In the bleak and cold late autumn, the cold wind blew through the fields and wilderness. In the clear autumn sky, there were no birds flying.
Farmer Kahn bent over and lifted the heavy basket. He raised his hand and poured it into the wooden trough beside him. The golden beans made a satisfying sound as they flowed into the trough like a stream of golden water and rolled into the underground granary. The sound of the beans gradually filling up made the wrinkled man smile. He squinted his eyes and couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth.
'Maple beans' were one of the last crops that could be harvested in autumn in the south. With this batch of completely dried beans in the granary, all the hard work of the year had paid off.
It was another winter where no one would starve to death. If they were lucky enough, the nearby factories would hire extra workers. Then, not only would they not starve to death this winter, they might even have meat to eat a few times a week.
Kahn straightened his back and wiped the fine sweat on his forehead. Not far away on the newly built street, an arcanotech car pulling wood drove past. The young driver stuck his head out and happily greeted someone in the distance. At the end of the street, there was a light flashing in the square. It was a holographic projection from the magic net terminal.
Arcanotech cars and magic net terminals were incredible new things. It was said that they had not been popularized in more remote places, but this was a town near Cecil City, and there were more advanced 'arcanotech' here.
Kahn did not know what secrets were behind these arcanotech technologies, but at least now he would not cry out in fright when he saw the arcanotech car. He knew that these incredible things were brought by the lord — or should he call him His Majesty now — and there would be more and more of these things in the future, and most of them would be of great use.
They were as useful as the water pump by the river and the mechanical mill at the farm management station.
In the words of the scholar who often came to the town to teach, "This is a good thing."
Kahn shook his head, shook his slightly sore arm, and walked towards the door. He could already smell the perfectly cooked oatmeal and freshly baked bread. These smells made his laborious, shriveled stomach wriggle.
However, his movements were interrupted by a strange sound that suddenly came from the sky.
It was a sort of low humming sound, interspersed with the whistling of the air or some other strange noise.
He had heard all kinds of birds chirping and the sound of wind and rain, but he had never heard anything like this before.
The wrinkled farmer couldn't help but raise his head and look in the direction of the voice.
There were no birds flying in the clear autumn sky, but there was a machine made of steel flying across the sky with a low humming sound.
"The Three Gods of Fertility …" The farmer's eyes widened in astonishment as he stared at the "iron beast" flying across the sky. It was hard to tell if it was fear, awe, or both. His lips trembled and his knees trembled, but in the end, he did not kneel down in front of the strange thing. He guessed that it was a "new toy" created by the smart people in the city. In the past, the commoners had to kneel when they saw a "mage's creation" because it was hard to say whether it was a terrifying magic puppet or a synthetic monster. But today, the commoners of Cecil did not have to kneel down in front of such a thing.
"What the hell is that?!"
Kahn mumbled to himself as he watched the unimaginable machine gradually disappear into the horizon. He heard cries of surprise coming from the nearby houses and the sound of things falling to the ground from the direction of his own kitchen. These sounds reminded him that what he had just seen was not an illusion.
It seemed that in the next few days, the men in the town would have a topic to talk about in the tavern.
…
In the government office, in Gwen's exclusive office, Heti was looking at the holographic image projected by the magic network terminal. She heard Gwen's voice from behind the desk. "It will take some time for the 'Dragon Calvary Type I' to be practical, but we can already start preparing to build a new type of air force."
New technology would always be used in the military field first. It was the same on Earth, and it was the same in this other world. On one hand, it was to strengthen the strength of the army. On the other hand, well-trained soldiers were always the best test subjects for new technology.
Heti turned around and nodded. "The personnel selection has begun since the middle of the year. Byron and Philip have each selected fifty experienced, bold, and excellent soldiers from their Griffin Knight subordinates to form a reserve team of a hundred people. These people still don't know why they were selected, but the basic training on mechanical control has been going on for half a month. If the training machine is in place in time, these people will soon be able to enter the practical training stage."
"Very good. Rebecca will complete the data sorting and blueprint adjustment as soon as possible. Once the blueprint adjustment is in place, Nicholas will quickly build the practical training machine."
"It's really hard to believe … We actually built it." Heti could not help but sigh. "Free flight … the power of a middle-ranked mage is now in the hands of ordinary people through the machine. What Rebecca has done is really beyond my imagination. "
"I've said it from the beginning. She's a very smart child with a talent that others don't have." Gawain shook his head with a smile. He did not mention Rebecca's annoying words on the test ground. Sooner or later, Rebecca would piss Heidi off on other occasions anyway. "It's just that the old professional system and the rules of nobility have limited her ability. But now … we'll let her do whatever she wants."
"You are far more perceptive than I am." Heti smiled brightly like an imperial butler who had forgotten how much budget Rebecca's laboratory could burn in a month. She then adjusted her expression and asked seriously, "There's one more thing, ancestor. Rosetta Augustus' handwritten letter has been delivered for almost a week … Have you decided when to reply?"
Gwen narrowed his eyes slightly, and the corner of his mouth curled up slightly. "… Rosetta's handwritten letter …"
There was indeed such a letter from the neighboring Empire of Typhon, written by the talented and bold Emperor Rosetta. It was sent to the border fortress by a special envoy, and then sent to Cecil City by a messenger from the fortress. The letter was still lying in Gwen's desk drawer, and the content was …
A third of it was warm official courtesy, a third of it was a euphemistic response to the border battle last month, and a third of it was a beautiful vision of the future trade between the two countries.
It was kind, friendly, and had a sense of frankness. There was no doubt that it was written by an outstanding master of language and had been carefully polished.
