The Evil Faced Spider Queen was currently crawling through the forest with all its strength. Unlike the demon wolves, this giant spider has been like a bulldozer going through the forest. Some large trees that are unlucky enough to block its path would be chopped down with its sickle like blade arms. After a clicking sound in the air, a path would immediately open up for the group.
This specie of giant spider is naturally adapted to live underground in the ice and snow. If they are capable of freely moving through ice that is as hard as steel, how could mere pieces of wood stop the Evil Faced Spider Queen?
Indulging himself in fond memories, the old magician looked like he was experiencing great sadness in his mind as he sat on the spiders back.
After a period of silence, someone else finally questioned the old magician in Du Wei's stead.
"Then what? What happened afterwards?"
The one to bring up the question is actually Queen Medusa. Up until now, she has been quietly sitting on the side as she listened to the story..
A hint of curiosity could be seen on this indifferent woman's face. With a quiet tone, she asked: "Excuse me, how did the events unfold?"
Du Wei was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but glance at Medusa. Noticing the attention she was getting, Medusa spoke in a very calm voice: "I'm just curious. Isn't this peculiar trait only found in humans? And isn't this also a part of human nature?"
"You also want to continue listening to the story?" The old magician was laughing very weirdly: "Oh Queen Medusa, with your level of intelligence, you should understand that it may not be in your best interest to listen to these stories."
"I was born and raised by the heavens." Medusa coldly spoke: "The so called Gods and Temples you speak of, all of them are not important to me."
"Alright then." The old magician bursts out into a 'HA HA' and then his tone became serious: "It might as well be since you are also a part of the prophecy."
Shaking his head, the old sorcerer straightened his pointed hat and then pointed into the distance: "There, in front of us. In about a day's time, we will get out of the frozen forest! Since ancient times, there haven't been many that have managed to cross through the frozen forest and reach the northern end. On the whole continent, you could count them all with one hand!"
Surprised by his words, Du Wei spoke in a light tone: "According to my knowledge, the farthest someone has managed to travel was about twenty years ago. A magician by the name of Azreal and his group of knights managed to get to Canyon Valley that we just came from."
"Well, that's right. According to the records, it was Azreal, that sly boy." The old magician laughed coldly: "But two hundred years ago, I have already crossed through the frozen forest and came to the northern end of the forest! Traveling with me was Semel. We entered the frozen forest and crossed the Large Lakes. Afterwards, we came all the way to where we are now and continued heading even further north. In the end, we finally reached our goal… That was the last time I saw Semel and it was the last time she agreed to help me!"
"What exactly is awaiting us after the frozen forest?" Du Wei laughed: "It couldn't be a prison, right?"
The old magician didn't laugh at the joke. Instead, he stared at Du Wei for a bit and then sat down. Rummaging through his clothing, the old magician pulled out a piece of parchment.
Not hurrying to open the parchment, the old magician first worked out a wind blocking spell, then placing the parchment on his knees, he slowly opened the scroll.
The state of the parchment was so old, it was practically near ruin as if the slightest touch would cause the paper to crumble. After soaking the material in some unknown protective syrup, the original color of the parchment could no longer be distinguished. Also, on the edge of one corner, there is clear indication of the scroll being nibbled on by rats. As for the contents of the scroll, there are letters written in an odd fashion with a scarlet red coloration. The weird thing about all this was that the paint didn't have any indication of fading; this strange phenomenon raised some question in Du Wei's mind.
As if seeing through his suspicion, the old magician laughed softly: "This was written with blood…. Written with the blood of Aragon and imbued with magic on its markings. Even if a thousand years were to pass, the markings would not fade away. I was only able to locate this precious item after gathering multiple clues from different sources. Some of these places included a secret room of the Imperial palace and secret documents from the Holy Temple of Light. Piecing together all the information, I was finally able to locate this valuable parchment from a declining lesser noble's family tomb. This item is the last will left behind by Aragon…."
"Declining lesser noble?" The one to raise this question was Hussein. This knight was from a humble origin and growing up under the careful tutelage of the Temple, he would of course have a good understanding of the Royal family linage. "Aragon's will? How could Aragon's letter of will be hidden in a lesser noble's tomb?"
The old magician glanced at Du Wei.
Sighing, Du Wei understood the reasoning behind why Aragon's will was left behind in the tomb. Since he was an aristocrat, he has always received the best form of education. On top of this, he was always treated coldly since small, so he had spent most of his times reading books. His level of knowledge is comparable to any famous scholar in the Empire.
Spending a moment in thought, he explained the reasoning to the knight.
The founding of the Roland Empire has nearly been a thousand years. After the passing of the first founding emperor Aragon, his second son ascended to the throne. Then after fourteen years of rule, the second emperor passed away, allowing his eldest son to ascend to the throne….. After a thousand years of ascension by all these emperors, or to be accurately speaking, after four hundred years of ascension, the one to sit on the throne cannot be considered a direct descendant of Aragon anymore.
