Sword of Dawn

Page 419

Chapter 0885 Weird Topic

Perhaps Gao Wen's answer was too straightforward, so that the two well-informed senior agents fell into a daze within a few seconds. Melita was the first to react. She blinked, somewhat I asked uncertainly: "Did you mean 'not going'?"

"Yes, no," Gao Wen said casually, "Is there any problem with my answer?"

"...It's just a little unexpected," Melita said in a strange tone, "Your reaction is so unlike ordinary people that we didn't react for a while."

This answer made Gao Wen curious: "Oh? What should ordinary people look like?"

"In the face of the invitation of the gods, ordinary people should either be ecstatic or awed. Of course, you may have a stronger spirit than ordinary people, and you will be calmer-but your calmness is still beyond our expectations. .”

"It's because you told me personally—I can refuse," Gawain smiled, and said calmly, "Frankly speaking, I am really curious about Tarrond, but as the ruler of this country, I can't accept it." I can't just take a casual trip, the empire is on the right track, countless projects are waiting for me to decide, I still have a lot to do, and meeting a god is not in my plan. Please convey my apologies to your god—at least for now, I cannot accept her invitation."

What Gao Wen said was not an excuse—but it was only one of the reasons.

To be honest, this unexpected invitation really surprised him. He had imagined how he should advance his relationship with the Dragon Clan, but he never imagined that one day he would advance in this way——Tallon There actually exists a god in the present world, and it sounds like that god has been stuck in the present world for many years before this season of civilization. Gawain doesn't know why such a god would suddenly want to meet As a "mortal" himself, he can be sure of one thing: he must handle everything related to God with care.

Judging from the reactions of Melita and Noretta, the relationship between the dragon clan and their gods seems to be quite delicate, but at least that "Dragon God" is definitely not crazy.

A mad god is scary, but a sane god doesn't mean safety either.

Does He know the plan of disobedience?Did he know that Cecil had restarted the rebellious plan?Has he experienced the ancient age of the gods?Does He know the God Slaying Fleet and the secrets behind it?He is well-intentioned?Or is it malicious?All of this is an unknown, and Gao Wen...is not yet blindly confident to the point where he is not afraid of anything.

He did prevent two disasters at the level of divine disasters, and directly or indirectly defeated two "gods", but he knew very well how much luck and coincidence he had in the two divine disasters—even if he The "Satellite Spirit" seems to be able to suppress and immunize the power of some gods, but this does not mean that he himself really has the power to fight against the gods, at least not the power to stably fight against the gods.If you feel confident that you are a "God Killer" because of the achievement of challenging the divine disaster twice... then you should not be far away from being buried again.

Therefore, with the guard against the Dragon God, out of the most basic vigilance, and he really can't just leave the empire for a "far-away journey" to the distant Tarrond, Gawain can't do it this time. Do not refuse the "invitation" of the Dragon Clan.

After rejecting this invitation that was actually very tempting to him, Gao Wen couldn't help but heaved a long sigh of relief, feeling that he had a clear idea...

"You really are not an ordinary person." Melita took a deep look at Gao Wen, and after two seconds of silence, she lowered her head and said solemnly, "Then, we will bring your response to our gods. "

Then Noretta on the side spoke again: "Also, I want to confirm—from what you said just now, you can't go to Tarrond 'now', and you didn't completely reject the invitation, did you? "

Gawain looked at the other party, and after a few seconds of pondering, he nodded slightly: "If that 'God' is really magnanimous enough to tolerate the waywardness of mortals, then I may accept His favor one day in the future." invite."

Noretta and Melita looked at each other, and the latter suddenly showed a wry smile, and said softly: "...Our God is very tolerant in many cases."

Just as Gao Wen wanted to ask the other party what he meant by this sentence, Noretta suddenly took half a step forward and bent over to him: "Our mission has been completed, it's time to take our leave and leave."

It seems that this is an unanswerable question.

Gao Wen knew it well, so he didn't ask any further questions. He nodded slightly, and saw Noretta put away the large suitcase used to hold the "Guardian's Shield" again, and walked this way again. Yi Li: "Thank you very much for your cooperation in our work. Your answer just now is very important to us."

