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"This is ......," Mo Shi looked at the box on the table. The box was laid out with the chessboard.

Manka Golden Lion glanced over there.

"Oh, it's a box of gems from Duke Goldmane. I thought ......"

"What are you thinking, Your Majesty?"

"Thinking about giving it to the queen. Of course. ”

Approaching the Changmao Festival, all the nobles who came to the center, or were already in the center, all offered gifts to the royal family.

Seeing Mo Shi's curious eyes, the king stopped opening the chess box and opened the lid of the beautiful metal box.

It is divided into two compartments, one for the jewels that have been set with metal and the other for rough gemstones that have only been simply polished.

The brilliant light illuminated the dark eyes of Mosite—having said that, with the gemstone industry known to Mosine, it was clear that these large red, blue, and purple gemstones did not shine as brighter than they could have achieved. The times are limited, but there is nothing to be done.

As a wide-ranging magician, Moses is no stranger to rough gemstones, but has little appreciation for their beauty.

But his attention was drawn to a white (or rather, mostly white) gemstone.

The fiery red broken light, the emerald green broken light, and the faint blue broken light were mottled and sprinkled on the milky white embryo body.

Pliny, a natural scientist in ancient Rome, once said......

Mo Shi muttered: "On a piece of opal stone, you can see the flame of ruby, the color spot of amethyst, the green sea of emerald, colorful, harmonious, beautiful. ”

High-quality opals are known as the "palette" of gemstones.

It's certainly a compliment.

The color of this opal gemstone is not perfect enough, but it is enough to be amazed by the wonders of nature. For Mo Shi, he had not seen a creation that was "wonderful" by his aesthetic standards for a long time. The illusionary beauty made by modern industry and the scenery cast by modern magic are not yet available in this world.

"What's the matter, Mr. Moshi, the man who has been blessed by the gods, has taken a fancy to the jewels that the Southland has paid tribute to?" said the king with a laugh.

"Loss, faux pas......"

"Tell me, which jewel is in your eye?"

"It's this rough stone. He held out his gloved finger and pointed at the white opal, "It's just been a long time since I've seen opal stones, and I realize that I've forgotten their beauty." ”

And the king reached out and took the oblate round stone, and put it in the palm of his hand to look at it.

"Do you think it's more beautiful than any other stone?"

Moshi knew that the snowboarder's preference for gemstones was "pure" and "clear" without impurities, so he could roughly guess that opal was not a top-quality gemstone.

"Not really," replied the king, "but it happened to move my eyes—a love for the beauty of objects and art, and the emphasis was on a sudden but just right touch." ”

"Unfortunately, I should not have given it to you, after all, it is something I want to give to my lover and please her. The king smiled, "But if you make a bid to buy it, it's a different matter." ”

"I can't afford it, Your Majesty. ”

"It's better than that, Mr. Moshi. The king set the opal stone aside and closed the treasure box, "If you do find the handle of the golden mane and the scales—and indeed bring them down in half a year, then the gem will be yours even if you are paid." ”

"I won't let you down, Your Majesty. My friend must have arrived in the Southlands. ”

"I hope so. ”

"As God sees and His Majesty sees, the golden mane and scales must be thoroughly investigated because they are guilty. Even if things go well, I don't have much merit and I don't ask for much. ”

"No, you ask for a lot. The king smiled and placed the knight on the chessboard, "but not for yourself. ”

-

"—Opal Zirconium?...... You've come back to the Southlands. Are you out of the academy now?"

Opal smiled, stepped forward, took the old man's hand, and bent over to his forehead.

"Teacher Morr. ”

"I didn't expect to see you in Chipping City...... You should have brought me a letter first, child. ”

"The trip was in a hurry and I didn't have time to prepare. When I got here, I heard that you had come to Chipping City as well. ”

"So, why are you here? Are you trying to get a position in Silvercastle?"

"No, teacher. Opal smiled and shook his head, "I've found my place." ”

"Is it in the Central Court?Which lord has accepted you, is he a forgiving and wise lord?" the former head of the White Court of Justice, although his expression was as solemn as a dead plank, the concern in his words was sincere.

"He is not a lord and does not have his own land. He now serves His Majesty the King. ”

"The ...... of the Bearers Assistant?" the old man sighed, but said nothing, "Could it be that you were sent here to find a beautiful gem for that master?"

"Don't say that, teacher, I'm happy with my current situation. ”

The old man was taken aback, and his wrinkled eyes widened slightly.

"......" Mor Amethyst glanced at the young man dressed as a guard standing behind Opal Zirconium, swallowed back the words that were about to blurt out, and asked instead, "So, no matter what, during your stay in Chipping City, you will stay in this property for me and my brother." ”

"It's so nostalgic, teacher. I've lived here in the past. ”

The old man's expression also softened: "At that time, this was just a transit station, and you will soon go to the center." ”

"After I arrived in the center, I also lived in your house, and was raised by you until I entered the spinel academy. Despite the fact that while at the Academy, we ...... But it was still a time I'm grateful for. ”

-

"It's a rich city. ”

Nagao walked through the streets of Chipping City, noticing something different from the bustle of other towns - not because of the tall buildings or the luxury cars passing by, after all, Nagao had been in the royal city and was not particularly sensitive to those things, but it was true that the roads here were smooth and the buildings in the city's civilian areas were neat and spacious.

But what finally dawned on him was the clothes worn by the inhabitants.

It's summer, and it's quite muggy for snowwalkers. Nagao wears a loose variegated rabbit wool coat and rolls up his sleeves at noon. But here, many of the residents wear linen clothing.

In this northern country, the price of cloth made from plant fibers far exceeds that of most furs.

Although it was heard that some machines were invented in the Northland to weave linen cloth quickly, it did not fundamentally change the price of linen, as the raw materials did not increase as a result.

The so-called raw materials for hemp cloth generally refer to winter hemp produced in the north, fine hemp produced in the southwest (only produced in a narrow coastal area, very rare, half of which is directly supplied to the center), and southern fine hemp (also known as "cotton") imported from the outside world through the canyon in the extreme south.

Either way, it's not close to the veins south of the center.

Distance means an increase in prices and a decrease in quantity, and under the years of war, how many taxes and materials are continuously transported to various cities in the north to fill the military and civilian needs, not to mention the fact that during the lifetime of the first king, many conscription orders consumed a large number of young laborers - even if King Manka reduced taxes for two consecutive years after ascending the throne, this should have been a period of scarcity of materials and rising prices.

So, how to explain the wealth, even luxury, of this chipping city?