Autumn was approaching, and the cool breeze in the evening had completely replaced the once dry and hot air of summer. The wind from the northern plains blew past a few treetops outside the office, shaking the swaying leaves under the setting sun. Two more flying leaves were carried by the wind, all the way through the open window, and happened to fall on the desk, next to a pen that was writing quickly.
Heti's attention was distracted by the falling leaves. She looked up at the window, and her hand that was signing the documents unconsciously stopped. When she saw a flock of migrating birds flying across the clear sky, the Imperial Grand Consul could not help but show a smile on her face. She whispered to herself softly, "It's autumn again … Finally, half of this year has passed peacefully."
Then she gently snapped her fingers, and the window was closed by an invisible magic power. With a crisp click, the autumn wind that was too cold due to the approaching evening was blocked out by the window. Heti lowered her head, and her attention returned to the documents that seemed to never be finished. After confirming again, she was ready to sign her name at the end of the document.
But a sudden chill suddenly came, and her hand that was about to sign suddenly trembled, and she almost drew a deep ink mark on the paper.
Heti was startled, and the Imperial Grand Princess frowned and muttered, "Could it be that Rebecca did something again … No, I must be thinking too much. Her project has been very stable recently, and she just approved an additional fund not long ago … Maybe she's too tired."
She laughed self-deprecatingly and gently rubbed her forehead, but her eyes could not help but fall on a filing cabinet not far away. The cabinet locked the financial summary of the first half of this year and the financial plan of the second half of the year. Of course, not all of them, but only the documents that had to be handled by her personally were included. She withdrew her gaze and glanced at a document that had just been sorted out on the table. The parchment cover of the document was printed clearly in large letters: "Notes on New Trade of the Trans-Continental Route (Northern Section)".
In these piled up documents flowed the economic river of the Empire, which was an unimaginable amount under the economic system of the old era. It was a huge wealth that the former Ansu land nobles could not come into contact with in their lifetime. As the ancestors often said, flowing money was money, and rapid economic circulation was like flowing gold. As the Grand Consul who was in charge of most of the internal affairs, Heti had a real understanding of this that others could not reach.
However, this huge wealth always came and went in a hurry. The trans-continental route and the railway trade line did indeed bring in an amazing amount of income for the Empire, but the huge projects planned by the Empire were also costly. Whether it was the resettlement project in the next quarter of the Sacred Spirit Plains, the national basic roads, communications, energy projects, or the expansion of education in the Eastern Region next year, or the 115 Project that Rebecca was leading … behind each project was a seemingly endless budget report. "Gold was like flowing water," and after seeping into these projects, it disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.
This gave Heti an illusion that there was not much difference between now and when her family was in dire straits. Although the amount of money in her hands now was unimaginable, but every year, the amount that flowed in still flowed out, and in the end, there was still no money …
Some strange thoughts seemed to appear in her mind. Heti smiled. She gently patted her face to get herself out of these strange thoughts and looked out the window. Under the clear sky, she could directly see some of the high-rise buildings in the southern city from this office. She saw a bell tower near the Imperial College, and the spire of the church and the energy tower of the Magical Energy Technology Research Institute in the background of dusk. There was a bustling city where tens of thousands of people lived and worked. Visitors, scholars, and travelers from thousands of miles away gathered in this city …
The "gold" that flowed and seeped into the projects did not really disappear. They left the most precious traces on this land: the order that the ancestors worked hard to create, the country that the citizens of the Empire built together. These undeniable traces were far more valuable than the money piled up in the castle waiting to rot.
… But the 115 Project was indeed too expensive …
Accidentally thinking of the recent headache, Heti's relaxed expression stiffened a little in an instant. She could only sigh helplessly and look back at the next document waiting to be processed. At the top of the document, a string of bold letters was clearly printed: "Contract Castle" Gate "Project Initiation Plan."