"Wait a minute," Gao Wen suddenly remembered something, and said quickly before the other party left, "About the signal from last time..."

"It has nothing to do with Tarrond." Melita shook her head. She seemed to want to say something more, but she shook her head after a short hesitation. "We can't find out the source of it."

Gao Wen quietly looked at the two humanoid dragons for a few seconds, and finally nodded slowly: "I see."

The two senior agents nodded, then took their leave and left. Their aura quickly disappeared. In just a few minutes, Gao Wen lost his perception of them.

Gao Wen stood there for a while, and after the various thoughts in his heart gradually subsided, and the chaotic speculations and thoughts stopped surging, he exhaled, returned to his large desk, and put the heavy and simple Guardian Shield Put it on the table.

Under the sunlight shining in from the window, the surface of this ancient shield glowed faintly. The extra accessories added by the pioneers in the past have all been rusted and worn out. However, the metal plate that is the main body of the shield is still Beneath those rusty coverings gleamed as brightly as ever.

Gao Wen recalled that the blacksmiths in the expeditionary army were unable to smelt this piece of metal despite various methods. In the case of extremely scarce materials and tools, they could not even drill a few pieces of metal on the surface of the piece of metal for use in melting. The hole for the handle was installed, so the craftsmen had to adopt the most direct and crudest method - using a large number of extra alloy castings to almost cover the entire piece of metal.

Now that centuries of wind and frost have passed, these traces that have poured countless people's efforts and carried countless people's hopes have finally decayed to this extent.

Gawain rang the calling bell beside the table, and a moment later, pattering footsteps sounded from the corridor, and Betty pushed the door and walked in: "Your Majesty, are you calling me?"

"Is Hetty there?"

Betty thought for a while, then nodded: "She is here, but she will go to the government affairs hall in a while!"

"Let her come to my place first."

……

Outside Cecil City, next to a forest in a suburban area with few people, the figures of Melita and Noretta appeared in the open space accompanied by a gust of wind.

The two senior agents took a few steps forward to confirm that there were no other people around, and then Noretta let go of her hand, and the gorgeous metal box she had been carrying fell to the ground, and then she and Meili beside her Ta looked at each other, and the two seemed to have completed a silent communication for a brief moment. In the next second, they staggered two steps forward at the same time, half kneeling on the ground helplessly.

The tearing pain came from the depths of the soul, and the strong body also appeared various abnormalities as if it could not bear it. Suddenly, a large number of fiery lines appeared on Noretta's skin, and the faint dragon scales instantly appeared. Spreading from the cheeks to the whole body, a illusory shadow rose into the sky behind Melita, the huge illusory dragon wings spread out to cover the sky, and a large number of shadows that did not belong to them and seemed to have self-awareness rushed to the front Spread out from the side of the two, rushing into the air as if trying to break free.

This terrible process lasted for a full 10 minutes, and the backlash from the soul level finally subsided. Noretta was panting, fine beads of sweat dripped from her cheeks, and she finally managed to regain control of her body. Standing up, he reached out his hand to help Melita, who seemed to be in a worse condition.

Melita looked up at her, and just wanted to stand up vigorously, but then she shook her body, and then spat out with a "wow".

Her insides were still spasming.

Seeing her friend in such pain, Noretta showed an unbearable expression on her face, so she took a half step sideways calmly and turned her face away.

Half a minute later, this even more terrifying process finally calmed down. Noretta turned back and looked Melita up and down: "Are you okay?"

Melita: "...I don't want to talk right now."

Noretta looked at her friend sympathetically: "Will you still wear this stupid-looking veil in the future?"

Melita: "...(Talrond swearing, a lot)"

Shocked by her friend's aura, Noretta took a half step back helplessly, and raised her hands in surrender. Melita also took a breath at this time. After she calmed down a little, she lowered her head and frowned. , opened his mouth and spit out a blinding flame—the flaming dragon's breath burned the evidence left at the scene that was not decent and elegant in an instant.

