In the fountain garden square in front of the main entrance, the clear sound of tinkling bells can be heard from time to time. Rebecca happily rides on her "new toy" and is circling around the flower bed. Go, the helpless attendants can only stand not far away or follow as close as possible, ready to pick up the princess who fell to the ground.
It’s just that compared to the beginning, Rebecca is obviously much more skilled now, at least she won’t plunge into the flower bed again.
Behind the floor-to-ceiling windows of the study room, Gawain silently withdrew his gaze towards the square.
"Two-wheeled vehicles... the Typhons have really created something interesting," Amber's voice came from behind him, "A scholar consultant from the Government Affairs Department has made an evaluation. This seemingly simple The vehicle has great potential value. It is flexible, convenient and low-cost. Any ordinary person with sound hands and feet can use it skillfully after a short period of learning. It can be used in areas with relatively flat roads. The threshold for promotion is higher than The magic device is even lower...it's a good thing."
Gawain didn't say anything for a while.
What is going on in his mind is unknown to outsiders.
Although the shape did not look exactly the same as the "bicycle" in his memory, the principle and general structure of the thing were no different from the things he was familiar with, but...he hadn't had time to put it into perspective yet. As things spread in Cecil, the Typhons were already at the forefront.
Amber saw that Gawain didn't speak for a while, so she couldn't help but said: "What? The Typhon people are at the forefront of 'technological innovation', do you feel uncomfortable?"
"Of course not," Gawain shook his head, "To be honest, during Anzu's time, the Typhons had always been at the forefront in the field of technology. We only relied on magic technology to lead for so many years. And based on the actual situation , it is inevitable that the Typhons created this kind of flexible and convenient means of transportation before us..."
"Oh? What do you mean?"
"Their roads were renovated. The leveling project started earlier than we did. When Ansu was still busy with civil strife, there were already flat and wide new roads between the towns and villages of the Typhon people. But now, even if we start the construction at full strength, we can only guarantee that the road will be large. The roads between cities and major towns have reached new standards," Gawain turned around, "In the final analysis, the birth of a new thing does not just happen. Without environmental support, new things that adapt to the environment will not appear.
"More than these, what I care more about is when did the prototype of this 'two-wheeled vehicle' appear? It is now quite complete, so it shouldn't be something that suddenly appeared recently..."
Amber blinked and quickly recalled the relevant information: "...there is indeed an earlier prototype. ', More than ten years ago, Typhon craftsmen made a wooden moped, but not many people paid attention to it at the time. It was just regarded as some kind of novelty. Later, craftsmen made several improvements to it, but it was still not very popular. Many people pay attention. Until half a year ago, the number of factories in the Alder South area surged, and a large number of workersYou need to go to work in a factory, and there are many people related to the factory who need to move around. There are more and more factories, more and more workers, and the areas where workers live are getting further and further away from the city center - and then, there are not many The 'two-wheeled vehicle' that people care about has been noticed by some discerning businessmen.
"According to information sent by the 'Trajectory' intelligence line, this type of transportation is currently rapidly becoming popular among the middle-class citizens of Aldernan. They are mainly skilled workers, foremen, and others with stable incomes. Small and medium-sized lawyers and decent business people, as for grassroots workers, cannot yet afford the price of two-wheelers. However, several Tiphon nobles launched the "Two-Wheeler Welfare Plan" and called on factories to fund the purchase of cheaper versions. Two-wheelers are then loaned out to workers. As long as workers have worked in the factory for more than a certain number of years, they can own the vehicle 'for free'. This plan has been widely responded to and should be implemented soon - both factory owners and workers We welcome it very much and feel that we have received great benefits.”
“…Factory owners can always recover costs from workers, and workers also feel that their travel pressure has been relieved. In the final analysis, capital. It always inspires the ingenuity of capitalists," Gawain thought for a while and said with a chuckle, "But no matter what, the things are indeed good, and we can also use them... The road conditions in most areas of the southern border have been greatly improved. , This kind of two-wheeled vehicle can be used, and its technical difficulty is not high. The factory can imitate it."
