Sword of Dawn

Page 295

"If the old-style belief system and teachings don't change, then the shackles won't change. Just changing the title of the gods won't fundamentally liberate people's hearts. We all understand these simple truths," Veronica showed a slight smile , "But that's the fundamental change we're going to make, isn't it?"

Having said that, the disobedient paused, and continued to speak calmly: "So it can be understood in this way - if everyone realizes that the extraordinary power of the Holy Light belongs to everyone, if everyone realizes that every Individuals are free to think about the teachings. Everyone regards the gods as a kind of spiritual sustenance, not as the supreme commandment shackles and the master of their own destiny. It's pretty self-explanatory, isn't it?"

Wright quietly pondered the meaning of Veronica's words, and raised his head half a minute later: "Is this some kind of research conclusion of you as a 'disobedient'?"

"Let's count it for now," Veronica smiled, "but it can't be considered the final conclusion...Maybe it will be the day when mortals can directly confront the gods, the day when we find the kingdom of God and the gods." One day, we will be able to figure out what the gods are and how they work, and on that day, we will be able to find the final conclusion."

Wright pondered for a while, but did not continue to ask, but mentioned the actual problem in front of him: "The reform of the northern church will start with Saint-Sunil. The first step, I will establish here in the way of the southern church. A set of clergy structure, in which key positions are assumed by priests mobilized from the southern church, what suggestions do you have in this regard?"

"The old bishops have disappeared, so you will not encounter any obstacles at this level, but when you start to touch the interests of the middle and lower priests, you will inevitably encounter resistance—but the lower the middle priests, the more you will be. The more secular ways can be used to solve them, the more human weaknesses they have than the 'divinity'. Money, violence, division and disintegration, psychological offensive, all these methods will be effective for them.

"Secondly, you must ensure that there is sufficient force to maintain this whole process. The white knights are very powerful, and their force is suitable. Please don't be kind. The situation in the north is different from that in the south. There are many extremely stubborn conservative priests here. They will not tolerate your kindness.

"Finally, for the vast majority of believers, the power of the word 'oracle' is infinite. Make full use of these two words to make them believe and follow. In the northern region, this method is the most effective. But pay attention , don’t abuse these two words, ‘doing things in the name of God’ is a huge temptation, if you indulge in it, you will be no different from the original northern church, and you will fall into the shackles of the gods unknowingly.”

Wright nodded slightly.

Veronica's suggestion is similar to what Gao Wen told him in private, but it is more detailed and more in line with the special situation in the northern region. This may prove that the "disobedient" in front of him is worth cooperating with.

"Oracle..." Wright muttered softly, slightly sighing, "Then we need to further strengthen the glorious image of Saint Ivan III..."

"In order to make our reforms more unimpeded and to make the 'Oracle' more orthodox and persuasive, a noble sacrifice is essential." Veronica said quietly, and turned her head, looking at the hall The empty holy seat in the center.

"Glory to the dead, since the Pope has been honorably called by the Lord, then we can confidently and boldly attribute all righteousness to him..."

Chapter 0661

This ancient yet young country has survived a disaster like rebirth from the ashes. Although the road ahead is still shrouded in a layer of haze, a ray of sunshine has penetrated through layers of clouds and fog and sprinkled on this land that is glowing with vitality. on the ground.

In the city of Cecil, the atmosphere on the eve of the celebration is becoming more and more intense. Brightly colored flags have been hung on several main avenues. Municipal workers are hanging red and green ribbons on street lamps and buildings facing the street. Children are waving The scraps of ribbons picked up on the side of the road ran across the wide concrete streets laughing all the way, and citizens in brand-new costumes talked about the latest news in the streets and alleys, some with smiles on their faces, and some with serious faces.

Newsboys with satchels on their backs ran across the streets, loudly hawking the latest issue of Cecil Weekly or other newspapers. Newspapers exuding the fragrance of ink poked their heads out of their satchels, and the headlines in large print were very eye-catching— —

"Anzu's royal power ended peacefully, and the Saint-Sunil Temporary Government Office announced to the whole territory: the great Cecil Empire is about to be established"

Magic Technology Research Institute, on the third floor of the main building, Cohen Bell watched the newsboys running across the street, looked away from the outside, smiled and shook his head: "These kids who sell newspapers are going to be happy recently, big news one after another one."

