Chapter 788

It was a wonderful and interesting journey.

At least so far.

Matilda sat on the comfortable and spacious seat with the impeccable dignified attitude of others, quietly watching the mountains of the Cecil Empire gradually recede outside the car window, the wind and snow had weakened a lot, and the scenery outside began to change. It has to be open and bright, and the interior of the carriage is surrounded by soothing music released by some kind of magic device, beautiful scenery, music, just the right temperature environment, and the abundant food stored on the train, which together make this long-distance trip in winter change. be extra comfortable.

Even comfortable enough to forget that you are sitting in the body of a giant steel beast, forgetting that you are galloping through the cold winter wilderness of Cecil at a speed far exceeding the speed of a galloping horse.

A young man with short blond hair, a youthful face, but an exceptionally mature and calm temperament was sitting opposite Matilda. He noticed that the exotic princess in front of him seemed to be in good spirits, so he showed a faint smile, with a little pride in his tone. : "How was your experience traveling on the magic train?"

Matilda withdrew her gaze from the window and looked at the young man opposite.

This young man named Philip has a surprising identity. He is so young, but he is actually one of the military commanders of the Cecil Empire. He commands the most powerful ground army of the Cecil Empire. The main force of the Legion... is now at the Changfeng Defense Line.

The envoys led by such an important military commander to greet and "escort" Princess Typhon were equal and fully compliant with etiquette.

Matilda smiled.

"It was a great experience," she said, laughing, "and we got the best view."

Philip also laughed.

Under the proper arrangement of the reliable Maryland General and the efforts of units at all levels in the Changfeng area, the princess in front of her has indeed only seen the scenery since she entered the territory of Cecil until now.

"Frankly speaking, this level of travel experience is not new to me," Matilda continued. "What's new is that it all relies on magic machines to achieve. In the past, relying on the power of mages, It's not difficult to make such a large vehicle travel quickly through the wilderness, or maintain a comfortable travel environment in a harsh environment, but magic technology can use lifeless steel to achieve these things that should be controlled by mages power, which I never imagined.

"In Typhon, most nobles agree with the power of the magic machine, and they welcome the new magic train and various factories.

But there are still old-fashioned mages who don't like these things--they always say the machines work without soul. "

"This is different from us," Philip laughed. "We feel that there is another kind of soul in the machine, it is hidden in the rotating gears and moving pistons, and only needs lubricating grease and surging magic energy, It is the loyal friend of man."

"...So magic technology first appeared in Cecil, and it is also the fastest growing in this land," Matilda said with a hint of emotion, "I have always been interested in magic technology, I love it Even more than traditional spells, unfortunately Typhon still has a long way to go in this regard."

This is a programmed rhetoric of modesty, and Philip knows this very well, so he just smiled lightly and didn't respond directly.

After all, business bragging is not his area of ​​expertise...

A black-haired middle-aged male noble sitting in the seat next to Matilda also joined the topic: "I also pay attention to magic technology, and frankly, I am even investing in it and researching it, which is really expensive A very big undertaking, and from this point of view, I have great admiration for the Cecil people - you are people who dare to pay the price to gain benefits, and you are full of adventurers."

Matilda glanced at the male aristocrat - Count Durer is one of the "progressive aristocrats" who are most enthusiastic in the field of magic technology. He owns the largest plantation in the north and has invested in several A large-scale textile mill and spinning mill, his role in the mission actually represents to a certain extent those who are concerned about magic technology in Aldenand and try to find more commercial value from magic technology. aristocratic group.

Thinking of this, the Typhon princess nodded in agreement: "It is indeed expensive to build factories and develop machines, but the rewards are really amazing - so it can attract more and more nobles and businessmen to become investors. This point, in Is Cecil the same?"

"...Of course." Philip smiled and nodded.

The train was galloping across the wilderness. Outside the window, the undulating ridgeline was almost at its end, and it seemed as if it was about to enter the plain ahead.

Matilda couldn't help but recall the "Of course" that Philip finally answered to her. For some reason, she always instinctively felt that the word contained more profound meanings, but she couldn't grasp the root cause for a while.

At this moment, the train finally rushed out of the cover of the mountains. After the huge rock wall flashed past, there was an endless plain in front of it, and the scene outside the car window suddenly opened up.

At the connection between the plain and the end of the mountain, on a natural highland, a huge stone monument stands beside the railway line. There seems to be a fence around the stone monument, and there seems to be a maintenance and monitoring site for the railway line nearby.

Matilda just noticed the unusual building, and was about to wonder why such a striking thing was set up in the wilderness, when she suddenly heard a loud and high flute sounded from the top of the carriage, echoing across the vast plain.

This made her stunned for a moment: Why did the whistle suddenly sound? Are there any stops or staggered trains here?

When confusion was pouring into her heart, she and the surrounding Typhon messengers were surprised to see that the Cecilians in the carriage stood up in unison, including the young army commander, these noble knights and generals. They turned out of the car window at the same time, staring at the huge stone monument standing at the end of the mountain range, solemn and solemn, as if saluting.

The Typhon messengers were startled and even nervous when the surrounding Cecils stood up at the same time, but at the moment they were only dazed. Those solemn faces made them wonder if they should ask aloud, and they could only remain confused. After waiting for more than ten seconds, Matilda couldn't help but ask after Philip and the others sat down, "General Philip, may I ask this..."

"Have you noticed that stone tablet?" Philip asked calmly, looking at Matilda.

"Yes, I noticed - and was about to ask."

