Chapter 274 Mechanical Knight and Stone Fruit (Together)

Although Sean has always been proud of his identity as a native Antolian, to be honest, this is the first time he has stepped into the lord's castle in the Thorn Territory.

Long before Sean was born, even before his father was born, or before his father’s father’s father was born, this palace belonged exclusively to the Jimena family, the supreme ruler of Antolia. The Lord's Castle stands in the center of the Thorn Territory, protecting the countless people living in this land.

Therefore, the moment he stepped into the lord's castle, Sean's face showed a mixture of excitement, nervousness, joy, and pride.

And as the heavy bronze door of the lord's castle slowly closed under the push of the waiter.

The sound of friction between the bronze door and the stone slabs on the ground made him involuntarily recall everything he had experienced in the past few days.

Sean's family has made a living by hunting for generations. It was not until the Year of the Jackdaw two years ago that Sean became a member of the Antolian militia under the conscription of the Jimena family.

Since then, following the footsteps of Leon Jimena, Marquis of Antolia, he has participated in several large and small battles such as the Civil War in the Kingdom of Andal and the War in the Principality of Norton. After the war, he was promoted and became the commander of Myerson Henan. A mid-level officer in the shore garrison.

Not long ago, in order to explore the undeveloped land south of Port Idar, Sean and his militiamen received an order to explore the south of Port Idar and became the fourth batch of scouts to explore the way forward.

The previous three groups of scouts all returned without success due to the long distances and high mountains and dense forests.

So before setting off, Sean not only made full preparations, but also re-planned his route based on the information brought back by the previous three groups of scouts.

so……

They succeeded.

In other words, he succeeded.

Three Antorian scouts led by Sean actually found the road to the abandoned land.

But it was precisely because of this that Sean was the only one who successfully returned in the end.

Everything that happened at the junction with the Abandoned Land shocked the Governor of Port Idar, Bello, and the casualties of the scouts moved him even more.

Therefore, Sean got the opportunity to go to the Thorn Territory to report in person. Under the guidance of the waiter, he met the young Marquis for the first time in the study.

This made Sean a little nervous for a moment, and he didn't know how to speak.

"I have heard about the casualties of your comrades."

"Their families will be taken care of by the Jimena family, and their children will receive opportunities given by the Jimena family."

Seeing that the young man in front of him looked a little at a loss, Leon spoke first.

"It is our honor to serve you."

Sean raised his head and said sincerely.

This was not a compliment, but a fact he knew from the bottom of his heart.

Among the nobles of the Andal Kingdom, Leon, the Marquis of Antolia, can be said to be the most kind to the people under his rule.

Whether they are the citizens or craftsmen in the territory, most of them are grateful for Leon's care.

And even more so for Antorian soldiers like Sean.

The families of the soldiers can be taken care of by the Jimena family, and the status of the soldiers is particularly respected.

And most importantly, this is true even after the soldiers die.

If it were any other noble leader, the dead would have no value, and everything gained before would soon be wiped out.

"Bello told me a lot in the letter. He told me that you discovered the remains of the ancestors at the junction of Idar Port and the Abandoned Land, and saw many creatures that had never been seen before. However, I I still want to hear your most direct description as a person who has experienced it."

Leon pointed to the seat placed in front of him and said:

"Sit down and talk. You and your comrades are all meritorious officials of the Jimena family."

"As you wish." Sean said seriously.

He cleared his throat and finally spoke slowly:

"There is a large area of ​​dense forest to the south of Port Idar. Since it is difficult to identify the direction in the dense forest and there is a lack of water sources, most of the previous groups of scouts did not reach the end of the dense forest."

"We are lucky because based on the information provided by previous reconnaissance, there may be a lake in the southeast of the dense forest, which allows us to replenish water sources midway and continue to advance south."

"Then……"

Having said this, Sean paused, seeming to be reminiscing, but also a little scared:

"When we passed through the dense forest south of Port Idar... we seemed to hear the sound of machinery. It was a very regular sound, similar to craftsmen forging iron, but the sound seemed a bit dull and delayed. , in short, it was a very familiar but somewhat unfamiliar sound.”

"At the beginning, we thought there might be a tribe of mountain people on the other side of the forest, similar to the Lapruk people."

"Until we finally got there..."

Sean clearly remembered everything that was displayed in front of him that day, and he also understood why he felt familiar with that sound.

Because he saw a shadow manipulator!

Or……

It was a wooden tower that was very similar to the Shadow Manipulator.

The inverted triangular wooden structure slowly rotates in mid-air. The pyramid-shaped base at the bottom is solid but slightly worn, with a layer of sand and soil attached to the surface, as if stained with the marks of time.

Countless black mists coming from the direction of the Abandoned Land were blocked by it, drawing a very clear dividing line between the south of Port Idar and the Abandoned Land.

There is a world of difference between the south and the north.

Around the wooden tower, gears of various sizes were slowly turning.

The tower was kept running amidst the creaking sound.

At that moment, Sean was extremely surprised and shocked.

And the word "relics of the ancestors" appeared in his mind almost instantly.

The reason is also very simple.

As the patriarch of the Jimena family, since he received the title of Marquis of Antolia, Leon has been titled "Co-Lord of the Antolians and the Ancestors" before his own title.

It is precisely because of this that perhaps the ordinary citizens of Antolia do not know what the ancestors are and have no interest in the past thousands of years ago.

But the soldiers of Antolia obviously knew the meaning of the ancestors.

Because they have learned it!

