Sword of Dawn

Page 425

Fendil also quickly saw those figures—they were male and female, and they seemed to be about the same age. Their better images and inadvertent words and deeds showed that they were of extraordinary origin. These freshmen walked together Together, they don't look much different from the other students in the college except for their temperament, yet an observant person can easily see that they don't blend in well with the atmosphere around them: they talk to each other , seemed a little nervous about the surroundings, and the students passing by them occasionally showed a vague sense of distance.

It wasn't obvious, but it was enough to get Fendil's attention.

"Ah, those foreign students from Typhon..." the heir to the north said in a low voice, "I have some impression of that girl named Dana..."

"Hey—you don't sound like a qualified nobleman speaking."

"Where are you thinking? I'm just helping the other party point the way," Fendil immediately discerned his innocence, "You know, these international students from Typhon are the 'key care objects' of our Majesty."

"These Typhons always seem too tense—no one rejects them here," Eleven shook his head. "It will not be so easy for them to complete the rest of their studies if they maintain this state."

"So at this time, we 'hosts' are needed to show kindness to these foreign visitors," Fendil laughed, patted Eleven on the shoulder, and then walked towards the direction of those Typhon students, " Come on, we should say hello to these freshmen—let them know that the Cecilians are polite, too."

"Say hello?" Eleven had just had time to mutter something when he saw his friend walking over. He stayed behind and watched the scene helplessly. After a few seconds, he still sighed and followed up.

Yes should say hello.

After all... It is also his and Fendil's mission in this academy to establish a good relationship with these noble children from Typhon and bring them into contact with Cecil's prosperous world.

……

Hidden in the shadow of the pillars, a pair of pale gray eyes cautiously watched what happened on the courtyard ramp. After observing for a long time, the owner of these eyes retracted their gaze.

A short, childlike figure with gray hair and gray eyes hid behind the shadow of the pillar. She sat down on the pedestal around the pillar, put the textbook on her lap, and spread out a half-written letter paper. Dotted on it, there are words ready to be sent to a distant place: "...This is indeed an incredible city. It is bigger than the royal city of the gray elves. All the buildings are very tall, and almost all the buildings are very new. ...

"It's not as lacking of trees here as I imagined at first - although humans often expand their cities by cutting down plants, there are still trees everywhere in this city, most of them are Drew who live in this city They planted it, and the druid apprentices in the academy have a very important internship course, which is to maintain the plants in the city...

"The druids here are different from other places. There are many druids here, but only a small number of them are 'standard druids' who really master magic. Most of the rest are actually through alchemy potions and magic terminals Alchemists who come to 'cast spells', they are equally respected, especially in alchemy factories...

"There are people everywhere here, including Cecilians, people from the north or their hometown, and Typhonians... Typhon's international students are very conspicuous in this 'Imperial Academy', they are always They would wear Typhon's emblem in the most conspicuous place on their bodies. Although this would keep some Cecilians away from them or attract unnecessary attention, they still did so.

"... here everyone is steeped in knowledge, learning is the most important thing - takes precedence over all concepts of identity, status, race, rich and poor, because there is simply no one left to focus on other things, there are countless new things here It can firmly grasp the heart of every student. Of course, another important reason is that the learning order and assessment here are really strict. The scholars who teach knowledge are directly responsible to a certain department in the Government Affairs Office. They are not responsible for any The students are merciful, even including the Duke's heirs...

"...Ah, by the way, mother, those Typhon people I mentioned just now study very hard. Except for dormitory cafeterias and classrooms, they hardly socialize and don't go out. This is one of the reasons why they are so conspicuous here. One—Although everyone is very hardworking, they have worked too hard. But today I saw the heirs of the Duke of the North and the Duke of the West go to say hello to those Typhon students, and those Typhon people seem to be very talkative...

"Of course I am also trying to make friends, although... there is only one friend. Her name is Pea, although the name is a bit strange, but she is a big shot - her father is the admiral of the Cecil Empire! And Pea also has a magical A magical device that can speak and perceive the surrounding environment instead of her...

