It seemed to be the Age of Steel.
It was as if overnight, the world that the people of this land were familiar with had undergone a tremendous change.
Last year, people were still living the same life as they had for hundreds of years. The common people worked in the soil, working at sunrise and resting at sunset. The Knight patrolled around the castle on horseback, looking mighty and high-spirited. The nobles and ladies feasted in the castle day and night. The taverns in the countryside were full of absurd stories about black magic, wizards, monsters, and warriors. People lived their lives step by step in their own places. It was like this a century ago, and it was still like this two centuries ago.
But suddenly, one day, the nobles ordered their troops to go to war. The mighty Knight left the territory neatly, and the nobles also left the castle. The mighty army left with the collected food and colorful flags. The old people said that this kind of thing would happen several times in a person's life. The Knight who went to war would return to the territory in a year and a half with a lot of gold, silver, and slaves. But the Knight who went to war never came back, and neither did the nobles in the castle.
The old people had never encountered such a thing.
There was a new master in the castle. The Overlords were abolished, and the Overlords' laws were abolished. A new and powerful Overlord set new rules for the entire Southern Territory. The Government Office replaced the Overlord and the Advisor, and the Clerk replaced the Tax Collector and the Manager. The rules of the entire world changed greatly, and it was a hair-raising change.
Then, the Age of Steel came. That was how the newspaper described it last week.
Sam, who lived in the village near Hosman, thought that this description was very appropriate. No wonder it was a word that a cultured person could come up with.
The rising sun dispelled the accumulated water vapor at night. There was a refreshing morning in the early summer in the northern kingdom. The temperature was neither too cold nor too hot, and it made people feel relaxed and happy. Sam came out of his house, wearing the linen clothes that he had bought last year. He had a kettle on his waist and shoes on his feet. He was holding the pancakes that he had prepared to eat on the way because he did not have time to eat breakfast. He walked to the yard of the Agricultural Machinery Administration Office.
There were seventeen people in the village named Sam. Most of the uncultured countrymen could not think of other names. If it was not Sam, then it was George, or it was John or Tom. But since the night school last year, everyone more or less knew a few words. Ten people named Sam had changed their names, but this did not include him.
It was not that he liked his name, but that he felt that he had been called this name for half his life and was used to it.
He just changed the name of his son, Tom, to Parney. The night school teacher said that this word was a noun in the magic industry, and meant "motivation." He felt that his son, Parney, was his motivation.
The yard of the Agricultural Machinery Administration Office were right in front of him.
Sam quickened his footsteps, and became a little expectant.
The agricultural machinery was brought by the government office. Just like the allocation of land and the law of measurement, it was a new thing promoted by the new lord. As a farmer who had just learned a few words in the night school, Sam did not understand the principles of the machinery, just as he did not understand why the lord moved the people from the remote villages to Hosman City and the surrounding villages. But this did not prevent him from understanding one thing: the agricultural machinery was a good thing.
The rumbling machinery was very powerful, comparable to the strength of several people and several cows. With the machinery, the cheap Druil Potion, and the replanned and integrated land, this year's harvest was simply unbelievable.
The gate of the Agricultural Machinery Administration Office was wide open. Sam walked in cautiously. He looked around and did not see anyone who had arrived earlier than him. Then he saw the steel machine, which was quietly parked in the yard.
It had rigid lines, like a big iron box, and there were rows of wheels and metal belts wrapped around the wheels on both sides. At the front of the machine, there was a mechanical device with gears, chains, and a roller frame.
A young man was busy around the lead-gray machine. He seemed to be checking the connection of the mechanical device at the back of the machine, which was used to pack and throw the wheat straw out. When he saw Sam, he raised his hand and pointed to a small house not far away. "Go there and register. I'll be ready in a moment."
Sam nodded at the young man and quickly walked into the small house in the yard.
A government office clerk in a white shirt was sitting in the small house, flipping through a newspaper. Sam came to the desk and saw the black, bold headline printed on the newspaper. After reading it, he understood what it was: "The Trailblazer goes to the Calore area — Citizens cheer along the coast."
In the section next to the newspaper, he saw a line of slightly smaller words: "Bandits in Shattered Stone Ridge quelled. Seven Knight Forsworn Oaths accepted the offer."
"You can read?"
The clerk behind the desk looked up and said as he looked at the farmer standing in front of him. This was a typical farmer with a hunched back, dark skin, thick hands and feet, and wrinkles on his face. He looked like an old man, but he should have just reached middle age.
Sam woke up with a start and nodded hurriedly. "Ah, I can, I can... I'm sorry, Master, I'm..."
"It's okay. It's good to be able to read. The more you know, the more knowledge you can get from books in the future." The clerk laughed. "Don't be so nervous. I'm not a noble. I'm a commoner like you."
"Yes." Sam nodded, still a little flustered. The gentlemen and ladies in the government office were all kind and nice people, at least much friendlier than the tax officers and supervisors. However, he still felt nervous when facing these people. "I … I'm here to borrow the harvester and tractor. I was in the queue three days ago." Sam nodded, still feeling a little flustered.
As he spoke, he took out a piece of paper that he kept close to him. It was the number he got in the yard three days ago. Since he got it, he dared not put the paper more than a meter away from himself for three days. There was only one harvester and one tractor here, and they were transferred from Homan City not long ago. This new machine was as precious as the magic car, and the opportunity to use it... was equally precious.
