Chapter 15 , Dream State

Everyone took a rest in this farmhouse as a post station, swept away the sleepiness and fatigue of last night. After enjoying the host's hospitality, they were led by Master Cangling at noon and set foot on the mountain village path into the dream country. Everyone walked about two or three miles along the winding forest path and turned around a col. Suddenly, they saw a small town surrounded by mountains and forests, as bright and fresh as a pearl in the forest, quietly appeared in front of everyone.

"Wow! So beautiful!" Ji Xuanxuan opened her arms and seemed to be eager to hold the town full of flowers in her arms. Everyone was shocked all the way across the swamp and through the jungle through the man-eating demon flower forest. At first sight of such a fairy tale-like village, they were in a good mood. Only Yan Gonghai hinted at the seven warriors in black who survived with his eyes, and several warriors' hands touched the handle of the knife intentionally or unintentionally, and his expression also showed a trace of unconcealable tension.

There are not many pedestrians on the neat streets, and they all seem to be very polite. Whether adults or children, whether they are black or white or yellow, they smile and greet everyone from afar. Under the leadership of Master Cangling, the group finally came to the simple and solemn towering wooden building in the center of the town. Such a wooden building is nothing if it is in Jincheng, Dongxuan Kingdom or Poseidon of the Great Western Empire, but it seems a little unusual to appear in the depths of this southern desolate forest. In particular, the solemn atmosphere made everyone relax, slowly follow the white-robed mage, cross the long porch, and finally come to a wide and magnificent council hall.

"Welcome to the dream country!" Not long after the people sat down, a tall silver-haired old man strode out of the inside with a law enforcement stick, with a calm and extraordinary pace. The old man's silver hair was combed without any confusion and looked capable spirit. There was a faint light in his blue eyes, but it did not make people feel uneasy at all. Even with a smile, there was a faint momentum to point out the rivers and mountains between his hands and feet.

"Father!" Headed by the Cangling Mage, including more than a dozen handsome young men and women standing on both sides of the hall, put their hands together and bowed to the old man. After returning the gift, the old man raised his hand to the guests who stood up one after another and said, "You don't have to be so polite. Please treat this place as your own home."

When people saw that the Cangling mage, who was obviously much older than him, also called him "father", they thought it was somewhat funny, but looking at the serious appearance of the Cangling mage and those teenagers, it was not easy for everyone to show their thoughts and only sat down at his sign. The old man spoke fluently in Dongxuan, but he was a pure Westerner, with silver hair hanging over his shoulders like satin, and a coarse white robe did not harm his grace at all, which made his figure particularly tall. He is over 50 years old, but his face is still heroic. His skin is as white as jade, without any wrinkles or spots, especially his eyes, which are clearer and brighter than ordinary young people.

"Ocus!" Kunel blurted softly. Although he had never seen the legendary imperial genius magician, Cunel immediately guessed who the old man was after hearing other people's description of him.

"It's me!" The silver-haired old man glanced at Kunier and paused his eyes on her sword for a moment. "Well, Guldanji is your teacher or father, the descendant of the Great West Star Sword Strike?"

When Orcus spoke to Kunel in pure Spanish, he heard that Yan Gonghai, the king of the south and his warriors were at a loss. Except for Kunair and her two companions, only Xia Feng, Ji Xuanxuan and Shen Dan, the princess of the south, understood his meaning. Cunel saw that he mentioned his father and hurriedly owed himself, "That's my father."

"I heard that he has been missing for many years. Have you heard from him recently?"

"My father has passed away and died in the avalanche of Cyprus Peak."

Okus was stunned and nodded glancholy and said, "Gourdanji has been proud all his life, and only the highest peak of the continent of Atlandis can be buried. Cao Tianwang of Dongxuan Kendomen probably also buried him, right?"

Cunel was stunned and didn't expect that Orcus could infer the cause of his father's death from his own words. Obviously, he knew his father's situation very well. He was either his father's confidant friend or an unsworn enemy. Whether he was a close friend or a sworn enemy, he was still remembered by the genius magician of the empire more than ten years later, and Cunel couldn't help but be proud of his father.

"You have come all the way to the southern wilderness this time for the 'Maple Star'?" Without waiting for Kunier's answer, Orcus turned to Xia Feng and Yan Gonghai. This time, he used fluent Dongxuan, "Are you all here for the 'Maple Star'?"

