Rock Fortress.
This heavy fortress that was once under the direct control of the royal family has completely changed its appearance.
The former Rock Fortress was built to control the southern forces. It has a strong southern wall and a relatively weak northern wall. The Gorgon River flows through the gap on the west side of the fortress. It is the continuous and desolate southern mountains - however, after the Cecil people occupied this place, the entire fortress underwent a complete change.
The southern city wall was blown down. The Cecil people did not repair it. Instead, they expanded directly from the gap to the south, built Rock City at the foot of the fortress, and built a new city wall outside Rock City. , in contrast, the northern wall of the fortress has been undergoing a series of reinforcement and reconstruction projects since the end of summer, and the project has not yet been completed.
When the gorgeous car passed under the gate of the north wall of the Rock Fortress, Victoria opened the cover on one side of the car. She looked up at the fortress that was undergoing renovation, and she was only shocked - in the original On the basis of the city wall, the Cecil people covered all the weak points of the city wall with an additional layer of steel armor. There are also a large number of steel skeletons and support structures covering the prismatic outer walls and towers of the city wall, like some kind of The ferocious monsters are connected like a carapace. On the upper part of the city wall, the metal reinforcement plates reflect the dazzling light of the giant sun, and there is a faint flow of magic light flowing between the gaps in the armor. Those magic powers converge in On the top of the city wall, you can see magic devices with straight rails arranged neatly, with the ends of the rails pointing far away in the direction of the Holy Spirit Plains.
That is not a city wall, it is a beast made of steel and rock. There is huge magic power flowing in its veins, and the Cecil people are still sharpening its fangs. ——Anyone who has seen the northern wall project of Rock Fortress from the Holy Spirit Plains will realize this, and as a powerful spellcaster and ruler of the North, Victoria thought more: Where did the Cecil people get it from? So much steel? Could it be that after they occupied the southern territory, they poured all the steel in the entire southern region onto the walls of Rock Fortress? Where did they get such powerful magic power? Is there another undiscovered magic focus underground in the Rock Fortress? How did they do all this in such a short period of time?
The convoy arrived at the foot of the north wall. Along with the loud ringing of bells from the top of the city wall, the door reinforced with a metal frame slowly rose upwards. There was obvious mechanical operation coming from near the door. The sound is accompanied by the flow of magic: many facilities in this fortress seem to be driven by magic.
Victoria Wilder was sitting in the car with a calm face. As the Duchess of the North, she could contain all her emotions under her frosty face.
An armed fortress is just a fortress after all, and a fortress cannot be moved. Gawain Cecil built such a fortress, which is undoubtedly declaring his own force and his attitude: The southern border is too powerful to allow anyNo one can point fingers, but he has no intention of stepping into the Holy Spirit Plain.
At least for now.
One of the purposes of Victoria Wilder's trip to the south is to understand the founding hero's attitude towards the city of St. Sunil - and if he is really not satisfied with the city of St. Sunil. If he becomes a duke in the south, how long can he wait?
The Ansu royal family, which is currently trapped in the quagmire of civil war, really has no energy left to open a new battlefield.
Guests from the royal capital were taken to the rock castle in the fortress - this castle has not yet been completely restored. The upper floors of the castle that were destroyed by the calibrated beam that day are now still covered with scaffolding in several places. It can be seen that Seeing the shocking large holes and the crystallization traces left by the molten rock flowing on the walls, visitors can imagine what a terrible blow this place suffered at that time.
Veronica and Victoria saw the shocking damage under the castle, but in the end, they said nothing.
Cecil has actually occupied and controlled the entire southern territory. Without the ability to change this situation, it is meaningless to mention the relationship between the royal family and the Rock Fortress, regardless of whether it is in the north of the kingdom. Both the guardian duke and the princess of the royal family who have joined the Holy See know one thing very well:
Only interests that have the opportunity to fight for are interests. Interests that are powerless to fight for will become a shame if they are raised. .
In the long hall of the castle, a commander wearing white armor and holding some kind of magic sword on his waist received Victoria and Veronica - he is the new commander of Rock Fortress , Wald Peric.
This old knight from the Kant region never imagined that he would have such a bizarre experience in the past half of his life: becoming a fortress guarding the border of the principality at an age that is no longer young. Commander, and also received another duke and the princess of this country on behalf of the guardian duke. This may become his bragging rights to future generations for the rest of his life, but at this moment, he must do his job well and ensure that It was neither disrespectful nor embarrassing to Duke Cecil.
“Welcome to the Rock Fortress, and welcome to the land of the South. The current Commander of the Rock, Wald Peric, pays tribute to Her Royal Highness the Princess and His Excellency the Duke,” said Wald Peric in military uniform. Standing in front of the guests, he said with impeccable etiquette and attitude, "Please take a rest here - the reception banquet has been set up. I hope the heating in the castle can dispel the chill accumulated during your journey."
