Along the coastline of the distant Northern Frontier, the wind from the sea blew across the wide and flat Pier One. Large quantities of goods were neatly stacked in the stacking area beside the pier. Large construction machines powered by magical engines and weight-reducing runes were busy at the stacking area, transferring more goods to the platform in the pre-loading area.
A huge clock tower stood at the edge of the city near the pier. The huge mechanical dial at the top of the clock tower shone brightly under the sun. The exquisite copper gears clicked and spun in the transparent crystal window, and the pointer with beautiful hollow patterns slowly pointed to the highest point of the dial. Beneath the clock tower, the large Mana Net Terminal by the edge of the square was being broadcasted to the public. The holographic projection above the Mana Net Terminal was showing a real-time image of Conference Hall 112 — the important people were seated beneath the majestic stone pillars, while the voice of a commentator outside the scene wafted from the outside.
A beautiful and imposing ship was docked at the edge of Pier One. The ship had a metal hull and magical wings that extended diagonally upward. The radiance of runes slowly wandered on the surface of the hull. Above the ship, there was a flag that symbolized the tribal nation of Augulay fluttering in the wind. The ship came from the distant White Feather Pier. It was designed and built by the North Harbor Imperial Shipyard, and the one who ordered it was a wealthy merchant from the Moss Forest. In the past, it had carried out several trade activities between the Moss Forest and the North Harbor. At this moment, it was preparing for its last voyage of the week.
Further away, there were more merchant ships of all sizes docked at various piers. They were flying the flags of Cecil, the tribal nation of Augulay, or the Duchy of Holy Dragon. Some had obvious traces of modification of old ships, and some were completely new modern ships. But regardless of the shape, they all had the same characteristics: the raised magical wings, and the protection system to deal with the harsh sea environment and improve elemental resistance. Some of the ships also hung the wave sacred emblem that represented the power of the storm. This meant that they would be protected by Naga technicians during the voyage. When they entered the sea near the distant sea, these "official ships" would become the core of a trading fleet, providing the entire fleet with a disorderly turbulence warning service.
A short gray elf with short gray hair stood in the square beside the pier. He wore a small black suit, a special tall hat, and a hardwood cane with light silver patterns in his hand. He was looking up at the holographic projection floating beside the clock tower. In the cold sea breeze of the North Harbor, the gray elf merchant still loosened the bow tie on his collar from time to time, looking anxious and excited.
There were many people like him, standing at the edge of the square, watching the broadcast from afar with rapt attention. There were local merchants from Cecil, gray elves and orcs from the Augori region, dragon descendants from the Holy Dragon Duchy, and even elves and mountain people dressed as mercenaries, representing some unknown merchant group. These people came from all over the world, from different races, but at this moment, they were all paying attention to the same scene.
"We're almost there … We're almost there …" The short gray elf merchant pulled at his collar for the umpteenth time as he muttered nervously.
A black-haired woman dressed as a sailor beside him could not help but look down at him and reminded him, "You've said this for the sixth time. Be patient, sir. We're all waiting."
"I've been waiting since yesterday!" The gray elf swayed his body and stepped on the ground alternately. "Damn it, I even planned to set up a tent here … but the sheriff won't let me …"
The woman didn't respond. She raised her head and looked into the distance. She saw the patrolling North Harbor security team stopping at a nearby intersection. A red-haired female sheriff riding on a horse happened to look over, her eyes filled with vigilance and concern.
Further away, a group of dockworkers who were resting seemed to have stopped chatting and were walking in the direction of the bridge one after another.
Above the large magical network terminal at the edge of the square, the holographic projection switched from an indoor studio to an outdoor scene of the venue. A voice from outside the projection announced with a hint of excitement, "Just now, the vote on the activation of the trans-continental sea route and the relevant maritime trade bill has been unanimously passed …"
The square was silent for about a second before someone suddenly shouted, "The bill has been passed! The bill has been passed! "
The female sailor narrowed her eyes. She heard cheers coming from all directions, and many people were shouting in a hurry. The short gray elf was screaming as he ran into the distance. As he ran, he shouted at his assistant who was standing at the edge of the crowd, "Mark! Go and load the ships! Let them load the ships immediately! The cargo list has been approved!
