Gwen and the rest were escorted out of the upper temple hall. The high-ranking dragon priest Helagol personally escorted them to the door. Then two priests in the same luxurious robes came out of nowhere and led them to the connecting bridge that led to the elevator.
The first half of the journey was particularly quiet. It seemed that the solemn atmosphere in the temple still had a residual effect, or Amber and Veronica felt that they were still under the watch of the god, so they dared not speak out of caution. But halfway through, Amber finally could not help but look at the two priests of the Dragons who were silently leading the way, like two tools, and then secretly poked Gwen's arm. "Hey, don't you feel a little strange?"
Gwen glanced at her. "What's strange?"
"Why did you suddenly stop talking?" Amber whispered cautiously. "I always feel that the Dragon God still has a lot to say … and he specifically emphasized that we should visit Tarlonde first …"
"Since he wants us to visit, isn't it good for us to visit?" Gawain said nonchalantly. "As for whether or not he has something to say … that's his business."
Amber blinked, looked at Gwen, and then looked back at the magnificent temple under the starry sky. Her face showed a thoughtful expression, but she quickly gave up thinking.
She patted her cheeks, as if she had quickly put the confusion behind her mind. At the same time, she muttered, "Sigh … I always feel sleepy at night …"
Gawain slowed down his footsteps. He glanced at Amber and saw that the half-elf had pulled himself together and was now wearing his usual smile that seemed to be forever laughing.
…
"My Lord," Helagol returned to the magnificent temple hall and bowed before the god. "They have left."
"You seem to have accumulated a lot of questions?" Enya had returned to the sacred throne that reappeared in the center of the hall. She looked down at her priest. "Don't be shy today. Just say what you want to say."
Helagol looked up and hesitated for a moment before he said, "My Lord, why did you talk to them about … what happened 1.87 million years ago? Such a secret ancient knowledge should not be part of the plan … "
"There are some ancient and secret knowledge that the gods keep secret from the mortals because the mortals can't bear it. However, after meeting today's guests … I find that I may be able to say more." The voice of the god came slowly, with a hint of joy. "I thought that only Gawain Cecil was a little special, but I didn't expect that all three of them are very special. The Listener is not as easily 'damaged' as the ordinary mortals. This is something that I am very happy about. "
At this point, he paused and sighed, "It's been a long time since I've had such a relaxed conversation with someone … So, I'm looking forward to the next time I meet Gawain Cecil alone."
Helagol looked up in surprise. "You are going to meet the human king alone next time?"
"A ghost that has lived for thousands of years is just a ghost after all. A wanderer who crosses the boundary of the dream into the real world is essentially just a resident of the shadowy world. But an 'uninvited guest' who pretends to be an ordinary human and whom even I do not understand … is much more interesting," the god said slowly. "I want to talk to him alone next time. By the way, I also want to know what interesting new ideas he will have after seeing Tarlonde with his own eyes.
"Helagol, the work of accompanying the guests will be handed over to the young blue dragon. You just need to pay attention to the guests' movements and ensure their safety. If it is not necessary, do not disturb them. "
Helagol bowed his head again. "Yes, my Lord."
The Dragon God, Enya, gave a simple hum. Then she suddenly raised her head and looked in the direction of the Lolun Continent. Her face became a little serious.
"So fast …" He sighed softly and muttered to himself, "Fortunately … it's not too much beyond my expectations …"
…
As the Month of Mist approached, the temperature in most of the northern parts of the continent dropped rapidly. And Winterwolf Fort, which was located at the northern border of the empire, bore the brunt of the cold wind from the north, blowing over the hills and plains, all the way through the plains and valleys, and began to roar day and night to harass the highlands and passes where the Knight Order was stationed. It was as if the border area had withered overnight, and the grass and trees had withered. The breath of winter had come to the earth.
Andesha Wendell was wearing a light and warm Knight's uniform. She only brought two attendants with her as she walked through the streets of the market. The cold wind blew her grayish-white hair, making her squint slightly.
