Sword of Dawn

Page 260

The ruler of the Typhon Empire responded to the letter sent by Gao Wen with impeccable words, which was polite and full of dignity, and at the end of the letter, His Majesty the Emperor accepted Gao Wen's visit with pleasure, And expressed welcome.

After a while, Gao Wen put away the reply letter that he had expected, and let out a sigh of relief: "Very well, then I will leave tomorrow."

Sonia couldn't help being surprised: "So anxious?"

"I've wanted to meet that Emperor Typhon for a long time, and I've been preparing for it for a long time," Gao Wen said casually, and then added, "By the way, your queen has sent a message—the Silver Empire officially signed a contract with Cypriot." The Syl Empire has established in-depth technical cooperation, and you and your courier team will temporarily stay with me as exchange ambassadors, because you are not here, and Magister Banner accepted the Queen's order on your behalf."

Sonia blinked and was slightly taken aback.

So fast?

She was not surprised by the news itself. As early as she learned that the Principality of Cecil intends to establish technical exchanges with the Silver Empire, she expected that the Queen of Silver would agree to this request—the Queen has never been a staid and conservative person, and her last More than half of the trusted palace advisers are progressive reformers, but she just didn't expect the news to come so early.

Excluding the necessary official document drafting and departmental coordination in the internal affairs of the empire, the bill itself is very likely to be passed within two to three days!

The high-ranking messenger slightly lowered his eyelids, and thoughts appeared in his heart.

...This is not the normal speed of finalizing proposals.

The queen and the "iron-fisted prime minister" Lord Valentian directly pushed forward this matter.

It seems... the troubles encountered by the astrologers are bigger than outsiders imagined.

……

Gloomy and filthy thick clouds cover the sky of the wasteland, and the outline of the giant sun is also blocked from the clouds. Only the hazy glow that moves slowly in the sky, constantly rising and setting proves the existence of the sun and marks the daytime. Alternate with night.

At Typhon Peak Base, in a stone palace rising from the ground, Rosetta Augustus was sitting in front of a table, looking down at the document just transcribed by the attendant.

The contents of these documents are all the most important information in the country and matters that urgently need to be ordered by the emperor himself. It is equivalent to the income of a commoner for two years.

The content of the document is not much, and the content that needs to be personally instructed is only a small part. It is more about the domestic situation, the noble council, and the detailed reports of various legions. Rosetta Augustus will soon After processing all the documents, on that cold and slightly sinister face, there was a faint smile of satisfaction hidden.

Grand Duke Ferdinand Wendell, who supervised the government at home, did a good job, and the empire was running in an orderly manner.

The imperial emperor stood up and handed over the processed documents to the chief attendant who had been waiting by the side. Then he breathed a little and walked to the French windows on one side of the room.

One-third of the peak base area was presented in front of him.

The Imperial Engineering mages used the miracles of magic to shape this base. Before the cold winter came, hundreds of mages relied on fossils to mud, mud to stone, wall construction, rock formation and other spells to distort the decaying land. The land turned into a camp, and on this basis, a city circle was drawn, and a magic shield that could protect the entire Jianfeng base was set up. At this moment, the craftsmen and engineering mages in the Jianfeng base are working in shifts under the protection of the shield. Build that crucial "sub-tower".

He could see that on the south side of the pinnacle base, a dense magical radiance was shining, and several mages floating in the air were using the mage's hands to pile heavy and huge rocks on the high platform, and the part that had already been piled up was already The outline of the octagonal first and second floors of the tower can be seen.

Facts have proved that the policies of systematic registration, national establishment, and mandatory unified management of superhuman occupations are effective. If it weren't for the "New Deal" that was implemented more than ten years ago, who would dare to imagine that there would be "projects"? "Mage" exists?

However, Rosetta frowned slightly as she watched the scene outside the window.

In Anzu, in the sudden rise of the Principality of Cecil, they seem to have gone further and more thoroughly than Typhon on the road of "Using Extraordinary Power for Development"...

Would that path be more correct?

A rhythmic sound of military boots stomping interrupted Rosetta's thinking. He turned his head and saw a tall, gray-haired young female knight with resolute eyes standing behind him.

"Your Majesty," Andersa Wendell, the young wolf general, bowed his head and saluted, "Ms. Shiva Farstrider has received a message from Sonia's messenger. The visitor will arrive soon."

Rosetta was slightly surprised, but still nodded lightly: "I see."