"Get Nina to get the new pass … No, damn it, I'll go myself. Get Nina to the customs office. She can sign it now!"
In the holographic projection above the magical network terminal, flags were shining brightly under the sun. The excited voice was still explaining quickly, "… After the bill comes into effect, the original list of trade permits will be expanded by six times. The trans-oceanic sea route will also be opened to the public. It is said that the merchants of Northport have been waiting for this good news since a few days ago …"
"According to the agenda of the meeting, the heads of nations or plenipotentiaries will be voting on the establishment of the Food Committee. This special bill aims to provide necessary help to our new ally, the Giant Dragon from Tarlonde. It will also set the foundation for the future of the Alliance to help each other and solve the problem of world hunger together …"
"… Next, let's turn the screen to …"
The program was still going on, but half of the merchants in the square had already left. Too many people had been waiting for this news at the port for too long. Many of them were still there. Some of them were doing other business and were more concerned about the follow-up international decisions. Some of them were local citizens who came to watch the show and were now very interested. The last small group were travelers from the Duchy of Holy Dragon. These descendants of the Giant Dragon who had the Giant Dragon's blood in their veins were watching the program with rapt attention. Some of their eyes had unconsciously turned into the vertical pupils that symbolized the Giant Dragon, but they did not seem to notice.
The black-haired female sailor watched the scene quietly. Although she was dressed like a staff member on a nearby merchant ship, she did not move as the merchants dispersed. She cleverly kept a distance from everyone around her, but maintained a level that did not attract attention.
"… A maritime trade bill has been passed, and the merchants at the scene are greatly encouraged … This is a situation that has never been seen before. These people from various countries and races seem to be connected all of a sudden. A news from thousands of miles away has affected the fate of so many people …"
The female sailor whispered softly, but her voice did not reach the ears of a second person nearby. A small amulet hung under her neck. The runes on the amulet flashed slightly in the shadows, emitting a very secretive wave.
"Everything is happening naturally. The direction of the world has changed … It is a change that has never been recorded since the establishment of the Great Library. The countries are being led into a group of interests. Its change is happening at a very macro level, but it seems to have affected the small details of ordinary people … Has such a change happened before? In the old Great Library? Ah … That has nothing to do with us … "
There was a small commotion among the dragonkin gathered in the square. The black-haired female sailor lifted her eyelids slightly to look over there, and then lowered her eyes again. "This time, even the Giant Dragon of Tarlonde has become a part of the vortex … They have finally broken free from the cradle, and now they have returned to become members of the mortal countries. The fate of the dragonkin has changed greatly. Now there are two types of dragons in this world … The future? The future is unpredictable … and we will never be in the future.
"Time to end the communication. I know, but there is no other way. There are devices that monitor illegal magical waves everywhere, and I don't have enough defensive runes to fool those monitoring towers for a long time. That's it, I will contact you next time. "
The black-haired female sailor said softly and quickly before striding towards a nearby intersection. Her figure trembled for a moment as she moved — a black cloak was draped over her shoulders at some point, and the shadow under the cloak quickly thickened. Her face was swallowed by the shadow as if the cloak had turned into nothingness in an instant.
No one noticed when the figure disappeared, but soon after she disappeared, a group of security patrolmen quickly arrived near the Mana Net terminal. A tall security officer frowned as he scanned the square, which had no abnormalities, while another red-haired female security officer spoke in a puzzled voice. "Weird … The monitoring office just reported that they had sensed an unregistered magical wave here …"
"What kind of wave is it?" The tall security officer asked with a deep voice. "How long did it last?"
The red-haired female security officer had a serious expression. "The report says that it looks like some kind of communication spell. A fine magical wave pointed to the north, but it was only detected for a few seconds, and there was only a very weak magical reaction."