Xia Feng and Kunail have not answered yet. Yan Gonghai has rushed to accompany him and said with a smile, "The mage is more careful. We are just some exiles who have fled to the southern wilderness."

Orcus stared at Yan Gonghai with his blue eyes, "Don't forget that I'm a magician. Many things in the world may not be hidden from me."

Nanwang Yan Gonghai smiled awkwardly, and a faint sharp light flashed in his eyes. Almost without his hint, his warriors' hands had also quietly put on his knife handle.

"I don't care why you came here," Orcus suddenly withdrew his compelling eyes and looked around the crowd leisurely. "You should all visit the dream country I have built for more than ten years. Maybe you can find something more valuable here than the 'Maple Star'."

"We only want the 'Maple Star'!" Kunier stared coldly at the blue eyes of the white-robed magician, "It is an artifact belonging to the empire."

Kunel's words undoubtedly showed his identity and the purpose of the trip. The hall suddenly calmed down, and everyone stared at Orcus warily, hoping to see his reaction from his face. The white-robed magician calmly met Cunel's eyes and sighed thoughtfully, "It's just as proud and stubborn as your father! Forget your empire for the time being. The dream country needs the 'Maple Star' more than your empire.

"The 'Maple Star' only belongs to the empire!" Kunel stood up with a "sudden" and put his hand on the hilt of the sword. Her two warriors of the Imperial Guard, Horry and Ron, also stood up and held the hilt of the sword tightly. Affected by them, Yan Gonghai and his warriors in black also stared at Orcus nervously. The hall was tense and the atmosphere was tense.

Orcus ignored others and said lightly to Kunel: "In those years, your father verified which of my attack magic or his starry sword is faster and more effective? As a result, within one foot, my magic is not as fast as his starry sword, and my protective boundary can't resist the full stabbing of his starry sword; within two feet, we have won or lose each other, but he has no chance at all beyond two feet. Now our distance is about two feet and three. Do you think you have surpassed your father?

Kunel was not moved by Okus's words, but replied coldly: "Those who betray the empire and steal artifacts will be punished by the gods!" I have the help of gods and am not afraid of any evil magic!"

"God?" Orcus sneered, "If there are really gods in the world, we should not divide human beings into different races, so that they can hate each other and fight each other, making the world full of bloodshed and killing; we should not divide people into three or six, so that some lives are emperors and some lives are slaves; we should not spread diseases, disasters and plagues. Meanwhile, it makes people struggle in suffering; selfishness, jealousy, hatred, greed and other despicable emotions should not be hidden in human hearts. It doesn't matter if you don't have such a god!"

Ocus's words stunned everyone. Although different peoples believe in different gods, no one has ever dared to doubt the existence of gods. It is the first time that everyone has heard such blasphemy words, and naturally they feel an unprecedented shock. Just as everyone was stunned, they heard Xia Feng applaud and praised: "That's good! There is no god in the world, and mortals created it themselves. Master Aoda, your mind is far beyond this era, and you are really a genius!"

Orcus ignored Xia Feng's compliment and only glanced at everyone slowly: "I know that everyone is here for the 'Maple Star'. I hope you will first understand the dream country before deciding whether to continue to covet this ancient artifact. I believe that in this continent, there is no place that needs the 'Maple Star' more than the dream country!"

Cunel wanted to say something more, but was snatched by Yan Gonghai and said, "The great mage is reasonable. Let's visit the dream country first and receive the great miracle created by the great mage in this jungle!"

"Please!" Orcus said and led the way first, and more than a dozen people followed Orcus out of the wooden building.

"When I first arrived here more than ten years ago, it was still a barren forest, with only two or three small villages where exiles and robbers lived." As he walked, Orcus introduced the history of the dream country to everyone. "It is said that in this wilderness, it is not only rich in green jade, agate and diamonds, but also the rarest dragon blood emerald on the continent, so it has attracted countless exiles and adventurers to flock to it. The dragon blood emerald was not found, but several veins rich in diamonds and green jade were found, so the struggle, bloodshed and death came to the southern wilderness with wealth. Countless exiles, robbers and adventurers died at the hands of the same kind, far more than in the mouth of wolves, tigers and other beasts. Their souls did not disperse, and their corpses grew into resentful flower trees under the suitable climate and soil conditions of the southern wilderness. Since then, the southern wilderness has gradually become a dangerous and stubborn place, which is said to be a haunted world haunted by ghosts and demons.

