The long and cold winter finally came to an end.
The fog that lasted for an entire winter finally began to recede from the Great Plains of Oldenheim. The whole world seemed to become clearer with the arrival of spring. The wind was still cold every day, but it was no longer as bone-chilling as before. The snow began to melt, and the solid ice turned into flowing water. The thin streams of melting snow and ice flowed down from the black rooftops and spires of Oldenheim, soaking the entire city in water vapor. Thanks to the new drainage system built more than ten years ago, the melted snow could smoothly enter the underground sewers. People did not have to worry that the extra 'streams' would soak the foundations of the buildings. Therefore, the melting snow in the city was no longer an annoying thing. Instead, it became a unique scenery.
A black carriage with the emblem of the Wendell Family on it drove through Imperial City Avenue. The wheels squeaked on the wet stone pavement. Grand Duke Wendell sat in the carriage and looked at the scene on the road through the opening in the window.
It was early in the morning, and the sun had just illuminated the streets. Normally, there would be almost no pedestrians on the streets at this time of the day, but Duke Ferdinand could see many civilians in groups of three to five. They were wearing thick gray clothes and felt hats or woolen hats as they walked forward in one direction. In the cold wind of early spring, these people were shivering slightly, but they were still in a hurry and did not stop at all.
"The workers of the textile factory …" Duke Ferdinand mumbled. "They're leaving so early."
The butler who had followed him for many years sat on the seat opposite him. This loyal old friend explained, "To encourage the new factories, His Majesty issued a decree of favor. The carriages that transport cotton can enter the city in the early hours of the morning, and they don't have to pay taxes. Therefore, the textile factories all start work early."
"Just to start work one hour earlier?"
The old duke mumbled. He could not help but look out of the window again.
He saw even more textile factory workers walking out of their houses and towards the factory. He also saw vehicles with the emblems of the Empire and the Guild of Craftsmen hurriedly passing by. Those were the large vehicles transporting the components of the Magic Net.
In Platinum Avenue, Zhang Tie saw an old warehouse that had been razed to the ground. That building belonged to Viscount Morry, who had decided to build a spinning factory on the land where the warehouse used to be. In Iron Lily Avenue, Zhang Tie saw a tall chimney that was emitting thick smoke. That was the rich dust that was being processed as fertilizer by the newly built pyrolytic acid chemical plant...
He could almost smell the burnt smoke coming out of the chimney of the pyrolytic acid chemical factory. Of course, Duke Ferdinand knew that it was just his imagination.
The chimney was a hundred meters tall, and the smoke it emitted would only dissipate into the sky, but would not affect the ground.
But the old duke couldn't help but frown.
Factories, the Magic Net, boilers, tall chimneys, and the lively 'investment era' … It was as if they had appeared overnight and were everywhere. It seemed that everyone was participating in it, and everyone was in high spirits.
The old duke, who had spent most of his life in the core circle of the Empire, had never seen anything develop so quickly. He did not think that he was a conservative, but these new things that appeared so quickly … gave him a very uncomfortable feeling.
"Recently, even the Parliament of Nobles has been discussing the construction of factories and the Cotton Act all day long," Grand Duke Ferdinand said, shaking his head. "That Viscount Hermil's textile factory has attracted a lot of people to invest in it."
"After all, the new textile factory weaves a lot of good cloth," the butler said. "I heard that Madam Mira also wants to open a textile factory, but she can't buy the machines. There aren't enough machines."
"I've seen the cloth they weave," Duke Ferdinand said with some disdain. "It's quite sturdy, but it's very coarse and has no taste at all."
The butler spread his hands. "But for ordinary people, it's a very good cloth, sir."
Duke Ferdinand frowned. After a short silence, he could only sigh slightly. "Maybe I'm getting old."
"You're still an important pillar of this country," the butler said. "His Majesty the Emperor needs you."
Ferdinand did not respond to the butler's words. He only looked ahead. The towering walls of the Obsidian Palace were already right in front of him.
It was said that a few special envoys had come to the Imperial Capital. These envoys brought news from the south of the continent, and they were of noble status. His Majesty the Emperor suddenly summoned him to the palace because of this matter.
The Empire was becoming more prosperous day by day, and everything seemed to be developing rapidly.
But for some reason, Ferdinand? Wendell always had a faint sense of uneasiness.
Obsidian Palace.
This towering palace stood there as usual in the center of the Empire. Even though it was a 'new palace' that had only been built two hundred years ago, the palace's deep colors and solemn and steady style still carried a sense of solemnity that seemed to be able to stand for a thousand years. After walking into this palace, Ferdinand's originally gloomy and uneasy mood gradually calmed down.
He walked toward the reception hall where the Emperor was, and his boots made a crisp knocking sound against the marble floor. When he passed by the 'Nightingale Hall', he stopped in his tracks.
An old sorcerer in a black robe with a gloomy expression and a gloomy temperament walked over from the opposite side. An unpleasant rustling or squirming sound accompanied the old sorcerer's footsteps, while a young female sorcerer who looked to be in her early twenties followed behind the old sorcerer.
"Good morning, Your Grace."
