Year 3 of Cecil, the 15th day of the Month of Recovery, Recovery Day.
The important international meeting was finally scheduled to be held on the sixth day after the Recovery Day holiday. The approaching date of the meeting gave this year's Recovery Day a different meaning. Since the beginning of this month, all levels of government offices had started a comprehensive publicity campaign to explain the upcoming international event and the role that the Empire would play in it to the public in an easy-to-understand manner. Even the least well-informed people knew about this major event, and those who were slightly more poetic would link this meeting to the Month of Recovery, creating some beautiful expectations for the future.
As the great scholar Sir Godwin Orlando said in a newspaper, the history of the world's estrangement from each other was coming to an end. People who were supposed to work hand in hand would truly unite as one in this spring. This was the first ray of sunshine after the winter, and it was full of warmth like this spring.
At the same time, as the time of the conference approached, there were some other changes to this year's Recovery Day in Cecil City. More foreign faces appeared in the city, bringing more news about foreign lands.
In fact, Cecil City had never lacked foreign faces. As the world's first magically-enhanced city and the world's first open, international city, Cecil City's extraordinary technological treasure trove and incredible business order had always attracted people with keen eyesight and sense of smell. There was always an endless stream of foreign visitors coming from afar to seek knowledge and money, especially after the completion of several main railways in the Empire. The cost of foreign visitors entering Cecil City was greatly reduced, so much so that the Gray Elf merchants, who were originally very rare in the Southern Region, had become a frequent visitor to the Imperial Capital. Therefore, it could be said that all kinds of foreigners were one of the characteristics of the Imperial Capital in Cecil City.
The difference between this year's Recovery Day and previous years was that some more distant guests had appeared in the city.
In the central city, the shopping streets were decorated with lanterns and streamers. The citizens used colorful curtains and various neon lights to decorate their shops and streets. All kinds of symbolic items to celebrate the warm spring flowers and to pray for a prosperous year were hung on the lampposts by the roadside and on the outer walls of the buildings, miraculously mixing the traditional and modern atmosphere together. Children ran happily on both sides of the street, and the sound of joy could be heard everywhere.
A pair of pale yellow, cat-like eyes flashed under the white hood as she observed this incredible human city with great interest. The face around the eyes was covered with fine, soft brown and white fur, and under the fur was a rough but gentle female face. When she saw a street "magician" casually shooting a series of colorful light bombs into the sky, causing the children around her to cheer, the face that was a mixture of both cat-like and female human features could not help but show some surprise, and the cat-like vertical pupils slightly widened.
"This is incredible." A slightly hoarse voice came from under the hood. "Wenna, I never thought that there would be so many magicians in the human world. They would even stand on the street and perform magic missiles for children."
A petite, childlike figure stood beside the "cat-like lady." She tried to look up and looked at her "childhood playmate" who was almost two meters tall. "Camilla, you've got it wrong. That is not a magician. He is most likely an entertainer hired by a shop nearby, or even an employee of the shop. That is not real magic either. It is just a low-power light bomb released by a magic terminal."
As she spoke, the petite lady, the leader of the gray elves, Wenna Baizhi, shook her head. "The number of magicians in the Cecil Empire is not more than ours. If we include our witch doctors and priests, the number of magicians in the Cecil Empire is less than that of Augori. But their magic technology is very advanced. Everyone who holds a magic terminal is at least equivalent to a mage apprentice or a low-level magician. Of course, it is said that the number of magicians in the Typhon Empire is very large. There may be magicians performing on the street there … "
The tall "cat-like lady" called Camilla looked surprised. "You know a lot. Didn't you say that the gray elves only dealt with the Cecil Empire in the West and did not know the overall situation of the human empire? But I see that you even know a lot about the Typhon Empire. "
Wenna Baizhi sighed. "Sigh, it's true that I don't have much contact with the humans in the east. But don't forget that Merry is studying in this city. She wrote me dozens of letters in the second half of last year. You can never imagine how detailed those letters are. I can even piece together the wear and tear marks on the surface of every tile in this city."
Camilla suddenly looked shocked and impressed. She was also very suspicious. "Are you serious? Then you can give me a try … "
Wenna was stunned for a moment. She looked up at the orc leader in front of her helplessly. "Camilla … Has anyone ever told you that your sense of humor is a problem?"
