One thousand three hundred and fifty years ago, an enduring legend emerged that still roams in our present day. Many people are unaware of this, especially the lower strata who do not frequent places like schools and churches. Those who are aware of this often share the legend in casual conversations, adding flavor to otherwise mundane chats, and making the time more enjoyable.
The most beautiful aspect of this legend is that it hasn't emerged from a single source. It is the child of the eight legends that came before it. Describing those eight legends could take years, but I'll still give you a brief summary of a few of them.
Before delving into those eight legends, there's an even older tale from times unknown, a legend of a very ancient event whose occurrence remains shrouded in mystery. It's referred to as the Legend of Extinction, but I believe it could also be called the Legend of Genesis.
While people were living happily and peace reigned on Earth, hundreds of meteorites fell to the world. These meteorites varied in size from that of a house to that of a mountain. As a result, almost the majority of the people living on Earth have perished. That's why people refer to it as a tale of extinction, but as I mentioned before, it's quite the opposite. Due to the increasing number of individuals surpassing a certain threshold, it's the world's way of rejuvenating itself. Thus, while much of humanity may have been wiped out, it created a clean and abundant environment for those who remained. And that's why, in a way, it's also a story of genesis.
Even today, many scholars passionately debate this topic. In fact, the outcome of these debates can escalate to the point of physical altercations and even duels, resulting in death.
After the tale of Genesis – now referred to as the legend of Genesis – it's time to delve into the legends of birth. These legends, on the other hand, contain subjects that are even more challenging to discuss from a philosophical perspective. Imagination. Because nearly ninety percent of scholars believe that these legends are products of imagination. The reason for this is the presence of highly extravagant and exaggerated sentences. Furthermore, since there has been no witness to these legends, and no one has emerged to provide proof, it remains unverified.
One of these eight legends belongs to the Yellow King Julian. Born a century after the legend of Genesis, he suffered indescribable pain. One of the simplest forms of suffering was being born with an illness, resulting in a frail body. But one day, when everyone in his village and family perished in a raid by bandits, he fled with all his might and faced his inevitable fate at the foot of a mountain.
This unavoidable fate led him to a strange yet small stone found in the remains of an ancient meteor, which would set him on a journey to become a king. Everyone talks about it as a stone, but there's unanimous agreement that these stones are not ordinary; they consist of precious gems like rubies and diamonds. Thanks to the stone he found, the illness of Yellow King Julian was cured, and his strength increased exponentially. Thus, he smashed through obstacles in his path with his fist, becoming a king, and uniting the Dawn Continent under a single realm.
Even now, in the Dawn Continent, he's spoken of with respect, and offerings are made in his name.
Another legend is the story of Rain Dragon Yulong. Yulong was born a princess in the Great Xia Kingdom, located in the Drifting Continent. While being the kingdom's second-born princess might seem fortunate, it's far from the truth because her birth date coincided with an event that led to the transformation of the Great Xia into what is now known as the Little Xia. In fact, she even took her name 'Yulong' from this event. This event, however, is not merely a simple natural occurrence; it's a massive flood disaster. The moment she was born, clouds had gathered in the sky, spanning the heavens like night, and unleashed a torrential rain that submerged the entire Great Xia, subjecting it to decades of ceaseless downpour. Hence, she was dubbed the 'Cursed Princess' for a while and was ostracized by her family and the entire populace. In fact, the people couldn't bear it any longer and wanted to offer her as a sacrifice to the gods. Even her father, the king, had to reluctantly agree, sealing the princess's fate.
Unfortunately, if the story had ended there, it wouldn't have become a legend. Ignoring the princess's pleas, the unyielding crowd, along with the royal family, set out towards the altar hill under the never-ending downpour, intending to offer her as a sacrifice. After facing thousands of calamities on their journey, only a handful of people remained out of the hundreds of thousands, but in the end, they succeeded. On the sacrificial platform, thousands of people were now convinced that the misfortune had indeed originated from the princess. They chose the king, her father, as the one to offer the sacrifice. With tears that were indistinguishable from raindrops streaming down his face due to the rain, he stood beside his daughter, holding a slender sword. In front of thousands of people and a royal family filled with resentment, just as the king was about to drive the sword into the princess's heart, a turquoise light started to shine from a pendant on the princess's chest, and with a burst of power strong enough to fling the sword tens of meters away, it exploded. Subsequently, the light from the pendant gathered the massive water masses around, transforming into a dragon that submerged everyone present in the water. Afterward, the surviving princess vanished barefoot to the west of the Great Xia, into the forbidden territories of the Drifting Continent.