A tall man with a slightly bald head shrugged his shoulders: "There are also taverns and chess and card rooms that are happy. Every day, there are countless 'newspaper clerks' and 'broadcast government officials' discussing the future there. I have already found It’s no longer a place where you can spend your off-get off work time quietly.”

"It's a problem for you to go to the tavern and the chess and card room to find quietness." Cohen glanced at the colleague, "I suggest you try the new 'cafe' on Jinfangchui Street, which is opened by a northerner. The environment is good, and the drinks are very... novel."

The two researchers were chatting, but their chat was quickly interrupted - the door of the laboratory was suddenly pushed open, and an energetic voice came from the door: "Hey! Good morning everyone! Good morning! Are we ready for the tests we are going to do today?"

Braided Rebecca greeted her as she walked into the lab, her braids swaying behind her head, and a beaming vibe lingered all over her body—in fact, She's been so beaming for a long time lately.

Those who are familiar with her know the reason for this joy: the ancestors are in charge of the imperial conquest, the aunt is in charge of the government affairs hall, the two elders are very busy, and all the affairs of the magic technology department belong to the Marquis (currently still Miss Marquis) alone, and due to the dual priority policy of wartime scientific research and military industry, the recent funding approval of the Magic Energy Technology Department is very sufficient. For Rebecca, who often has amazing ideas, this kind of life is simply a dream moment.

She's been out for almost two months now, and looks like she'll be out for a while...

Grand Consul Ms. Hetty may have a headache after seeing Rebecca like this, but people working in the research department are very happy to see a minister (director) in this state, because Rebecca in a runaway state He has a sharp mind that is difficult for ordinary people. Recently, several research projects have made quite good progress-it is true that this depends on the joint efforts of researchers, but Rebecca's leadership is also indispensable.

"Miss Rebecca," Cohen bowed like everyone else, with a smile on his face, "everything is ready and ready to start."

"Not bad~~" Rebecca maintained a beaming smile, and walked straight to the large platform in the center of the laboratory. There are a large number of various magical devices around the platform, and on the platform is a large platform with a diameter of about two meters. , a palm-width metal ring device with a large number of runes and crystal inlays on the surface.

The team members gathered together one after another, and each came to their work positions. The tall man who was slightly bald while adjusting the energy supply of the experimental platform asked casually: "Miss Rebecca, did you read today's newspaper . . . Ah, you must have known the news long before the papers?"

As soon as this sentence was finished, the surrounding magicians stopped their movements one after another, all of them showed expressions of interest, and slightly raised their ears, but Rebecca, who was the center, was stunned for a moment: " Huh? I didn’t read it...Mr. Marin, what’s the news?”

With an expression of "knowing this earlier", Cohen held his forehead a little helplessly, and reminded him: "About the Cecil Empire...you should know that the Ansu kingship is over."

"... Oh!" Rebecca reacted for another two seconds before suddenly reacting, and slapped her hands, "Yes! I heard Aunt Hetty mention it at dinner last night... what else did she say... but At that time, my mind was full of formulas, and I didn't write them down..."

"You..." Ma Lin, a slightly bald magician, opened his mouth, but suddenly found that he didn't know what to say. This should have been a good "work break topic", but the unexpected reaction of the person involved turned the topic into a new one. Embarrassed, he had no choice but to remind, "We may soon call you Your Highness Princess..."

Rebecca thought for a while, then reacted for another two seconds.

"Ah, it seems to be..." She finally woke up, and finally recalled that Aunt Hetty told herself a lot of topics about re-learning etiquette, re-learning grammar, history, and so on. Gradually become wonderful.

"No... no one stipulates that the princess must retake the etiquette class, right?" Rebecca said to Marin nervously, her eyes widened like a terrified rabbit, "You are the nephew of Viscount Leslie, you Do you understand?"

"This... I don't know if you ask me..." Marin couldn't laugh or cry. He was indeed the only one in the laboratory who was related to noble blood besides Rebecca Cecil. Just because he has an uncle who is a viscount, how can he answer the question of Rebecca, who is about to become "Her Royal Highness", but after thinking about it, considering the various rumors about this Cecil heir at the beginning, considering her Back then, it was almost a laughingstock in the circle of nobles in the southern border, and it seemed that it was not incomprehensible for the other party to ask me questions, "It probably doesn't need to be rebuilt... After all, the aristocratic system has been completely reformed, and the various systems of the 'Empire' must also be improved." It's all new, and the old aristocratic etiquette must not be so important."