"Winter has come a little earlier this year …" the wolf general said softly. "I wonder if the Greenwood Valley and Longbranch Manor have been affected …"
One of the attendants immediately replied, "The empire's granary has been plentiful for the past few years, and the cotton and cloth supply for the past two years have been sufficient. I think that except for the mountains near the polluted areas in the west, there is no need to worry about how to survive the winter."
Andesha did not say anything and just nodded. On a street not far from her, a small troop transport vehicle with the emblem of the Typhon Empire was rolling across the street. The battlemages escorting the vehicle floated in front of the vehicle, and the merchants on both sides of the street were inevitably disturbed. Some curious passersby stretched their necks and pointed in the direction of the troop transport vehicle, and some merchants began to attract customers again, selling rare goods from the south to the north.
Winter had indeed come a little earlier this year, and even the temperature this year was much lower than in previous years. However, in this half-military, half-civilian town built around Winterwolf Fortress, it was much more prosperous and lively than in previous years.
The increasingly stable peace between the two kingdoms and the expanding trade activities had finally shown its influence. Whether the Hawks were willing or not, more and more merchants and goods were appearing in various places across the border, and it had become the main theme of the relationship between Cecil and Typhon.
Even in Winterwolf Fort, which was located at the border of the Empire, and even if the Empire's soldiers were always on edge, they could not stop the flourishing of civilian businesses. After all, this was Aldnan's will.
Andesha, as the commander of Winterwolf Fortress, had to accept it even though she did not expect it to happen.
"It's a lot livelier this year, general," one of the attendants said. "And according to the news from the Empire, Oldenheim and Tarrenkins are very different now. It's said that the companies invested in by Cecil have brought a lot of new things. Do you plan to go back and take a look this year?"
"I don't plan to use this vacation yet," Andesha said casually, then looked at the attendant who spoke just now. "Are you also interested in the new things of Cecil?"
The attendant immediately showed an awkward and nervous expression. "I … General, I don't mean that …"
"It's alright. The new things they bring are indeed very attractive, and most of them are very useful." But to the attendant's surprise, Andesha did not have any intention of reprimanding him. The Wolf General only showed a thoughtful look. "I'm just sorry that … these things were not created by us, Typhon."
She looked in the direction of the market. On both sides of the street that had been renovated last year, there were new street lamps and magic network devices used to transmit energy. These technologies came from Cecil. They were first brought from Cecil to Typhon by merchants and technologists, and then by the merchants and experts of the Empire. These things were the evidence of the growing relationship between the two countries. Some people were happy about it, while others were anxious.
According to Andesha's knowledge, the magic network devices used to transmit energy were one of the things that made the experts of the Empire the most anxious. This was because one of the key materials to make the obelisks, the Holm Crystals, was still firmly in the hands of Cecil. Even though the scholars of the Empire's Craftsmen had successfully solved many of the technical difficulties of the obelisks, but as long as the source of the Holm Crystals was controlled by Cecil, Typhon would never be able to fully control the Mana Net. The speed of the Mana Net was limited by Cecil's export quota, and Typhon …
Typhon had no choice but to use a large portion of their annual export profits to purchase the Holm Crystals. Cecil's people would never give them any discount.
It was said that His Majesty had taken this matter seriously. After learning about the discovery of the Holm crystals, His Majesty had sent out a large number of exploration teams to search for the Holm mineral veins that belonged to the Tifons in the mountains at the edge of the polluted zone. So far, the exploration teams had yet to report any good news.
Hopefully, they would be able to find something.
As for Andesha herself … She was neither happy nor worried about the increasing number of 'Cecil matters' in the Empire.
She only followed Oldenheim's orders and protected Typhon's interests.
At this moment, one of her subordinates spoke up and interrupted her thoughts, "That should be the reinforcement of the mechanized mage squad, right?"
