Sword of Dawn

"Of course not," Gawain shook his head, "To be honest, in the Ansu era, the Typhon people were always ahead in the field of technology itself, and we have only been ahead for so many years by relying on magic technology. And proceeding from the actual situation It is inevitable that the Typhon people created this flexible and convenient means of transportation before us..."

"Oh? How do you say that?"

"Their road renovation and leveling project started earlier than ours. When Anzu was still busy with civil strife, there were already flat and wide new roads between the towns and villages of the Typhon people, and even if we start the project with all our strength now, It can only ensure that the roads between big cities and major towns meet the new standard." Gao Wen turned his head, "In the final analysis, the birth of a new thing does not come with a clap of hands. Without the support of the environment, there will be no new ones that adapt to the environment. thing.

"Compared to these, I am more concerned about when the prototype of this 'two-wheeled vehicle' appeared? It is now quite complete, so it shouldn't be something that just popped up recently..."

Amber blinked, and quickly recalled the relevant information: "...there were indeed earlier 'prototypes'. More than ten years ago, Typhon craftsmen made wooden mopeds, but at that time, not many people paid attention to them, and they were just regarded as some kind of moped. It was a novelty toy, and later craftsmen improved it several times, but still not many people paid attention to it. Until half a year ago, the number of factories in the Aldernan area surged, and a large number of workers needed to go to work in the factory, and many followed People related to the factory need to run around, there are more and more factories, more and more workers, and the areas where the workers live are getting farther and farther away from the city center-then, the 'two-wheeled vehicle' that has not been cared about by many people has been Some discerning businessmen paid attention.

"According to the information sent by the 'Track' intelligence line, this means of transportation is currently rapidly becoming popular among the middle-class citizens of Aldernan. They are mainly skilled workers with stable incomes, foremen, small and medium-sized lawyers, and decent business personnel .As for the grassroots workers, they can’t afford the price of two-wheeled vehicles for the time being. However, several Typhon nobles initiated the ‘Two-wheeled Vehicle Welfare Plan’, calling on factories to fund the purchase of cheaper versions of two-wheeled vehicles, and then lend them to Worker use, where workers can own the car 'for free' as long as they have worked in the factory for a certain number of years, this scheme has received widespread response and should be implemented soon - both factory owners and workers welcome it and feel that it is It has benefited greatly.”

"...Factory owners can always recover the cost from the workers, and the workers also feel that their travel pressure has been relieved. After all, capital can always inspire the ingenuity of the capitalists," Gao Wen thought for a while, and said with a chuckle, "But Anyway, the stuff is really good, and we can use it too... The road conditions in most parts of the southern border have been greatly improved. This kind of two-wheeled vehicle can come in handy, and its technical difficulty is not high. The factory side It can be imitated."

Having said that, he stopped and fell into short thoughts.

Magical machinery and factory production, they have more than a single, one-sided impact on a society. Industrialization is a chain reaction. When its source starts to operate, all related links in society will inevitably began to change.

Factories need ordinary people as workers, and the role of ordinary people in the operation of society has been magnified, so whether the upper class of Typhon is willing or not, they will take ordinary people into their sights—even if they only regard them as gears and money bags look at.

The two-wheeled vehicle specially made for ordinary people is just the beginning - it does not mean that a few smart Typhon businessmen have discovered new business opportunities, but that some of the top Typhon elements who have knowledge and production materials have already Something has changed.

And as long as this change occurs, their ability to use magic technology will inevitably increase rapidly. This is pressure for Gao Wen, but it is also what he hopes to see.

He fell into the paradoxical state of entanglement and expectation again.

Amber looked at Gao Wen curiously: "What are you thinking?"

"People from Typhon... have become more flexible in thinking," Gao Wen said slowly with a trace of sigh, "but it's a good thing."

"...Although I don't know how many complicated things you have thought about in the past few seconds, I still remember you said that it is not a bad thing for others to develop, we just need to ensure that we will always develop faster than others," Amber I found a sentence from the "sacred words of Emperor Gawain Cecil" that I had recorded, and then changed the subject, "Since we are talking about Typhon now... count the time, that Mathil Princess Da should be here soon."

"Matilda Augustus..." Gao Wen rested his fingers on his chin, thoughtful, "According to the information from Maryland and Philip, that princess is very concerned about magic technology, although she is not It is ruled out that this is her intentional attitude, but she does have a good understanding of some professional magic knowledge."

