Chapter 713: A Gap in History

Henwell pays no attention to Philir's antics. Instead, he asks Abbas, "Sir, why have I never heard of this Fendicasa you mentioned?"

"I once read that a city-state called Waofo existed in this region about twenty-two hundred years ago."

"Did this city predate Waofo, or was it once part of the Waofo city-state?"

Abbas looks at Henwell in surprise. "You actually know about the Waofo city-state?"

Henwell smiles. "Since I came here for a job, I naturally had to learn something about the area."

"I crammed as much as I could so I would be prepared once the operation began."

Instead of explaining, Abbas asks, "How much do you know about Waofo?"

Henwell shakes his head. "Not much. I pieced together a few clues from a large number of books."

"Some of them make obscure references to a city-state called Waofo that once stood here."

"The information is limited. I could only assemble a rough picture, and much of it is guesswork."

Abbas leans in, intrigued. "Then tell us what you know, Mr. Adolf!"

"Very well. I'll tell you my conclusions, and I hope you will correct anything I have wrong, Mr. Abbas."

"About two thousand years ago, a fairly prosperous city-state stood here as part of the Ika Kingdom of that period."

"According to the surviving records, it possessed considerable strength and was one of the powers the Ika Kingdom relied upon."

"Then the records grow vague. Roughly sixteen hundred years ago, the Waofo city-state vanished almost overnight."

"Perhaps it became too powerful for the throne's comfort and was destroyed and absorbed by the Ika Kingdom."

"Or perhaps some natural or man-made disaster caused it to decline rapidly until it vanished from history."

"Whatever the truth, one fact is certain: Waofo was extremely powerful in its day."

"The records even say that the Grand Duke of Waofo could sit at the same table as the king of Ika."

After listening to Henwell, Abbas gives a slight nod. "Most of that is correct."

"Piecing together this much from scattered books is no small achievement."

"Mr. Adolf, you're far more learned than I expected. No one could uncover all this through a few hurried days of research."

"For reasons we don't understand, the history of this kingdom, and even the entire continent, survives only in broken stretches riddled with gaps."

"The truth may be entirely different from our current understanding. The relevant information lies buried across a vast body of books."

"Finding the useful fragments and connecting them is extraordinarily difficult."

"Your general account is correct, but a few details are wrong."

"For example, Waofo was not an overmighty vassal. Its rulers were themselves members of the Ika royal family."

"Waofo wasn't merely powerful, though the comparison I'm about to make is somewhat imperfect."

"One place today holds a position much like Waofo's in that era."

Henwell furrows his brow. "Peace Haven!"

Abbas nods. "Exactly. Peace Haven!"

"According to the records we have found, Waofo's strength within ancient Ika was comparable to Peace Haven's strength today."

"Waofo also built a wealthy realm around an elite army and controlled the kingdom's finest troops."

"We have two theories about Waofo's disappearance."

"The first is that Waofo became so powerful that Ika and the other surrounding powers grew alarmed."

"They eventually joined forces and destroyed Waofo in a short campaign."

"Much like Peace Haven today, it looked prosperous and powerful while facing a grave threat beneath the surface."

"The second theory is far less certain. Even saying it aloud sounds unbelievable..."

Henwell says what Abbas left unspoken. "Waofo didn't perish. It became the Ika of the present day."

"Ika did not destroy Waofo. Waofo absorbed the Ika of that era and eventually transformed into the Ika we know today!"

After a brief pause, Abbas says, "At first, no one accepted this theory."

"But Peace Haven's rapid rise over the past few years has given the theory a model for comparison."

"Both survived between stronger powers. Both were compact and formidable."

"Peace Haven may well absorb the Vorry Kingdom in the future and form an entirely new country."

"That gives many scholars reason to believe the same thing happened in the past."

"Waofo may have seized its chance, defeated Old Ika, and founded New Ika."

"The difference is that Peace Haven would change the country's name after absorbing the Vorry Kingdom, since the lord of Blood Hill is not a member of the Vorry royal family."

"Waofo, however, shared the Ika royal family's bloodline. If it did absorb Old Ika, it faced a very different choice."

"It may have kept the name Ika to minimize resistance and consolidate its rule."

"It's amusing to think about. Two thousand years have passed, and history has come full circle."

"I never expected to see the same kind of situation appear again today."

Henwell chuckles. "There is nothing strange about it. History has a way of repeating itself."

"Viewed in broad terms, history moves through cycles, repeating what has happened before."

Abbas pauses, then laughs. "Ha! An interesting way to put it, and quite true."

"History spans such an enormous length of time that some events are bound to recur."

"It is both the work of fate and a historical inevitability."

After a while, Henwell turns the conversation back to Fendicasa. "What kind of city-state was it?"

Abbas replies, "We are not yet certain it was a city-state. We only know that it had a thriving economy and active trade."

"Records of the name predate Waofo. By our estimate, it was a settlement that existed at least three thousand years ago."

"It may even have existed before the Ika Kingdom."

"We cannot be more precise."

"We can only estimate its era after finding the ruins and examining their records."

Abbas glances toward Philir in the distance. "From scattered passages in old books, we have established that Fendicasa was a major city."

"It was also the trade center of the entire highland region, and like Waofo, it declined and disappeared in an extremely short time."

"We cannot be certain, but there is a good chance that a great deal of treasure remains here!"

Philir finally grins and rubs his hands together. "Good! Good!"

Henwell speaks with Abbas for a while longer before they each retire for the night.

Miller catches Henwell before he reaches his tent. "Guildmaster, Philir and his men look ready to lose patience."

"You should leave the exploration team for now. Let me take charge here."

"Once you leave and return to headquarters, Philir and the others will not dare go too far."

"Today, he deliberately tried to provoke a clash between us and the King's Shield. He wanted them to do his killing for him and eliminate my team."

Henwell smiles. "Focus on your work and don't worry about anything else. Solomon is no fool."

"Philir and his people are still far too green. They think they can use someone else to do their killing?"

"They should take a look at their shriveled little brains before trying to challenge me. They are courting their own destruction!"