Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 569 - 568: Reunion

Cecil Castle, inside the feudal lord’s mansion.

Gawain sat behind the wide desk, with Aunt Heidi quietly standing beside him. In front of them, a clear holographic projection floated above the Magic Web Terminal in the study room.

A sweet-smiling girl stood at the center of the projection, and on the table in front of her was a bizarre device resembling a low table. The device was supported by four legs, and the top was a flat surface where a skillet was sizzling with steaks and slices of bread frying in hot oil.

Beyond the frame, a cheerful voice-over was narrating: "...the Magic Heating Platform, the best alternative to traditional stoves—no need for firewood, no open flame, saving your cooking costs and sparing you cleaning troubles... Kode Household Service Company is always at your service. Magic, bringing convenience to life..."

The short video quickly ended, and it was only after the screen switched back to the previous program that Aunt Heidi broke the silence with a note of admiration: "This is the latest advertisement from Kode Household Service Company. Ancestor, you really didn’t misjudge that merchant named Kode... He truly possesses a talent that ordinary people don’t have... Ancestor? Ancestor, what’s wrong with you?"

Gawain remained fixedly staring at the image on the holographic projection, not shifting his gaze until the program ended, a strange expression on his face. This unusual situation made Aunt Heidi quite nervous, and it wasn’t until she called out to him three times that Gawain snapped out of it as if awakening from a dream: "Ah—I was just distracted."

"Ancestor, are you... really okay?" Aunt Heidi couldn’t help but ask with concern, because Gawain’s facial expression earlier was unlike usual. On that always composed and dignified face, she thought she had caught a glimpse of... melancholy.

But it wasn’t just melancholy, for there was also a clear mix of relief and joy within.

"I’m fine, just a bit emotional..." Gawain said, smiling to ease Aunt Heidi’s worry, "Seeing these spontaneous things emerging among the people, it feels like all my efforts in pushing forward haven’t been in vain."

Bringing advanced concepts and Magic Guide Technology into this era wasn’t easy, Gawain had known that from the start. But what he worried about the most was never the "challenges" in this process. What he feared most was that his promotion and construction were "one-sided piles." That society hadn’t really laid the foundation for transformation, that they weren’t prepared to face the new era—the Magic Guide Technology seemed to be developing rapidly, the Cecil Principality appeared to be rising swiftly, but he never dared to relax, fearing that one day, when he, this so-called "guiding light," fell, the development of this land would halt, or worse... regress.

Even now, he couldn’t be entirely certain whether the Cecil Principality would continue to develop after he unexpectedly fell, but at least there was one thing he could be sure of: what was once stagnant water had now begun to flow.

Perhaps it was never stagnant water, even in the darkest and most oppressive medieval times, in the depths of this water... there was always a small group of people patiently waiting for the era when the water would flow.

After calming his emotions, Gawain suddenly felt that his previous worries had been rather arrogant. He couldn’t help but shake his head with self-deprecation: "Heidi, don’t you think... I might be a bit conceited?"

"Conceited? How could you think that?" Aunt Heidi asked in surprise, eyes wide, "Your greatness is acknowledged by history, your achievements are firmly established on this land, and compared to these accomplishments, I think you’ve been far too modest... A mediocre baron would carve his dull life in stone, yet you’ve refused any statues in your honor till now."

"Let’s not talk about that," Gawain waved it off, "Besides Kode Household Service Company, are there currently any similar technical civilian enterprises rising up?"

"Very few, most talents are just now adapting to the principality’s changes. People like Kode, who quickly recognize opportunities in Magic Guide Technology, are rare. But it’s not entirely absent—also in the Carol Region, a businessman found a new ice-making technique using the general rune trigger. In the Hosman Region, some craftsmen partnered to open a workshop, attempting to improve the existing Magic Water Pump to suit Hosman’s low groundwater level. Beyond that... nothing else."

"As long as there are some... as long as there are," Gawain nodded again and again.

Social development naturally fosters some elements, as Magic Guide Technology spreads and local academies continuously educate the public, the more elite segments of society continually come into contact with the latest magical devices, and undoubtedly, sharp minds will emerge—so long as there are sufficient anticipated returns and the lure of profits, these sharp minds will actively engage with and even seek to master these new domains. In this process, wealthier merchants and technically adept intellectuals will be the greatest driving forces.

They will seize the earliest technical and policy advantages, which, in Gawain’s view, they rightly deserve.

At this stage, true Magic Guide Technology is actually still "officially" held, in the hands of the Magic Guide Technology Research Institute, Rune Research Center, Cecil Mechanical Manufacturing Facility, and various design bureaus, but Gawain has never restricted the spread of non-military, non-confidential technology and knowledge. The civilian-type Magic Transmission Terminals are on sale, and in local academies and night schools, the general rune trigger used for "literacy" is open to the public, and it is precisely on this small foundation that private "technology companies" like Kode’s Household Affairs have grown.

"Such initiatives must be encouraged, not only encouraged but also publicized," Gawain said with a smile, "We support civilian-led research and improvements in Magic Guide Technology, as long as they conform to the law, and we should support and reward them. Civilian interest is the key to the propagation and development of technology... It seems the system concerning ’patents’ needs to be perfected quickly."

"Patents? You mean the thing you mentioned before to manage various technological achievements?" Aunt Heidi blinked, "I understand, I will draft a proposal as soon as possible."

"Mm," Gawain nodded, then glanced at the mechanical clock on the wall, "By the way... the elves should be arriving soon, right?"