At this point, he stopped and fell into a brief thought.
Magic machinery and factory production have more than a single, one-sided impact on a society. Industrialization is a chain reaction. When its source starts to operate, all the people in society with it will Relevant links will inevitably begin to change.
Factories need ordinary people as workers, and the role of ordinary people in the operation of society has been magnified. Then, no matter whether the upper class of Typhon is willing or not, they will put ordinary people into their sights-even if it is just Treat them like cogs and purses.
The two-wheeled vehicle made specifically for ordinary people is just the beginning - it represents not just a few smart Typhon businessmen who have discovered new business opportunities, but also a group of people who have mastered the knowledge and means of production. Feng's upper class members have changed their minds.
As long as this change occurs, their ability to utilize magic technology will inevitably improve rapidly. This is pressure for Gawain, but it is also what he wants to see.
He once again fell into a contradictory state of entanglement and expectation.
Amber looked at Gawain curiously: "What are you thinking about?"
"The Typhons... have become more flexible in their thinking," Gawain slowly sighed with a hint of sigh. Said, "But it's a good thing."
"...Although I don't know how many complicated things you have been thinking about in these few seconds, I still remember you saying that the development of others is not a bad thing. , we just need to ensure that we will always develop faster than others," Amber said solemnlyI temporarily found a top sentence from the "Sacred Words of Emperor Gawain Cecil" that I recorded, and then changed the topic, "Since we are talking about Typhon now... count the time, that Princess Matilda It should be arriving soon."
"Matilda Augustus..." Gawain put his finger on his chin, thoughtfully, "According to the intelligence from Maryland and Philip, then. The princess is a person who pays great attention to magic technology. Although it is not ruled out that this is a deliberately displayed attitude, she does have a good understanding of some relatively professional magic knowledge."
Amber looked at it. Gawain glanced at him: "Are you worried that she will see something from Cecil's magic technology, which will affect the concealment of 'No. 25'?"
"This is not,'Two No. 15 has always been very cautious. The technologies he released were all mutated, and he also prepared very complete 'research and development evidence', which did not arouse any suspicion." Gao Wen shook his head, "I just I'm a little curious as to whether Princess Typhon's focus on magic technology is just showing a certain attitude of the Typhon royal family...or is it really her personal preference? If it's the latter...I'd be happy to have a good relationship with her. , and then lend her hand to give them some of the 'gifts' planned to be exported to Typhon in a more natural and reasonable way..."
Seeing the classic calculating look on Gawain's face With such a look, Amber wanted to roll her eyes on the spot, but she was afraid of being slapped on the wall and really rolled her eyes, so she could only suppress her thoughts and changed the topic: "Speaking of Typhon's royal family, the Military Intelligence Agency We were recently investigating information about the inheritance of 'madness' in the Augustus family, and we found some interesting things."
"Oh?" Gawain raised his eyebrows, "Tell me about it. "
Understanding your opponents is the basis for protecting yourself. Based on this, Gawain has been paying attention to the Augustus family of Typhon since the Southern Unification War, especially their family's famous "madness". "Curse" legend, and collecting intelligence in this regard is also the focus of the Military Intelligence Bureau's mission in Typhon. At this moment, when he heard new information, he immediately cheered up.
"Based on the relatively public information that has been collected before, we already know that the Augustus family's 'madness' has not always existed, but was called 'Madness' two hundred years ago. "It only appeared after the collapse," Amber immediately began to report, "Two hundred years ago, the old capital of Typhon collapsed due to a major earthquake, and the whole city fell into the ground. But before the collapse, the then Emperor Typhon The disaster was foreseen in advance and evacuated in advance to avoid casualties. After that, the members of the Augustus family began to be troubled by the madness curse...
"In our latest collection From the information received, there is an explanation for this 'curse' that only appeared after the collapse.
"Some upper-class Typhon nobles and scholars have a saying: the collapse of the old imperial capital two hundred years ago was not a natural disaster, but an explosion. It was an attempt by the Typhon royal family at that time to draw some taboo from the earth. forceThe huge collapse was caused by the backlash, so Emperor Typhon at that time did not foresee any disaster, but evacuated after knowing that the ritual was out of control.
