Sword of Dawn

Page 473

A tense and depressing atmosphere hangs over the place—though it is depressing most of the time, it is more depressing than ever today.

There was a constant buzzing sound in the hall. It was the members of Parliament talking in low voices. There was a small group of familiar people discussing some sensational news, but more members were paying attention to the most special place at the front of the hall - the royal family. There was no one on the seat dedicated to the representative, only two heavily armed knights and a few attendants could be seen standing not far behind the seat.

Earl Dürer sat in his own seat, turning a luxurious ring with a huge gemstone a little irritably. He turned the side with the gemstone to his palm and held it hard until he felt a slight tingle before releasing it. Turning the gemstone around, and then turning it around again—he was doing such meaningless things, and all he could hear were pessimistic and frustrated discussions, or discussions with blind confidence and enthusiasm.

The Empire and the Cecilians have suddenly entered into a state of war... It seems that there are traitors lurking among the noble groups at all levels... The Church of God of War has been infiltrated by desecrators, and the death of Pope Malm Dunit is suspicious... Inside the army, it seems that It is necessary to conduct investigation and cleaning, or cleaning has already started...

Clouds are hanging over Aldernan, and the ignorant people at the bottom don't know the truth behind the recent depressive and tense atmosphere in the city. In Earl Dürer's opinion, the nervous and whispering guys around him were not much better than the civilians.

At this moment, a voice came from not far away, a few seats away: "Mr. Earl, do you know that the Knights of the Protectorate entered the inner city yesterday?"

Earl Dürer frowned subconsciously, but before turning his head away, he adjusted his expression. He followed the voice and saw a fat, bald man smiling at him.The other was wearing a tight gown, a thin gold watch chain hung from a breast pocket, and on another thin chain hung a pair of gold spectacles, which were being worn on the bridge of the other's nose, or It is said that it is embedded in the fat on the other party's face.

"Of course, the news has already spread among the congressmen." Earl Durer nodded to the fat man, and said in a neutral manner.

"It's really going to happen, Mr. Earl," the fat man shook his head, and the flesh around his neck also shook twice, "The last time the Knights of the Protectorate entered the inner city was more than ten years ago... ..."

Earl Dürer maintained a decent and polite smile, and casually agreed a few words, but he didn't take it seriously in his heart.

Polberg, a speculative businessman, has only doubled his value in the past two years by taking advantage of the hot wind of the magic industry. Except that his father is also a relatively successful businessman, such a person has nothing to do with his grandfather. However, such a person can also appear under the triple spire of the parliament...

Earl Dürer would not question the emperor's decree. He knew that such a special "seat" was needed in the parliament, but he still didn't like speculators like Polberg... Money really inflates this kind of person too much.

Such speculators don’t even add "Your Excellency" when facing nobles like themselves, but directly call "Sir"-in the eyes of any upper-class person who respects tradition and values ​​etiquette, this is obviously a sign of good order. destroy.

But even with such thoughts in his heart, Earl Dürer still maintained decent etiquette. He casually chatted with Polberg about some innocuous matters. It is because... the cotton plantation and several factories in the hands of Earl Dürer still have to do business with Polberg.

Fortunately, this kind of conversation didn't last long. Out of the corner of Earl Durer's eye, he suddenly saw a golden door at the front of the hall being opened.

The members of parliament fell silent immediately, and the humming in the hall stopped abruptly.

Dressed in a long black court dress, with long black hair hanging down her waist, the dignified and elegant Princess Matilda came out from the gate. Go to your own seat.

Some of the guard's attendants and warriors also came in after the princess.

Many people's eyes fell on Matilda, and they watched the pearl of the empire walk forward, but Earl Durer's eyes quickly fell on the soldiers who appeared with the princess——after seeing those After the soldier's appearance, the Typhon nobleman's eyes changed slightly in an instant.

The whole body is in black armor, the breastplate is inlaid with obsidian crystals used to amplify the magic power, the helmet has the royal emblem, and the enchanted long sword and the amplifying ball are worn on the waist.

Obsidian Forbidden Army!

This is the first time since Earl Durer became a member of the nobility, he saw the Obsidian Imperial Army stepping into this place!

He immediately cast his eyes on the golden gate instinctively, and saw one obsidian forbidden soldier enter the hall one after another, quietly replacing the guards who had been standing guard everywhere in the hall, and after the last forbidden soldier entered , he saw a heroic black-haired young man walking in as he expected.

