Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 723 - 722: New Things, New Trade Routes

In the chilly late autumn, the cold wind sweeps through the fields and wilderness. In the sunny autumn sky, no birds fly by.

The farmer Carn bends his waist, lifts up the heavy basket, and pours it into the wooden trough beside him. The golden beans make a satisfying rustle, flowing like a stream of gold into the groove and rolling into the underground granary. The gradually overflowing sound makes this wrinkled man smile, his eyes squinting, and his mouth unconsciously curling up.

"Maple Horn Beans" are one of the last crops that can be harvested in the southern area in autumn. With this batch of thoroughly dried beans entering the warehouse, the year’s hard work has yielded its result.

Another winter where people won’t starve—if luck is on his side, and nearby factories offer extra jobs, this winter, not only will it not cause starvation, but his family might even have meat to eat a few times a week.

Carn straightens his back, wipes the sweat from his forehead. Not far away, a magic-guided vehicle passes by on the newly paved street, carrying timber. The young driver sticks his head out, happily greeting someone in the distance. At the end of the road, the square flickers with light and shadow—it’s the holographic projection from the Magic Web Terminal.

Magic-guided vehicles and Magic Web Terminals are incredible new gadgets. It is said that they have not yet become widespread in more distant areas, but here, being close to Cecil Castle, there are inevitably more advanced "Magic Guide Technologies."

Carn doesn’t understand what’s behind these magic guide technologies, but at least now he doesn’t shout out in fright when seeing magic-guided vehicles. He knows these incredible gadgets are brought by the leader—now it should be called King—and these things will become more numerous and useful in the future.

Just like the useful water pump by the river and the mechanical grinder at the farm machinery management station.

As said by the scholar who often comes to town to teach, "These are all good things."

Carn shakes his head, swings his slightly sore arms, and strides towards his doorstep. He can already smell the perfectly cooked oatmeal and the aroma of freshly baked bread, scents that make his stomach, dried up after labor, begin to churn.

But his movement is halted by a strange sound suddenly coming from the sky.

It’s a low buzzing sound, mixed with the whistling of air currents or some other odd noise.

He has heard all sorts of bird cries and sounds of wind and rain, but he has never heard anything like it.

The wrinkled farmer can’t help but raise his head and look towards the direction of the sound.

In the sunny autumn sky, no birds fly by, but a machine made of steel cuts across the sky with a low buzzing sound.

"Oh, three goddesses of fertility..." The farmer widened his eyes in astonishment, with an expression of both fear and awe, or perhaps both, as he gazes at the "iron beast" flying across the sky. His lips move, and his knees tremble, but ultimately he doesn’t kneel to the strange thing. He guesses it is another "new gadget" made by smart people in the city. In the past, commoners had to kneel when seeing creations from "mages," because there’s no telling whether it was a dreadful magic artificial intelligence or synthesized non-human monster, but today Cecil residents don’t have to kneel to such things.

"What is that?!"

Carn mutters to himself, watching the unimaginable machine gradually disappear into the horizon. He hears gasps from nearby houses, and noises from the kitchen direction of things falling on the ground, reminding him that what he saw was no illusion.

It looks like the town men will have a topic to discuss in the tavern in the coming days.

...

In the Administrative Office, in Gawain’s dedicated office, Aunt Heidi is gazing at the holographic image projected by the Magic Web Terminal. From behind the desk comes Gawain’s voice: "’Dragon Cavalry Type I’ still needs some time before being practical, but we can already start preparing to establish a new type of aerial unit."

New technology is always first applied in the military field, as it is on planet Earth, so it is in this alternate world. On one hand, it’s to enhance the army’s power, on the other hand, well-trained soldiers are always the best testers of new technology.

Aunt Heidi turns her face back and nods: "The selection of personnel has started since the middle of the year. Byron and Sir Philip each picked fifty brave and careful experienced soldiers from their Gryphon Knights, forming a total of one hundred as a reserve team. These people don’t know why they were chosen, but basic training on mechanical control has been conducted for half a month. If the training machines are timely in place, these people can soon move to practical training."

"Very good, Rebecca will complete the data sorting and blueprint adjustments soon. Once the drawings are adjusted in place, Nicholas will quickly build the practical training equipment."

"It’s truly hard to believe... we really made it," Aunt Heidi, until now, can’t help but sigh, "Free flight... the power of middle-ranked mages is now handed over to ordinary people through machines. Rebecca has made it beyond my imagination."

"I said from the start, she’s a very smart child, with talents that others don’t possess," Gawain smiles and shakes his head, not mentioning Rebecca’s problematic words from the test field—anyway, sooner or later, she will anger Aunt Heidi in other occasions, "Just that the old professional system and aristocratic rules limited her ability, and now... we just let her do as she pleases."

"Your vision is far sharper than mine," Aunt Heidi smiles, her smile as bright as an imperial great steward who remembers not how much budget Rebecca’s laboratory burns through each month, then she slightly adjusts her expression and asks quite seriously, "One more thing, ancestor, Emperor Rosetta Augustus’s handwritten letter has been here for nearly a week... have you decided when to reply?"

Gawain slightly squints his eyes, his mouth slightly curling upward: "...Rosetta’s handwritten letter..."

Indeed, there is such a letter, from the neighboring Typhon Empire, handwritten by the ambitious Emperor Rosetta Augustus, delivered by a special envoy to the border fortress, then by the fortress messenger to Cecil Castle. That letter still lies in Gawain’s desk drawer, and its content...

One-third is filled with warm official niceties, one-third is a tactful response to last month’s border skirmish, and one-third is a beautiful prospect on the future of trade between the two countries.