Amber glanced at Gao Wen: "Are you worried that what she can see from Cecil's magic technology will affect the concealment of 'No. 25'?"

"That's not true. 'Number 25' has always been very cautious. The technologies he releases are all mutated, and he has also prepared a very complete 'research and development evidence', which is not suspicious," Gao Wen shook. Shaking her head, "I'm just a little curious. Is that Princess Typhon's focus on magic technology just showing a certain attitude of the Typhon royal family... or is it really her personal preference. If it's the latter... I'd be happy Make a good relationship with her, and then use her hand to give them some 'gifts' that are going to be exported to Typhon in a more natural and reasonable way..."

Seeing the classic calculating look on Gao Wen's face, Amber really wanted to roll her eyes on the spot, but she was afraid that she would really roll her eyes if she was slapped on the wall, so she could only forcefully suppress her nagging thoughts. Turn around: "Speaking of Typhon's royal family, the Military Intelligence Bureau has recently been investigating information about the genetic 'madness' of the Augustus family, and we have discovered some interesting things."

"Oh?" Gao Wen raised his eyebrows, "Let's hear it."

Knowing your opponent is the basis for protecting yourself. Based on this, Gao Wen has been paying attention to Typhon's Augustus family since the Southern Unification War, especially their family's famous "Crazy Curse" legend. The collection of intelligence is also the focus of the Military Intelligence Bureau's mission in Tifeng. He immediately lifted his spirits when he heard new information.

"According to the relatively public information that has been collected before, we already know that the 'madness' of the Augustus family did not exist all the time, but only appeared after the event known as the 'Great Collapse' 200 years ago Yes," Amber Dang even began to report, "200 years ago, the old capital of Typhon collapsed due to a major earthquake, and the whole fell into the ground. evacuated, thereby avoiding casualties, and after that, the family members of the Augustus family began to be troubled by the curse of madness...

"According to the latest information we have gathered, there is an explanation for this 'curse' that only appeared after the collapse.

"Some Typhon upper-class nobles and scholars have a saying: the collapse of the old imperial capital 200 years ago was not a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster. It was the Typhon royal family who tried to draw some forbidden power from the earth, which caused a backlash. Therefore, Emperor Typhon at that time did not foresee any disaster, but evacuated when he knew that the ceremony was out of control.

"As for the so-called madness, it is the aftermath of this backlash-it is the uncontrolled power deep in the earth that polluted the souls of the Augustus, and let this pollution pass from generation to generation to this day."

"Man-made disaster... trying to draw power from the depths of the earth?" Gawain frowned, "This sounds more like an absurd and unruly court tale. This kind of legend that slanders the reputation of the royal family should be a kind of taboo in Typhon Bar?"

"Of course, no one dares to discuss these legends publicly, and those who discuss publicly are basically not far from death—the Typhon royal family has always been tough, which is different from the Ansu royal family back then." Amber nodded, "But this kind of Things will always be kept secret and circulated among some not-so-honest nobles and scholars.

"Rosetta Augustus adopted various tough measures to implement reforms in the early years, but he did not do as thoroughly as you did due to the restrictions of the domestic situation. This left a large number of resentful nobles in Typhon. These The nobles may not object to Rosetta's rule, but they certainly don't mind discussing some 'little stories' about the Augustus family in private.

"This kind of little story does sound absurd and uninhibited, but since it dares to involve the royal family, and it can be circulated among many scholars and extraordinary people, then part of it must be true..."

Gao Wen glanced at Amber: "It seems that what you told me has been screened and confirmed?"

"The content that is too absurd and malicious has been removed, and the part that can reflect each other with various versions of rumors and legends is retained," Amber nodded and said, "I dare not say it is the truth, but the Augustus family did something 200 years ago. , and thus lead to familial madness is probably true."

"...I am now a little curious about what is buried under their collapsed old imperial capital," Gawain said quietly after listening, "the Lord of Storms is buried under the deep sea, the fortress of rebellion is buried in the dark mountains, and under the giant tree of Sorin It is connected to the legacy of the Reverse Tide Empire... In this world, digging holes underground is not a safe thing to do."

While talking, he couldn't help but have another slightly weird thought in his mind:

Does the soon-to-be-visiting Princess Matilda Augustus also have this curse that will eventually lead to madness?

……

City of Dreams, in the rotunda of the Central Temple, the figure of Selina Gerfen had just condensed in the air, when she heard Archbishop Yuri's voice beside her:

"Archbishop Selina, our first test of the No. [-] sandbox has gone wrong."