"...By the way, I also met a very incredible teacher, he is a pure energy creature, people respectfully call him 'Master Kamel', but I was scared when I saw him for the first time Jump...but don't worry, mother, I didn't make any faux pas...

"I have a good life here, you don't have to worry about it, and..."

A shadow suddenly shrouded from the side, and the gray elf girl who was writing with her head down was startled for a moment, and immediately covered the letter paper with her hands - she also trembled visibly, and her long, smooth gray hair seemed a little fluffy.

At the same time, a slightly emotionless female voice sounded like it was synthesized by a machine: "Ah, Mei Li! You are hiding behind the pillar again!"

The gray elf girl named Meili raised her head and saw that Pea was standing next to her. She was obviously relieved, but she still covered the letter paper on her knee with her hand, and at the same time replied in a soft voice: " I am writing……"

In the next second, she heard her newly-acquainted friend crackling: "Write a letter? Who is it addressed to? Family members? Over there in the Ogure Tribal Country? Ah, right, I shouldn't inquire about it." These, this is private—sorry, just pretend I didn’t say it. Speaking of which, I haven’t written a letter for a long time. The last time I wrote a letter to my father was during the recovery day... But with the magic network communication, who would write As for the letter, a connection has been established on the north coast... It would be great if the Ogure tribal country can communicate with Cecil directly, I heard that you have already started to build the magic net?"

The sound of the peas was crackling non-stop like pouring beans. Mei Li Baizhi was shocked by the aura of the language in an instant, unable to insert a word from the beginning to the end, until the other party finally came to an end, the gray elf girl finally came to an end. When I had a chance to speak, my voice was lower than before: "I'm writing a letter to my mother..."

Then she waited for another two seconds before continuing, "The magic net is also being built in the Ogulei tribal country...my mother is in charge."

"Really?" Pea suddenly showed surprise, and then admired, "Ah... yes, your mother is the leader of the gray elves, and she was the first to expand trade and introduce technology with the Western Territory. Dad said that he admired your mother very much. He said that there are stubborn stones everywhere in the north. If those stones have half the knowledge and wisdom of your mother, things will be at least a hundred times easier for him there..."

"The 'stone' mentioned by Lord Byron is probably not just a stone..." the gray elf Meili Baizhi reminded in a low voice, but her weak voice was quickly covered by the crackling words behind the pea.

But she wasn't upset or annoyed in any way - she was used to it.

Probably, this is why they can become friends.

……

"College life...it seems a little envious."

Amber sat on the high wall, looking at the courtyard in front of the castle-like main building of Imperial College, looking at the students who were immersed in the most beautiful years in the world, and couldn't help but chanted with emotion.

Her legs protruded out of the edge of the wall, dangling in mid-air, looking quite comfortable.

A figure appeared beside her like a ghost, turning into a bald man with a scar on his face: "Boss, do you want to go to school?"

"What kind of school do I go to, do I seem to be able to enter school? I also go in to give lectures!" Amber immediately glared at her deputy, "Stop talking nonsense, talk about business."

"I've checked it out. One of the students in this batch is definitely a spy, and the other two are suspected. The others are fine," scar-faced Anton was reprimanded, and his expression immediately became serious, and he began to report seriously, " We have already fixed the communication channels of those three people, and the 'Magician' special team is trying to figure out a way to do something without alarming them. The other batches of international students are fine, including Dana, who is the one who is following closely—— She is indeed the daughter of an earl of Typhon, her identity is innocent and there is no problem, the previous contact with Fendil Wilder was not premeditated, it should be purely bad-minded."

"It's not bad... Typhon people are indeed here for knowledge, and they are not stupid enough to waste precious academic opportunities on useless espionage activities. You keep a close eye on those people, whether they are spies or If you are suspected of being a spy, if you are sure you have the opportunity to instigate rebellion, then instigate rebellion. If you have no chance, don’t alarm the target. Just keep monitoring. They will be treasures in the future. When the Eternal Sleepers evacuated, we lost some of the manpower we placed in Typhon. These losses We have to find a way to make up for it..."

