In the blink of an eye, it was already halfway through winter. The turbulent and eventful year of Ansu 738 (the first year of Cecil) came to an end in a chilly snowstorm in late winter. It was already the beginning of the year.
In the past year, too many things had happened in this ancient yet young country. The end of the royal authority, the reunification of the once divided country, the catastrophes that were like natural disasters, large-scale reconstruction, the reshuffling of the old aristocratic system, the arrival of a new era …
Somehow, it seemed that a god who controlled fate had suddenly overturned his desk this year and stirred up the whole kingdom. When the dust settled, people only realized in hindsight that the world had changed.
In the south of Monolith City, a brand-new magic train was quietly parked beside the platform, waiting for the order to depart.
The cold wind was raging outside the platform, rolling up loose snowflakes and lighter dead leaves into the air. However, a hazy, translucent shield shrouded the edge of the platform, blocking the cold wind that rolled into the station. On the rectangular platform with two long rows of seats, some passengers were sitting on the chairs and waiting for the arrival of the train, while others were boarding the train next to them under the guidance of the guide.
Most of these passengers were wearing jackets and straight trousers that had become popular in the south in the past two years for ease of movement. They wore thick soft hats or felt hats on their heads, and a small number of them wore old-style long and short robes. Most of the ladies wore "simple long dresses" that took into account both practicality and beauty, and additional cotton clothes with good thermal insulation under the long dresses. There were even a few ladies who wore jackets and trousers that were specially designed for ladies to travel on the train.
For people who had just arrived here, this was an incredible scene. Before Ansu 736, even in the south, there were very few commoner women who wore clothes that "violated the rules" like trousers. This was because the mainstream religions such as the God of Blood, the God of War, the God of Holy Light, and the God of Holy Light, as well as the local aristocrats, often had strict rules.
Only the noble ladies and ladies of high status had the right to wear breeches, swordsmanship trousers, and other outfits to participate in hunting and martial arts exercises, or wear all kinds of formal dresses, court dresses, and other outfits to attend banquets. The above outfits were all considered to be "in line with the content of the aristocratic life and decent". On the other hand, commoner women were not allowed to wear "illegal" trousers, shorts, and "colorful dresses" other than black, white, brown, and gray (unless they had been registered as prostitutes) under any circumstances. Otherwise, they would be fined by the church or the aristocrats, and in severe cases, they would be punished or even enslaved in the name of "offending the doctrine" and "violating the rules".
It was not until the month of frost in Ansu 736 that the White Knight led the people to smash open the cathedral in Louen City. The Supreme Government Office issued a decree to remove the private armed forces and religious jurisdiction of all churches in the territory. Only then did the prohibition in this regard gradually loosen. Now, after more than two years of social change, the commoner women who were bolder and had received general education finally began to wear trousers when they went out.
Outside of the southern border, general education had only just begun, and social change had only just begun. Even though the government office encouraged the people to accept the new social order, basically no one would challenge the old customs that had not completely faded away.
In the second half of the train, in a special carriage, Victoria Werder, who had long silver hair, wore a court dress, and had a cold and noble temperament, looked out of the window and nodded to the slightly plump aristocrat sitting opposite her. "Count Bahrain, what do you think?"
This Great Governor of the Northern Region had recently completed her periodic affairs in Saint Sunil. Due to some work needs, she had to go to the capital to report. For this, she had also brought along a few officials from the Saint Sunil Government Office, as well as Count Bahrain, who had assisted her in handling the affairs of Saint Sunil.
Count Bahrain, who was slightly plump, looked at the platform outside with a complicated expression. "There are many things that I have never seen before in my life. I used to think that although I was not very knowledgeable, I was still knowledgeable. But here, I can't even think of a few suitable adjectives to describe it."
As he said that, the Captical aristocrat could not help but shake his head. "No matter what, this is indeed a place that 'challenges ideas', just like the rumors say. I can't even tell which of the people outside is the poor, which is the citizen, and which is the aristocrat … Oh, the aristocrats can still be seen. The man who was accompanied by an attendant and walked with his head held high should be a small aristocrat, but the rest is really hard to tell. "
Victoria did not comment on Count Bahrain's words. She just looked out of the window again and said in a low voice as if she was talking to herself, "Richer and more lively than anywhere in the north."
