With a tinge of curiosity and apprehension, Maggie followed Rebecca to a large building known as the Magical Engineering Research Institute.
It was said that this was the highest research center of Cecil's magitech technology.
It was said that more than half of the magical devices that could unleash tremendous power and function were called 'Perfect Runes That Luck Cannot Explain' by the members of the Royal Mage Association in the past. They were called 'Perfect Runes That Luck Cannot Explain', and more than half of them were created in this research center and its affiliated facilities.
Maggie had visited the south with Victoria, but she did not have the opportunity to visit this technical temple. Today, she was invited here to become a member of a great project. It was a wonderful arrangement of fate. Driven by strong curiosity, Maggie could not help but look at everything in her sight. Everything here was very new to her.
The Magitech Research Institute was not as magnificent and luxurious as the Captical Association of Mages she was familiar with (that was the closest facility she could think of to the temple in front of her). But this multi-story building had its own unique beauty and solemnity. It consisted of a main building and three ancillary buildings. The foundation of the main building was supported by neatly arranged columns, and the top of the ancillary buildings had three simple and powerful words:
Curiosity, Rigor, Persistence.
This may explain part of the attitude of the scholars in Cecil toward research.
"These three words were proposed by Master Kamel. It is said that it was the code of the scholars of the Kingdom of Gondor. Our ancestors thought it was very reasonable and let us hang these three words on the roof of the research institute," Rebecca said happily. "Be curious about the world, find the unknown in curiosity; be rigorous in the face of the unknown, find the direction of research in rigor; persevere in research, verify the results in perseverance …"
The princess of the Empire spoke in a brisk tone, and there was always a smile on her face. She finally had the opportunity to change into a simple dress that was convenient for her to move around. Maggie found that she was really happy after leaving the Silver Fort and coming to this research facility.
This' princess' belonged here.
With a smile on her face, Maggie followed Rebecca into the mysterious building with a group of men and women who worked in the research institute.
Stepping through the door, the first thing that came into view was a spacious and bright hall. The magic crystal lamps illuminated the place, and there were corridors and stairs leading to different places in the research institute. The most eye-catching thing in the hall was a statue in the center.
It was not any hero or god that Maggie was familiar with, nor was it the current emperor of the Cecil Empire. It was just an ordinary-looking middle-aged man in a plain robe, holding a skinny little girl's hand. They stood in the center of this temple of knowledge and technology, illuminated by a beam of magic crystal lamps. The man's eyes were gentle and calm as if he was watching everyone who walked in here. Every magician and runemaster who entered the research institute would first come to the statue, bow deeply before leaving.
Maggie looked at the statue in surprise and could not help but ask, "Who are they?"
"The founder of modern magical technology and his daughter, Annie." It was the first time Maggie had seen such a serious expression on her face. Then, she came before the statue and bowed deeply to pay her respects.
Maggie did not know what to do, but she also bowed. Then she saw the words on the pedestal under the statue: To the Pioneer.
"He doesn't have a name?" Maggie asked in surprise and curiosity.
"No … We only know that he is a rogue mage who may have stayed in the Captical Mages Association," Rebecca said regretfully. "But we have checked the Captical Mages Association's information and could not find the rogue mage's name … He may just be the assistant of some great mage, or his name may have been completely erased by the association. You know, in the circle of traditional mages, leaving one's lineage is a very serious matter. The name will be erased from all records, and nearly a quarter of the mages of Saint Sunil died in the battle. Perhaps the last person who knew his real name also died on the city wall. "
Maggie did not know what to say for a moment, but Rebecca had already smiled brightly again. She looked at the man in the statue and said, "But it's okay. His creation has not been forgotten. As long as we continue to work hard, the 'Magic Net' will be remembered by everyone."
Maggie was stunned, but deep in thought, Rebecca had already started walking toward the stairs not far away. "Follow me, follow me. I still have a lot of people to introduce to you …"
…
In the city center, in the square in front of the 'Lord's Mansion', a team of sentries was guarding the road leading to the mansion. Beside the sentry post at the intersection of the road, a few workers were busy.
