Sword of Dawn

Page 409

There was a cloud of darkness between Margarina's eyebrows, and her voice subconsciously lowered: "Is there really no other way?"

"We've moved him here—I've tried my best to keep him alive with the power of the Tree of Thorin, but aging itself is the most difficult law of nature to defy—and Norris's situation is not just aging, "Bertera said slowly, "In the past few decades, his body has been on the road of overdrawing-this is the normal state of the poor, but his overdrawing is so serious that it is so serious that magic and miracles cannot Irreversible. The fact that he survived to this day is a miracle—he should have died last winter."

Margarita was silent for a moment, and took a light breath: "I want to go in and have a look."

Bertila looked at the female knight in front of her, a trace of helplessness finally appeared on the face that was difficult to express due to the dehumanization mutation: "It is best for us to avoid all visits now, but... the situation is so far, these measures are not enough. No point. And if it was you, Norris should be willing to meet you."

Margarita followed behind the former Dean of the Death of All Things, and stepped into the "Life House" that was created with miraculous spells.

Under the illumination of some kind of luminous plant, the hut maintains just the right amount of light, and a soft bed made of wooden structures intertwined with vines and grass leaves is placed in the center of the hut. Margarita saw Norris—the old man said Lying there, covered with a blanket, several thin vines spread out from the blanket, all the way to the ceiling.

Margarita came to Norris and bent slightly: "Minister Norris, it's me."

Norris saw the woman in front of him clearly, and a smile slowly appeared on his wrinkled face: "Miss Margarita... Thank you for your care these days."

"Please don't say that, you are the most important person in the entire reconstruction area," Margarita said immediately, "Without you, this land would not be restored to life so quickly..."

"Everyone here is very important," Norris said in a soft voice, but every word was still clear. "Miss Margarita, I'm sorry, there are some tasks that I may not be able to complete."

"No, you still..." Margarita said subconsciously immediately, but she swallowed all the words after seeing Norris' calm face.

In those deep wrinkles and the depths of the depleted flesh and blood, the vitality has already begun to flow away from the old man's body.

Norris just smiled, his eyeballs rolled, lifted up a little bit, and scanned the few furnishings in the hut - some specimens, some seeds, some manuscripts, and a crystal clear glass tube, a plant The still green wheat was standing quietly in the container, soaked in a nearly transparent alchemy solvent.

"Actually, I have no regrets..." The old man said in a low voice, "Without major accidents, this year's harvest can be guaranteed, and we have avoided a terrible famine... The agronomy manuscript that His Majesty gave me is also finished, but unfortunately I have no more. I need to make the final arrangements, but my apprentices and assistants have grown up, and they are very reliable...The Government Affairs Office has always been prepared, and even if I leave, someone will take over immediately..."

"Don't talk too much at once," Bertila's slightly blunt voice suddenly came from the side, "This will further reduce your strength."

"At this point, let me say a few more words," Norris said, shaking his head very slowly, with some relief, "I know my situation... I have known it since many years ago, I Probably will die earlier, I have read books, I have seen the world with the priests in the city, I know what happens to a person who drains all his strength in the field..."

Margarita looked at the old man in front of her, and slowly reached out to hold his hand.

She knew that the old man's final sobriety was coming to an end.

She heard a low and slightly vague voice coming into her ears——

"... our family owed a lot of money, a lot of money . It took several carts of wheat to return.

"The money taught me to read, but at the time, it didn't help - my father and mother died young to pay off the bills, and I... spent most of my life working in the fields, or Hard work for people. So I know how my body got to be like this, and I was ready for it early on.

"But at that time there were many people like me, there were serfs and freedmen - poor freedmen, they didn't know it, they only knew that commoners would die very early, while nobles could live for a century... missionary The scholars said that it was determined by God, that because the poor are humble, they have a natural defect in lifespan, and that the nobles can live for a century, which is the evidence of noble blood... Most of them believe this statement.

