6 Episode 5 Forest Conservation and History




 "You're elves with long ears! You love the forest!

 Hercule was furious.
 You must love the forest!

 I'm sure you're right. Your Majesty.

 Christos tilted his head, unsure of the meaning.  

 You elves love the forest and cut it down so much that the soil is draining and the crops are losing their income.

 said Hercule to the crowd: ......
 I'm not sure what to make of this, but I think it's a good idea.

 They couldn't understand how cutting down trees → loss of water retention capacity of the forest → soil runoff → destruction of fields → decrease in crop yield.

 The forest will recover if we leave it alone.
 That's their feeling.

 "Haha ......

 Hercule sighed.
 I'm going to have to explain this to them.





 Now, while Hercule is talking about the importance of preserving nature, let me explain why the Elves of the Lemurian Empire don't love the forest, and also explain the ethnic composition and history of the Lemurian Empire.

 A long time ago, there was a place called the Great Forest, where many Elves lived.
 However, due to the increase in population and the sudden cold weather, the Elves had no food.

 This led to a massive migration of people.

 Many of the Elves left the great forests and began to live on the ground instead of in the trees.
 Grasslands, deserts, oceans ...... and new forests.  
 The Elves were scattered all over the world.

 After a long and arduous journey, some of them found a home in a forest in the central part of a peninsula.
 It was a safe haven.
 One day, after a thousand years of living there, a young man said to me, "I'm tired of the forest.

 I'm tired of the forest.

 The boy's name was Lemuros.
 The boy's name was Lemuros. Lemuros left the forest with his friends and built a city-state on the banks of a river.
 The city-state was named Lemuria after its founder, Lemuros.

 This was the birth of the city-state of Lemuria.
 At this time, it is said that there were 76 Elves of the Long-Eared Tribe who followed Lemuros, and 77 people including Lemuros.
 They were the ancestors of the later Holy Family of the Seventy-Seven and the Imperial Family.

 After that, Lemuria learned how to farm and make salt and iron from the surrounding human races, and with the help of spirit magic, it quickly expanded its power and began to rule a number of city-states under its control.

 Now, Lemuria was facing the danger of extinction.
 I can't have children! 
 Why not? Because they're all men.
 Yes, Lemuros and his merry band of friends were all men. That's impossible, it would be a miracle if they could.

 So, Lemuros called out to his hometown and the rest of the Elf community like this.

 We're having a festival! The entry fee is one pig per person. One pig per person. Ladies first, girls free! All you can drink and eat!

 Lemuros got women by scrounging up women with such phrases and grabbing them all.

 In the history of Lemuria, this was followed by a confrontation and tearful reconciliation with the women's brother, brother, father, and ex-husband.
 ...... It's hard to say that the ancestors of the long-eared people (elves) of Lemuria today are all rapists and their victims.

 Then, one day, a cold wave came.
 No one died of starvation in Lemuria, where grain had been stored in advance, but not in the forests, the home of Lemuros.
 Many of the Elves fell into starvation.
 The Elves asked Lemuros for help.

 At that time, Lemuros is said to have said.

 "If you want help, get out of the trees. Let's go farming! And forgive me for plundering your women.

 That's why many elves said, "I can't live hunting in the forest anymore. Lemuros, you're a genius. The time has come for farming," and so on.

 After that, Lemuria, led by Lemuros, said, "You people are an eyesore. Come on down to the plains! Then, Lemuria led by Lemuros said, "You people are an eyesore! Tell us, or die! And then, after subjugating the mining tribes (dwarves), "I love your poetry and literature. And teach me how to build a ship. Or die! He then went to the continent and said, "I want you to teach me how to build ships or die!

 After that, he went to the continent and said, "Is there anyone who can defeat me? and destroyed the countries on the other side of the continent and scattered salt on them.

 And just like that, Lemuria expanded its territory. ......
 Every human being has a lifespan. Even for the long-lived Elves, it is inevitable.

 Lemuros and his merry band of friends had died of longevity.  

 The remaining descendants thought.
 How can we maintain Lemuria?

