Passela Prairie.

This was one of the most important pastoral areas of the Europa Empire, providing the empire with millions of large livestock and tens of millions of sheep every year, as well as a large amount of fur.

The herding system is basically practiced here, and the only thing left of the ancient nomadic culture is the festive archery competition and colorful dance.

The nomads here have always rebelled and invaded the south in history, and when the agrarian civilization invented guns, they became able to sing and dance again.

In August, the grasslands are getting cooler, and it is the time when the cattle are fat and the horses are strong. At this time of year, the prairie is full of laughter.

But this August of this year was a bit bleak, and during the war, it was on the route of the enemy's raids, and the Pasella steppe was ravaged. Many of the herdsmen's settlements along the way were deserted, and even the wolves were in a hurry.

In such a situation, the law and order were terrible, and Sean had to follow the caravan returning south through the vast grassland.

The southern part of the Passella grassland, bordering Gyeonggi Province to the north, saw a flourishing modern industrial civilization, full of textile and leather processing factories, with the exception of those near the river that were powered by water power and steam engines.

Female and child labourers are the main labour force here, and as long as the machinery is not broken, the factories work in two shifts, working at least 12 hours a day, enduring damp, dirty and noisy conditions for a meagre daily income.

The further south you go, the more you can see the towering boiler chimneys, which were the most important iron and coal producing areas of the empire, which also provided the necessary conditions for industrial civilization.

Here, Sean saw the vitality and vigor of industrial civilization.

On August 20, Sean arrived on the north bank of the Ossella River, where the majestic holy city of Ocera. She stands there like a super castle, making every foreigner who comes from afar feel awe.

At the ferry, a young man was shouting vigorously:

"Take a boat, the latest steamship, only 20 shillings!"

Behind him is a bizarrely shaped wooden boat, still with sails, and paddlewheel propulsion.

Apparently the passengers didn't buy it: "It's too expensive, I used to pay 10 shillings on other ferries! Besides, your boat is so noisy and unstable that I'm afraid it will sink." ”

In the case of curiosity and protection of money, most travelers choose the latter, and only a small number of foreigners like Sean who have a lot of money will choose the steamship in the young population, out of pure curiosity.

The young man was not discouraged, he asked the guy to arrange the guests to sit in the seats, and introduced himself enthusiastically:

"Welcome to the steamship Rose, I'm Andrew Johnson, and you're in for a wonderful journey on the beautiful Otera River. Now please sit down, don't move around, the boat is about to sail. ”

Except for a man who was responsible for collecting money and guarding the passengers from wandering around, it seemed that the captain also had to operate the steamship himself, and after waiting for nearly half an hour, after heating the hearth and a thick puff of black smoke, he successfully started the steam engine.

But why can't the ship move?

Captain Johnson was sweating profusely, and the passengers were getting impatient, especially when they saw the ordinary fast galleys around him, one after another sailing by in the wind and waves, and the playful whistles of the crew and passengers were heard from the opposite side.

"Refund the ticket, refund the money!" cried the passengers, who feared that the unreliable steamboat would sink in the middle of the river.

While all the other passengers were gone, Sean insisted on staying on the ship.

"Thank you!" Andrew stretched out a jet-black face from under the console in the operation room, "Sir, it's going to be right away!"

"I hope you will hurry, for my horse has already reached the other side before me, and if I arrive any later, the captain of the ferry will probably charge me a storage fee. The horse has been with me for two thousand kilometers, and I don't want it to be too lonely. Sean said with a smile.

Bang, bang.

Thankfully, the steamship finally started, even though there was only one passenger in Sean.

It's no wonder that the local residents don't want to take this steamboat, not to mention that the speed of the ship is too slow, not to mention the high fare, the noise of the steam engine is too loud, and the propulsion system of the paddle wheel makes the ship very unbalanced in the process of driving.

Although the steamship was slow, and the Otera River was wide, half an hour was enough for the steamship to reach the other side, but the violent impact when it landed made Sean stumble defenselessly.

"Sir, I'm sorry for the mistake and mistake. Johnson apologized vigorously, "I promise that the next time you come to sit, it will be a good boat that is fast and steady." ”

The South Shore Pier is bustling and noisy.