"I can read, I have read books, I know what all this is going on, but it was useless at that time, the only thing that literacy brought me was that I knew exactly what I would be like in the future, but I could only continue to be low. Head to the fields digging potatoes and growing basil—because otherwise our whole family would starve to death.

"Miss Margarita, you can't imagine that kind of life-I know you are a good knight, but there are some things that you really can't imagine."

Margarita subconsciously held the old man's hand, her lips moved a few times, but finally she could only nod slightly: "Yes, Minister Norris, I... I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry," Norris' eyelids drooped a little more than before, "because it wasn't your fault, and the happiest thing is that those days are over, Miss Margarita, those days Days passed.

"The common people don't have to do hard work like my parents and I in exchange for barely enough food. No one will take two-thirds or more of our grain from our barn to pay taxes. We have the right to Eat the fish you catch anytime, have the right to eat white bread and sugar on a normal day, we don't have to prostrate to nobles on the side of the road, and we don't have to kiss the shoes and footprints of missionaries...Margarita Miss, thank our Majesty, and also thank many people like you who are willing to follow His Majesty, those days have passed.

"I just want to say, don't let those days come back.

"Miss Bertila, I know you've always had doubts about what we're doing, and I know you don't understand some of my 'paranoia', but I want to say...at any time, no matter what the situation is, let more The most important thing is to fill the stomachs of more people and enable more people to live.

"I took people from the agricultural sector to do a large-scale statistic. We calculated the population and land, food consumption and the current production of various staple foods... and also estimated the consumption and production after population growth. We have Some numbers are in the hands of my assistant, please give them to His Majesty... Be sure to give them to him. Hunger is the most terrible thing in this world, no one should be starved to death... No matter what happens, industry or Whether it is business or not, some cultivated land must not be moved, and you must not rashly change the staple food...

"In addition, there is too little food suitable for growing in the north. Although the Holy Spirit Plains are very fertile, our population will definitely increase, because almost all babies will survive now-we need the land in the south to feed these people , especially in the area around the Dark Mountains, there are still many places that can be reclaimed..."

He suddenly coughed, and the violent cough interrupted what he wanted to say later. Bertila raised his hand almost instantly, and a powerful—even excessive healing power for ordinary people—was released on Norris, Margery Ta Ze immediately leaned into the ear of the old man: "Your Majesty is already on his way, he will arrive soon, you can..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Norris interrupted her by shaking his head.

The latter's already drooping eyelids were raised again, and after a few seconds of silence and memories, a smile mixed with surprise and relief suddenly appeared on his face.

"Ah, maybe...he didn't lie to me..." Norris' eyes brightened briefly, and he said almost with joy, "he didn't lie to me..."

"Minister Norris," Margarita held the old man's hand, leaned down and asked, "Who are you talking about? Who didn't lie to you?"

"The missionary...the missionary..."

Norris murmured softly. He felt that his heavy body was finally lighter. In the blurred light and shadow, he saw his parents standing beside him. They were wearing the shabby clothes he remembered, naked. Feet on the ground, they smiled humbly and bluntly as a figure in the robes of a priest of the Harvest Goddess stood before them.

There were also some children and their parents standing nearby, and the elders of the village stood behind the priest.

All faces are blurred.

The face of the priest was also vague, but Norris could hear his voice—the priest stretched out his hand and rubbed the head of Norris, who was still a child, twice. He seemed to show a slight smile, and said casually:

"Blessed is the child with the land, who is blessed by the Harvest Goddess."

Chapter 0865 Another Starting Point

Good things don’t always happen in this world—in many cases, there may be more bad things, but as long as the sun can still rise tomorrow, we might as well look forward to the future a little more.

Under the majestic canopy of the giant Thorin tree, a wind mixed with the smell of damp earth was blowing.

In the canopy that looks like a giant castle, countless branches and leaves rubbed against each other, making a sound like a sea tide. The birds and animals that inhabited the tree and the surrounding bushes were startled and ran out of their hiding places. , Margarita stepped on the hardened path, left the hut, and walked forward slowly.

