Knowledge Thief

History Lessons - 2

Souza and Lee's hearty laughter earned the ire of the entire library and they were soon hurried out. Now outside, Souza invited Lee to a bar to continue their conversation.

'Let's continue this at the bar. I am suddenly craving ale' said Souza and hurried along towards the bar without waiting for Lee's reply.

Lee was totally shocked by his action but he had to put away his thought and follow him frantically because he didn't know where the bar was.

From an eagle's eye, one could see that the library was at the center of Azaria and it was connected the five major roads of the city. One of the roads housed the royalties of the city and there were beautiful white marble houses that surrounded it. This was dubbed the royal sector. 

The next sector housed the market and its numerous shops were even crowded at this time. The third sector is the merchant sector and it housed the merchants and travelers. The main road of the merchant sector was also neat and it housed many inns and bars. At the far end of the merchant sector and the royal sector stood a small mountain with a shrine on top. This was the famous mountain shrine of Azaria.

The fourth and last sector was the slum sector. Its main road was lined with small huts and shabbily constructed houses. This road was popularly known as the Slum Road. The only significant place in this slum road was the Bees, a low-class bar run by a tough woman named Elda. And that was where Souza led Lee to.

As Lee entered the bar behind Souza, he froze with fear for a moment. The rowdy crowd in the bar looked rough and most of them were twice his size.  And at this moment, they were all looking at him and Souza like a pack of hungry wolves. Lee was more afraid of the barkeeper, who was a tall and well-built lady. Anyone who looked could sense that she was the one who controlled this rowdy crowd who were itching a fight.

As Lee composed himself, Souza moved towards the bar and greeted the barkeeper.

'Hey Elda, two mugs of ale for me and my friend.'

Elda didn't look like she was pleased by Souza's presence. She, however, didn't say anything and played two mugs of ale on the counter. Souza took the ale and pointed Lee to an empty table where they both sat down.

'So, what do you want to know?' asked Souza while pushing a mug of ale towards Lee.

'Let's start with the territories and major cities first'  answered Lee.

'Let's see! The first territory is Solar and it is at the center of this world. Solar is well known for being traditional as it is under the control of the first royal family, the Lievs. The first royal family was the first colony of people created by our god, Adev. The capital city of Solar is Ares, which is a well-known pilgrimage site in the world. Actually, the whole territory is known for its religious landmarks.'

'Oh!' exclaimed Lee.

Souza continued, 'Then, there is Schema which is north-west of Solar. Schema is controlled by the second royal family, the Archs. Schema is well-known for its mechanical structures and superior construction. Almost any structure or machine that you see in any other territory comes from Schema. Supra, Schema's capital is known as the most modern city in this world. It even has mechanized carriages.'

'Wow!' Lee gave a fake exclamation even though he was unimpressed by the invention.

'Yeah! And it is all because of Mr.Kong. Mr. Kong is a king of creation.' told Souza.

'Really?'

'Yes. It is said that Kong had created thousands of weapons and armors for the families during the war, but most of his work from that time were either lost or destroyed by corruption. His surviving works have been auctioned for astronomical prizes. There were also rumors that Kong could exploit any weapon, armor or structure within a glance, and that he trained the first legion to do the same.'

'Furthermore, he is also adept in all types of construction projects. Many of the current landmarks in the world had been crafted under his supervision. He currently takes care of the first territory that he helped reclaim. He is a calm and mature champion who values hard work and justice'  said Souza in a passionate and excited tone.

'Seems like someone has a crush on Mr.Kong' thought Lee while sipping the ale. He spit it out onto the cup almost immediately because it was so bitter.

Souza took a sip of ale to calm down and continued, 'The third territory is Fore. The territory is covered by lush forests and greenery. The capital city is Flora. There is a popular saying, "It's always spring in Flora" because the city is covered with plants that bear beautiful flowers and fruits. It is a scenic city. The territory is ruled by Frodos, the third royal family.'

'It is also the medical hub of the world as Mr. Aldos stays there. It is stated that Aldos had a midas touch as he could use any ingredient to concoct potions to treat any illness. It was rumored during the wars that he could find and treat any illness within minutes. He was also well-known for experimenting different types of potions that give temporary boosts to the warriors.'

'Oh! Aldos seems powerful' noted Lee.