"It's the case!" Thinking back on the monsters encountered along the way, Xia Feng couldn't help whispering.

"Until I brought the 'Maple Star'!" Orcus ignored Xia Feng's muttering and pointed to a tall tower in the distance and continued, "The 'Maple Star' is a rare ancient artifact, which has the strongest effect of exorcising evil spirits and avoiding evil. It is supplemented by my spiritual power, which can make ghosts and monsters dare not enter within dozens of miles!"

"What's the use of that?" Xia Feng shrugged his shoulders disapprovingly, "You said that the humans themselves kill the most, not ghosts and beasts."

Okus turned his eyes to the summer wind, and there was a sacred light in his eyes. "In addition to bringing the heart of maple fir, I also brought something more precious than the 'Maple fir Star'. That's my ideal!" Speaking of this, Orcus continued to walk slowly, looking over everyone and falling in the distant sky. "I was born in a Western noble family. I have followed Master Stanmar to learn magic since I was a child, and I have had the opportunity to access to the richest collection of the Imperial Library. At first, I was only interested in all kinds of magic secrets, because Mr. Stanma was no longer enough to satisfy my pursuit of magic. Later, even the magic secrets in the imperial library could not satisfy my enthusiasm for practicing magic. At the age of 30, there was no magician in the Great West Empire to compete with me. During that time, I was very confused, and my life gradually lost its goal and direction. Under boredom, I began to study other classics and find the purpose and meaning of survival of life from the classics of predecessors. Therefore, I gradually found a truth that shocked my heart from the dusty history of the empire, a truth that only a few people have the right to know but no one has ever really cared about!"

Along the way, people kept whispering "father" to salute Orcus, with a heartfelt reverence. Orcus also politely returned the gifts one by one, which was very approachable. Everyone followed him silently, with a trace of expectation in their eyes. Obviously, they all wanted to know the "truth" said by the genius magician of the Western Empire.

It was not until he never met anyone else on the street that Orcus continued to say, "For a long time, my motherland and my people have been the embodiment of justice and light in my mind. They are the best nation on the continent of Atlandis. Our faith is the most correct. Every war we fight is in line with the will of the gods. The Battle of Righteousness But the top-secret history of the empire puzzles me. It records the wars and all historical events since the founding of the Western Kingdom, which is completely different from the public historical materials I have seen before, or even completely opposite. From these top-secret annals of history, I found that my people are as cruel and easy to kill as the Dongxuan people and the Semen. Every battle of the empire does not have sufficient reasons, sometimes just to satisfy the desire for power and war of a few people. All kinds of violent means of killing, slaughtering and extermination are not only aimed at infidels, but also used to fight political enemies and eliminate dissidents. The top-secret history of the empire is like a bloody history of killing. The will of the gods has become an excuse for those in power to forge arbitrarily. When I knew these truths, justice subverted in my heart, faith collapsed in my heart, and the gods died in my heart!"

Everyone showed a thoughtful look, and only Xia Feng said disapprovingly, "The history of the founding of almost every empire is like this, and it's not strange."

"That's right! Every nation has its evil and despicable side!" Orcus nodded approvingly to Xia Feng, "When I knew that my people were not the embodiment of justice and light, I began to look for the ideal country in my heart. I wandered around the whole continent like a beggar, crossed the peak of Cyprus to the Jincheng of Kyoto of the Dongxuan people, trekked through the vast Collor desert to reach the Black Wind City, the holy land of the Semin people, and defeated Cang Ling, the top magic master of Dongxuan Kingdom, and Batilla, the most powerful black wizard of the Seminics, but these didn't mean to me at all. Righteousness, I just want to find the country of justice in my heart. With my own magic, I 'borrowed' the top-secret histories of these two peoples, and their real history is not as glorious as that of the Daxi people. I am completely confused. Is there no country in the world that can really represent justice?

