Iscar turned to look at Roddy and asked, "What do you think, Prime Minister?"
"Materials science is very important for the military. I agree that we should lay a solid foundation for now." Roddy said one thing after another, but he was secretly delighted — the Dragons' research and development efficiency was much faster than Elson's Magic Research Department. In other words, Roddy's strongest research and development department was no longer in Elson, but in Hercino Magic Tower and the Dragons in the Dragon Tower.
The other dragons did not feel that they were being used. Iscar was eager to try. He raised his hand and tidied up the test bench in front of him with magic. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's start with heat resistance! "
Seeing that they were developing the properties of metals with great enthusiasm, Roddy said a few polite words and left the laboratory — the development of such basic materials was actually very boring. Even the Dragons could not avoid a lot of repetitive experiments.
"I hope I can find the right formula before I get tired of it …"
As Roddy thought so, he went downstairs and walked around the middle-level administrative office area. The temporarily selected officials were here to deal with the information submitted from all over the country. At present, the most capable people in this kingdom were not the nobles, but their stewards. Therefore, these stewards became the main members of the first batch of "civil servants."
He glanced at them casually and was about to practice archery after confirming the efficiency of these people. Suddenly, someone from the Intelligence Department came to report a piece of news: Rowling wanted to take the civil servant screening exam.
Rowling was the daughter of Charles II and used to be the princess of this kingdom — but now she was just an ordinary girl from a civilian family. After the coronation, the royal family was pardoned and did not have to live a hard life. Roddy gave them a piece of land and also assigned the servants who had stayed in the palace to the end as servants. The land was farmed, and their food and clothing were taken care of. As long as they did not lie down and wait for death, their future life would never be worse than that of the local small nobles.
Of course, their family lived under the surveillance of the Intelligence Department. As long as they behaved themselves, Roddy guaranteed that they could live a stable life. If they plotted something else, he would not be polite. In the past few months, the intelligence showed that they did not have the guts to do anything. Charles II lived a befuddled life, while the queen and her sons were independent, and Rowling worked harder than the others.
Now, in order to recruit talents, Roddy began to test the waters with the "civil servant exam" that was still in the experimental stage to screen suitable "civil servants." This method was simply unheard of for most people, so most people had a wait-and-see attitude and did not actively sign up.
Rody was not in a hurry. After all, Qimu Lixin had to go through a process. However, he did not expect Rowling to stand up and sign up.
Her identity was very sensitive. However, it was precisely because of this sensitivity that Rody immediately replied after a short moment of hesitation, "Do not interfere and ensure her safety."
*****
While Rody was thinking about governing the country, Linis Village in the Silent Forest was like another world.
Unlike the spacious and comfortable wooden houses in Elsa Village, this village retained the traditional tree house structure of the Wood Elves. The Wood Elves all wore simple clothes. In November, the weather was getting colder. Many of the Wood Elves' faces were blue from the cold wind, and they could not stop trembling when they spoke.
However, the villagers did not look worried. When Brody visited some time ago, he had left a lot of food and dried meat. If they ate sparingly, it would be enough for them to survive the winter. Moreover, the hunting team in the village was not what it used to be. The young Wood Elves who used to return empty-handed would now return with a full harvest. Sometimes, they would even bring back the carcasses of large predators such as tigers and leopards.
"Remember … The only thing that can save us is us, the Wood Elves!"
Chief Bati was lecturing the young hunters in front of him. The latter's expressions were firm as they answered loudly, "Yes!"
"You are the strongest warriors. Do not fear any enemy."
With that, the hunting team packed up the day's harvest. Chief Bati returned to his tree house. He was a dozen years younger than Brody and did not look old. After entering the house, he pointed at a simple wooden magic circle in the center of the house and it lit up with a bright blue light.
Upon closer inspection, one could see that there was a small Magic Crystal embedded in the wooden magic circle. Under the illumination of the light, the black tomes in the wooden house were especially eye-catching.
"Only power is eternal …"
He mumbled something in the High Elves' tongue under his breath, then flipped through a notebook on the bedside table.
"It was their arrogance that led to their failure. Now … we will not be like this."
Chief Bati's expression was very solemn. He bowed as if he was going through some kind of ceremony. Then, he began to read carefully. In the process, he continued to practice spells. However, the spells that Chief Bati was using now were no longer the Natural Magic that he used to control. All the spells were condensed and dissipated with a faint blue light.
After practicing for a few hours, Chief Bati walked out of the wooden house. The hunting team had finished processing the game, and the rich smell of meat wafted through the village. It was only when Bati said it was time for dinner that the families began to eat.
Not long after, other Wood Elves came to visit the village. These were Wood Elves from the nearby villages who had come to "learn". They brought food and some iron ore as payment. Then, these seven or eight youths joined the original hunting team and began to learn magic under Bati's guidance.
Boom!
Explosions sounded one after another. The Wood Elves who had only learned magic for a few months looked calmly at the shattered wooden targets. The splinters flew dozens of feet away, and when they fell to the ground, the smell of burnt flesh was extremely pungent.
"Remember! This is power! The power that you control in your own hands! "
Chief Bati held a Magic crystal that was emitting power. There were many cracks on the surface of the crystal. Normally, a Magic crystal in such a state would explode. However, in his hands, the originally violent and unstable energy seemed to be tamed. Under his control, it became an element that was at his command.
"We must be prepared to receive spiritual attacks at any time. Grit our teeth and endure it. Only then can we survive in this world … Otherwise, we are no different from pigs."
It was obvious that Chief Barty did not come up with his own words, for the word "pig" was in the High Elven language. The twenty or so young Wood Elves responded loudly with excited expressions. At the same time, they trained even harder. These Magician's Apprentices could now cast spells skillfully. They did not learn low-level spells such as Dust Raising Spell or Magician's Hand. Now, all they used were offensive spells with considerable power.
Wooden targets were placed in a row on the ground. The Wood Elves dressed in simple clothes looked solemn as they chanted spells loudly. At the same time, they released the dissipating energy from the Magic crystal in their hands. After a round of bombardment, the ground that was originally filled with vegetation was now scorched black. Not a single blade of grass grew.
Magic crystal was a rare item, but here, everyone had one. It was as if they did not lack money at all.
