The projector in Li Banfeng's pocket dutifully recorded every word. He thought this passage alone was enough to be made into a film.
Li Banfeng asked, "Have you ever thought about resisting?"
"Some have, but most people are afraid. The clansmen of the Light God Belloborg have very powerful weapons, and they are strong. They often fight bare-chested in the snow during the cold winter, even against polar bears. We are all very afraid of them,
The few among us who resisted never succeeded; all resisters would be executed in the most brutal manner."
"Did your resistance fail because they were too strong?"
"No, they're not strong at all. It's us who imagined them to be too powerful," said Goncharova, gritting her teeth, "until one day when war broke out in the Land of Slumber. The true bloodline of the Dark God Chernoborg attacked, and we realized they were easily defeated."
"What is the true bloodline of Chernoborg?"
Goncharova shook her head and said, "I don't know how to describe them. I was very young when the war happened. I remember they spewed black smoke and fire. Some looked like dragons, others like unknown monsters. In less than a month, the clansmen of the Light God Belloborg were defeated. Half of the Land of Slumber was occupied by those monsters."
The giant creatures spewing fire and black smoke sounded a bit like the Centipede Workshop Li Banfeng encountered.
According to Li Banfeng's understanding, these monsters should be Inner State People, though it's uncertain whether their Inner State is the same group facing Puluo State.
"What happened afterwards? How did the war end?"
"The clansmen of Belloborg rallied our people together to form a suicide squad. My father joined the fight. The war lasted for a full two years, as almost all our people died, but the monsters retreated. They took half of the Land of Slumber, with the remaining half staying behind."
Li Banfeng said, "You obtained your own homeland?"
"No, the remaining half of the Land of Slumber still belongs to the clansmen of the Light God Belloborg."
"Didn't you have your own army?"
"That wasn't our army. They selected a few from the army who had achieved merits and were willing to submit, cleansing them of their sins to become clansmen of the Light God. They became accomplices of those people, treating us even more brutally."
This was something Li Banfeng could imagine.
"Didn't your father also participate in the war?"
"He died on the battlefield. In the end, my mother and I received nothing. The only thing my father left me was his power. He left the method of acquiring power to my mother, who taught it to me."
"What method?"
Goncharova was reluctant to say, but looking at Li Qi's expressionless face, a chill made her discard any thought of hiding it.
"In the depths of the Land of Slumber, there are flower blossoms like wind chimes that bloom only once a year, with a blooming period of only one night. On the night of flowering, prepare the swim bladders of Eye Fish and the blood of a Unihorn, sing a hymn to the God of Melody, and then consume ten Wind Chime Flowers to gain the power of the God of Melody."
"Why didn't your father tell you this method earlier?"
"Because it's dangerous. My mother told me that many who have eaten the Wind Chime Flower died, with only a few surviving,
but my teacher told me that to break the shackles, one must have enough power, so I decided to take the risk and try."
"Who is your teacher?"
"Miglov, the president of the Birch Tree Hermit Society. He risked his life to take a group of us favored by the gods out of the Land of Slumber, bringing us hope, and he wanted to give us a homeland truly our own."
Li Banfeng did not quite understand her meaning: "If you want to build a homeland of your own, why would you leave it?"
Goncharova explained, "The Land of Slumber does not belong to us; we need to find a better home."
"Have you found it?"
"Yes, in Puluo State! The environment there is similar to the Land of Slumber, but there we are not subjected to external oppression. One day it will become our land!"
As she spoke, Goncharova was very excited, but afterward, she regretted it a bit.
She recalled a piece of information, that Li Qi seemed to be from Puluo State.
Li Banfeng smiled and said, "It's okay, madam, continue speaking. Besides Puluo State, haven't you found any other place?"
Seeing Li Banfeng's sincere smile, Goncharova really thought Li Banfeng had left Puluo State and had no deep feelings for it.
Little did she know, the little sympathy Li Banfeng had for her had disappeared.
Goncharova said, "There is no better place than Puluo State. Other countries, such as Amikan Country, Ingrid Country, and Audrey Country, have similar areas to the Land of Slumber. Their living environments are slightly better than ours, but essentially no change.
Only Puluo State is an exception, though the president also reminded us, Puluo State is special because the People of Puluo State are more formidable than those elsewhere. They have also experienced a war against the Dark God and emerged victorious. Conquering the formidable Puluo State is a very arduous task."