"The railway line under your feet was urgently extended and constructed on the basis of the original Baisha Mining Railway Line after the end of the Crystal Cluster War," Philip said slowly, "in order to send food and security forces to the east in time. , to prevent the subsequent effects of the Cluster War from creating massive famine and chaos in the East, the construction period of this line must be compressed until the end of winter.

"In order to quickly pass through the Bethel Mountains with the most complex terrain, the Third Construction Corps used large-scale geological shaping spells, including the Mage Corps urgently dispatched from the old capital, and large-scale construction machinery capable of releasing fossils into mud.

"While breaking through the Kalim Pass, a hidden mana focus caused the spell to spiral out of control and the mountain wall collapsed.

"Thirty-seven people were buried below, including seven mages and twenty workers."

Matilda opened her eyes slightly, and Count Durer said subconsciously: "So it is to commemorate the sacrificed mages..."

"It is to commemorate all those who have sacrificed," Philip looked into Count Durer's eyes, "the collapsed rock wall swallowed the victims, and the aftermath of the spell caused the flesh and the stone to fuse together, and we couldn't tell them apart. We fused those The boulders of flesh and blood were transported out of the pass, forming a monument at the end of the Carlin Pass where they had tried and failed - with their backs to the Bethel Mountains and their eyes on the eastern plains.

"It is customary on this route for trains to honk their horns after passing the Kalin Pass and soldiers to salute as they pass by the monument."

Matilda listened quietly and attentively, and her expression did not seem to have changed much.

The messengers from Typhon all listened quietly, some seemed confused, some seemed to be thinking.

The black-haired and black-bearded Earl Durer, a big investment noble from Aldernan, couldn't help looking out the window, looking at the direction where the monument had gone, and couldn't help muttering to the sound of the car whistle that still seemed to linger in his ears. stand up:

"Such a big monument... Even if the mage takes action, it is not easy to build."

Maybe enough to build another textile factory.

Matilda listened to Count Durer's self-talk, and watched Cecil's plains receding rapidly outside the train.

A foreign country...

...

The wind from the extreme northern seas blew the towering mountains, rolling the snow between the mountains, and the dragonborn's flag fluttered high on the heavy spires of Longlin Fort, the end of the flag facing the south, waving endlessly.

"The candidates for the messenger group have been decided, and they will set off in the near future," Grand Duke Baloger of Dragon Blood said to the courtier beside him, standing on the wide stone terrace of Longlin Fort, overlooking the snow-capped country. Sir Shi, it must be foolproof for you to lead the team."

"Definitely complete the mission, Your Majesty." Ser Gorosh said in a low voice.

Balogel nodded and said in a leisurely tone: "We have indeed been closed in these bitter cold mountains for too long, and the world outside the mountains is also worth seeing.

"Just be the eyes of the principality, and take a good look at the Cecil Empire to see what is so extraordinary about them.

"It's also counted as us 'exiles'... not living up to Tallond's kindness."

"Tarlund..." Ser Gorosh's eyes changed slightly. "How long do we have to wait..."

"From the beginning, it has been a near-permanent wait," said Archduke Balogar unhurriedly. "With hopeless hope, our patience will endure."

"...Yes, Your Majesty."

Balogel was silent for a moment, then withdrew his gaze, looked at the courtier he trusted beside him, and suddenly smiled slightly: "Speaking of which, you and your daughter haven't seen each other for a long time, haven't you?"

"...I saw it from a distance five years ago," Ser Gorosh said in a helpless and embarrassed tone, "Naughty child... She's messing around in the human world, it's really not a rule."

"Young people, it's normal to be reckless or rebellious. Didn't you also jump over the Longyue Cliff when you were young?" Grand Duke Balogel shook his head with a smile, "Take it as a brief trip in the human world, traveling. After decades and hundreds of years, I’ll probably come back after playing enough.”

Ser Gorosh was silent for a moment, then sighed: "...I hope so."

...

The cold wind was blowing, and Maggie, who was walking beside the flight test field, suddenly couldn't help but sneezed heavily, feeling a strange chill welling up in her heart.

Rebecca, who was walking beside him, glanced curiously at the dragonborn friend: "Hey? What's wrong? Got a cold?"

"No...it shouldn't be," Maggie rubbed her nose vigorously, feeling a little strange in her heart. "It's just that she suddenly felt a little cold and couldn't help sneezing."

"It's really not too cold to catch a cold?"

"Certainly not," Maggie shook her head affirmatively. "Dragonborn's bodies are very strong, especially not afraid of the cold. I grew up in a colder place than here, and we even wear clothes in the coldest winter. It's a cold sport to play 'ice gallop' in a single suit."

Rebecca's eyes suddenly lit up, and she became very interested: "Ice Road Speeding? What is that?"

"Ah, it's a popular little game among Dragonborn children," Maggie couldn't help laughing, probably because she remembered the interesting things in her childhood, "the main way is to stuff yourself into a sturdy vat, Roll down from the top of the mountain along the pre-cut ice track, and go to the foot of the mountain to see who stands up first—by the way, if you vomit, you will be disqualified immediately, even if you are the first to stand up."

Rebecca: "...Wow!"

Sonia, who was walking on the other side, stared at Maggie with strange eyes: "You people from the Holy Dragon Principality... have you played this kind of thing since you were a child?"

Maggie thought for a while, then shook her head: "Of course not all children play like this."

Sonia was relieved: "I just said..."

"Girls are what I'm talking about -- boys don't need buckets."

Sonia: "?"

This is really a custom in a foreign country... I can't imagine it.