…
When dusk approached on the Plains of the Holy Spirit, the giant tree of Thorin, known as the "miracle," would present a more dreamlike scene than during the day. The last rays of sunlight on the horizon would slanted under the giant tree's canopy and interweave a huge arc-shaped "giant curtain" in the narrow space between the canopy and the earth. As the giant curtain gradually dimmed, countless vines hanging from the giant tree would begin to emit soft fluorescence, and the luminous flowers entwined on the support pillars connecting the canopy and the earth would bloom one after another. A fairytale-like world would descend on this land in the evening. Even the once iron-hearted Wolf General could not help but want to indulge in this "fairytale" scene.
Bard stood on a suspended platform at the lower edge of the canopy, looking at the fluorescent vines and luminous flowers somewhat absent-mindedly, watching them illuminate the "shadow zone" that was falling into the night like stars. Suddenly, he sighed softly.
A chic and clear female voice came from behind him. "Bard, are you thinking of your daughter again?"
Bard was startled by the voice. He turned around and saw General Margarita, dressed in a chic Knight's uniform, standing behind him. The supreme military officer of Thorin had a faint smile on her face and did not bring any attendants with her.
"General." Bard immediately straightened up and saluted with a meticulous attitude. "Good afternoon."
"Relax, relax. I'm resting now, and you're not working." Margarita waved her hand. "You haven't answered my question. Are you thinking of your daughter?"
"… For the sake of saving face, I wanted to cover it up, but since you've already seen through me, I can only admit it." Bard forced a smile. "I'm a little … not used to it. She used to like this platform very much, especially in the evening. This is one of the few public areas where she was allowed to move around. From here, you can see most of Thorin Castle and the plains outside. She often said that this place was very similar to the castle surrounded by giant trees in the story of the 'Green Fairy' that her mother told her when she was a child. But I have no idea what kind of story my wife told my daughter. "
Margarita stood there and looked into Bard's eyes seriously. After a long time, she shook her head. "Sometimes, being separated for a long time isn't terrible. What's really hard to bear is that after being separated for a long time, we are finally able to reunite, only to have to say goodbye again. Although I often feel that the stories told by the bards are too pretentious, this is the only sentence that I have always agreed with."
Bard opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only smile helplessly and nod. "You're right."
Margarita looked at him. After a moment of pause, she suddenly put on a serious look and raised her voice. "Researcher Bard Wendell!"
Bard was stunned. Although he did not know what was going on, he instinctively straightened his body and responded loudly. "Yes, General!"
Unknowingly, Marguarita had already taken out a thick envelope from behind her. She raised her hand and handed it to Bard. "Reach out and take your letter!"
"A letter from home?" Bard was a little confused. He subconsciously took the thing that Margarita handed to him, but it took him two seconds to realize that it was a letter. He blinked and stared at the cross-border stamps and inspection marks on the envelope. Finally, his eyes fell on the familiar emblem of a sword and a wolf's head. His eyes finally changed, and his voice was full of astonishment. "This … Could this be …"
"You can read it when you go back, or you can open it now. Anyway, you should be able to guess that this letter has been opened by more than one inspector before it was delivered to you." Marguarita nodded. "It's from your daughter."
Bard finally confirmed that what he saw in front of him was not an illusion and that the letter in his hand was not fake, but he still could not believe it. He was not an ignorant country bumpkin. He was very clear about his special past and sensitive identity. He also knew how special his family in Typhon was. On one side was the former Wolf General, a Dark Believer, and now a technical expert and secret agent. On the other side was the current senior military officer and top nobleman of a foreign country. Such a special situation in any era would cause the officials in charge of related affairs to lose sleep at night. But now … he actually received a "letter from home" from Typhon?
"I know what you're thinking, Mr. Bard Wendell." Margarita had been paying attention to Bard's expression. At this moment, she smiled. "It's not easy. There are too many sensitive links involved. You still have a lot of historical problems. Whether it's Cecil or Typhon, some people are nervous and worried about this. But you should feel lucky that there are still people willing to help you, and … we have a tolerant monarch."