Rebecca immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "That's okay..."

Marin thought for a while, and added: "But the old ones don't need to be rebuilt, and the new ones must be learned now..."

Rebecca: "..."

To be honest, at this moment she was almost scared out of the big fireball. It was the high cost of many sophisticated equipment in the laboratory and the memory of her aunt's hammer that calmed her down.

"We... don't discuss this anymore..." The future imperial princess abruptly cut off the topic, as if an ostrich buried her head in the sand, "Let's start... let's start the experiment."

Seeing her reaction like this, the magicians stopped the topic tactfully, and began to cooperate skillfully to prepare for the next experiment.

Although with the gradual application of immersion chamber technology, more and more immersion chamber equipment is put into use, and more and more elite researchers can enter the virtual space of "Origin Laboratory" for experiments, but the virtual laboratory has the limit of simulation after all. However, testing in the real world is still a necessary link in the middle and late stages of many experimental projects, especially when it comes to projects that are not so "physical" such as complex rune rules and black box spell reorganization, such actual testing is even more important.

According to experience, this type of project has the largest "reality deviation" in Origin Lab.

Under the skillful cooperation and operation of the project team members, the surface of the platform in the center of the laboratory gradually showed the glimmer of runes, and various detection, control, and recording devices around the platform were also ready. The metal device trembled slightly with the filling of magic power, and made a very faint and pleasant sound.

"Okay, the prototype anti-gravity ring, the total number of tests is 620 and seven times, and the real test is No. 12," Rebecca stood beside the test bench. When all this started, her expression became serious, and she used a calm The voice instructed, "Maintain the magic field, check the ring body."

"The anti-gravity ring has started to operate, the current load is normal, and the rune interference is within the safe value," Cohen quickly checked the monitoring device in front of him-the so-called monitoring device is a thin crystal plate set next to the platform, and the thin plate has been solidified Detect the magic effects of distortion and magic feedback, and can observe the distribution of magic power on the test bench, and show signs of loss of control of magic power in time, "the lift has begun to appear...very stable."

Rebecca stared at the situation on the test bench: "Slowly release the restriction lock."

An operator responded immediately: "Yes, let go of the restraint lock."

There was a slight clicking sound under the experimental platform, and then several locking devices that had firmly fixed the metal ring were released little by little—the metal ring with complicated runes began to rise gradually, and the metal ring on the metal ring began to rise. Several strong steel cables are still fixed under the ring to ensure the safety of the whole process.

The anti-gravity ring rose to a position about half a meter above the platform, where it stabilized.

However, everyone in the laboratory did not relax, but their expressions became more serious and tense.

"The levitation technique is in effect, and the anti-gravity field has stabilized," Cohen continued to report the situation, "The rune interference is within the safe value."

"Test load."

Several steel cables were gradually tightened, and the anti-gravity ring above the platform floated up and down slightly, but soon stabilized again.

"The load is increased to 220 kilograms, and it is still stable."

"Maintain this load first," Rebecca said while checking the status of each device, "Next... let's try to make it move. Marin, move laterally, and pay attention to a smaller range."

Marin Leslie nodded, took a slight breath, and then began to carefully control a part of the rune structure inscribed on the anti-gravity ring through the non-contact magic field, trying to change the direction of the anti-gravity field and reset the ring way of loads everywhere to achieve its translation.

The anti-gravity ring hummed slightly, and the runes on the surface fluctuated like flowing water, then it trembled slightly and began to move to one side.

Rebecca's eyes widened, almost holding her breath watching all this.

In the next second, there was a flash of strong light on the surface of the ring, and the entire metal structure let out a piercing scream amid violent tremors, and then it rose sharply——

"Clap--"

There were several explosions in a row, and the hooks used to connect the steel cable and the ring broke one after another. The anti-gravity ring rushed to the ceiling in a burst of strong flashes, and then hit it firmly with a loud "bang" .

Rebecca reacted the moment the ring was out of control, and slapped the emergency stop button next to the test bench, cutting off the supply of the ring's magic field. However, everything happened too fast, and the ring had already hit Even if the energy supply was interrupted and the runes on the surface of the ring dimmed, it did not fall.

It's already embedded.

