In the third week of the Month of Resuscitation, the dragonkin from the northern kingdom stepped into the city of Cecil.
This was the first official visit of the dragonkin to a human country since the second pioneering, when the humans established their country in the four realms of the continent.
The flag of the Empire with a blue background and golden stripes fluttered in the wind on the spires of the towers. Colorful ribbons fluttered in the streets and alleys. The sound of horns came from the north bank. Large magic projections in the streets broadcasted the scene of the dragonkin entering the city in real-time. Excited children ran around on the roadside, fighting for the ribbons and petals falling down. The citizens gathered on the few streets where they were allowed to watch the ceremony. They looked curiously at the envoys sitting in the open magic-powered vehicles heading towards the palace along Pioneer Avenue.
The elite Steel Rangers in black light armor rode on warhorses on both sides of the convoy. Their ceremonial spears were pointed to the sky, separating the enthusiastic crowd and maintaining order.
Sir Golos and Ashalena sat together in the second magic-powered vehicle. Looking at the human city full of vitality and incredible 'magic-powered technology' everywhere, Sir Golos could not help but be surprised. "This place is much … more prosperous than I thought."
"… It is also a little beyond my imagination," Ashalena said in a low voice as she waved at a child who was cheering her on the roadside. "You won't believe what it was like when I left 20 years ago … At that time, there were no humans living at the foot of the Gloom Mountains …"
"… I am starting to worry about one thing now." Sir Golos frowned slightly and said in a strange tone, "I am worried about whether the experience you have accumulated in the human world will still come in handy in this new human empire …"
Ashalena tilted her head slightly and looked at Sir Golos. "Sir, please don't question my ability as a consultant. While human society changes quickly, many habits and etiquette will not change in 20 years. And while there are many new things in this city, it is not completely beyond my —"
Before the Dragon Mark Witch could finish her sentence, she was suddenly interrupted by a buzzing sound from the sky. She and Sir Golos looked up in surprise and saw that in the bright, cloudless sky, more than a dozen strange machines that looked like steel cones with wings were flying from west to east in a neat triangular formation.
Floating under the buzzing machines were shimmering ring devices, and on both sides were strange structures that reminded people of dragon wings. They were obviously man-made, and the stability of their flying posture and the skillful coordination were amazing. When this wonderful 'flying formation' was about to arrive directly above the diplomatic mission, a few of the flying machines suddenly turned on some kind of magic-powered device hanging below them. As streams of light intertwined in the sky, a huge magic projection appeared in the vision of Sir Golos and Ashalena.
On the magic projection, words of welcome were written in the human language and the Dragonborn language. They floated over the city, and the scale was beyond the illusion fireworks that any wizard could create.
The magic projection should be similar to the 'magic network broadcast device' seen on the street. Cecil and his people installed them on the flying machines, and the effect was particularly shocking.
It took Sir Golos a while to look away. He glanced at Ashalena beside him. "Lady Ashalena, is this thing beyond your imagination?"
"… I really didn't think about this …"
"Humans have created this flying device … and it looks like it can be mass-produced." Sir Golos could not help but look up again. "Is this also 'magic-powered technology'?"
"It seems that our harvest here will be far beyond our imagination," Ashalena said softly. "And I don't know if you have noticed, Sir Golos, the 'wings' that extend from both sides of the flying machines … the shape is very similar to dragon wings."
"I have noticed." Sir Golos nodded. For some reason, he suddenly thought of his daughter who had been away from home for many years.
Margie … should be in this city. I wonder how she will react to my arrival.
While thinking, Sir Golos' expression became complicated.
…
"Aircraft No. 1 has completed the projection task. The projection will be turned off in 20 seconds. Prepare to cruise back. The rest of the crew will follow. "
"Aircraft No. 2 roger." "Aircraft No. 3 roger." "Aircraft No. 4 …"
The wingman's response came from the communication device. Sitting in the co-pilot's seat, Margie breathed a sigh of relief. But she could not help but look through the transparent observation window diagonally below, at the convoy of the diplomatic mission passing through the street at a constant speed below.