She raised her head and looked forward. In the wonderful view formed by the huge tree canopy and the vast land, the sky became an elongated bright curtain, and a giant sun was slowly moving on the edge of the curtain.

The young female knight narrowed her eyes, and a certain depressed mood lingered in her heart. She really wanted to have someone who could share this heavy feeling with her at this moment—but in the end, she could only put on a straight face and let the He returned to his usual calm and serious state.

Then, a few shadows suddenly emerged from the end of the horizontally elongated sky in the distance. The shadows were against the sun, like a few small gemstones dotted on the crown of the huge sun, but soon they were flying towards the direction of Solinburg Approaching, in the brilliance of the giant sun, the outlines of those shadows became more and more obvious.

Several sentry towers in the Solin area began to emit light signals, and the orderly on duty at the communication station appeared in Margarita's sight. The soldier ran towards her quickly, but before he got close, Margarita was already I guessed the situation——

His Majesty has finally arrived.

The female knight did not allow herself to be immersed in a depressed atmosphere. The knight's training and the quality of a professional soldier allowed her to adjust her state instantly, and soon came to a high ground on the edge of the tree canopy area - this is the airport take-off and landing platform , is a newly built facility in the military zone, used to take off and land the flying machines of the Empire.

Although the construction corps is not a front-line force, the reconstruction project of the Holy Spirit Plain has the same priority as the front-line project. In the case of a serious shortage of "Dragon Cavalry" and other types of aircraft in the empire, the airport facility has been approved here. , and a small-scale "Dragon Cavalry" unit has been stationed for a long time in case of emergency.The soldiers here are no strangers to flying machines.

The rapidly approaching shadows in the sky finally reached the sky above the Solin area. The originally blurry and small shadows showed a clear outline under the skylight. Margarita and the soldiers looked up at the sky. After seeing the appearance of one of the shadows clearly , A low exclamation and obviously heavy breathing suddenly came from all around.

There is a black dragon flying at the leading position of the entire formation!That was not the flying machine the soldiers were familiar with!

At first, some people thought it was an illusion caused by the backlight, thinking that it was just a new type of larger flying machine. After all, the propulsion wings of the Dragoon itself were very similar to the wings of a dragon, but soon everyone realized that It's really a giant dragon—she's bigger than any dragoon, with scales like cast metal and powerful minions, she's wearing a set of steel armor that glows cold under the sun The cold light, and the shimmer of the runes flowed between the gaps in the armor, and all of these showed a powerful, breathtaking majesty and beauty.

The black dragon flew in a prominent position in the entire formation, accompanied by four dragoons, which clearly proved the identity of this dragon.

There is a "dragon" among the allies of the empire. It is not a secret in itself, but hearing about it and seeing it are completely different concepts. Not all soldiers have seen Maggie with their own eyes, and most of them are seeing Maggie for the first time. Seeing the "dragon shadow" across the sky, a strong impact spread among the soldiers—but the strict discipline immediately took effect, and after a few slight sounds of armor clashing, Margarita became quiet again. down.

The female knight looked up at the sky, watching the dragon slowly descending—she had met Maggie before, and even fought side by side, but Maggie didn't have a set of advanced magic armor at that time!

The black dragon landed on the platform in the sunlight, and the accompanying aircraft also adjusted their landing trajectories. When everything stabilized and the cyclone around each aircraft gradually dissipated, Margarita immediately brought a few personal soldiers to the platform. When she came to the side of the dragon that was drooping its wings——she saw a figure appearing on the dragon's back, it was an extraordinarily tall and burly figure, he stood there against the sun, just like the dragon in a bard story Heroes in general.

A second later, the female knight immediately reacted and led the soldiers to salute beside her: "I salute you, Your Majesty!"

Gao Wen waved his hand and jumped off the dragon's back, "There's no need to be polite, time is running out."

