why don't MC change the world
As for the newly appointed Duke of Star Lake, due to his gentle attitude towards governance (he did not care about it), his lack of taxation (he had no ambition), and his freedom (he had no sense of existence), he soon gained a good reputation in the fiefs and villages.
However, this made some people rather dissatisfied.
"That's it?"
During a martial arts class one day, Mallos was summoned to the capital for something at the last minute. D.D, who was in charge of training, relaxed and complained to the prince in the "lumberyard". "I thought that with your courage, wisdom, and knowledge, you would do something… different in Star Lake Castle?"
Thales raised his wooden sword and exchanged blows with Wya as he replied,
"Very good, Wya. I like this move—something different, like?"
D.D. flicked his armor, feeling bored.
"I don't know. Reform, improve, innovate, and improve? Just like some knights' poems said, a knight with broad horizons obtained his own fiefdom, enacted a new policy to sweep away all of his lingering problems, accumulate land troops and food, and finally become a developed and advanced country. He swept through the world and created history?"
Thales smiled.
"Reform, improve, innovate, improve."
With a flip of his hand, he swung his sword.
"Very good, Your Highness." The attendant was indescribably surprised. "Compared to Dragon Clouds City, you have improved a lot. You have even mastered the Power of Eradication."
"Practice makes perfect." Thales pressed down on his aching left wrist and revealed a fake smile.
He tossed the wooden sword to Wya and prepared to rest while answering Doyle's question.
"It's not that I don't want to bring about change, D.D., it's just that…"
Thales was silent for a while.
"Do you know how many types of farmers and workers are in this field? How are they categorized, how are their origins, where are their hometowns, how many people are in their homes, how many farm tools are there in their livestock, how many land and farmhouses are there? How are their daily lives, how do they work, how many jobs are there, how many tasks are there in a year, how are the man and woman's jobs different, how are they compatible with each other, how many crops and products are produced in an orderly fashion, how many things are self-sufficient, which products are exchanged at the market, who should be responsible for reporting to whom, what ratio and rules are used to hand over money or physical items, what kind of friends have the most contact with each other, what kind of entertainment is used outside of labor, what kind of meals are used as staple food, what preferences are used for rest, what topics to talk about, what holidays are they celebrated, how are they dealt with, how are their family's beliefs, how are they going to treat illnesses, and social ceremonies?"
These words attracted the attention of many people. Glover, who came up with clothes and a towel, and Paul, who was practicing his swordsmanship by the side paused at the same time.
After hearing this long speech, D.D stared at him in a daze and shook his head.
Thales smiled.
"Very good, because I don't know either."
The prince turned around and sighed.
"But these people, they were born here, lived here, and died here. They understood this land better than anyone else for hundreds or thousands of years. What makes me think that a so-called Duke of Star Lake, who has just descended from the sky and is untainted by mud, can have wisdom and knowledge that is deeper and more professional than theirs, and can adapt to the local ecology to guide them on how to live a better life?"
"I am not Brother Morhasa, D.D., nor am I a prophet who descended from the sky. That occupation only exists in the Sunset Scriptures, and I am not that arrogant. I am arrogant to the point where I can see through history and point out the direction of the 'future' to the murky world."
Thales snapped out of his daze and patted Doyle's shoulder.
"Let's go home. I remember that Kusta caught two wild boars in the trap in Hunting Forest today. The logistics wing also hired a new cook. Dinner shouldn't be too monotonous."
D.D. nodded dumbly.
"But as you said, it has always been like this, and it may not be right."
Wya's words made Thales stop in his tracks.
"Just like what you did in Dragon Clouds City," Wya said in a deep voice, "Your shocking feat broke the thousand-year-old shackles of Northland and brought new life to us. Only then did you turn the situation around and witness history."
The attendant looked at Thales' back. "Perhaps the people of this land have developed habits and wisdom due to the accumulation of time and history, but if they remain the same, they will inevitably follow the old ways. Perhaps, sometimes, it is necessary for wise and decisive rulers like you to bring about change and innovation, just like the countless reforms in the kingdom's history?"
Thales had his back to him and did not speak for a long time.
Until he exhaled.
"Yes, thank you for the reminder, Wya."
He turned around and faced everyone in the training field.
"But if I say what I learned six or seven years after the Night of Dragon's Blood," Thales smiled, "perhaps, it's humility."
Wya was stunned.
Thales took the towel from Glover, wiped his face, and took off his protective gear.
"The head of the Single-Winged Crows, the Lord of Wing Castle, Derek Kroma once told me a small story."
"Do you know when the messenger crow appeared?"
Everyone on the training ground looked at each other.
"Ancient Empire."
The person who answered was Glover. He said seriously,
"On a large scale, Emperor Komora used messenger crows to transmit military information. They played an important role in the war, allowing him to command the army with unbelievable efficiency and control the entire situation. He far surpassed his opponents of the same generation and won the initiative."
"Even after the conquest was completed, the messenger crows were of great use," Paul continued. "No matter how far the territory was from each other, and no matter how many messages were sent, the emperor who presided over the royal territories was able to firmly rule all the major provinces and make a sect. This increased the effectiveness of governance, strengthened the cohesion of the Empire, and weakened the possibility of division. It was an important factor that allowed the Empire to maintain its rule after the epic conquest."
Listening to their answers, Thales nodded.
"Correct."
"But that was not the first time the Ravens appeared. It was not their first time on the stage of history."
Thales searched his memory.