"I know," Selena's figure was solid, looking at Yuri in white robe, "What's the specific situation?"

"The first batch of spiritual knights who entered the No. [-] sandbox arrived at the deserted city. They found crazy records in the city, which stated that the world has ended, and all living beings in the world have escaped meaningless reincarnation—— After exploring the surrounding area of ​​the city, the operatives confirmed that there were no residents in the area,” Archbishop Yuri said quickly, “With the help of the spirit knight team as the spiritual beacon, we finally re-established the monitoring of the No. [-] sandbox, and then It turns out that... all the minds in there are literally gone!"

Selina Geerfen's expression instantly became serious: "All—including the real testers, and all the virtual personalities simulated by the sandbox?"

"Yes, all," Archbishop Yuri nodded, "There are no 'residents' in the No. [-] sandbox, and it is likely to have been 'emptied' as early as the early stage of the sandbox closure. The one we explored before There was an empty appearance in the phantom town. We once guessed that it was a "vision" caused by projection distortion, but now it seems that the empty state is not a "distorted vision" at all, but the real phenomenon of No. [-] sandbox. status - it's idling! It's been idling"

The No. [-] sandbox, which has been out of control for a long time, was supposed to accommodate tens of thousands of "residents". The interior of the No. [-] sandbox has been undergoing high-speed evolution. In the early days of the loss of control, the No. [-] sandbox projected the illusion of residents , It was already empty.

Where did the mind inside... go?

The "residents" it projected in the early days, the "priests" in the phantom town...what the hell are they?

Even though she had lost her entity in the real world, Selina Geerfen still felt an inexplicable chill suddenly surge up.

Chapter 0791 Matilda

Sitting on the smooth-moving magic car, Matilda looked out the window.

The wide and flat road stretches forward along the line of sight. The wide avenue can almost accommodate eight or nine large carriages driving side by side. It is obviously specially designed to cope with the pressure of modern traffic. There are well-arranged and beautiful buildings lined up on both sides of the road. Those buildings have a brand-new style that is different from Typhon, but also different from old Ansu—it retains the classical and elegant shape of the Northern Kingdom, but also has some pleasing neat lines and regular shapes.

And between these buildings and roads, you can see neatly arranged street lamps, magic projections distributed at intersections or open spaces, stop signs designed for magic vehicles to stop, and people flooding the streets in this cold winter season. , Wearing bright and thick winter clothes to welcome the crowd.

On those magic projections, on the large-scale colorful paintings at those stations, there are various welcome sentences or pictures, and even real-time images of the convoy driving.

This is the modern capital of magic, Cecil City...

Matilda withdrew her gaze, but still retained the perception of an extraordinary person, paying attention to the movement on the road outside. She looked at Philip who was in the same car with her. On the face of this young army commander, she saw Arrived with barely concealed pride.

This is normal, a noble with such a status would certainly show such pride in front of a foreign ambassador.

But on both sides of the road outside, those Cecilians who are said to be "ordinary citizens" have expressions of curiosity, excitement, and similar pride on their faces, which is not so unusual.

"I hope you are satisfied with the welcome process we have arranged," Philip said with a smile on his face, looking into the eyes of Princess Typhon, "Cecile and Typhon have many differences in customs, but we have The common root, this root can become the link between the two countries to draw closer."

"I sincerely hope for a longer peace," said Matilda, also smiling. "It will be good for all of us."

The magic convoy of the Typhon mission drove through the straight "Pioneer Avenue" of Cecil City, and was welcomed by the citizens, escorted by the security team and the Iron Rangers, and drove towards the Royal District. They gradually left the outer city, Entering the center of the city, as a large square appeared outside the car window, all Typhon envoys including Matilda suddenly heard a loud cracking sound——

It was as if the thunder had exploded, and the distance was not very far. There was not only one explosion, but more than thirty times in a row.

Someone in the messenger team showed a look of surprise, and even Matilda couldn't help but look at Philip opposite, but the latter just smiled at her: "No need to be nervous, it's just a salute.

"It is Cecil's custom to welcome guests from afar with a salute."

Matilda blinked, recalling some of the previously collected information in surprise, and couldn't help flashing some weird thoughts in her mind——

The Cecilians do seem to enjoy welcoming their guests with these loud cannon blasts, though sometimes they hit the sky, and sometimes they hit their heads...

"Interesting rules," she smiled. "In the new era, there will indeed be some new customs and habits."

When the time approached noon and the giant sun gradually rose above the head, the Typhon envoys led by Matilda came to Gawain.