"The north? The north is the country of the mages, and further north is the legendary Giant Dragon Kingdom … but it may also point to the peninsula of the Duchy of Holy Dragon. "The tall security officer touched his chin and shook his head after thinking for a while." Anyway, just report it. We may need to increase the scanning frequency and sensitivity of the magic detection devices in the city. Now is the most critical time since the opening of the North Harbor. Maybe there are spies from some forces trying to infiltrate and cause trouble. "
…
On the other side of the Northern Strait, a huge island stood quietly in the middle of the sea surrounded by ocean currents. On this island, there was an independent country hidden from the rest of the world. The mages lived here, enjoying a peaceful and undisturbed life on this land that was like a hidden country. They also looked at the other countries on the continent that were only separated by a strait with a detached gaze, watching the rise and fall of those countries in the changes of time.
On the edge of this huge island, several cities rose and fell along the terrain. Dark-colored towers and houses with tall outer walls stood like guards on the top of the coastal cliffs. Beyond these cities, the inland area of the island was covered with vast forests and seemingly uncultivated wastelands and valleys. There seemed to be no roads connecting the cities and the inland area. Beyond these undeveloped areas, in the southwest area of the center of the island, there was an exceptionally old and majestic city standing on the highlands surrounded by dense forests and valleys.
This city had more towers than any other city. All kinds of mage towers of different heights stood on every piece of land in the city like a dense forest. A large number of houses with slanted roofs and dark-colored outer walls clustered in the gaps between these towers and the city walls. These buildings seemed to be stacked on top of each other, as if they were stacked on top of each other. The dense lines even gave people the illusion that the layout of the city had violated the laws of geometry. All the buildings were stacked together in a way that could not be established in a three-dimensional space. Layer after layer, cluster after cluster, challenging the laws of space and time, challenging the tolerance of the laws of matter in this world …
Only the most brilliant mages and those with unique talents could rely on their sight to find a trace of pattern in this city and find the correct path to a certain tower.
The City of Thousand Towers, the capital of the Violet Kingdom, was the highest holy land and further education in the hearts of the mages. For thousands of years, the continuous enchantment of magic had even changed the structure of space and time where the city was located, making the towers that far exceeded the capacity of the city to stand inside its walls — just like its name.
Like other areas of the Violet Kingdom, this city was surrounded by dense forests, rivers, and valleys. It seemed that there was no trace of development, and it seemed that there was no road connecting it to the outside world.
In the central area of the City of Thousand Towers, the most majestic and largest mage tower, the Dark Palace, stood at the top of a highland that could not be reached by road. Even though the sun was shining at the moment, the building, which consisted of a huge main tower and a large number of side towers, seemed to be shrouded in eternal shadow. Its outer walls were painted with three gloomy colors: gray, black, and purple. A large number of amethysts floated on top of it like a planetary array. In the sky above the crystal array, there was a faint purple magic cyclone. In the center of the cyclone, a looming eye occasionally appeared — that was the Eye of the Night. It operated tirelessly, monitoring every inch of the Violet Kingdom's land.
In a room at the top of the Dark Palace, Prince of Secrets, Nash Narte, left the platform where the communication crystal was located. The black-haired, black-eyed young man came to a oriel window that overlooked the city with a thoughtful look on his face.
"… Even the dragons have broken free from the nightmarish shackles … The changes of civilization this season are really beyond everyone's expectations …"
Prince Nash Narte whispered to himself. Behind him, a figure suddenly emerged from the darkness.
It was impossible to tell whether the figure was male or female. The figure seemed to be covered by a hazy cloud of energy. The figure bowed and saluted. "My Lord, the mirror is unstable. Some shadows have come out from 'over there'."
Prince Nash nodded. "Restless because of the recent changes … Got it. I'll deal with it myself."
(Here's a friendly recommendation for a book, "The Aztec Immortal". The subject matter is very niche. The setting is during the Aztec civilization in America. It's a story about an immortal transmigrator who goes to the Aztec Empire to develop. Those who are interested can take a look.)
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