Since the middle of summer, everything was on the right track. This huge kingdom began to develop gradually according to the trajectory that Gwen had set for it.
In the study covered with velvet carpet, a cool breeze was blowing slowly from the vent in the corner of the room. The sun was bright before noon, making the quaint bookshelves and decorative weapon racks in the study much brighter than before. Gwen sat in his usual chair and listened to the report while Heti stood opposite his desk.
The desk was new, and the style was similar to the previous one.
"This is the diplomatic and economic report from the Western Region," Heti reported briefly as she put the documents in front of Gwen. "Overall, the contact with the remaining tribes of Augoray is very smooth, including the spirit race, whose attitude has been unclear. So far, the gray elves and human tribes, who were the first to contact us, have established stable commercial exchanges with the empire and agreed to introduce the magic net and railway system in their sphere of influence. The remaining tribes have agreed to establish commercial channels. As for the magic net and railway … they have to wait until they see the 'results' in the territory of the gray elves and humans before they consider it. "
Gwen nodded with satisfaction. "The Augoray tribal nation is a loose alliance, and they are used to it. Dealing with them can only be done step by step. At present, at least the Council of the Five Kings has shown a friendly intention. This is the biggest progress. Is there any news from the dwarven kingdom on the west coast of the continent? "
"The dwarves are very interested in our machines, and the gray elves have helped us to build a bridge. The negotiations have been going smoothly, but the land transportation between us and the dwarves is inconvenient. Not only do we have to pass through the entire Augoray tribal nation, but there are also large areas of forest and mountains. So, we have to wait until the North Port is in use before we can officially start trading. Before that, the dwarves should not buy our heavy machinery on a large scale due to cost considerations. "
"It shouldn't take too long … Things are going well in the north port, and the siren technical team should be arriving in the north coast in two days. They can speed up the ship construction there," Gwen said casually. "Is there anything else to report?"
"There's one more thing." Heti nodded. "Ms. Wenna Baizhi, the leader of the gray elves, wants to further expand the export quota of alchemy raw materials. She seems to plan to create a new economic 'signboard' for the moss forest — to make the alchemy raw materials controlled by the gray elves an important economic pillar of the Augulay tribal kingdom."
"Gray elves … I remember that Clan Leader Wen Na's daughter is currently studying in the imperial college?"
Heti thought for a moment and nodded. "Yes, Merry Baizhi. She's a new student this year. She entered the Department of Magic through the standard international student program. She minored in Alchemy and Social Management."
"Cultivate all three elements?" Gwen could not help but raise his eyebrows. "What a hardworking child … Wait, a freshman from the Mage Department? Is it possible that the one who jumped out of the window when Kamel went to the lecture last time was … "
"Yes, it's her." Heti's mouth seemed to twitch. "The imperial college has begun to strengthen the classroom management and the safety around the teaching facilities …"
"… The gray elves are the first foreign race to establish a good relationship with the empire. They are also the force that has maintained a good relationship with the Moen Dynasty during the Ansu era." After two seconds of silence, Gwen stiffly pulled the topic back on track. "They are a race that is very good at doing business. Their footprints are all over the Western Continent. The gray elves are even called the 'Link of the Western Continent'. It's necessary for us to have a good relationship with such a race. Their interest in new things will also help us to promote new machines and industrial products to the Western Continent. We can agree to Ms. Wenna's request, but the specific amount needs to be agreed upon by the economic and industrial departments. "
"I understand." Heti nodded. "I'll organize an internal meeting when I get back and give the gray elves a reply as soon as possible."
Gwen nodded. Just as he was about to ask something, a knock suddenly came from the door of the study.
After Gwen's response, the door of the study was opened, and an old man with a dignified temperament and deep eyes came in. He was Godwin Orlando, in charge of the cultural department.
Gwen looked up at the old scholar, who had joined Cecil in the earliest days and made great contributions to the country. After noticing the old man's attire, he raised his eyebrows in surprise. Orlando was wearing a brand-new black suit and black trousers with a golden watch hanging down from his chest pocket. His white hair was meticulously combed, and he wore a pair of rather scholarly gold-rimmed glasses, which was very different from what the old scholar was used to.
"Your Majesty." Godwin first greeted Gwen, and then when he saw Heti was also there, he nodded and greeted, "Good day, Great Governor Heti."
"You've also started to wear the new formal attire?" Gwen asked casually, intrigued.
"Ah … Yes, I'm trying it out." Godwin was about to report when he heard Gwen's words. He then looked down at his attire, and a slightly reserved smile appeared on his face. "After all, there are many young people in the government office now, and even the old people have begun to gradually change their attire. The old-style scholar's robe is only worn on ceremonial occasions. Last week, even the Pitman ordered a set of formal attire, and I'm trying it out."
Then, the old scholar asked worriedly, "I don't look weird, do I?"
"It suits you very well," Gwen said with a smile. "You look a lot more spirited. And it's not a bad thing to go with the flow."
"That's good. When I wore it out today, I felt awkward all the way." The old scholar moved his neck from side to side. "It's actually very comfortable, but I always felt like I was imprisoned by the fabric. Fortunately, I've gotten used to it."
As he spoke, he came to Gwen's desk, took out a report from his file, and handed it over. "Your Majesty, there's been some progress in the 'Preservation of Literary Knowledge' project recently. I've compiled it into a report."
The "Preservation of Literature and Knowledge" he mentioned was a project that Gawain had launched across the country to conduct a large-scale inspection and protection of various ancient books, legends, knowledge, history, and other records. It was the abbreviation of the "National Cultural Relics, Books, and Knowledge Heritage Emergency Preservation Project". Godwin Orlando was one of the main people in charge of this project.
