All this while, Daniel was not only Gwen's spy among the Eternal Sleepers, but also in the Empire of Typhon.
Although the old mage lived in seclusion in a remote area of Typhon, far from the center of the empire for many years, he was still a citizen of Typhon. And as a mage, he must have kept some of his influence, and the information he provided about the neighboring countries was still valuable to Gwen. On the other hand, Typhon was a rapidly developing and changing country, and its remoteness was different from the remoteness of Ansu. Even with the information delay, every inch of Typhon's land was still under the influence of Emperor Rosetta's decree, and there would never be a situation like Ansu, where the entire southern border was separated from the kingdom's heartland.
From Daniel, Gwen could learn a lot about Typhon. It might not be timely, but at least it was more reliable than the stories made up by adventurers and bards.
At that moment, Daniel was more or less thankful. He was thankful that his female apprentice had coincidentally gone to town and brought back a lot of information. He did not dare to hide anything and told Hao Ren everything he knew. "… Rosetta Augustus is expanding the army. He has established a system of standing soldiers to replace conscripts. Now, more than half of Typhon's army is made up of these standing soldiers, and these soldiers will undergo professional training …"
Gwen nodded slightly as he listened, and when there was something he was not clear about, he would ask the old mage to stop and ask in detail.
Although he had asked Daniel a lot about Typhon, he still did not know enough. The main reason was not that Daniel had hidden anything from him, but that the old mage did not know much outside of Typhon. To him, everything about Typhon was natural knowledge, and if Gwen did not take the initiative to ask, he would not know the specific direction to report, so the information he provided was inevitably incomplete.
"… Recently, Emperor Rosetta has ordered to build schools and increase the number of teachers in the countryside. The farmers are required to learn to read in their free time …"
Gwen immediately frowned and gently knocked on the table, asking the old mage to stop. "What is the literacy rate of Typhon's civilians now?"
Daniel respectfully replied, "About 40% of the farmers can spell common words like grains and farm tools, and can also understand the harvest list. 20% can read simple notices or write a clumsy letter. This proportion has been increasing. "
"How long has literacy education been promoted?"
"Six years ago, the Emperor issued an order to lift the ban on literacy, but not many people took the initiative to learn to read. It was only until four years ago that the Emperor ordered to build schools and send teachers that the number of literates began to increase. However, the civilians were really willing to learn to read only after the 'Land Contract Law' was issued. Farmers could rent imperial land and apply for grain seeds on their own. To prevent being cheated, and to prevent being cheated of money by scribes, more and more civilians began to learn to read on their own …"
Gwen's face was slightly gloomy, and the old mage anxiously looked at the changes in his expression, but in the end, Gwen nodded. "Continue."
"Yes … Now, the various places are building Pyroclastic Acidification Workshops. Since last year, similar workshops have been increasing in number. Emperor Rosetta may be planning to set up such workshops in all the food production areas …"
Gwen once again interrupted Daniel. "Stop. What is a Pyroclastic Acidification Workshop? Does Pyroclastic Acidification refer to the white sedimentary rock mined in the coastal waters? "
Gwen had heard of the term 'Pyroclastic Acidification Stone' before. As far as he knew, it was a specialty of the coastal areas, and was especially abundant in the Empire of Typhon. This greyish white loose ore could be ignited, so it was called 'Pyroclastic Acidification Stone'. However, its combustion efficiency was extremely poor, and it would release a large amount of irritating gas, so it was not a qualified heating and lighting material at all. Could it be … that the people of Typhon had found a way to use Pyroclastic Acidification Stone?!
"Yes, Pyroclastic Acidification Stone is the white stone you mentioned." Daniel did not know what Gwen was thinking, but he still reported seriously. "Pyroclastic Acidification Stone was discovered by the chief alchemist of the Royal Association of Mages in Typhon a few years ago. After crushing Pyroclastic Acidification Stone and mixing it with Acidification Stone, it is placed in an airtight container and heated at high temperature. It will produce a dark brown powder and a large amount of translucent crystals. The crystals are called 'Ash Crystals', and it is a somewhat valuable magical material, while the dark brown powder is called 'Dust of Fertility' … It can be used to promote the growth of crops."
Gwen listened to Daniel's explanation as he subconsciously tapped on the table. At this moment, he suddenly stopped.
"Promote the growth of crops?"
"Yes, diluting it with a large amount of water to water the fields is much more effective than plant ash or human and animal feces. Pyroclastic Acidification Stone is very, very cheap, and it is not complicated to process. However, 'Dust of Fertility' will quickly deform after coming into contact with the moisture in the air. It is very troublesome to transport it, so Emperor Rosetta ordered the construction of Pyroclastic Acidification Workshops in various places to transport the Pyroclastic Acidification Stone to the various food production areas for processing on the spot … "
At this point, Daniel added, "In addition, in order to transport the Pyroclastic Acidification Stone, Typhon is greatly widening the roads …"
Gwen was shocked, but he did not show it. He only continued to ask in a low voice, "What is the specific operation of the workshops?"
