Sword of Dawn

Page 302

"Ah, Your Excellency the Grand Consul! Thank you for your concern, but I don't dare to relax," the palace adviser said with a serious face after seeing Hetty, saluting, "I have been a court scholar for most of my life, and I am not afraid of all etiquette. The regulations are well known, but now I have a brand new set of procedures in my hands. Not only did His Majesty cancel the kneeling and kissing ceremony of the subjects, he even canceled the crown, and added salutes, marching phalanxes and new military music - I dare not let The slightest mistake in these things will bring shame to my family's reputation."

Hetty smiled and shook her head slightly: "No one will be ashamed today, today is a day of glory."

She turned around, raised her head, and stared at the end of the hall, at the dark blue drapery hanging on the wall, hanging down from the high dome—the light golden silk thread traced the curtain on the drapery. The emblem of sword and plow makes people think of the meaning behind the emblem: guarding and pioneering, laying down a human habitat in the dark age with swords and soldiers, and multiplying the earth with hard work.

As if it was only yesterday, this emblem of glory was still hanging in the dilapidated old castle of the Cecil family. In addition to reliving the splendor while reading the books, she couldn't even imagine what it would be like to light up all the lights in the old castle.

How dare she think back then that this emblem would hang on the wall of Silver Castle one day?

The sound of footsteps came from behind, Hetty turned her head and saw Victoria wearing a white court dress with long silver hair pulled up high, the Duchess of the North nodded to her: "Ms. Radiant."

This is quite an old-fashioned greeting and courtesy, but considering the cold appearance of the Duchess of the North on weekdays, those who are familiar with it will know that this is already the greatest enthusiasm and kindness she can show, Hetty smiled: "You are the same, as beautiful as the ice and snow in winter."

"Today is a big day," Victoria said indifferently, "Duke Baldwin and I will make sure everything goes smoothly."

Hetty glanced around the hall. In addition to the team from the southern region, there were many faces she was not familiar with: the existing nobles in the capital, the selected church representatives, knights, and other various people. .

The ones who maintained this order were naturally the two Grand Dukes, Victoria and Baldwin, who were familiar with the environment.

"I hope these people can keep their eyes open today," Hetty said softly. "Signing is better than hanging."

"They will," Victoria's cold voice came from the side, "Those who don't sign... will not appear here."

In the corner of the hall, Duke Baldwin Franklin took out the mechanical watch from his pocket and glanced at the scale on it.

"It's almost time."

……

It's almost time.

On the edge of the wide square outside the Silver Castle, countless citizens, businessmen, and even ordinary people from the outer city have gathered. In the several viewing areas separated by the Castle Guards and Cecil Combatants, the crowds are almost impenetrable. .

The area where people were allowed to stand on the square was already full, and the open area near Silver Fort was guarded by soldiers. Countless people who failed to get a good position had to gather farther away. They climbed onto the roof at the edge of the square, even They climbed onto nearby towers, street lamps, and flagpoles, so that the soldiers patrolling the outer area had to approach the crowd over and over again, shouting with amplified magic, and drive those who were too dangerous from the heights.

Those who live near the square benefit greatly today. They even rent out their window sills and roofs at a high price, and surprisingly many people are willing to pay. Almost within half a day, all the good locations Then it was looted...

The huge sun gradually rose, and the mages cast spells ahead of time to disperse the clouds near Saint-Sunil, and the bright sun began to spread all over the city. The crowd gathered around the square was crowded and shaking, and countless pairs of eyes were focused on the direction of the Silver Fort. Finally, several loud shouts suddenly came from the front of the crowd:

"Someone came out!" "There is a figure on the balcony on the second floor!" "The door is also open!"

Accompanied by the sound of heavy iron chains rolling, the gate of Silver Fort slowly opened halfway, and a cavalry team lined up from the gate. A long red carpet extends from the castle to the end of the drawbridge.

The crowd in the square suddenly became agitated, and everyone stretched their necks, staring at the direction of the gate of the castle—according to traditional etiquette, the monarch will soon appear through that gate, accept the kneeling greetings of his subjects, and then The ceremonial officer and the regent duke appeared on the stage to announce the legitimacy of the monarch and the transfer of royal power. For many common people, this is almost the only chance to see the royal family members in their lives-worthy of bragging when they go back About half a year.

However, the people did not see the monarch appearing in the castle. They only saw a group of knights standing at the door, blocking the way from the main entrance of the castle to the inner courtyard. Before the confusion gradually spread among the crowd, a powerful voice Suddenly, it came from above, and spread throughout the square with the power of amplification magic:

"Attention all! The first infantry formation, start—go!!"