"As for the so-called madness, it is the sequelae of this backlash - it is the out-of-control power deep in the earth that pollutes the souls of Augustus, and allows this pollution to be passed down from generation to generation to this day."
"**...try to draw power from the depths of the earth?" Gawain frowned, "This sounds more like an absurd and unruly palace legend. This kind of legend slanders the reputation of the royal family. , It should be a taboo in Typhon, right?"
"Of course, no one dares to discuss these legends openly, and public discussion is basically close to death - the Typhon royal family has always been tough, this is surprising. It’s different from the original Anzu royal family,” Amber nodded, “But this kind of thing will always be kept secretly and spread among some less honest nobles and scholars.
” Rosetta. ·In his early years, Augustus adopted various tough measures to implement reforms, but due to the domestic situation, he was not as thorough as you. This resulted in a large number of resentful nobles remaining in Typhon. These nobles may not Opposed to Rosetta's rule, but certainly didn't mind discussing some 'little stories' about the Augustus family in private.
“This kind of little story does sound absurd and uninhibited, but since it dares to involve the royal family and is circulated among many scholars and extraordinary people, then some of the content must be true...”< /p>
Gawain glanced at Amber: "It seems that what you told me has been screened and confirmed?"
"The content that is too absurd and malicious has been eliminated, and the content that can be The part that echoes various versions of rumors and legends," Amber nodded and said, "I dare not say that it is the truth, but the fact that the Augustus family engaged in trouble two hundred years ago, and this led to the inheritance of madness in the family, is probably Really."
"...Now I am a little curious about what is buried under their collapsed old imperial city," Gawain said quietly after listening, "The Lord of Storms is buried under the deep sea. The Disobedience Fortress is buried in the Dark Mountains, and the legacy of the Rebellion Empire is connected under the Thorin Giant Tree... In this world, digging holes underground is not a safe thing."
As he spoke, he thought in his heart. I couldn't help but come up with another slightly weird idea:
The Princess Matilda Augustus who is about to visit, she also has this spirit that will eventually lead to madness. A curse?
......
In the city of dreams, in the rotunda of the central temple, Selina Gelfen's figure had just condensed in the air when she heard a sound beside her. Archbishop Yuri's voice:
"Archbishop Selina, there is something wrong with our first test of sandbox No. 1."
"I know," Selina's figure condensed Really, looking at Yuri in a white robe, "What is the specific situation?"
"The first batch of spirit knights who entered Sandbox No. 1 arrived in the deserted city. found madnessCrazy records, which describe that the world has ended, and all living beings have escaped from meaningless reincarnation - after exploring the surrounding areas of the city, the operators confirmed that there are no residents in the area," Archbishop Yuri said quickly, "With the help of That team of spirit knights served as a spiritual beacon. We finally reestablished the monitoring of sandbox No. 1, and then discovered... that all the minds in it had really disappeared! "
Selena Gerfen's expression instantly became serious: "All - including real testers and all virtual personalities simulated in the sandbox? "
"Yes, all," Archbishop Yuri nodded, "There are no more 'residents' in Sandbox No. 1, and it is likely that it was 'emptied' early in the sandbox's closure. , the phantom town we explored before showed an empty appearance. We once speculated that it was a 'vision' caused by projection distortion, but now it seems that the empty state is not a 'distortion vision' at all. , but the real state of Sandbox No. 1 - it is idling! It has been idling"
Sandbox No. 1, which has been out of control for a long time, is supposed to accommodate tens of thousands of "residents". It has been evolving at a high speed internally and is out of control. Sandbox No. 1, which had projected the illusion of residents in the early days, was already empty.
Where did the minds inside it go?
Where did the "residents" it projected earlier go? ", the "priest" in the phantom town...what exactly is it?
Although she has lost her entity in the real world, Selina Gerfen still feels an inexplicable chill suddenly. came up.