Then she looked up at Noretta, deeply regretful that she couldn't keep her mouth shut.

Noretta didn't seem to feel the real resentment coming from Melita. She just took a few deep breaths to further calm down and repair the damage she suffered. After a while, she said with lingering fear: "You often deal with that Gawain Cecil...is it so dangerous to talk to him?"

"...almost every time he puts on a 'want to talk' attitude, it's his life," Melita said with a blank stare, "You know how nervous I get when he says he has a problem Is it? I have even sketched out the shape of my own tomb in my mind..."

"Very scary, really." Noretta sighed with personal experience, and couldn't help but think of what happened at the headquarters of the Mithril Treasury in Tarrond not long ago-even the speaker Andal who was present at the time suffered A gaze from the gods, and that terrible gaze... It seems that it was also caused by a signal brought back from Gawain Cecil.

"I suddenly had a premonition," the white dragon lady frowned, "if I continue to run around with you in this human empire, sooner or later I will be 'dead' by some careless words of that pioneering hero. Really It's hard to imagine that I would be so bold as to casually talk about gods with outsiders, and even take the initiative to approach taboo knowledge..."

"Put away your worries. After this time, you can return to the rear support position." Melita glanced at her friend, and then her eyes moved along with the trend, falling on the person who was thrown on the ground by her friend. , On the box made of various precious magic materials, "As for now, it's time for us to collect some rewards for this extremely risky mission..."

While speaking, she came to the box, and began to disassemble the gems and crystals from the box with her fingers, and greeted while dismantling: "Come here and do me a favor, and its skeleton will be melted later. Tsk, just It's a pity that this thing is too conspicuous to sell directly, otherwise selling the whole thing will definitely be worth more than taking it apart..."

White Dragon Noretta came to the side of his friend hesitantly, with a trace of entanglement: "Is this really good? This box was originally intended to..."

"Hey, who knows if you don't tell me—I also sold the box last time. Let me tell you, being on duty outside is not the same as staying in Tarrond as a support staff. The risky environment is hard and you can't take a good rest. Yes, if you don’t want to find a way to subsidize yourself, you won’t be able to live..."

The corners of the white dragon Noretta's eyes trembled twice, and she wanted to reprimand loudly (subsequent omission)... She came to Melita's side and began to collude.

……

"Ancestor, are you looking for me?"

Hetty came to Gawain's study and asked curiously. The next second, her eyes were attracted by the conspicuous thing on the desk.

"Ancestor, this is..."

Hetty's eyes opened wider and wider, she pointed to the Guardian Shield on the table, and finally her voice trembled a little——

As a member of the Cecil family, she will never mistake it for what it is. She has seen it countless times in the collection of books passed down by the family and in the portraits handed down by the elders. This guardian lost a century ago The Shield was once considered to be the beginning of the shame of the family, and even a heavy burden for every generation of Cecil's heirs. Generation after generation of Cecil's descendants have vowed to retrieve this treasure, but no one has ever succeeded, she dreamed He never imagined that one day this shield would suddenly appear in front of him—on the desk of his ancestors.

"Anzu Kingdom Guardian Shield," Gawain was very satisfied with Hetty's surprised expression, he smiled, and said lightly, "Today is a day worth celebrating, this shield has been found - Dragon Clan help find it back."

"Dragon family..." Hetty felt that she was finally recovering from the dizziness. She took a breath, couldn't help but took two steps forward, and carefully looked at the shield on the table, "It's really it ...is it really it?"

"Of course, I can never mistake my own things," Gao Wen said with a smile, "Why do you look more excited than me?"

"Ancestor, I'm afraid you can't understand... this lost shield has extraordinary significance to us descendants," Hetty said excitedly, "the dust of Cecil's family started from the loss of this shield , Generation after generation of descendants want to restore the glory of their ancestors, Rebecca and I also swore in front of your portrait to find this shield..."

"Ahem," Gao Wen suddenly coughed twice, "Do you still have such a rule?"