Scarface Anton nodded: "I understand, boss."

Amber waved her hand, and Anton disappeared silently on the fence. Then she turned her gaze to the courtyard again, and sighed softly:

"College life..."

Chapter 0897 A Line Across Time

Since the middle of the summer, everything has been on the right track, and this huge country has gradually accelerated its development according to the track that Gao Wen set for it.

In the study room covered with velvet carpet, the cool cold wind is slowly blowing from the air outlet in the corner of the room. The sunlight before noon is very bright, making the simple bookshelves and decorative weapon racks in the study room look brighter than before Many, Gawain sat in his usual chair and listened to the report, while Hetty stood opposite his desk.

The desk is newly replaced, and the style is almost the same as before.

"This is a report on diplomatic and economic activities from the western region," Hetty simply reported the content while putting the compiled documents in front of Gao Wen, "Generally, the contacts with the remaining tribes of Ogure Everything is going well—including the spirit race who have been unclear before. So far, the gray elves and human tribes that have contacted us first have established stable business exchanges with the empire, and have agreed to introduce magic nets and railway systems within their sphere of influence. The remaining few races agree to establish commercial channels, as for the magic net and the railway...they have to wait until they see the 'effectiveness' in the gray elves and human territories."

Gao Wen nodded with satisfaction: "The Ogulei tribal country is a loose alliance, and they themselves are used to it. Dealing with them can only be done step by step. At least the Five Kings Council has shown a friendly willingness so far. It is the biggest progress. Is there any news from the dwarf kingdom on the west coast of the mainland?"

"The dwarves are very interested in our machines, and there are gray elves to help us set up a bridge. The negotiation has been smooth, but the land transportation between us and the dwarves is inconvenient. Not only does it have to pass through the entire Ogure tribal country, Moreover, there are large areas of forest and mountains, so the official start of trade must wait until the North Port is put into use - take the western coastal route. Before that, the dwarves should not buy our heavy machinery on a large scale due to cost considerations. "

"It shouldn't be too long... North Port is progressing smoothly, and the Kraken technical team that we talked about before should arrive at the North Coast in two days, which can just speed up the progress of ship construction there," Gao Wen said casually. said, "Is there anything else to report?"

"One more thing," Hetty nodded, "Ms. Wenna Baizhi, the tribal leader of the gray elves, hopes to further expand the export quota of alchemy raw materials. She seems to plan to create a new economic 'signature' for the moss forest—to let the gray The alchemy raw materials mastered by the elves have become an important economic pillar of the Ogure Tribal State."

"Grey elves... I remember that Wenna patriarch's daughter is studying at Imperial College now?"

Heti slightly recalled and nodded: "Yes, Meili Baizhi is a freshman this year. She has been enrolled in the Department of Magic and Guidance through the standard procedures for international students, with a minor in alchemy and social management."

"Study in all three departments?" Gawain couldn't help raising his eyebrows, "He's a hard-working kid... Wait, a gray elf freshman in the magic department? Could it be that Kamel jumped out of the window when he was giving a lecture last time?" that is……"

"It's her." The corner of Hetty's mouth seemed to tremble, "Imperial College has begun to strengthen classroom management and safety around teaching facilities..."

"...The gray elves were the first foreign race to establish a good relationship with the empire, and they were also the force that had always maintained a good relationship with the Moen dynasty in the Ansu era." After two seconds of silence, Gawain abruptly brought the topic back on track. "They are a race that is very good at doing business, and they have traveled all over the western continent. Gray elf merchants are even called 'the link of the western continent'. It is necessary for us to deal with such a race—and they are interested in new things. It will also help us to promote new machines and industrial products to the west of the mainland. 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," Hetty nodded, "I will organize an internal meeting when I go back, and give an answer to the gray elves as soon as possible."