Shiva Farstrider is the courier sent by the Silver Empire to Typhon, and Sonia Frostleaf is the courier from Ansu's side.Elven messengers are a unique profession. Their job is not just to deliver letters and packages as people imagined. In fact, they are all masters of communication magic—especially the special communication magic performed between messengers.

Messenger can deliver messages between compatriots with extremely low mana consumption, as long as the distance is close to a certain level. Now Shiva Farstrider has received the signal, which means that Duke Gawain Cecil is very close Yes, this is what surprised Rosetta a little bit: he didn't expect the other party to come so quickly.

"Andersa," Emperor Typhon said suddenly, "how do you guess the ancient Grand Duke who came back from the dead?"

"How did you come here?" The young General Wolf froze for a moment, but soon understood the deep meaning of the emperor's question.

For people at the level of the Duke of Protector and the Emperor of the Empire, their trips and visits often have special meanings, and every move they make in the process is actually showing a different "negotiation language"——

Gawain Cecil was going to the camp of the Typhon Empire. For this, he had to take a not too short journey, and this journey was in the wasteland.

There are wandering monsters everywhere here, and the outer outpost of the peak base will be attacked every three days on average, and in the unprotected and unprotected wilderness area, the degree of danger is even more imaginable.

The process of crossing the wasteland itself is a process of demonstrating strength.

It is obviously impossible for him to borrow the giant eagle of the elf for safety and convenience, it will make him lose face.

He can choose to come with a well-equipped, well-supplied, and large-scale guard, which is to demonstrate the strength of his army and the Principality, and even to a certain extent, the Kingdom of Ansu.

He can also rely on his own legendary strength to bring only a few top experts to challenge and cross the wasteland with a few people. This is to demonstrate his strong personal force.

For an imperial ruler, Rosetta Augustus was obviously more afraid of the former.

"He came very quickly." After trying to understand the deep meaning behind the question, Andersa Wendell quickly made her own judgment, "If you bring an army composed of ordinary people, it is obviously impossible to go so fast. ——so he probably took only a few guards and relied on his own legendary strength to cross this wasteland journey."

After finishing speaking, the young female knight couldn't help but shook her head slightly: "Perhaps the legendary ancient hero is just a reckless...he just came to show his personal strength."

Rosetta Augustus looked at Andersa quietly, as if about to say something, but before he could speak, there was a slight commotion and a vague sound like some kind of shrill flute. The voice suddenly came from a distance.

The emperor and his knight looked at each other.

At the same time, outside the gate of Typhon Peak Base, Gawain and Amber were sitting in the back row of the magic vehicle.

In front of them, a high stone wall stood ten meters away. Some Typhon soldiers who were a little bit stunned were standing on the wall and pointing at this side, while two mages who came to check the situation were flying from afar. Come, and behind them, a convoy consisting of three magic vehicles and four "steel ambassadors" for guards was lined up.

Amber poked her head, looking back and forth at the pinnacle base built by the Typhons, and couldn't help but compare it with Cecil's pinnacle base: "This should be directly 'pull' up with the wall-building and rock-forming techniques... ...Although it is not as beautiful as the reinforced concrete walls, it is quite interesting to look at, and their base looks bigger than ours."

"The Typhon people arrived at their engineering site earlier than us." Gao Wen said casually.

"Hey, hey," Amber couldn't help leaning over to Gao Wen's side, "Do you think that Emperor Typhon would be interested in your proposal?"

"Then I don't care - I have to get the car out anyway."

Chapter 0599 face to face

The peak base of the Typhon Empire and the base built by the Cecils have completely different styles-judging from Gawain's perspective, if the Cecil Peak Base embodies the power of the magic industry, it is steel, machinery, and crystals. The result of mixing with magic, then the base of the Typhon people is a costly magic spectacle-this building complex with an area larger than Cecil's peak base, more than 80.00% are all relying on the hands of mages "shaped" up.

The Typhons opened their gates and sent out knights to guide the guests. Soldiers in black standard armor watched with curiosity and a hint of caution as the steel monster cars drove into the base. Gawain sat in the first car. The back row of the car quietly observed everything in sight through the window.He saw many stone houses lined up neatly along a central axis, and several spiers and high towers scattered among the buildings. The hazy and illusory "Mage's Eye" was suspended on the top of the towers, and there were Soldiers in neat armor and on high alert stood guard on several sentry towers outside the base, alert to any disturbance in the wasteland area.

Orderly, disciplined and impressive.