"About seven hundred years ago during the Calendar of Kings, which was two hundred years before the birth of the emperor, a… a wise man discovered that certain special birds would react differently to specific magnets. This could be the reason why they could travel thousands of miles without getting lost. The Raven Technique originated from that."
"Soon, one of the kings of Western Waves Cliff decided to put a batch of meticulously cultivated and trained messenger crows into use. They would replace the communication channels between the city states, and replace all messengers, mail, and flint. 'I have captured civilization and the future,' he said with great courage and hope.
Thales paused for a moment.
"But the situation is not that simple."
"The Ravens are very new, fast, and convenient, but their skills are far from mature. The cost of training and cultivation is high, and the cost of raising them for a year is enough to feed an ordinary family. The period and effect of their training is also not satisfactory."
Thales' tone became heavier.
"However, the king still firmly believed that the messenger crow was the future. For this, he did not hesitate to pay any price, ignored all the contradicting admonitions, and insisted on using the messenger crow. As a result, the tax on the kingdom increased."
"Soon, the messenger crows became a new trend. For a period of time, the entire kingdom fought to gather bird seeds, build birdhouses, grow bird food, and dig magnetic mines. There was a story that recorded that a poor family lived a difficult life. They kept their supplies and fed the messenger crows, but they starved their children to death."
Hearing this, Wya sighed softly.
Ralf tightened his grip.
"Secondly, the appearance of the messenger crows affected the lives of many people—suzerains, nobles, priests, messengers, postmen, guards, and even heralds and sentinels. These were direct and indirect influences. There were also scholars who held pens, copywriters, poets who were used to writing long stories, but butlers who collected rents. Some lost their jobs, some changed their careers, some protested, and some insisted on using past methods of communication…"
Paul looked thoughtful.
"That's not all. Because of the existence of the messenger crows, many information was released an hour ago, and the suzerains learned about it an hour later. So, the time the farmers paid their rent, the deadline for taxation, the pace of the craftsmen's work, the fluctuations in the market price, and everything else were brought up again. Everyone's lives were turned upside down. They were at a loss and tried their best to catch up to the messenger crows' pace—or rather, the king's pace could not be reached. They were tortured and suffered indescribably."
Glover frowned.
Thales took off his last piece of protective equipment and faced the setting sun of the Western Hills with ease.
"But the king is so superstitious about progress and civilization. He believes that the setback before his eyes is just a momentary pain. A moment of sacrifice must be compensated. In the end, Raven Technology will accelerate his output, make communication efficient, and eventually make the country strong and rich, thus solving all problems."
Thales gradually fell into a daze.
"But he is right," Glover could not help but say. "In the Emperor's conquest and rule, the Raven is indispensable."
Thales only smiled.
D.D. looked at this one, then at the other. She was filled with puzzlement.
"In the end, due to many factors, the Raven King was arrested and killed, the Raven House was destroyed, the Raven Tamer was hanged, and the king who 'seized the future' was driven off the stage by the endless uprisings.
Thales raised his head.
"Before he died, he cried and questioned the God of Light in the heavens, 'Why? What I promised this world was clearly a technology that could change everything. It was a merit that was destined to be passed down for generations. It was the best civilization and future!'"
Thales ended the story in a low voice.
"The Raven's first application in the world has failed."
"It will be two hundred years later when the Great Emperor starts his army, the Empire conquers, and the Raven is accepted by more people."
As soon as he finished speaking, the soft chirping of birds returning to their nests could be heard from the distant forest.
Paul closed his eyes.
"What a pity."
The people on the training field were silent for a while, until Wya asked tentatively,
"Are you saying that the king is too arrogant and not humble enough?"
Thales nodded and shook his head.
"According to historical records, the King of the Western Waves, who is known as the 'Crow King', 'has great ambitions and is obsessed with heights. He dotes on birds, abuses the people, and loses sight of what is before him'."
"Indeed."
Paul sighed.
"If this king takes things step by step and applies them on a small scale, instead of rushing for quick results, if he cares about the people, knows about the situation of the people, understands the political situation, and slowly moves forward, if he waits for his skills to mature before…"
"If."
Thales interrupted Paul. He stared at the horizon in a daze.
"If?"
"Yes, we can always be so confident in finding reasons for history and simply finding explanations for the past."
Paul was puzzled.
Thales continued to speak, "But from the Raven Lord to the Great Emperor, during the two hundred years that the Ravens were abandoned, was it the world's attitude and reaction to the Ravens, was it the inevitable 'step-by-step' of history, or was it the consequence of humans being 'eager for quick results'?"
The Star Lake Guards exchanged glances with each other, expressing their confusion over the topic and the duke's question.
But Thales was still lost in thought. He muttered to himself,
"The tragedy of the Crow Lord is lamentable, but is it inevitable? Is it unavoidable? Is it not something we can solve by standing in the future, no matter how much nonsense we say, 'if only it would be better'?"
"Are those two hundred years necessary sacrifices, or unnecessary waste and blindness?"
"As for us, how should we maintain our humility and not lose our enthusiasm?"
These words caused many people to react differently. Some lowered their heads in deep thought, while others were confused.
"Your Highness?"
Wya leaned forward worriedly.
"I don't know, Wya." Thales shook his head. "I really don't know."
"These people on our land, suzerains, farmers, merchants, craftsmen, they are in the same era, history, and world as us."
"What right do I have to think that I have the right to be arrogant? What right do I have to think that I can bring them something? What right do I have to think that in their history and land, there is no wisdom and desire passed down through the ages, no seeds of change and improvement, no sprouts of future and hope buried in them, only waiting for the day they break out of the ground?"