Prince Hadiron.

Earl Dürer saw the prince commanding the Obsidian Forbidden Army enter the hall, and then stopped there as if guarding the gate. He scanned the entire hall, as if counting the number of people.

In the already quiet parliament hall, it seemed to be even more silent at this moment, and in the silence at this moment... there seemed to be something else.

Earl Dürer suddenly remembered what the speculator said to him just now.

This time...it seems that something big is going to happen.

The next moment, Matilda sat down in her own seat, she tapped lightly on the table in front of her, and all eyes in the hall instantly fell on her.

"Members of Parliament," she cleared her throat, and calmly looked at the faces in the hall who looked increasingly pale under the lights and black dresses, "Today, we need to discuss a major bill concerning the future of the empire.

"According to His Majesty's decree, according to our sacred and just laws, according to the vital interests of all citizens of the empire, considering the current state of war the empire is facing and the disturbing changes in the aristocratic system and the church system, I now Propose the following proposal on behalf of the royal family of Typhon——

"Activate the emperor's supreme ruling power and temporarily close the imperial parliament."

Chapter 0988 Aldernan in the Fog

As soon as Matilda finished speaking, there was a buzz of discussion in the entire parliament hall.

Whether it was members of the aristocratic faction, representatives from wealthy citizens, or representatives of mages and scholar associations at all levels, they all fell into the same shock at this moment, and after the shock, there were uncontrollable doubts and intense discussions.

At this moment, they even forgot the demeanor and rules they followed in their daily life.

Amidst the roaring discussions, some members finally stood up and asked for a more detailed explanation. Some members shouted that this was a crazy idea, emphasizing that doing so would bring the empire into unprecedented and terrible chaos, and as At the center of this storm, Matilda just watched all this quietly, not surprised by what happened before her eyes.

Parliament... This product of the New Deal has existed and operated in the Typhon Empire for more than ten years, while its earlier prototype "Noble Council" has existed in this land for a longer period of time.No one can deny the historical role and practical value of this thing in the development of Typhon. Even at this moment, Matilda is very aware of the significance of the "parliament", and at the same time understands the consternation and helplessness of the parliamentarians at the moment. Therefore, in the first ten minutes, she did not speak at all, but only set aside time for the people in the hall to confirm and digest the news - and slowly calm down.

Finally, under the calm gaze of Matilda, those emotional congressmen closed their mouths one by one, and the buzzing hall slowly fell silent.

Earl Dürer did not participate in the discussion. He sat quietly in his seat, watching the familiar men and women who had blushed in the past ten minutes, with a thoughtful look on his face, He summed up the recent changes in the situation in Aldernan and the news from various channels in his mind. For half a minute, he also remembered the experience of visiting Cecil with the envoy before——finally, he raised his head , just in time to see that imperial pearl stand up from the chair.

Matilda stood up, and the movement of her brought complete silence.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I can call each of you by name, I am familiar with each of you, I know—and understand you," she looked around the hall, and then slowly Said, "So I understand your doubts and anxiety at the moment, but please be patient and listen to me-the royal family has no intention of destroying the stable order we have maintained for a long time, let alone attacking us out of malicious or other ulterior motives." A parliament built together."

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on her, Matilda paused and continued:

"The Empire is facing a crisis, a crisis unlike any we've ever faced - and I don't just mean the 'war' with Cecil, which is very questionable, It's not just the recent anomalies of the Church of God of War, the reasons behind these anomalies are even more chilling.

"There is a fatal hole in our army, there are traitors in our aristocracy, our church and our people are being corrupted by some evil force-these are menacing, trying to overthrow the order of the empire, and they are the most terrible The advantage lies in its rapid destruction, unpredictable actions, and powerful infiltration and latent capabilities. I believe that everyone here is very aware of the recent changes in the situation and the news circulating in the imperial capital, so you should understand what I mean.

"In the face of this kind of challenge, the parliament is obviously unable to do what it wants - I do not deny the significance of the existence of the parliament and its role in the empire, but under the current special circumstances, we must use a more efficient, more controlled, more secure closed group to replace it.

"The empire will enter a state of emergency starting today. The royal cabinet headed by His Majesty Rosetta will take over many powers of the parliament. All military, administrative and religious units will directly accept orders from the emperor. We must mobilize them with the highest efficiency. The army and the elimination of domestic instability, restore stability to Aldernan in the shortest possible time, unite the power of the empire in the shortest possible time, and resolve the crisis in the shortest possible time.

