Chapter 35 — Reaching an Agreement

Yes, yes, yes—here, take it, take it, hurry along now and go break new ground with your right of exploration, and please never come back.

Had Gao Yang laid no groundwork beforehand and simply demanded the perpetual right of exploration from the outset, things might not have gone so smoothly. The greedy nature of nobles would have made them want to shave off a bit even in a matter like this—but with all that preparation, negotiating the right of exploration became far easier.

The king and dukes present reached a unanimous conclusion after scant discussion: the right of exploration itself ought to be recognized—recognized whether they liked it or not. Because when the right of exploration had first been signed, Anzu had not been the only nation involved. In fact, the four great human nations of that time, along with every tribe and nation bordering them, had all acknowledged this decree and pledged that it would remain in force forever. And among these "co-witnesses" were the elves of the Silver Empire from the far southern reaches of the continent...

Those mystifying, mumbo-jumbo elves—and so exceptionally long-lived.

Those fellows with an average lifespan of three thousand years and up, who wereextremely particular about rigor and good faith, were notoriously stubborn. When the perpetual Edict of Exploration had been signed, having an elf as one of the witnesses had been precisely for this reason: to make the decree seem more solemn, more credible, the four monarchs had even gone so far as to prepare an elvish-language copy and entrust it to the Silver Empire for safekeeping.

Though everyone knew the first generation of exploration knights could not live forever, humanity had insisted on drafting a decree bearing the mark of "perpetual," and furthermore had a long-lived race serve as witness—such, perhaps, was humanity's peculiar quirk...

At any rate, the elven representative of that time had muttered "humans really are strange" while carrying that copy back to his homeland, and then the Elven Queen had happily stamped it with her seal. In the blink of an eye seven hundred years had passed, and the Elven Queen—then merely a slip of a girl newly ascended to the throne—was now... still the Elven Queen...

She remembered perfectly well the seal she had stamped back then. Just try not recognizing it.

In any case, Gao Yang mentioned that if Anzu would not recognize the right of exploration, he would take his whole family on a journey halfway around the continent to seek refuge with the Silver Empire. After all, there was still plenty of undeveloped land around the elven forests, and among those elves were quite a few acquaintances of his who would surely get along famously with the Cecil family...

Their own founding ancestor, squeezed out at home and unable to stay, dragging his family off to live in trees on another race's territory—if word of that got out, how would anyone ever save face?

So everyone present was agreed that the right of expansion ought to be preserved—but just where, exactly, to expand... that would require some deliberation.

"Within the kingdom there is not one acre of wasteland fit for habitation; every inch of soil has its owner," said Aidan Alfred, the king's chancellor, rising to his feet. A steady man, Francis II's right hand, he knew the state of the whole kingdom like the back of his hand. "Beyond the kingdom's borders, the lands adjoining the other nations hold precious little wasteland either—and what there is, is dead ground where life has been cut off, such as the buffer zone of the ruined land of Gondor. Your Grace, where do you propose to expand?"

Gao Yang waved a hand. "Bring me the map."

The map was presented. One glance, and Gao Yang could not help frowning slightly.

Even though this world possessed convenient magic—Eagle Eye, Forest Sense, Surveying, and other such auxiliary arts could all help men draw maps—the map before him was still crude beyond measure, with no small problems even in its scale.

Compared with the "satellite view" in his mind, it was little better than a scribble.

Was it perhaps precisely because magic was too convenient that it had instead hindered the development of so many things?

Gao Cen thought this as he completed in his mind a comparison against an accurate map, then pointed his finger at a region on that crude chart. "I will start from here."

It was a mountain range adjoining the ruined land of Gondor and the border of Typhon.

The Dark Mountains.