Sitting in the pilot's seat, the air force commander, Gina, a young lady from the Griffin Knight family, took a deep breath and calmed her slightly nervous mood. Her face was slightly flushed with excitement as it was her first time on such a special mission. After confirming that the mission was mostly completed without any mistakes, she turned to look at Margie. "Miss Margie, thank you for your hard work … Miss Margie? Are you feeling unwell? "
"Ah? Ah, no, it's nothing. "Margie suddenly came to her senses and waved her hand quickly." I'm just thinking about something. "
"It's rare," Gina said, shaking her head. "You're absent-minded during a mission."
Margie gave a slightly stiff smile. She glanced at the observation window diagonally below again from the corner of her eye, and her expression became complicated.
In the morning, when she was preparing for the flight, she learned that her father was in the diplomatic mission. But in fact, this information should have been sent to His Majesty many days ago. The news had been suppressed for so long … It was inevitable that Margie would suspect that His Majesty was playing a prank on her.
But Margie quickly shook her head hard and threw this unreliable thought out of her mind. His Majesty Gwen Cecil was a dignified and wise man who shouldered the burden of the entire empire. He would not have such a prank. The reason no one had told her the details of the diplomatic mission in advance was either because of the need to keep it confidential, or because His Majesty was usually too busy to pay attention to these details.
The dragonkin girl who had run away from home quickly convinced herself, and continued to fret over what might happen next.
…
The place where the messengers were received was still the banquet hall of the Autumn Palace.
After ending a sightseeing tour from Pioneer Avenue to the Autumn Palace, Sir Golos finally met the ruler of the new human empire in a brightly lit and rather imposing hall. Gwen, Heti, and several senior government officials stood in front of the steps in the banquet hall of the Autumn Palace, watching the dragon descendants in alien costumes come before them. When the attendant in charge of announcing the arrival of the messengers loudly read out the names of the messengers, the serious-looking middle-aged man, accompanied by a red-haired woman, came forward and presented a handwritten letter from Archduke Balogel.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Emperor of Cecil. Greetings, Your Majesty the Knight of knights, the pioneer of pioneers … the founder of the old Ansu and the new Cecil." Sir Golos looked at the 'pioneer' who had a legendary story in the human world and even created a miracle of resurrection. Without showing any excessive curiosity or prying, he opened his mouth with a solemn expression and a long list of titles and standard phrases. "I bring greetings from the ruler of the Northernmost Mountains, the guardian of the Dragon Nation, the Lord of Rocks and Ice … the powerful and wise Dragonblood Archduke Balogel, and the goodwill of the Duchy of Holy Dragon."
"Welcome to Cecil." Gwen's response was much simpler and more straightforward. "Cecil and the Duchy of Holy Dragon have always been friendly neighbors. We will always welcome visitors from the Northernmost Mountains."
At the same time, he was a little surprised. It had been a long time since he heard such a standard opening speech with a long list of honorific titles and flattery. This Dragonborn emissary came from a world that had been isolated from the human kingdoms for many years, but his choice of words was surprisingly reminiscent of the ancient human style.
It seemed that in the far north, many Dragonblood's impression of humans was still stuck in the Ansu Era.
In order to prevent conflicts in etiquette and culture, and to ensure that the ceremony process was standardized, the messengers had already familiarized themselves with some of the etiquette in Cecil at Winter Fort Academy in the Northern Region before coming to Cecil City. With the help of Victoria, they had already adapted to the meeting process in advance. However, although the process was rehearsed in advance, the words of the messengers were set by the Duchy of Holy Dragon (Duchess Victoria only confirmed that these words did not violate any taboos).
And now, some of the words in those rather classical phrases made Gawain at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
Of course, he still looked calm and indifferent on the surface, not revealing the slightest bit of his emotions.