"Indeed, the civilians are all wearing more exquisite clothes, and those women wearing men's clothes … Ah, I shouldn't have evaluated women so vulgarly, but this is the first time I've seen anything other than women's breeches and women's swordsmanship trousers …" Count Bahrain said. He suddenly seemed to have run out of words and could only shrug awkwardly. "Also, look at those dresses. They are so colorful. It seems that every one of them is brand new."
"The trade with the Typhon Empire has brought cheap textiles. Together with our own textile factories and garment factories, 'clothes' are no longer a luxury for the civilians," Victoria said casually. "However, in the south, it is not only the 'price' of clothes that has been broken but also the 'customs' around these daily necessities …"
Count Bahrain was quite emotional. "The 'customs and regulations' in the south seem to be particularly loose. I didn't expect so many churches and nobles to accept the new government decrees made by the government office so quickly. They seem to be much smarter than the stubborn churches and nobles in the north."
"'Smarter'?" Victoria's eyes, which seemed to contain ice and snow, looked at Count Bahrain quietly. "Count Bahrain, the priests and nobles in the south suddenly became enlightened after the bombardment of Broken Stone Ridge and the Great Judgment of Louen City. The logic behind this is the same as the northern barbarians suddenly changed from being brave and good at fighting to being good at singing and dancing after the formation of the mountain army."
Count Bahrain was suddenly at a loss of how to react. The 'Ice Duke' of the north seemed to curl her lips slightly and said to herself, "What I see here may give me a hint …"
Count Bahrain suddenly felt a little cold, but next to Duchess Victoria, it was normal to feel cold. He soon got used to it. Then, he turned his neck, looked around, and looked at the entrance of the carriage not far away.
The attendants, guards, maids, and officials were all the passengers in this carriage. Behind this carriage, there were two special carriages with resting rooms, which had also been rented by the Grand Governor. However, Count Bahrain knew that there were many other 'ordinary' passengers on this train. Even the few carriages that they occupied only belonged to them during this journey. After the journey was over, these carriages would welcome new passengers.
Because all of this belonged to the 'public.'
This made the count, who was used to his own carriage and personal griffin, a little uncomfortable.
"Your Excellency, why did you choose to take the 'train'?" He could not help but ask. "A personal magic carriage or a griffin is more suitable for your identity …"
"Have you ever experienced the 'train'?" Victoria glanced at Count Bahrain and asked casually.
"I … haven't." Count Bahrain shook his head. "You know, there's no such thing in the north."
"I haven't either, so I want to experience it," Victoria said casually. "Every time I come here, there are many things that are worth … experiencing."
As she spoke, she turned her head sideways and looked at the scenery on the platform through the transparent crystal glass beside the carriage.
A huge mechanical clock stood in the middle of the platform. On the mechanical clock, the long iron-black hands were jumping grid by grid.
Count Bahrain saw Victoria's action and could not help but be curious. "What are you looking at?"
On the platform, some passengers waiting for the next train and a few staff members had unknowingly arrived near the mechanical clock. These people looked up at the jumping hands at the same time. They looked at the rotating gears behind the transparent glass below the dial with a look of anticipation and joy on their faces.
"It's something that will be promoted to the entire Empire."
The second hand of the mechanical clock moved to the top grid by grid. On both sides of the platform, holographic projections representing the boarding of the train had risen. At the bottom of the train carriage, there was a faint tremor.
"Something that will be promoted to the entire Empire?" Count Bahrain was a little confused. "Clocks? This thing is also available in the north, although most of them are only in churches and noble homes … "
Before the count's voice died away, the long hands had overlapped with the top of the dial. Almost at the same time, a melodious and loud flute sound suddenly came from the top of the carriage and resounded throughout the platform. It also startled Count Bahrain in the carriage.
The repulsive mechanisms on both sides of the entire train turned synchronously, and the runes lit up. The huge steel machine began to accelerate slowly in a loud roar and began to drive into the wilderness.
"It's punctuality, Count Bahrain." Victoria retracted her gaze from the window. "And the pursuit of 'punctuality.' This is part of the new order. "
On the platform that was gradually moving away, the passengers and staff who were staring at the mechanical clock and waiting for the train to depart had already applauded happily. Some even cheered.
This was a pastime when they were bored, and it was also a "southern feature" on the train platforms everywhere. It was a "waiting entertainment" that had gradually become popular among the train passengers and station staff recently.
