In the fountain garden square in front of the main entrance, crisp tinkling sounds could be heard from time to time. Rebecca was excitedly riding on her 'new toy' and circling around the flower bed. The helpless attendants could only stand not far away or try to stay close to her, ready to help the princess up if she fell.
But compared to the beginning, Rebecca was obviously much more proficient now, at least she would not plunge into the flower bed.
Behind the floor-to-ceiling window in the study, Gwen silently retracted his gaze from the square.
"Two-wheeled bicycle … The people of Typhon have really come up with something interesting." Amber's voice came from behind him. "A scholar from the Government Office has done an evaluation. This seemingly simple transportation tool has great potential. It's flexible, convenient, and low-cost. Any able-bodied person can learn how to use it in a short period of time. As long as the road is relatively flat, it can be used. The threshold for promotion is even lower than the magitech device … It's a good thing."
Gwen did not say anything for a while.
What he was thinking in his mind was not known to outsiders.
Although the form was not exactly the same as the 'bicycle' in his memory, the principle and the general structure of the thing was no different from the things he was familiar with. But … before he could promote this thing in Cecil, Typhon was already ahead of him.
Amber saw that Gwen did not say anything and could not help but ask, "What's wrong? Typhon's' technological innovation 'is ahead of you. Are you not used to it? "
"Of course not." Gwen shook his head. "To be honest, in the Ansu era, Typhon's technology has always been ahead of us. We're just a few years ahead of them because of our magitech technology. And from a practical point of view, Typhon's invention of this flexible and convenient transportation tool is inevitable … "
"Oh? What do you mean? "
"Their road renovation and leveling project started earlier than us. When Ansu was still busy with civil strife, Typhon's towns and villages already had new flat and wide roads. And now, even if we go all out, we can only ensure that the roads between the major cities and the main towns meet the new standards." Gwen turned his head. "In the end, the birth of a new thing doesn't just happen. Without the support of the environment, there won't be new things that adapt to the environment.
"Compared to this, I'm more concerned about when the prototype of this' two-wheeled bicycle 'appeared. It's now quite a high degree of completion, so it shouldn't be something that popped up recently … "
Hu Po blinked and quickly recalled the relevant information. "… There was indeed an earlier 'prototype'. More than ten years ago, there was a Typhon craftsman who made a wooden moped, but not many people paid attention to it at the time. It was only treated as some kind of novel toy. Later, there were craftsmen who made a few improvements to it, but still, not many people paid attention to it. Until half a year ago, the number of factories in the Oldenheim area soared. A large number of workers needed to work in the factories, and many people related to the factories needed to run around. As more and more factories and more and more workers, the workers lived farther and farther away from the city center. Then, the 'two-wheeled bicycle' that not many people paid attention to was noticed by some discerning businessmen.
"According to the information provided by Trajectory's intelligence network, this mode of transportation is rapidly becoming popular among the middle-class citizens of Aldnan. They are mainly skilled workers, foremen, small and medium-sized lawyers, and respectable business personnel with stable incomes. As for the basic workers, they can't afford the two-wheeled bicycle for the time being. However, a few nobles in Typhon have launched a 'two-wheeled bicycle welfare plan', calling for the factories to invest in a cheaper version of the two-wheeled bicycle, and then lend it to the workers. As long as the workers work in the factory for a certain number of years, they can have the bicycle 'for free'. This plan has received widespread response, and it should be realized soon. The factory owners and workers are very welcoming of it, and feel that they have gained a lot of benefits. "
"… The factory owners can always recoup the cost from the workers, and the workers also feel that their travel pressure is reduced. At the end of the day, capital can always stimulate the ingenuity of the capitalists." Gwen thought for a moment and said with a chuckle. "But in any case, this thing is really good, and we can also use it … The road conditions in most parts of the southern border have been greatly improved, and this two-wheeled bicycle can come in handy. It's not that difficult to make technology, and the factory can copy it."
