The last trace of sunset fell into the depths of the mountains. Under the gradually darkening sky, the glow of the magic crystal street lamps lit up one by one under the control of the timer. Before the stars in the sky flashed, the stars on the ground lit up first, and in the bright lights, the nightlife of the citizens of Cecil had just begun.
Nighttime was not the end of the day but the beginning of another period of activity.
The taverns on the streets were brightly lit, and the workers who had just finished work were resting in the taverns and filling their stomachs. The magic network broadcast in the square was broadcasting the evening news program, which made the nearby citizens stop in their tracks. Some of the restaurants and shops that were open late lit up their signboards, and the enthusiastic owners and staff were soliciting customers at the door. There were also waves of people walking toward the east or south of the city, which was the direction of the factory area and the night school.
Sonia? Frost Leaf stood on the street, looking at the bustling city in surprise. She looked at the street full of lights and could not help but say, "This place … is far livelier than the Captical in Ansu."
"Cecil is the most prosperous city in the south, and probably the most prosperous in Ansu," Solderlin said with pride. He had been temporarily appointed as the guide to show the visitors around the city. After all, no one in the city was more familiar with the preferences of the Silver Elves than him. "This place may not have the historic buildings of Saint Sunil, but everyone here lives a better life."
"I can see." Sonia nodded lightly. "This place reminds me of the Gondor Empire back in the day … The same bright lights, the same advanced prosperity, but they are fundamentally different … There is only one Gondor Empire, but there is more than one prosperous city here. Looks like I won't be able to bring you home. This is indeed a good place to stay. "
The Silver Elves loved to travel, and almost every young elf had at least a hundred years of travel experience. In the elven proverb, 'a good place to stay' was the best evaluation of a foreign land.
"This place is developing very fast, and it will develop even faster in the future. Even in other parts of Ansu, those relatively backward cities have been developing continuously in the past few hundred years. The Silver Empire … The Silver Empire has not changed for ten thousand years," Solderlin said. "That is a very depressing place to me."
"Her Majesty has been promoting the construction of new cities."
"I'm not talking about new cities, Mother. You know that," Solderlin interrupted Sonia. "… How is the situation in our homeland?"
"If you are talking about peace, then the empire has been very peaceful. If you are talking about those 'legacies' … the 'legacies' are declining." Sonia sighed softly. "Up to fifty years ago, all technical research had reached a bottleneck, stuck at the bottleneck of the Great Split of the Original Elves. The information was cut off, and the data did not match. The technical field was all black boxes … The scholars still have hope, but some say that we have fallen into a quagmire."
"The bottleneck of the Original Elves …" Solderlin could not help but whisper the words that had a special meaning to the Silver Elves.
Legend had it that there was only one race of elves in the beginning. Whether it was the gray elves, the sea elves, the dark elves, or the Silver Elves, they all originated from the 'Original Elves' in the distant Old Continent. The Original Elves had a very advanced civilization, and they could even build a palace in the air that could stay permanently at the top of the atmosphere. However, a sudden disaster caused this powerful ancient civilization to fall apart …
The Original Elves escaped the disaster and left the Old Continent in an ark flying on the sea. When they were about to reach the New Continent (the Lorren Continent), they encountered a tower in the Evernight. They were reckless and entered the tower by mistake, but an incredible force imposed a curse on them that caused them to fall apart. The noble Original Elves turned into a flawed subspecies. The gray elves, the dark elves, the sea elves, and the Silver Elves split up and gradually went their separate ways. The heritage of the Original Elves' civilization was also cut apart in the Great Split, and it was fragmented in the messy memories of each subspecies.
Many elves knew this legend, and most elven scholars believed that this legend should be true, or at least part of it was true.