While observing and pondering, the convoy, led by several Typhon knights, arrived in front of a stone fortress that was also "shaped" by magic power. Gawain saw a middle-aged man with thick black hair and a serious expression standing among a group of knights. Standing not far away surrounded by them, the other party was wearing a black cloak that looked ordinary but was actually made of some kind of high-level monster fur, a dark blue coat inside, and a gold watch chain, ribbon, etc. Ornaments, his eyes were falling on those strange steel cars driving towards him, but Gawain couldn't see any emotional fluctuations of that Emperor Typhon from his too deep and restrained eyes.

Amber, who was also sitting in the back row, leaned over and whispered, "He's a little shorter than I thought."

Gao Wen responded casually: "That's because you've been by my side for too long."

While speaking, several magical vehicles stopped in front of Rosetta Augustus at the same time, and then each vehicle opened the side or rear doors at the same time, and the attendants in blue uniforms or white light armor and The soldiers quickly got out of the car with surprising discipline and cooperation, and formed a guard on both sides of the convoy in the blink of an eye. Only then did an attendant open the door of the first car. Gawain Cecil and his guards Came out of the car.

Rosetta Augustus watched all this silently and seriously, her eyebrows trembled imperceptibly.

The Duke of Ansu neither led an entire army, nor did he lead a few strong men to the appointment as a legendary strong man.

And yet he's still exuding... some kind of power, and to great effect.

After taking his gaze away from those magical vehicles again, the Emperor Typhon took the initiative to greet Gao Wen who had already got off the vehicle, with a difficult smile brewing on his face: "I can see someone like you Such a legendary hero is my honor - welcome to the camp of the Typhons, which is ready for honored guests."

"I'm also deeply honored," Gawain reached out to shake hands with Rosetta Augustus. This highly versatile and simple etiquette originated in the pioneering era and is still widely used today. He casually responded to the other party's politeness, "It's an impressive camp and I can see the grit and perseverance in it."

Amber stood behind Gawain, wanting to roll her eyes in boredom, this "high-ranking people are polite" way of speaking made her drowsy, but she was afraid that if she really rolled her eyes, she would be slapped on the wall by Gawain , so she had no choice but to hold back, and at this moment, she suddenly felt a gaze falling on herself.

Following her senses, she saw a tall and straight female knight standing not far behind Rosetta Augustus. The young lady had gray hair and shawls, and her figure and appearance were considered good, but His gaze was rather cold, as if there was some hostility hidden.

Amber blinked, and the relevant information immediately came to mind.

That should be the "Wolf General" of the generation of the Typhon Empire, Andersa Wendell, who seems to be hostile to Ansu because her father disappeared in the Ansu-controlled area.

Amber thought for a while, and felt that she had found something to do, so she simply stared at Andersa with her eyes wide open.

After a while, the young wolf general Andersa Wendell averted his gaze a little awkwardly and awkwardly.

She has never seen such a lack of self-cultivation nobles, lack of experience, resulting in a disadvantage in the eyes, and can not help but have a thought: Are all Ansu people so barbaric?

Amber cheered up because of this little victory, and muttered softly: "Yeah—"

This secret confrontation between Cecil's intelligence chief and General Typhon Wolf was not noticed by anyone. Almost all of Gawain's attention was on observing Emperor Typhon in front of him and speculating on the character of the other party. After the innocuous greetings, he and the accompanying Amber, Sonia and others were ushered into Rosetta's temporary palace.

A banquet that is not considered rich, but already rare in this wasteland, is waiting for them.

Plants cannot be grown on the wasteland, and the rampant monsters are obviously difficult to serve as food. The supplies of the Typhon Camp, like the Cecil Camp, also rely entirely on rear supplies. Under such difficult conditions, even Rosetta O The treats that Gus could come up with were extremely limited, but it was clear that no one really cared about the feast itself... at least except for Amber.

After letting Amber go foraging by herself, Gao Wen naturally came to Rosetta Augustus with a glass of wine, and the people around them automatically backed away a little distance. The emperor leaves room for conversation.

"I hope you don't mind this shabby hospitality," Rosetta showed a faint smile, "Our supplies are not easy."

"It's the same on our side," Gao Wen said lightly, "I can understand the harsh environment on the edge of the wasteland—in fact, the so-called 'difficulties' we face here today, if placed 700 years ago, it would have been the same. Unimaginably favorable conditions, at least we can now talk over a glass of wine in a relatively safe camp.”

He slightly shook the gold wine glass in his hand, the dark red liquid in the wine glass rippled slightly, reflecting a seductive brilliance.