< p> "Nice to meet you, Sir Peric." Veronica said with a smile. The saintly princess did not know the specific title of the commander in front of her, but according to Anzu traditional law, the command of such a key fortress After serving as an official, he will automatically receive the non-hereditary "Sir" title. This title is independent of the general title and enjoys the right to talk to most nobles on an equal footing. It reflects Ansu's respect for the brave nobles and is also to ensure that if there is a higher-status person, A low-level but capable soldier takes charge of the fortress and can immediately gain sufficient prestige andLegal basis to command the noble commanders at all levels in the fortress.Victoria Wilder, who was beside Veronica, recalled the incredible magic devices she saw after entering the fortress, as well as the impressive northern wall of the fortress. With some admiration: "Duke Cecil created a miracle here."
"Believe me, you will be even more amazed after seeing Cecil City," Wald Peric He said with a smile and led the two guests to the inner court of the castle, "The Duke has already known about your arrival, and a special convoy will come to meet you tomorrow."
Victoria did not pay attention to this old man. She believed that the "reception convoy" mentioned by the knight was just a part of ordinary etiquette: when important guests visited the territory, the local ruler would naturally send a team to welcome them.
This indifferent thought continued until the next day, until she saw those magic machines made of steel crossing the avenue and parked neatly in the open land in front of the castle.
Even though she tried her best to maintain her expression, Victoria couldn't help but look at those magic devices that looked like cars but looked surprised: "This is... your car?!"
< p> "The Magic 475 series magic vehicle, the model is the 'Pioneer Generation', a creation of magic technology," Wald Perici introduced to the duchess with a proud look - even though this was also his first time This was the first time he had seen the actual magic vehicle, but he had been prepared for it and was used to seeing new technological products from the country, so he acted quite calmly and indifferently at the moment. He was like an old driver who had been driving for many years and recited the words he had just learned the night before. He memorized the introduction and tried not to let his smile show the slightest deviation - after all, the people in front of him were the guardian duke of the kingdom and the famous saint princess. He didn't want his smile to cause any offense to the other party, "This It’s a new thing, and I believe its riding experience will make you forget about horse-drawn carriages.”“Magic technology…” Victoria repeated the word softly and compared it with her own experience in the past year. All kinds of information about the southern border collected here are connected together.
The rapid rise of the Cecil family in the southern border... seems to be related to this rumored "magic technology".
It is said that this technology was brought by Gawain Cecil after his resurrection. It is a variant of the lost magic technology of the ancient Gondor Empire.
However, as a spellcaster who specializes in magic and is well-read, Victoria Wild has not seen a single word related to "magic technology" in any ancient books about the Gondor Empire... On the contrary, in the sporadic information about the magic network spread from the south, she saw a trace of the modern magic formation that had been extremely optimized...
Her eyes fell on those tough-lined vehicles. , strange-shaped magic vehicles - the appearance of these "magic technology creations" is completely inconsistent with the elegant and refined style admired by northern nobles in recent years, but their rough and tough lines and complex steel detailsThe mechanical texture has a certain indescribable beauty: "I have heard about magic technology...can it turn out that they can make such incredible magic devices?"
"This is its charm. Of course, the cost of producing such a magic device is also high," Wald Peric said. He was not lying: the factory assembly line of the magic vehicle is still under construction, and the few vehicles in front of him are still under construction. The magic cars are all made by Nicholas Egg, a master of machinery and craftsmanship (although the master does not have hands). The hands of the master craftsman make these vehicles have satisfactory reliability, but their cost is far from quality products can't be compared.
"Isn't it expensive..." Victoria's eyes did not change, she just repeated these words in a low voice, and then nodded, "Since it is Duke Cecil's kindness, I am very happy to do so." Accept, and I am also very interested in this incredible 'magic technology'."
"Please get in the car, and also - please allow the entourage we arranged to ride with you," Wald said. ?Peric said, and as he finished speaking, a heroic young female knight walked over from the side, "Margarita is a knight who is deeply trusted by the Duke. She will tell you the story of the magic car." , and serve as your guide along the way to ensure that your trip will not be boring."
Victoria wanted to refuse when she heard the word entourage - she was not used to being with anyone. Taking a car, she usually only travels with the black-haired maid Maggie at most, but after hearing what Wald Peric said later and seeing the female knight named Margarita, she still ordered nodded.
She may be able to get some useful things from this young female knight, and Miss Margarita also seems to be a neat and tidy person, and she doesn’t mind allowing such people and Get closer yourself.
"Margarita Crete, salute the northern guardian of the kingdom."
The female knight Margarita saluted, showing a little nervousness And good etiquette made Victoria very satisfied: This is exactly what a qualified young knight should do. It seems that even in this remote southern Xinjiang, there are excellent talents.
Subsequently, Knight Walder arranged for another female knight to accompany Veronica - the always approachable princess accepted this arrangement and thanked Walder for his kindness.