While talking, he turned around and patted Maggie's hanging down giant wings covered with steel machinery: "Thank you."

The black dragon lowered its head slightly, and said gently and respectfully: "This is what I should do, Your Majesty."

Several other aircrafts also landed smoothly at this moment. After the pedals were lowered, figures came out of the cockpit one by one—but the only person Margarita knew was Rebecca.

Gawain had already come to Margarita at this moment, and after simply nodding his head, he asked bluntly, "How's the situation?"

"Your Majesty..." Margarita felt her breathing stop for a moment, and after taking a light breath to calm down, she lowered her eyelids and whispered, "You are a step late...Minister Norris has already left. "

The soldiers around were silent, but Gawain just looked calmly at the female knight in front of him, and his tone was calm and gentle: "Margarita, don't be in a hurry—how long ago?"

The female knight didn't know what the question meant, but her soldier's instincts made her answer immediately: "One hour ago, Your Majesty."

"Then maybe it's not too late for us to come - we still have time to create a miracle," Gao Wen said, and then waved to the side, "Unload all the equipment - the technicians will follow, we will assemble when we arrive."

Under the confused gaze of Margarita and the soldiers, the group of people who had just landed immediately became busy. They quickly ran to the side of the black dragon, and then began to use various auxiliary tools and the way of people pulling the dragon back to carry it. The large boxes on the ground were moved down——Margarita only noticed the existence of those boxes at this time. They looked like standard transfer boxes for engineering parts in the base. The gray and white shell was printed with the royal mark. The people who carried them appeared to be very cautious, and although they moved quickly, they remained calm and cautious throughout the whole process. There is no doubt that the contents of those boxes are of great significance.

"Your Majesty, this is..." Margarita broke the silence curiously.

"You'll know in a while," Gawain waved his hand, "Now take us to Norris's side."

Although full of doubts, Gawain's attitude and those weird boxes suddenly gave Margarita some inexplicable "hints". The female knight seemed to have guessed something. She couldn't believe her guess, but she still straightened her back. He replied loudly, "Yes, Your Majesty."

All relevant personnel quickly rushed to the hut near the root of the giant tree of Thorin. Two heavily armed tree men were still guarding the only gate. After Gawain approached, the tree men retreated to the sides immediately, while the wooden house The door opened in the next second, and Bertila walked out from inside.

"I'm going to do some experiments," Gawain said before Bertila opened his mouth, "I need your assistance - you are the best bioengineering expert."

Bertila was still a bit puzzled at first, but soon she noticed several figures behind Gawain - Yuri and Semler were standing there, and Selina Geerfen was holding a lantern. The moment she saw these figures, especially the moment she saw Selena Geerfen, Bertila's doubts became thoughtful, and she looked at Gawain: "Are you sure? Norris Just a normal guy..."

"So this is an attempt." Gawain nodded, and walked towards the house, "Don't worry, we have made great progress in related technical fields, and I brought more than just them."

Bertila was very curious about what Gawain meant by "not only them", but the latter had already stepped into the cabin first, so she could only suppress her doubts and turn to follow, while following Gawain into the room, the rest of her eyes The light suddenly caught something strange - it seemed that a nearly transparent white spider flashed past her eyes, but when she focused again, she couldn't see anything.

Even if she mobilized the perception ability of the entire Thorin giant tree, she couldn't find the phantom spider—it seemed to be just an illusion.

Gawain stepped into the wooden house.

The venerable old man was lying there quietly, and the fluorescent lights from the roof and the luminous plants were softly covering him.

Everyone who stepped into the wooden house lowered their footsteps in unison, and even Rebecca, who was always the most daring, stood quietly aside.

Gawain walked to the soft bed intertwined with vines and soft leaves. He lowered his head and saw that Norris was covered with a blanket. His hands were outside, folded on his chest, gently holding the A transparent glass tube, soaking a green wheat plant in the glass tube, a calm and satisfied smile still remained on the wrinkled face of the old man, and he slept more peacefully than ever.