Another follower looked at the end of the street, in the direction where the troop carrier had left. He shook his head and sighed. "Mages are all rich. Even the mage squads in the army are the wealthiest troops … The knights are still riding horses."
"The Emperor and his military advisors have their own plans," Andesha suddenly interrupted the discussion between the two subordinates. "Furthermore, the reason why the Knight Squad did not change their equipment is not because of the lack of funds. It's just that most of the Knight Squad relies on traditional military formations and horsemanship. This problem cannot be solved. Letting the Knight sit in the chariot will only weaken their combat ability."
The two subordinates nodded. One of them could not help but look into the distance. This time, he was looking at the direction of the barracks. "That's the second batch of reinforcements this week."
"… The war priests are under 'protective observation'. Some of the Knight Squad officers are also being replaced. We need reinforcements to maintain the fighting strength of Winterwolf Fort …" Andesha frowned slightly and shook her head. "Alright, the following topic is not suitable for discussion here."
The abnormal situation of the Church of War was a secret that could not be hidden. Out of consideration for the country's interests, Oldenheim had issued several orders recently and made temporary adjustments to several main forces. In Winterwolf Fort, Andesha's main focus was on adjusting the deployment of the legions, transferring away dangerous units, maintaining the internal stability of the legions, and consolidating the defense forces. She had no choice but to transfer away many of the war priests and loyal soldiers who had followed her through life and death. She even sent some of the innocent Knight Squad officers to the rear to observe them, but in reality, it was more like house arrest.
It was not easy to do these things.
Other than the pressure in her heart, she also had to deal with the emotions of her subordinates. It was easy to deal with the soldiers. The Empire's soldiers had to obey orders first. The Knight Squad officers were easy to deal with as well. She only needed to console them with honor and loyalty, but the clerics …
Most of them were good people, brave and righteous. They did not do anything wrong, but she had to make them suffer unfair treatment. At the same time, the clerics were not completely soldiers. The war priests were the 'reinforcements' of the Church of War. They received the orders of their officers, but this order was vaguely directed against their faith … Appeasing their emotions was the most troublesome thing for Andesha recently.
And this was not all the bad news recently.
The second bad news was the fall of the Goddess of Magic.
Andesha still could not believe what she had seen and heard in the past few days. A funeral, a funeral held by humans for the Goddess of Magic, a joint statement from the two Empires, a memorial written by the two Emperors, a national mourning event, and a ceremony to scatter 'Holy Ashes' … Andesha was not a believer, but these things were beyond her knowledge and habits. Even now, she still found it hard to believe when she thought about it.
The fall of the Goddess of Magic undoubtedly had a huge impact on the large number of mages in the Empire. Even though the 'funeral' used some unexpected method to quickly divert the public's attention and reduce the pressure brought by the fall of the Goddess of Magic, the mages' hearts were still shaken, and the aftermath had yet to subside. There were a large number of war mages in the Empire's major armies, and most of the high-ranking officers were believers of the Goddess of Magic. Even though their status as soldiers gave them a strong sense of responsibility, and they would not be unable to fulfill their duties due to depression or wavering faith, they were still humans …
The only thing Andesha was thankful for was that the impact of the fall of the Goddess was smaller than she expected. Apart from the high-ranking officers, most of the ordinary combat mages and low-ranking officers were not believers of the Goddess of Magic, and some of them were not even shallow believers of the Goddess of Magic.
They were trained in batches from the Empire's schools. They were trained from childhood, and the curriculum was standardized. It was a completely practical training method, and there were almost no lessons related to the creation of beliefs.
These war mages did not have any feelings for the Goddess of Magic, and this was the only consolation for Andesha in her recent headache. She could not help but have some thoughts that might seem disgraceful to outsiders.
If she could completely remove religious beliefs from the army, perhaps it would be a good thing. Let the gods and humans belong to the gods, and the world's troubles would be reduced by half.
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