"Sense of urgency ......"

Bertilla repeated Gawain's words softly, her eyes falling on the "mortal" in front of her who could even confront the gods without changing her face, and a thought suddenly popped up in her heart:

What else in the world could give such a person a sense of urgency?

That can only be a risk from outside the known world......

"Your nerves tense a little after that signal appears," she said, "and I probably can't see it, but I noticed it—do you think that signal is a big threat?" The sender of the signal...... While you are optimistic, it seems that you are sure that they are malicious. ”

"No, I can't be sure right now whether they're malicious or benevolent, but the very existence of this signal should make us all nervous," Gawain glanced at Bertila, "If it really comes from another civilization in the depths of the distant sea of stars—then this civilization is completely unknown to us, and complete unknown means that anything is possible, they may be more advanced and powerful than us, they may be extremely aggressive, and even the signals themselves may be some kind of trap......

"Of course, it can be the opposite, but we can't expect everything to be 'just right.'"

"And this unknown thing, in a sense, is even more dangerous than the 'divine disaster' we are facing, because at least we have begun to contact and decipher the mysteries of the gods, we at least know where the boundaries of the gods are, but for a strange civilization in the depths of the sea of stars, we can't even determine what their life forms are."

Bertila listened quietly to Gawain's words, and suddenly whispered: "For countless years, the mortals on this planet seem to be walking alone in the night, and there is no other light in the world, so most of us think that we are the only ones in this vast wilderness, we compete and survive within the candlelight of our own civilization, and all the threats we have come into contact with also come from this range, but now...... Suddenly a cluster of lights from a distance appeared in our field of vision. ”

Gawain nodded slightly, "So I have a sense of urgency - the presence of the Kraken and the testimony of the dragons have proven that we are not the only ones in this universe, but we never imagined that another light was so close to us, and even shone in our direction...... Whether this strange light is benign or malicious, it means we don't have much time to waste. ”

"I don't know what your plans are, but it looks like you have high hopes for the Thorin Tree," Bertila said in thought, muttering as the breeze under the night sky blew through the canopy, setting off some tiny waves at the edge of the sea of leaves, and after half a minute of thought, she broke the silence, "Maybe there's a way...... It allows me to push the limits of my own growth. ”

Gawain was also thinking about his own affairs, and at this time he immediately woke up from his contemplation: "You have a way? ”

"The limits of the Thorin Giant Tree's growth seem to be limited by my ability to control at the moment, and ...... about control," Beltila paused, a hint of pride on his face, "Do you remember how I controlled two avatars at the same time?" ”

Gao Wen instantly guessed the other party's thoughts, and couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly: "You mean those servo brains?" ”

"I've always used the Servo Brain as an auxiliary organ to stabilize my personality tendencies, and occasionally I use them to solve some research problems, but I rarely use them directly to control the giant tree - it's not that there is any safety or technical problem with this, it's just that I don't need to do it because my own control ability is enough," Berthira nodded, and said very seriously, "I have only recently started to use the Servo Brain to help me control the extra." Avatars', it worked out greatly, and the question you just asked gave me further inspiration...... The extra computing power can control not only additional avatars, but also giant trees that are growing in size. ”

Gawain was already interested, and he nodded, "Go on." ”

"I just came up with a plan that if I put a secondary brain in the neural grid of the Thorin Giant Tree at certain intervals as it grows, and set up a series of auxiliary neural nodes and independent biomass circulation pipes around these brains, maybe I can greatly increase the size of the giant tree, and at the same time, it will not put too much pressure on my own thinking cycle and biomass delivery," Bertila continued, "and these brains can be buried deep underneath, so that the enemy does not lock on to my neural nodes, Greatly enhanced security......"

Gawain's eyes widened as he listened, he had conceived of Bertila's amazing plan in his mind, and the picture made up by his brain was already particularly shocking, and after hearing the other party's idea of burying those auxiliary brains deep underground, he immediately nodded in agreement - it is not safe to do so, and it is mainly friendly to the mental health of ordinary people who operate on the surface......