Hetty quickly calmed down from the excitement, and also felt the strange atmosphere at this moment. She glanced at the ancestor who had walked from the portrait to reality, and lowered her head in embarrassment: "This... this is a normal nobleman's habit We will ask you to witness many things in front of your portrait, including important family decisions, adult vows, and major changes in the family..."

"Okay, you don't need to talk," Gawain felt that the topic was too weird, so he quickly interrupted Hetty, "I guess Grumman must have greeted me when he took the shield from my grave. —he may have even knocked on my coffin-slabs. Although this sentence is not suitable for me, it is a way to fool the dead, so let's stop here."

Hetty: "...Yes, ancestor."

Chapter 0886 New Rules

The embarrassing topic was finally over, and both Gawain and Hetty felt relieved—then they returned their attention to the Pioneer Shield.

This legendary shield lay quietly on the table. The weathered and corroded metal cladding wrapped the nearly brand-new alloy body emitting a faint silver light. The sun shone on the surface of its metal parts, and the slight Centuries of time seem to be deposited in the light.Heti stared at it in a daze for a long time before coughing lightly to break the silence: "Ancestor, how do you plan to publicize this matter?"

If it was Hetty a few years ago, the first reaction after seeing the Guardian Shield must be that the family glory has been consolidated, and that a treasure has returned to Cecil's treasury. The restoration of her influence, however, has changed her over the years. At this time, without Gao Wen's reminder, she knows how to maximize the value of this lost and recovered treasure.

"Just announce to the public that the dragon friends of the empire have helped us retrieve this shield. Apart from that, don't make any official supplements or statements-leave everything to the public opinion to ferment, and let the Military Intelligence Bureau pay attention," Gao said. Wen said casually, "There is really no inside story about this matter, so the official caliber only needs to say so much."

"Yes, ancestor," Hetty nodded, and then couldn't help turning her gaze to the Guardian's Shield again, "It's just that I really didn't expect...it came back just like this..."

"During the war years, this shield was the most important property of the expeditionary army. Many people's lives and deaths depended on it, but that era has passed," Gao Wen shook his head lightly, with a flat and low tone, " Right now it’s just a shield—the symbolism behind it may do us some good, but that’s about it.”

Hetty glanced at Gawain, thoughtful: "You don't want people to pay too much attention to the return of 'Kingdom Guardian'?"

"We still have many more important and practical things to pay attention to," Gao Wen said casually. "On the other hand, the excessive attention and promotion of 'Kingdom Guardians' is likely to reinvigorate the old knights and the down-and-out nobles in blood. The enthusiasm for nobility and family glory has brought the social atmosphere back to the worship of aristocratic ostentation and blood justice-we have finally pushed this thing down, and we must prevent it from making a comeback, so in the case of "Kingdom Guardian" In fact, the government affairs department can only do the most basic publicity and positive guidance."

Hetty immediately bowed her head deeply: "Yes, I understand."

Gao Wen hummed, and didn't say anything more on this topic, but asked casually after pondering for a moment: "What's the status of the observatory project that Kamel applied for before?"

"You mean the Paramel Observatory project?" Hetty blinked, and quickly sorted out the corresponding information in her mind, "The project has passed the review of the Government Affairs Department, and construction has already begun. The first batch of skilled workers arrived last week At present, the project is progressing smoothly. In addition, the resident scholars of the first phase have also been selected, and the person in charge of the Paramer Observatory is Mr. Morgan Hugo, the great magician."

Gawain recalled the name he heard: "Morgan... I remember that he is the former royal mage from San Sunil."

"Yes, Master Morgan is a member of the original Saint-Sunil Royal Masters Association and Astrologers Association. He has served as an astrological consultant to the old royal family for decades. He is an expert in the fields of astrology, astrometry and planetary natural history. He once Calculated the rough distance between our planet and the sun, and accurately predicted the dates of two asteroid skimmings, which is worthy of academic trust. After the siege of San Sunil, the observatory tower of the old royal capital was It was severely damaged in the war and has not been fully repaired so far, so this "starry sky expert" accepted the invitation of Master Kamel to come to the southern border. After hearing that Paramel Heights will build a new observatory based on modern technology, he volunteered to sign up gone."

