On the fountain garden square in front of the main entrance, the crisp sound of jingle bells could be heard from time to time. Rebecca was riding on her "new toy" excitedly, circling around the flower bed, helplessly. The attendants can only stand not far away or try to follow nearby, ready to help the princess who fell to the ground at any time.
It's just that compared to the beginning, Rebecca is obviously much more proficient now, at least she won't plunge into the flower bed again.
Behind the floor-to-ceiling windows of the study, Gao Wen silently withdrew his gaze from looking at the square.
"Two-wheeled vehicles... The people of Typhon really made something interesting," Amber's voice came from behind him, "A scholar consultant from the Government Affairs Department has made an assessment. This seemingly simple means of transportation has great potential. Value, it is flexible, convenient, and low-cost. Any ordinary person with sound hands and feet can use it proficiently after a short period of learning. As long as the road is relatively flat, it can be used. The promotion threshold is lower than that of magic devices... nice one."
Gao Wen didn't make a sound for a while.
What is going on in his mind is beyond the knowledge of outsiders.
Although the form does not look exactly the same as the "bicycle" in his memory, the principle and general structure of that thing are no different from the things he is familiar with, but... he hasn't had time to promote this thing in Cecil , the Typhons were already ahead.
Seeing that Gao Wen didn't speak for a while, Amber couldn't help but said, "What's the matter? Typhon people are ahead in 'technical innovation', and I don't feel comfortable?"
"Of course not," Gawain shook his head, "To be honest, in the Ansu era, Typhon people were always ahead in the field of technology, and we have only been ahead for so many years by relying on magic technology. And proceeding from the actual situation It is inevitable that the Typhon people created this flexible and convenient means of transportation before us... "
"Oh? How do you say that?"
"Their road renovation and leveling project started earlier than ours. 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, and even if we start the work with all our strength now, It can only ensure that the roads between big cities and major towns meet new standards," Gao Wen turned his head, "In the final analysis, the birth of a new thing does not come with a clap of hands, without the support of the environment, there will be no new adaptation to the environment." thing.
"Compared to 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 just popped up recently..."
Amber blinked, and quickly recalled the relevant information: "...there were indeed earlier 'prototypes'. Ten years ago, a Typhon craftsman made a wooden moped, but at that time not many people paid attention to it, and it was just regarded as some kind of It was a new toy, and later craftsmen improved it several times, but still not many people paid attention to it. Until half a year ago, the number of factories in the Aldernan area surged, and a large number of workers needed to go to work in the factory, and many of them were related to the factory. Relevant people need to move around, there are more and more factories, more and more workers, and the areas where workers live are getting farther and farther away from the city center—then, the 'two-wheeled vehicle' that has not been cared about by many people has been taken by some Businessman giving attention with eyesight.
"According to the information sent by the 'Track' intelligence line, this means of transportation is currently rapidly becoming popular among the middle-class citizens of Aldernan. They are mainly skilled workers with stable incomes, foremen, small and medium-sized lawyers, and decent business personnel .As for the grassroots workers, they can’t afford the price of two-wheeled vehicles for the time being. However, several Typhon nobles initiated the ‘Two-wheeled Vehicle Welfare Plan’, calling on factories to fund the purchase of cheaper versions of two-wheeled vehicles, and then lend them to Worker use, where workers can own the car 'for free' as long as they have worked in the factory for a certain number of years, this scheme has been well received and should be implemented soon - both factory owners and workers welcome it and feel they are getting great benefit.”
"... The factory owner can always recover the cost from the workers, and the workers feel that their travel pressure is relieved. After all, capital can always stimulate the ingenuity of the capitalists," Gao Wen thought for a while, and said with a chuckle, "But no matter How to put it, things are really good, and we can use them too... The road conditions in most parts of the southern border have been greatly improved. This kind of two-wheeled vehicle can come in handy. Its technical difficulty is not high, and the factory can imitate it. stand up."
Having said that, he stopped and fell into short thoughts.
Magical machinery and factory production, they have more than a single, one-sided impact on a society. Industrialization is a chain reaction. When its source starts to operate, all related links in society will inevitably began to change.
Factories need ordinary people as workers, and the role of ordinary people in the operation of society has been magnified, so whether the upper class of Typhon is willing or not, they will take ordinary people into their sights—even if they only treat them as gears and money bags .
The two-wheeled vehicle specially made for ordinary people is just the beginning—it does not mean that a few smart Typhon businessmen have discovered new business opportunities, but that some of the upper Typhon elements who have knowledge and production materials have already thought changed.
And as long as this change occurs, their ability to use magic technology will inevitably increase rapidly. This is pressure for Gao Wen, but it is also what he hopes to see.
He fell into the paradoxical state of entanglement and expectation again.
Amber looked at Gao Wen curiously: "What are you thinking?"
"People from Typhon... their thinking has become more flexible," Gao Wen said slowly with a trace of sigh, "but it's a good thing."
"...Although I don't know how many complicated things you have thought about in the past few seconds, I still remember you said that it is not a bad thing for others to develop, we just need to ensure that we will always develop faster than others," Amber said with a serious look I found a temporary sentence from the "sacred words of Emperor Gawain Cecil" recorded by myself, and then changed the subject, "Now that we are talking about Typhon... count the time, that Princess Matilda It should be here soon."
"Matilda Augustus..." Gao Wen rested his fingers on his chin, thoughtful, "According to the information from Maryland and Philip, that princess is a person who is very concerned about magic technology. This is her intentional attitude, but she does have a good understanding of some professional magic knowledge."
Amber glanced at Gao Wen: "Are you worried that what she can see from Cecil's magic technology will affect the concealment of 'No. 25'?"
