The Tulip Archipelago, the capital of Faletis, Beckler.
If the residents of the Old Continent were to choose a great city that represented human civilization, many would instinctively shout out Santa Cruz, the capital of Shilius, which was known as the Museum of All Nations.
However, no one could deny it right away. The city under their feet was the embodiment of the essence of the steam industrial civilization of this era, Beckler.
The huge 95-meter-tall bell tower could overlook the entire capital city. The city was filled with factories, white steam was connected into clouds, and the beautifully cast lamp posts on both sides of the main street stretched as far as the eye could see like sentinels …
Especially before the end of the year.
With the power of the coke smelting process, the kingdom's steel production once again ushered in a breakthrough. The engineers built a 129-meter-long iron bridge over the Tame River that flowed through Beckler, symbolizing the infinite creativity and enterprising spirit of the people of Faletis.
It was also an industrial miracle that stunned the world.
Although the cost of the iron bridge was not cheap, the sense of national pride was unprecedented!
In particular, the 350-kilometer-long "Tame River" originated from the Cotswolds in the east of the island and entered the sea at New Haven. It was the mother river that nourished Beckler and more than ten cities along the way. It was even more significant.
However.
At this time, the sewer system that flowed into the Tame River from the bridge was not so peaceful.
Another negative consequence of the city's good drainage system was the construction of an underground world that extended in all directions like a maze. The interior was dark and damp, and it also contained some "dirt" that should not have appeared here.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh …
In the eastern area of the underground, a group of human-shaped rats in linen robes were whispering; in the western area, a line of green-black spiders that looked like they were made of pitch crawled over the walls; a group of fierce figures with blood-red hands opened the manhole cover and crawled into the streets …
In the underground of the noble district, a few pale-faced "ghouls" under the command of the "Cold Monarch" and the "Blasphemy Cultists" in grayish-white leather robes who belonged to the "Fog of Order" met.
"Hahaha, this city is really lively recently. All kinds of people with ulterior motives are starting to become active, and there is a steady stream of people from all walks of life pouring in. Maybe we don't even need to do anything to cause chaos in this city. "
"The war has already begun, and the authority of the True God is constantly increasing. During this period of time, the Tulip Family, who is destined to be on opposing sides, cannot be given the slightest chance to breathe.
It was all because of those idiots who betrayed the oath. Not only did they not obtain the [Libra Equalization Holy Sword] from the trip to the [Clock Tower], they were also completely wiped out. Not a single piece of useful information was sent back.
It forced us to change our follow-up plans again and again. As for the 'Chaos Worms' … "
Directly above their heads, the sun was shining through the city.
Tap … tap … tap …
There were the Dragoon Guards who rode on horses and wore red military uniforms with muskets on their shoulders. There were the Extraordinary Knights whose armor was as clean as a mirror. There were the Crowmen who wore bird masks and black leather jackets. There were also the spies from the Kingdom's Intelligence Department.
The defense forces belonging to the kingdom began to patrol the streets and alleys of the city in batches. The most important ceremony in decades was approaching, and the alert level in the city had been raised to the highest level.
Expected and unexpected enemies were always emerging. This kind of response had been the standard configuration for the celebrations held by the various civilized countries for a long time.
Even with the suppression of the Church of the True God, every large-scale public event on the continent was the peak period of activity for various' cults'. Those who were hostile to civilization and order were like cockroaches. Wave after wave of them were killed. It was simply endless.
Just like the fallen 'God of Opera' Purcell, they were born attached to human society itself and used the body of human civilization as a source of power.
Faith was secondary. The anger, sadness, selfishness, cowardice, despair, hatred, jealousy, inferiority, greed, and other negative emotions of human beings were their favorite.
However.
Unlike the 'Dark Millennium' before the 'Renaissance', the True God did not show any miracles.
In the current era, the True God paid unprecedented attention to the mortal world, and even frequently sent angels to interfere with mortal affairs. With the suppression of the Church, especially in the most central cities of the civilized countries, there was almost no need to worry about the crazy Evil God daring to come and kill in person.
Of course, there were pros and cons.
Just like the root cause of this celebration, the abdication of the queen who could still work for another hundred years, the root cause was also the Church.
"What belongs to God belongs to God, and what belongs to the king belongs to the king." In reality, the next level of definition was "what belongs to the transcendent belongs to the transcendent, and what belongs to the mortal belongs to the mortal."
After breaking through to the third level, what was the difference between a well-maintained body without accidental death and a stable king for nearly two hundred years and a God ruling over human beings?
This was what the Church, and the True God behind them, did not want to see after the 'Dark Millennium' and the 'Renaissance'. If that was the case, it would be better to directly replace the kingdom and establish a theocracy.
Among the countries on the continent, the natural transition of kings between 65 and 70 years old was the most common. If the king still did not abdicate the throne when the time came, it would attract the forceful intervention of the Church. The Pope would declare the king illegal on behalf of God and then appoint a new monarch.
Although the current Queen Isabella was only 67 years old and there were still three years before the final 70 years old deadline, a series of internal and external factors prompted her to make this decision.
Internally.
During this period of time, she took advantage of the great opportunity given by the negative example of the Elia Kingdom and adopted Elvin's suggestion to nationalize all the livelihood industries.
A series of reforms that would seriously affect the interests of the existing groups had been completed in her hands, and no one could resist her supreme prestige.