A short worker came to the top of the metal lamppost with the help of a lift. With the help of the magic terminal, he removed a few rivets that fixed the sign. After shaking for a while, he took down the metal sign with 'Cecil Lord's Mansion' and handed it to his colleague beside him.
A new sign was brought over and installed on the steel frame on the side of the lamppost. On the sign were brand new words: Cecil Palace.
Beside the lamppost, a mage technician looked up at the words on the sign and could not help but shake his head. "This is really a simple name …"
"His Majesty always likes to be simple when naming things. A car driven by magic power is called a magic car, an energy track made of steel is called a railway, and a tower that can broadcast signals is called a broadcast tower." Another mage laughed. "Anyway, I'm used to it."
"Then explain what the electricity in 'magic capacitor' means …"
"That's where you're wrong!"
…
"Ancestor, the new road signs and map changes have been completed." In the study, Heti reported to Gwen. "The news that Cecil Lord's Mansion has been renamed as' Cecil Palace 'will soon appear in the recent newspapers and radio programs."
"That's good." Gwen exhaled and shook his head with a smile. "It's a little embarrassing. I almost forgot this detail. When I saw the road sign of 'Lord's Mansion', I remembered that the name of the mansion had to be changed. Fortunately, the preparatory committee of the Government Office still remembered this."
"It's the basic job of the preparatory committee to consider all the details, and your precious energy needs to be spent on bigger things," Heti said seriously. "But then again … the name 'Cecil Palace' is really quite uncharacteristic."
Gawain glanced at Heidi, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
The 'Great Consul' had always been a calm and serious person, but in the absence of outsiders, she would occasionally open her heart to the ancestor and tease him. In addition to using all kinds of tricks to cheat holidays, she would also find opportunities to ridicule Gwen's new terms and jokes that no one could understand. This was one of her few hobbies. Gwen was quite familiar with this, but sometimes he felt helpless.
"I can't think of any other name. We can't put a layer of silver foil on the outside of our house and name it 'New Silver Castle', right?" Hao Ren smiled and shook his head. "The name is just a code. It's enough to let people understand what it means. Even if it doesn't sound special at first, after a few years, everyone will be familiar with it and will take it for granted."
"Actually, there's nothing wrong with Cecil Palace." Heti's lips curled up slightly. "But Gordon mentioned something in the meeting the day before yesterday. Does this' palace 'need to be expanded or simply rebuilt? Although it's still adequate, as a palace, its size is a bit disproportionate. "
Gwen shook his head. "No need. As you said, this mansion is still adequate, and there's no need to expand it. In my opinion, it's already very large. The area it occupies is not less than a small castle, and it's still very new. If it's just for the sake of grandeur, it's a waste of precious financial, material, and manpower. There are still many cities and roads in the Plains of the Holy Spirit that have not been rebuilt. "
"You're right," Heti said helplessly. "But as far as an empire is concerned, the palace of the royal family is not only a place to live, but also a functional facility for the royal family's office and some of the government's functions. It's also a symbol of the country's strength and majesty. You have to consider this."
This time, Gwen thought about it seriously. As he pondered, he slowly said, "What you said makes sense. With the expansion of the Supreme Government Office and the reorganization of the institutions that manage the empire's operations, some of the offices will have to be moved here. But this is not something that will be implemented immediately. Even if it is implemented, it will not immediately exceed the capacity of this mansion. Some planning for the expansion can be done in advance, but the specific implementation will have to wait. At least until we don't have to worry about the food of so many people in the Plains of the Holy Spirit. "
Heti lowered her head. "Yes, I understand, Ancestor."
Gwen nodded and then said, "How's the 'new currency promotion' led by Padrick going?"