Friendly, cordial, and a bit too genuinely open, undoubtedly from the hand of a master of language and carefully refined.

Just as Gawain initially expected, Rosetta Augustus is a tough character, not only courageous and resourceful, but also flexible, in the event of losing footing in border disputes, that emperor unhesitatingly chose to lower his stance, but without compromising Typhon’s interests.

Moreover, Gawain learned another thing from Daniel: Rosetta Augustus summoned the imperial capital aristocrats in charge of military power the day after the Longwind-Winterwolf Fortress dispute, and after a closed-door meeting, all military aristocrats maintained silence—

The negative impact of the border conflict did not spread outside the Obsidian Palace; the circle of nobles in Aldernon remained peaceful, as it had until today, so calm that no one dared to stir a ripple.

Gawain once considered whether he could use this border conflict to hit the Wendell clan in Typhon, at least create some domestic pressure for the young Wolf General guarding the border, slightly loosening Typhon’s massive military group, but it turned out that Rosetta had already safeguarded all details that might lead to a crack before it happened.

In terms of control over the upper aristocrats, the performance of the Typhon Emperor made Gawain only able to admire.

"I previously reduced the import price of textiles by thirty percent," after a brief silence, Gawain shook his head with a smile, "Of course, this is unrealistic, we are just expressing an attitude, I didn’t expect Rosetta to really agree, but as for the reply... let’s wait a bit longer. It’s been less than a week only, I believe with Rosetta’s patience, even a month or two won’t be too long for him to wait."

Aunt Heidi looked at Gawain with some curiosity: "Are you specifically waiting for something?"

"That’s right," Gawain nodded, "I’m waiting for news from Duke Baldwin."

...

A week ago, Baldwin Franklin had returned to the West.

Now the situation in St. Soniel has stabilized, and various functions of the former capital of the Kingdom are moving southwards. He no longer needs to stay there long-term. Plus, as the least damaged area among the four regions of the Empire except the southern borders, the West is now taking on the heavy task of "blood transfusion" to other areas. Many affairs urgently need his personal handling. Thus, he returned to Sherlin City — the place his family has ruled for generations.

Today, special visitors are visiting this border city known as the "City of Trade," and Baldwin Franklin, one of the Empire’s Grand Governors, will personally receive them.

In the ancient and solemn family castle, Baldwin, draped in a ducal cloak, walked down long corridors accompanied by his attendant. The howling northerly wind is raging outside the castle, as if it could seep its threads of cold into the interior of the fort. Duke Baldwin couldn’t help but mutter softly as he listened to the whistling wind outside the window: "Stay with Victoria long enough, and hearing such wind sounds cold."

The attendant nearby immediately responded: "Please do not worry, sir, the castle’s constant temperature array will keep all cold at bay."

Constant temperature array...

Upon hearing the attendant’s words, Baldwin’s thoughts couldn’t help but wander.

I wonder if next winter Sherlin City can install those "heating systems" from the southern borders; although there’s technical information available, adapting it to the specific conditions in the West might not be easy either.

If it can be used, fewer people should freeze to death in winter.

He shook his head and gathered his slightly scattered thoughts. The door to the reception room had opened before him.

Amidst the loud announcement from the attendant, Baldwin stepped into the reception room, his gaze already directed toward some figures seated beside the tea table.

Two stocky but particularly strong dwarves, a scholarly human appearing quite astute like a secretary or advisor scholar, and a dark red-skinned, impassive Red Valley person — Baldwin’s gaze swept over them all until it fell upon a petite figure not seated, standing not far away.

The latter was seriously examining the crystal Magic Power ornament used to decorate the room on the shelf.

That figure was clad in a dark blue cloak, appearing quite petite, with long gray hair draped behind, revealing a pair of pointed ears between the strands. Due to the rear view, her visage could not be seen; only through some side features and figure, one could judge it was likely a lady.

She seemed entirely immersed in the ingenious Magic Power ornament, so much so that she did not react to the entry of the Duke of the West into the room, until Baldwin couldn’t help but open his mouth: "Miss Venna, are you very interested in that Magic Power ornament?"

The cloaked figure then turned around, a rather delicate face appeared before Baldwin.

Gray-white skin tone, very light-colored pupils, elf characteristic ears — this was a gray elf from the tribal country of Augari.

"Human craftsmanship isn’t as exquisite as the silver elves, but it possesses creativity that silver elven craftsmen cannot match. No matter how many times I view it, I always admire your creativity in the field of arts," the gray elf called "Miss Venna" began speaking in a voice unexpectedly elegant and mature, unmatched with her petite stature, "Duke Baldwin, I’m pleased to see you still healthy — to a gray elf, there’s nothing happier than seeing one’s business partner still healthy."

"Likewise," Baldwin Franklin showed a faint, genuine smile, "A healthy physique is essential for maintaining healthy business dealings, wouldn’t you agree?"

"Honestly, after hearing rumors about the Anzu Civil War and natural disasters, I was worried for a long time."

"It should now be called the Cecil Empire, Miss Venna."

"Oh, the Cecil Empire... this legendary surname, I indeed would love to meet that pioneer if I have the chance; during his active era, I was still a child," Gray Elf Venna shook her head, "But let’s discuss this later, my friend, today we come, wanting to see that ’new business’ you mentioned."

"Of course," Baldwin smiled and clapped his hands, immediately attendants brought several boxes into the room, "I have prepared the samples and sincerity."

"We are very much looking forward to it — last time, your alchemical potions left a lasting impression; what will it be this time?"

"Some life essentials so indispensable," Baldwin’s smile and words were full of affability, "Originating from the distant Typhon Empire — to the western continent, that is truly exotic."