Autumn is cold, and the short warm season in the northern part of the continent has long ended. As the frost constellation gradually approaches the heights of the sky, the vast northern continent of Loren begins to be gradually shrouded in cold winds. From the northern part of the continent next to the endless ocean, From the wasteland, to the vast plains occupied by the northern city-states, to the mossywood forest where the gray elves have lived for generations, everyone is preparing for the winter that will come soon.
Reserve fuel for the winter, take advantage of the last sunny days to dry fish and make pickles, repair houses damaged by the autumn rain, and dig out cotton-padded clothes and bedding for the winter... In addition to the fact that magic technology has entered civilian use Outside of the Cecil Empire, people in most parts of the world still live a life that is not much different from before - even if the magic technology from afar has begun to change the way of life of some people, creating a new world for these ancient lands. It has brought many new things, but these changes will take time.
Rupert, who had just moved to the city, was walking on the street pushing a cart of charcoal. The wind, which was much colder than yesterday, blew on his face. Some of the cold wind got into his collar, which made him feel uncomfortable. The short gray elf man couldn't help but shrink his neck. He raised his head and looked around at this place that was still very unfamiliar to him, and couldn't help sniffing.
He is still trying to adapt to life in the city, which is not easy.
Compared with the forest he was used to living in, this "big forest" built by people seemed too huge, too cold, too crowded, and too chaotic. Every day, he had to interact with countless unknown people. Dealing with new people, doing strange jobs, hearing a lot of new news that I don't understand, and finally returning to a strange place - the only thing that can comfort me is my wife and a pair of children who moved here with me. The biggest motivation is to live in this strange city and finally decide to put down roots here.
After all, apart from the unfamiliar environment that is difficult to adapt to, life in the city is still far more comfortable and convenient than in the forest. As a gray elf who is good at processing herbal raw materials, his income from the distillation and aging plant It is enough to provide a warm place for the family, and the wife no longer has to worry about the wild beasts and poisonous insects that appear in the forest at any time. As for the children...
They really like this bustling big city.
Another gust of cold wind blew, and Rupert couldn't help sniffing again. He looked at the cart of charcoal in front of him: This cart of charcoal was bought from the charcoal burning yard in the south. , plus the quantity purchased previously, the fuel needed for the family to spend the winter in the city is ready. Life in the city is no better than in the forest. There is no way to go out to collect firewood. The fuel for heating can only be purchased with money. The operator of the charcoal burning farm is a gray elf businessman who seems to be very shrewd. Rupert feels that this person is probably the richest man he has ever seen in his life. However, for some reason, he always feels that when he recalls the details of the previous transaction The shrewd charcoal merchant had a sad face...
Rupert pushed the cart through the center of the city, and a burst of sweet and soft music suddenly entered his ears. He subconsciously looked up and saw A huge crystal device stands proudly in front of the leader's longhouse.In the square, runes flashed on the surface of the large-scale magic device. A large crystal was floating and slowly rotating on some kind of alloy base, and the soft sound of music came from a certain structure of this device. of.
He recalled the name of this device, which should be called the Magic Obelisk - this was the thing that surprised him the most since entering the city. Rupert didn't know how the Cecil people living in the east built this incredible device, but he knew that this square and the large area outside the square relied on this device to provide energy, and those unusually bright Street lights and "machines" in some factories are driven by it.
And this device will also start playing the traditional music of the Gray Elves when the sun rises every day, and will continue to play until the sun goes down.
This second function is said to have been invented by the Gray Elves' own "magic technicians" under the personal instruction of the clan leader. Rupert didn't understand the concepts of "technical exchange" and "foreign expert guidance", but he knew that the residents of the city welcomed the music in the square, which made some citizens who were originally resistant to magic technology put aside Many residents who are more receptive have organized themselves and often dance in the square or play musical instruments when the music is played - just like during festival celebrations.
