Night was falling, but before the darkness completely enveloped the land, artificial lights had already lit up in the city, dispelling the darkness that had just arrived.
The street lights and the bright lights of the houses along the city road flickered in the forest made of steel and cement like stars falling into the earth, shining brightly.
There was no night in this city.
On a balcony somewhere in the Autumn Palace, Count Dulles looked into the distance of this strange city and could not help but whisper, "Even the most remote city has set up the same number of street lights. This is not a small expense."
Mathilda's voice came from not far away. "But it has improved public security and made the city safer. In the long run, the crime rate will be reduced, and the cost of maintaining the law will also be reduced."
"Oldenheim's Parliament of Nobles is not good at thinking from a 'long-term' perspective. This indeed needs to be changed." Count Dulles turned around and bowed to Mathilda. "Are you also here to see the scenery?"
"I'm just taking a walk," Mathilda said faintly. "Count Dulles, what do you think of what you have seen today?"
"This is indeed a different place from Typhon. To be honest, some aspects are so disorderly that it's scary, but some aspects show … surprising order." Count Dulles shook his head. "I still prefer Oldenheim. I like its solemnity and solemnity."
"Obviously, we have a different understanding of 'order' from Emperor Gwen," Mathilda said casually. Then she asked, "Count Dulles, what do you think of the Foundation of All Things? You have also read the original manuscript and part of the content. "
"To be honest, my first feeling was a little disappointed," Count Dulles thought for a moment and said bluntly. "When I learned how much Cecil paid to compile it, and how much Emperor Gwen Cecil had high hopes for it, I thought I would see some great books that recorded the difficult mysteries of magic, condensed the profound wisdom of philosophers, and shone with the brilliance of grammar. But I didn't expect the content in it to be so shallow … and the words used are vulgar. But its scale is enormous, and its content is vast. This is truly breathtaking. "
Mathilda stared at Count Dulles for a while and said unhurriedly, "But it also records the parts that you don't understand, such as typhoid, mechanical arts, and the unfinished book on agriculture … Just like its name, it is' Foundation of All Things'. What it records is the basic knowledge to maintain the functioning of a society, not the abstruse knowledge that only a few people can study.
"More importantly, Emperor Cecil intends to promote such a thing to the entire Imperium as a 'knowledge benchmark' for the people. Count Duller, can you imagine what that means?"
"Yes, I can imagine it … So, after the initial disappointment, I understand your feelings after reading the manuscripts, and I also understand your request to His Majesty Gawain …" Count Duller's words were accompanied by contemplation.
Mathilda looked into Count Dulles's eyes. "Then, Count Dulles, what do you think? Do you think Typhon needs' Foundation of All Things'? "
Count Dulles blinked and fell into a brief contemplation. After a moment of silence, he said in a somewhat complicated tone, "To be honest, in my opinion, if it is to be promoted to the entire society, then the content of 'Foundation of All Things' … is a bit too much."
…
In a room somewhere in Cecil Palace, Amber stared at Gwen in surprise. "So, you decided to give the complete version of 'Foundation of All Things' to Typhon?"
"That's right," Gwen said frankly, "And I plan to give him a hardcover version — one that I will sign myself."
"Aren't you afraid that you'll go overboard?!" Hu Po's eyes widened even more. "But … How should I put it? In your words, it's the 'foundation of the functioning of modern society'. It's something that is used to improve the competitiveness of an entire generation. Wouldn't it be fine to hand it over to the Tiphons?"
"First of all, when 'Foundation of All Things' is completed, it will be mass-printed and distributed all over the country, and everyone will be able to buy it. Who can stop it from flowing into Typhon? A new printed publication is not a classical magic book. Unless we put a lot of effort into banning it, its flow can't be stopped. "Gwen glanced at Amber and said with a faint smile," Second … Do you think 'Foundation of All Things' will face the same situation in Typhon as it did in Cecil? "
Amber frowned slightly and showed a thoughtful expression.
Gwen shook his head slightly.
"No, because the nobles in Typhon have become the new factory owners, and because their parliament is essentially a mixture of capital and nobles. They are a group more greedy and selfish than pure traditional nobles. Even if they have built a factory system similar to ours, even if their industrial machines have started, they are still fundamentally different from us.
"Compiling a set of 'Foundation of All Things' only requires hundreds of scholars, experts, assistants, and an office with the ability to coordinate. We can do it, and so can Typhon.
"But to spread the 'Basics of All Things' to the entire society, we need a powerful government office, tens of thousands of bottom-level clerks, an army that can crush the old nobles, countless colleges like the generic schools and the Imperium College, as well as countless night schools, teachers, and illiteracy teams.
"Typhon doesn't have any of these, and in their eyes, our 'Foundation of All Things' … is too much."
Amber couldn't help but frown. "Then what's the point of giving Mathilda a set of 'Foundation of All Things'?"
"Spreading knowledge is just for the sake of spreading knowledge," Gawain said with a smile. "I don't have any ulterior motives or schemes. I simply hope that knowledge can be spread as far as possible. 'Foundation of All Things' may be placed in Rosetta Augustus' study, or it may enter the Parliament of Nobles, or the Imperial Craftsmen's Association or the Mage Association. No matter what, it's a good thing. And if that one in a million chance really happens, Rosetta Augustus and the parliament under his command decide to spread knowledge of society and the history of the continent … it's also a good thing. "
Amber once again showed a thoughtful expression. Gwen looked at her and couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Speaking of which … You've been paying more and more attention to these complicated things recently, and can even discuss them with me for a long time. Weren't you the most impatient to think about these things before?"