Bertila saw Gawain's approving gaze, and she stopped with a smile, "Do you have anything else to add to my plan?" ”

"No one knows their body better than you, so you can control the technical aspects yourself," Gawain nodded, "but I want to make one thing clear - I don't want the Thorin Giant Tree to expand blindly and aimlessly, but I have a detailed 'growth plan' ......"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but remind: "In addition, I must remind you of one thing: although this grand plan has a good starting point, we must not forget the lessons of the old end of all things, after all, your original intention was also good, but in the end you fell into the dark side of technology - so you must always pay attention to the risks in the growth process this time, once you find that the giant tree may get out of control, you must stop it immediately, and at the same time, no matter where your plan goes, you must report the progress to me at any time, You don't need to go through another department, you can report directly to me. ”

Looking at Gawain's extremely serious expression, listening to the solemnity in the other party's tone, Bertila also became solemn, as a witness and participant in the disaster of the gods in the past, all kinds of memories of the end of all things that would gradually fall into darkness and madness in the past appeared in her mind at this moment—in all her minds, she bowed her head deeply, and her tone was heavy: "Yes, I will never make the same mistake as I did back then, Brother Gawain." ”

……

On the far northern coast, the empire's largest outlet to the sea, the new city of "Beigang" has become the busiest distribution hub for goods in the north.

The new city, built in the shortest possible time with almost half the strength of an empire, now stands at the end of the north coast, and its rise has set countless records that are considered miracles by the locals - no one has ever seen a city built in such a short time, no one has ever seen a huge heat tower towering over the earth, a spider web-like heating pipe that warms the entire city, and the new order of the empire spreads outward around the city, like an irresistible wave across the entire north— No one has ever seen so many merchants, travelers, and adventurers flock like bees on a coastline once ruled by cold and barbarism.

The voices that had questioned the Northport Construction Corps and the Wilde family's decision had dissipated somewhere, and all the pale and weak doubts had melted away like spring snow in front of the towering harbor shields and municipal collector towers, while other voices of concern had faded after the rapid rise of commerce in Northport New Town.

The new order brought with it a new prosperity that the northerners had never seen before, a staggering prosperity that covered all skeptical tongues with flowing gold pounds and fenal, and even the most blind and short-sighted indigenous aristocrats, standing in the "North Port Customs Hall" or the "North Port Railway Junction", could not disobey their hearts and denounce them as "vulgar products that disturb the order."

Of course, there are some who are particularly tough - except that they have melted into the earth with their hard heads, and have become part of the cornerstone of the outward expansion of the new town.

A drizzle visited the port city, the second rain since the beginning of summer, but it was the far north after all, and even if it was already summer, the rain was unusually cold, as if the water droplets were mixed with fine ice crystals. In the hazy rain, towering urban heating facilities and rune-inlaid magical obelisks pointed to the sky, each emitting a magical glow that spread outwards in the foggy sky.

An iron-black magical train slowed down in the drizzle, and the yellow holographic wall projected in front of the railway platform turned green to represent the allowed passage, and the steel behemoth that relied on the repulsion device drove into the platform marked by the holographic projection, and slowed down smoothly at the edge of the platform, and with the click of a series of mechanical devices as it shifted polarity, the train finally stopped, and the door was opened with a bell.

Passengers from afar streamed out of the train, and the already busy platform suddenly became more lively.

Among the passengers who flocked to the platform, a figure in a short black robe squeezed out of the crowd, cursing all the way - among the passengers dressed in various clothes, this figure in a short robe still stood out, his beard was all white, he looked like an old man in his seventies or eighties, but he was full of energy, not only could he squeeze a way out of the able-bodied young man, but he could also jump at the edge of the crowd and shout that someone had stepped on his foot.

He was dressed in a short mage robe that had become a bit outdated in this "new era", this robe had obviously accompanied his master for many years, and there were many signs of wear and tear on the surface, but it was still clean and tidy, he hung a black sheepskin magic book commonly used by mages around his waist, and on the other side hung a short staff and a magic orb in a bag, and a black soft hat was worn on top of the old mage's head, the soft hat looked very plain, but the rubies inlaid in the corners were enough to prove that this was a transcendent treasure with a restrained style.