"That's why we should cherish this hard-won security and prosperity even more," Rosetta slightly raised his glass, "I salute you, the pioneers who started all this 700 years ago."

Gao Wen accepted the salute calmly, and then Rosetta continued: "We came here today to ensure that this safety can continue to be maintained, isn't it?"

"Of course," Gao Wen said, quietly paying attention to every change in Rosetta Augustus's expression, "but not everyone wants this security to be maintained for a long time, some delirious People will even take the initiative to destroy the security barrier that allows us to survive, what do you think about this?"

"I've heard about the traces of destruction you found in the Sentinel Tower... The dangers of cultists are shocking," Rosetta Augustus said in a deep voice, with a solemn expression, "When the Sonia messenger talked about this I also talked about your concerns at the time... Frankly speaking, I not only think this worry is necessary, but also should be more vigilant against those cultists. I have sent the Shadow Master to check the situation of the nearby Sentinel Tower, However, no signs of erosion have been found. Next, I will arrange a domestic search for traces of those cult members—they are not only active in Ansu, but also in the north and west of Typhon."

"Clearing out these dark sects requires the efforts of all of us, just as repairing the Great Wall requires the concerted efforts of all human nations," Gawain said along the topic as if touched by Rosetta's sincere and frank attitude, "These seven centuries of peace and tranquility are based on the joint efforts of the original generation of pioneers. To say something that relies on seniority-I am very happy to see that your generation can still unite in the face of crisis. Even if you There are some contradictions and disputes, but in the face of the disaster that hangs over all mankind, rational people can always abandon prejudice and barriers."

Speaking of this, he paused, without giving Rosetta time to think, and continued: "Seeing the sight of human nations coming to repair the magnificent wall, I can't help but recall those years... recall those who fought side by side. Friends. I remember Roland Augustus... he was always stern, he told some old-fashioned jokes, and he used to be so troubled how to improve his sense of humor that he even asked Charlie for advice on it..."

Facts have proved that a person who has been resurrected from 700 years ago is holding a wine glass and discussing with you about his ancestors. He is full of talk and laughter. This is definitely the most embarrassing and weird thing in the world, even if the talented Emperor Rosetta is listening When it comes to these topics, you must also bow your head and make a gesture of listening carefully, so it is not easy to interrupt.

Seeing this situation, Gawain naturally continued the topic: "There is also Beltira...she is the most powerful Druid I know, and countless people were treated by her back then..."

Rosetta didn't have any additional emotional fluctuations on her face, it was still flat and slightly serious, deep and introverted.

He just nodded slightly, and said unhurriedly: "It is a novel feeling to be able to hear things about ancestors from you... To you, they are no longer symbols in history books, but It's flesh and blood."

"Of course we have flesh and blood, we are all mortals," Gawain said slowly, and quietly watched Rosetta's eyes, "...it is said that you have not been able to find the remains of Bertila Augustus...that's it Is it?"

"...I should be ashamed," Rosetta said in a deep voice, "The family saint Bertila disappeared during the pilgrimage to the peak of the ancestors, and the holy remains are still wandering outside. It has been 700 years...I'm afraid we can find There is little hope of returning her."

Gao Wen looked at Rosetta silently for two seconds, then looked away.

He didn't mention the possibility that the "unknown" Bertila would join the darkness like most of the druids near the Ancestor's Peak at that time, because doing so would exceed the limit of "exploration" and would seem too provocative and offensive.Although he could be a little willful in this regard because of his ancestor status, in order to avoid ruining the atmosphere too early, he decided not to mention this matter.

If Rosetta didn't have any special reaction after hearing the name of "Bertila Augustus", then even if Gao Wen made a further test, the other party should remain calm.

After that, Gao Wen consciously turned the topic to a more relaxed and natural direction, and while tasting the food and wine on the scene, he gradually began to discuss some customs and legends of Ansu and Typhon.

The atmosphere gradually became more relaxed during this process, and both of them tacitly did not discuss any topics about the two countries being on the verge of war three years ago, and the hidden danger of war, as if all the confrontation and friction did not exist , as if Rosetta didn't know about it, and Gawain didn't care about it.

An ancient man 700 years ago, a contemporary emperor, one tells about the customs and customs of the great pioneering period, and the other tells about the evolution and development of modern society. They talk happily like old friends, and the topics seem to be endless. Amber, who had finished foraging, was satisfied with eating, and was strolling over with a chicken bone in her mouth, was dumbfounded.