Approximately four hundred years after the founding of the Roland Empire, the direct descendant to be crowned at the time passed away early in his life. This led to one major problem for the empire because he had no children to inherit his position. To make matters worse, the Roland royal family actually couldn't find a suitable heir in their ranks to ascend to the throne!
Strictly speaking, the emperors to sit on the throne from then on cannot be considered a direct descendant of Aragon.
Instead, they are the descendants of Aragon's siblings.
From a historical point of view, historians believed this is the point where Aragon's direct descendant is severed. Historical documents named this event the end of the "Thorned flower dynasty". (This dynasty was considered to be ruled under the true descendants of Aragon) Another known name for this was the "Withering Lineage Era".
Afterwards, the descendant of Aragon's siblings has been in control of the throne. This period was called the 'Glory dynasty', but this dynasty only prospered for two hundred years before declining. It was at this time, the empire faced its biggest crisis since its founding. (It was mentioned before; this was the time when Du Wei's family, the Rowling household gained its status and authority) The northwestern tribal clans rebelled against the empire and proclaimed self-sovereignty. Even though the empire didn't collapse from this rebellion, but it was nearly enough to cause the empire to perish.
Luckily, it was at this time, an outstanding Emperor emerged after the royal family weathered through this disturbance. Unlike the rest of the royal family that could trace their lineage to Aragon's brothers, this emperor claimed that he was instead a direct descendant of Aragon. If we were to trace the lineage of the royal family members, every descendant from Aragon's male offspring should have perished in the 'Lineage Withering Era'. As for his claim of being a direct descendant of Aragon, he could trace his lineage to one of the several surviving daughters with a direct bloodline to Aragon.
Even during the secession of the throne, there was a heated struggle between who should take the crown. At the same time, the empire was facing a crisis never before seen. On the other hand, many members of the royal household refused to succeed the throne, thinking this position was like a thundering volcanic mouth.
In the end, the person to take the crown and become the emperor was someone that was forced into the position. Looking into the lineage book, this person cannot even be considered a real descendant of Aragon. The only relationship he had was that his great-great-great-grandmother was a direct descendant of Aragon's bloodline. Before becoming the emperor… This person was not even a prince of the empire; his position was only at best a Duke!
But surprisingly, this emperor was an outstanding individual. Not only did he elevate the Rowling family (Du Wei's family), he paved the road for the prosperity of the Rowling household.
This section of history is very complex, but then again, members of the royal family have always been very scattered. Du Wei could make a comparison to an example of his previous life. In the history of China, the Han dynasty faced a similar situation. The Western Han dynasty and the Eastern Han dynasty were both considered Han Dynasty's. But after the fall of the Western Han dynasty, founded by Liu Bang, the royal family of the following Eastern Han dynasty could no longer be traced back to Liu Bang.
The history of the Roland Empire is very similar to the Western and Eastern Han dynasty of China.
It's just that this certain emperor that managed to revive the Roland Empire seemed to worship Aragon. Not only does he proclaim himself a direct descendant of Aragon, but he also named his dynasty the 'Thorned Flower Dynasty'. Although historians do not agree with this naming and even his descendants do not follow through with this after his death. Now, everyone calls this era the 'Augustine dynasty' because before this outstanding person became the emperor, his title was called Duke Augustine.
The ironic thing was that even though this emperor was a firm worshiper of Aragon and even calls himself a direct descendant, but his very own offspring's do not wish this. Using the current emperor for example, his title is called Augustine the sixth!
Returning to the question raised by Hussein: "Why is a handwritten letter by Aragon found in a tomb of a declining noble family?" The reason is simple. The true descendants of Aragon have already perished a few hundred years ago!
The royal family that came afterwards can only be considered his relatives and not actually his own bloodline.
"Simply speaking, the first four hundred years since the founding of the empire was to be known as the 'Thorned Flower Dynasty'. Then the two hundred years that followed was to be known as the 'Glory Dynasty'. After six hundred years have passed since the founding of the Roland Empire, the one to ascend to the throne cannot be considered a descendant of Aragon anymore. This era is to be known as the 'Augustine Dynasty', which is the current dynasty we are living in. Do you understand now?" Du Wei laughed sadly as he finished speaking.
Time line: 0-400 years (Thorned Flower) / 400-600 years (Glory) / 600-present day (Augustine)
After finishing his explanation to the knight, Du Wei immediately turned his head towards the old magician: "Well then, why don't you tell us what was it in the tomb and what the content in Aragon's will was?"
"Specifically speaking, it is a prophecy!" The old magician was laughing in a scary manner, as if deliberately lowering his voice: "You know that Aragon was unmatched in his age. His strength was considered invincible, but no one knew exactly how powerful he truly was. Some said his strength could even be nearing the level of a God! Although absurd…. But I personally don't think so! I believe this saying is possible and his strength is already nearing the level of a God! So…. It is likely that he had in his possession an ability called the 'Great Prophecy Skill'!"