Looking at the calm and smiling Emperor Cecil in front of him, Sir Golos was a little surprised.
He found that the attitude of the ruler of the empire was far calmer than he had imagined, as if he had already expected the Dragonkin's answer today — or rather, he seemed to have prepared for whatever the Dragonkin's answer was.
"Sir, although Cecil and the Duchy of Holy Dragon are neighbors, but in the past few hundred years, the two countries have not had much interaction. It is inevitable that we do not understand each other well enough, and even misunderstandings." Gwen noticed Golos' momentary shock and just smiled. "Because of this, it is normal for us to encounter some problems and overturn some plans in the process of interaction. We should be fully prepared for this, and always believe in the will of both sides for peace — isn't that right?"
Golos lowered his head. "… I agree with this point."
Then, the Dragonkin expressed their views on the interaction between the two countries, and proposed specific responses to Gwen's many previous proposals. Proposals on opening commercial channels, overseas study programs, technical exchanges, and resident ambassadors were thrown out one by one. Then, they either reached a consensus, temporarily shelved, or produced specific amendments … Time passed unknowingly.
Gwen finally withdrew all proposals related to resource development, basic engineering shares, and education output, while the Duchy of Holy Dragon agreed to most of the conventional commercial and diplomatic projects, and most importantly, they were willing to accept Cecil's new currency as the currency of settlement for commercial activities between the two countries within a certain range.
In the beginning, this settlement was just an experiment and observation, but as long as this step was taken, Gwen was satisfied.
He could already announce that the Duchy of Holy Dragon was already a member of Cecil's settlement area.
Of course, today's meeting between Gwen and Golos was just a closed-door meeting. They would personally formulate a set of large framework, and the details of this framework still needed to be deliberated and drafted — this part of the content would be fully discussed in the next few days in a larger scale meeting. Cecil's diplomats, the government office's think tank, and the Dragonkin's advisory team would be the main characters of the follow-up meeting.
But at that time, it would not be Gwen who would personally take care of all the details. Heti, as the Grand Governor who was permanently stationed in the capital, would take over the follow-up affairs.
This long and exhausting meeting gradually came to an end.
The proposals that had been prepared ahead of time had been fully discussed. Thick piles of documents and shorthand notes had been piled up on the clerk's desk. The magical network terminals that were used to record images and voices had been replaced twice. Meanwhile, the dragonkin and Cecil had all received satisfactory answers.
After directly canceling some of the proposals, with both sides showing their utmost patience and sincerity, everything progressed faster than Gwen expected.
Finally, when the giant sun gradually approached the horizon, Sir Golos sighed softly. He then looked at Gwen and brought up the last topic of the day —
"Your Majesty," the dragonkin ambassador said solemnly. "I would like to talk to you about … the Wings of Steel."
"Ah, I was just about to bring up this topic." Gwen froze for a moment, then smiled. "So, what do you think about this cutting-edge engineering product of Cecil?"
"… It is an incredible creation. I think any dragonkin has to admit this. It has allowed us to really come into contact with and understand the potential and prospects of the so-called 'magical technology,' and the potential impact it may have on the dragonkin." Sir Golos was not stingy with his praise and frankly expressed his high opinion of it. But then he changed the topic. "However, there is one thing that I don't know if you know — in the Duchy of the Holy Dragon, the law and tradition prohibit the dragonkin from flying, and this taboo is very … important in the dragonkin society.
"We don't come into contact with the blue sky, not only because our wings are not as complete and strong as the real Giant Dragon, but also because our tradition does not allow it. It may be difficult for outsiders to understand this taboo, and you may even find it baffling, but there is one thing you have to understand: at least in the eyes of the dragonkin, this is an unchangeable fact."
Gwen calmly listened to Sir Golos before raising his eyebrows. "In other words, the dragonkin will not accept this technology. Not only will the government not accept it, but it will also be prohibited for anyone to bring it into the Duchy of the Holy Dragon through any means."
Golos nodded gently. "Exactly. It will soon be listed as a contraband, and its import, sale, and use will be prohibited. And our Council of Dragonblood will soon introduce a clear law."
Expected, but regrettable.
Several government officials and even Gwen himself did not hide the disappointment on their faces.
But soon, Heti, who was sitting beside Gwen, read something from Sir Golos' expression. As a careful and sensitive person, she noticed that Sir Golos had some hesitation in his eyes, as if he still had something to say.
"Sir," Heti said. "Do you still have something to say about the Steel Wings?"
"I can't hide it from your eyes, my lady." Golos smiled and said slowly, "The laws and taboos I mentioned above do exist, but … the laws of the dragonkin can only take effect on the land of the dragonkin. The door of the Holy Dragon Duchy is about to open, and it will be difficult for us to restrain the behavior of the dragonkin who walk out of the door, and it is even more impossible to prohibit what happens in other countries …"
Heti could not help but raise her eyebrows. "In other words …"
"If the dragonkin who come to Cecil to study or do business are interested in the Steel Wings, and if they have enough money to buy them, then the Council of Dragonblood will not interfere, and will not hold them accountable after they return to their country," Sir Golos said slowly, but his tone was a little strange, as if what he said was not his own thoughts. "I mean, as long as they don't bring the Steel Wings to the north …"
Gwen was startled. He understood what Sir Golos meant, but he was also a little surprised. He knew that these dragonkin messengers must have a way to contact their home country, because the magical monitoring device in Cecil City had captured several unidentifiable magical waves pointing to the far north last night. That was solid proof of ultra-long distance communication, so he was sure that no matter who originally thought of Sir Golos's words, they must have gotten the tacit approval of the Dragonblood Archduke, or even the Council of Dragonblood.
Because Golos was the 'ambassador' representing all the dragonkin here, every word he said was equivalent to the will of the Holy Dragon Duchy.