A slightly hoarse and neutral voice suddenly came from the side, interrupting Rupert's association with the "Magic Obelisk": "Citizen, do you need help?"
p>Rupert was startled by the sound. He turned around in a panic, only to see a very tall and strong woman standing next to him - this was an orc with almost three gray heads. The elf is so tall, with beautiful and soft hair covered with strong and bulging muscles, and carries a terrifying cutting ax on his back. The lady guarding the square was looking at him, her eyes not evil-but enough to make the rural gray elves nervous who were not yet accustomed to city life.
"No...it's nothing, I was distracted, I was distracted..." Rupert said, waving his hands in a panic.
"Okay, then don't be in a daze for too long," the orc lady said casually, her eyes casually falling on Rupert's cart of charcoal, she frowned, "Hey, I hope There is really no need to burn charcoal from now on, this thing is not friendly to hair."
"Huh?" Rupert was a little surprised that the guards in the city were friendlier than he thought, and he was even more moved by the other party's words. Somewhat curious, "Madam, what did you say? Are you no longer allowed to burn charcoal in the future?"
"I mean there is no need to burn charcoal in the future," the orc lady looked at this and seemed a little confused about the situation. Gray Elf glanced at it, "Haven't you heard? Magic energy heating stations are being built in the north and south of the city. According to those 'Cecil Contractors', after the heating stations are built, the entire street will only need a few thermal energy pipes to warm them." Get up, there is no need to worry about fires, there will be no choking smoke, and there will no longer be unlucky orcs whose tails are burned by charcoal fire, of course, at least until next year..."
Rubber.Te listened to the square guard's description as if he were reading from heaven. Those terms and concepts were completely from another world to him - and he believed that even people who had lived in this city for a long time might not be able to do it. He knew what the so-called "magic heating stations" and "thermal energy conduits" were. After all, he had heard eight different versions of the "magic engine" used by locals in the tavern in the past few days. The principle, what those Cecil merchants brought... is really difficult to understand.
Rupert can only be sure that those magical-looking machines are all man-made. When taken apart, they are just a pile of iron blocks and crystals with nothing special. There are no little devils living in them, nor are they... What souls need to be absorbed? This is what the Cecil people have emphasized over and over again, and even the patriarch has personally assured the citizens.
He shook his head and temporarily put aside the confusion about "how to keep warm without burning charcoal". Anyway, it sounded like that would happen next year. At the same time, he subconsciously looked at the tall orc in front of him. A glance at the lady's tail - this cautious glance obviously failed to hide from the eyes of a professional warrior, who immediately threw his tail behind him and glared in this direction.
Rupert immediately shrank his neck and hurriedly pushed the cart forward.
Although it was impossible to determine whether the majestic soldier had his tail bald due to charcoal fire, he now understood why the seemingly shrewd and wealthy charcoal merchant always had a gloomy face...
p>......
Morelina watched the gray elf, who was not very bright and seemed to have just entered the city from the country not long ago, pushing the car away, and there was a feline sound in her throat. Then she glanced at the mechanical clock hanging in front of the leader's longhouse not far away. After confirming that the time was approaching, she strolled to the huge crystal device in the center of the square.
Next to the magic energy obelisk responsible for powering most of the city, there is also a smaller device - it is a magic network terminal with a triangular base and clear crystal components.
This terminal has been installed here for three days. Countless citizens have speculated on its function, but it will not be used for the first time until today.
There are several technicians here debugging this complex magic device. Two of them are humans with obvious foreign accents. They are inspecting the crystal while explaining some details to the people around them. The other few were gray elves wearing short white robes and as short as children. These gray elves held pens and papers in their hands and listened nervously and intently to the instructions of the two strangers, just like apprentices.
None of them paid attention to the female guard captain who walked next to them - a female warrior who was full of curiosity but knew nothing about magic technology could not affect the working status of these technicians.
With the tinkering of these people, the relatively small magical device was finally activated - not far behind the scheduled time.