"The experiments in several places went rather smoothly. Relying on the appeal of the government office and the prestige that you brought, the people were able to accept the 'paper money' as the proof of daily transactions. However, most people did not completely abandon the traditional metal currency. Instead, they only regard the paper money as a convenient supplement. Also, according to the results of the investigation, some of the small merchants regard the 'paper money' as a special 'proof of contract' …"
Gwen raised his eyebrows. "Contract certificate?"
"Yes, just like the proof of borrowing or the proof of exchanging gold and silver. They think that the paper money is the proof of wealth issued by the 'bank.' Each paper money is an IOU. This IOU can be used to buy things because it can eventually be used to exchange gold and silver from the bank."
Listening to Heti's words, Gwen could not help but sigh slightly. "In the end, we still face this stage."
"Does' this stage 'refer to the alternative currency?" Heti asked curiously. "What's wrong with it?"
"Yes, it's the alternative currency. Padrick is trying the solution. Each banknote corresponds to verified gold and silver. The total amount of currency in circulation depends on the amount of precious metals stored in the bank. It's a simple and clear currency rule, but it also has a simple and clear shortcoming, "Gwen explained seriously to the curious Heti." Its biggest hidden danger is that factories will multiply the total amount of social wealth, but the mining and production speed of gold and silver is limited. The currency that can be used in circulation will also be limited. The scale of investment and trade will be limited by the amount of currency that can be issued by the bank. This will eventually lead to a contradiction.
"When the contradiction between the total amount of social wealth and the amount of currency issued intensifies to a certain extent, there may be two consequences. Either development will stagnate, industry will enter winter, and the economy will begin to shrink because social development is' backward if you don't move forward. 'Or the bank will be forced to issue debt-like tokens. No matter what form these debts take, special currencies or bonds, they will cause the value of currency in circulation in society to far exceed the value of precious metals.
"Once this situation begins, it will not stop. When it deteriorates to a certain extent, as long as there is a little turmoil in society and the people want to exchange the alternative currency in their hands for gold and silver, our economy will face a disaster. Because the gold and silver in the entire banking system can no longer keep up with the total value of wealth produced by the industry, let alone the amount of banknotes in the hands of the people. Without the alternative currency, even the most powerful empire will collapse overnight."
Gwen's explanation was as simple and easy to understand as possible, and Heti was not a stupid person. After being exposed to various new policies for so long, she almost immediately understood the principle of the whole process. Her face instantly turned ugly. She realized that this was an almost unsolvable trap.
As long as the population was increasing, people's survival needs were increasing, and society must continue to develop. As long as the factories were operating, the speed of social development would far exceed the speed of the increase of gold and silver and other precious metals. The "banknotes" that could be directly exchanged for gold and silver would certainly not keep up with the pace of the increase of social wealth.
As long as this contradiction accumulated to a certain stage, development stagnation and currency overissuance had to be chosen.
No matter which one was chosen, it would mean disaster.
However, if there was no currency reform at all, they would also face the trap of stagnation. In this unstable world, this was also a disaster.
"Padrick looked worried when he reported these things to me," Heti frowned and said slowly. "He said that when he was deducing the currency circulation, he vaguely felt that there was a very fatal problem in it, but he couldn't find it. Was he aware of this trap?"
"He actually noticed it?" Gwen's eyes widened in astonishment, but he quickly calmed down. "That's right. These laws are summed up by people."
"This' trap 'is terrible," Heti said with lingering fear. "Is there no way to solve it?"
"There is another form of currency … but it's really hard to say which is worse," Gawain frowned and slowly shook his head. "But there are very few things in the world that are perfect, even more so for man-made things. In short, we are still in the stage of collecting data and social verification. Let Padrick complete this pilot acceptance first. At the same time, let Daniel collect further information on Typhon's currency reform. After all the information is summarized, we will discuss the follow-up. "
After the battle at the Changfeng Line of Defense, Gwen now had no psychological burden to cross the river with Typhon. It was said that Typhon had entered the application stage of banknotes, and the precious social experiment data could not be missed.
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