"As for those of you sitting here... please rest assured. Parliament is only temporarily closed as part of a state of emergency - although this is the first time we have implemented an 'emergency act' of this magnitude, please Rest assured, everything is under His Majesty's control. You don't have to worry about your safety and reputation - everyone under the triple spire is the pride of the upper class of the empire. I believe in the loyalty of each of you, and Your Majesty also believes in this .

"Then, loyal and upright parliamentarians, you should also understand the efforts made by the royal family to safeguard the interests of the empire - the choices you make today will be noble and worthy of being recorded in history.

"This is a rare opportunity to make a great contribution to the empire and prove yourself, please grasp it firmly.

"I'm done talking."

Every word of Matilda was gentle and full of politeness, as if it carried the power of involuntary trust and relaxation. Earl Durer sat on the seat below and listened quietly to what Her Royal Highness said, but in his heart Slightly sighed.

What an impeccable speech—now, the reasoning is over.

Of course, for some people in this hall, they will continue to work hard—Earl Durer saw some congressmen stand up to speak, some congressmen seemed to be discussing something with the people around them, and some people were releasing some permission The communication spells used in the hall seem to be contacting their own contacts, seeking some help in intelligence.

Earl Dürer glanced at the speculator not far away and saw that the other's chubby face was full of anxiety, but this time he didn't have the thought of despising him.Then he lowered his head and glanced at the gorgeous ring with huge gemstones on his finger.

After thinking for a while, he moved the ring in front of him and injected magic power into it—this expensive magic item brightened slightly, and a voice came directly to Earl Durer: "My lord, what are your orders?"

"Where is the Knights of the Protectorate?"

"They're in Parliament Street and Upper Cross."

"Where is Duke Ferdinand?"

"Duke Ferdinand left the Obsidian Palace an hour ago - but we have no way to find out the specific whereabouts of His Excellency the Duke."

"enough."

Earl Durer breathed out, rubbed his slightly sore brows, and then decided to raise his hands and feet in favor of His Majesty's emergency bill.

……

The corridors of the Royal Association of Mages are long and deep. A hunched figure slowly walks through the corridors and arches depicting the portraits of great mages in history. The artificial nerve cords squirmed slightly under the robes, and there was a frightening sound of friction.

The mages who passed by all felt the oppression and gloom from this black-robed figure, but no one would show the slightest disrespect to this figure strolling in the mage association—even though the latter was wearing no No private robes with any logo, no badge of the Mage Association, and almost no initiative to greet anyone on the road.

Even so, everyone passing by this figure will still stop respectfully, bow slightly, and call "Master Daniel".

Daniel responds with a simple nod—as close as he can be in this place.

At the end of this corridor, Daniel stopped.

He raised his head and looked at the wall on the side of the corridor. There were still several blank spaces on this wall, and one of the blank spaces had been painted with simple lines, and the smell of some kind of paint was faintly floating in the air.

After a long time, he suddenly withdrew his gaze and looked in another direction at the corner of the corridor - a female mage wearing a lavender skirt robe seemed to appear there out of nowhere and was walking towards this side.

The mages passing by all stopped after seeing this woman, saluted respectfully, and called her "President Mapel".

Windsor Mapel responded to the greetings of the people around her cordially and friendlyly, but her pace did not slow down at all. She came straight to Daniel with a smile on her face: "I didn't expect you to come so early."

"Well, I happen to have some free time," Daniel nodded lightly. Although his attitude was still indifferent, there was no such obvious resistance and disdain for the Mage Association. He looked up at the corridor next to him while talking, frowning slightly After a while, "Which famous and rich person is going to be painted in this corridor?"

Windsor Mapel glanced at her mentor, and suddenly couldn't help laughing: "It's you, my mentor."

Daniel's stern face finally changed due to surprise, he slightly opened his yellowed eyes, glanced at the portrait on the wall, then looked back at his former apprentice, his brows were more frowned than before: "Me? It's not funny."

"This is not a joke. This is something that the high-level representatives of the Mage Association have unanimously agreed to, even His Majesty has approved it."

"I haven't been a member of your association for a long time." Daniel said in a strange tone.