Sean noticed that the behemoth-like ship had come from the east, filling the docks to the brim for the dock workers to unload.

More river boats are interspersed, some people are yelling, and more hawkers are peddling small goods to the crew.

"That's the big sea ship of the Xia Kingdom, and the Holy City hasn't seen it for a long time. Johnson said.

"Is it because of the trade dispute?" asked Sean. The soft faces of those Xia people made him feel like crying.

"Yes, the Xia country is cheap in gold and silver, and our gold is cheap and silver is expensive, and the people of Xia are far more developed in shipping than us, which makes their merchants take advantage of it. For this reason, we fought a naval war that lasted for ten years, and the trade between the two countries was reduced to zero. Johnson said, "If I can build a steam-powered ship in the future, I will definitely give the Xia people a taste of trade inequality." ”

Sean smiled: "Then I wish you success." ”

"Thank you. Sir, do you need me to introduce you to the hotel?" Johnson said, "If you don't mind, I suggest you stay at the Golden Oak Inn, which offers free hot water and clean and comfortable rooms, as well as pulp washing services for guests at a low cost." ”

"Does this hotel have anything to do with you?" asked Sean curiously.

"This is a long-established inn run by our Johnson family for generations, and His Majesty the Great Founding Emperor stayed at my hotel when he first came to the Holy City sixty-five years ago. Soon he announced his accession to the throne. Johnson replied proudly.

"I've got to find my horse first. Sean said.

Later, Sean learned that the Founding Emperor's stay was only because of the brutal street fighting in the Holy City, which razed most of the Holy City to the ground.

"It just so happens that I'll go back too, and I'll go with you. Johnson said, "I'm afraid you're visiting the Holy City for the first time, and I can introduce you to the people and history of the Holy City for free along the way." ”

"Oh well. Sean shrugged indifferently.

Soon Sean rode his horse and Johnson walked to the city with his companions.

Compared to the outside of the city, the city appears to be orderly, with horse-drawn carriages driving on the right and uniformed people maintaining traffic order at busy intersections.

There are churches with tall spires, private residences of the rich with gardens and iron fences, and department stores with large glass windows.

There are many small public parks in the city, and many well-dressed citizens take a walk in the parks. There are uniformed cleaners cleaning up fallen leaves.

Sean has traveled more than 2,000 kilometers from northern Xinjiang, and has visited many cities along the way, but only the holy city is considered a clean city, at least there is no human and animal feces everywhere on the streets.

Commerce flourished, the people were rich, but there were still vagrants and beggars.

Sean noticed that there was a public carriage system in the city, and the charges were reasonable.

In the middle of the city, on a high ground and surrounded by greenery, stands a majestic white castle overlooking the city, which is the Templar Castle, the emperor's private palace.

It can be traced back to 1,200 years ago, and although it has been expanded by different dynasties, it has also been baptized by war, and basically maintains the pattern of the heyday of the Fourth Empire 300 years ago.

The founding emperor of this dynasty, Carlos Soren, known as Carlos I, led his army into the Holy City, and he thought that the exterior walls of the Templar Castle were ugly in color, so he ordered them to be painted white, so it was also called the White House.

Andrew Johnson is not like a polytechnic man, he is talkative and a good tour guide. He was a medical student at Quds University, but he was most interested in inventions, such as the unreliable steamship outside the city.

He didn't like running a hotel, and it was impossible for his son to inherit his father's business. So his father didn't expect him, in his father's eyes, the youngest son Andrew would lose the family business, but fortunately, the father had several sons.

"My dad sent me to university because he wanted me to go into politics, even though I applied for medicine, because if I couldn't get into politics, I could still be a doctor. But I'm not interested in studying medicine, I just like machines.

But fiddling with machines was expensive, so I polished the best microscope slides and made specimens for biology professors, astronomical telescopes for astronomy professors, and pumping machines for businessmen. ”

Walking up to a rather large looking building, Andrew Johnson paused:

"By the way, sir's full name?"

"Sean Connery!"

"Welcome to Mr. Connery at the Golden Oak Inn, well, your name is familiar!"