Many people were startled by the sudden sound, and the crowd around the square became a little commotion, and then, another strange sound came to their ears—it sounded like rattling at first. The voice of the stone was neat and rhythmic, but soon the voice became louder, even shaking people's nerves like drumbeats.

People finally see what the source of the sound is——

Soldiers, arrayed in square formations, heavily armed soldiers.

People stretched their necks, opened their eyes wide, and watched the scene on the square in a little bewilderment. They saw row after row of soldiers appearing in neat lines, each soldier wearing the same clothes. They saw that the commander at the front was holding a sharp sword, the soldiers in the first row were holding up the flag, and the rest of the soldiers were walking in shocking order. The pace, the neat and rhythmic sound, was actually the sound of their boots hitting the ground!

After seeing the free and undisciplined private soldiers of the nobles and the various equipment of the Kingdom Army under the "bring your own equipment" system, the scene in front of you is inconceivable to everyone in the square, even almost weird and shocking. What people are afraid of - it's just the arrangement of people, how can it be like this?

At the same time as the infantry phalanx appeared, some sharp-eyed people finally saw some movement inside the gate of the castle.

The knights retreated to the sides with neat steps, and the gate leading to the castle courtyard was completely opened, and a colossal figure emitting a faint light, making it impossible to see what it was, was slowly poking its head out from inside. .

It took a moment for people to see what it was——

It was a gigantic, eerie skull marching forward.

It was placed on a large vehicle powered by magic. The skull almost completely covered the vehicle. The surface of the crystal bones glowed slightly, and there seemed to be a powerful soul hidden in the empty eye sockets. It was hard for people to imagine. What kind of powerful creature this huge skull is left behind, but just looking at its pale surface, everyone will feel a visceral shock and awe - but this mighty creature is dead, it What appeared here was just a skull.

Gawain's figure stood above the skull, on a platform made of steel and nailed through the skull. He was wearing a solemn black dress, without a crown on his head, but holding a long sword and a diamond brooch in his hand. Pinned to his chest, the brooch glistened in the sun's rays.

On both sides of the steel platform, there are two metal structures that look like wings. The cloth curtain with the emblem of sword and plow hangs from the top of the wings until it is close to the ground.

The huge skull marched to the front of the suspension bridge, where it stopped firmly, and several escort chariots followed from behind, lined up on both sides of the skull.

Gawain looked down at the square on the other side of the suspension bridge, and the infantry phalanx arrived in front of him almost at the same time.

A loud voice resounded in the square:

"Standing!"

The infantry phalanx stopped instantly, and there was almost only the sound of military boots stamping on the ground.

"Draw the sword!"

Numerous melting and cutting swords were pulled out at the same time, and the blades were forward, standing neatly in front of each soldier's left.

"Light up the blade—"

"Salute to His Majesty!!"

Chapter 0674 Age of Empire

This is not a coronation.

Calling today's ceremony a "coronation" is simply because most people in this era are more familiar with this term.

Gawain leaned on the long sword of the pioneer and stood on the skull of a false god like a mountain top. The black platform had a deep texture completely different from the style of the royal family in the past. The wings made of steel spread out on both sides of the platform, carrying the empire The veil of the emblem extends all the way to the ground, and in front of the emblem is the Iron Ranger regiment entering the square.

Different from the black armor of the magic infantry, the fully enclosed helmet full of mystery, the more orderly phalanx, and the more cutting-edge weapons, the appearance of the second phalanx once again caused a commotion in the crowd inside and outside the square, and this kind of The shock also spread to the platform in the castle area.

The royal nobles, merchant representatives, old knight officers and church representatives who were invited to watch the ceremony wore their most beautiful dresses and performed dozens of drills at home, ready to welcome the king's coronation and cheering preparations, but when this moment really came, they almost all forgot how to react.

This is not a coronation, this is a display and a meaningful "telling".

The Earl of Cromwell White Mountain stood on the platform of the Silver Fort. This knight lord with dwarf blood stared at the soldiers marching in line and their uniform equipment. Only now did he finally realize that this army The team is two completely different things from the army he has been in contact with before, and he also realized why Cecil's rise is inevitable.

He sighed softly: "Your Majesty Wales... It seems that this is why you let me stay..."

"Seeing it with your own eyes is very beneficial for those of us who are lucky enough to survive." The earl of Bahrain straightened his neck tie while talking. The slightly fat earl glanced at the many faces on the platform , Among these faces, some were bowing their heads in thought, some were trembling slightly, but no matter who they were, there was inevitably a trace of awe.

