Did history create heroes, or did heroes make history?
This question is often difficult to answer, but look at Amy · Harper, who entered the history of the Emile continent as a petty mercenary in the year 203 of the Red Moon Calendar, the first decade witnessed history shaping a hero, and the next decade was a dance between heroes and history.
—From the research notes of Neil Harper, Amy·' s twelfth descendant
The sound of the trumpet, each explosion becoming more urgent, echoed from the north side of Haike Village. With the sound of the horn, a hoarse voice approached, "The snow wolves are coming - about twenty of them!" Let's hide! They arrived in 10 minutes! A panting hunter, riding a snow deer, appears at the north entrance to the village.
Everyone in the village, inside and outside the village, stopped what they were doing. Men, women, and children all moved quickly. They untied the snow deer from their work tools, drove the snow cocks into the coop, and gathered the snow pigs into baskets. Every household quickly drove their livestock into their homes or brought them into their homes. Without hesitation, they lifted the quilt from the bed, revealing an iron plate. Underneath is a large hole into which livestock are thrown. Then, everyone dived into the cave and locked the iron plate behind them.
"Amy, get in!" An old voice came from a small thatched hut on the south side of the village. "The snow wolf is coming," the voice became more and more rapid and stern.
"Wait, grandpa, I'm here! The two little snow chicks that hatched yesterday have already run into the bushes," said the voice of a child outside the fence.
"Howl—" A wolf's cry was heard in the distance.
A tall figure rushed out of the room—an old man with a white beard. He rushed to the gate and grabbed the boy by the collar from the low bushes. Ignoring the boy's kicking, shouting, and crying: "Grandpa, let me go!" I almost found them; If I can't find them, they'll be eaten. Please, let me go, grandpa! Just as the wolves arrived, the two figures disappeared into the hole under the bed. A large, muscular snow wolf began to try to pry open the iron plate, while several other snow wolves sniffed around the iron plate, their white breath forming clouds in the cold air.
"Grandpa, the chickens must be dead," shouted the boy in the cave, completely ignoring the voices above.
"Amy, listen to me. We can hatch more snow chicks; Next time, there will be more," the old man tried to comfort his grandson, although his tone was full of helplessness.
"Grandpa, why don't the hunters in the village kill the snow wolf?" Last time, when we hunted a snow bear that was much stronger than the snow wolf, we managed to kill it. Why not a snow wolf? Amy asked, his sobs interspersed with his words.
The old man sighed deeply, "The snow wolf can't be killed." If someone kills one, they have to pay with their lives.
"Then how did those foreign uncles kill the snow wolf last time?" They killed more than 30 people! Amy retorted, still unconvinced.
"They're mercenaries, Amy. Mercenaries can kill snow wolves," the old man replied, not wanting to explain too much to his little grandson.
"When I grow up, I want to be a mercenary too!" Amy clenched her fists and said.
Haike Village is located on the east side of the Warm River on the frozen continent. According to the border between the Emir Empire and the Hamill Kingdom, this area should belong to the Hamill Kingdom. However, the Hamills have always preferred to live in cold, icy areas. The Warm River originates from a volcanic lake formed after a volcanic eruption and is known as Lake Seogetsu. The area around Xueyue Lake and along the Warm River are the only places on the frozen continent that are free of snow and ice.
纵观艾米尔帝国 500 年的历史,它多次试图通过外交,战争和勒索来控制雪月湖和暖河,但所有的努力都以失败告终.
In the short span of 50 years—from the 3rd year to the 52nd year of the Red Moon Calendar—the Aymir Empire's two consecutive monarchs launched five large-scale wars with the aim of seizing Snow Moon Lake and the Warm River. They employed all available military forces, including the dragon riders. Yet, each war ended in the same way—defeat.
In the southernmost part of the continent, the Aymir Empire would often quickly capture all the land—though perhaps "capture" isn't the right word, as the Hamir Kingdom never stationed troops in that region. As the war began, the Hamir wolf riders would launch attacks on the northern federation of the Aymir Empire from the icy forests in the far north of the continent, along the only road, Dragon Fang Mountain Highway.
On the Frozen Continent, any military force, facing the Hamir with their snow-white hair and beards, clad in white bear fur armor, riding snow-white snow wolves, on a snow-covered landscape, had only one fate: retreat.
Any military force could exert only about 10% of its combat power on the Frozen Continent. Even the invincible dragon riders could muster only 50% of their strength. And the number of dragon riders in the Aymir Empire? They couldn't even outnumber a small squad of Hamir wolf riders.