Gawain took the report and began skimming through its contents. Godwin added some details at the side.
"We have successfully sorted out the aristocratic pedigree of the entire western region from the First Dynasty to the Second Dynasty and registered it according to the existing aristocratic list …
"… We found some precious documents in the great library of Saint Sunil, which may help us decipher some of the historical truths of the Second Dynasty of Ansu …"
At first, the old scholar who specialized in managing documents reported things that were more 'normal', but soon, he mentioned the second half of the report about the recovery of technology. The details of the report made Gwen's expression strange.
"… Last week, last week, this team made contact with the locals when they sorted out the local records in the Pompeii area and made an unexpected discovery in a village. The local villagers took out their 'Protection Scroll' passed down from generation to generation and shared with us the construction technology of the Class II artificial intelligence logic library. President Jenny determined that this technology is related to the Gondor Ironmen and may help us solve the automatic coordination problem of the factory machinery …
"… The investigation of the book collections of the aristocratic families led by Sir Vip Grant has also made progress. A fallen baron in the Western Region found the blueprint of a key structure of a photolithography chip etching machine in the cellar of his house. This baron's ancestor may have been one of the extremely rare Gondor escaped scholars during the second pioneering period. His descendants coincidentally preserved the precious technology, but because only a part of the blueprint was preserved and the family inheritance was cut off, the purpose of these blueprints was forgotten. Master Kamel believes that the photolithography chip etching technology of the Gondor era can no longer be used in modern times, but some of the runes and mechanical structures on the blueprints are still useful for reference …
"… A wandering swordsman in the Eastern Region shared the key technology of the photolithography suppressor with us. He has an energy conduit that has completely failed, but its internal structure is still useful for reference. He and his family have been using this energy conduit to crack walnuts for hundreds of years, completely unaware that it is a legacy from the Gondor era. Master Kamel believes that this conduit may help us solve the heat dissipation problem of the Rainbow Generator.
"In addition, the wandering swordsman who contributed has been rewarded. Due to the hidden dangers of illegal possession of weapons and the tightening of the Extraordinary registration system, this swordsman is currently receiving education and training from the local security forces. He is willing to become a local sheriff. Similar 'incorporation' situations have been increasing in the Eastern Region recently. Due to the gradual stabilization of social order and the continuous implementation of new systems, the 'wild' Extraordinaries, who were originally difficult to control, are now being incorporated in batches. "
Gwen Orlando reported the key information meticulously. Even though he was originally a clerical man, and even though he was already advanced in age, he still repeated the content of these technical fields without missing a single detail. He could not help but stop when he saw that Gwen's expression was particularly strange. "Your Majesty, is there a problem?"
"Err … No, there's no problem." Gwen could not help but rub his eyebrows. He felt that the way the story unfolded was indescribably incongruous. However, the existence of the Kingdom of Gondor's heritage and the fact that modern technology and culture had been completely cut off made this situation seem natural. Gwen could not explain this to others, so he could only stifle his feelings. "The progress is … good, very good."
Then he looked up at Godwin. On the one hand, he wanted to divert his embarrassment. On the other hand, he also sincerely sighed. "It must be hard for a clerical person like you to organize the technical stuff."
"Please don't say that. I'm not the only one who is organizing all this," Godwin hurriedly said. "'Preservation of Literary Knowledge' is the grandest, greatest, and most exciting work I've ever seen in my life. Countless people are working hard to preserve the precious intellectual heritage, to prevent it from completely sinking and being lost in the dust of history. Many departments are involved in this work, both in the field of culture and the field of technology. Every part of the content is specifically controlled by professionals in the corresponding field. I'm only good at compiling information and a few years of insignificant experience, but I'm lucky enough to be one of the people in charge of the entire project. I only feel honored and fortunate, and I won't complain at all."
Gwen looked into the eyes of the old man and slowly smiled. He nodded and said, "That's good."
Then he lowered his head again and read the last part of the report.
A few seconds later, his brows suddenly furrowed, and then slowly relaxed. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face.
"Ancestor?" Heti noticed the change in Gwen's expression and could not help but ask, "What's the problem?"
"… Archbishop Savon of Louen City found an ancient book in the church's library …" Gwen said slowly. "It's highly suspected to be the 'Travels of Modiel's' lost by the Wilde family in the Northern Region."
"Travels of Modiel?" Heti was stunned for a moment before she quickly reacted. "Is it the grand duke of the Wilde family who was keen on traveling and exploring six hundred years ago? The one who made the 'Frost Calamity' amulet? "
"Yes, it's him." Gwen nodded and put the report in his hand on the table. "He left a travel book, but it was lost many years ago. Now it's found hidden in the cathedral of Louen City. But that's not the point. The point is … this travel book may also be related to Amber. "
Heti was shocked. "Amber? How could a travel book left by the Duke of the Northern Region six hundred years ago have anything to do with her? "
Gwen did not immediately answer Heti's question. Instead, he looked at Godwin and asked, "Has the travel book been sent here?"
"Yes, it was sent to the capital as soon as possible after the emergency repair," Godwin Orlando replied immediately. "It has now been copied and archived. Do you need the original copy? "
Gwen nodded and said, "Bring it here as soon as possible."
Then he looked at Heti and asked, "What is Amber doing now?"
"She should be in Office 25. She has a meeting to preside over today …"
"Tell her to come to me directly after the meeting," Gwen said in a deep voice. "Tell her … I have something to show her."
"Yes, Ancestor."
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