Therefore, Levina's power was no longer hindered internally, and she had even inherited a rich political inheritance. She only needed to wait for the flowers to bloom and enjoy the glory.
Externally.
Seeing that the religious reform of the Shilius Empire was nearing its end, and the turmoil on the continent was gradually calming down, the conflict of interests between the kingdom and Shilius would inevitably become more and more intense. The remaining three years were not enough for the two sides to decide the victor.
It was better to let the successor enter the fray while the intensity of the conflict was still low, and let the 35-year-old Crown Princess Levina, who had been through many experiences, use the next thirty years to create the glory of the kingdom.
.....
In the crown prince's mansion, in a garden full of blooming flowers.
Levina, who was wearing a yellow dress and a jeweled princess crown, looked particularly beautiful. She kicked off her shoes and sat on a bench with her bare feet hugging her knees, chatting with Elvin, who was leaning on the other side of the bench.
Crack … Crack …
As a core member of the crown prince's party, Elvin had completely immersed himself in his identity as a Knight Protector.
Although he was casually wearing a white shirt and nibbling on an apple specially provided by the royal family in his hand, the great wizard's extremely powerful mental force field had already spread across several blocks, and even the little insects deep in the ground could not escape his perception.
If he was in a prosperous royal family, under normal circumstances, he should have begun to charge and break through the lines for his lord's smooth ascension to the throne.
Unfortunately, the kingdom only had one successor at the moment, and his duty now was only to protect Levina's safety.
He even thought of how Jeros, the First Princess, and Stephanie shook their heads like a rattle drum when they heard the news, and he found it funny. The throne, which was unattainable to ordinary people, was avoided like the plague.
However, everyone had their own ambitions, and their choice was not necessarily bad.
"They're all demons and monsters, so it's not a big problem for a small scene. With the current defense forces in the capital, we only need to worry about what Shilius will do when the time comes. "
Levina nodded slightly, not minding Elvin's carefree attitude at all.
"I'm not worried that they will make things difficult during the coronation ceremony, but I'm a little worried about the fierce battle that will inevitably come in the future. Even if the citizens and the lords in charge of the central government all have the ambition to replace Shilius, the navy's navy is still developing rapidly.
However, based on the development of our navy alone, we probably won't be able to reach Shilius' current level in the next ten years. Our ever-expanding overseas interests will likely be threatened by the Shilius for quite some time. "
This was because any reliable armed force at sea required suitable maritime trade as its foundation. The navy had to protect the merchant ships, and the taxes paid by the merchant ships were, in turn, invested in the construction of the fleet.
No one would be foolish enough to throw money at the situation and desperately expand their armaments to fight for the title of the world's number one navy.
However, for the current Faletis, a stronger navy already had practical significance.
First, it monopolized the terrifying slave trade in the Southern Continent, then Ugor Island, which intercepted the route to the New World, and finally, it had to deal with the maritime threat of the overlord Shilius. All of these made it imperative to build a stronger navy.
The kingdom's "ship building plan" had been laid out since several years ago, and the military estimated that at least one-third of Shilius's navy was needed to prevent them from falling into a state where they could not fight back in the competition for overseas interests all over the world.
However, Shilius's invincible fleet now had more than 310 main warships above level three, as well as an unknown number of legendary warships. The total size of the fleet had already exceeded 2,200 ships.
It was a colossus that would make anyone despair just thinking about it. It was no wonder Levina felt so pressured.
In the naval battle of Benin, where the ruler of the Southern Continent was decided, the loss of dozens of battleships could not be said to be insignificant, but it was far from enough to hurt Shilius.
* Crack! *
"Your Highness, do you still remember my 'Storm Horn'? Even after eliminating the use of witchcraft, the shipyard in Far Sail has already completed the research on the ironwood hull ship. It can be put into production at any time. Its greatest advantage is its speed! "
The ironwood hull ship technology perfectly solved the problem of the difference in strength between white oak and iron oak in the New World. It was the highlight of the military's shipbuilding industry. Even if Levina did not mention it, Elvin would have taken the initiative to suggest it.
The advantage of the ironwood hull was very obvious. While not greatly increasing the ship's weight, it could make the ship longer, better able to withstand the recoil of the cannons, and increase the number of cannons.
In the current situation where the accuracy and power of the cannons were limited, more was more!
Furthermore, when building a new ship, it could greatly reduce the drying time of the ribs. With the addition of the steel keel, standardized components, and steam drying the ship's planks, the production cycle of a battleship could be shortened from a few years to a few months.
After all, a new ship with strict craftsmanship would take three to six years from the selection of materials to the completion of the construction.
In Elvin's eyes, industrial capacity was war potential!
"With the current normal production capacity, it won't be a problem to launch another fifteen fourth-level battleships with ironwood hull within two years. The production capacity can continue to expand, as long as you give the order. Then … "
Then, Her Royal Highness, who was holding her smooth chin and listening attentively, rolled her eyes at him charmingly and naturally finished the second half of his sentence for him.
"As long as the money is in place, everything will be fine. Isn't that right, Minister Calvert? "
Elvin was speechless.
"Ahem, let's talk later. Well, Your Highness, it's almost time. We should move to the palace before tonight. Do you want to bet an apple and guess if anything interesting will happen on the way? "
"Tsk, boring! Let's make a deal. How about a 50% discount? 40%? Don't run! "
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