As a time traveler, Leon believes that the soldiers of Antolia must understand what they are fighting for and why the Jimena family can become the ruler of this land.

so……

The cultural history of Antolia and the prosperity history of the Jimena family, these are the required courses for Antolia soldiers after completing their daily training!

And when the word "relics of the ancestors" suddenly flashed into Sean's mind, the Antoria scouts naturally lowered their vigilance.

This is something from thousands of years ago!

There can't be anyone guarding it, right?

However……

really have!

Although the ancestors have passed away long ago, the creations of the ancestors still remain.

When the soldiers of Antolia approached the tower, the stone pillars and statues standing around suddenly collapsed.

Instead, there are mechanical guards like knights in King's Chess.

Wooden boards, stone plates, rivets and rotating gears give them a dynamic character.

The head, made of some kind of wood, looks like a galloping horse.

They are mechanical creations built by our ancestors.

But at this moment, these mechanical guards seemed to have sanity.

Amidst the sound of the gears turning, they turned their empty pupils towards the Antolian soldiers who broke into this place.

The arms and weapons on both sides of their bodies have long since decayed under the erosion of time, but they still suddenly bumped into Sean and his comrades as they jumped again and again.

No one can explain why those mechanical creations can still exist despite the erosion of time.

No one knows what principles the ancestors used to build the mechanical creations that guarded the towers.

But they just stood around the tower.

Even if time passes by, and even the ancestors have become dust of the past, these mechanical creations created by the ancestors are still there to fulfill their mission in the past.

Leon picked up the wooden cup on the table and took a sip gently, trying to calm down the ups and downs of his mind.

At this point, the answer is actually very clear.

Without the obstruction of mountains, the remains of the ancestors that were still in operation blocked the black fog that filled the abandoned land, bringing a rare living space to the humans living in the northern continent.

But the problem is...

Why did our ancestors perish?

To this day, Leon is very sure that the ancestors must have had the means to control the black mist.

But they still disappeared, disappearing into the long river of history, leaving only a land filled with black mist.

Perhaps as the black fog in the ancient archives dissipates, I can find the answer to this question?

Leon couldn't help but think.

only……

These things are too far away from me after all.

Developing Antoria with peace of mind is the key to being able to respond to any threats.

"Can you determine the number of those... mechanical knights?"

Leon looked at the young soldier who was lost in memories.

"A lot! A lot!"

Sean could only give a ballpark figure.

But this at least explains why the south of Port Idar is not attacked by plateau hounds every year of the jackdaw like Antolia.

Because to a certain extent, the mechanical knights guarding the towers were enough to fill the fields with corpses of plateau hounds heading north.

so……

The plan to connect the Abandoned Land and Idar Port may be delayed due to this.

At least until the Antolians completely control the northern part of the Abandoned Land, the mechanical knights guarding the ruins of the Ancestors have blocked the Antolians' path to the Abandoned Land through Port Idar, but they will also The threat is there.

"Sean."

Leon stood up and looked at the young soldier in front of him.

"Your Majesty the Marquis..."

Sean knelt on one knee and stared blankly at the young but extremely calm Lord in front of him.

"You've done everything you can as a Scout."

"I award you the Antolian Combat Medal. Take this letter and report to Bello. He will give you a suitable errand."

Scouts are the most elite warriors of any era.

Now that Sean has brought back news about the ruins of the ancestors, Leon naturally wants to give him a chance to go further.

Although the existence of the ruins of the ancestors temporarily halted the plan to connect Idar Port and the Abandoned Land, Leon had no intention of breaking ground before completely controlling the northern part of the Abandoned Land.

and……

Leon had a vague idea in his mind - maybe he could use the mechanical knights guarding the ruins of the ancestors.

…

Compared to the Marquis who coordinates the overall situation, Scoop's ideas are much simpler.

As a human craftsman who directly participated in the development of the second-generation steam engine in Antolia, Scoop, who was born as a commoner, not only gained wealth that he had never had before, but also gained the title of a nobleman and a respected status.

Such achievements are enough for him to stand out among the many craftsmen in Antolia.

However, he obviously does not intend to start fishing.

Because in his mind, Scoop had never forgotten what Leon once mentioned to him, the steam cannon—a long-range weapon that was enough to make the Antolian army famous throughout the northern continent.

It is precisely because of this...

After the completion of the second-generation steam engine, Scoop did not participate in the subsequent development and application of rail mining cars.

Instead, after soliciting the opinions of dwarf craftsmen such as Hillman and Sherman, he alone set up a research and development team among the many craftsmen in Antolia.

The team has only one goal, and that is to build the steam cannon conceived by the Marquis!

After all... In Scoop's view, since the mine cars in the Southwest Highlands can operate semi-automatically under the traction of steam, it is not a bad idea to build a steam engine.

But it is a pity that although Scoop's idea was good, it encountered problems in the first step.

The reason why steam engines can release surging heat, generate large amounts of steam, and even convert it into kinetic energy is ultimately due to the properties of nightmare fuel.

But……

Although the burning of nightmare fuel can release a large amount of heat energy, it takes sufficient time to burn.

However, artillery is required to release enough energy in a short period of time, so that the projectiles in the shells can be excited in an instant.

The two were so diametrically opposed that Scoop's first attempt failed.

But the success of the steam engine made Scope never give up his goal easily.

So after experiment after experiment and failure again and again...

With the help of Antolia's magic apprentices, Scoop changed his mind and finally saw new hope.

And this hope...

Stone fruit from the abandoned land... (End of this chapter)