This has been a wonderful and interesting journey.
At least so far.
Matilda sat on the comfortable and spacious seat with impeccable dignity, quietly watching the mountains of Cecil Empire gradually receding outside the car window, the wind and snow had weakened. A lot, the scenery outside begins to become open and bright, and the interior of the carriage is surrounded by soothing music released by some kind of magic device. The beautiful scenery, music, the right temperature environment, and the abundant food stored on the train make this scene together. Long journeys in winter become especially comfortable.
It is even so comfortable that people will forget that they are sitting in the body of a giant steel beast, and that they are galloping in the cold winter wilderness of Cecil at a speed far exceeding that of a galloping horse.
A young man with short blond hair, a young face, and an exceptionally mature and calm temperament sat opposite Matilda. He noticed that the exotic princess in front of him seemed to be in a good mood, and he showed a faint smile. , with a bit of pride in her tone: "How is the experience of traveling on the magic train?"
Matilda retracted her gaze from the window and looked at the young man opposite.
This young man named Philip has a surprising identity. He is so young, but he is actually one of the military commanders of the Cecil Empire. He commands the most powerful military commander in the Cecil Empire. A large ground army, and the main force of this army... is now located on the Changfeng Defense Line.
For such an important military commander to greet and "escort" the envoy led by Princess Typhon is a reciprocal status and fully complies with etiquette norms.
Matilda smiled.
“It was a great experience,” she said with a smile, “and we got to see the best scenery.”
Philip also laughed.
Under the proper arrangements of the reliable Maryland General, and with the efforts of units at all levels in the Changfeng area, the princess in front of her has really only seen the scenery from the time she entered the territory of Cecil until now.
“To be honest, this level of travel experience is not new to me,” Matilda continued. “What’s new is that all of this is achieved by a magic machine. In In the past, it was not difficult to rely on the power of mages to quickly move such a huge vehicle through the wilderness or maintain a comfortable travel environment in harsh environments. However, magic technology can be achieved using lifeless steel. I had never imagined that these powers should be controlled by mages.
“In Typhon, most nobles recognized the power of magic machines and welcomed the new magic. There are energy trains and various factories, but there are still some conservative mages who don't like these things - they always say that the operation of the machines lacks soul. "
"This is different from us," Philip laughed. "We feel that there is another kind of soul in the machine. It is hidden in the rotating gears and moving pistons. It only needs lubrication. of grease and surging magic energy, it is human loyaltySincere friends. "
"...So magic technology first appeared in Cecil, and it also developed fastest in this land," Matilda said with a hint of emotion, "I have always been fascinated by magic technology. Guidance technology is full of interest, I like it even more than traditional spells, but it's a pity that Typhon still has a long way to go in this regard. ”
This was a programmed modesty. Philip knew this very well, so he just smiled faintly and did not respond directly.
Business bragging is not what he does after all. Areas of expertise...
A black-haired middle-aged male noble sitting next to Matilda also joined the conversation: "I also pay attention to magic technology. Frankly speaking, I even Investing in it and studying it is really a very expensive undertaking. From this point of view, I admire the Cecil people very much - you are people who dare to pay the price to gain benefits and are full of adventurer spirit. ”
Matilda glanced at this male noble—Count Durer was one of the “progressive nobles” most enthusiastic in the field of magic technology in Aldernan. He owned the largest military base in the north. Plantation, and also invested in several large-scale textile mills and spinning mills. His role in the mission actually represents, to a certain extent, those in Aldernan who pay attention to magic technology and try to develop it from magic technology.
Thinking of this, the Princess Typhon nodded in agreement: "Building factories and developing machines does cost a lot, but the returns are indeed amazing - so it is. Only in this way can more and more nobles and businessmen become investors. Is this the same in Cecil? "
"...Of course. Philip smiled and nodded.
The train was speeding through the wilderness. Outside the window, the undulating ridgeline was almost at its end, and the front seemed to be about to enter the plain.
Matilda couldn't help but think about Philip's last answer to her, "Of course". For some reason, she always instinctively felt that this word contained more profound meanings, but she couldn't grasp the root for a while.
At this moment, the train finally broke out of the cover of the mountains. After the huge rock wall flashed past, there was an endless plain ahead, and the scene outside the car window suddenly opened up.
The plains. At the connection with the end of the mountain range, on a natural high ground, a huge stone monument stands next to the railway line. There seems to be a wall around the stone monument, and there seems to be a maintenance and monitoring station for the railway line nearby.
Ma. Tilda had just noticed the unusual building and was about to wonder why such an eye-catching thing was set up in the wilderness, when she suddenly heard a loud and high-pitched flute sound from the top of the carriage, echoing across the vast plains. p>
This made her suddenly stunned: Why did the whistle sound suddenly? Are there any stops or crossing trains here?
While confusion was rising in her mind, she and the Typhon messengers around her I was surprised to see all the Cecil people in the carriage standing up in unison, including the young army commander.The noble knights and generals all turned to the car window at the same time, gazing at the huge stone monument standing at the end of the mountain range, solemnly and solemnly, as if they were saluting.
The Typhon envoys were startled when the Cecilians around them stood up at the same time, and even became nervous for a while. But at this moment, they were just confused, and those solemn faces made them not sure whether they should speak out or not. After asking, she could only remain confused for more than ten seconds. It was not until Philip and others sat down that Matilda couldn't help but ask: "General Philip, may I ask this..."
"Did you notice the stone monument?" Philip looked at Matilda and asked calmly.
"Yes, I noticed it - and I was just about to ask."