A cloud of ashes and dust fell from the laboratory, and a group of magicians dodged the falling objects in embarrassment. After the dust finally settled, the group of ashen-faced people returned to the laboratory table, raised their heads and stared blankly. Look at the anti-gravity rings embedded in the ceiling.

The atmosphere was a little awkward for a while.

After a long time, Cohen Bell broke the silence in a low voice: "At least...we now know that the ultimate lift of this thing after overloading is very large, although it can only last for a moment..."

"Maybe we should replace it with stronger hooks and cables..." Marin added on the side.

"A flying device that can only go straight up and down is useless at all..." an assistant researcher muttered softly, but because the laboratory itself was very quiet, everyone could hear her muttering.

"Perhaps I should try my original plan," Rebecca thought for a while, pinched her chin and said, "Flying while firing a big fireball backward, although it is a bit slower, the consumption is also a bit higher..."

Cohen broke out in a cold sweat immediately, and quickly dissuaded him: "Your plan is more dangerous than the anti-gravity ring getting out of control, and Ms. Hetty probably won't agree..."

"Aunt, she's not the technical department...well," Rebecca lowered her head in the middle of speaking, and sighed, "Let's tidy up here, sort out the information, and then we'll study what went wrong. Problem. In addition, everyone will also think about whether there are other safer alternatives when they go back.”

After she finished speaking, she raised her head and took another look at the metal ring inlaid on the roof.

"Korn, you will find a way to... dig it out. Who else will go upstairs with me? Go and tell Master Kamel that there is no explosion this time... no one? Well, then myself go……"

Chapter 0662 Times have changed

It has been a few days since the news of the victory on the Eastern Front came. In the southern region where information transmission channels are more developed, more and more news is spreading between cities and villages.

In the streets and alleys, in the card room of the tavern, almost everyone is eagerly discussing the recent amazing and exciting news, discussing the past of the Ansu royal family and the future of the Cecil Empire. In this land, even The most ordinary citizens will also express their opinions on similar topics, no matter how ridiculous and superficial the opinions are.

Rock City, in a tavern in the business district, bright magic spar lamps dispelled the darkness at dusk, rows of wine bottles on the bar shelf were polished to shine, and the liquid in the bottles was illuminated by the lights With a seductive brilliance, a small rectangular machine that looked like a cabinet was placed next to the bar. The country tunes that people in the southern region loved were playing from the small machine. The rhythm was simple, bright and cheerful.

A light shone on a nameplate on the top of the little machine, and the words "CORDER FAMILY CONNECTION COMPANY" gleamed on the brass surface.

A man in overalls was sitting in front of the bar. He took the beer glass handed over by the bartender and raised it slightly: "Cheers to the off-duty time."

"Joe, have you read the latest newspaper?" A tall and thin man sat beside him and said casually, "The royal family has come to an end—even the king has abdicated himself."

"Inevitably, didn't Mr. Godwin say that - the kingship is over, after this battle, all parts of the kingdom can't survive, if it weren't for the rescue of our southern army, the north might be completely ruined, the royal family has already controlled the kingdom. If we can't stand the situation, what else can we do if we don't reorganize..."

"It's true. The newspaper said that the eastern part of the Holy Spirit Plain has been completely turned into ruins. If Cecil's army hadn't blocked the river in time, the western part might not have survived."

"Hats off to Gawain Cecil—we'll be calling him His Majesty soon," the man in overalls laughed, shaking the glass in his hand, "not bad at all, he's much better than the king... the king Who's here?"

"Wales just abdicated, but I guess you mean Fransey... It doesn't make much difference anyway, we don't know each other."

The two laughed, and no one seemed to regret the end of Ansu's royal power.

For a long time in the past, the people of the southern border did not care about their king. This abandoned land has been fending for itself a century ago. For that distant San Sunil and Silver Fort, many southerners Even treat it as part of the story.

Ordinary people are so practical.

However, not everyone thought the same. The sound of a wine glass hitting the table suddenly came from not far away, causing several pairs of eyes near the bar to turn away.

"I just can't figure it out..." A man with an unshaven beard reeking of alcohol muttered there, but the muttering could be heard everywhere, "Isn't he the Duke, the Duke...how did the Duke suddenly become the king?" No... a duke can't be a king..."

"Hey, Potter, you're drunk again," someone familiar shouted from behind, "Have you been here since morning?"

Someone else reminded the drunk man: "It's not the king, it should be called His Majesty the Emperor—the title of king is gone."