Gao Wen hummed, and was about to ask something more, but a knock on the door suddenly came from outside the study door.

After getting Gao Wen's response, the door of the study was opened, and an old man with a refined and calm demeanor and deep and quiet eyes walked in - Godwin Orlando, who was in charge of the cultural department.

Gawain looked up at this old scholar who joined Cecil in the earliest days and made great contributions to this country. After noticing the other party's attire, he raised his eyebrows in surprise: Orlando is wearing a brand new suit today. He wore a black formal suit and black trousers, with a golden watch chain hanging down from the breast pocket, his gray hair was combed meticulously, and he wore a pair of bookish gold-rimmed glasses, which were not the same as the old scholar's usual The customary dress is very different.

"Your Majesty," Godwin greeted Gao Wen first, and then nodded when he saw Hetty was there, "Grand Consul Hetty, good day."

"Are you starting to wear new formal clothes?" Gao Wen asked casually with interest.

"Ah... yes, it's a try," Godwin was about to report the situation, but he couldn't help being startled when he heard Gawain's words, then he looked down at his clothes, with a slightly reserved smile on his face, " After all, there are mostly young people in the government affairs hall now, and even the elderly have gradually changed their attire. The old scholar's robes are only worn on ceremonial occasions... Last week, even Pittman ordered a formal dress, I Let’s try it too.”

Then the old scholar asked again uneasy: "Isn't it strange that I look like this?"

"It suits you very well," Gao Wen said with a smile, "You seem much more energetic—and following the trend is not a bad thing."

"That's good—I was awkward when I wore it to go out today." The old man moved his neck from side to side, "It's actually very comfortable, but I always feel like I'm imprisoned by the fabric... Fortunately, I'm getting used to it now. gone."

While speaking, he came to Gao Wen's desk, and casually took out a report from his file book and handed it over: "Your Majesty, the 'Literature Preservation' project has made some progress recently, and I have compiled it into a report. .”

The "preservation of cultural knowledge" in his mouth is Gao Wen's large-scale investigation and protection and induction project of various classics, legends, knowledge, history and other files and materials across the country. "The abbreviation of Godwin Orlando is one of the main leaders of this project.

Gao Wen took the report and began to roughly scan the content, while Godwin added some details:

"We have successfully sorted out the aristocratic genealogy of the entire western region from the first dynasty to the second dynasty, and registered it according to the current noble list...

"...We have found some valuable documents in the great library of Saint-Sunil, which may help us to decipher some historical truths about the most chaotic period of the Second Dynasty of Ansu..."

At the beginning, this old scholar who specialized in document management reported such relatively "normal" things, but soon he mentioned the content of the second half of the report about technology recovery, and the details reported made Gao Wen's expression Get weird:

"...Last week a working group contacted the locals when sorting out the local case files in the Pompeii area, and made an unexpected discovery in a village. The local villagers took out their 'protection scrolls' passed down from generation to generation, and communicated with us Shared the construction technology of the Type II artificial intelligence logic library, Dean Jenny judged that this technology is related to the Iron Man of Gondor, and may help us solve the problem of automatic coordination of factory machinery...

"... Sir Vip Grant's investigation of the collections of noble families in various places has also made progress. A baron in the Westland found a blueprint of a key structure of a photolithographic wafer etching machine in his cellar——the name The ancestor of the baron may be one of the extremely rare escaped scholars of Gondor during the second pioneering period. His descendants coincidentally preserved the precious technology, but because only a part of the blueprints were preserved and the family inheritance was interrupted, the role of these blueprints was forgotten. .Master Kamel believes that the photolithographic chip etching technology of the Gondor era can no longer be used in modern times, but some runes and mechanical structures on the drawings are still of reference value...

"...a wandering swordsman in the eastern region shared with us the key technology of the light wave suppressor - he held an energy conduit that was completely invalid but still had a reference structure inside. For hundreds of years, he and his The family has been using this energy conduit to crack walnuts, completely unaware that it is a legacy from the age of Gondor. Master Kamel believes that this conduit may help us solve the heat dissipation problem of the rainbow generator.