Not far away, the Duke of Baldwin and the Duchess of Victoria were talking, and the Duke of the Western Territory sighed in a low voice: "Only by ensuring food production first can we spread education on a large scale, and only by ensuring basic education and food supply can we carry out industrialization. To produce and train professional soldiers, such an army can be realized only by ensuring the supply of equipment and food, and at the same time rigorously training and re-educating professional soldiers. This is a complete chain with inseparable links between each other.”

The Duchess of the North nodded slightly: "The reason why the New Deal failed at the beginning was because we only copied a few of the rings, and these rings eventually turned into bonsai for self-entertainment, and it is difficult to become a forest..."

Cromwell Baishan listened to the words coming from behind him. In meditation, he looked towards the square. On the wide road on the east side, chariots lined up neatly were entering the arena.

On the edge of the Silver Fort Square, the gathered citizens have calmed down from the initial shock. Although they did not understand the meaning of this extraordinary "coronation ceremony", the Cecil Legion marched in line. The scene is enough to make these people who lack daily entertainment feel completely fresh and surprised.

Those soldiers and chariots are majestic and intimidating. They are undoubtedly a terrifying army that can scare the enemy on the battlefield, but this army is not the enemy here—a subtle sense of excitement stirs up the crowd in the square. People, let them discuss fervently uncontrollably, and finally burst into cheers.

And among the cheering and commotion crowd, in a small open space isolated by the soldiers, a group of technicians wearing magician robes were manipulating several mechanical devices. The optical crystals were calibrated and pointed in the direction of the Silver Fort. The young man in a tuxedo explained excitedly beside the machine: "...This is the scene of Saint-Sunil, the Iron Ambassador phalanx is being inspected by His Majesty... There are cheers from all directions, Miss Witch, did you hear that— — cheers everywhere!"

As soon as the young man finished speaking, another burst of shouts suddenly came from the east side of the square, and accompanied by the shouts, there was also a continuous piece of holy light that spread like a cloud.

Wearing heavy armor, holding a warhammer and an iron-cased prayer book, the White Knights entered the square with heavy and powerful steps.

The surging holy light reverberates within this team. Although the number of people is the smallest, the power and sense of presence of this battle group are almost the strongest among all the teams so far. The former Holy See knights and nuns shrouded in holy light...

People continued to cheer and discuss. Ordinary people often do not see how much symbolic meaning is hidden in a ritualized stage. They just feel that this scene is novel and spectacular. In an instant, he became dignified and quiet.

The nobles looked at each other for a while, and the knights and merchant representatives looked at the area where the church personnel gathered, but saw the priests in the priest's robes just standing there quietly, expressionless and calm. Watch it happen.

Among the group of priests, Veronica, holding a platinum scepter, showed a slight smile and said softly, "Now, the army of God is going to be inspected by the emperor."

In a room in a tower of Silver Castle, Melita Purnia, wearing a veil, stood in front of the window, watching the scene on the square through the crystal glass. The humanoid dragon smiled lightly and returned to the table.

There is a stack of manuscripts on the table. The manuscript has been turned to the last page. On the tough enchanted parchment, there is only one sentence written:

To sum up, even if the road is difficult, our success is inevitable, which is determined by the laws of history...

The agent lady blinked, and said to herself in a low voice under the veil: "This thing...it's not easy for me to ask for a price."

On the square, due to the small number of arms in the new empire, this "military parade" did not last long. In the end, all the phalanxes completed their review. The corps returned to the open space in front of the suspension bridge according to the scheduled procedure, and quickly changed teams amidst the command of the commander, and lined up in three rows, facing the crowd outside the square.

It was only at this moment that Gao Wen finally moved. He held the hilt of the sword with one hand, raised the other hand slightly, and the voice resounded all around: "Everyone has--

"Raise the sword, light the blade—

"Hail to the citizens of the Empire!"

The previous cheers and noise disappeared in an instant. After a moment of silence, an expected commotion spread among the crowd. When the imperial soldiers really raised their swords to salute, almost everyone subconsciously raised their swords in fear and helplessness. Half a step back, and then people began to look at each other, looking at the scene in bewilderment.

They cannot understand this scene.

Gao Wen knew that this was inevitable, but he just wanted to leave this scene to history.

Before the commotion continued, the large holographic projection device installed in front of the Silver Castle was activated.

Accompanied by the humming of low magical power, huge light curtains rose from the ground, appearing out of thin air like clock towers. The crowd in the square was shocked for a moment, they quieted down, and then widened their eyes, staring at the holographic projection with full concentration The scene presented.

The Magical Legion set off from the Rock Fortress, set foot on the Plain of the Holy Spirit, and headed north all the way.