At this point, the female general paused for a moment and then casually added, "Well, since the letter can be delivered, it means that Rosetta Augustus is also not bad …"
"… I should thank everyone who provided help, thank our Majesty, and thank you." Bard held the letter in his hand with some excitement, resisting the urge to open it now. "I didn't expect …"
"Let's talk about this later. You can find time to buy me a drink." Margarita waved her hand. "You should be more grateful for the peace between us and Typhon now, and hope that this peace can last a little longer. As for now … do you want to open it? "
Bard hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he could not help but carefully open the seal of the letter. When he pulled out the letter, some light objects sealed in transparent wax fell into his hands.
It was a small golden flower sealed in wax. It was not an expensive species and could be seen everywhere in the central and western regions of Typhon. However, for the people of the Wendell family, such a small golden flower had a different meaning.
Bard's gaze fell on the flowers that had been made into specimens for a long time. He could see that the craftsmanship of these wax specimens was definitely not good. Any clever noble girl who saw such specimens would think that the beautiful petals were wasted. But Bard knew that … the person who made these small specimens was not a "clever" noble girl herself.
He unfolded the folded letter and his eyes fell on the beginning —
"Father, the golden Daiwei flowers in Longbranch Manor bloomed in summer. I picked the most beautiful ones and made them into specimens …"
The letter was very long. He did not know how long Andesha had been troubled by these words … Perhaps she had bitten off a few of her pens?
A smile appeared on Bard's face. His eyes moved from word to word on the letter. The dry words, the ink stains that were accidentally smeared on the paper, and the paper that was scratched because she used too much strength … All of them seemed to be glowing in his eyes.
Margarita patiently waited at the side with a smile on her face. She was very familiar with Bard's expression at this moment. She had seen it many times. The soldiers who had bid farewell to their hometowns and followed the construction corps to barren lands also had the same expression when they received letters from home.
"There's another letter inside. It's from your father."
After reminding Bard, she became quiet again. Only the sound of flipping the letter and breathing could be heard at the edge of the platform.
Perhaps he had considered the passing of time, so Bard finally increased his reading speed. He finally finished reading the last line of the letter before carefully folding the paper and putting it back into the envelope. He then held the crudely crafted specimen in his hand a few times before keeping it together with the envelope. After doing that, he looked up at Margarita and said, "Sorry, I've been reading for too long."
"It's not that long compared to more than ten years," Margarita shook her head gently. At the same time, she was curious. "Did your daughter send those golden flowers sealed in wax?"
"Ah … Yes, that's a unique craft in Typhon. It requires a very special transparent wax. In our world, the rich girls would make such things to show off their dexterity. Depending on the flowers inside, they could send them to their elders to express their blessings, or to their friends to express their friendship, or even to their sweetheart to express their love … But Andesha didn't like such things since she was young. She has always been clumsy when it comes to crafting, and she can't remember the meaning of those flowers." Bard smiled, but his mouth was still mumbling, "Sigh … Now it seems that her craftsmanship hasn't improved at all. I'm afraid that she won't be able to find a sweetheart …"
Margarita coughed and asked deliberately, "Then if you think that it's not done well, can you give it to me?"
"That won't do. Andesha gave it to me!"
Margarita looked at the fat former Wolf General in front of her. After a few seconds, the two of them laughed at the same time.
"Alright, we've wasted a lot of time," Margarita sighed softly and looked up at the sky in the distance. She nodded to Bard and said, "I'm here for another matter. I just happened to meet one of Madam Bertilla's incarnations. She asked me to pass a message to you when I see you. She wants you to go to her laboratory after dinner."
"Bertilla, huh? Okay, "Bard nodded, but then he was a little puzzled." But why didn't she tell me directly … We're in the range of Thorin Tree. If she wants to talk to someone, she can just drop a vine. "
Margarita shrugged. "I asked her. She said that life needs to have a sense of etiquette."
Bard was speechless.
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