And that was yet another legend. Of course, we haven't reached the most exciting part yet. These two legends are only two of the eight birthing legends. We should also touch upon one of the eight birthing legends that led to the birth of the ninth legend, but I'll keep it brief.
This legend emerged from the mouth of an elderly woman who had lived for two hundred years. She is one of the eight legends and is a real person with solid evidence. The thousands of people living in her era, along with texts and documents, confirm this. Even though the name of the woman has been erased from most texts, everyone refers to her as "Mother." She has gained people's trust with her prophecies. The situations where what she said turned out to be the opposite are very, very rare. Many people believe that she could truly see the future rather than just making prophecies.
The ninth legend was also born from one of her prophecies.
According to the prophecy and the legend, the eight legends will unite and give birth to the ninth legend. The person mentioned in this legend will become a hero and rule the world by uniting the nine legends.
This legend compels us to delve into why these legends are considered legends. Although there isn't a specific legend about it, there's a rumor circulating among people, resembling a legendary tale. The rumor of the Nine Stones.
According to the rumor, the reason for the formation of these legends is nine different stones, each possessing unique powers. For example, Mother possesses a stone that grants her the power of foreseeing the future and making prophecies. In Yulong's case, her birth during rain and being saved by a dragon formed from raindrops due to the stone in her necklace lead us to the same conclusion once again.
Even though there is no proven instance of any of these nine stones' abilities or their actual existence, people attribute certain supernatural miracles to these stones.
The reason for this, from my perspective, can be explained entirely by fear. People fear what they don't know or haven't seen. In fact, I believe that the primary reason for a person's fear is this. Something you know is always less frightening than something you don't know because based on whether you know the outcome of your actions, you can anticipate how things will turn out.
Anyway, if I continue to write aimlessly, I sense that you might get annoyed and stop reading my book, so let's begin our story.
Legends, legends, legends!
Eight heroes! Nine stones! Endless battles and a world filled with pain!
Lean back and witness the birth of a new legend!
This is not the story of the suffering, the fallen in battle, the oppressed, or the hungry!
This is the story of the almighty!
This is the story of William!
Dugut Calendar, 738.Today, the sun was scorching the capital of the empire as if there were a colossal cauldron right within the heart of the city. Imperial officials, meticulously tending to the cobblestone roads, were nearly present on every corner. Dozens of barrels filled with water had been placed at every corner, each attended by an official who poured the water onto the roads.People seemed to have no desire to do anything today as if they wished to avoid the scorching heat at all costs. They sought out the shadiest spots they could find, often beneath the canopies of densely-leaved trees, and had taken refuge under makeshift leather shelters, resembling small tents.The interiors of houses and most buildings were still chill because they had been quickly constructed using a newly discovered mud-like substance. They weren't like wooden houses and instead, they absorbed the heat, turning the interiors into chilly lands.Normally, there should have been thousands of people out o
"So, you're offering a bribe and denying it at the same time?" He decided to crank up the amusement, elevating the tension of this dull and stifling day even further. He couldn't help it; he was thoroughly exasperated, and this action definitely aligned with his character.The other imperial guard across the table attempted to apologize and defuse the situation, aiming to talk and then send the young couple away with just a few silver coins lost. However, right at that moment, the voice of the young man echoed throughout the tea house."Enough, I'm tired of this!" As he turned his head, he witnessed the young man's dagger being drawn from his waist at an incredible speed, and in an instant, as if slicing through a straw puppet, the young man easily severed his friend's throat(Imperial Guards friend).In an instant, he saw the splatter of blood from the deep gash on his friend's throat hit his face, and simultaneously, he lunged for his sword. A seasoned soldier with battle experience
Dugut Calendar, 713.Today, the palace was different from its usual state. Servants rushed through the palace's grand corridors, which could easily accommodate a few elephants, carrying trays of food, pitchers of drinks, and various decorations. They were all mostly running to the same place. The throne room.Inside the corridor leading to the throne room, aside from the servants, there was a mother and her son. The mother had brown hair that was braided back. She wore a dress with a wide skirt and a tightly laced bodice. The dress, in a shade of turquoise, had white silk tulle at the bottom that constantly brushed against the red carpet on the floor.The woman's hand was being held by a young boy. Although referring to him as a "young boy" might seem rude, it would be more accurate to call him a beautiful young man. His long hair, much like his mother's, was braided and draped down his back. The only difference in their beauty was that his hair was as white as clouds, unlike his moth
