Chapter 86: The Legacy of Verdaris

"I majored in history at Starfire College. As a history major, like most academic majors, we are required to write a senior thesis in order to graduate. However, history majors must write a thesis related to our Empire's history. Thesis topics vary greatly and could be translating a dead language, reinterpreting historical text, uncovering new details about historical events and more. I chose for my thesis to analyze the key events that led up to the Battle of Verdaris."

"As I'm sure you know, before the Celestial Empire was established this continent was in a chaotic state where the majority of the people lived in city-states that usually centered around one very powerful beast-tamer responsible for protecting the nation. One such city-state, Verdaris, was said to not only be one of the most powerful, but also the most abundant in natural resources. It was as though their very land was blessed. When there was a famine throughout the region and all of the other nearby states were starving, they were the only ones left unscathed."

"Naturally their wealth caused them to be eyed by everyone around them. In order to establish a strong ally for themselves, they entered a political marriage with the neighbouring city-state of Sylvoria. Naturally this marriage would be between the daughter of Verdaris, to the ruler Sylvoria. However, on the night of the wedding, the ruler of Sylvoria decided to kill his fiancée and her entire family, desiring to take the fertile land for himself rather than share. However, not long after the Verdaris family died, the once fertile lands were also struck by a famine; before they eventually devolved into the barren deserts we now see beyond our nation's most southern borders."

"Most historians had assumed that the source of the Verdaris city-state's rich resources was due to the blessing of some extremely powerful spiritual creature contracted by the ruler. However, when I had analyzed the historical texts I'd received from abroad previously for an ancient languages course, I'd realized that similar stories had been replayed throughout history during different time periods, in different regions, and even on different continents. The protagonists of these stories, or at least the ones we know enough about, also all have different affinities. So I began to wonder what was causing these resource rich areas in otherwise deserted regions? It can't possibly be a contract."

"Therefore I took a trip to the most recent location where such a story had occurred, the northern region of our own Celestial Empire. It wasn't always such a frigid wasteland, you know? At least not completely. The northwestern portion used to be described as an abundant utopia. But now it's no different from the rest of the north.

"While I was acting as a visiting exchange student at Frozen Sun College I had visited an area I had believe to most closely match the location of that previously fertile zone. It was pretty much a dead zone, but while I was searching some ants grabbed some of the crumbs I'd dropped while eating lunch. They were just ordinary ants, with no spiritual power, yet somehow they were surviving in the freezing cold. I hadn't expected for there to be anything around me in the freezing cold, at least not anything without an Ice-attribute.

"I followed the ants and found a hidden hole in the snow where their colony was located. As I approached the hole, the surrounding temperature was slightly warmer, the air was fresher, and I felt as though I'd just woken up from an excellent night's rest, and not been tirelessly exploring the snow for days.

"I wasn't sure what was in there, but I felt strongly that it was likely what I'd gone there in search of. Or at least closely related to it. So I pushed down my disgust and dug through the ant colony to obtain this seed. And from the moment I first laid eyes on it, I knew it was special. My life's wish is to uncover its origin.

"However, unfortunately, that's where my capabilities end. I don't think I can uncover its mysteries or the true history of what happened back then. So, I'd like to give it to you. Hopefully, you can finish what I started."

Kain was stunned by the unexpected story and the seed. However, he couldn't bear to refuse it, especially not after feeling Eve's desperation for it. He knew that whatever this seed was, was of absolute importance to Eve. Therefore, it was of absolute importance to HIM.

"After you brought back the seed, nobody from either Starfire College or Frozen Sun, helped you investigate its origin? Surely they'd be more useful than me. I'm not even entering college as a history major."

Mr. Evergreen looked embarrassed. "When I told my professor my chosen thesis project, he thought it was a fool's errand and didn't support my idea. I had to change my topic, so technically when I got permission to do an exchange at Frozen Sun College, I was supposed to be investigating the history of one of their relics. All of the texts they lent me and resources they provided were supposed to be for that project, and that project only. I could have gotten into trouble for wasting valuable time and resources on investigating something off-topic.

"Although not a historian, you are now a beast-tamer. Therefore, you'll have the ability to travel to regions I could never hope to enter. This seed would be better off in your hands."

Kain no longer refused and tried to put it into his ring's space. However, unlike most seeds, it was rejected due to the strong aura of life it emitted. He could only place it into his bag to carry it home.

Kain originally came here to give Mr. Evergreen a gift, but instead he'd received something so valuable in exchange. He felt pretty guilty.

Therefore, Kain decided to take out two more containers from his stash of spiritual tea and place them on the desk before leaving.