Walker Of The Worlds

The sects managed to convince the Deep Wood Ram that they would allow it to keep its territory and would not cause it trouble. However, the beast refused to accept their assurances. It was well aware of human treachery and demanded that they leave the lands entirely. It took another hundred years before an agreement was finally reached.

The Deep Wood Ram would become the guardian of the city, and its tribe would be protected.

"A Deep Wood Ram… They're powerful Wood Elemental beasts and are even referred to as the spirit of forests sometimes," Lin Mu recalled, having read about them before.

These creatures were known to be a peaceful species of beasts, rarely angered. Even when humans intruded into their territory, they would typically allow passage, and limited harvesting from their lands was permitted. It was even said that they would aid lost or injured humans who found themselves in their domain.

As such, humans generally preferred not to antagonize them.

There was little material benefit in killing them either, as their bodies decomposed rapidly upon death, returning to the earth. They existed in harmonious balance with the forest, such that even in death, their bodies nourished the very land that had sustained them.

This unique characteristic was one of the reasons they were called the spirit of the forests.

While natural death was one thing, if a human was found to have killed a Deep Wood Ram, the consequences were dire. The entire herd of Deep Wood Rams would relentlessly hunt down the perpetrator, chasing them to the ends of the world. Escape was nearly impossible, as the dying Deep Wood Ram would leave a soul imprint on its killer, ensuring they could not hide.

Eventually, the Deep Wood Ram accepted the proposed arrangement, and a great oath was sworn between it and all the sect leaders of the time.

The sects granted the Deep Wood Rams the status of guardians and entrusted them with the authority to protect the neutrality of the city. Any act of greed or exploitation of the forest would invoke the wrath of the Deep Wood Rams.

With this oath established, All Sect Orchard City was officially renamed Ram Orchard City in honor of the Deep Wood Rams.

This renaming also explained why Lin Mu hadn't seen any statues or symbols of the Deep Wood Rams in the city.

The Rams belonged to the forests and chose not to partake in city life. Out of respect for their wishes, no one had created statues or icons of them.

'To think so many events had to occur for this city to come into existence,' Lin Mu thought, marveling at the history.

But this was just the initial history of the city. The more Lin Mu read, the more he learned about its administration.

Originally, the city was governed by a city lord alongside a council, all of whom were elders from the sects. The position of city lord rotated every hundred years to prevent any one sect from establishing dominance. Over time, however, the city grew more independent as the population of native-born residents increased.

After about a hundred thousand years, the city lord was no longer chosen from among the sects but rather from the local populace—individuals who had grown up in the city and understood it best. The council, however, remained composed of sect elders.

This shift proved beneficial, as the city grew more prosperous, and profits increased steadily without harming the forest. Over time, the city's economy diversified. It was no longer limited to the harvesting of herbs and fruits but also included the sustainable utilization of various beasts and their products. The enriched forests supported a growing population of beasts, allowing the city to establish a precise balance between cultivation and conservation.

The people of the city recognized the importance of this balance and refrained from reckless harvesting. Instead, they adopted a carefully managed system, ensuring only the surplus population of beasts was culled. This approach preserved the harmony of the forest ecosystem.

As Lin Mu continued reading, he learned about various miscellaneous events and the rise of prominent families in the city's history.

These families, while not officially nobles, held a similar status during their time.

Even during the Shanxi Empire's territorial expansion a hundred thousand years ago, the status of Ram Orchard City remained unchanged. The empire recognized the city's value and left it alone, benefiting from its trade and resources. Ram Orchard City, in turn, joined the empire without conflict, gaining additional protection and favorable trade conditions. ŔÅΝоꞖĘⱾ

Later, the Shanxi Empire conferred noble titles upon several prominent families in the city, cementing their positions within the empire's hierarchy.

This development made the sects somewhat uneasy, as their status within the empire was delicate.

While sects were officially independent powers, they still operated within the empire's territory and often complied with its policies. For its part, the Shanxi Empire knew not to overstep its boundaries and refrained from oppressing the sects, ensuring no major conflicts arose between them.

Lin Mu couldn't help but compare this dynamic to the situation in the Rust Sky World. There, conflicts between sects and empires in the distant past had led to the complete eradication of sects. The trauma of those events was so profound that sects were outlawed entirely.

The few that remained either disbanded or transformed into independent organizations or clans, such as the Morning Glory Clan and the Serene Glass Valley, in order to comply with the new laws.

'I suppose the Jui World is somewhat similar to the Xiaofan World, where both empires and sects coexist,' Lin Mu reflected.

However, there were notable differences. In the Xiaofan World, the kingdoms and empires were weaker than the sects, with their primary advantage being sheer population size. Here in the Jui World, the empires had plenty of powerful experts and could hold their own against many sects.

Ten minutes later, Lin Mu had finished the entire book, just in time for Dou Qi to deliver his tea.

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