"Neither is Lord Richard in the fourth picture, nor is Mrs. Marina Wenton in the No. 12 picture," Windsor Mapel said with a smile, "No one has ever stipulated that the sage elder of the Mages Association Only portraits of members of the association can be painted in the gallery, and you are obviously qualified to be among them—you almost built the foundational system of the empire’s magic industry by yourself, allowing us to find out in time the key points of the changing times. If you set the direction, this alone already meets the standard of a 'sage'."

Daniel's eyebrows trembled slightly, and his eyeballs turned several times in front of the mural that hadn't been outlined yet, but he didn't say a word, only Windsor Mapel's voice came from the side: "I You know, this was one of your biggest dreams back then - and while you may not care about it now, I think you're well-qualified to be in this hallway.

"In terms of achievements that can change the times, you, who laid the foundation for the Empire's magic industry system, are obviously far more than the president of an association who takes office step by step."

After a few seconds of silence, Daniel twitched the corners of his mouth, turned and walked forward: "It's a boring move."

Listening to this disdainful and indifferent evaluation, Windsor Mapel couldn't help laughing: the mentor didn't ask him to send someone to shovel off the wall.

She turned around and followed Daniel's footsteps. The latter turned his head slightly and said casually: "I'm here to hand over the technical information of the communication device to you - the Manufacturing Association has completed the blueprint design of the energy source and the amplification structure, and Passed acceptance in the lab, our job is done, the rest is yours."

"It's very timely!" Windsor Mapel said with a smile, "In this way, the transceiver device I designed will completely solve the energy problem, and the next step is to enter the practical stage-now the communication towers in various places have been completely remodeled The preparation, the timing of everything was perfect."

Daniel hummed, and then a sneering smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Not long ago, more than half of the people in the Mage Association were still discussing the cost and feasibility of transforming the national communication tower network fiercely. The interests of the empire do not hesitate to break with the whole world, but now you have come up with a transformation plan... The wind in the association is really turning as fast as it was back then."

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Windsor Mapel's face. She smiled wryly and shook her head: "You should know the recent changes in the atmosphere in the city, and you've also heard some unconfirmed... gossip."

"I've heard a lot," Daniel said casually, "although I don't want to hear it, but living in Aldernan, it's hard for anyone's ears to be quiet."

"...Mages are the most sensitive group," Windsor Mapel sighed, "although they are proud, but pride cannot match imperial power—it's not that the wind in the association is turning too fast, but that the wind in Aldernan is turning too fast." It's too fast."

Daniel's footsteps stopped, and he muttered softly with a thoughtful expression: "Is the wind direction in Aldernan..."

"Mentor," Windsor Mapel seemed unable to hear the vague voice of the old man beside him, "what did you say?"

"It's nothing, I just lament that there are too many disturbing things in this city," Daniel shook his head, and then asked seemingly casually, "By the way, I heard that you figured out what the Cecils gave us. Those weird 'deep-sea runes'?"

"It's far from being understood," said Windsor Mapel. "Those things are more queer than I imagined, and even queer to the point of inexplicable—as Cecil explained in advance, those so-called ' The deep-sea runes' come from civilizations other than humans, and the difference between the two civilizations is greater than the difference between humans and elves, so it may not be so easy to understand the logic behind those runes. But fortunately, even I don't understand the underlying logic, but those runes can still function. Experiments have proved that after using those deep sea runes to build a fully enclosed space, it can prevent any form of spiritual pollution, and even have a strong effect on the already polluted individuals. The purifying effect of..."

"...Oh, it does sound interesting," Daniel raised his eyebrows. "If I have time, I'd like to see the facility after you build it."

"Of course, it's in the Obsidian Palace. Your Majesty should be very happy that you are interested in it—after all, you are also an expert in the field of runes."

Chapter 0989 The Running Cecil

Gawain is back.

The huge wings of the blue dragon covered the sky. The figure of this giant came from the north and flew straight to the capital of Cecil without any disguise. All the people living in this area have witnessed the scene of the dragon flying to the earth with their own eyes. ——In other parts of the world or in the past, such a scene is undoubtedly horrifying to ordinary people, and bards and scholars will even associate it with regional disasters, However, when Cecil's people saw the giant dragon, most of them felt rejoiced—even the oppressive atmosphere brought about by the sudden outbreak of war was swept away.

Because many days ago, their Emperor His Majesty rode away on such a dragon.

