Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 757 - 756: The Pace of the Era

Goods from the Cecil Empire are gradually flowing into many northern kingdoms across the continent. Even in this cold winter season, driven by high profits and supported by the royal family of the Empire, merchants are undeterred by the harsh winter or the perilous journey, bringing items that are either novel, interesting, or extremely useful to faraway foreign lands.

Amidst the majestic mountains of the extreme north, a gray-white giant stone fortress stands atop a peak. The cold wind whistles across the mountain ridges, swirling layers of snow and cold fog around the fortress. Huge fire pans burn fiercely throughout the fortress, with oil mixed with Frostfire Grass juice and Glittering Crystal Dust causing the flames to emit a blood-red glow, unaffected by the howling cold wind.

Invisible veils shroud this ancient "Dragonwatch Keep," resisting the howling winds alongside the giant fire pans. Inside the fortress, in a vast hall, similarly large fire pans and hearths burn brightly. A middle-aged man clad in a dark red cape sits on a broad chair, looking with interest at the magic mechanism before him.

The glow of the flames illuminates the middle-aged man’s face, casting flickering light on his resolute features, gray short hair, and prominent cheekbones and nose bridge.

"Your Majesty, this is the magic transmission terminal brought by those Cecil merchants. By inserting different panels, it can be used to release various simple spells, convenient for both self-defense and as a tool," said a tall court official with a bushy beard and a broad forehead who stood beside the throne, introducing the items presented by the Attendant. "Additionally, this is their sold alchemical potion—its effect is quite ordinary, but its price is surprisingly cheap. In fact, based on our prices, the potion inside is even cheaper than the bottle itself..."

The gray short-haired middle-aged man, the current Archduke Balogar of the Sacred Dragon Kingdom who has ruled for a thousand years, nodded: "I’ve been hearing about this recently."

According to Sacred Dragon Kingdom tradition, although its national leader is a "Duke," citizens still refer to him as "Your Majesty," instead of the southern kingdoms’ "Your Highness."

"Indeed, Your Majesty," the court official bent over and said, "In the past six months, more merchants from the south have been appearing, the new ’Cecil Royal Family’ highly encourages commercial activities, and the novel items brought by those merchants are loved by the young people of the kingdom—especially those machines that can operate independently and crystal devices that can record images."

Balogar quietly looked at the magic transmission terminal for a moment, then slowly said, "Indeed... very interesting."

Standing on the other side of the throne, a court official with white hair and beard, clad in a white diagonal striped robe, couldn’t help but say: "But the youth of today are overly enthusiastic about outside matters, even discussing going south to ’broaden their horizons,’ which seems not a very good sign."

Balogar did not turn his head, casually said: "Why is it not a good sign?"

"Excessive curiosity about external matters would shake the young generation’s resolve. As the people of the kingdom begin to chase after the novelty of foreign items, it is easy to forget the ancestors’ teachings—the long exile has not yet ended; recklessly moving out of the mountains is not a noble act..."

"The ancestors’ teachings only tell us not to go north—they never said not to go south," Balogar lightly said, "In the past, we were uninterested in those southern kingdoms simply because they were old and weak, not worth seeing."

As he spoke, the Archduke of Dragonblood shook his head, a playful smile on his face: "But now... it seems some wonderful changes are happening in the south."

After a brief pause, this ruler of the Sacred Dragon Kingdom turned his gaze to the court official with white hair and beard: "As for what is called a ’noble act’... Sir Eugene, the so-called noble actions are defined by people."

Then he glanced at the other side of the throne, nodding to the court official with a bushy beard and broad forehead: "Sir Golosh, recently, the Ice and Snow Lord from the southern mountains has sent us emissaries twice to discuss formally opening trade routes. Perhaps we should respond."

...

In the western region of Cecil Empire, Sherlin City, inside Franklin Castle.

Gray Elf Venna sat in a reception room adorned with a soft thick carpet, with decorative shields and rune tapestries hanging on the walls. The light from the magic crystal lamps illuminated the smooth round table, casting a mesmerizing glow among the colored glass tiles. She looked at Duke Baldwin Franklin before her, a faint smile on her face: "Our first cooperation in this new era has been very successful—the first batch of alchemical potions and textile samples from the east were enthusiastically received in the plains and hill areas. The Fairy King has commanded me to present a gift to His Majesty Gawain Cecil to demonstrate our friendship."

Despite her petite stature like a human child, Lady Venna is actually a leader of a large tribe of gray elves. As she spoke, she gestured to the Attendant beside her, who promptly stepped forward to place an exquisitely ornate, approximately one-foot square small box on the table in front of Baldwin.

A faint rune glow flashed, the magic mechanism on the small box was released, and as the lid opened, a crystal ball about the size of a fist lay quietly on a velvet cushion.

"This high-purity crystal ball hails from Ancestral Peak. As you know, the crystals produced there possess the highest quality on the continent. This crystal ball was personally carved and polished by the dwarf craftsman Mackintosch Greyhill and blessed by the Fairy King, hoping that the friendship between the two kingdoms remains as pure and flawless as this crystal."

"I shall pass this precious gift along to our emperor," Duke Franklin nodded, instructing the Attendant to store the gift, "Once the roads are clear in the coming spring and our mutual embassies are established, with ambassadors dispatched, I will certainly invite you to visit our imperial capital. You will surely enjoy the prosperity of its commercial atmosphere."

