Oldenheim's parliament hall had three magnificent spires. The largest one was located at the top of the building, symbolizing the protection and guidance of the imperial power. The second spire symbolized the nobles under the imperial power, also known as the 'Pillars of the Empire'. The lowest spire had the widest area and directly covered the entire parliament hall. Nominally, it symbolized the glorious citizens of the Empire, the 'Foundation of the Empire'.
This bold and groundbreaking symbolism was a microcosm of Rosetta's decades of reforms. Although in reality, the number of 'citizen councilors' under the three spires was less than half of the number of noble councilors, and there were very few who had the right to speak. Whenever people mentioned Oldenheim's parliament, they almost tacitly agreed that it was the old 'Noble Parliament' at the top, and subconsciously ignored the other part of the parliament.
Rosetta Augustus had been working hard to change this, and this situation had indeed changed a lot in the past two years.
The roaring machines and the emergence of large companies overnight allowed the citizen councilors to quickly increase the capital to speak in the parliament. Strictly speaking, it was the capital of the merchant representatives to speak in the parliament.
It was also the first time that Mathilda realized that some forces were more effective than the orders and guidance of the imperial family.
She sat on the golden high-back chair that symbolized the imperial family, looking down at the entire rectangular hall with an indifferent expression. The magic crystal lamp shone from the roof, making the faces under the roof look clear and vivid. These people who held the greatest power under the imperial power in Typhon's social structure were each expressing their own opinions, fiercely discussing a plan that could change the entire era. Those who were qualified to speak in the front row were trying their best to show their persuasiveness and influence, hoping to win the support of more ordinary councilors, and more importantly, to win the support of Princess Mathilda, who represented the imperial family's will.
In Typhon's special parliamentary system, the will of the imperial power accounted for a large proportion. Unless the councilors could show an overwhelming consensus on a certain bill, people had to work hard to win the support of the imperial power's spokesperson.
"I still oppose such a radical transformation and restructuring plan. Although I admit the advantages of new technology, and have always been willing to embrace the bright future brought by new technology, we have to be aware of the scale of the existing communication tower network, and the cost and revenue behind it." A middle-aged noble in a dark blue coat stood up and turned to the councilors behind him. "Rebuilding the entire communication network means that our investment in the past few decades has gone down the drain. It hasn't even had time to recover the cost, and whether the new network can function stably is still unknown …"
"This is not just a matter of cost and revenue, Count. This is also a matter of technology." Another person stood up. "Don't you know the limitations of the communication tower? Their technological foundation is already outdated. With the Weave, continuing to invest in the construction of the communication tower network is a waste, a waste of the Empire's wealth. "
"What about those who maintain the communication tower? What about those who rely on the communication tower for their livelihood? We can't just solve the problem with the merchant's thinking. We have the responsibility to maintain the survival of the people! "
"This responsibility is more reflected in the 17 communication towers that you have the right to profit from, right?"
"Please don't bring personal issues into such a solemn occasion. If you bring in personal interests, I'm afraid everyone here will lose their right to speak, sir!"
The debate below was getting more and more intense, but the seemingly emotional speakers were still maintaining order, following the procedures of the parliament to express their views. No one was here to overstep and disturb the imperial power. Mathilda just sat quietly in the chair that belonged to her, watching all of this with a blank expression.
These people would quarrel for a while before the end of this segment.
They had quarreled for a while yesterday.
This seemingly chaotic situation was very clear in Mathilda's eyes. She could see that the old nobles had already reached an agreement, but the smaller nobles, who should have been in the same camp in the past, were now vaguely standing with the merchants. The latter's alliance would have been incredible a few years ago, but since last year, similar situations had happened more than once.
The reason was simple. Factories and new companies were gathering more and more wealth and occupying more and more influence. The smaller nobles and the "new faction" of the middle nobles were the main investors in these industries. They had long been tied to the merchants in terms of interests. On the other hand, the upper nobles still controlled the large-scale traditional industries and wealth, as well as many infrastructures. This caused the upper nobles to be a step slower in the new investment boom, but they were still a huge force that was difficult to resist.