"In addition, the wandering swordsman who has contributed has been rewarded. In view of the hidden dangers of illegal possession of weapons and the tightening of the registration system for supernatural beings, this swordsman is currently receiving education and training from the local security forces. He intends to become a A local magistrate——Similar cases of "incorporation" have been increasing in the Eastern Territory recently. Due to the gradual stabilization of the social order and the continuous implementation of the new system, those "wild" transcendents who were originally difficult to control are now coming in groups was codified."

Godwin Orlando reported the key content meticulously. Even though his original major was clerical work, even though he was old, he still recounted the content of these technical fields without missing anything—until Gao Wen’s weird expression became particularly obvious He couldn't help but stopped: "Your Majesty, what's the problem?"

"Uh... no, no problem," Gao Wen couldn't help but rubbed the center of his brows. He felt that the way "the villagers in XX area shared XX technology with you" really made people feel an indescribable sense of disobedience, but just now The existence of the heritage of the Duo Empire and the comprehensive dating of modern technology and culture make this situation seem natural, and he has no way to explain the slots in it to others, so he can only suffocate his full stomach in his bronchi, " The progress is... good, very good."

Then he looked up at Godwin, on the one hand to divert his embarrassment, on the other hand he sighed sincerely: "It's really difficult for a clerical staff like you to sort out technical things."

"Please don't say that—it's not all sorted out by me alone," Godwin said hastily. People are working hard to protect those precious intellectual heritages, so as to prevent them from completely sinking and being lost in the dust of history. There are many departments involved in this work, including both the cultural field and the technical field. Professionals are responsible for the specific control, and I was lucky enough to become one of the leaders of the entire project because I was good at summarizing data and a few years of insignificant qualifications... I only feel honored and fortunate, and I will not complain at all."

Gawain looked into the old gentleman's eyes, slowly revealed a smile, and nodded: "That's good."

Then he lowered his head again, looking at the last part of the report.

After a few seconds, his brows suddenly frowned, and then slowly relaxed, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

"Ancestor?" Hetty noticed the change in Gawain's expression, and couldn't help asking, "Is there any problem?"

"... Archbishop Seven of Luan City found an ancient book in the church collection..." Gawain said slowly, "It is highly suspected that the book "Modir's Travels" lost by the Wilder family in the north."

"Modir's travelogue?" Hetty was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized, "Is it the grand duke of the Wilder family who was keen on traveling and exploring 600 years ago? The one who forged the 'Cold Calamity' talisman? "

"It's him," Gawain nodded, and put the report on the table. "He once left a travel journal, but it was lost many years ago, and it was found hidden in the cathedral of Luan City. But it's not The key, the key is... this travel diary may also be related to Amber."

Hetty was taken aback immediately: "Amber? How could a travel diary left by the Duke of the North 600 years ago have anything to do with her?"

Gao Wen didn't answer Hetty's question immediately, but looked at Godwin first: "Has the travel book been delivered yet?"

"Yes, it was sent to the Imperial Capital as soon as it was repaired on site," Godwin Orlando immediately replied, "It has been copied and archived now. Do you need its original copy?"

Gawain nodded: "Bring it here, as soon as possible."

Then he looked at Hetty again: "What is Amber doing now?"

"It should be over there in office 25. She is going to chair a meeting today..."

"Tell her to come to me directly after the meeting," Gao Wen said in a deep voice, "Just say... I have something to show her."

"Yes, ancestor."

Chapter 0898 Travel Notes

After the meeting of the Military Intelligence Bureau, Amber went straight to Gao Wen's study.

Gao Wen was sitting behind the desk at this time, carefully flipping through an ancient book that had been repaired and reinforced. His eyes moved slowly over the mottled pages and the letters redrawn by the book repairer. The scent of the alchemy potion that had not yet dissipated slowly drifted into his nostrils. The contents of this ancient travel book made him fall into thought from time to time, and then a voice from the air suddenly interrupted his movements—— —

"Hey! I heard you looking for me just after the meeting!" Amber's figure emerged from the air, with an eternally elated energy, "Another task that requires processing money?"