At this point, he paused and fell into a brief moment of thought.
Arcanotech machines and factory production didn't just have a single, one-sided effect on a society. Industrialization was a chain reaction, and when the source of it began to operate, it was inevitable that all the links related to it would begin to change.
Factories needed ordinary people as workers, and the ordinary people's role in the operation of society had been magnified. Whether the upper class of Typhon liked it or not, they would see the ordinary people in their sights, even if they were only treated as gears and money bags.
The two-wheeled bicycle made for ordinary people was just the beginning. It meant that not only a few smart merchants of Typhon had found a new business opportunity, but some of the upper class of Typhon who had mastered the knowledge and production technology had changed their minds.
And as long as this change happened, their ability to use arcanotech would inevitably increase rapidly. This was pressure for Gwen, but it was also what he wanted to see.
He once again fell into a contradictory state of dilemma and anticipation.
Amber looked at Gwen curiously. "What are you thinking?"
"The people of Typhon … their thinking has become more flexible." Gwen said slowly with a hint of emotion. "But it's also a good thing."
"… Although I don't know how many complicated things you've been thinking about in these few seconds, I still remember you said that it's not a bad thing for others to develop. We just need to make sure that we always develop faster than others." Amber found a sentence to fill in the blanks she had recorded. She then changed the topic. "Now that we're talking about Typhon … Princess Mathilda should be arriving soon."
"Mathilda Augustus …" Gwen put his finger on his chin thoughtfully. "According to the information from Maryland and Philip, the princess is very concerned about arcanotech. Although we can't rule out that this is a deliberate attitude, she does have some professional knowledge about arcanotech."
Amber glanced at Gwen. "Are you worried that she will see something from Cecil's arcanotech and affect the concealment of 'Number 25'?"
"That's not it. 'Number 25' has been very cautious. The technology he released has been modified, and he also prepared very complete 'research and development evidence'. There's nothing suspicious." Gwen shook his head. "I'm just a little curious. Is Princess Typhon's interest in arcanotech just to show the attitude of the Royal Family of Typhon … or is it really her personal preference? If it's the latter … I'm happy to have a good relationship with her, and then use her hand to give some of the 'gifts' that I've prepared for Typhon to them more naturally and more reasonably … "
When Amber saw the classic scheming look on Gawain's face, he really wanted to roll his eyes on the spot. However, he was afraid that he would really roll his eyes if he were to be slapped on the wall. For this reason, he could only suppress his nagging thoughts and change the topic. "Speaking of the Typhon's royal family, the Military Intelligence Bureau has recently been investigating the information about the Augustus family's hereditary 'madness'. We've discovered some interesting things.
"Oh?" Gwen raised his eyebrows. "Let's hear it."
Understanding the opponent was the basis of self-protection. Based on this, Gwen had been paying attention to the Augustus Family of Typhon since the Southern Unification War, especially the famous legend of the family's' madness curse '. And the collection of information in this regard was the key mission of the Military Intelligence in Typhon. Now that he heard of the new information, he immediately perked up.
"According to the previously collected and relatively public information, we already know that the Augustus Family's' madness' has not always existed. It only appeared two hundred years ago after the 'Great Collapse'." Amber immediately began to report. "Two hundred years ago, the old imperial city of Typhon collapsed due to a major earthquake, and the entire city fell into the ground. But before the collapse happened, the Emperor of Typhon foresaw the disaster in advance and evacuated in advance to avoid casualties. And after that, the members of the Augustus Family began to be plagued by the madness curse …
"In the latest information we have collected, there is an explanation for this' curse 'that only appeared after the Great Collapse.
"Some of the upper nobles and scholars of Typhon have a saying: the collapse of the old imperial city two hundred years ago was not a natural disaster, but a man-made one. At that time, the Royal Family of Typhon tried to draw some kind of forbidden power from the earth, and the backlash caused the Great Collapse. Therefore, the Emperor of Typhon at that time did not foresee any disaster, but knew that the ritual was out of control, so he evacuated.