"Scholars like this are treasures of the empire, and we must treat them with great care," Gawain said while listening to Hetty's introduction, "Also, there can be an additional phase of funding for the Paramel Observatory—there is Carmel One of the best calculated 'windows' in the Empire, the sooner it works, the better."

"Yes," Hetty took the order immediately, and then she couldn't help but look at Gawain with a smile, "Ancestor, you really attach great importance to these plans of setting up an observatory and observing the starry sky proposed by Master Kamel. .”

Gao Wen couldn't help but recall the previous conversations with Melita and Noretta, and recalled the impressions about Viplandon Observatory and the glorious technology of Gondor in the past. Although many memories are not his, but that kind of The regrets and emotions permeated by recalling the memory really filled his heart, which made him sigh softly, looked at Hetty and said solemnly: "Research involving the starry sky Projects are important - although they may not see the huge economic benefits of railways and mines in the short term, in the long run, they may brew all kinds of world-changing technological achievements, even without considering These distant things, curiosity about the unknown and the distance are also the greatest driving force for the development of mortals——Hetty, the most mysterious unknown place in the world full of secrets, is in the starry sky above our heads."

"I understand what you said," Heidi smiled, with a hint of joy in his eyes, "Ancestor, don't forget—I'm also a mage, although I can no longer indulge in research like I used to, but I still He's a mage, and mages are the ones who love to explore the unknown."

Gawain looked at Hetty who was smiling in front of him, and after a few seconds, he also smiled.

"In the ancient days of Gondor, human beings have become curious about the starry sky above their heads. Various observatories and stargazing stations are scattered in the 'windows' of various places. It was a glorious and exciting era to observe the universe and the starry sky and speculate on the secrets of our own world... However, before they really developed, the magic tide wiped everything out.

"Now, maybe it's time to let some of our eyes go back to the starry sky."

……

Malm Dunit, who was wearing a golden and red robe, lowered his eyelids, folded his hands on his chest, and the gold beads and amulets wrapped around his wrists hung down, shining slightly in the light.

During his devout prayers to the God of War, his heart gradually calmed down, and as the faintly discernible voice in his ear, which seemed to contain infinite knowledge, gradually faded away, this burly and strong old man slowly opened his eyes and looked at To Matilda Augustus standing in front of her.

"Your Highness, on behalf of the church, I would like to thank the royal family for their support for this year's God of War Ceremony and for their consistent protection of the believers," he said in a deep and powerful voice, "May the God of War protect you and your family, and may the glorious Augustus They will stand forever on this land blessed by the Lord."

"It is the duty of the Augustus family to support the operation of the church in the empire, and it is our inherent responsibility to protect the people of the empire," Matilda nodded slightly to the old man in fine clothes in front of her, showing polite respect But he always kept a measured tone and said, "The Church of the God of War is the most powerful church in Typhon, and you have a huge influence on tens of thousands of Typhon people—our Majesty hopes to see you continue to correctly and correctly Influence believers and keep them on the right path."

With a calm smile on his face, Malm Dunit nodded slightly: "This is also the duty and responsibility the Lord has entrusted to me."

Under the majestic and majestic iron spire, the Great Cathedral of War is brightly lit, and thick white candles are lit like stars in the alcoves, illuminating this sacred hall of the God of War.The annual God of War Ceremony is approaching. This is the biggest religious festival in this country where God of War belief is the mainstream sect. Matilda, as a representative of the royal family, sent congratulatory gifts and a letter written by the emperor on this day according to tradition. , and now this routine and ceremonial visit has gone through the process.

After all the links were over, Matilda felt a little relieved in her heart. She took a look at this solemn and oppressive palace, and saw that the bishops and priests on the scene had left in order of procedure, and then she took back He looked at the Pope, God of War, and nodded: "This year's festival should be more grand than in previous years - the economy is on the rise, wealthy citizens now have more wealth to celebrate the festival, and many people in the surrounding villages also Concentrating on Aldernan."