This exhausted body was finally rested.

Suddenly, the scene from a few years ago appeared in Gao Wen's mind. He seemed to see the pioneering camp built on a piece of wasteland again, saw the tents and huts built with wooden boards and burlap, and saw the land that had just been reclaimed. The field that came out, and the old man who stood by the field and smiled humbly at himself.

He bent down slowly and put his hand on Norris's.

"I'm sorry, Norris," he said in a low voice, "I didn't ask your permission for what I'm going to do next. This is my wishful thinking. It's not really 'technique' applied to you.

"I might disturb your sleep, so... I apologize in advance.

"But I have to.

"The wheat is about to ripen, you should see it with your own eyes."

Afterwards, Gao Wen slowly straightened his waist, looked away, and said in a low voice to the people on standby: "Let's get started."

The technicians had already opened those safe deposit boxes after they entered the house, and now they took out a large number of parts inside—that was the disassembled brain wave modulation device, the artificial nerve cord glowing with silver light, neatly The crystal array, and many things that Margarita can't even guess the usefulness of.

They were an incomplete set of devices, a bunch of parts built on the basis of the immersion chamber technology. Under normal circumstances, such a bunch of parts would be difficult to function—but Gawain brought experts.

700 years ago, when the technical foundation in related fields was almost zero and the conditions were extremely harsh, the first generation of eternal sleepers had successfully preserved a fragmented soul by relying on manpower.

That soul belonged to a legendary powerhouse.

Now, they are going to try to save the soul of an ordinary person-of course, it is much more difficult than it was then.

But the technology in their hands today is far from what it was back then.

The parts were quickly assembled. Next to Norris' bed, a silver-white base was placed in place, and the signal connection with the local wireless magic network was quickly completed, achieving a stable energy supply. Then the crystal The array was adjusted and ready, and artificial nerve cables extended from the base—they were handed over by Yuri to Beltira at the scene.

Selena Geerfen, who appeared in the room in the form of a psychological projection with a lantern in her hand, nodded slightly to Bertila: "You know what to do—the improvement of this technology was personally participated in and completed by you back then. .

"The nerve nodes are in the same position, the difference is that now we don't need destructive implants -- immobilize them with your vines, make skull base skin contact, and finally activate those nerves."

Speaking of this, Selena suddenly showed a smile, and she looked into Bertila's eyes: "Our success rate is very high - because you are still forcibly maintaining the activity of most of the biological tissues of this body."

Bertila lightly raised his hands, and several flower vines extending from the floor wrapped up those artificial nerve cords, and fitted them one by one to the target position. The former saint who had merged with the earth just smiled lightly.

"I still expect a miracle once in a while," she whispered in a voice that seemed to be talking to herself.

Margarita finally knows what these people want to do.

Rebecca, who was standing beside her, told her everything in a low voice.

His Majesty the Emperor will try to preserve Norris's soul and transform it into a mind that can survive in the empire's data network-this is not a deeply flawed and dangerous necromancer, but a brand-new magic technology.

Behind this technology, there is a project called "Immortal".

Margarita isn't interested in the secrets behind the plan -- and it's not something she should be focusing on.

She only pays attention to what is going on in this room.

The technicians were busy in the room, the fluorescent light from above gently enveloped the old man on the bed, and the pioneer hero who came out of legends and myths stood solemnly beside the bed, all of this was solemn and solemn.

Margarita closed her eyes slightly.

Good things don't always happen in this world—often, there can be more bad things.

But as long as the sun can still rise tomorrow, you might as well look forward to the future a little more.

Chapter 0866 Immortal Project

It seemed that there was a gentle and cool wind blowing on his face.

How long has it been since you breathed so easily?How long has it been since you lay down so comfortably?It's been a long time since I felt so peaceful and comfortable - all the pain and fatigue have gone away, and all the old diseases seem to have been healed.

In memory, a similar feeling seems to have been decades ago.