These two forces had been more and more clearly divided and occupied their own territories. Every member was watching every move of the other side. They were watching their own pockets, unwilling to let a copper coin fall into the hands of the other side.
The distribution of interests was more real than any side.
The friction between the two forces had been gradually increasing since last year, but as the areas where they had the advantage did not overlap much, the intensity of the friction was very low. It was only recently that it suddenly became so intense. This was because some new technology had suddenly broken the existing "rules", giving the merchants and aristocratic investors a chance to get their hands on those infrastructures. And the old owners of those facilities … of course, the reaction was very intense.
Mathilda wanted to yawn, but she held it back.
Today's debate would not have a result, but she could already foresee the result a few days later: there would be a compromise. The traditional towers would be preserved, and the expensive facilities would be modified into carriers of new technology. The merchants and aristocratic investors would get a chance to invest, but overall, the entire communication network would still be firmly in the hands of the old nobles and the Mage Association.
Mathilda was even certain that the opportunities to invest in the tower modification project would be given out by the old nobles and the Mage Association. It seemed to be sharing the profits of the communication network, but it would make it difficult for the aristocratic investors and merchants who were still weak to maintain a united and tough attitude. As long as there was a certain amount of profit as a "comfort," it would be easy for members of the new interest groups to compromise. They would give up the radical plan of completely rebuilding the communication network in exchange for more stable and safe profits. This was exactly what the Mage Association and the great nobles behind the Association were happy to see.
After all, the Mage Association was not stupid, and the great nobles were not stupid either. Of course, they could see the benefits of the brand-new communication network — they just did not want it to be controlled by others first.
…
The severity of the matter was beyond Grand Duke Ferdinand's expectations. This unprecedented crisis made the old duke, who had been on the battlefield for a long time, unable to help but frown.
"This is the situation, my old friend." Rosetta Augustus sat on the high-back chair and looked calmly at the Grand Duke who stood opposite him. "Like I told you before, the gods are not very reliable protectors. They are a kind of supernatural, powerful, unknown existence that is completely above the mortals. Whether or not they have been providing protection for the mortals, I have always been wary of them."
"… I never understood your concerns about the gods, but now I have to admit that you are right," Ferdinand Wendell said in a low voice. "It's just that I never thought that we would have to face this in our lifetime …"
As he spoke, he could not help but frown again. "Regarding the information revealed in Gwen Cecil's letter, do we still need to verify it? Until now, I still find it hard to believe … that Cecil's ruler would remind us so frankly and kindly. "
"He's a powerful opponent, but in this matter, he's our friend." Rosetta shook his head. "In the book that Mathilda brought, Gwen Cecil mentioned more than once that the fate of mortals must advance and retreat together in the face of nature and the mighty power of the gods. I used to think that it was just some kind of propaganda gesture and slogan, but now I'm willing to believe in his sincerity in this aspect."
"… We all live on this land," Ferdinand said in a low voice.
"Yes, we all live on this land," Rosetta said calmly. "That's why I called you here today to prepare for the disaster that may happen on this land."
"… Can we really deal with the threat from the gods?" Ferdinand could not help but be a little doubtful. "Of course, Cecil's people seem to have successfully resisted the 'divine calamity,' but they didn't face a real god. Furthermore, luck played a large part in it …"
"What we're facing isn't a real god either." Rosetta shook his head. "Or rather, I don't think that the gods will directly 'attack' the mortal world."
"The gods won't 'attack' the mortal world directly …" Ferdinand repeated subconsciously, a confused expression on his face.
"The gods need a 'medium.' They won't descend so easily, right?"