This overall outfit is obviously very suitable for action in the wilderness, and usually those mages who embark on an adventurous journey will prefer this kind of "outfit" that does not affect their movement and can play a stable role.

But few mages are as old as he is when they embark on an adventure—an old man of this age, even if he is still a powerful spellcaster, should cherish the rest of his life and stay in the mage tower to study the texts that have been accumulated throughout his life.

"Young people are becoming more and more disrespectful to the old people these days," the old mage shouted from outside the crowd, then shook his head and muttered in the direction of the exit of the platform, looking up as he went, looking at the dazzling array of magic devices, advertising signs, and waysigns on the platform, as well as the other freight train slowly stopping on the other side of the platform, "but then again, these wonderful things have been interesting these years...... An autonomously running machine? It's really a good thing that only smart people can toss......"

"Of course, this discerning old gentleman—" As soon as the old mage finished speaking, a cheerful and energetic young male voice suddenly came from the side, "Welcome to Beigang, the most prosperous and advanced port city in this land, you have come to the right place, there are good things everywhere......"

The old mage turned his head to look to the side and saw a meticulous young man in a dark blue coat with meticulous hair standing beside him, with a pleasant and friendly smile on his face.

"Selling souvenirs? Or is it a business hotel? The old mage immediately raised his eyebrows, and choked back without waiting for the other party to finish, "Don't think of me as a dirt bun for the first time on the magic train—I only work in the field, but I haven't been in the city, haven't you ever been in the rune forge in Shilin City?" Have you ever been to the crystal foundry at Fort Pochcase? ”

The young man was choked by the old mage's series of words, and his face turned a little red on the spot, and he said with embarrassment: "This ...... I didn't mean that, old sir, I just saw you standing on the platform to see if you needed help......"

"First of all, I don't need to add the word 'old' in front of 'sir', I'm afraid I can live better than you in the future, and secondly, I don't need souvenirs or recommended hotels, I'm here to do business, and I have my own arrangements - but when it comes to help, I really need to ask you."

The young man seemed to be shocked by the momentum emanating from the old man, and quickly swallowed his saliva, showing a smile with a hint of crampedness: "You...... You open your mouth. ”

"There should be a 'Far North Exploration and Pioneer Group Registration Office' in this city, right? Where to go? ”

"Far North Exploration and Exploration Group?" The young man was stunned for a moment, then reacted, "You're talking about the adventurer's guild that went to Talrond?" ”

"That's right, that's the case, the Adventurer's Guild...... I also think this name is a little more palatable," the old mage stroked his beard, "There seem to be two places to sign up in the north of the continent, one is in the Holy Dragon Principality, and the other is in Beigang - in fact, I was planning to go to the Holy Dragon Principality at first, but that place is too far away and the train is not passable, so I came here to see the situation." ”

"Yes, there is indeed a registration center here for adventurers to sign up for Talrond," the young man said as he couldn't help but glance at the old man in front of him several times, no matter what, he couldn't believe that the old man with white hair in front of him could be equated with "adventurer", "but you...... Are you also planning to go to Tallund? ”

"Nonsense!" The old man's eyes widened suddenly, "Could it be that I sat on the train all day just to visit the toilet of the Far North Exploration and Pioneer Group?" ”

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant...... Well, you head west after exiting the station and you'll see a sign, a very obvious sign with Cecil and Tallund – if you don't mind paying a little money, you can also take a horse-drawn taxi or a magic car. ”

The young man said, suddenly blinking, in front of him there was only the empty platform, the cold wind blowing by, where is the figure of the old mage here?

"See...... Hell yes! ”

The young man subconsciously shrunk his neck and muttered in a low voice, but suddenly felt that something seemed to be in his palm, and he raised his hand and opened it to see a coin with a face value of 1 fenar lying quietly in the palm of his hand.