"That's not true. 'No. 25' has always been very cautious. The technologies he releases are all mutated, and he has also prepared a very complete 'research and development evidence'. There is nothing suspicious about it," Gawain shook his head, "I'm just a little curious, whether that Princess Typhon's focus on magic technology is just showing a certain attitude of the Typhon royal family... or it's her personal preference. If it's the latter... I'd be happy Get on good terms with her, and then use her hand to give them some 'gifts' that are going to be exported to Typhon in a more natural and reasonable way... "
Seeing the classic calculating look on Gao Wen's face, Amber really wanted to roll her eyes on the spot, but she was afraid that she would really roll her eyes if she was slapped on the wall, so she could only forcefully suppress her nagging thoughts. Turn around: "Speaking of Typhon's royal family, the Military Intelligence Bureau has recently been investigating information about the genetic 'madness' of the Augustus family, and we have discovered some interesting things."
"Oh?" Gao Wen raised his eyebrows, "Let's hear it."
Knowing your opponent is the basis for protecting yourself. Based on this, Gao Wen has been paying attention to Typhon's Augustus family since the Southern Unification War, especially their family's famous "Crazy Curse" legend. The collection of intelligence is also the focus of the Military Intelligence Bureau's mission in Tifeng. He immediately lifted his spirits when he heard new information.
"According to the relatively public information that has been collected before, we already know that the 'madness' of the Augustus family did not exist all the time, but only appeared after the event known as the 'Great Collapse' two hundred years ago Yes," Amber Dang even began to report, "Two hundred years ago, the old capital of Typhon collapsed due to a major earthquake, and the whole fell into the ground. But before the collapse, the then Emperor Typhon predicted the disaster in advance and carried out evacuated, thereby avoiding casualties, and after that, the family members of the Augustus family began to be troubled by the curse of madness...
"According to the latest information we have gathered, there is an explanation for this 'curse' that only appeared after the collapse.
"Some of the 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 a man-made disaster. It was the Typhon royal family who tried to draw some forbidden power from the earth, which caused a backlash. Therefore, Emperor Typhon at that time did not foresee any disaster, but evacuated when he knew that the ceremony was out of control.
"As for the so-called madness, it is the aftermath of this backlash—it is the out-of-control power deep in the earth that polluted the souls of the Augustus, and this pollution has been passed down from generation to generation to this day."
"Man-made disaster... trying to draw power from the depths of the earth?" Gawain frowned, "This sounds more like an absurd and unruly court tale. This kind of legend that slanders the reputation of the royal family should be taboo in Typhon, right?" ?”
"Of course, no one dares to discuss these legends publicly, and those who discuss publicly are basically not far from death—the Typhon royal family has always been tough, which is different from the Ansu royal family back then." Amber nodded, "But this kind of thing It will always be kept secret and circulated among some not-so-honest nobles and scholars.
"Rosetta Augustus adopted various tough measures to implement reforms in the early years, but he did not do as thoroughly as you did due to the restrictions of the domestic situation. This left a large number of resentful nobles in Typhon. These The nobles may not object to Rosetta's rule, but they certainly don'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 it can be circulated among many scholars and extraordinary people, then part of it must be true..."
Gao Wen glanced at Amber: "It seems that what you told me has been screened and confirmed?"
"The content that was too absurd and malicious was removed, and the part that can reflect each other with various versions of rumors and legends was retained," Amber nodded and said, "I dare not say it is the truth, but the Augustus family did something about it two hundred years ago. , and thus lead to familial madness is probably true."
"...I am now a little curious about what is buried under their collapsed old imperial capital," Gawain said quietly after listening, "the Lord of Storms is buried under the deep sea, the rebellious fortress is buried in the dark mountains, and the giant tree of Sorin is connected to it." With the legacy of the Reverse Tide Empire... In this world, digging holes into the ground is not a safe thing to do."
While talking, he couldn't help but have another slightly weird thought in his mind:
Does the soon-to-be-visiting Princess Matilda Augustus also have this curse that will eventually lead to madness
…
City of Dreams, in the rotunda of the Central Temple, the figure of Selina Geerfen had just condensed in the air when she heard Archbishop Yuri's voice beside her:
"Archbishop Selina, our first test of the No. 1 sandbox has gone wrong."
"I know." Selena's figure was solid, and she looked at Yuri who was wearing a white robe. "What's the specific situation?"
"The first batch of spirit knights who entered the No. 1 sandbox arrived at the deserted city, and they found in the city crazy records, which stated that the world had ended, and all living beings in the world had escaped meaningless reincarnation—in After exploring the surroundings of the city, the operatives confirmed that there were no residents in the area," Archbishop Yuri said quickly, "With the help of the spirit knight team as the spiritual beacon, we finally re-established the monitoring of the No. 1 sandbox, and found …and all the mind in there is literally gone!"
Selina Geerfen's expression instantly became serious: "All—including the real testers, and all the virtual personalities simulated in the sandbox?"
"Yes, all," Archbishop Yuri nodded, "There are no 'residents' in the No. 1 sandbox, and it is likely to have been 'emptied' as early as the early stage of the sandbox closure. The one we explored before There was an empty appearance in the phantom town. We once speculated that it was a "vision" caused by projection distortion, but now it seems that the empty state is not a "distorted vision" at all, but the real phenomenon of No. 1 sandbox. status - it's idling! It's been idling"
The No. 1 sandbox, which has been out of control for a long time, was supposed to accommodate tens of thousands of "residents". The interior of the No. 1 sandbox has been undergoing high-speed evolution. In the early days of the loss of control, the No. 1 sandbox projected the illusion of residents , It was already empty.
The mind inside... where did it go
The "residents" it projected in the early days, the "priests" in the phantom town...what the hell are they
Even though she had lost her entity in the real world, Selina Geerfen still felt an inexplicable chill suddenly surge up.