Trains were not always on time. The word "delay" was a frequent word in the railway system. But even so, His Majesty still ordered that mechanical clocks be set up at every station and every train. The clocks were calibrated through the magic network communication all over the Southern Region. At the same time, the clocks were optimized and adjusted time and time again.
Since the factories in Cecil City began to operate, the Supreme Council had been working hard to introduce the concept of time into people's lives. These mechanical clocks at the station were obviously part of this effort.
Hard work would eventually bear fruit. At least, people had been pursuing punctuality, and the trains that left on time were something to be proud of in the eyes of the Southern Region.
…
Grand Governor Victoria Werde from the north would soon come to the Southern Region to report on her work.
In a house in the southern block of the Mage District in Cecil City, Fendill Werde, who had short silver hair and a tall figure, was standing in front of the window facing the street. He was holding the newspaper that he had just bought this morning. His eyes were fixed on a headline on the front page of the newspaper.
The newspaper was heavy, the headline was heavy, and so was his heart.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Fendill raised his heavy head, adjusted his expression, and said politely, "Come in."
The door opened, and Eliven Franklin appeared outside the door. The heir of the Western Region was also holding a newspaper. As soon as he entered the house, he waved it and said, "Fendill, Duchess Victoria seems to be coming to the Southern Region soon!"
Fendill raised the newspaper in his hand and said, "I already know."
"Oh … right, you also have the habit of reading the newspaper." Eliven nodded and then curiously looked at Fendill's face. "What's wrong, my friend? You don't seem to be in a good mood."
Fendill could not help but stare at Eliven. "It's probably the same as how you feel when you suddenly know that your father is coming to see you tomorrow."
"Ah, then I should be very happy," Eliven said cheerfully. "After all, I just passed all the Level One tests of the four academies. Mr. Santis said that I'm the only one in this batch of students who passed all the tests of the four academies at once. It turns out that the past few days, I've been staying up late every day to read books and ask questions from the mentors. It's very effective …"
Fendill could not help but cover his forehead.
He had actually forgotten that Erawen's talent in "reading and learning" was so astonishing.
As for himself, he was better at frost spells and other combat skills.
Therefore, he only passed the Level One test of the Military Branch, and … he was seriously biased.
His other knowledge of aristocracy, heraldry, etiquette, and art were not useless in the academy, but … they were all optional.
Thinking of his aunt who had always been strict, the optimistic and cheerful Fendill could not help but feel heavy in his heart again, as if it was filled with ice and snow from the north.
If he had known this would happen, he would have done a good job of understanding the detailed subjects taught in the "Imperial Academy" before he left. Although this would not help him quickly improve the corresponding grades, at least he would be mentally prepared.
Eliven saw the change in Fendill's expression, and it was not difficult to guess what was in his mind. He patted Fendill's shoulder, which was a little laborious because he was more than a head shorter than Fendill. "Relax, my friend. Didn't you say before? Coming to the south, the academy is just a part of 'learning'. The 'magic movie' that we made together with Firm has been completed. Isn't this also something to be proud of? "
"Magic movie …"
Hearing this word, the irritation in Fendill's heart faded away.
Yes, after such a long time of hard work and a lot of people's blood and sweat, the world's first 'magic movie' was finally completed.
He could not help but turn his head and look out of the window.
A large notice promoting the magic movie (His Majesty called it a "poster") had been posted on the roadside, and in the past two days, the magic network radio program had also been promoting and introducing this brand-new thing in advance. Now he could vaguely see the content of the poster on the wall across the street.
A mechanical ship full of passengers was sailing on the wide Gorgon River, and a few main characters with distinctive characteristics appeared in the background of the picture. At the bottom of the picture was the final name of the magic movie.
Immigration.
Simple, straightforward, and plain.
"Indeed … this has brought me a sense of 'pride' that I have never felt in the past ten years of my life," Fendill said with a smile and a sigh. "I never thought that after leaving all the ideas of identity and traditional rules behind, and working with many people from all walks of life to achieve something, it would be so happy."
Erawen also smiled. "I'm also very glad that I listened to your advice and participated in this rather meaningful matter …"
Fendill turned his head and looked at his friend with a smile. He reached out his hand and patted his friend on the shoulder.
"So, my friend, lend me the answers of the second set of geometry papers."
"…?"
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