Camilla looked serious. "No. My sense of humor is very strong among the orcs. My people call me the 'Humorous and Cheerful Queen'."
"… If you say so, then so be it," Wenna said.
Camilla was a little confused, but she did not feel any sign of anger from her friend's attitude. She soon shook her head and said casually, "Aren't we going to see Merry today? I haven't seen the child for a long time. The last time I saw her was during the ceremony at the Ancestral Peak. She was only this tall at that time … "
The orc leader bent down and gestured, but soon found that the height was still not enough. She squatted down and said, "… About this tall."
"That's about right, that's about right." Wenna suddenly stared at her. "Even Stella is taller than that!"
"Sorry, I can't tell." Camilla squatted on the ground and looked at Wenna at eye level. "By the way, are we really not going to see her?"
"We'll go tomorrow. Today, we still have to see Princess Heti. Although we're not here for an official state visit, the delegation still has to stop in Cecil City." Wenna shook her head. She looked past Camilla's soft, fluffy face and looked at the street in the distance. In her field of vision, the broadcasting device at the end of the street was broadcasting a dazzling video. It seemed to be introducing the upcoming international conference at Outpost 112 of the Silver Empire and introducing the foreign races who would be participating in the conference. Wenna saw the faces of the gray elves, the tall orcs and the short dwarves. "I heard that the dwarves' delegation has also arrived in this city, but they're not in the same area as us."
"That elven outpost is located at the border of the wasteland. To get to the outpost, we have to pass through human land. This city is the only transportation node in the northern part of the continent. As long as the ambassadors from the north and the west are in the right mind, they will definitely gather in this city for transit. After all, it's easier to take the magic train than to trudge through the wilderness," Camilla said. Suddenly, she seemed to notice something. She glanced around and asked, "Wenna, why are some passersby looking at us curiously?"
"They're looking at you." Wenna glanced at her friend. "Orcs don't often appear in the human world, especially after crossing the Sacred Plains. Orcs like you are rarer than gray elves."
Camilla suddenly looked surprised. At the same time, she subconsciously pulled her hood. "What? My disguise has been discovered? How did they know? "
Wenna looked behind Camilla helplessly. "Your tail has been wagging outside for a long time. Don't you feel cold?"
"I see!"
…
In the eastern part of the city, in the industrial area, a construction site was busy with construction. Huge arcanotech machines roared as they rushed to catch up with the construction progress that had been delayed by winter. Although the festive atmosphere was strong, for the rapidly developing Cecil, many projects in the city would not be completely stopped during the holidays.
Bramor Darksteel, a short and stout man with a yellow beard and messy hair, donned in a black light armor, stood on the empty ground beside the road. He stared at the huge mechanical grappling hooks that easily moved the heavy steel and stones to their designated positions as if they were cotton. The dwarf emissary from Forge City was so excited that his face was red as he bumped his companion's shoulder with his stout arm. "Hey! Paladin! This thing seems to be even stronger than our Rune Stone Giant! No wonder you want to understand Cecil's arcanotech technology and introduce it to Forge City. You've convinced me. I'll go back and talk to His Majesty Morton with you! "
"You are convinced by facts, not me," Paladin Hueshanyan, who was equally short and stout, with a gray beard and hair, said gruffly. His voice was like thunder in the mountains. He looked at the heavy machinery, and his eyes were equally excited. "I saw their mechanical ships at White Feather Harbor. At that time, I knew that these things with infinite power would sooner or later change the world. Look at the steel, the stone, and the machine beasts. Our Ironstone Hills and Forge Mountain are full of places where those beasts can play a role. The only pity is that these things are not cheap."
"Yes, they are not cheap. There are many good things in this world, but they are all clearly priced. The machines and potions of Cecil, the ores and crystals of the eastern part of the continent, the raw materials and rare wood of the elves. The guys in Forge City who never leave their houses can't imagine how much these things cost." Paladin Huishan fell silent. After a moment of thought, his face turned serious. "But if we follow the promise made by His Majesty Gwen Cecil, after becoming a member of the Alliance, the cost of trade between countries will be greatly reduced, and many things that were originally restricted for export will be opened up. With the reopening and opening of the southern and northern continental routes, the transportation cost of bulk trade goods will become very low."