Cities and villages have been destroyed by the army of clusters, corpses are everywhere in the desolate ruins, and ferocious monsters roam the battlefield.

The soldiers fought bravely, the earth was turned into scorched earth, cities were recaptured, and the only remaining refugees were sent to the rear by transport teams.

The armored train opened fire on the track, and the steel defense line set up between the mountains and mountains fired in unison. The defense line was continuously broken through and counterattacked.

These pictures have been selected, and the parts that may cause panic have been skipped. However, even so, the crowd in the square still rioted again and again, and some people even wanted to run away in fear: the shock brought by the holographic projection is huge. , these ordinary people who have just experienced the Battle of San Sunil are even more so.

But in the end, the crowd maintains order—because people haven't seen holograms before.Magic is everywhere in this world. Even if ordinary people cannot grasp it, at least they have seen it. They realized from the beginning that these are images recorded by magic. After experiencing the initial tension, they calmed down and started Looking at the shocking scenes.

Outside of Saint-Sunil, where they couldn't see, the war turned out to be so brutal.

In the end, all the video materials were finished, and Gao Wen's full-body portrait appeared on the huge projection.

"My people, all who live in this land, whether you are slaves or freemen, merchants or peasants, soldiers or generals, commoners or nobles, whoever you are, wherever you are now— —

"Your Emperor now speaks to you.

"This country has experienced severe challenges and trials. All of us have just survived a disaster-the enemy tried to bring us down, with plague, with monsters, with war, and even with stolen power from the gods, but In the end, we still survived.

"We won.

"But any victory is temporary.

"Difficulties and challenges will always exist, whether it is war, or hunger, or plague, or other natural and man-made disasters. In this world, we have no way to escape, we can only resist head-on, because survival is our first priority. element.

"To survive, to face the challenges of this world, to those who try to kill us and to destroy us, I stand here and say to you that a new nation will burn Built on the reborn land.

"The Empire of Cecil will be a sanctuary for all in this land, glorious subjects of the Empire, future citizens, each of you belongs to it, and it will belong to each of you - we will Use diligence and wisdom to rebuild its ruins and clean its dirt. It will be strong and glorious because of each of you.

"We will fight hunger, we will fight pestilence, we will fight ignorance and ignorance, we will be fed, we will be fed, we will be safe, and however long it takes, we will make it come.

"I am your emperor, Gawain Cecil, and I promise you that everything I say here today will be the cornerstone of Cecil's empire and will be valid forever."

The holographic projections faded away.

The cheers were a few seconds late, and people seemed to be still thinking about His Majesty's exciting words, but the cheers finally rang out, resounding throughout the city of Saint-Sunil.

On the viewing platform of the Silver Castle, Rebecca, who was wearing a court dress, stared at all this with wide-eyed excitement. She wanted to raise her hand a few times, but hesitated to look at Hetty who was beside her in full dress. Aunt, put your hands away again.

The nearby attendants didn't know what Her Royal Highness wanted to do, and they all seemed a little at a loss. Finally, Hetty turned her head slightly and whispered in a voice that only Rebecca could hear:

"Today is an exception.

"Rub a big one—just as a memorial of a historical moment."

When the fireball, which was almost as big as a magic vehicle, flew out of the Silver Fort and exploded in the sky, the sound of salutes also came from the east and west sides of the square at the same time.

The ceremonial car started to turn and was about to return to the castle courtyard. Gawain exhaled softly and looked up at the sky.

His nerves relaxed a little, and he couldn't help but think of a question——

A few years later, "What is the diameter of the fireball that Princess Rebecca Cecil set off at the founding ceremony of the country, and what does it symbolize?" Will it become an abhorrent historical question?

The ceremony was still going on, and the follow-up etiquette process and finishing items would continue until around sunset, but Gawain, the new head of state of the empire, had roughly finished his work. Before the dinner began, he could go back to the castle to rest.

When he returned to the room, he was not surprised to see Melita Penia who had already been waiting here.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty Gawain Cecil," the agent lady smiled and said congratulatory words, "The Age of Empires has begun."

age of empires volume [-]

Chapter 0675 Legacy

Gawain couldn't help raising his eyebrows at Melita Purnia's words, "The Age of Empires...that's a very incisive statement."

"Being able to see this turning point in history is one of the biggest rewards I have gained since I came to this continent," the agent lady smiled. Imagination is even more impressive—this ceremony of yours will definitely be firmly remembered by many people."

Gao Wen put the saber away, came to the desk and sat down, and said casually: "Coronation is something that is meant for others to see, so naturally it needs to be impressive."