The sudden movement startled the little child in his lap so much that for a moment, the fear competed with the shame of wetting himself, and ultimately, embarrassment won. Just in time, he managed to restrain himself and looked at his father with fear.The elderly man comforted him by gently stroking his head and began to speak."Enough! Did I gather you all here to fight?" After everyone fell silent, he gestured with his head towards a man dressed in flowing yellow robes, seated in the middle of the table with a bald head and a gentle face.With one hand, he picked up one of the large drumsticks from the table and began to devour it savagely while listening to the bald man.The bald man stood up and started speaking in a voice as delicate as his face, raising his tone a bit. "Today, our purpose of gathering here is to determine the Crown Prince!"When this sentence cut straight to the point, leaving almost no room for debate, everyone in the room pursed their lips. Everyone in the ro
A week later, the emperor's seal appeared at the Palace of the Tranquil River. A eunuch announced that he had brought the emperor's edict and summoned the third concubine and her servants to the garden to accept the edict.The third concubine arrived with a small white-haired child in her arms. Her hurried demeanor and the unfinished makeup on her face showed her anxiety and haste to receive the edict.The concubine bowed, letting her beautiful face face the floor. The small child standing beside her did not understand anything.The eunuch was bald and thin, and his age was definitely over forty, but his skin still retained the smoothness of a much younger person. In his delicate-looking hand, he was holding a parchment with a golden-yellow sheen. As soon as the third concubine arrived, he opened it as if he were in a hurry and read it quickly."From today, the Ninth Prince will be the ruler of Highrock City! The Third Concubine will remain by his side until he is sixteen years old to
"Mother, will we live here from now on?" The white-haired little boy looked out of the carriage window at the gloomy town that seemed to be perched on a mountaintop. He smiled, seemingly oblivious to almost everything.It could be said that he had very little understanding of what was going on around him. With excitement, he watched the elderly farmers and shepherds along the roadside, waving at them constantly, even if he didn't always get a response.The mountain they were traveling to was known as Highrock Mountain, and the town nestled between its peak and base was called Highrock City.The mountain itself, from which it took its name, was almost barren, consisting mostly of barren rocks, except for a few trees that had been planted in recent years. The city had been built for defense purposes during a war about a century and a half ago, and no one could have predicted that it would grow into a proper city.After the war, the area was abandoned and turned into a makeshift settleme
The old man sat at the head of the great table in the main hall of the castle, examining a large parchment. His eyebrows were furrowed like they hadn't been in ten years. Even when he had heard that his daughter had been exiled from the capital to this city, he hadn't felt this bad. In his eyes, the family came before everything else.Sitting next to him was a middle-aged man who seemed to be trying to show off his slightly better financial situation with the ornaments on his plain linen clothes. A sycophantic smile had settled on his face, and although the man in front of him had heard of Baron Albert's reputation, he didn't seem the least bit concerned.Baron Albert was a man of iron will. He had fought dozens of battles in his life, starting as a peasant, and in each one he had fought bravely and made a name for himself. First, his success in battle had earned him the title of knight, and then he had risen to the rank of baron, a noble title.Now he farmed the land he had been give
The young prince was very unhappy today. Since he arrived in this city, it seemed as if he had nothing to do. His usual servants seemed unhappy, adding to his gloom and making him even more miserable.Every action they took was lackluster, and now the young prince didn't even seem to have the status of a prince in their eyes. He seemed to be just an ordinary child for them to take care of.Even his mother, the third concubine, was unhappy and bored. Every time she looked at her son, she saw not her son, but the years of effort and sacrifice going to waste. With a single gesture, she dismissed all the servants from the room. She instructed the fleeing servants to clear this floor of the castle behind them in a frenzy.This was the fourth floor of the four-story castle, and currently, besides the two imperial guards at the door, there were only the young prince and his mother. The bored concubine went to the door and asked the two guards."Where is Albert?" There was an eager anticipati