A chilly wind blew from the direction of the sea, ruffling the imperial flag that fluttered high above the shore. Under the emblem of a sword and a plow, soldiers and skilled craftsmen were welding the third anchor stake of the day together with the steel frame. The Mana Net runes that had yet to be sealed glimmered faintly on the ground not far away. Sparks flew as a thermal beam swept across the steel, landing on the recently hardened ground. Inside the metal frame that was more than ten meters tall, some copper pipes and heat conductive fins had been fixed in specific positions, waiting to be connected to the rest of the heat pipes.
This huge device was part of the Waste Heat Recovery Center. Through the circulation of the alchemy solution in the pipes, this device would collect the waste heat released by several facilities nearby, including an alchemy reaction tower, a rune casting factory, and a sludge monster waste incineration center. It would be distributed to the heating system of the camp through a high-efficiency heat exchanger, which would be used to heat part of the area on the west side of the coast.
To survive in the cold north for a long time, such technology was essential. It was far cleaner and more efficient than cutting down the slow-growing trees at the foot of the mountain to make a fire for heating. It could also minimize the impact on the lives of the local residents. Someday in the future, these facilities could even be used to heat the nearby settlements. Of course, that was a long time in the future.
Further away, on the open and flat land near the coast of the North Port, simple houses of various sizes, military tents, towers, and some newly built brick houses were scattered all over the place. Materials were piled up on the ground, and the large construction machines that had recently arrived at the construction site were busy. A temporary trestle bridge had been built, and near the trestle bridge was a large area that was planned to be used for the construction of a dry dock in the future.
The temporary trestle was not fixed to the seabed near the coast by means of fixing stakes, nor was it a pontoon bridge. Instead, it was built with several huge ice pillars. These ice pillars were as thick as clock towers, freezing from the bottom of the sea and extending to the surface. A large number of branches of ice pillars pierced deep into the sea, and the whole structure was abnormally sturdy.
Byron stood on a large rock near the temporary trestle, smiling happily in the sea breeze. He could not help but say to Victoria, who was beside him, "Your ice magic is really amazing. I have heard that the Wildes have studied the art of ice magic to the extreme, but I did not expect it to be so powerful. When you raised the twelve ice pillars in the sea, that scene was almost artistic."
"You flatter me. This is just a crude use of magic power." Victoria shook her head indifferently. In the cold wind, the Queen of the North was still wearing her long dress, and the flying snow was like a protective barrier. "And I never thought that one day I would use these magic skills to … build things. This is a very novel experience, and I'm glad that I didn't mess it up the first time I tried it."
"Magic is a convenient thing. It is far more cost-effective to use it to improve life or promote technology than to waste the strength of the mages on the battlefield. This is not what I said, but what His Majesty said," Byron said with a smile. "Although I don't know much about the field of magic, I have always highly agreed with His Majesty's words. At least after Princess Rebecca used her strength in the laboratory, the inexplicable explosions and fires in other places decreased a lot …"
Victoria thought for a moment and said seriously, "But in my opinion, Princess Rebecca's magic talent is actually far higher than everyone thinks. Her ability to shape the fireball into a sculpture of His Majesty is the real 'magic art.' It's just that I can't understand the principle behind it. If there is a chance, I would like to study the mystery of the field of modeling with her … "
The Grand Princess of Ice would always be serious about strange things. Byron was not surprised by this. He did not let this strange topic continue (and seemed to be suspected of slandering the royal family). Instead, he casually brought up another matter. "As the ruler of the Northern Region, is it really okay for you to stay in the North Harbor every now and then?"
"The ruler of the Northern Region is the government office of the northern provinces. The authority of the Great Governor is only a part of the government office," Victoria said faintly. "As for the North Harbor … it is currently one of the most important projects in the entire northern region. The eyes from the capital are always watching this place, and I often come here to show the Wilde family's attitude on this matter."
Byron shook his head. "I hope that the families in the Northern Region will understand your kindness one day. You are trying your best to prevent them from being included in the 'list.'"
Victoria did not speak. She just stood there quietly, her cold eyes slowly sweeping across the entire coastline and the rolling mountains in the distance.
The "Northern Construction Corps" led by Byron had been stationed on this cold coastline for a month. For more than 60 days, the construction equipment had been working day and night, and a steady stream of materials had been sent from the rear. Under the dual promotion of magic and modern industry, a large-scale harbor was rapidly taking shape, which was undoubtedly exciting.
However, the large-scale construction activities and the large-scale construction corps had unsurprisingly attracted a lot of attention.
This was the Northern Region, the cold and stubborn Northern Region, far away from every civil war of the kingdom, every political reshuffle, and the Northern Region of the magical industry. In the depths of the frozen mountains, the ancient families and the bravery and stubbornness of these families were almost the same as a few centuries ago. There was almost no change.
They instinctively refused to "do anything" on the land where their ancestors had lived for generations, even if these people were here to help them build this land, even if the traditional rulers of this land had publicly expressed their attitude and made a warning, there were still many people who were secretly against the North Harbor project.
The people here had not yet developed the concept of "the empire as a whole," so it was useless to tell them what national planning was.
Although Victoria had made it clear to Byron that she would support the construction of the North Harbor and did not mind "beating" the ignorant local families, in the end, she did not want to see too many people hanging on the flagpoles outside the North Harbor. Too many flagpoles in a harbor were not "beautiful" for the entire Northern Region.
Therefore, as the "Grand Duke of the North", she could only choose to show her face a few more times in the early stages of the North Harbor project. At least … the prestige of the Wilde family was still effective in this land.