"Isn't this strange? Our technology may have been interrupted, but even if we had to start from scratch, we shouldn't have stagnated for so long, "Solderlin could not help but say." Did we, the subspecies of elves, really degenerate during the mutation process, so that our minds can't understand the Original Elves' technology at all? This shouldn't be. "
Sonia shook her head. "No one knows what's going on. Maybe the queen and the Supreme Academy know something, but they can't do anything. And things like this are not something that a ranger like you or a messenger like me can figure out. "
Solderlin was silent for a moment. But in the silence, he slowly raised his head and looked in the direction of the city center.
"Mother, do you think the wisdom of humans can help?"
Sonia obviously did not understand what Solderlin meant. "You mean the technology of this city? They … are indeed more advanced than other places, but humans are obviously behind the Silver Empire now. "
"Perhaps. Overall, the human countries have not yet recovered to the glory of the Gondor era. But do you know, in this city of Cecil, humans used a new technology called 'runic logic' to realize the magic of the elves on man-made machines …"
Sonia's eyes widened. "… Are you serious?"
Solderlin looked at the lord's mansion from afar. "I just have a feeling that this is where hope lies."
…
Gwen looked away from the window and went back to his desk. He signed his name on the document and handed it to Heti. "I agree with the improvement plan of the repulsion train. You're right, the cost is a big problem. We can't just focus on the most advanced plan."
"Thank you for your understanding." Heti lowered her head and said, "Ancestor, the reward for the merchant of Calor, Codd, has been delivered, including the order for him to be knighted. But … do you really want to knit a civilian merchant as a Knight? "
Gwen looked up at Heti and asked, "Heti, do you still value your 'background' so much?"
"No, it's not about my background." Heti shook her head. "It's about the title of 'Knight'. For a long time, the title of 'Knight' was obtained through military exploits. It's a symbol of bravery and loyalty. Although it's the last noble title, it has a special meaning of honor. And the profession of 'merchant' has always been regarded as … not related to honor. "
"Codd is not just a merchant, Heti." Gwen looked into Heti's eyes and said slowly, "He's a pioneer."
"Pioneer?!" Heidi repeated the word in astonishment. Obviously, she did not expect that her ancestor would say such a special word. This word seemed particularly meaningful when it came from the mouth of the "Pioneer of Pioneers". She remembered that the last person who was praised by her ancestor in this way was the unknown mage who invented the Magic Net...
"Bravely taking the first step in the wilderness, risking one's life and benefiting generations to come is pioneering. It's not limited to land, nor is it limited to technology," Gwen said. "I know Codd is a merchant, and he did those pioneering things for profit. But I can't deny the value of what he did. He pushed the magical technology further into the civilian field, and in many ways, he was even more in-depth and pragmatic than I thought. This is the advantage of his profession and experience. In this respect, he is qualified to be called a pioneer. And he was the first to build a new factory, and the courage to take the initiative to try new things … this is also the character of a true Knight. "
At this point, he paused for a moment and continued, "More importantly, we have to encourage all activities that are conducive to the promotion of magical technology. At present, Codd is the most suitable person to be this role model."
"I understand." Heti lowered her head. "I'll seize this publicity opportunity."
Gwen nodded and asked, "How's the progress on Kamel's side?"
"The research institute has copied all the technical information brought by the elves and handed it over to the Rune Research Institute for analysis and translation. The work has just begun. According to your order, priority will be given to the analysis of the magic energy purification part of the 'decompression mechanism'. "
Gwen nodded slightly and sighed in his heart.
The magic systems of elves and humans were completely different. In terms of specific spells, due to the different brain structures of the two races, humans and elves could hardly understand each other's spell models. Even the few mixed-race descendants who inherited the characteristics of both races could only release a few "cross-race spells" at the same time. In the old technological era where "supernatural power belonged to oneself", this obstacle had troubled the scholars of both races for thousands of years. It was not until the concept of "mathematics" was introduced into the field of magic research that technicians began to study magic with pure calculation and reasoning instead of relying on personal spiritual perception and spellcasting talent to construct magic. This obstacle was finally overcome.
