CHAPTER 488: CHAPTER 423 THE NAME BESTOWED BY GOD_2

"Or perhaps... history no longer repeats itself,

and the journey to find God that they saw in their own eyes was actually a thorough exile?

No one knew the answer to the question, and the exiles could only endure the torment of hunger and thirst, fighting with death under the leadership of Nimirda, until they found a suitable place to settle.

No one cared anymore whether this settlement was more beautiful than the Nus Kingdom, or if it was a brand new utopia.

It was good enough just to survive.

.........

Seven days later.

Just as the people of Logos were about to endure no longer and were on the verge of a thorough rebellion,

they unexpectedly encountered a suitable place to settle.

Thousands upon thousands of Logos people trekked across the vast grasslands and came to a place where forests and coastlines intertwined, the gurgling sound of water signified hope for life, and they finally found their settlement.

No one cared anymore whether this place was more beautiful than the Nus Kingdom, or if it was a brand new utopia; the excitement of salvation not only dispersed everything but momentarily taught people to forget.

The exiles only knew that they had survived, that they could finally keep on living.

The people cheered and leapt for joy, kissing the earth beneath their feet and joining their hands in gratitude for God’s gift, singing hymns of praise over and over, extolling the greatness of God.

And Nimirda...

At this moment, the people respected him as sheep respect the lead ram; to this day, no one dared to question his leadership, or to maliciously speculate on the mission he carried, or to slander with ill-intent. All such defamation had vanished; he was the king of this kingdom, a brand new Dertulian.

.........

This was not an ideal home.

The Elves were resilient, with lifespans and physical conditions far surpassing other races, but this did not mean they could thrive anywhere.

The nascent kingdom was plagued by innumerable problems, and not just simple maladaptation. The world beneath their feet was like a newborn baby; the Secret Forest lacked sufficient wild animals for hunting, the freshwater on the ground was barely enough for daily needs, and there was no room for waste. The fish near the coast were not plentiful and, even with the assistance of captured Merfolk, they only had sufficient catch during the breeding season; otherwise, efforts were futile.

This place was the only suitable settlement for miles around. Nimirda had sent many Logos scouts in different directions to explore further afield, but all had returned empty-handed.

Despite the many obstacles, the Logos people no longer had a choice. Their migration across the grasslands had left a deep impression on them, and they felt that as long as they could survive, no adversity was fearsome.

Thus, the New Kingdom was established here. Following tradition, Nimirda, the king, appointed another king. Under the leadership of the twin kings, the Logos people began to fell trees, till the wilderness, and spread wheat seeds. They crossed the grasslands, collected stone from distant places, and went to great lengths to transport them back to the New Kingdom for construction needs.

They gradually built up rough communal longhouses, with streets varying in size and seemingly laid out at random. The area with the most houses naturally became the city center. They put the unslaughtered cattle and sheep out to graze on the grasslands and cared for them diligently, while the captured Merfolk brought fish seeds from the deep sea and planted small-scale fish farms along the coast.

The first few years of the New Kingdom’s establishment were the most difficult times; hunger and disease never strayed far, and people continued to die at dawn on the following day. Yet, under Nimirda’s rule, the Logos people survived these times filled with hardship.

How did Nimirda govern?

Po Han, a witness among the Merfolk, observed the new king’s array of tactics. The king often treated specific Elves with a gentle touch, but acted cruel and mercilessly when dealing with communal affairs.

Nimirda, emulating the Three-eyed Ape People, humans, Dwarves, and other races, established a curfew and a system of reporting. He decreed that every Elf must retire to their home after sunset and return to labor at the first light of dawn. Apart from prayers and meals, the Elves had less than an hour’s rest, and if anyone disobeyed and was reported by others, Nimirda would inflict brutal punishment, while the informer would receive a generous reward.

Under the great prestige of the "new Dertulian," the harsh rule was not met with fierce resistance or rebellion. On the other hand, it was also because the Logos people had gone through the difficult migration across the grasslands and realized their current situation—just surviving was good enough.

As the New Kingdom slowly emerged from its initial predicaments, although it was still far from prosperous, death began to be less frequent. The Logos people obeyed King Nimirda’s various decrees and considered their hardships as God’s arrangement, seeing them as necessary trials.

Po Han wondered if it was his misconception, but he found that King Nimirda seemed to be gradually deifying himself.

"The Twin Kings Book," this is the word of God; God has made arrangements for us, our fate is proving every Scripture written there.

Recite it, recite, pray with its words, only then can the true New Kingdom be established!"

King Nimirda declared to the people from the steps of the Palace.

First, the new king listed the "Twin Kings Book," which recorded the deeds of King Dertulian, as an essential Scripture for morning prayer, and several years later, with the priests’ endorsement, he placed the "Twin Kings Book" at the forefront of the four Holy Scriptures, granting it far greater status than the other Holy Scriptures.

Even though the New Kingdom had escaped its initial hardships and no longer worried about survival or demise, the utopia the Logos people had hoped for upon setting sail never arrived. On the contrary, the difficult living environment shaped a compliant side of the Logos people. King Nimirda’s various new regulations transformed from temporary to long-term, and long-term to permanent. The Logos people could only watch as their free life gradually drifted away.

Inside the Palace.

King Nimirda sat in his study, the crown forged of gold and silver placed in one corner of his desk. He caressed the papyrus before him, staring at each character on it.

A poisonous snake coiled around the corner of the desk, hissing softly as it flicked its forked tongue and slowly crawled across the desktop.

"Po Han, how long has it been since we landed?"

Faced with Nimirda’s question, Po Han quickly provided an answer,

"It’s been... ten years, I suppose."

King Nimirda smiled, stretching his hand out to stroke the snake’s head,

"Ten years... have practically flown by.

Who would have thought that in just ten years,

my kingdom would go from nothing to such wealth."

Po Han hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly,

"Perhaps... it’s not yet prosperous..."

Releasing the snake, King Nimirda said leisurely,

"It is prosperous enough...

You see, this is a barren land... that should not have allowed the footsteps of reason.

Yet here, there is a place that is just suitable for survival,

its existence is so abrupt that it’s as though it’s a piece of land bestowed upon us by God."

As those words fell, Po Han seemed somewhat dazed.

For a moment he wasn’t sure whether Nimirda, when saying "a piece of land bestowed upon us by God," had truly received God’s will or if it was merely a kind of charlatan’s rhetoric.

Even though Po Han would rather believe the latter, the reality that the former was more possible confronted him. The New Kingdom had been established, springing from the wilderness as if by an ironclad fact.

King Nimirda rose to his feet and took a map from the bookshelf.

It was newly drawn. The new king leaned over, his fingers tracing the paper, their kingdom’s borders now wide, the Royal City flourishing, and everything thriving.

"The New Kingdom... we shouldn’t call it the New Kingdom anymore... that is but a placeholder.

It should... have a name of its own."

Po Han’s gaze was drawn to the snake, which slowly moved toward the crown on the desk, its serpentine body encircling it.

He asked subconsciously,

"So... what should it be called?"

King Nimirda said slowly,

"Life... is a return,

King Dertulian built Nus Kingdom to return to the age when God had never left.

And in times much more ancient, the children of God were given language on the wild land.

Now we follow God’s arrangement, coming to this equally wild land.

Logos, this is the Land of Logos."

Logos...

In the ancient times,

that was the name endowed by God.