After the welcome ceremony that was not luxurious but grand enough, solemn enough, and unique to the people of Typhon, Gawain stood in front of the steps of the "Autumn Palace" and looked at the "Flower of Gaoling" with a smile on his face.

Beside him stood Hetty and Rebecca, several government affairs executives, and Veronica who was holding a platinum scepter.

Amber couldn't be seen at the scene, but everyone familiar with it knew that the director of the Military Intelligence Bureau must be at the scene—but he hadn't separated from the air yet.

Matilda was wearing a complicated and classic black court dress, her long black hair was dotted with thin golden chains, hanging down to her waist, she walked slowly in front of Gao Wen with an impeccable posture, and slightly lowered her head: "Salute to you, His Majesty Gawain Cecil.

"On behalf of House Augustus, I bring here the kind wishes of Typhon.

"May you be healthy and long, and may your achievements be passed down from generation to generation."

"In a sense, your last sentence is not a blessing, but a statement," Gawain said jokingly, and stepped forward, "Welcome to Cecil."

Next came the boring but unavoidable part of the official rhetoric. Both sides smiled and said the compliments prepared in advance, but everyone still had to maintain a serious appearance and try to make this unnutritious business bragging look like Be more sincere.

Rebecca felt bored within a few seconds, and even secretly yawned. She looked at Matilda Augustus, who was chatting happily with her ancestors, and couldn't help muttering in her heart, looking left and right Look, there is Aunt Hetty on one side, and Veronica on the other, chatting with the former may be beaten, so she turned to the latter: "Hey, you said she is also a princess, and I am also a princess, why can't I help it?" Break a flattery into three as she did?"

This question is really difficult to answer-after all, when the Ansu Dynasty was still there, Veronica could split the same flattery into four paragraphs.

Therefore, the "Saint" who was surrounded by a faint holy light remained silent, but shook her head slightly, and then her eyes fell on that Matilda, and she did not move away for a long time.

Matilda raised her head with a feeling, and met a pair of eyes that were gentle and calm, but lacked the texture that a living person should have, just like crystal.

There seemed to be some kind of profound scrutiny in those eyes, which made Matilda's heart move slightly, but when she looked carefully again, she found that those eyes seemed to simply sweep over her, the weird scrutiny before The feeling is gone.

After the reception ceremony, there is a grand luncheon.

Formal negotiations on setting up embassies, sending ambassadors to each other, exchanging students and many other matters are scheduled for tomorrow. Surrounded by music and other elements, this kind of attitude exchange can be carried out relatively easily. On the premise that both sides of the negotiation hope that the matter can be negotiated, this kind of early negotiation will often reap very good results.

Matilda tasted exquisite food that was different from Typhon, cutting the barbecue sprinkled with various spices with a table knife, but at the same time maintained a dignified and elegant demeanor, and did not show too much attention to any kind of food. Loved, her eyes swept over the waiters passing through the banquet hall, the magic images set up around the hall, and the "Princess Cecil" not far away who seemed not very good at table manners, and finally landed on Gawain: “I had heard that the Anzu were so good at roasting meat that Typhon’s court chefs were keen to learn how the Anzu used spices, but now that I actually tasted it, I realized that their imitation was just a Imitation, authentic is a completely different thing.”

"Then you're probably going to blame your court chef by mistake," Gao Wen said with a smile, "The food in front of you is not the traditional 'Ansu cuisine', but something I came up with when I was bored in the past two years—see Does it sound to your taste?"

"You invented it?" Matilda looked at the desserts on the table and the barbecue on the plate in astonishment, and then praised from the bottom of her heart, "It's incredible, I just thought you were a powerful A knight and a wise monarch, I didn't expect you to be a gourmet who can create delicious dishes-they are indeed delicious, and it is my honor to eat them."

Gao Wen smiled and didn't say much.

When he was just unmasked a few years ago, he still thought about using the delicacies in his mind to improve the food life in another world, and for this purpose, he worked hard on several kinds of foods that were not available in the local area, but In the end, there was no such thing as "he took out a plate of barbecue and let the natives bow down to him". After all, the gourmets in this world didn't grow up eating soil, and he himself...was an old man in his previous life. For an ordinary diner, no matter how much food there is in the Celestial Dynasty, he can eat it himself but can't cook it.

The few foods he came up with now get the highest evaluation of "delicious", and they were quickly overwhelmed by local chefs in terms of variety, and now they save a few barbecues and Jiangnan dim sum as "state banquets" The embellishment on it is the last achievement he left in the catering industry of this world as a traveler.