Several monarchs of the Aymir Empire attempted to gain control of Snow Moon Lake and the Warm River through diplomacy or extortion, but the simple-minded Hamir Kingdom would refuse to sign any agreement related to territorial issues.
The only reason for this situation was that the founding emperor of the Aymir Empire, Aymir I, had successfully deceived the Hamir Kingdom once. In that deception, he acquired a vast territory—about 25% of the Hamir Kingdom's original land—to form the Northern Federation of the Aymir Empire. Aymir I promised the Hamir Kingdom that he would exchange the best land in his country—the Flower Plain in the heart of the Aymir Continent—for the southern lands of the Frozen Continent. He even showcased the fertile lands teeming with fruit and wildlife. Moved by this, Muya VII, the Hamir Kingdom's ruler, signed an agreement that shocked both continents. After the agreement was signed, nearly everyone believed that Aymir I had gone mad, trading the most fertile land for the most barren—except for the Hamir Kingdom's Empress Dowager and the king's brother. The latter, in anger, returned to his territory, declared independence at the risk of execution, and established the Northern Hamir Empire.
At the time, Muya VII was eager to move the capital to the Flower Plain and made the momentous decision to gradually abandon the Frozen Continent's territory. He didn't bother with his brother, who used this precious time to rapidly expand his domain, eventually conquering the entire continent east and north of Dragon Fang Mountain.
Excited, Muya VII and his ministers arrived at the Flower Plain, feeling as if they had entered a paradise. The northern part of the Flower Plain was like spring all year round, with moist air and ever-blooming flowers. You could ride for three days and nights across the plain, never without the sight of flowers or the scent of their fragrance. The southern part of the Flower Plain was a rainy, humid area with vast expanses of broadleaf rainforest filled with sweet fruits.
However, within five years of establishing the new capital, Muya VII's newly built city was breached three times by neighboring nations. During the last attack, Muya VII charged into the imperial army, washing away the shame of his poor decision with blood.
Why did the most powerful country on the Frozen Continent, once it reached the Aymir Continent, become vulnerable? Where had the invincible snow wolf riders gone?
According to later military scholars, the theories of troop incompatibility and troop amplification were written with the blood of an emperor and ten thousand snow wolf riders.
The Hamir, who had lived on the Frozen Continent for generations, had long hair, especially their eyebrows and eyelashes, to protect against the blinding reflection of sunlight on the snow. Their eyebrows and eyelashes grew rapidly, but in the humid Flower Plain, this physiological trait became unbearable, with droplets constantly clinging to their brows. Nobles could afford to have someone trim them, but what about the soldiers? How could they fight under such conditions? The snow wolves, with their long, white fur, couldn't adapt to the hot, humid plains either, rendering them ineffective in battle. In war, their once-natural camouflage now turned into shrouds after every battle.
In the end, of the hundred thousand troops that entered the Flower Plain, only about ten thousand returned home. Since then, the Hamir learned one lesson: never discuss territorial matters with anyone again.
Snow Moon Lake was formed 100 years after the Hamir retreated to the Frozen Continent, following a volcanic eruption. The Hamir wouldn't make any mistakes regarding this territory.
Because of their experience on the Flower Plain, the Hamir kept a respectful distance from Snow Moon Lake and the Warm River, not stationing any troops there but never allowing the territory to be lost. If war broke out, they would immediately dispatch forces from the icy forests to threaten Ice Fortress, the capital of the Northern Federation of the Aymir Empire, forcing the Aymir to retreat.
The Warm River and Snow Moon Lake still held some value for the Hamir Kingdom—as a hunting ground for snow
wolves and to replenish their numbers.
As a result, many villages, towns, and small cities populated by the descendants of Hamir hunters still existed in the Warm River area, including Haike Village.
Though it is difficult to determine when Haike Village was established, considering its proximity to the border, it became a focal point for the ongoing conflict between the two major powers on the continent. In fact, during the era of Aymir III, the Aymir Empire offered a land exchange plan to the Hamir, promising to give up half of the warm coast in exchange for full control of the Warm River. They even requested that the Hamir stop their border raids and accept a clear border division. This agreement was almost finalized, but on the night of the signing ceremony, the Aymir envoy was assassinated by unknown forces. Since then, Aymir III focused on defending the borders of the Northern Federation, and the issue of Snow Moon Lake and the Warm River became a taboo topic among the Hamir nobles.