"A prosperous scene is foreseeable," Malm Dunit nodded. "The church will control the order, and we will not allow things that embarrass the royal family to happen."

Matilda looked at the old Pope in front of her, and showed a slight smile: "Of course, my father and I trust you on this point—you have always been a friend of the Augustus family."

"Personal friendship, I know, personal friendship," Malm Dunit's always stern face softened after a smile from the woman in front of him. The sturdy old man who had been a chaplain smiled. , with a hint of ridicule in his tone, "You will not come to accept my baptism."

"The members of the Augustus family have not been baptized by any other church." Matilda smiled and spread her hands, "I think this ensures the balance of the royal family on religious issues-we don't have only one church .”

"...Rosetta has been using this to me for many years, now it's your turn to say the same thing." Malm looked at Matilda helplessly, and then changed the subject, "We don't talk about these anymore Matilda, before you go back, would you like to tell me what you saw at Cecil?"

"Of course, I still have some time." Matilda nodded, but then she glanced at the old Pope with some doubts, "But why are you suddenly interested in my experience in Cecil? You know, it has been half a year since I came back from Cecil, and you have never cared much about things outside of the church."

"...No matter how indulging indoors, people will sometimes hear the sound of thunder," Malm said slowly, "and recently there are more and more things about Cecil in this city, and various news have even spread When I got to the Great Cathedral, even if I didn’t care, I heard and saw it.”

"That's true..." Matilda said with a hint of emotion, "In the era of economic exchanges...the flow of information has become different from before."

"However, just over a year ago, the situation was completely opposite to what it is today," Malm shook his head, "We were at war with Cecil, almost everyone believed that we were about to usher in a war, and countless war priests were ready Prepare, the Great Cathedral even ignited the incense and essential oils dedicated to the God of War in advance—then, peace came suddenly."

"Do you regret this?" Matilda looked at the Pope, God of War, and asked seriously.

Malm glanced at this "Pearl of the Empire", and a smile suddenly appeared on his old but still hale and hearty face.

"Your Highness, I am a servant of the God of War, but the servants of the God of War are not war-crazed—we just serve the order and fairness of war, rather than expecting the world to be full of wars all the time. Of course, I am indeed the main warlord faction, but I admit that a prosperous and stable situation is more beneficial to the people. It's just that this sudden 'peace' really caught people off guard... I was a little surprised, many bishops and priests who had prepared for the war Somewhat surprised."

"It's understandable. After all, the priests of the God of War have always been important members of the imperial army, and the current 'peaceful' situation is indeed beyond everyone's expectations..." Matilda nodded slightly, with understanding and She agreed, but then she pondered for a few seconds, then slowly shook her head, "It's just that in my opinion, the term 'peaceful situation' is not accurate."

The burly pope couldn't help raising his eyebrows: "Oh?"

"We just avoided a bloody war, but a bloodless war may still continue," Matilda said seriously, "This is the judgment of the Parliament and the Royal Advisory Committee - we will fight with the Cecilians Competing for the market, we will compete with them for influence and discourse power on the mainland. We will compete with them for literacy rate, city size, technological investment and achievements. Competition, economics, politics, technology...and all of these ultimately point to the national interest.

"My father told me that this is also a war, a war that has nothing to do with swords, no bloodshed, no fight to hear, but a war that will not stop every minute, but this war is named peace, And all one sees on the surface of the war is prosperity—at least until the two behemoths come to an end."

Malm Dunit listened quietly to Matilda's words, his deep brown eyes were full of Chen Ning, he seemed to be thinking, but he didn't show any expression.

After a while, he put his hands on his chest again, chanting the name of the God of War in a low voice, and his mood gradually returned to calm.

"You should be able to understand what I said." Matilda looked at the venerable old man in front of her. Although the Augustus family always respected all gods, at least in personal interactions, this admirable old man was A friend of the Augustus family for many years, she also received a lot of care from him in her childhood, so she is willing to talk more with this old man. She knows that although he looks serious and old-fashioned, he is also a quick-thinking and understanding person. A brilliant wise man, he understands these words at once.