Victoria Wilder got on the magic car, and she saw a young man in uniform sitting in the front row of the car - she had seen someone in the car just now, but now Only then did she notice the various controls surrounding the young man.
Is this the mage who controls this magic device?
The "coachman" who drives the car is not outside the carriage, but sits in the carriage with the passengers. This may be very inappropriate in the eyes of some strict and old-fashioned people, but Victoria She didn't care about this - she cared more about how this magic vehicle was made than this "etiquette" issue.came out.
She sat in the back seat of the car with Margarita, while the dark-haired maid Maggie sat in the front seat next to the driver.
Part of the team personally boarded several other magic cars. They will set off for Cecil City with Victoria and Veronica, while the rest of the entourage will continue Take those carriages that came all the way across the plains from the royal capital and drive slowly behind - this was the arrangement suggested by Walder after considering the speed difference between the magic carriage and the carriage.
The whistle blew and the motorcade set off.
The first ride on this incredible magical device brought Victoria a novel experience, and she had not had this feeling of curiosity and confusion for many years. The magical vehicle with a complex structure is gradually accelerating - there is a vibration of mechanical operation from underneath the vehicle, but the overall driving process of the vehicle is much smoother than that of a carriage, and the "mage" who controls the vehicle is using a circle. A dial, some joysticks and pedals to control the operation of this magical creation... He was not using magic.
The duchess from the north looked at all this curiously, but she didn’t want to appear too frivolous, so she began to think of ways to divert her attention - soon, she noticed something about her body. The female knight next to her held the sword in her hand.
It was a sword with magic runes. It was obviously an extraordinary weapon, and the fortress commander seemed to have an almost identical rune sword on him.
Extraordinary weapons are powerful equipment created by magicians and rune masters with great effort and cost. Only people with a certain status and financial resources can tailor such equipment for themselves, so they are rarely seen. The two extraordinary weapons looked exactly the same, but in Cecil...it seemed that many extraordinary items based on magical power looked exactly the same.
From small swords to huge "magic vehicles", as well as the magic devices on the city walls that are obviously some kind of weapons, the same extraordinary items can be seen almost everywhere.
Victoria knew what this meant, which meant that, at least to some extent, the Cecil people had the ability to mass-produce these magical items.
Magic items are precious and cannot be mass-produced - this concept is deeply rooted in the hearts of most Ansu people, and due to technical limitations, it is indeed a fact at this stage, but this is not The rulers who represented the kingdom did not realize the significance of mass production of extraordinary items.
"Miss Margarita, this sword is very beautiful."
Praising a knight's sword is a very common and etiquette opening, especially suitable when the person in authority is willing to take the initiative. When opening the topic, this kind of praise has the meaning of criticism from the superior, and also gives enough respect to the lower status party. Victoria is very familiar with the etiquette between these words.
As expected, the young female knight showed a reserved smile. She touched the hilt of the rune sword with the back of her hand, and said with a little pride in her tone: "This is the Duke.The sword given to me - it is my pride. "
"It seems to be a supernatural weapon? "
"Yes, this is a rune sword," Margarita smiled, "but I can't demonstrate it to you here - once activated, the blade of this sword can easily cut It's too dangerous to drive on the outer shell of a car. "
Victoria couldn't help showing an expression of admiration - no matter how polite the expression of admiration was, Margarita took the opportunity to introduce it: "... Of course, this sword is not only powerful. It is very large, and the best swordsmiths have adjusted the heavy balance of the blade. It is very comfortable and flexible when wielding it with one hand, and it is also full of power when it is temporarily held with both hands to chop. Its hilt is also specially made. When the end is unscrewed, a single dose of healing potion for a single person is hidden inside. In other words, as long as the sword remains with the body, even if other materials are lost, the soldiers will have at least one chance to save their lives... ..."
Victoria listened carefully to Margarita's introduction, and she did get some useful information as she wished... But somehow, she always felt that the female knight was so familiar when introducing the sword. The words and phrases seemed to have been specially memorized...
After Margarita introduced her sword, she successfully made the Duke of the North pay attention to the white commander magic she was wearing. She became interested in the armor.
The magical energy in the gaps in the armor and the runes in the details had already made Victoria realize that this was also an extraordinary weapon.
"This armor is also an extraordinary weapon. It was also given by the Duke - it protected me through the most dangerous battlefield (watching the artillery fire on the city wall outside the Rock Fortress), and allowed me to remain unscathed in front of five times the enemy (when accepting prisoners). I wore it and broke into the gate of the Rock Fortress (actually I walked in, because when the Second Corps entered the city, let alone the gate, the city wall was blown away). This is a trustworthy armor - and you can Please see, it also has unique patterns..."
Victoria nodded subconsciously: "...it is indeed...very beautiful..."
The young female knight in front of her Surprisingly talkative.
Looks like this trip won’t be boring anymore.