Gao Wen raised his head from the ancient book, glanced at Amber standing in front of him, a smile appeared on his face, and pointed to the chair beside the desk: "Sit down, I have something I want you to see."

Immediately, Amber noticed something unusual behind Gawain's smile and tone. This "half-elf" who seemed carefree but actually quite sharp immediately shook his ears and frowned suspiciously: "You This is... what do you want to show me?"

Gao Wen stood up from behind the desk, took a long breath, and gently pushed the ancient book forward: "Here - don't worry, it has been repaired, and it won't be damaged so easily."

"A book?" Amber was stunned for a moment when she saw that it was just a book, and subconsciously took it over, but soon her indifferent expression gradually froze, and she vaguely noticed What, there was a complex and unbelievable look in her eyes, she slowly raised her head and looked at Gao Wen, "...is that book?"

"I have found the definite evidence," Gawain nodded lightly, "an unknown shadow thief tried to steal it from a certain church—that's why this book was sent to the library of St. Luan's Cathedral Save it in China. We compared all the information we could find, and finally confirmed that it is what your adoptive father wanted to steal back then."

"That's it... just for it..." The ever-joyful expression on Amber's face gradually faded, she grasped the mottled cover of the ancient book with some force, but soon let go as if she was afraid of damage, She stared at the letters that had been repaired on the cover, and slowly stroked them with her fingers. Her eyes changed several times, but in the end she neither cried nor smiled.

After a long time, she looked up at Gao Wen: "I saw you were reading it just now... What's so special about this book?"

"Strictly speaking, it is made up of several books—several fragments of chapters that a poor compiler has forced together, and of the 'parts' that make up the book, the The largest proportion, and the one I think is most likely to arouse your adoptive father's interest, is a travelogue."

Amber's eyes widened: "Travel notes?"

"The Travels of Mordir," Gawain nodded, "The author is the Duke of the North 600 years ago, Mordir Wilde."

As the person in charge of intelligence, Amber is no stranger to this name and the relevant information behind the name, she was taken aback: "...You mean, the notebook that the Wilder family lost?! The one that Victoria also mentioned to you? "

Gawain nodded, and pointed to the ancient book in Amber's hand with his chin: "Now it's in your hand."

"But... why would my adoptive father..." Amber looked down at the "Travel Notes" in her hand with incomprehensible eyes, "Is this worth the risk he took?"

"I was also trying to find the reason just now, looking for the reason from the content of the travel book, but I haven't found it yet," Gao Wen said, "I only have the last bit left, maybe we can find it together. If your adoptive father He decided to take the risk after hearing part of this travel note, and if his information is correct, then we will definitely see it."

Amber nodded immediately, went to Gao Wen's side and opened the book—after glancing at the contents inside, she scratched her hair in embarrassment: "Um...it seems that I mainly need you to find..."

She saw that the text of the travelogue was composed of a large number of dizzying and indecipherable words and phrases: it was the lingua franca of mankind 600 years ago, which was closer to the writing of the ancient Gondor Empire, although the lingua franca of modern humans Chinese slang is derived from it, but after hundreds of years of changes, the spelling of these words and the grammar of the whole sentence have been very different from the contemporary ones.

Amber can only vaguely recognize some short sentences in it, but to fully understand it, the difficulty is probably comparable to that of an ancient Gondor work.

She suddenly understood why a "poor editor" would put together such a book and several other irrelevant miscellaneous books. Obviously, only specialized senior scholars who had studied characters and people who had a lot of knowledge Only priests can understand this stuff-of course, an old rice dumpling resurrected from the age of Gondor will do.

Gao Wen naturally knew this, so he didn't shirk it, and after moving the book a little to his side, he and Amber began to identify the words on it.