"Two hours ago, the Tanzan Nexus Tower reported a sighting. Considering the speed of the Giant Eagle’s flight, they should be arriving any moment," Aunt Heidi nodded, "Are you preparing for your reception?"

"Prepare," Gawain stood up, "They are important guests after all."

Aunt Heidi sighed: "The royal family has truly declined—a messenger of such importance now relies on another race."

Gawain chuckled, looking at Aunt Heidi: "Otherwise? Allow them to spend half a month in a tug-of-war with the Easton over who has more legitimacy in contacting the southern borders? At this rate, the delegation might not even set out before winter arrives."

The elves have arrived.

The massive and majestic grey-black giant eagles swept across the sky like fast-moving dark clouds, soaring in from the northwest horizon. The sharp sound of whistles and the loud blare of horns echoed from the watchtowers on the city walls. Bright banners stretched from the northwest corner of the walls all the way to the center of the administrative district, beside the feudal lord’s mansion. On the wide square in front of the "Autumn Palace," Cecil soldiers in shining armor had been waiting for a long time.

Gawain, with Aunt Heidi and Rebecca representing the Cecil Clan and the Administrative Office alongside him, along with Soldrin temporarily acting as the "Elf Affairs Officer" and several Administrative Office officials, stood on the square watching as the enormous raptors descended from the sky.

Facing such exotic giant birds was a rare experience for humans from the north, but even as the massive raptors landed one by one, the soldiers on site stood straight without making any unnecessary moves.

Once the giant eagles landed, tall and gracefully-figured silhouettes jumped down from the backs of those steeds and started walking toward Gawain and the others.

The military band nearby struck up a tune at the right moment.

Amidst the music, Gawain first glanced at those giant eagles and then slightly tilted his head, asking Aunt Heidi beside him, "Did they fly all the way from the northwest border?"

"Yes, they first flew over from the Lu’an Area and were detected by the local Magic Web Hub Tower, then flew along the Hosman-Asok-White Lake Bay-Tanzan line to reach here," Heidi replied.

Gawain mused for a moment and muttered to himself, "It might be a bit early... but the concepts of air defense and air force shouldn’t be nonexistent..."

Heidi was taken aback, "Ancestor, what did you say?"

"Oh, nothing," Gawain shook his head, then shifted his gaze to the elves walking toward him. A short-haired female elf, shorter than most humans, first entered his sight, triggering a surge of memories from Gawain Cecil, making him mutter to himself, "... Did we meet an old acquaintance?"

Rebecca next to him was immediately curious, "Ancestor, do you know any of these elves?"

Gawain smiled, nodded, and then walked forward, "Sonia Frostleaf—we haven’t seen each other for seven centuries."

The short-haired woman walking in the middle of all the elves quickened her pace. She stopped in front of Gawain but did not immediately respond to his greeting. Instead, she looked him up and down several times with a peculiar and scrutinizing expression. Only after a few seconds did she smile, extend her hand, and say, "Even after seeing you with my own eyes, I can hardly believe this is real... you actually came back to life?"

Gawain took Sonia Frostleaf’s hand and, with a gesture common to both humans and elves, graciously performed a hand-kiss gesture, then he helplessly shook his head: "If my old territory hadn’t been burned to ashes by a passing blue dragon’s fiery breath, I could show you my coffin as proof."

"No need for proof, the memory of an elf is excellent—I still remember your facial details and voice," Sonia Frostleaf nodded. "Her Majesty Queen Belsetia sends her greetings through me, as do General Romar, Countess Seria, Earl Queldan, General Shana, Sage Kidoen, and Messenger Chief Kiriel."

After saying this, she immediately turned to a fellow messenger beside her, "Write it all down, I’ve delivered the message."

"Alright, got it," the messenger replied.

Gawain couldn’t help but laugh listening to the names, each resonating strongly within Gawain Cecil’s memories, and he spread his hands helplessly, "I left in a bit of a hurry back then and couldn’t fulfill my promise to meet everyone once more, but a sudden death in battle... can’t really be planned, right?"

Sonia Frostleaf waved her hand, "Anyway, I’ve delivered the message."

At this point, Rebecca couldn’t hold back any longer, bursting into chatter, "Wow, Ancestor, you really knew them? Who were all those names you mentioned? Were those your friends back then? Ancestor, you are amazing!"

"I knew a lot of people back then, no need to be so surprised," Gawain gave Rebecca a glance, signaling Heidi with his eyes to quickly control this potentially embarrassing clumsy deer beside him. Then he turned around, leading these special envoys toward the Autumn Palace, and beckoned to Soldrin not far away, "Soldrin—don’t stand so far away, come and say hello."

Soldrin, who had deliberately stood in an inconspicuous spot for a while, reluctantly stepped forward. This High-Ranked Ranger came to Gawain’s side, glancing at the compatriots from the Silver Empire with a somewhat peculiar expression, finally resting his gaze on Sonia Frostleaf.

Sonia merely cast a glance at Soldrin without speaking, waiting for him to initiate the conversation.

The individuals walking beside Gawain obviously noticed the shift in atmosphere, and under everyone’s curious gaze, Soldrin finally spoke, bowing his head slightly and with a bit of awkwardness, said, "Mother... it’s been a long time."

Several people’s expressions instantly grew colorful, and Rebecca’s eyes widened even more. She looked at Soldrin, then at Sonia, who was almost the same height as her, and she couldn’t help but exclaim, "...Wow!!"