"Especially in the process of wandering, I first really came into contact with the poor and slaves living at the bottom, made many poor and slave friends for the first time, and received their selfless help. In my relationship with them, I first found that their minds were not as stupid as the nobles, their morals were not inferior to the nobles, and their talents were not inferior to those of the nobles. Just because of their origin, they are destined to struggle for survival all their lives. In particular, their dignity and even their lives are trampled and deprived by the powerful like weeds on the roadside. Where are the gods when they are involved in the war or die as sacrifices just because of the temporary preferences and impulses of nobles or emperors? Where is justice?"

Speaking of this distant void, "I have traveled all over the continent, including the southern wilderness and the Corolla Desert, and have not found an ideal country where all peoples coexist peacefully, without bloodshed, without war, without nobles and slaves, and without enslavering people!" Can human beings only perish in mutual hatred, mutual killing and mutual slavery? Can't we have an ideal world where everyone is equal, cares for each other, without slavery and bloodshed? I gradually found my new life goals and ideals in wandering. Since gods can't create such a world for human beings, it will be realized by my Orcus! I want to create such a dream world for everyone with my lifelong energy, and the dream country is just a preliminary practice of this dream world.

Everyone looks at each other, some people are confused, some people are meditating, and some people are imagining the world in Orcus's heart, but it seems that few people can really understand. Only Xia Feng nodded with understanding, "This is a noble and lofty dream, or even just an unrealistic fantasy. Well, it's a bit like a utopia.

"Isn't it practical?" Orcus laughed and pointed proudly around. "What you see now is the dream country I have built for more than ten years. In front of it is the school where children study. Every child in the dream country has to be educated from an early age, no matter what nationality and origin he is. I'll take you to have a look."

On the way to the school, Orcus continued: "When I make this grand wish, I'm not sure that my dream can come true, so I want to find a place isolated to test it. Looking back on all the countries I have traveled, only this southern wilderness barely meets the requirements. So after five years of wandering, I returned to my hometown Poseidon again, broke the seal of Mr. Stanma and stole the 'Maple Fir Star', because only this ancient artifact can create a territory without fierce beasts in the isolated forest. For my dream, I betrayed my teacher and motherland, and I have no guilt about it. Because I believe that my dream completely transcends the boundaries of the country and will become the common dream of all nations!"

While talking, everyone has come to the school. Children of all walks of life who are studying swarmed out and scrambling to surround Orcus, shouting "father" excitedly. Orcus hugged the children, with indescribable happiness and satisfaction on their faces, while the children's faces , it is respect and happiness from the heart.

It took Orcus almost half a day to get rid of the children's entanglement and leave school. Then he took everyone outside the town and pointed to the farmers of all ethnic groups working in the surrounding fields and said, "In the dream country, there are no nobles who gain without work, nor slaves like cattle and horses. Everyone has only one identity - a villager. Every villager must work to obtain living goods. We live together and work together. A council composed of elders elected by villagers will uniformly distribute living goods. No one has the right to occupy the fruits of other people's labor.

"This is really a miracle!" Xia Feng praised, "How do you make everyone really distribute the income from labor fairly?"

"Insect!" Orcus pointed to his chest and said, "It's really difficult for people to stop their private thoughts, greed, laziness, jealousy and other despicable emotions, but after my unremitting efforts over the years, I have finally achieved a small success. I dare to say that the villagers of the Dreamland are more noble than anyone else, and can treat everything around them fairly.

"I don't believe it!" Xia Feng shook his head resolutely, "I never believe that a person can really let go of selfish desires, let alone that education alone can make many people become saints."

"Let's go to a few villagers' homes," Orcus did not refute Xia Feng's doubts, but signaled to everyone, "I believe that the villagers will be happy to receive you distinguished guests from afar."

"VIP?" Xia Feng wondered again, "Why are you so polite and lead us to visit the dream country in person? I don't think it's so easy to show off your achievements?"

Ocus stared at Xia Feng and smiled meaningfully: "You are very smart. It seems that I should pay more attention to you. I'm really not bored enough to introduce the dream country to every guest in person. I do have another purpose, but I don't want to say it for the time being. I plan to tell you my purpose after you really understand the dream country and see the 'Maple Star' you dream of.

Xia Feng exchanged a look with Kunel and immediately reached a consensus in the eye contact: before seeing the "Maple Star", he did not act rashly for the time being. Yan Gonghai on the other side also signaled to Shen Dan and his seven warriors with his eyes, conveying the same meaning.