 Because at that time, 5% of Lemuria's population was made up of elves, and the rest were conquered peoples.
 In addition, there was discord between the Elves, who had been the original inhabitants of Lemuria, and the Elves, who had joined the country later.

 There were two options.
 One is to train and spar with them.

 The other is to reconcile.
 All friends, brothers of Earth.

 In the end, Lemuria overcame this by adopting a policy of reconciliation.
 Nobles and commoners have the same political power. The conquered peoples are also citizens of Lemuria, so they are all equal.

 Thus, the monarchy of Lemuria collapsed and gave way to the republic of Lemuria.



 Suddenly, a republic was not possible, and harmony among all peoples was not easy to achieve.

 And so began four hundred years of civil war. Long time!

 After that, a balding seductress who claimed to be a descendant of Lemuros became the emperor, but I'll explain that later.

 Now that the explanation of Hercule is over.

 The important thing to remember is that Lemuria was founded by forest haters, so there is no culture that loves the forest.
 I see.





 "I see, but how did you know that?
 Lukanos asks Hercule.
 Lukanos is a priest.
 The clergy in this world are the intellectuals of the intellectuals, and in fact the Church houses many books.

 Lukanos, the Patriarch of Nova Lemuria, has naturally read a lot of books.
 But even Lukanos had never heard of the forest.

 But as far as Hercule's explanation is concerned, it seems to make a lot of sense.

 "Hmm, yes. I may have read about it in a book or something.

 Hercule was suitably amused.
 You can't just say it's knowledge from a previous life.

 There is no such thing as a past life in Messianism.
 The moment you start talking about past lives, you're thinking pagan.
 The emperor of Lemuria, who claims to be the protector of Messianism, should not be thought to have pagan ideas.

 At any rate, we should issue a law to protect the forest and plant trees. This will improve the runoff of the soil.

 With that, Hercule thought back to the bald mountains and the villages around the bald mountains that he and Hadrian III had toured in the past.
 Aside from building materials, wood is used to make ships, furniture, heat, fuel for cooking meals, and steel .......

 Wood is used for a variety of things.
 There is always a demand for it, and the more you produce, the more you can sell, and you can kill two birds with one stone by farming the land after the trees are cut down.
 With this theory, the forests of the Lemurian Empire were cut down.

 Eventually, there were no more forests, and now people are cutting down trees in the mountains.
 But cutting down the trees in the mountains is even worse than cutting down the trees in the forests.

 Heavy rains will inevitably cause landslides and wash away farmland.

 For these reasons, many villages were affected.
 Only those who actually live at the foot of the mountain can understand the disaster caused by the balding of the mountain.

 There had been many appeals to Hadrian III, but they had been ignored.

 To be honest, the destruction of these villages would not hurt Hercule, as he had nothing to do with them.
 However, the loss of tax revenue in the future would certainly choke Hercule.

 Unusually for Hercule, he is working on his own initiative.

 "But, Your Majesty, the demand for firewood is increasing. If we restrict the felling of trees, the price of firewood will skyrocket, and with it, the price of iron products, salt, etc., which could put pressure on the common people's livelihood.

 One of the bureaucrats, a ...... human named Krol, raised his hand and asked Hercule.
 Erkühl was more than willing to listen, answer, and refer to questions, which naturally created a space for his subjects to express their opinions.

 Why don't we use coal? The supply has been increasing lately, right?
 Coal has indeed been used in recent years as a fuel for cooking, bathing and winter warming. ...... But wood is most consumed in steelmaking. Since coal can't be used for steelmaking, isn't it inevitable that the price of firewood will rise?

 In response to Chlor's question, the surrounding bureaucrats and vassals agreed, and tried to remonstrate with Hercule about his logging restrictions.

 But Hercule only tilted his head in wonder.

 Why can't coal be used to make iron?
 "The sulfur in the coal makes the iron brittle, Your Majesty.

 Galfis answered the question.
 As a soldier in the army, he knew a bit about iron making.

 I'd like to know what you think," he said.

 I see, no coke. That's good to know.

 I found an improvement in an unexpected place.
 Hercule grinned, and the crowd turned to look at him.