is also arranged among the crowd.The latter is more a dialogue with the image of the "world snake", just like the story of "the giant whale and the fisherman" mentioned by Yelan, both of them have a stronger desire to swim between entering the world and leaving the world. loneliness.

*As far as the background setting is concerned, the Logmar dlc, the Silver Bay Tower and the fall of Maren Riga are the most zqsg parts I wrote.

* Comparing the beginning and the end, the identities of the four people have changed, and they finally left Ma Lunliga for different reasons.Louis, Hagrid, and Samuel faced a torrent that they could not fight against, and successively lost their identities and organizations they could rely on in the first half of their lives, and were forced to "say goodbye to the past" in a more drastic way.When Adrian took over the family, Torreso was no longer the former Torreso.

*This is their story, and it is also the story of the city.

Finally, I would like to thank every reader who can see the end or not. I hope these words can bring you some gains.If you can arouse interest in which subjects, it is Zhuihoudi!