The clerk, who was sent by the government office to manage the agricultural machinery, glanced at the content on the paper and compared it with the registration book in his hand. He nodded. "Sam, right? Your name and resident number are here. I'm renting it for half a day to harvest the land in Luxi District 2. "
"Yes, yes." Sam nodded repeatedly. "District 2, District 2."
"Your voucher. The mechanic is in the yard. You should have seen it just now. Just give it to him. The tractor has gone to town to pick up the goods. It will be back in a while. I'll ask the mechanic to look for you. "The clerk in a white shirt took out a printed card from under the table and handed it to Sam." Also, you don't have to pay. Your family is the first group of activists to respond to the land replacement. The reward for the mechanic has been paid by the government office. "
"Thank you, thank you."
Sam took the voucher, thanked the clerk, and quickly left the house.
The clerk in charge of the agricultural machinery watched the simple farmer go out the door. He then lowered his head and looked at the registration book in his hand.
The names were listed one by one, and the clerk could not help but laugh.
When the first tractor was shipped to Horsman, the loud, powerful, and majestic machine scared away half of the onlookers. Just like when the first magic car entered the city or when the first water pump was turned on, it caused a lot of chaos.
But in such a short time, so many people came to borrow the harvester and tractor.
This should be attributed to the several machine demonstrations organized by the government office a while ago. In front of the public, the government office showed the people how useful the agricultural machines could be. This dispelled everyone's doubts. After all, for the farmers, being able to harvest more food was more important than anything else.
The harvester was a new thing that had only appeared after the arcanotech car. It was said that the arcanotech engineers of Cecil City had started researching agricultural machinery the moment they had created the arcanotech car. From last autumn to this spring, they had created a series of inconceivable machines.
No matter what new technology appeared, it would first be used in the military to ensure the safety of the homeland. Then, it would be used by the people to ensure the prosperity of the people. The enjoyment of the upper class would always be ranked last. This was the biggest difference between Cecil City and other places.
The clerk sorted out the records of the harvester rentals for the past week and sighed at the rapid development of the magic industry. At the same time, he also sighed at the harvest this year.
Since the implementation of the New Deal, Homan City was the area that underwent the most rapid and thorough transformation. Under the efforts of Governor Daedalus, the government office used Cecil's successful experience on this land. It turned out that this borrowing was very effective, especially in the field of agriculture.
A large number of farmers in remote villages migrated to the periphery of the city and several key satellite towns. The old noble's fields and Knight's manor land were re-measured and distributed as contracted land for the new immigrants. Relying on the distribution of grain seeds, the sale of Druil potions at a low price, the unified agricultural training, and the appropriate reward and punishment measures, the originally disorganized traditional farming was quickly replaced by Cecil's "planned agriculture." And now, the results of all this were in front of the people.
A foreseeable harvest.
In the yard, Sam handed the card to the mechanic who was in charge of operating the machine. Then, he climbed onto the seat next to the mechanic and took a deep breath, trying to calm his somewhat nervous heart.
He looked down at the shoes on his feet and made sure that they were not damaged when he climbed the tracks and pedals. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
This was his first new pair of shoes in recent years.
The machine started. Under the power of magic, the sound of parts operating came from its steel "stomach." When it just started to vibrate, Sam subconsciously grabbed the handrail next to him. His palms were sweating, but when the machine steadily drove through the yard gate, his pounding heart had already calmed down.
He saw endless land outside, waiting to be cultivated. One of the pieces of land belonged to him.
This calmed him down more than anything else.
Sitting on the machine monster, Sam watched the mechanic skillfully operate the levers, pedals, and steering wheel. He used a method that he did not understand to command the heavy steel machine to move forward. Suddenly, he felt a little envious.
He did not know if he had the chance to touch the levers and pedals himself. He felt that he probably did not have the chance. He was old and could not learn such complicated things. But Parney … he was still young. He might be able to do it.
The child had learned a lot in school. He was the smartest child in the entire history of the family. If he continued to learn, he might also become a "mechanic" — a smart person who specialized in operating machines.
The machine made of steel drove toward the wilderness.
The knights who wore armor and flaunted their might in the towns and villages were gone. The nobles who spent all day feasting in the castles were also gone. In the taverns in the countryside, the group of people who discussed black magic and wizards had now learned how to hold newspapers and comment loudly. As for Sam …
Sitting on the machine that drove to his home, Sam felt the vibration and power of the steel under his body.
This was probably the so-called "Age of Steel."
…
In Cecil City, in the Machinery Manufacturing Workshop I, Gwen looked at the rough and simple but powerful behemoth in front of him. He was filled with emotions.
This thing … was finally built in the assembly workshop of the tractor.
A white Knight from the Church of Holy Light was praying for the behemoth. "… The Holy Light bless its wheels and tracks. May it never fall. Bless its gun barrel. May it never overheat. Bless its engine. May it always be full of power …"
In the white Knight's pious (probably) and solemn (really) prayer, the young knight Philip stepped forward and knocked on the shell of the steel chariot. Feeling the coldness and hardness of the metal, the Knight turned his head with a smile on his face. "Sir, I think I finally understand what you mean by 'Age of Steel.' As you said, this is indeed the Age of Steel."
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