With a slight buzzing and interference, a bright light curtain appeared out of thin air, and a large magicThe projection instantly appeared in the center of the square, with brilliant colors and melodious sounds bursting out at the same time——
Morelina, who was carrying a chopping ax, almost immediately became covered in down, like a keen cat hunter. She jumped out suddenly, almost taking off the weapon from her back, but soon she realized that the device only created some harmless projections, and what appeared on the projections was a gray elf who looked nervous. .
She felt a little embarrassed, and even the fine white down couldn't cover her slightly red face. However, the suddenly alarmed citizens around her obviously didn't notice this small detail. They were surprised and curious. He looked at the magical image that suddenly appeared in the square, and heard a voice coming from inside:
"This...this is the Mosswood Forest Magic Network broadcast, broadcast for the first time. What we are broadcasting today is from The picture of 'White Feather Port', our clan leader Ms. Wenna Bai Zhi will..."
...
The autumn wind blows through the groves on the coast, and the air current is full of moisture. Rolling all the way between the residential houses next to the port and the outpost near the port, the long trestle extends from the land, all the way to the endless sea, and the blue ocean slowly rises and falls at the end of the trestle, under the sun Full of texture.
The blue sea and sky, the undulating waves, the constant sound of the wind, and the chirping of seabirds - all these are rare sights seen deep in the moss forest.
Wenna Bai Zhi stood on the trestle of this small port, with her trusted guards and advisors beside her.
Not far from her, there were representatives from the dwarf kingdom who had come from afar.
"It should be almost time..." Wenna muttered as if talking to herself.
"Yes, leader," a human wearing brown robes and a silver ring on his head nodded, "the last signal indicated that they were only one hour away from the port. The watch tower in the north also reported seeing the shadow of a ship on the sea - it should be arriving soon."
Wenna hummed and looked back at the open space not far away - a group of technicians were gathering. There, they were surrounded by a brand new, expensive-looking magic machine. The crystal device fixed above the machine was shining brightly in the sunlight.
The machine made the gray elf leader a little nervous, but she easily resolved the discomfort. She knew that her figure should have been recorded by that wonderful device and transmitted back to Windsong City in the depths of the Mosswood Forest and Sanbitok City in the eastern part of the forest—these are the only two cities in the Mosswood Forest that have established magic networks and are connected by communication devices. "Magic Network Pilot". As the main promoter of the entire project, she knew that she had to perform perfectly and well today.
"I hope the citizens of Wind Song and Sanbitok won't be too nervous when they see the Magic Network broadcast for the first time," she whispered in a voice that only the advisor beside her could hear, "This This thing is different from the magic machines they have come into contact with so far."
"New things always make people nervous. The Cecil people will still exclaim when they see the magic network broadcast for the first time," the human consultant wearing a silver ring on his head also replied in a low voice. , "But after being nervous, brave and curious people will appear. As long as we encourage and guide, new things will grow quickly."
Wenna hummed and raised her head again She began to look at the sea in the distance, but her attention was focused on the not-so-large trestle in sight.
This is just a small port, and if it hadn’t been for emergency repairs and additions recently, its current situation would be even worse.
After all, its original function was only for local fishermen to dock some small boats, and the furthest sailing distance of those boats would not exceed the offshore boundary.
"Baiyu Port is just a fishing village..." Wenna said softly, "But maybe from today on, this place will no longer be just a fishing village..."
A loud sound , the flute sound that seemed to penetrate the sea suddenly came from the sea and reached everyone's ears.
"Coming! Coming!"
Onlookers at the port shouted loudly, even the gray elves representatives on the trestle and the dwarf representatives coming from afar. For a moment, they stretched their necks and looked at the sparkling sea. Between the undulating waves and the brilliant waves cast by the sun, there was a ship made of steel, covered with flashing magic shields, with open sides. The ship with strange wings is sailing this way through the wind and waves.
A ship is coming from the north.