"If these promises can be fulfilled," Paladin Huishan muttered. "Opening up the southern and northern continental routes … In the past, the continental route only lasted for a short time, but the glory of that time is still recorded in the history books. It was an exciting era … It is indeed a great feat to reopen the continental route, but I'm not optimistic about it."
"Is that so?" Paladin Huishan said casually. "This is good for everyone."
"Yes, it is good for everyone because no one has a ship that can sail the ocean at this time. But this is another matter for the two human empires. Connecting the routes around the continent meant that not only the Cecil Empire, but even the Tiphon Empire would have to open up their own ports and sea routes. Furthermore, they would have to connect with the Cecil Empire's sea route system. I had no doubt that those ships would be able to circle the entire continent, but the prerequisite was that the Tiphon Empire would have to accept the conditions of the Cecil Empire. After all, as far as we know, Tiphon's national strength has suffered a great blow, and they don't even have the ability to build a few new ships. If they open up the route at this time, the dominance of the entire continental route will undoubtedly fall into Cecil's hands … In the future, when the Tiphons recover, it won't be so easy to fight for the share of the sea. "
"The biggest regret is not that we can't get the treasure, but that we can't get it when we have the ability to return with a full load. That's why we missed it … The principles of the mountains apply to the sea." Paladin Huishan shook his head, and then looked at his partner with a little surprise. "I didn't expect you to have thought so far into this matter. Typhon and Cecil are thousands of miles away from Forge City."
"But now the whole world is going to be connected. You came here on the magic train, you know that the thousands of miles will be shortened sooner or later." Paladin Huishan spread out his hands. "Few people in Forge City will look beyond the mountains, but we have to understand the changes in the world. Fortunately, I have a lot of free time, at least I can think more about the future than those guys who only know how to deal with rocks all day long."
"The future … It's not that easy to understand the future," Barramo said, blowing at the beard on the corner of his mouth, making the hair that he was so proud of fly up. "I feel that my brain has worked enough today. In order to have a good spirit tomorrow, I think the two of us should go for a drink."
Paladin's eyes immediately lit up. "That's exactly what I was thinking. And I have a suggestion — don't waste time in bars. The real good wine won't be placed behind those fancy counters. I know a place in the city that sells Frost Resistance Potions. It's very strong …"
Paladin cast a suspicious look. "Frost resistance potion? Are you sure? That sounds like some kind of alchemy potion … "
"Trust my judgment. I've tried it at the White Feather Harbor. The human alchemists are more talented than you think." Paladin's eyes lit up, his voice was loud like a bell, and he looked proud as if he was the one who invented the frost resistance potion. "Fifty-two degrees of sauce. It's said that even the northern dragons can't resist the wonderful taste in those little bottles!"
Paladin looked at the nostalgic look on his partner's face and did not doubt his judgment in the wine. After dispelling his doubts, he could only sigh: Cecil is indeed the rising star of the human race. Even the potion here is so extraordinary …
…
When the messengers from the north and the west gathered at the transit station of Cecil City, far away in the northeast of the Gondor wasteland near the elven stronghold, the giant eagles from the Silver Empire were also flying across the clear and high blue sky.
The air in the north was much colder than the south. Although the airflow in the air was blocked by the Breeze Shield, there was still a trace of coldness seeping in. Persetia Morningstar narrowed her eyes slightly. She shared the vision of the giant eagles, and the elven outpost in the distance had entered her sight.
Those shiny antenna devices, streamlined roofs, and towers all pointed to the blue sky. They looked slender but had a unique beauty of strength.
Dozens of giant eagles formed a huge flock flying in front of her, left, and right. It was a spectacular sight.
The voice of the lead elf came from the magic brooch. "Your Majesty, we are close to Outpost 112. We will land in 15 minutes."
"Got it," Persetia replied simply, her eyes sweeping across the outpost in the distance.
Cecil was in the west, and Typhon was in the east.
"It's been more than seven hundred years …" The ruler of the Silver Empire mumbled to himself. "Unknowingly, the humans have been divided for seven hundred years … I thought I would never see them come back together again."
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