Amber was startled and quickly waved her hand. "I'm impatient, but the salary you're giving me is too much …"
Gwen was speechless. After a moment, he couldn't help but smile and shake his head. "Then let's just take it that way."
After Amber left the room, Gwen stood up from the high-back chair and came to the wide floor-to-ceiling window facing the Gloom Mountains.
The bright magic crystal light shone behind him, dispelling the darkness that had spread over the mountains. Above the magnificent and ancient Gloom Mountains, bright stars were rising.
A familiar spiritual wave suddenly surged in the depths of his consciousness. It was a communication request from Daniel.
Gwen identified the mark in the spiritual wave. He did not enter the deep dream, but directly connected to Daniel in the shallow level of his consciousness.
"My Lord," the old mage's respectful voice rang in Gwen's mind. "I've received information that Pope Meghul III will agree to your conditions."
Gwen was a little curious. "When I left, the archbishops held a meeting again?"
"It's not a formal meeting. Meghul III and some of the archbishops have reached a tacit understanding in advance," Daniel reported. "If nothing goes wrong, this will be the final result of the meeting …"
"… It seems that the Eternal Sleep Congregation is also intricate, but Meghul III's control is obviously above all the factions." Gwen, who had a good understanding of such factional relationships, internal struggles, and shuffling, was not surprised. Instead, he agreed. "He's very decisive and wise. Now is not the time to hold a leisurely meeting. He must ensure that there is only one voice left in the congregation in a short period of time. He must also ensure that after the incident is over, when I, the 'extraterrestrial wanderer', take over his congregation, the remaining people in the congregation are all selected by him …"
"My Lord, do you need me to do something?"
"No need. Let things take their natural course. Meghul III has seven hundred years of wisdom. He will take care of everything," Gwen said. "I only care about the technology and knowledge of the Eternal Sleepers. As for how the congregation will develop … After I transform it, it will naturally go on a healthy path of development."
Then he paused and asked casually, "What about you? After being invaded by me, the 'extraterrestrial wanderer,' did you, the 'security chief,' run into trouble? "
"… I was rewarded." Daniel's voice was a little paused and hesitant. "Although I did not 'stop' your 'invasion,' the pope and more than half of the archbishops thought that I had at least caused you trouble and showed the power of mortals … They thought that I had done what they could not do and had made a contribution."
Gwen was speechless.
In the face of Gwen's brief silence, Daniel's voice became more cautious. "My Lord, do you think … there's a problem?"
Gwen said, "… No, there's no problem. Everything is fine."
How should he put it? For a moment, he felt a little guilty, wondering if he had been too harsh on the Eternal Sleepers. But when he thought about it carefully, the cultists had no human rights anyway, so he accepted the situation calmly.
What's more, as an extraterrestrial wanderer, he could not simply be embarrassed in front of Daniel — it would damage his image.
And during the conversation with Daniel, Gwen suddenly felt something.
He laughed in his heart. "It seems that the news you mentioned is coming, faster than I thought."
The old mage's voice then rang. "Then, my Lord, I'll take my leave first."
Daniel's spiritual imprint quietly left. After erasing all traces, Gwen redirected his shallow consciousness to the mental network and responded to a voice that kept calling him.
Following his intuition, he looked to his side and saw a dim and soft light suddenly emerged in the air, and then the light condensed into a classical lantern with a crystal shell.
Selena Geer, in a white dress and with a gentle temperament, stood beside Gwen with the lantern in her hand.
"Hello." Gwen nodded slightly to the "saintess of the lantern" who was both familiar and unfamiliar to him. "I didn't expect you to come in person."
"In the case of relying on the dream, I have more means of self-protection than other believers," Selena said softly. "It's very risky for us to come in contact with the extraterrestrial wanderers."
"I can understand your concerns, although I don't think it's necessary." Gwen smiled. "I was wondering how you could contact me when I didn't give you my 'contact'."
Selina said calmly, "It's true that we can't lock onto your location, but we believe that you'll definitely hear us if we call your name in the entire mental network. You must be monitoring the mental network."
"This doesn't sound like something to be happy about … but it's true," Gwen said and raised his eyebrows. "So, are you here to tell me the answer of the Eternal Sleeper?"
"We can agree to your request." Selena went straight to the point and said the answer that Gwen already knew. "Although it still needs further discussion by the Supreme Bishops, we can already give you an answer."
Gwen was not surprised at all. He maintained a calm look. "It sounds like you are in an urgent situation. Very well, this choice is good for everyone."
"We still have conditions," Selena suddenly said. "Or … we want to express our attitude in advance."
"Let's hear it."
"We can be loyal to the extraterrestrial wanderers and accept the 'incorporation' and 'transformation' you mentioned. But all of this is based on the laws and rules of the human world. We will not believe in a new god. If one day, you walk the path of a god —"
Gwen interrupted Selena before she finished. "There will be no such day. If there is, then all of our agreements are null and void."
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