After Daniel answered, he continued to ask a series of questions. "How many literate farmers will choose to work in the workshops? How many merchants in Typhon have participated in the construction of the workshops in the past two years? How many nobles have participated in the construction of the workshops? After Rosetta Augustus reorganized the nobles, did he encourage them to do business? How are the roads in Typhon built? What are the specifications? How many people can be fed by a mile of good farmland? How many people can be fed by a mile of normal farmland? How many people are there in Typhon? "
Gwen's questions came one after another. Daniel tried his best to answer, and small beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He did not know the specific meaning behind these questions, but he could vaguely sense the hidden connection between these questions. However, he could not answer all of them.
Although he did retain some of the connections he had in the Captical, he was still a mage who was obsessed with research. If Gwen asked him about the current magical achievements in Typhon, he could certainly answer fluently. However, if he were to answer questions about the output of the fields, the scale of the workshops, and even the population …
If he could answer one-third of the questions, it would already be considered as' Encyclopedic Knowledge '.
Gwen's face had unknowingly become particularly gloomy. Although Daniel did not know the real thoughts of this' extraterritorial wanderer ', he could feel a strong pressure passing through his nerves to his brain. After answering all the questions he could answer, the old mage closed his mouth in fear and waited for new orders.
Gwen did not pay attention to Daniel's reaction. His mind was now full of calculations about the development of Typhon.
From the beginning, he knew that Typhon was a more developed country than Ansu, and he also knew that Emperor Rosetta Augustus was implementing a series of effective new policies. With the growth of productivity, Typhon's society would usher in a series of earth-shaking changes.
However, the development of Typhon was still beyond his expectations.
The people of Typhon did not find a way to industrialize the production of alchemy potions, but they found some cheap alternatives. The pyrotechnic acid workshop would greatly increase the food production of Typhon and release a large number of agricultural workers. Emperor Rosetta's professional army was gradually taking shape. The sufficient food supply would allow him to maintain a larger army, and these professional soldiers would receive more adequate training. Due to the release of labor, the new pyrotechnic acid workshop would have enough workers, and the process of building roads in Typhon would also have enough labor.
And more importantly, Rosetta Augustus realized that the literate commoners would be of greater value. Judging from the time, Emperor Typhon began to promote education almost immediately after the pyrotechnic acid reaction was discovered. This showed that the talented and bold emperor had figured out at least two things in a very short time.
First, although the pyrotechnic acid reaction was a product of alchemy, it did not require magic power. This meant that a large number of commoners without magic talent could also work in production, and the Rich Dust they produced would be enough to greatly increase the food production of the whole country in a short time.
Second, the literate commoners could control the reactor better than the illiterate commoners.
Gwen took a deep breath.
These things did not happen recently, but had started a few years ago. However, due to the lag in the transmission of information and the limitations of production, Typhon only started to build the pyrotechnic acid workshop now, and Ansu …
Ansu knew nothing about all this.
Daniel saw that Gwen did not speak for a long time, and finally could not help but break the silence. "My Lord, do you need me to collect information on the population changes in Typhon in recent years? I can contact my old friends in the capital … "
Gwen woke up from his thoughts. He glanced at Daniel, and the many chaotic thoughts in his mind were quickly sorted out and gradually became clear.
The development of Typhon was an established fact, and for such a huge empire, it was difficult for external forces to interfere with or stop the development of Typhon. Not to mention, in the current situation, the Principality of Cecil had no chance to obstruct the development of Typhon.
Amber once said that when the opponent is too strong, a poisoned dagger is better than any sword.
Although Amber had said that "but the oil on the soles of one's feet is better than a dagger", Gwen thought that the first half of the sentence was enough.
"Don't worry about the rest. Take the Magic Net information I gave you and respond to Rosetta Augustus' recruitment." Gwen looked at the old mage in front of him and said very seriously. "Remember, don't take it out immediately. First, see how far their research has progressed, see what they have on hand, and then throw out the results of your research bit by bit. When necessary, give some of the credit to your apprentices. You have to establish yourself in Typhon's Mage Association, just like how you advanced in the Eternal Sleep Congregation. Be careful not to expose yourself. "
Daniel bowed his head deeply. "Yes, my Lord, I will not let you down!"
"Good. After joining Emperor Rosetta's team of mages, you should have more opportunities to come into contact with their technical information. You have to report to me in time, and I will have new orders for you at any time. "Gwen nodded, and then changed the topic." But this will increase your risk of exposure. Your Eternal Sleeper characteristics are too obvious. Although few people know about the existence of the Mental Network, your frequent access to the network itself is an abnormal phenomenon. "
"My Lord, you mean …"
"It's time for you to increase your manpower," Gawain said unhurriedly. "I previously asked you to research non-implantable nerve cords and more efficient brainwave amplification devices. Have you made any progress?"
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