CHAPTER 1323: CHAPTER 212: ERA OF UPHEAVAL (PART 1, 4000)

Sometimes, Campari National Domain can’t help but recall a starry night from one hundred and thirty years ago.

Back then, there was a minor issue with the energy system of Canaan Moore’s World Tree City, and the artificial star went dark for three months. The deity beneath the surface began to awaken, and all the civilian population of the great city was evacuated to the Gaia Plains, which marked the origin of the small towns around World Tree City.

At that time, as one of the Blood of the Ten Kings bound to live and die with the World Tree City, Campari, who was only at the Second Energy Level, didn’t have anything special to do. He simply swept away the ’root derivatives’ that would suddenly appear in the city, clearing away the distractions from that deity’s dreams, a task not unlike taking out the trash.

Meanwhile, those sublimators at the Third Energy Level and above had to head to the ’Tree Canopy’ to repair the artificial star, or proceed to the roots to support the ’Slumber’ System with their power.

It was at that time when the light of the artificial star dimmed, and a few stars in the sky were sparsely arranged in strange patterns, flickering with fluorescence.

Campari enjoyed sitting by the outer window after eliminating the root derivatives, glancing at the stars and then overlooking the earth below, the city lights.

The starlight above and the humans’ lights below—perhaps they were the same.

Back then, thoughts like these would involuntarily flash through young Campari’s mind. If each star in the sky represented a major city of the extraterrestrial beings, did the stars gradually extinguishing signify that they too faced human-like disasters leading to their extinction?

Just as if World Tree City failed to resolve the disaster of the energy source extinguishing and the awakening of the deity beneath, Canaan Moore would perish, and all the starlight on the ground would dim.

During those difficult three months, Campari kept pondering such questions, but until the artificial star restarted, he never found the answer.

He couldn’t even find the real question he wanted to ask.

As he gradually matured and learned more truths, Campari stopped pondering the stars in the sky because the human lights on the ground occupied all his attention.

The ’Extinguishing Light’ incident severely damaged the central prestige of Canaan Moore and intensified the conflict between the Sustenance Party and the Pillar Party. Both sides blamed each other’s mistakes for this extreme disaster, and direct confrontations between the Blood of the Ten Kings caused intense east-west standoffs and countless local civil wars.

This indirectly led to a series of small-scale rebellions, with dominions springing up like mushrooms after rain, and no amount of suppression was meaningful.

Only by reviving the economy and providing resources could the rebellions truly be quelled.

But, trade routes with the Empire in the northwest were cut off by mountains, the war with the Azure Sky Royal Court in the northeast had yet to end, and maritime routes were non-existent as the Empire’s South Ridge hadn’t reached the coast, with Whale Song Cliff and Far Sword Port being unsuitable trade partners...

Canaan Moore was trapped in a deadlock.

Although all this didn’t affect the rule of the Blood of the Ten Kings, they couldn’t allow their nation to decline since they viewed Canaan Moore as their property.

Thus, for the past hundred years, Canaan Moore, which had always been self-absorbed in internal strife, took the initiative to get closer to the Empire and the Azure Sky Royal Court, seeking to strengthen maritime trade and open up land trade routes on one hand, and negotiate a ceasefire with the Royal Court on the other.

Today, things have finally gotten on track—Canaan Moore is indeed not the most powerful force in this world, limited by the existence of World Tree City and the Blood of the Ten Kings, it could never become the overlord of the entire continent.

However, whichever side Canaan Moore leans toward will become the overlord... Thus, any party is willing to ally with the Elves.

Unless one side grows so powerful that it can dominate the continent without needing Canaan Moore... and suppress the entire world.

Just like the Black Sun of those days.

If Canaan Moore doesn’t wish to become a vassal of other nations, or a subject kneeling before an overlord, or if the Elves don’t want to become like the Seven Cities Alliance—a country not called The Empire yet being more closely tied to the Empire than typical border provinces.

They must bring down the sun to maintain a situation of one superpower and many strong forces on this continent.

Thus, the sun set, and the Empire fell from its peak.

All of this was achieved by Campar and two generations of the Fifth Energy Level Sustenance Department working together... Of course, there were other major forces secretly plotting, but they played crucial roles.

"Hiliard... I truly never defeated you once. The older I get, the more I find myself despicable, yet I understand more that if you were still alive, I’d be suppressed to the point of madness."

"Who would want someone trampling over them? Who hopes for someone not on their side to be so strong that the idea of surpassing them seems unimaginable? Yet there were two such people, and this possibility is simply suffocating."

"I never regret my decisions. However... today I saw your successor."

"He truly is stronger than you... stronger than both you and Yinaiga. Why could you all find each other, why could you work in perfect harmony instead of opposing each other? Why could your successors perfectly inherit all your strengths, being both wise and powerful; both wild and prudent?"

"If he were born in our era, perhaps I wouldn’t even harbor thoughts of scheming, but look up in admiration. Just like our juniors, who still stubbornly refuse to admit, yet have already accepted the fact of ’failure.’"