As Gwen had expected, Rosetta Augustus was not an easy character to deal with. Not only was he brave and resourceful, but he was also flexible. When he was at a disadvantage in the border battle, the emperor did not hesitate to lower his stance, but he also protected the interests of Typhon.
Not only that, Gwen also learned another thing from Daniel: Rosetta Augustus summoned the nobles who held military power in the capital the day after the battle at Changwind-Winterwolf Fort. After a closed-door meeting, all the nobles with military power remained silent.
The negative impact of the border battle did not spread to the outside of Obsidian Palace. The noble circle of Oldenheim was peaceful, and this peace had been maintained until today. It was so quiet that no one dared to make a ripple.
Gwen had also thought about whether he could use this border battle as an opportunity to attack the Wendell Family of Typhon, or at least create some domestic pressure on the young wolf general guarding the border, and slightly loosen the huge military group of Typhon. But it turned out that before all this happened, Rosetta had protected all the details that might cause cracks in the nobles' relationship.
In terms of controlling the upper nobles, the performance of the Typhon Emperor made Gwen sigh in admiration.
"I previously lowered the import price of textiles by 30%." After a brief silence, Gwen smiled and shook his head. "Of course, this is unrealistic. We are just expressing our attitude. I don't expect Rosetta to agree, but as for the reply … let's wait. It hasn't even been a week. I believe that with Rosetta's patience, he can wait even if it's a month or two. "
Heti looked at Gwen curiously. "Are you waiting for something?"
"That's right." Gwen nodded. "I'm waiting for news from Duke Bodwin."
…
A week ago, Baldwin Franklin had returned to the Western Region.
Now that the situation in Saint Sunil had stabilized, and the functions of the former capital were being moved south, he did not need to stay there for long. Furthermore, the Western Region was the region that suffered the least damage, other than the Southern Region, and had to bear the burden of 'blood transfusion' to the other regions. There were a lot of things that he needed to deal with personally, so he returned to the place his family had ruled for generations — Ten Forest City.
Today, there were special guests visiting this border city known as the 'Capital of Trade'. As one of the dynasty's Great Governors, Bodwin Franklin would personally receive them.
In the ancient and solemn family castle, Bodwin, who was wearing a duke's cloak, walked through a long corridor accompanied by his attendants. The howling north wind was raging outside the castle, as if it could infiltrate the inside of the castle. Hearing the howling wind outside the window, Duke Bodwin could not help but mutter softly, "After staying with Victoria for so long, I feel cold just hearing this wind."
His close attendant immediately replied, "Please don't worry, my lord. The castle's thermostatic magic array will block all the cold outside."
Thermostatic magic array …
Hearing the attendant's words, Bodwin's thoughts could not help but wander.
I wonder if Ten Forest City will be able to install a 'heating system' like the one in the Southern Region next winter. I have all the technical information, but it won't be easy to adapt to the specific conditions of the Western Region.
If it can be used, there should be a lot fewer people freezing to death in winter.
He shook his head and collected his slightly scattered thoughts. The door of the reception room had already opened in front of him.
Bai Dewen strode into the reception hall as the attendant announced his arrival loudly. His gaze was already fixed on the few figures seated at the tea table.
There were two dwarves who were short but exceptionally strong. One of them was a rather shrewd human who seemed to be a clerk or a scholar. There was also an expressionless Red Valley person with dark red skin. Bai Dewen's gaze swept past all of them until it finally landed on a petite figure who had yet to take a seat and was standing not too far away.
The latter was carefully studying the crystal magic pendulum on the shelf used to decorate the room.
The figure was wearing a dark blue cloak and looked quite small. Her long gray hair was draped over her back, revealing a pair of pointed ears. Because it was her back, he could not see her face, but judging from her profile and figure, it should be a lady.
She seemed to be completely intoxicated by the ingenious magic pendulum, so much so that she did not react to the Duke of the Western Region entering the room until Bodwin could not help but take the initiative to ask, "Madam Wenna, are you interested in the magic pendulum?"
The figure in the cloak turned around, and a rather delicate face appeared in front of Bodwin.
Gray skin, very light-colored pupils, elvish ears — this was a gray elf, a gray elf from the tribal country of Augulay.
"Human handicrafts are not as exquisite as those of the Silver Elves, but they have the creativity of the Silver Elves' craftsmen. No matter how many times I see it, I admire your creativity in the field of art." The gray elf called 'Madam Wenna' spoke, but her voice was elegant and mature, which did not match her petite figure. "Duke Bodwin, I'm glad to see that you're still healthy. For the gray elves, there's nothing happier than seeing their business partners are still healthy."
"Same for me." Bodwin Franklin showed a sincere smile. "A healthy body can maintain a healthy business relationship, right?"
"To be honest, after hearing the rumors about the civil war and natural disasters in Ansu, I've been worried for a long time."
"Now it should be called the Cecil Empire, Madam Wenna."
"Ah, the Cecil Empire … this legendary surname. If I have the chance, I'd like to meet the pioneer. I was still a child when he was active." Wenna shook her head. "But let's talk about this later, my friend. Today we're here to see the 'new business' you mentioned."
"Of course." Bodwin clapped his hands with a smile. Immediately, several attendants came into the room carrying several boxes. "I've prepared the samples and the sincerity."
"We're looking forward to it. The alchemy potion you showed us last time was impressive. What will it be this time?"
"Some more essential necessities." Bodwin's smile and words were full of warmth. "It's from the distant Typhon Empire. For the western part of the continent, it's really exotic."
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