Super Righteous Player-Chapter 1240 - 277 Tradition of the Country

In Winter, names are of paramount importance.

For example, one must have a name before enrolling in a church school. The same applies to engaging in trade, finding employment... even being adopted requires a child to be named by the elder of one’s own family.

An unidentified "thing" that is killed would only result in a charge of "destruction of public property" for the murderer.

Delving deeper, people often take the opportunity to ask about the meaning of your name and, in the process, inquire which elder chose your name... essentially inheriting the network of relationships established by the older generations.

And this name must necessarily include a surname.

According to Winter’s customs, if a child comes from two different families, they can belong to either family—provided that the family’s elder is willing to name them. This means in Winter, it’s possible for the nobility of great cities and the rural hunters and farmers, or even relatives within three generations, to be related.

And naming is taken very seriously.

It signifies that if the child later commits a crime or wins an award, it will be reported to the family by the local Winter church. The elder who endows them with a name will share in both their glory and their disgrace.

It’s akin to the concept of "godparents" in The Holy Nation.

Any name without a surname is a self-assigned "nickname," which holds no legal standing—because all "real names" are given by the elder to the local church for record-keeping.

In essence, this is an identity card that can be verified at any time and place with Divine Arts, without the need for presentation.

Claiming to belong to a family from which one has been stripped of their surname, or an unnamed person arbitrarily choosing a surname for themselves, could lead directly to conscription into the Frost Beast troops.

Even if one has their own surname, using another family’s name is not allowed. If it doesn’t cause trouble, all is well, but if a crime is committed, and the family is notified, the elder who named the offender might become so disgraced as to take their own life.

Those who commit crimes under the guise of another person’s name are deemed to "insult the family" and thus receive a threefold increase in punishment. The family whose name was usurped may consider the impostor’s family as an enemy—a feud that could last for generations.

If a family is stripped of their "family name," i.e., the surname, it means they are "erased from the household register" in Winter. It’s the gravest punishment, typically meted out for rebellion against the state.

Once stripped of their surname, they are no longer citizens of the Winter Duke’s Nation... Although not physically expelled, this essentially equates to being banished and deported.

Just like the wolf people.

Only the children of wolf people and humans may be given names by the human side’s elder; pure-blooded wolf people do not have surnames.

Among the wolf people, some, like Dorin, bear the name "Dorin Angel," while others like Bella have no surname.

And for orphans—it’s the named orphans who receive pity and may even be adopted; but the nameless ones are like wild beasts. Their status is no different from that of the wolf people.

This is the Winter Duke’s Nation.

A land truly bound by Tradition.

This tradition isn’t about an adherence to the aesthetics of a bygone era, a rejection of technological advancement, nor does it constrain their ability to be adaptable and witty in everyday affairs... It doesn’t make them rigid or stubborn, and it’s not uncommon for people to fall in love with wolf people.

Take Dmitry, for example.

But they do indeed value tradition.

Bonded by bloodline and kinship, tradition forms a series of invisible chains carried by interpersonal relations, compelling everyone to obey laws and regulations—not legally bound by collective punishment, but constrained morally and culturally.

Should someone attempt to assassinate the grand duke of Winter, their relatives would not be sentenced to punishment, yet everyone locally would know of their kinship with a criminal; even if they moved their entire family away, the local Winter church would still inform the new residents about who they are related to and what they have done.

Whether a family member does something commendable or reprehensible, it will be recorded by the Winter church—local residents will surely know each family’s dark history and moments of glory, and these recollections would influence marriage proposals, business partnerships, or apprenticeships.

It is such powerful moral constraints that force every family to undertake moral education internally.

If a child behaves improperly, they wouldn’t dare let him venture out, fearing he might bring shame upon the family. If someone leaves without permission, they might be stripped of their surname to compel their return. Conversely, if a child is exceptionally outstanding, distant relatives, even several generations removed and impoverished, would willingly provide financial support for him to "go out and bring honor to the family."

If someone dies heroically or valiantly, their relatives will be highly respected by the locals; conversely, if a family has a severe criminal, the entire family might not be able to lift their heads for many years—such is the emphasis on "face" in the Winter Duke’s Nation.

For this reason, "orphans" are a particularly vulnerable "group" in Winter.

It’s not that there are few "orphans," but rather that nameless orphans may die unaccountably at any time. If they die silently in the streets, there might not even be an investigation.

In the traditional concepts of the entire Winter, it is believed that "orphans without names are unteachable." This is an unspoken form of discrimination.

Therefore, to prevent orphans from being orphans, it is necessary to bestow names upon them.

——This means the family must take responsibility for their future crimes and penalties. frёeωebɳovel.com

In the eyes of Winter people, these orphans are "children from other families." It is impossible to be certain of their nature, good or bad, and even if an Elder is willing to name them, others within the clan may stop them — after severing blood ties, no one wants to take responsibility for someone else’s child.

But if the orphan has already been named, then it is not so troublesome.

After all, if something happens, it is not their own family’s disgrace... and even a casual education will suffice.

If these children’s parents died for glorious reasons, then it’s possible that all the local families will work together to raise him — they too hope to be touched by that "glory."

Therefore, the orphanages of the Winter Principality are completely different from those in other countries... they are not welfare institutions, but containment facilities. Since those with names are picked out, the majority of those who end up in the orphanages are nameless orphans.

Only those in Winter who have a higher level of education, who have received education above college level, or who have become clergy higher than bishops, can gradually understand... that it’s not that "nameless orphans are bound to commit crimes," it entirely depends on the education they receive.

Since taking the position of Cardinal, Dmitry has been working hard to improve the environment of the orphanages.

If everyone treats the orphanage like a dump, then the "education" they receive will truly make them believe they are rubbish.

But these children are no worse than anyone else, and are not like those uneducated people — who think that nameless orphans are irredeemable "children of beasts."

Having a name or not does not determine their inherent quality. Postnatal education and society’s perception are the real reasons for their downfall.

The Melvin family gathers these orphans together and gives them the Melvin surname — this seems like a great kindness, one that can make those orphans grateful to them for a lifetime.

In fact, it visibly improves their circumstances, turning them from nameless orphans, who couldn’t even be considered human, into members of the Melvin family.

However, there is certainly some conspiracy brewing beneath the Melvin family’s actions.

Dmitry has such a premonition.

Through a hazy sense, he has already perceived — if he handles this conversation improperly, it might bring great trouble to Annan.

But Dmitry’s understanding of mysterious knowledge and the Transcendent realm is not deep.

Relying solely on his own knowledge, he can’t grasp what the Melvin family is plotting... therefore he also doesn’t know how exactly he should respond.

Just as he was hesitating, the sealed room in the ducal mansion opened on its own, without anyone knocking.

——A good opportunity!

"Who is it?"

Dmitry immediately yelled, "Don’t you know how to knock?"

He even had it planned out — to fiercely scold the person who came in, pretend to be in no mood to answer, and put the Melvin Earl’s unclear matter aside for the moment... until he could consult his mysterious advisor, "Vasily," and then reply.

But then he heard a very familiar voice, brimming with laughter:

"What, my dear Dmitry, does your brother need to knock to return to the ducal mansion now?"

——Thank goodness, blessed be the grandmother!

It was Annan coming back!

Dmitry almost immediately sighed in relief, his whole demeanor brightened, and even the perpetual frown on his face unraveled.

Whatever conspiracy the Melvin family had was irrelevant now.

——With Annan’s return, Winter has hope for salvation!