Standing behind Melita's shoulder blades, Gawain overlooked the familiar city scenery and quickly moved closer in his field of vision. When the giant dragon passed by the bank of the Whitewater River, he couldn't help sighing softly: "Cecil, your emperor is back! It's..."

His soft exclamation did not hide the sensitive ears of Amber next to him. The long pointed ears of the half-elf lady trembled, and she immediately turned her head cleverly: "Hey, why are you suddenly feeling this?"

Gao Wen quickly put on a serious face: "...It's nothing, I suddenly feel something."

Amber glanced at Gao Wen suspiciously. Although she didn't feel anything wrong from the other party's inexplicable emotion, her instinct still made her feel that it was necessary to record this sentence—maybe it was a joke.

Miss Half-Elf has always been very perceptive.

After a while, the blue dragon landed steadily on the square next to the Cecil Palace, and Hetty's government affairs hall officials and the attendants in the Cecil Palace had already been waiting in this open space.

The dragon wings hung down, forming a gentle ramp. Gao Wen was the first to appear at the top of the ramp. When that tall figure appeared against the sun and appeared in everyone's field of vision, the entire square immediately burst into applause and cheers.

Hetty, who stood at the front of the crowd, breathed a sigh of relief unabashedly, feeling that a big stone in her heart had finally fallen to the ground, and then she stepped forward, ready to reach out her hand at the end of the ramp to welcome the return of her ancestors—but there was a The figure was faster than her, and Rebecca, who could not stand beside her for a long time, didn't care about the etiquette and "ladylike demeanor". When she landed, she stretched out her hand and grabbed the opponent's arm: "Your ancestor, you are back!"

Gao Wen had long been familiar with this girl's character, and this was not a serious occasion (at least not an occasion where any video material needs to be released publicly), so he just smiled helplessly, and pressed Rebecca's button casually. Then he turned his gaze to Hetty who was also helpless: "All etiquette procedures are simple, and the situation is special. Let's get back on track quickly."

"Of course, I knew you would say that." Hetty nodded immediately, "Although I really want you to rest for a while, I think you won't listen—the materials have been sent to your study, Victoria and The Grand Consul of Baldwin is available at any time, and the military and intelligence departments are also ready for your summoning."

"I need to find out about the situation with Anton first," Amber walked down behind Gao Wen, and said in a hurry as soon as he landed, "I hope that kid will be safe this time."

Veronica was the last to leave the ramp formed by the dragon wings, looked at the crowd around her, and then came to Gao Wen's side: "I need to discuss with the Patriarch about the Church of God of War, please allow me to leave first. "

In this way, everyone arranged their respective tasks in the blink of an eye. Cecil's managers, who prioritized efficiency, did not intend to stick to traditional etiquette and rules, but Gao Wen still remembered that there was an unreasonable Belonging to Cecil's "guest", he turned his head and looked at Melita Pernia who was still standing in the square in the form of a dragon: "If you..."

"I really want to stay as a guest, but this time the situation is special, I want to return to Tarrond first," Melita said in a rumbling voice before Gao Wen finished speaking. As far as the form is concerned, this action is quite polite, "I tested the connection with the Mithril Ring just now, and found that the communication has been restored inexplicably... Although I don't know what happened, you should still be able to Use it to contact me."

Her tone was as calm as possible, and her attitude was very calm and indifferent, but Gawain could vaguely sense the restlessness and uneasiness deep in the heart of Miss Dragon—she seemed to suspect that something would happen to Tarrond , so I can't wait to say goodbye and leave.

Of course, Melita's restlessness should not only be due to a trivial "fault" in the Mithril Ring—it should be more due to the two secret conversations between Gawain and the Dragon God. The abnormal phenomena that occurred and the current changes of the gods in Loren Continent, and the "failure" of the Omega system, which has never made mistakes, just became an introduction, which made the intuition of the dragon lady produce some kind of warning.

In this regard, Gao Wen felt that as a human being, he had no reason to intervene. He couldn't stop Melita from making a decision, so he could only slightly nod and remind casually: "Be careful on the way back—you've been flying very hard. It's been a long time."

Melita shook her head slightly, with a hint of a smile in her tone: "Don't worry, I'm still very confident in my physical strength—please step back, I'm about to take off."

After a while, the blue dragon flapped its wings again, and this huge creature that covered the sky soared from the city, and after several consecutive accelerations, it turned into a shadow on the horizon, and quickly disappeared in the sky. in people's field of vision.

……