Cthulhu Gonfalon

The Commonwealth of Mifata was indeed a strange place. Although it was a country, it had no government. Instead, there was a big parliament, consisting of the wizards in charge of managing the whole country. The parliament could be divided into two parts. One was the House of Commons, which consisted of the advanced wizards who were responsible for government affairs; fiscal revenues and the like. The other was the House of Lords, which consisted of the legendary wizards who were in charge of the foreign and military affairs. However, the legendary wizards were usually too busy to deal with government affairs.

“What have the legendary wizards been busy doing?” Sui Xiong asked with curiosity.

Ray thought for a while and said, “They have probably been occupied with studying how to break through their biological limits to become demigods. At least, the few legendary wizards I happen to know have been working on this the entire time.”

“You know some legendary wizards?”

“Well, I don’t know them, I’ve just met them. They probably didn’t even notice me at the time.” Ray laughed. “In my youth, I only ever came to the capital of the Commonwealth of Mifata, the Highest Pagoda, to study. I was very lucky that I got the chance to pay a visit to two legendary wizards as well as the Green we already know. Amongst the 14 legendary wizards in the Commonwealth of Mifata, I have met around five. I believe this would make many wizards of middle or low ranks feel jealous.”

“With your ability, not to mention your upbringing, you are already qualified to visit them,” Sui Xiong said. “Would it be possible for us to walk past a region controlled by one of these legendary wizards? I think we should at least pay one a visit.”

Ray thought for a while, then shook his head and said, “To be honest, I have no idea where they live. For example, I do know the Green Sea Dweller, but before we arrived at the Green Tree Town, I never knew he lived there.”

“Is the residential information of these legendary wizards supposed to be a secret?”

“I don’t think so. When I was young, I wasn’t interested in collecting this sort of information. When I got older, I began to show interest in it. I have…” Ray suddenly became gloomy and heaved a long sigh. Obviously, he had recalled something sad.

Sui Xiong patted his shoulder and comforted him. “Cheer up; one should never live in his own memory. You have a bright future. Why do you always trap yourself in the bad things that happened in the past?”

“You are right.” Ray nodded but still looked very gloomy. However, since he was an experienced adventurer and an expert at monitoring his emotions, he quickly became happy again and buried those sad memories deep in his heart.

The Commonwealth of Mifata consisted of many small towns, and was the magical pagoda guarding the country. It was a safe place to live, but once one walked out of the city, they could meet many evil monsters; even out on the road.

The southern part of the Main Plate was a highland, where magical power was very concentrated. That was why the wizards chose it as the location to build the magic pagoda. Because of the high concentration of magical power, many wizards gathered here, and a country of wizards formed. However, the place also invited many evil monsters to come. They were like weeds in the wilderness, and could never be totally cleared. Just when a patrol had killed some evil monsters in a certain area, more appeared out of nowhere.

Ray brandished his long sword, and cut a yelling Minotaur into four pieces. Then, while running, he stabbed a screaming Harpy through its heart. He kicked away a mutated Slime, and while usually a Slime could stand many physical attacks, it exploded into pieces when it hit a big tree. In the blink of an eye, tens of monsters were killed by Ray, their blood visible everywhere.

“Why there are so many monsters?” Sui Xiong said, rather confused. “I have never seen so many, neither in the Gray Stone Mountains nor the Ancient Wood Waste Swamp!”

Steele flew back while holding a wooden plate on her hand, which read, I have no idea!

Both Sui Xiong and Steel looked at Ray. Among the three, Ray was the only one who had ever been to the Commonwealth of Mifata.

“I don’t know, either. I used to take a boat to come here and landed on the White Tower Bay, then arrived at the Highest Tower via transportation spell,” Ray said. “Later, when I began my studies, I never left the Highest Pagoda. As for what on earth Mifata is really like, I only read about it in books.”

“One buries himself in the classics and ignores what is going on beyond one’s immediate surroundings—you are just like a student who only experienced the test-oriented examination!” Sui Xiong said.

“What’s the test-oriented examination?”

“Well, a test-oriented examination requires a student to concentrate on nothing but on his studies.”

“That doesn’t sound bad,” Ray smiled. “It is a peaceful and quiet life. Besides, my teacher always wanted me to be a scholar, not a knight who always gets himself into fights with others.”

Hearing this, Steele laughed and took out a wood plate and wrote two lines on it, which read: A scholar who kills others and burns their homes as well? Or someone who majors in banditry?

Ray forced a smile and shook his head.