"The railway line under your feet was built after the end of the Cluster War. "It was urgently extended and built on the basis of the Baisha Mining Railway Line," Philip said slowly, "in order to send food and security forces to the Eastern Territory in a timely manner and prevent the follow-up effects of the Crystal Cluster War from causing large-scale famine and chaos in the Eastern Territory. The construction period of this line must be compressed before the end of winter.
“In order to quickly pass through the Baisel Mountains, which has the most complicated terrain, the Third Construction Corps used large-scale geological shaping techniques, including moving from the old royal capital. An urgently deployed group of mages, as well as large construction machinery capable of releasing fossils into mud.
"When breaking through the Carlin Pass, a hidden mana focus caused the magic to go out of control and the mountain wall collapsed.
"Thirty-seven people were buried below, including seven A mage and twenty workers. "
Matilda opened her eyes slightly, and Count Durer subconsciously said: "So it is to commemorate the sacrificed mages..."
"It is to commemorate all sacrifices. "People," Philip looked into Count Durer's eyes, "The collapsed rock wall swallowed the victims. The aftermath of the spell caused the human flesh and stone to fuse together, making it impossible to tell them apart. We transported out the boulders that were fused with flesh and blood. Pass, forming a monument at the end of the Carlin Pass they had tried but failed to break through - with their backs to the Baisel Mountains and their gaze on the plains to the east.
"It is a custom on this line to blow the whistle after passing the Carlin Pass and the soldiers to salute when passing the monument."
Matilda listened quietly and carefully His expression didn't seem to change much.
The messengers from Typhon listened quietly, some seemed confused, and some seemed to be thinking.
Count Dürer, a big investment aristocrat from Aldernan with black hair and black beard, couldn't help but look out the window, looking at the direction where the monument had gone, and the car horn that still seemed to linger in his ears. In his voice, he couldn't help but mutter:
"Such a big monument... Even if the mage takes action, it will not be easy to build."
Maybe it will be enough to build another one. Textile factory.
Matilda listened to Count Durer's soliloquy and watched Cecil's plain retreating rapidly outside the train.
What a foreign country...
...
The wind from the far north sea blows through the towering mountains, rolling up the snow between the mountains, and the Dragonborn flag flies high on the heavy spire of Longlin Castle , the end of the flag is facing south, floating endlessly.
"The candidates for the envoy group have been decided and will set off in the near future." Dragon-Blooded Grand Duke Baloger stood on the wide stone terrace of Longlin Castle, overlooking the snow-capped country, and said to his side The courtier said, "Sir Gorosh, with you leading the team, it must be foolproof."
"The mission will be completed, Your Majesty." Sir Gorosh lowered his head and said in a deep voice.
Baloger nodded and said in a leisurely tone: "We have indeed been closed in these bitter cold mountains for too long. The world outside the mountains is also worth seeing.
“You should be the eyes of the principality and take a good look at the Cecil Empire to see what is so extraordinary about them.
"Those of us 'exiles'...have lived up to Tallond's kindness."
"Talond..." Sir Gorosh's eyes changed slightly. After a moment, "How long do we have to wait..."
"From the beginning, this has been an almost eternal wait," Grand Duke Baloger said unhurriedly, "Without hope, Only by keeping hope with a healthy attitude can our patience last."
"...Yes, Your Majesty."
Baloger was silent for a moment, then looked back. The trustworthy courtier suddenly smiled slightly: "Speaking of which, you and your daughter haven't seen each other for a long time, right?"
"...I saw her once from a distance five years ago. " ," Sir Gorosh said in a tone of helplessness and embarrassment, "The naughty child... She is really unruly in the human world."
"Young people, it's better to be reckless or rebellious. It's normal. Didn't you also jump over Longyue Cliff when you were young?" Grand Duke Baloger smiled and shook his head, "Just think of it as a short trip in the human world. You will have enough fun after traveling for decades or hundreds of years. He will probably come back."
Sir Gorosh was silent for a moment and sighed: "... I hope so."
...
The cold wind blew. Come, Maggie, who was walking next to the flight test field, suddenly couldn't help sneezing loudly, and felt a strange chill coming to her heart.
Rebecca, who was walking next to her, immediately glanced at her dragonborn friend curiously: "Huh? What's wrong? Do you have a cold?"
"No...it shouldn't be, Maggie rubbed her nose vigorously, feeling quite strange, "I just felt a little cold suddenly and couldn't help but sneeze."
"Isn't it really a cold?"
p>"Definitely not," Maggie shook her head firmly, "Dragonborn's body is very strong, especially not afraid of cold. I grew up in a place that was colder than here, and the coldest time in winter is We even play 'ice racing' in single clothes, which is a cold sport."
Rebeccaton.Shi's eyes lit up and he became very interested: "Ice Road Speeding? What is that?"
"Ah, it's a popular little game among Dragonborn children," probably because he remembered Maggie couldn't help but laugh about the interesting things in her childhood. "The main way to play is to stuff yourself into a strong bucket, roll down the pre-dug ice path from the top of the mountain, and see who can be the first at the bottom of the mountain." Stand up - by the way, if you vomit, you will be immediately disqualified, even if you are the first to stand up."
Rebecca: "...Wow!"
Sonia, who was walking on the other side, stared at Maggie with a strange look: "You people from the Holy Dragon Principality...have you been playing this kind of thing since you were young?"
Maggie thought about it She thought and shook her head: "Of course not all children play like this."
Sonia breathed a sigh of relief: "I'm just saying..."
"Girls are the ones I'm talking about. That kind of play-boys don’t use buckets.”
Sonia: “?”
This is really a custom in a foreign country... It’s hard to imagine.