That was interesting.
In theory, the Dragonblood Archduke should be the toughest and strictest, and in theory, the Council of Dragonblood should be the most protective of the dragonkin traditions and laws, but they tacitly allowed the dragonkin to take advantage of this loophole.
Under such circumstances, when it came to 'flying', tacit approval was almost equivalent to encouragement.
In fact, they did not mind the dragonkin flying — they only forbade them from flying in the Holy Dragon Duchy, or more accurately, forbade them from flying over the northernmost part of the continent …
The reason behind this was probably a secret for now, but Gwen was naturally happy to see it happen.
He only needed to let the dragonkin use the Steel Wings in the south of the Holy Dragon Duchy, and they could fly freely without worrying about the opinions of the Holy Dragon Duchy. As for whether they could fly in the north … As the ruler of Cecil, he did not care about this.
"I think I understand what you mean." Gwen nodded. "Then we will control the flow of the Steel Wings — it will not flow to the Holy Dragon Duchy, and we can even legislate to prohibit this. You can also crack down on the smuggling of the Steel Wings, and the two countries can reach an agreement in this regard."
"That would be for the best — of course, we will have to discuss the details of restricting the use of the Steel Wings in the north, because there will definitely be some overly 'brave' dragonkin who will think of ways to further challenge the tradition," Sir Golos said, and there was a hint of helplessness in his voice. "You should understand, the young … and the young dragonkin, more or less, will be a little … rebellious."
"I understand." Gwen laughed, and then suddenly changed the topic, and his expression became solemn. "Since we are already on this topic, I would like to say a few more words."
"Please go ahead."
"The Steel Wings can allow the dragonkin to fly like a Giant Dragon — and a flying Giant Dragon itself means a powerful force." Gwen said in an exceptionally serious tone. "About this …"
Sir Golos immediately understood what Gwen meant, and said at once, "The dragonkin in Cecil naturally have to abide by the laws of Cecil. I think since you can create the Steel Wings, you must have the ability to control the dragonkin who are equipped with the Steel Wings, otherwise your country would not have introduced this thing to the market."
Gwen nodded slightly. "I want to say two things, and what you mentioned is one of them."
"Oh?" Sir Golos showed a curious look. "Then the second thing is …"
"I just want to confirm." Gwen smiled. "As far as I know, the laws of the Duchy of Holy Dragon should not prohibit the dragonkin from becoming mercenaries in other countries …"
Golos and the several consultants at the scene all looked at Athalena, who shrugged and said helplessly, "That's a personal act."
"Our laws do not prohibit this." Sir Golos turned back and said with a serious expression. "But the main reason is that the Duchy of Holy Dragon has not officially opened its doors to the outside world before today. As Lady Athalena said — even if there are dragonkin who leave the country to become mercenaries, it's a personal act.
"If you mean that Cecil wants to establish an official foreign army in the name of the country, and want to make this a part of the agreement between the Cecil Empire and the Duchy of Holy Dragon … then we have to hold a special meeting to discuss it seriously."
The corners of Gawain's mouth curled up slightly.
The ambassador in front of him was very cautious and did not directly admit or approve anything.
But he indicated that this matter could be discussed. That was enough.
All that was left was to haggle.
…
The giant sun had gradually sunk below the horizon, leaving only a faint red afterglow on the horizon. This faint glow spread from the west side of the plains, reflecting on the tall iron towers and construction machinery, as well as the tall and magnificent pyramid-shaped buildings.
The strange building that stood tall on the ground was bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun. Streams of magic flowed slowly through some of the cracks on its surface. Faint runes emerged from the base of the building, making it appear even more silent and mysterious.
"What a beautiful building." The great architect, Gordon, stood next to a construction machine in an open space. He gazed at the pyramid-shaped structure not far away and exclaimed proudly, "I can't believe it … In the olden days, a craftsman who could build a building like this in his lifetime would be regarded as the glory of his family. It could even be used as a capital to show off to his descendants. And we only took a month to build it …"
"It's just the building itself." Nicholas Egg floated beside Gordon, and a buzzing sound came from the inside of the ball. "The internal equipment still needs a long time to adjust and test."
Upon hearing the other party's words, Gordon immediately thought of the 'newcomers' who had recently appeared here and were busy working around this' computing center 'all day long. He subconsciously frowned. "You mean those new' network and wetware technology experts' who have just arrived? They have been busy recently … but to be honest, I really can't see the shadow of a technical expert in them. Those people don't even know how to use the universal magical terminal, and they are not as good as my workers when it comes to operating the machine … "
"Ah, they do seem to need 'remedial lessons' in this regard," Nicholas Egg said with a buzzing sound. "So the work of debugging the equipment is mainly left to the technicians sent by the Institute of Magical Engineering. As for those 'newcomers' … they are mainly responsible for testing the equipment."
Gordon was obviously a little skeptical. "Can they do it well?"
"I have to say, they are surprisingly professional when it comes to testing those things, and they seem to have a lot of experience in all kinds of accidents." Nicholas Egg's tone was full of admiration. "If there is a connection failure, ordinary people will faint for at least half an hour. But I saw with my own eyes that they just crawled out of the immersion pod, spat out a mouthful of air, and then went back to continue the test. They looked fine. And ordinary people have to come out of the immersion pod to rest for at most six hours, but those people look like they can stay in there for the rest of their lives. I really doubt that if they solve the problem of eating, drinking, and defecating, they can really stay in there for the rest of their lives. I don't know how they trained."
"Who knows?" Gordon shrugged. "Anyway, since His Majesty has found these people, they must have their own strengths …"
(Slightly revised the chapter about Hardiran a long time ago … although most people may not have noticed.)
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