Ferdinand frowned as he looked at the monarch that he had pledged loyalty to for decades. For some reason, he suddenly saw a hint of unfamiliarity on the other party's face. "You mean …"
Rosetta was silent for a few seconds before he suddenly said something that seemed unrelated, "Do you know, I've recently started to envy our neighbors …"
…
After Duke Ferdinand left, Rosetta continued to sit quietly in the study. He leaned against the armchair that was large enough to block the view of a person and seemed to be deep in thought for a long time. After more than ten minutes of silence and stillness, he suddenly raised his hand and switched off the lights in the study with a small magic trick.
The night was already dark outside, and only the starlight shone on the tall tower of the Obsidian Palace. As the lights in the study were switched off, darkness quickly spread in, and the starlight outside the window also shone through the crystal window on the side and illuminated the entire study.
Everything in the study was immersed in the indifferent night.
Rosetta gently tapped on the armrest of the chair. Amidst the rhythmic tapping, he seemed to be patiently waiting for something to arrive.
After a few dozen knocks, specks of dusky yellow radiance abruptly surfaced on the study table. Soon after, the dusky yellow radiance rapidly expanded and enveloped the study table, bookshelves, floor, walls ….. within a short span of seconds, the entire study room was illuminated by the dusky yellow radiance. Simultaneously, the murky yellow radiance filled up the nearby window, outlining the scenery of Aulandale 200 years ago.
Dusk abruptly descended.
Rosetta raised his head. The familiar objects in the study were rapidly changing their appearance. Some ancient and stale illusions that had long disappeared in history were covering the familiar furnishings. Rustling whispers and soft laughter came from nowhere, as though there was a banquet going on next door. The laughter of the guests could be heard through the walls and a balcony somewhere. It even seemed as though some of the guests had already walked through the walls into the room and were whispering something in Rosetta's ears.
Rosetta completely ignored the illusory voices and only stared silently at the door. In the next second, the laughter and whispers suddenly disappeared.
Outside the study's tightly shut door, in the direction of the corridor, some kind of footsteps that seemed to be dragging something heavy suddenly sounded after the whispers disappeared. It seemed to be slowly approaching.
In the next second, there was a knock on the door from the direction of the study.
Rosetta did not respond, and the knocking on the door continued patiently.
It knocked for a long time, so long that time seemed to have stopped in this eternal dusk. Rosetta broke the silence. "You can continue to knock, or do you expect to break the door by knocking?"
The knocking on the door suddenly stopped. After a few seconds of dead silence, a deep voice, which sounded like a mixture of countless voices, came from outside the door. "The strength of your will is really amazing … There were countless times when I thought you were going to collapse, but you are still yourself …"
"Amazing?" Rosetta shook his head. "But you are not human."
"This is really a meaningless detail," the voice outside the door said. "I don't like details, so let's get to the point. Why did you voluntarily enter this dream? This is quite a rare situation. "
"I am suddenly curious about something, but I can't find the answer in the mortal world. Maybe you would like to answer something?"
As soon as his voice fell, a strange atmosphere suddenly filled the entire dream space. The atmosphere seemed to be a mixture of surprise and joy, and at the same time, there was a sense of countless prying coming from all directions. It seemed that in the depths of the dream, between the ancient memory cloisters, halls, and courtyards, countless "guests" were instantly attracted and were indifferently looking in the direction where Rosetta Augustus was.
In the study in front of Rosetta, the wall, which was originally decorated with ordinary oil paintings, suddenly rippled like water. The decorative oil paintings were swallowed by the wall and then spat out. The picture on the wall had turned into the appearance of Marjorie Augustus.
"Ah, my dear son, have you finally decided to come back to our big family?"
Then, Marjory turned into George Augustus. "This is really a day worth celebrating!"
"You are celebrating a little too early." Rosetta glanced at the oil painting indifferently. "Stay quiet."
The figures in the oil painting suddenly became blurry. The low, overlapping voice outside the study chuckled. "You're full of confidence. However, it's not that easy to ask for knowledge from the gods … Anyway, I'm quite happy to do it.
"Ask me, I am happy to answer any question — as long as you dare to listen."
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