Chapter 518: Revisions vs Facts
[Milord, it looks like the river is starting to flow again. You better wrap up whatever you’re doing before the rest of your family notices you’re gone.]
‘Huh? Oh, thanks Nepherage.’
[Anytime milord.]
‘By the way, y’all figure out why there was a blockage?’
[Some wealthy scion accidentally got his ship knocked funny by another rich guy riding a river whale and blocked the whole path. There was a lot arguing, mostly about who was responsible for the accident and compensation and matters of honor. I think there was duel involved.]
‘Ah. The usual then. Anyone die?’
[No] Razorstella answered, [I mean it was a duel, but they stopped at just…first blood?]
[I think the terms were actually, “receive this punch of mine and don’t die” or something like that,] Hurricroak corrected, [basically one of those overblown defense tests.]
[Whatever it was…it was boring. Nobody died!]
‘Why…why do you sound disappointed about that?’
[Is it too much to ask that when two people challenge each other to a duel, it ends with a proper fatality? Wash the sins with the blood!]
‘…Are you just saying that because the last few battles we’ve been involved didn’t exactly end with a proper fatality, except for like one guy who is now a clear gem looking core in my back pocket?’
[…maybe.]
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An Excerpt from the book: History of the Wise King’s Territory in the Pearl Scale Empire, the Three Forests of Blossoming Scales and the Sapling Festival.
Willow Scale City, Oak Scale City and Elm Scale City.
Connected by a singular giant river, also known as the Grand Lotus River, in that aforementioned order, these are the three cities that immediately come to mind when one thinks about the Blossoming Scales territory and for good reason.
Also known as the Three Forests of the Blossoming Scales, aside from being the three biggest cities in the kingdom, and being the military, diplomatic and educational hubs, respectively, they’re were also the homes to the Zhen Clan, the Zhu Clan and the Royal Bai Family, who just so happened to specialize in those fields.
Now, based on this dispirited specializations, the varying sizes and the distinctive architectural designs, one would assume these cities were established at different times or the ruling families in charge had the most say in regards to the design.
In reality, all three cities were established on the same day.
In the very beginning of the Blossoming Scale kingdom’s founding, the Wise King and his companions, Zhen Shao and Zhu Yao, took up spots along the Grand Lotus River and established their dominions.
Zhen Shao established Willow Scale at the river source, to serve as the first line of defense against those who would wish Blossoming Scale harm. He made sure to erect great walls that doubled as a dam.
Zhu Yao placed Oak Scale at the junction where the Grand Lotus River’s water would divert into smaller rivers, streams and brooks, to serve as a hub in which all smaller villages and towns in the kingdom could meet and discuss.
Finally, Wise King Bai Shun created Elm Scale to be the royal capital and final bastion of the kingdom, place it at the river’s mouth, directly next to the Grand Falls that lead into the Abyssal Lands.
It is in honor of the establishment of these three cities, these Three Forests, that every year, at the start of the harvest season, we hold a week long festival known as the Sapling Festival.
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=Alright children, now that we know about the Three Forests cities epitaph, do you notice any differences between this text’s history and the history detailed in the book that came from another empire?,= Logos asked Jasper and Janice, as a display behind him showed the three emblems that belonged to the Zhen clan, the Zhu clan and the Royal Bai family.
For the past few days, Logos and Pathos had been teaching Jasper and Janice more and more about the history of the Pearl Scale Empire, its neighbors and how they themselves were involved in the history of this place due to the activities of one Zhen Liu.
Jasper raised his hands in response to Logos’ question.
=Jasper?=
“This book doesn’t seem to mention Yew Scale City or Birch Scale City,” Jasper answered, “or the fact that they were home to the Pai and Gao clans. It doesn’t even mention how those two cities were the agricultural and economic hubs for the Blossoming Scales Kingdom, re-re…”
=Respectively.=
“That.”
=Good. What else?=
This time, Janice raised her hand to answer.
=Janice?=
“It doesn’t mention the fact that those two cities were the first two cities built in Blossoming Scales, and that Oak, Elm and Willow were established at least…uh…this many years after?”
Janice quickly drew the number thirty in a big font.
“I still don’t know how to pronounce this number.”
=That’s fine, you got it right.=
“Yay.”
=However, you both forgot to mention that the Sapling Festival used to be known as the Five Blossoms Festival, back when the Pai and Gao clans were still active, and that the name was changed to the Sapling Festival after the Night of the Silent Winter…alternatively labeled, the day that Yew Scale and Birch Scale city got burned to the ground.=
After receiving the answers, Logos made a gesture with their hands, causing the display to show two more emblems, albeit, these ones were grayed out.
=Now children, what you have read is an example of what we call, “revisionist history”. It is a type of propaganda that is most effective on young students such as yourselves, who do not have access to alternative means of information,= Logos lectured.
=By the simple act of omitting or adding certain details, one can give a false impression about how historical events occurred, to the point that even those who witnessed the events in person could be deluded into thinking otherwise or question their own memories.=
With another snap of her fingers, three books appeared before the two children.
Two of the books bore the same title of “A Historical Record of the Blossoming Scales Kingdom”, but the two texts were different editions, one being marked with a “II”, while the other was marked with “IV”. These two books looked pristine, with leather bound covers and gemstone decorations.
Staring at the two books side by side, Jasper and Janice couldn’t help but notice how the book marked with “IV” looked a lot…thinner, in comparison to the book marked with “II”.
On the other hand, the third book had no decorations, had a worn out leather cover and looked to be falling apart at the seams.
In the eyes of many people, this book would appear to be absolutely worthless.
In the eyes of those who worked with [Chaos] though…this book radiated a power that was absolutely captivating.
=Now children, the texts we have just compared are conflicting sources, with one being published by the Blossoming Scales Kingdom Royal Academy, while the other was published by the Twisting Wind University located in the Eroding Wing kingdom. By relying on one and disregarding the other, we risk losing the full picture of history and fail to comprehend the nuances that can lead to a historical event. It is only by combining multiple sources can one get a clear picture. As such, there are two more sources we must consult before we can paint an accurate picture of the Zhen Clan and the Blossoming Scales Kingdom,= Logos explained.
=The two books bearing numbers are both historical texts created by the imperial academies located in the very heart of the Pearl Scale Empire. They make it a point not to favor one particular kingdom over another, but they do allow them to…amend their own histories a bit. Hence why there is a stark difference between the two editions before.=
“Oh…that makes sense,” Janice nodded.
Jasper on the other hand couldn’t get his eyes off the beaten up book. It didn’t look that impressive to him on a physical level, but something about it radiating familiarity…and rage.
“Teacher Logos…what about this third book? It doesn’t look as…pretty as the other two…but it feels…grander? But I don’t know why…”
Logos smiled as he heard Jasper’s comment, gently caressing the aforementioned text as he did.
=Well my young Jasper, you have some good senses to you. This last book is indeed a special one, because it is not a simple textbook chockfull of knowledge and facts that have been edited to a fit an agenda.=
She held the book aloft, so as to give the kids a better view of the cover.
=For you see young ones, this book is a diary, but not just any diary. This diary belonged to none other than the fiercest warrior that Roaring Tide had ever known, one who’s very existence was akin to a natural disaster, one of the few people in existence who was able to leave a permanent scar upon the Pearl Scale Emperor himself!=
Logos then took the book in both hands and stared at its cover, one that he and Pathos had seen through a lord’s eyes countless of times.
=And belonged to a very special girl…who just wanted to find a home…=