Gawain was distracted for a while, and Matilda swallowed the food again, looking at the small plate of thinly sliced ​​fruit in front of her with a little curiosity, she asked curiously: "This fruit tastes very strange, do I have a taste of it?" I've never eaten it...is it Cecil's specialty?"

Gawain glanced at the plate of fruit, his expression was almost weird, but he remained calm at the last moment: "This is the fruit of the Thorin tree, and it is indeed a specialty of the Cecil Empire."

He controlled the expression on his face, but he couldn't control the thoughts in his heart.

That was the fruit of Bertila Augustus. Most of it was used to alleviate the food crisis in the Holy Spirit Plain, and a small part was sent to Cecil City as a sample.

Now, he entertains the descendants of the family with the fruit produced by the ancestors of the Augustus family.

People have to say thank you after eating.

Thinking about the whole process carefully, it seems to be quite devilish...

On the other side, Matilda didn't know what she was eating (in fact, it's okay to know, after all, thousands of people in Cecil are eating these fruits), and she politely praised After that, she brought up a more formal topic.

"I came here this time, in addition to the official diplomatic visit and preparations for the follow-up overseas students and other projects, I also brought my father's personal greetings." She put the knife and fork, and smiled slightly, "He He thinks that the new order you created and the magic technology you brought are great things that can change the world, which makes him admire..."

"I didn't create the order alone, nor did I create the magic technology," Gao Wen said casually, "but I admit one thing - they can indeed change the world."

Matilda glanced at Gao Wen, and said solemnly, "My royal father... guessed that you would give a similar answer."

"Oh?" Gao Wen raised his eyebrows, "Then what else did he say?"

"He said that you are similar to him, and that what you are concerned about is something beyond a generation in a city and a country," Matilda said seriously, "He also wanted me to tell you something: in a country In front of interests, we are Cecil and Typhon, in front of this world, we are all human beings, and this world is not safe, at least you understand this."

Gawain paused slightly.

After a while, he smiled and said lightly: "We have built a magnificent wall together, and at the border of the wasteland of Gondor, I had a brief conversation with your father.

"So I get the sense that he's taking a longer-term view than most people in this era.

"I'm glad he let you bring this sentence, you can tell him that the fate of all of us is on this continent, and under this premise, Cecil is happy to work with Typhon to create a peaceful and prosperous world." new era."

As soon as the words fell, Gao Wen had already raised the wine glass in his hand.

Matilda smiled, also raising her wine glass.

"Then celebrate ahead of time for a time of peace and prosperity," she said.

……

After the grand luncheon, the envoys were arranged to rest in the corresponding area of ​​the Autumn Palace, while Gao Wen returned to his residence.

Instead of going to rest, he came to the study.

Veronica has long been waiting here.

"Wright said you have something to ask me," Gawain sat down behind the desk, looking at the "Saint" holding a platinum scepter in front of him, the former leader of the rebels in Gondor, "and I noticed that you greeted me earlier and at the banquet. I have looked at the Princess Matilda several times on the Internet—is it related to her?"

"Yes," Veronica nodded, and said straight to the point, "I sense a little divine aura in her. It's very faint, but it does exist."

Chapter 0792

Gawain was a little dazed for a moment - what Veronica said was completely unexpected to him.

"The breath of the gods..." After a few seconds, he rubbed his chin to break the silence, and said slowly, "What kind of breath is it? Is she the favored person of a certain god? Or is she carrying a high-level holy object? God There are many explanations for the smell."

"The breath is very weak, and there seems to be a mutation. I'm not sure if it's pollution or 'God's favor', but she should not be a member of the gods," Veronica said seriously, "First of all, there is no information that Matilda O Gustus is a devout believer of a certain god—according to the official information released by Typhon, only Prince Hadiron of the Augustus family has received the baptism of the God of War; The divine aura of the gods is revealed, and the temperament of the whole person will be changed accordingly. Since the personality of gods is much higher than that of humans, this change cannot be concealed or reversed."

"Is the sacred breath coming out..." Gawain suddenly thought of something else when he heard it, and couldn't help but glance at Veronica, "Is it like the sacred breath on your body?"

"... That's right," Veronica nodded, "The phenomenon of affinity with the Holy Light on my body is a manifestation of this uncontrolled sacred aura—strictly speaking, I am indeed a follower of the God of Holy Light. "