After handing in the credentials, completing the necessary meeting ceremony, mutual introductions, and going through all the agreed procedures, Gwen did not let the guests who came from afar go through more red tape. Instead, he directly entered the main part of the Cecil style of hospitality — announcing the start of the banquet.
When the dazzling food was presented in front of the guests, a light and pleasant melody echoed in the hall. When the attendants began to guide the guests to their seats, Sir Golos approached Asha and could not help but whisper, "Although I've learned a little in advance, the etiquette and rules of the Cecil Empire seem to be much simpler than I thought … It doesn't seem to be as complicated and complicated as the human countries mentioned in the information."
Asha tilted her head slightly and glanced at Sir Golos. "Then, do you prefer simple procedures or complicated rules?"
Sir Golos smiled slightly when he heard this. "Personally, I prefer this — simple and straightforward communication is more to my taste."
Asalena smiled but didn't say anything more.
In her impression, humans liked to use complicated etiquette and rules to show their 'orthodoxy' and 'heritage.' This was very different from the dragonborn. Although the dragonborn also valued tradition and abided by the rules, it was more of a respect for tradition and 'obedience' to the ancient precepts. On the other hand, the human's insistence on etiquette and rules was an unnecessary 'external decoration' in the eyes of the dragonborn. Rather than saying that it had any practical significance, it was more like putting decorative feathers on their body. For the sake of etiquette, for the sake of etiquette, for the sake of etiquette, for the sake of rules.
It was precisely because of such a perception that the dragonkin had been prejudiced against the human world for a long time. In their view, humans were a race with a short lifespan that excessively pursued 'orthodoxy' and 'heritage', which made them appear neither fish nor fowl.
Asha Lena never thought that in just twenty years, humans had changed in this respect.
A young but sloppy mercenary leader appeared in her mind. Then, this figure turned into a general with a sloppy beard and medals and ribbons on his body.
It had only been twenty years.
Humans … are really interesting creatures.
The banquet began.
When it came to free activities and exchanges, the guests began to walk around the banquet, take food, and talk to each other. Sir Golos naturally went to talk to Emperor Cecil first. Asha Lena, on the other hand, walked around the hall curiously.
She was supposed to play a role in the analysis of the data later. But at this moment, she was very free.
While she was eating various human delicacies and chatting casually with the passersby, a small figure suddenly ran nearby.
It was a girl in a pale yellow dress who looked underage. She was holding a large plate of food in her hands and had a happy smile on her face. She was running happily from one long table to another.
Asha Lena frowned subconsciously. A child?
She was curious as to why a child would appear here, but she soon realized that the child should be the child of a member of the royal family or a high-ranking official of the empire. The way the child ran around with a plate full of food was very different from the other people in the hall. Ashalena couldn't help but laugh.
At this moment, she saw that the cheerful girl suddenly slipped and seemed to have lost her balance while running. She was about to fall to the ground.
Asalena calmly raised her finger slightly, and an invisible force lifted the girl's body, allowing her to quickly regain her footing.
It was just a casual help, and no one should have noticed it. Asalena shook her head with a smile and was about to turn around and leave, but she didn't expect that the girl in the light yellow dress would immediately look over and walk towards her.
This child's perception of magic is so sharp!
Just as Asalena was in awe, the girl had already walked up to her and bowed politely. She did not open her mouth, but a slightly mechanical voice came from somewhere behind her neck. "Thank you, madam."
"You're … welcome." Asha Lena looked at the girl in front of her in surprise. She was sure that she did not see the child open her mouth to speak. "Are … are you talking?"
"Yes! But I'm talking with 'it'! " The girl said happily as she turned around, showing the strange metal device behind her neck. It looked like a flattened silver-white spine, which was obediently attached to the back of the girl's neck. "This is called a neural thorn. By the way, Madam, are you a dragon? I heard that you are entertaining guests here today. They are guests from the Duchy of Holy Dragon. I know a sister named Maggie. She is also a dragon … Ah, yes, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Pea … "
Asha Lena, "…?!"
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