In the kingdom of mathematics, the two distinct magic systems had a common language for the first time. No matter what kind of image and "supernatural intuition" a spell model produced in the minds of the two races, it was unified in the framework of rune logic.
The elves had technology that surpassed the current human countries. Although the Silver Empire was declining as a whole, its technology was still much more advanced than the humans. The large-scale lost technology was undoubtedly a treasure trove for the humans.
Gwen lowered his head and continued to look at the documents that were waiting for him to review and review.
After the lords and royals in the north reorganized their resources and balanced the various forces, he would temporarily leave this land. Although he could still use the magic network to remotely command the territory by setting up relay towers along the way, remote control was ultimately limited. Before leaving this place, he still had to do his best to arrange everything.
…
Saint Sunil City, Silver Castle.
The light of the magic crystal stone lamp illuminated this historic castle of the Royal Family. The study on the second floor of the castle was brightly lit.
Wales? Moen sat in the wide and comfortable velvet chair. He raised his head and looked at the magic lamp inlaid on the wall opposite him. Under the exquisite brass lamp stand, hexagonal rune boards were arranged neatly like some kind of new wallpaper, extending all the way to the ground and disappearing under the floor.
Victoria? Wilde sat opposite the crown prince. She saw that he was distracted, but she did not care. "Your coronation has been canceled, Your Highness. Please understand that we can't provoke the Eastern Region. But don't worry, it's just postponed. You will sit on the throne sooner or later. "
"So be it. I don't care." Wales looked away from the magic network units and looked at the duchess in front of him. "I heard that the thermal ray gun has been successfully copied?"
"It has indeed been copied." Victoria nodded. "In fact, the technology of that thing is not complicated at all. Although we don't know how the rune craftsmen in the south were lucky enough to find such a perfect rune arrangement, its core formation is indeed very simple. The royal mages and rune craftsmen quickly copied the exact same weapon, but …"
Wales said quietly, "It's the cost, right?"
"… Cost and production speed." Victoria nodded. "It's impossible to make those magic weapons with just a few gold coins. And even if we mobilize all the low and middle-grade mages and rune craftsmen in the city, plus the production capacity of the new factory, we can't make a ray gun that can arm a legion in a short time."
The duchess could not help but think of the royal mage who successfully copied the thermal ray gun. She remembered that when the mage asked her how many weapons she wanted to make, and she replied that she wanted a few thousand, the mage's expression showed that he was about to die.
"It's better to buy than to make," Victoria said slowly. "This is the result of the discussion of the Royal Mage Association."
Wales? Moen's fingers on the armrest of the chair suddenly turned white because of the force, but he soon relaxed again.
He whispered, "This is indeed a rational conclusion, but rational does not necessarily mean wise."
"In this regard, I agree with you, but we have not cracked the technical secrets of the Southern Region. This is the current fact." Victoria said lightly.
Wales shook his head. He knew that with the power he had in his hands, there was not much he could do, so after a moment of silence, he changed the topic. "When are you leaving the Captical?"
"After the cargo ship departs," Victoria said, "I will go to the Holy Spirit Plains and personally take charge to prevent any changes at the frontline. Duke Bodwin will stay here to assist you in handling state affairs."
In times of political turmoil, at least one Duke Regent must be in charge in Saint Sunil City. On one hand, it was to stabilize the situation, and on the other hand … to control the royal family.
Wales understood the meaning of Victoria's words. He just said calmly, "I understand."
Victoria nodded and then stood up, but she did not leave. Instead, she quietly looked at the middle-aged prince.
She couldn't help but recall the time when she was still very young. When she first came to the Silver Castle and came to this study, her father and Francis II were respectively in her and Wales' current positions. At that time, Francis II was also as quiet and silent as Wales was now.
"Your Highness," she suddenly could not help but say, "Guard this city well. This is the duty of your blood."
"I understand."
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