This world is a bit like the stand-alone World of Warcraft game in the previous life, with treasure hunting, killing monsters, mining, and exploring ruins... No one knows what secrets the continent holds and how vast it is until all the mists are explored.
The fog is full of endless unknowns.
Humans call the barren black land under their feet [Ice Ridge Wasteland].
The Ice Ridge Wasteland is huge, and its proven area is larger than the total land area of the Earth in previous generations.
Countless steam machine cities are moving on the Ice Ridge Wasteland, exploring, plundering, treasure hunting, and competing for resources... The map is also updated anytime and anywhere.
Humanity is divided into two empires, the Omar Empire in the north and the Sid Empire in the south.
The two empires often had local frictions over competition for large mineral deposits, but large-scale wars rarely occurred.
After all, the wasteland is huge, and the areas that can be explored are endless... The greatest enemy of mankind is the wasteland monsters in the fog, not the civil war.
The Omar Empire is divided into a total of seventy-two administrative provinces. The lords of each administrative province are high-ranking nobles who are hereditary dukes. They have a Beamon lord-level main mechanical city and countless secondary mechanical cities.
The system of hereditary nobility has caused most resources to be concentrated in the hands of established nobles. The class has been solidified. The seventy-two great ducal families have not changed much after hundreds of years.
The nobles have lost their adventurous spirit. They can get a lot of nourishment by guarding the inheritance passed down from their ancestors.
The road for the common people to reach the upper class has almost been blocked, and the descendants of common people are destined to be exploited and oppressed as soon as they are born.
The only hope is to become a wilderness hunter and work hard to hunt for treasure in the wilderness. Like Baron Morin, if you can find a shocking treasure, you can exchange some minced meat residue from the mouths of higher nobles in exchange for a small title of lower nobles.
Social conflicts are getting bigger and bigger, and the Omar Empire's progress in exploring the unknown foggy area is getting slower and slower. These old nobles have lost the hard-working and enterprising spirit of their ancestors, and have gradually become a stumbling block to the progress of civilization.
And Spuglin XV is the current Emperor of Omar.
This ambitious emperor planned to carry out a "reform".
For example, he plans to lower the price of potions monopolized by the old nobles so that everyone can advance to extraordinary levels; he also plans to open the Royal Academy to civilians and establish more basic academies so that all civilians in the empire can receive basic knowledge for free. of learning.
The price of potions has been reduced, more civilians can advance to high-level transcendence, they can explore more and more dangerous foggy areas, and human civilization will make great progress.
And if all the people learn knowledge, a large number of civilian geniuses can be found overseas. There will be more and more potionists, scientists, and polymaths. The bottlenecks that restrict human progress will be broken, and the empire will definitely become stronger and stronger.
But the resistance can be imagined.
Genetic potions are the most valuable business in the world, and they are a "necessity" for human beings to survive in this world. Without advanced transcendence, humans will even find it difficult to survive in this harsh climate.
However, 99% of the potion sales industry on the market is monopolized by high-ranking nobles. This is also the best way for the people at the top of the pyramid to exploit the people at the bottom for hundreds of years.
Killing this chicken that lays golden eggs is equivalent to cutting off the "milk" of most of the established nobles.
What does the empire’s strength have to do with me? What does human progress have to do with me
Why are nobles so valuable
If there are not hundreds of thousands of untouchables who cannot afford to eat in the aristocratic territory, why should they be superior to others
By allowing everyone in the common people to advance to extraordinary levels and enter academies to learn knowledge, isn't this infringing upon their rights that only nobles have
If this continues, what is the difference between nobles and commoners
Talent and hard work
Haha... Damn talent!
I was born into a noble family, and I can become rich if I inherit the family business. Why should I fight on the same starting line as a group of untouchables
Therefore, after the reform, the upper echelons of the Omar Empire were divided into two factions, a small number of "renovators" who supported the emperor's reforms; and a majority of "conservatives" who secretly stood in the way and wanted to maintain the status quo.
The eldest princess Ymir is the royal family with the strongest attitude in supporting her brother Spurgeon XV’s reform plan!
Now that the emperor's health is deteriorating, there is a high probability that he will not live for a few more years.
The eldest princess Ymir is also known as the most talented royal family in the Spring Green family for hundreds of years. Her prestige in the country is even higher than that of the princes!
If there are no accidents, there is a high chance that Spurgeon XV will pass the throne to his sister Ymir instead of those mediocre princes!
And this time Ymir was assassinated in a conspiracy, it was actually a collision between the "conservatives" and the "renovators" who represented the interests of the established nobles.