"I am very much looking forward to it," Gray Elf Venna smiled, nodding gently, then asked, "Additionally, our king wants to confirm when we might be able to supply the second batch of textiles and alchemical potions? In the plains region, the demand for these items is significant."

"We can supply alchemical potions readily in large quantities, as we’ve established an Alchemy Factory in the west. As for the textiles from Typhon..." Baldwin Franklin hesitated, gripping his chin, "You know, they require a lengthy transport process. The previous batch of samples was relayed via the White River and land caravans from the east to the west, but now the bulk river transport on the White River has been temporarily halted due to seasonal changes, and the railway needed for the magic-guided train... will not be completed this year."

"Of course, even so, we can still supply a small amount of textiles that will at least meet part of the demand gap."

"Being able to supply enough alchemical potions already solves half the problem," Venna said with a smile, "As for textiles... we understand your difficulty; transporting bulk goods from the east to the west is indeed a challenging task."

At this point, the gray elf tribe leader paused a moment, then naturally shifted the topic: "Moreover, since you mentioned ’magic-guided train,’ I have indeed heard this peculiar term several times recently... Could you tell me more about it?"

Baldwin’s mouth twitched slightly, as he lightly stroked his fingers and leaned forward: "Oh? You’re interested in it?"

"Being able to swiftly transport a large amount of goods across the entire Empire, and it seems at a low cost—I think no sensible merchant would lack interest in it," Venna said in a soft, mature voice, "Not only am I interested, but even our Gray Elf King and several other kings are very interested."

"Ah, then I must detail it for you," Baldwin’s face was filled with a smile as he gestured towards a nearby shelf, where an intricately made model of the magic-guided train smoothly flew into his hand. "First, we begin with the concept of ’magic-powered vehicles’..."

...

As Fog Month deepens, the year is drawing to an end. In this special year, this young and ancient country has experienced too many events and too many transformations.

This year, undoubtedly, many people and events will be recorded in history, becoming a significant marker in the vast civilization of humanity. This year, too, is destined to give birth to many new things in this world, changing people’s lives, as many old things quietly get phased out by the times and start to disappear from their original stage.

After finishing a day’s training, Jinna walked slowly on the ramp at the back gate of the Windcaller Camp. The wind from the mountains and forests blew past her, not strong, but surprisingly cold.

She recalled today’s special flying experience in her mind, feeling her mood still quite excited for the moment.

Today, she finally left the ground simulation and familiar mechanical operation stage. For the first time, with the aid of an assistant trainer, she piloted the "Dragon Cavalry" magic machinery into the blue sky. Although it was only a brief hour of in-flight training, the experience, markedly different from riding a gryphon, left a deep impression on her.

More stable, faster, more agile, the lifeless steel and crystals formed a flying machine as delicate as a bird. She and another trainee soldier sat in the three-seat cockpit of the "Dragon Cavalry," flying over the northern slopes of the Dark Mountain Range under the guidance of the trainer. The tremors brought by the airflow transmitted through the control stick into her hands, making her involuntarily think of a gryphon’s reins, yet feeling entirely different.

Two loud calls came from nearby, interrupting the thoughts of this newly appointed Dragon Cavalry commander. She looked up and found herself having unknowingly arrived at the southern end of the Windcaller Camp, coming to a special place.

Several large wooden nests were placed under a row of wood shelters, surrounded by railings thicker than an adult’s thigh. The unique scent of large birds drifted into her nostrils with the wind, and she saw huge wings and sharp beaks flashing inside the railings.

She had unknowingly walked near the gryphon nests.

The Windcaller Camp is a facility for training Dragon Cavalry pilots, somewhat considered one of the Empire’s cutting-edge facilities. The old-fashioned gryphon nests seemed a bit out of place here, but from a practical standpoint, this was actually normal—after all, the new magic flying devices had only just appeared. Except for a few trainers sent from the research unit, even the training of the first batch of pilots had only just begun. Especially before then, this training facility didn’t even have a single workable training machine. Under such circumstances, the quick transport tasks between this camp and the imperial capital certainly still relied on the old flying units.

Thus, the Windcaller Camp, this advanced flying device training facility, has always maintained a team of old-fashioned gryphons.

But soon, these gryphons might be disbanded...

Jinna suddenly felt a twinge of nostalgia and couldn’t help but come to a nest she was familiar with.

Almost instantly, a massive figure stood up in the nest, and then a head with a sharp beak and white feathers appeared before her.

"Hi, old friend."

The female knight extended her hand, lightly brushing over the feathers near her old friend’s neck.

The gryphon let out a loud call.

Jinna couldn’t help but laugh: "You’re still so lively."

"Actually, it’s swearing," a voice suddenly came from beside her, "and it sounds quite unpleasant."

Jinna turned her head in surprise, only to see the blonde elf instructor walking over from not far away.

Beside the elf instructor was a lady with long black hair, silent and serene.

The black-haired lady was the assistant trainer who led Jinna through the training today, one of the technical experts sent from the Magic Guide Technology Research Institute.

Jinna immediately stood at attention, giving a standard and crisp military salute: "Instructor Sonia, Lady Maji."

Sonia responded to Jinna’s salute first, then waved her hand: "You can relax, today’s training is over."

Jinna exhaled a breath, and the gryphon beside her let out another loud call.

Sonia immediately glared at the noisy giant bird: "Rude language!"

The gryphon raised its head, and on that feather-covered face, there appeared to be a faint trace of pride.

Jinna: "..."

(My goodness!!!!

Speaking of which, the draft is about to run dry... but I should be able to fight for another effort tomorrow...)