"It's the same with the emperor... the emperor... and the government affairs office and the constitution, they're all a bunch of things that people can't understand..." the drunk stood up unsteadily, throwing off a couple of pairs of clothes to support him. hand, walked across the bar, "What are you talking about, there are new opportunities everywhere... hell new opportunities..."

The swaying man walked down the aisle, stopped suddenly at the little machine next to the bar that was playing country songs, rolled his drunken eyes, and suddenly showed anger.

"You... noisy thing, you ruined... ruined my job..."

He cursed, then suddenly raised his foot and kicked towards the machine - but before he raised his foot, the bartender behind the bar had already raised his hand, the magic device on the latter's wrist flashed, and a ball of blood The cold ice smashed on the drunk man's face, knocking him over on his back.

Two security guards stepped forward, grabbed the drunk man who was still yelling, and were about to drag him out the door, but the bartender stopped the security guard, came to the drunk man, and reached out his hand to take out a copper coin from the other party's pocket Come.

"Create ice cubes, one copper coin." The bartender shook the magic terminal that he used to make ice cubes and light fire in front of the drunk man, and got up and left after confirming that the other party nodded.

The drunk was dragged away, and the little commotion was just an insignificant episode. People continued to drink and chat as they should, and some unfamiliar people inquired about the origin of the drunk, and someone explained: "That Potter, a bard—a bad organist, really, and not many people listened to his noises, much less now."

"He went to the factory for a few days, and was fired for stealing things, and he didn't want to do other things down-to-earth. Now... I think he sold all his pianos."

"The bard... No wonder he thinks the Cord player has ruined his job."

"It's not just the radio, he also blamed the newspapers and magic network broadcasts, even the chess and football teams - saying that it's because these things attract people's attention that they don't want to listen to it in the square. His stories and performances…”

It seems that this little episode sparked a discussion in people's spare time. Hearing the discussions around, the man in overalls in front of the bar turned his head and glanced at the tall and thin man beside him: "Speaking of which, I Remember that you are also a bard—now that you don’t go to street performances, do you blame this machine for ruining your job?”

The tall and thin man looked at the small machine next to the bar, then at his friend, and suddenly smiled smugly.

"Are you familiar with the voice in this machine?" He smiled smugly, seeing the stunned expression of his old friend, his smile became brighter, "This is what I recorded... Well, although I only recorded two of them. "

Many people around heard the conversation here, and some people couldn't help showing a look of surprise—seeing the people in the magical machine appearing in front of them alive, this feeling is novel and interesting no matter what, and it is rewarding Many tall and thin men with surprised eyes smiled reservedly, and added: "But I really like telling stories more than playing, so I plan to try it at the Magic Web Broadcasting Bureau in Carroll City after a while. They seem to be recruiting people who are good at storytelling for a new show..."

More and more people gathered around the bar, and a new focus of topic obviously appeared there, but in a corner far from the bar, a thin and pale man in an old robe with short brown messy hair appeared. He still sat quietly in his seat, seemingly not interested in what happened in this bar or the topics discussed by the people around him.

In front of this thin and pale man, a current issue of the newspaper was quietly spread out on the table, his eyes moved slowly on the newspaper, focusing on one of the pages:

"According to preliminary investigations, the disaster created by the Doom Society stems from the 'power of the gods' they stole, and the 'evil creation' that was jointly eliminated by the Cecil Legion and the siren allies seems to be the Doomsday Cultists An imitation of a god made by some means...

"The power of this imitation comes from the fallen God of Nature...

"The God of Nature is the god that the Druids once believed in. There is evidence that the fall of this god happened 3000 years ago..."

The thin and pale middle-aged man finished reading the content of the newspaper, and suddenly sighed softly: "Such content...is actually printed in the newspaper, and let the common people who have just learned to read for a long time discuss it at will...Could it be that our fault lies in here?"

No one heard his deep exclamation. After the thin and pale middle-aged man finished speaking, he stood up silently. He rubbed his fingers lightly, and a wisp of flame suddenly ignited out of thin air, and burned instantly. Dropped the newspaper on the table.

Looking at the ashes on the table, after a moment of trance, he turned and went straight to the door of the bar, opened the door and left.

"Panshi City... I didn't expect this place to become so prosperous."

Walking on the streets of this southern gateway city, the middle-aged man couldn't help muttering when he saw the tall and brand-new buildings and wide and clean streets around him.