Byron's gaze was fixed on the distant sea. On this clear and cloudless day, an Extraordinaire could see very far. Byron's line of sight passed over the slightly undulating sea and the bubbles that glowed faintly under the sun. He could faintly see the "sea peninsula" of the Holy Dragon Duchy and part of the border of the Violet Kingdom. But beyond that, there was only a vast expanse of white.
It was a distance that even an Extraordinary could not see. They had to rely on powerful magical props or additional magical effects to see that far.
"The direction of the storm …" Victoria noticed the direction Byron was looking at and nodded slightly. "On rare days when the weather is clear enough and the storm has expanded, it can be observed visually. But it should not be visible during this period. The storm in the northern sea shrinks in summer, and the outermost cloud wall is further away from the land than usual. Under normal circumstances, it cannot be seen with the naked eye. But Winter Fort Academy has a large Mage's Eye device. It can see the opposite side of the peninsula into the sea in any season. I occasionally use it to observe the storm. "
Byron looked at Victoria curiously. "Did you find anything?"
"Apart from confirming that it really won't dissipate and its cycle of change, there is no other discovery." Victoria shook her head. "That ocean is not calm, and it has reached an area where humans can't set foot in. Even Legendary masters will be buried in the sea outside the storm ring. No one knows how that layer of storm is formed, let alone confirm its internal structure."
"His Majesty seems to think that it is one of the defense systems of the Giant Dragon Kingdom, 'Tarlonde.' Beyond the storm is the territory of the Giant Dragon," Byron said casually. "If you ask me, he can directly talk to the Giant Dragon lady who often visits … I think her name is Merry or something. Maybe he can find out something from her."
Victoria said with a blank expression. "… There are many legends about Dragons in the northern region. Most of them come from the Dukedom of the Holy Dragon. In our view, Dragons are not easy to deal with."
Byron snorted noncommittally. He then looked at the sea and said slowly, "Not easy to deal with … But according to this trend, when we step out of this land and send ships to the distant sea, sooner or later we will have to deal with all kinds of races …"
Victoria glanced at Byron and opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something. But before she opened her mouth, a faint commotion came from the south of the camp, interrupting what she wanted to say.
Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw that a large group of people had gathered near the checkpoint in the south of the camp. The people outside the quarantine line were all dressed in civilian clothes. The soldiers at the checkpoint had gone to maintain order. Noises came from there from time to time, mixed with a strong northern dialect.
Victoria's brows immediately furrowed. She vaguely guessed what was happening over there. The ice and snow around her instantly condensed and danced in the air like cold ice blades. Her tone was as cold as winter. "I'm here, and there's actually someone …"
Before the Duchess could finish her words, Byron suddenly raised his hand and interrupted her. This mercenary general only needed to glance at the Duchess and knew what had happened. A strange smile appeared on his face. "Don't get too excited, Grand Consul. Those are just civilians, and some of them are familiar faces. You may have missed some things recently, but I know what the situation is. It's not like what you think, this is a small problem."
As he said, Byron jumped to the ground and walked in the direction of the checkpoint. At the same time, he said to Victoria who followed him, "Don't show yourself later. They may be too nervous. Just watch me handle it."
Victoria nodded in confusion. She released the Light Bending Force Field to cover her body. She and Byron came to the checkpoint in the south of the camp. Nearly a hundred civilians had gathered here and were standing in two distinct rows with the soldiers at the checkpoint.
"The general is here …" "The general is here …"
Someone in the crowd saw Byron's figure and whispers of warning rose and fell one after another. The soldiers opened up a path and the gathered civilians neatly took two steps back.
Victoria, who had concealed herself with the Light Bending Force Field, immediately looked at the civilians. They were wearing coarse clothes, but their clothes were clean and warm. From their looks, they were all mountain people who lived nearby and worked all year round. Most importantly, there were not only strong men among them, but also women and children. They seemed to have brought their families here.
While Victoria was guessing which family had instigated the civilians to gather here, Byron had already arrived in front of the crowd.
The people in coarse linen clothes looked at the fully armed and majestic imperial general in awe, but they didn't retreat.
Byron looked at them and said casually, "What do you want to do here?"
His tone was calm and natural, as if he was used to it.
A few men in the crowd stood out. They first looked back subconsciously, then bravely came to Byron. "General, we have something to say …"
Byron raised his eyebrows. "Same as before?"
"Yes." The men nodded. They then took a deep breath and shouted at the top of their lungs. "Southerners, don't touch our land! You are digging our mineral veins and water! "
The civilians gathered behind them also began to shout. The scattered shouts lasted for a few seconds before they all stopped.
The leader looked at Byron with a hint of expectation. The latter curled his lips and waved his hand. "You heard it. Arrest these people. The men will be sent to the Western District to dig the drainage ditch. The women will be sent to deal with the potatoes and jerky. The children will also be sent to the kitchen to help. After that, there will be an hour of literacy class … Who brought this child who is less than five years old here?"
A tall and thin man came out from the crowd and smiled awkwardly. "My, my son … He is very smart! And he is actually almost seven years old, but he is very thin … "
"I am not blind. If he is five and a half years old, I will be your son!" Byron glared at the tall and thin man. He then waved his hand impatiently. "Go in, go in. Look after the child. Don't bring him here tomorrow."
The group of civilians in front of the checkpoint immediately walked forward in high spirits and cooperated with the soldiers' inspection and body search. Then, under the guidance of a few soldiers, they walked into the camp. The man who led the group stopped when he passed by Byron and smiled fawningly. "General, is it still the same day?"
"What else?" Byron glared at the man. "The imperial soldiers will never lie to the people. If they say daily payment, then it is daily payment!"
"Okay, okay, that's good …"
The man nodded happily and quickly caught up with the team that was already far away and entered the camp.
Victoria was stunned.
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