The old sorcerer stopped not far away and lowered his head slightly to greet them. His voice was slightly hoarse, as if even his vocal cords were starting to corrode.
Duke Ferdinand nodded slightly with the pride and aloofness of a top-tier noble, and politely greeted the great sorcerer in front of him, "Good morning, Master Daniel."
Just as the two were about to pass by each other, Ferdinand suddenly spoke again, "Master Daniel, I'm very happy to see that you're willing to return to this place. Lady Mabel must be feeling the same. "
"I'm very happy as well."
The old sorcerer and his student walked away. Duke Ferdinand watched their backs disappear into the depths of the corridor, and couldn't help but shake his head slightly.
Windsor? Lady Mabel's mentor, former member of the Royal Association of Mages, and the great sorcerer Daniel Fred. He was once a talented high-grade sorcerer, but due to the setback in his research and the failure of his advancement, his temperament changed drastically, and he went into exile. No one would have thought that someone who left the highest magic organization in the empire would return one day. Recently, this great sorcerer had become a popular figure in the Imperial Capital. Not only did he shine brightly in the Imperial Craftsmen's Association, but he was also a guest of honor for many nobles. Those people seemed to have forgotten about Daniel Fred from many years ago. Fred's miserable appearance when he left the Imperial Capital was only because they saw the astonishing profits of the textile factory, so they all swarmed over him like a swarm of bees.
Duke Ferdinand sighed at the ugly appearance of those small nobles when faced with benefits. He then walked through the corridor and arrived in front of the emperor's guest room.
After announcing his arrival, the door to the guest room opened. Ferdinand Wendell? The first person he saw when he walked into the room was Rosetta Emperor Augustus, who was sitting on the main seat. Then, his gaze landed on the few slender and tall people of other races.
They had blonde hair, pointy ears, and features that were more slender and gentler than humans.
They were elves — elves from the southern Silver Empire.
Sure enough, just as he had heard previously, the empire had welcomed a group of special 'envoys'. However, why were these elves here?
It wasn't easy for them to come to Typhon — it was a journey that spanned half the continent!
Although some questions popped up in Duke Ferdinand's mind, he didn't show any signs of surprise. He kept all his thoughts to himself and nodded politely at the elves. Then, he went up to Emperor Rosetta and said, "Your Majesty, I've come in response to your summons."
"Sit down, Ferdinand." Rosetta Emperor Augustus nodded. Augustus nodded slightly. "As you can see, we have some guests — these elves have brought very important news."
Ferdinand looked at the elves. Every elf was extraordinarily handsome. To be honest, face-blind humans could not even tell the gender of the elves when they saw them. Ferdinand could only judge that the elf sitting opposite him was a lady based on her attire. "Madam, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Ferdinand. I'm Ferdinand Wendell, the emperor's advisor. "
"Siva? Traveler, messenger of the Silver Queen Bersetia. "The beautiful elf spoke. Thank goodness, it really was a lady." We have an important mission: the Silver Empire conveys the most urgent warning to the human countries that the situation at the Great Wall is not good. "
Ferdinand? Wendell's eyes instantly focused.
After a brief conversation, Ferdinand learned about the elves' intentions and the current situation.
The elves were here to warn the human countries. They strictly adhered to the treaty from seven hundred years ago — even though it was already an ancient matter to the humans — and had brought the latest news about the Great Wall. According to them, the Great Wall's deterioration had reached an extremely serious state, so much so that it was beyond what the Silver Empire could handle. The unsettling anomaly in winter … was just the beginning of a series of disastrous events in the future.
As one of the top nobles of Typhon, Ferdinand was naturally aware of the anomaly in the barrier during winter. Any country whose border was connected to the Magnificent Wall would be able to observe that anomaly. The flashes and noises that lasted for three whole days made the people at the border very nervous. The western regions of the Empire had even entered a state of martial law because of this. The Winterwolf Army had also sent a team to the western border to monitor the movements on the wasteland. Fortunately, it was all a false alarm, and the worst thing did not happen.
Now, the messenger of the elves had arrived and brought the most unsettling truth: it wasn't a false alarm.
"We paid a huge price. The elves sacrificed twelve magisters and nearly a hundred rangers, while the Kingdom of Kaolin sacrificed a third of a full mountain army to successfully reactivate the sentry tower," the elf Siva said in a calm tone. "But if it's damaged again, I'm afraid that no matter how many lives are sacrificed, it won't be enough."
That wasn't a false alarm. That was a real disaster.
The worst had happened before — it just didn't happen to the people of Typhon.
Ferdinand? Wendell suddenly felt a huge pressure, but he knew that the elf lady in front of him wasn't trying to scare him or pressure him. According to his understanding of elves, she was probably just stating the facts. This fact didn't need any exaggeration at all, and it was already enough to make people uneasy.
He thought for a moment and glanced at Emperor Rosetta, then looked at the elf. "Then … what can we do?"
"We don't have the ability to rebuild the Great Wall, so the best way is to strengthen the barrier before it completely extinguishes. Set up additional protection to reduce the pressure on the core system of the sentry tower to prevent it from being completely damaged," Siva said. "And this requires the cooperation and help of every country around the barrier."
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