It took another half day. As Orcus visited many villagers' families, everyone was moved by the villagers' lofty ambition to find a dream society for all ethnic groups like Orcus, and the spirit of selflessly striving to build a dream country. It may be conceivable to meet a saint with the heart of the world like Orcus, but it is an incredible miracle that so many villagers have such great ambitions as him.

At dusk, Orcus finally led everyone to a towering tower in the center of the town and pointed to the top floor of the tower. He calmly told everyone, "On it, there is the 'Maple Star' you dream of!"

Finally, we are going to see the legendary "Maple Star", and everyone's expression shows a trace of excitement and nervousness. At the same time, they can't figure out why Orcus brought everyone here. Is it to show off that no one can take the "Maple Star" under his control and let everyone retreat? Or is there another purpose?

Everyone climbed the wide tower with Orcus layer by layer, and saw young people of all races standing in the tower hall on each floor. The teenagers looked restrained and seemed calm with their hands and feet. In Xia Feng's eyes, he immediately knew that these teenagers were skilled masters who had been trained for a long time. Seeing that they were so young, he believed that they had started special training from childhood. For the first time, people saw stone statues carved in these towers, lifelike like real people, with dozens or hundreds of statues on each floor. Orcus pointed to the gods and told everyone, "They are not gods, but heroes who have sacrificed their lives for the dream country for more than ten years. Among them are warriors, magicians and ordinary people. They are the gods in the minds of all villagers!"

After climbing to the top, I saw a dark-skinned old man greeted Orcus and respectfully salute him. Orcus pointed to him and introduced to the crowd, "This is Batilla, another loyal partner and assistant guarding this tower."

It's nothing to hear Batilla's names, Xia Feng and Ji Xuanxuan, but Kunel and Yan Gonghai were moved. More than ten years ago, the most powerful black wizard of the Semitic was the Western Empire and Dongxuan Kingdom, which were thousands of miles away. His name was also widely recited in the upper class. Even if he had been missing for more than ten years, he was still remembered by people.

Everyone looked carefully at the legendary black wizard in front of them and saw that he was nearly 60 years old. His slightly convex eyes were faintly cold, his face was cold and old, his towering shoulders and thin figure, as well as his bare forehead, and his hands close to his chest, as thin and black as chicken claws, made him look like a green. The old black vulture.

He led everyone to the tower hall. Everyone was surprised to find that there was only one stone statue of two people in this hall. The stone statue stood with his hands behind his back and looked down at everyone kindly. He was a statue of Okus, the father of the dream country.

"The villagers have always wanted to put statues for me, and some people even proposed to put my statues in front of every landmark building in the dream country, but I veccus pointed to his statue and explained to everyone, "but I can't break everyone's wishes, so I shaped this only collection In this tower, it is for villagers to visit on the first day of the New Year. This statue is inlaid on the chest, which is the 'Maple Star'.

"Is this the 'Maple Star'?" Everyone's faces are full of surprise and their eyes are full of suspicion. It's really inconspicuous, like an ordinary stone the size of a fist, which can't be found in the pile of stones. However, looking at Orcus' solemn expression, it was obvious that his words were true.

"Is this the 'Maple Star'? You're not kidding, are you?" Xia Feng said and wanted to touch the stone statue. Before he touched the stone, he was suddenly bounced away. He couldn't help asking, "What's going on?"

"There is a protective boundary laid by me and Cangling and Batilla on this stone statue, and no one can break through the triple protective boundary set by us!"

This made Yan Gonghai, who was just about to grab it, have to give up. Orcus sighed, "It's really too important to us, so we have to do our best to protect it!" Speaking of this, Orcus walked slowly to the window and pointed to the small town under the tower. "I took you to visit our villagers and visit our children today. I just want to tell you that this happy land with no struggle, no worries and peaceful coexistence of all ethnic groups is protected by this small stone. Once taken away, this happy land and the kind old people, lively children and simple villagers living happily on it will be swallowed up by the fierce beasts of the southern wilderness! For the sake of thousands of villagers in the dream country, please let everyone go!"

Speaking of this, the tall and burly Orcus suddenly lifted his robe and knelt down on one knee in front of the crowd. As he knelt down, the teenager and the wizard Batilla standing in the tower also knelt down and said in unison, "Please let us go!"