The familiar scent of "Night" incense floats in the elegantly and elegantly decorated hall. The Wendell family's "Wolf of the Armature" emblem hangs on the pale golden column. The sunlight at noon shines through the colored crystals on the south side. The window shines into the hall, illuminating the portrait of Tilian Wendell hanging on the wall. The grandfather who is always majestic and powerful in the memory is standing quietly in front of the portrait of the family ancestor, with his back to the door, seeming to be lost in thought.
The attendant on the side wanted to step forward to report, but Andesa stopped the attendant. She walked into the hall alone and stopped a few meters behind Duke Ferdinand. The soft sunshine of Aldernan shone on them. In the air between them, there are fine dust flying in the sunlight, like elves in the atmosphere.
"Grandpa, I'm back."
"Seven hundred years ago, Tirian Wendell was the same age as you when he completely defeated the aberration army on the Western Front." Petinan said slowly, "It was winter. The knights fought on the snowy fields. They were united and brave like wolves. They fought fiercely for three days and nights, annihilating five times the enemy. After the victory, the founding king named Tilian in the name of the wolf. ?Wendel is the first generation of Wolf Duke."
This is a history that every Wendel descendant is familiar with. Andesa lowered her head: "I always remember the glory of my ancestors."
"The ancestors are indeed glorious," Pei Dinan finally turned around, his still majestic face was a bit older than Andesa remembered, "In other words, every pioneer is the same. Glory, and this glory requires matching abilities - including Tirian Wendell, and naturally Gawain Cecil
"The Cecil people's magic army is composed of. Gawain Cecil personally formed and trained them. Compared with other 'Legions of Glory', the most powerful thing about that legion is that they are the 'first generation'. As a young commander, you have to deal with such a If the enemy competes without losing, he is qualified. "
Andesa calmly met her grandfather's gaze. In the gaze of those eyes, she knew that there would be a follow-up.
Duke Ferdinand continued: "However, as Winter The top general of the Wolf Legion, as the first commander of the empire's defense line, you are already unqualified the moment you go to the Paramel Highlands. "
Andesa took a breath, and straightened up in front of her grandfather just like she did when she was a child.
Pedinan looked into Andesa's eyes: "About Changfeng Fortress , what is the order His Majesty gave you? "
Andersa immediately replied: "Keep continuous monitoring and confirm the actual strength and deployment of the Changfeng Defense Line at any time. If there are no loopholes, do not take the initiative to attack. If you find an opportunity, you can choose your own opportunity and attack immediately." ”
“That’s right,” Pei Dinan nodded, “So from a pure command perspective, you have no problem doing it, and His Majesty will not impose any punishment for your failed actions, but you When executing this command, is it really 'just executing the command'? ”
Andesa’s face was tense, and it wasn’t until a few seconds later that sheDinan nodded while looking at him: "Yes."
"When you are nervous, your eyes always look at the lower left corner habitually." Duke Ferdinand shook his head, turned around, and looked at what was happening. The colored crystal window that shines in the sunlight, "You did not send out spies to conduct disguised reconnaissance, but chose to lead the knights directly to the Paramel Highlands yourself. After discovering that the Cecil people's position was fake, you did not conduct any surveys around the battlefield. After further searching and confirming the environment, the signal was sent out, and all of this happened under the circumstances of rain, obstructed vision, and reduced detection efficiency... This should not happen to you."
" …I have nothing to say.”
“Hatred made you temporarily lose your judgment. You have been waiting for this opportunity for many years. I understand your urgency at the time, but you are not alone. A knight, but a commander, and more importantly, as His Majesty's general, your personal feelings must be placed behind the emperor's orders and national interests - you must keep this in mind, even if the Cecil people are in front of you today Kill me in front of them. As long as His Majesty orders you to establish peaceful relations with Cecil, you must live in peace with them on the border. This is the responsibility you must fulfill when you pick up that knight's sword."< /p>
Andesa was silent for a moment, finally took a deep breath, and her eyes became firm again: "Yes, I understand."
"You will do it, because you My surname is Wendell." Pedinan nodded slowly, "What makes me most gratified is that at least some of your decisions were made promptly and accurately. These choices allowed you to successfully lead the Knights back to Winter Wolf Castle - without being left behind. The Paramel Highlands were your greatest success. This prevented the empire from being passive in terms of justice, and also prevented you from becoming a victim of negotiations and bearing all the infamy in your own name."
Grandfather's. The preaching was as merciless as she remembered, and Andesa also found that she could not make any rebuttal just like in her memory. She lowered her head and accepted everything, until her grandfather suddenly changed his tone: "The time for preaching is over, and it should be I'll give you some praise - you successfully brought back direct information about Cecil's Magic Army, which is more valuable than anything else."
The old Duke paused here and then asked: " What does that thing look like? What weapons does it have? How to fight?"
Andersa immediately finished her sentence and showed a serious expression: "It is made of a lot of steel. , the shape and size are close to the 'train' you described in your letter, and it is equipped with extremely powerful magic weapons...
"It was hidden behind woods and rocks at the time, but due to its large scale and Its track has eye-catching rune marks and large raised structures, so it is easy to observe from the air. I think it is a weapon not suitable for hiding. Its main function should be to attack fortresses and serve as a mobile fortress...
"It should be able to hold a large number of soldiers and supplies, and can fight for a long time far from the stronghold...
"...Although there is no fighting, I am sure it has some kind of shield……
“If a battle is required, destroying its orbit in advance should be the top priority. In addition, its long-range attacks are fierce and concentrated. During the confrontation, it should be treated as an enemy protected within the city wall. A group of magicians that can move at any time...