'Yeah! There is a rumor that he is unkillable as he could heal himself miraculously from any wounds or illnesses. He was called 'Aldos, the unkillable' because of the same. Rumors also said that Aldos was short-tempered and he had killed many with deadly poisons that he had concocted. He currently lives a luxurious life as a healer for the riches' stated Souza.

Lee nodded. Souza took another big gulp of the ale and continued, 'Now we come to the fourth territory named Alaba. This here is its capital city, Azaria. Alaba is ruled by the fourth family, Esther. We are one of the most successful merchant towns in the world. We are also the information hub because of our champion, the great Sheila' exclaimed Souza in a sarcastic tone.

'Wow! You really hate her, don't you?' asked Lee.

Souza immediately looked alarmed and pulled Lee by his collar and whispered, 'Don't say those words out loud man! Sheila's spies are everywhere and you could be arrested by them for this.'

Lee thought he was over exaggerating but he nodded to ensure that he understood. He then asked, 'I read Sheila was an extraordinary spy who had a keen mind and she vowed to help this world. I read that she would venture out into the world after the war and not worry about anything else. Were those false?'

'It was like that for some time. Everything was fine and everyone in the territory prospered. But everything changed when Samus died.'

'What? Samus died?' asked a shocked Lee.

'Yeah! A decade or so back, Shamus was guarding the fifth territory, Ramses, and he would frequently visit Azaria. It was rumored that he did so because he was in love with Sheila. Anyway during one of those visits, he had to sacrifice his life because some bad people threatened to kill a child. Sheila came to know of the death and went into a blind rage and killed all of the perpetrators. After that, she started being strict on the people of the territory, and have punished people tyrannically' answered Souza.

'Doesn't the ruling family, Esther, not condemn it?' asked Lee.

'They do. They intervene only if someone is high enough in social standings. In most instances, they instigate the punishments and w**d out their enemies' whispered Souza as he finished his ale.

'Hmm...' nodded Lee as he now understood the reason behind everything he witnessed. The discrimination, the fear and the slums were al because of Sheila’s decision. He felt that this is clearly a tyrannical rule. He felt sad for the people of Azaria after hearing this.

'So after Samus' death, what happened to Ramses?' asked Lee while pushing his ale towards Souza.

'Ramses was a major sea territory that had been barricaded by Samus' power. After Samus' death most of the territory fell into the control of the devorers but Idhun and the others stabilized it. The capital city, Rheus, has become popular for its sea-based trades. The city is a major trader of fish and other seafood. Idhun has also stayed at the Rheus since Samus' death to ensure that nothing bad happens' answered Souza, who drunk because he gulped down the second mug of ale.

Lee understood that it is time to leave the bar after looking at the drunk Souza.

'Souza, let's leave.' prompted Lee.

 'Yeah OK...' answered a drunk Souza and shouted, 'Oi, Elda. How much for these two ales?'

The whole bar looked at them like a bunch of clowns while Elda walked towards them.

'60 pesos for these two and 120 for the previous batch' answered Elda in an angry tone.

'Just 180 pesos! No issues. Lee, just throw 200 pesos in that woman's face' stated Souza in a proud manner.

Lee was flabbergasted, he just sat there staring at Souza. Elda had also shifted her gaze at him to give him a spine-chilling stare.

Lee pulled Souza by the collar and whispered, 'I don't have any money.'

'What? You don't have money. You wanted information but cannot even pay for two ales? Come on, don't fool this kind lady like that dude. Just pay the money' shouted Souza.

'Dude, I didn't even drink the f*****g ale. Why should I pay?' was what Lee was thinking but he didn't utter those words as he felt Elda's fearful presence.

At this moment, Souza looked like a stout punching back in Lee’s eyes. All he wanted was to hit him in his belly. But he couldn’t do it with Elda breathing down his neck. He then turned to Elda and said, 'Can you let someone come with me to the inn? I will pay you there.'

'You can leave when you pay' stated Elda firmly, 'or you could lose any of your limbs'.

The bar was filled with cheers and shouts as they geared up for entertainment. Lee was terrified at the proposition. He turned to Souza, who was looking at him like a completely unrelated bystander. Lee cursed himself for coming to the bar with such a schemer.

He could only think of one way to escape the situation and he calmly stated the truth, 'I am the new champion.'

There was an eerie silence that enveloped the bar. Elda, Souza and the whole bar looked at him with shock.