Then Sui Xiong asked, “How about now? Do you want to be a scholar or a knight? Or have you made up your mind to be a successful bandit?”

“Ideally, I would want to be a knight,” Ray said, “but I don’t think that would be possible, since being a knight is really difficult.”

“I don’t think so. You are already close to becoming a strong man of the legendary world. If you aren’t qualified to be a knight, nobody is!”

Ray sighed and said, “It has nothing to do one’s ability. Rather, it has to do with one’s morality. To be a knight, one needs to be modest, honorable, dedicated, brave, sympathetic, pious, just, and honest… I don’t think there is any need to elaborate. Anyway, I don’t have any of the qualities I mentioned before, so even if I am very powerful, I can never be a qualified knight.”

“It seems that being a knight is a very noble thing…” Sui Xiong murmured. “I never thought one needs to be such a moral model before becoming a knight…”

Steele laughed, and took out a wooden plate, which said: Liar!

“Liar! What do you mean by that?” Sui Xiong asked in curiosity. Seeing that Steele was going to take out another wooden plate, Sui Xiong waved his tentacles and practiced a spell so Steel could temporarily talk in a language that everyone understood.

“The so-called virtues of a knight is just a show when one is knighted: an overlord or a bishop was holding the ceremony, and the knighted knight put on a show and made a vow–in fact, no one would really conform to his vows.” Steele smiled, “I have seen many knights before. Not one of them have all eight virtues you have mentioned, let alone even four among the eight.”

“Really?”

“Of course.” Steele took out a wood plate and wrote the eight words mentioned above on the plate and began to explain them one by one. “Being modest means a knight should be modest to everyone, never be proud or domineering. In fact, most of the capable men are quite arrogant, only the weak ones would be modest. As for the knights I have met, they are only modest to people who are of higher rank than them.”

“Well, I think they are barely qualified to be modest.” Sui Xiong said.

“Fine, as you have put it, they are barely qualified for being modest,” Steele said. “Being honorable means a knight should defend his honor and never do anything that would sabotage it. He would take any risk to protect his honor. This quality has often be talked about among the knights, and they usually say things like, ‘My honor is my life’; but when the time really comes, and they have to make some sacrifice to protect their honor, most of them hesitate. In fact, I am lucky I have met knights who would really do anything to protect their honor.”

“And this is another virtue.”

“There is no need to talk about being dedicated, since the knight are the warriors who are loyal to a certain overlord or a church. What is the point of being a knight if he is frightened and runs away in a fight? So of course, most knights are very dedicated.”

“Now two and a half virtues are confirmed.”

“As for being brave; many hotheads can be brave. But a hothead can never become a knight, and those who become knights are not brave anymore,” Steele said. “As for the knights who are also in the aristocracy, basically none of them are brave. Still, there are some brave knights among the knights of the Church.”

“Does that count as a virtue?”

“At most, it counts as half a virtue,” Steele said. “As for being sympathetic, I have never met anyone who was sympathetic. When you meet someone who is, please show me. Moreover, not a single knight who is also an aristocracy is pious. Well, the knights of a church have their own beliefs, but what they believe in is not justice, or an axiom, but their own God; even if their God is an evil one.”

“So they are also pious, you mean?” Sui Xiong said.

“Well, some may feel so, but I never count on those who fanatically believe their God. I don’t really believe those willing to fight against anyone who disagrees with their God are pious.”

Sui Xiong laughed and said, “I agree with you.”

“Being honest and just? Well, I have never seen a knight who had both qualities, and plus being sympathetic, which is also very rare. In short, I have never seen anyone among the knight or the aristocracy who are honest, just, or sympathetic.” Steele laughed.

Now, there were only three virtues that had not been talked about.

Sui Xiong turned to Ray and saw he was gloomy. Obviously, he was very unhappy about the comments Steele made about the knights.

“Apart from his ability, one can be a real knight if he have got all the eight virtues.” Ray emphasized, “besides, not only among the knight, but also in all walks of life, there would be someone who is not qualified–and among the aristocracy, they have also got their own standards to decide whether a man is virtuous or not, but few can really be virtuous.”

Steele laughed and said, “The aristocracy sucks! Look at me: have I got any other shortcomings apart from being a bit promiscuous? And I have been deprived of the right of inheritance…”

“You are not a bit promiscuous, you are too promiscuous!”

“Never mind! It’s my private business…”

Ray and Steele began to argue with each other again. While they were arguing, Sui Xiong secretly thought he should probably hold the ceremony to confer titles of nobility to Ray when his church was finally built.

Okay, I’ll do that! Ray thought.