The half-elf lady stopped and underestimated softly: "Old fox..."

Then she heard Gao Wen over there talking about a topic related to trade: "...Actually, we can expand our cooperation to areas wider than repairing the barrier, such as trade—we can exchange what we need."

Amber blinked, crunching the chicken bone in her mouth.

Another victim is about to enter the pit.

Chapter 0600 Trade Demand

Gao Wen didn't foreshadow too much. After the topic naturally progressed to the field of economics and trade, he directly threw out his suggestions. At this point, he thought that too much cover-up and guidance would appear deliberate and self-important. There are too many ideas behind this trade plan, and based on his current sense of Rosetta Augustus, he thinks that the other party should also prefer this kind of direct communication.

Rosetta really showed a hint of interest—of course, this expression was not so obvious on his face that lacked change: "Trade... I have indeed thought about this aspect. Typhon is adjacent to Anzu , Each has its own distinctive output, and should be able to communicate with each other, I once thought about opening up a business route between the two countries, but this idea has not yet been implemented.”

Although there has been a long-standing confrontation between Ansu and Typhon, small-scale non-governmental commercial activities have not been banned. There are often mercantile activities near the border, but the "trade route" in Rosetta's mouth certainly does not refer to those who rely on mercantile or non-governmental The small transactions maintained by the caravan... He has already begun to think about large-scale trade with Anzu?Just haven't gotten around to it yet?

In the blink of an eye, Gawain has grasped some of Typhon's situation based on the information provided by Daniel. It seems that "machine production" has gradually become a scale in Typhon, and has begun to show its strength. More and more industrial products are coming from The factory is continuously sending it to the market, and Rosetta Augustus has already realized that these industrial products need a larger market... Is he considering Ansu as a dumping target?

If I didn't meet him this time, then Rosetta's dumping target should be the East Territory, which is currently in a state of war, and may indeed accept the "cheap supplies" provided by Typhon due to the shortage of supplies. Fortunately, in the short term Maintain front-line supplies, but this will destroy its own production order in the long run, and Prince Edmund and Silas Lauren are very likely to adopt the same plan as the "Southern Border Trade", using resources and even mining rights to Change to Tifeng's industrial products...

It's a familiar operation.

Gawain smiled and glanced at Rosetta Augustus. On the face of this talented and bold ruler of the empire, he seemed to see a little bit of himself.

"The people of Cecil have always opened their doors to welcome friends," he said happily. "We can consider establishing a trade route between the Principality of Cecil and Typhon first—I won't hide it, the new Principality of Cecil is now There are indeed many shortages in the stage, magic materials, ore, wood, oh, of course, there is a large amount of cloth... On the other hand, we have some unique magical creations that have no market."

Rosetta Augustus did not express his attitude at the first moment. He thought for a few seconds before slowly saying: "It seems that trade is indeed a good thing for both of us, but you should know , Ansu Southern Border and Tifeng are not directly bordering each other..."

Gao Wen squeezed his chin, pretending to be contemplative, and said after a minute or two while thinking: "We have set up a mine in the Baisha Hills area, and are planning to build a new road directly to the southern border. Negotiating with the Duke of Jing, he should not mind if I expand the road a little to the east. Or we can open a new road at the foot of the dark mountain range a little further south. Along that mountain range, Cecil and Typhon can be directly connected. "

Although the southern border of Ansu is not directly bordered by Tifeng, it is actually not far away. An extended area in the southeast corner of the southern border is even separated from Tifeng by a short mountain road. The "Typhon Task Force" would not be so easy to infiltrate the vicinity of Cecil Territory.

Rosetta thought carefully about Gawain's proposal—even though he and Gawain both tacitly understood what the final result would be, he still thought about it for 2 minutes, and said cautiously: "It does sound feasible, as long as But... I first need to know what Cecil has that we need."

Gao Wen kept smiling. Of course he knew that the best situation for the emperor was that Typhon didn’t need anything—he only needed to export industrial products to Anzu, or to Cecil, and the latter used his own In exchange for gold and silver reserves or mineral resources, Typhon does not need to buy any additional goods from Cecil in the process.

It's a pity that although Gao Wen is ready to let Typhon "dump" industrial products on him, he still needs to control the outflow of gold and silver reserves if possible.

"Magic products, such as various types of alchemy potions, processed artificial crystals, and... vehicles powered by magic power."

It was very obvious that Rosetta's pupils constricted slightly when she heard the words "vehicle driven by magic power".