SSS SKILL: DUPLICATE

Chapter 36 Changes in four years(2)

Samal went to the bathroom. He used the toilet and flushed. He keeps trying to flush out of astonishment and curiosity. He took a bath in the shower. He turns on the magic heater, just like he was taught. Samal showered in hot water and felt very comfortable. He dried his wet hair and body with a towel.

Samal looks at himself in the mirror. He jumped out of fear earlier when the room attendant introduced the mirror because he saw people inside it. Samal keeps making different gestures to make sure that he is the man in the mirror. He moves closer to the mirror and keeps making different facial expressions. Samal nods his head. He really is the man in the mirror. He went out of the bathroom and changed into new, clean clothes given to him by the hotel.

There is a bell ringing in the room. He was told that a waiter would deliver food and ring the bell. Samal opened the door and let the waiter come in. He asked the waiter if there is a hidden water magician nearby. The waiter was bewildered by the question and asked why. Samal is curious because water is coming out of the shower and toilet. The waiter laughed and explained that it is because of physics and not magic. Samal did not understand, and he stopped thinking about it.

Samal ate his delicious dinner, turned on the air conditioning, and went to sleep on a comfy bed. He woke up in the morning with a satisfied expression. He never had a very enjoyable night. He ate the delivered breakfast and went out of the city in a comfortable carriage with the head branch.

Rowin took out a huge piece of paper that he bought from a boy.

It only cost two copper coins! Paper is expensive in their country. Samal thought that Baynard is really extravagant.

Rowin noticed Samal's curiosity. He introduced the newspaper to the foreigner.

"This is called a newspaper. The policy of the kingdom and many news stories that happened in the kingdom will be written here. If the wife of a noble cheated on his husband, it will be known by the whole kingdom because it will be written here." Rowin looks at the speechless Samal and laughs.

"Hahaha! It is just an analogy. That kind of thing will not be written here. Do you see this headline? This is the biggest news today. Ha! This proposed policy is really good! Making regions have specialized merchandise by offering tax incentives! Someone from the House of Common is really smart! He will definitely become a pillar of the kingdom. His policy cannot be compared to those nobles of the House of Lord!"Rowin is talking to himself when he noticed the confusion of Samal.

"Our political system is different from other kingdoms and empires. King Van called it a Constitutional Monarchy. The House of Commons is made up of representatives of commoners in different regions, and the House of Lords is made up of nobles. Both houses can propose policies, and the cabinet will discuss and approve them or not. The king controls the military and has the veto power to reject any policy approved by the cabinet." Rowin explained it with pride. He is a commoner. King Van really cares about them, so they are willing to die for him.

Samal is astonished that commoners can participate in the kingdom's affairs. This country is one of a kind in this world. Soon they will reach the valley that connects the Baynard kingdom and Purple Land. It was said that the plant for an antidote to the poison of purple fog was discovered by chief Pelca in this valley.

A powerful team of aura users and magicians used the antidote to explore Death Land. They discovered a fifty-meter-sized dead purple dragon near the center of the death land. The poison dragon is in a cave on a big mountain now called Poison Dragon Mountain. A poisonous purple mist is coming out of its rotting corpse.

The purple poison mist at the center of the death land was so concentrated that it formed a poison lake. Powerful aura users and magicians gave up exploring the center in the past because they could not stop the rapid erosion of purple mist poison in their bodies even with magic and aura.

When the poison fog was removed in Death Land, countries around the world were shocked that strongholds, armed to the teeth, were standing on Death Land with a Baynard flag. There are even ships patrolling the sea. Duke Wesly was furious but also greedy and wanted to push a war, but no one knows why he suddenly stopped.

Samal and Rowin are near the entrance of the valley. Samal is wide-eyed at what he sees. A sleeping fifty-meter purple dragon is lying there, where many children are playing. A child is trying to climb the limb of the dragon, but his parents stop him and lift him down. A dad clad in aura carried his child and jumped on the back of the dragon. His child cheered, and other children are envious, clamoring for their parents to do the same.

"Th-th-tha" Samal is pointing his finger at the dragon and is speechless, seeing that humans are not afraid and are playing around it.

"Hahaha! That is not a real dragon. It is a tough earth molded by a high-level earth magician then covered by cement. It is painted with purple that was especially made for it."Rowin laughs at the speechless Samal. Many people had the same expression.

Samal has not recovered from the shock, and his mouth is wide open again at the entrance of the valley. At the entrance of the valley is a huge, one hundred-meter-carved stone statue of a human king holding a sword and an elf queen holding a magic staff on the other side of the entrance. Inside the valley are the same-size statues of different races. The beings are known legends of different races acknowledged by the whole world.

The only living legend carved in the valley is the current Queen of the Alya Empire on the Eastern continent. She,a half-siren, is acknowledged as the most powerful magician in the world. She is unrivaled in the ocean. She can wipe out the whole fleet of a powerful empire in the sea, even if it is guarded by a 4th-level aura master.

The valley is called the Valley of Legends. It won the good will of various races. Kings, queens, and emperors around the world want to create a legend by leaving a statue in the valley. The emperor of the Morowind Empire offered many tempting conditions to have a statue, but Edgar refused. How can Edgar agree? He did not even carve his statue! The valley will lose its meaning if a statue is not a legendary figure acknowledged by the whole world.

Samal and Rowin exited the valley. On both sides of the road are prosperous scenes of a town. It was just a no-man land three years ago because it was a mountain in the furthest southwestern part of Baynard. Samal looks back at the valley. He felt a reverent feeling when he stood before the giant statues. He felt like he was looking at gods. He had the urge to kneel.