"Its main weapon was huge. It was pointed at Changfeng Plain. Judging from its deployment position, its range was at least ten kilometers, which greatly exceeded the traditional The scope of magic..."
Andesa said one by one, Duke Ferdinand nodded from time to time. When Andesa finally finished speaking, the old Duke thought for a moment and broke with a little sigh. Silence: "...You are lucky. The Cecil people are not yet proficient in mastering it. Just like when we first formed the Iron River Knights a few years ago, those Cecil people are not mature in the supporting tactics of new weapons. . "
"Immature? "Andesa was a little surprised.
"If you mature, you won't be able to come back," Pei Dinan glanced at her, "You thought that the only thing that allowed your knights to evacuate alive was that just the right moment. Is it raining? "
Seeing Andesa's thoughtful expression, Duke Ferdinand nodded slightly, and then walked towards the exit of the hall: "His Majesty is at Obsidian Palace, come with me to see him. "
Andesa woke up from her thoughts and immediately turned around to follow the footsteps of the old Duke: "Yes, grandfather. ”
Duke Ferdinand hummed, but when he was about to enter the corridor, he suddenly stopped. Looking at Andesa who also stopped with a puzzled expression on her face, the old man nodded slightly. : “I forgot to say just now—welcome home. ”
After a moment of daze, Andesa came to her senses, and a smile finally appeared on her face.
In front of the porch of the Duke’s Palace, Andesa didn’t see anything familiar to her. Instead of a carriage, I saw a strange-looking carriage with four wheels and an iron shell parked under the steps.
"This is the wizard I mentioned to you in my last letter. "The car," Duke Ferdinand took the initiative to explain before Andesa asked, "it is the third car - more than half of the parts in it are handmade by craftsmen. Your uncle has built a factory on Golden Shell Street and is trying to use machines to make the skeleton and shell of the magic vehicle. If you have time this time, you can go and take a look.
"You have been away from the imperial capital for too long. Many changes have taken place here. Some new things cannot be described clearly in letters. You should read more. These insights will be useful to you."
< p> "The Cecil people have similar things," Andesa said. "They appeared near Changfeng Fortress recently. They use larger magic vehicles to transport supplies.""The magic car was first born in Cecil, and our craftsmen and scholars copied it. As you have seen - the Cecil people first created the magic car and have gone a long way in this technology. Far away, we are catching up now, which makes many imperial nobles who are accustomed to a proud attitude very uncomfortable, but that is the fact," Pei Dinan walked towards the magic vehicle,As he walked, he said, "The 'war machine' you mentioned is obviously also a creation of magic technology - we have created a powerful legion of extraordinary beings, but the Cecil people are using magic technology to smooth out this aspect. If we don’t want to fall behind, we must abandon our meaningless pride and start catching up from now on.”
Andersa sat in the car with uncontrollable curiosity and joy. Observing everything in sight, she ran her fingers along the inner wall of the car door. After seeing the Cecil war machine with her own eyes, this thing inevitably seemed crude, but when the tremor of mechanical operation came from underneath her body, she Still couldn't help but sigh softly: "...We made this..."
"Yes, we made this. We should thank every scholar and mage in the Imperial Manufacturing Association And the craftsmen, especially Master Daniel, the leader of this project - although I don't like the overly gloomy temperament of the great magician, his wisdom and talent are admirable," Duke Ferdinand said, "Don't envy Cecil The tools used by people to transport supplies will soon be used in Winter Wolf Castle. Your uncle has received the guidance of Master Daniel. When his factory is officially operational, we will no longer have to rely on the craftsman’s hammer to make the magic vehicle. The shell is gone."
With the trembling of the mechanical device, the magic vehicle started. This incredible machine drove out of the Duke's Palace and headed towards the Obsidian Palace. Along the way, they met some pedestrians. She stopped to watch, but Andesa's attention was not on the street outside at all now: "We can build this thing, that train..."
"The train...the train is another concept," Duke Ferdinand smiled bitterly and shook his head, "I know what you are thinking, I am thinking too, Your Majesty is also thinking, our scholars, craftsmen and mages are all thinking, but we must admit that we cannot create it yet... At least nothing on the same level as the Cecil Magic Train can be built now. As far as I know, a group of craftsmen are trying to build simple, small rail vehicles. I hope they can succeed."
Listening to her grandfather's words, Andesa slowly regained her composure. She raised her head and looked at the receding road outside the car window. She watched the midday sun dissipate the mist on the streets of Alder South. She saw that there were fewer roads than she remembered. Many pedestrians were walking hurriedly on the streets, and her heart, which was tied to the Winter Wolf Castle and tied to the front line, finally slowly returned here.
The car drove through the intersection and passed a mother and daughter who were walking. Through the open window, Andesa heard a vague sound coming from the wind:
"Mom, there are so few people on the road...Where has everyone gone?"
"They are in the factory..."
Times are changing, this city is really Somewhat unfamiliar.
But this is her home after all.
......
In Obsidian Palace, an attendant walked into Rosetta Augustus's room and bowed and saluted: "Your Majesty, Archduke Ferdinand Wendell and Ann general tesa wendellarrive. "
Rosetta, who was reviewing a document, raised her head from her work: "Let them come in." "
The patriarch and heir of the Wendell family walked into the room and each saluted according to etiquette. After Rosetta returned the salute, her eyes fell on Andesa.
The young wolf The general stood upright, facing the emperor's gaze calmly. After the deep gaze finally retracted slightly, she heard a question:
"Andesa, what is our army lacking now? ”