"As for the so-called madness, it is the aftereffect of this backlash — the uncontrollable power from the depths of the earth contaminated the souls of the Augustus Family, and this contamination has been passed down from generation to generation until today."
"Man-made disaster … Trying to draw power from the depths of the earth?" Gwen frowned. "This sounds more like an absurd palace legend. This kind of legend that slandered the reputation of the Royal Family should be a taboo in Typhon, right? "
"Of course, no one dares to discuss these legends in public, and those who do are not far from death. The Royal Family of Typhon has always been tough, which is different from the Royal Family of Ansu." Amber nodded. "But this kind of thing will always be kept secret, and it will continue to be circulated among some of the less honest nobles and scholars.
"In the early years, Rosetta Augustus used all kinds of tough methods to carry out reforms, but due to the domestic situation, he was not as thorough as you are. This led to a large number of resentful nobles in Typhon. These nobles may not oppose Rosetta's rule, but they will definitely not mind discussing some of the 'little stories' about the Augustus Family in private.
"This kind of little story does sound absurd, but since it dares to involve the Royal Family, and it can be circulated among many scholars and Extraordinaires, then there must be a part of it that is true …"
Gwen glanced at Amber. "It seems that what you told me has been filtered and confirmed?"
"Excessively absurd and malicious content has been removed, and the parts that can reflect the various versions of rumors and legends have been retained." Amber nodded. "I dare not say that it is the truth, but the Augustus Family had done something two hundred years ago, and this led to the hereditary madness in the family. This is most likely true."
"… Now I am a little curious about what is buried under the collapsed old Imperial Capital," Gwen said faintly. "The Lord of Storms is buried under the deep sea, the Defiant Fortress is buried in the Gloom Mountains, and the heritage of the Tidetide Empire is connected to the Thorin Giant Tree … In this world, digging underground is not a safe thing to do."
As he said that, he couldn't help but have another slightly strange thought in his mind.
Princess Mathilda Augustus, who is about to visit, also has this curse that will eventually lead to madness?
…
In the circular hall of the Central Temple in the City of Dreams, Selena Geerfen's figure had just materialized in the air when she heard Archbishop Yuri's voice.
"Archbishop Selena, we have found something in the first test of Sandbox No.1."
"I know." Selena's figure materialized as she looked at Yuri in the white robe. "What is the specific situation?"
"The first group of Spirit Knight who entered Sandbox No.1 arrived at an empty city. They found crazy and deranged records in the city, which recorded that the world had ended, and all living beings had escaped from the meaningless cycle of reincarnation. After exploring the surrounding area of the city, the operatives confirmed that there were no residents in the area," Archbishop Yuri said quickly. "With the help of the Spirit Knight team as a spiritual beacon, we finally reestablished the monitoring of Sandbox No.1, and then found that all the minds in it had really disappeared!"
Selena Geerfen's expression suddenly became serious. "All of them, including the real testers and all the virtual personalities simulated by the sandbox?"
"Yes, all of them." Archbishop Yuri nodded. "There are no 'residents' in Sandbox No.1, and it is very likely that they had been 'emptied' early on when the sandbox was closed. When we explored the phantom town, we once guessed that it was an 'anomaly' caused by the distortion of the projection. But now it seems that the empty state is not a 'distortion anomaly' at all, but the real state of Sandbox No.1. It is idling! It has been idling all the time. "
Sandbox No.1, which had been out of control for a long time, was supposed to contain tens of thousands of 'residents.' But the interior of Sandbox No.1, which had been undergoing rapid evolution and projected the illusion of residents when it was out of control, had long been empty.
Where did the minds in it go?
The 'residents' it projected in the early days, the 'clerics' in the phantom town … What are they?
Although she had lost her physical body in the real world, Selena Geerfen still felt an inexplicable chill.
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