Even the premature physical decline of Spurgeon XV has the shadow of those guys' conspiracy.
... .
The steam train runs smoothly over the wasteland.
Not long after Ren and Ymir used the communication radio.
Tuk, Tuk, Tuk!
There was a knock on the door.
"President."
"Enter."
In a certain carriage at the head of the train, a man who looked like a butler knocked on the door and walked in.
It was extremely warm in this carriage, and the exquisite crystal chandelier illuminated the huge room.
The decoration in the room is very luxurious, with classical wooden furniture, exquisite handmade cashmere carpets from Niel, and oil painting ornaments that look like handiwork by masters. Even the wine vessels on the table are made of sterling silver, and there is an air of luxury everywhere.
It seems that this is not a carriage, but a palace.
There was only one person in the room.
This is a beautiful woman wearing a high-slit lace cheongsam.
At this moment, she was lying lazily on a chair, looking through a thick stack of ledgers. Her legs were crossed on the edge of the table, and her slender legs were clearly visible in the cheongsam that was slit to the base of her legs.
"President Canossa, someone just used the communication radio in the car to send ten encrypted messages."
Even though he could see the boundless spring scenery when he looked up, the housekeeper kept his head lowered the whole time after entering the house, as if there was a fear in his heart that prevented him from looking directly.
If there are business people here, they will definitely recognize this charming woman as the vice president of the legendary [Black Gold Chamber of Commerce], Canosha J. Crofeller.
This is the name of a formidable and huge money empire.
Almost all the business of high-ranking nobles in the two empires has dealings with this "Black Gold Chamber of Commerce".
The "Thorn Bird Chamber of Commerce" to which this train belongs is one of the largest chambers of commerce in the southern provinces of Oma, and is just an inconspicuous small chamber of commerce under the "Black Gold Chamber of Commerce".
Hearing this,
The beautiful woman in cheongsam didn't raise her eyebrows and asked calmly: "Has it been cracked?"
The housekeeper shook his head and said: "It's impossible in a short time. Judging from the skillful encryption method she operates, she looks a bit like an intelligence informant of the Omar Royal Intelligence Group's Blackwater Tower."
"oh."
The beautiful woman in cheongsam said: "Then don't worry about it. There is great turmoil within the Omar royal family now, and the political situation is very sensitive... No matter who is summoned, we will not interfere."
"Yes, President."
The housekeeper nodded and said: "President, you said that the secret message from the headquarters is to confirm whether the news of the assassination of Her Royal Highness is accurate, so that we can formulate follow-up plans..."
When the beautiful woman in cheongsam heard the news, her charming face became a little moved.
"Just consider her dead."
She added: "Whether it's true or not, it doesn't matter. Now that Baron Askpa has been labeled as a rebel, the biggest support of the 'reformers' is gone. Without military power, there is no right to speak. No matter. No one can turn the tide anymore."
The Black Gold Chamber of Commerce has information channels all over the world, which allows her to know more about the matter.
After a pause, she continued: "Forcing General Baron to rebel, Queen Omar made a perfect move. Even if the eldest princess is not dead, the situation will not be easy when she returns to the imperial capital."
A businessman revealed the situation of the entire upper class of the Omar royal family in a few words, and it was extremely thorough.
If someone who understands politics is here, their jaws will definitely drop.
"That... "
The steward continued: "President, General Baron took away some of the most elite mechanics in the empire this time. So what should we do with the supply agreement we signed with them before...?"
The beautiful woman in cheongsam looked disapproving and said: "Business remains as usual, according to the contract. Anyway, there is investment from both sides. No matter who sits on the throne, it will not have much impact on our Chamber of Commerce."
After a pause, she seemed to have lost much interest in this matter, and asked instead: "By the way, how is the situation in the 'Forest of Ashes'?"
The steward said seriously: "The mineral deposits on the periphery over there have been preliminarily explored. It is a top-level rich mine. The reserves of 'high-burning coal' in the shallow layer alone will be very large. However, the savage tribe over there is very troublesome, and it has not been solved yet." A good idea..."
The beautiful woman in cheongsam asked again: "Where is the temple?"
Butler: "It is confirmed that there is a place deep in the forest that should belong to one of the seventy-two general knight temples of the 'Black Emperor'. However, where there are savage priests stationed, it is impossible to get close unless a large force is forcibly wiped out. .”
The beautiful woman in cheongsam said with shining eyes, "Then spread the news and attract more hunters to open up wasteland. Our Chamber of Commerce must get the inheritance of the ruins!"
"I know, President. I'll do it right now..."
The butler bowed lower and lower, turned around and went out.