The long, cold winter is finally over.

The fog that had lasted all winter had finally begun to recede from all parts of the Great Plains of Aldernan, and the whole world seemed to become clear with the arrival of spring, the daily winds were still cold, but not as cold as the previous days, the snow began to melt, the ice turned into water, and the trickle of snow and ice melted down the black roofs and spires of Aldernan, submerging the whole city in a cloud of vapour, thanks to the new drainage system built more than ten years ago. The melted snow can enter the underground waterways smoothly, and people don't have to worry about these extra "streams" soaking the foundations of buildings, so the melting snow in the city is no longer an annoyance, but a different kind of scenery.

A black carriage with the Wendell family crest drove across Imperial Capital Boulevard, wheels creaking on the wet stone pavement, Ferdinand? Grand Duke Wendell sat in the carriage and looked at the road through the opening in the window cover.

It was early in the morning, and the sun was just shining on the streets, and at this time of day it was almost impossible to see pedestrians moving in the streets, but Duke Ferdinand saw a number of civilians in groups of three or five - dressed in thick gray clothes, wearing felt hats or woolen hats, walking in one direction, these people shivered slightly in the cold wind of early spring, but they still hurried and did not stop.

"Workers in the textile mills......" Duke Peridinand muttered in a low voice, "to go out so early." ”

The butler, who had followed him for many years, sat in the seat opposite the carriage, and the loyal old friend explained: "In order to encourage the new factories, His Majesty issued a decree of mercy that the vehicles carrying cotton could enter the city in the early hours of the morning and that no taxes were charged, so that the textile mills were always on duty. ”

"Just to start work an hour early......

The old duke muttered, and couldn't help but glance out the window again.

He saw more textile mill workers coming out of their homes and walking in the direction of the factory, and he saw the vehicles with the imperial emblems and the insignia of the Industrial Association hurrying by, which were carts carrying parts for magic nets......

On Platinum Avenue, he saw that an old barn had been razed to the ground, and that the building belonged to Viscount Maury, who had decided to build a spinning factory on the land on which the warehouse had originally occupied; On Iron Lily Street, he saw smoke billowing from a tall chimney that was the new Burning Rock Acid Plant processing the rich dust that could be used as fertilizer......

Burnt smoke from the chimneys of the Burning Rock Acid Plant can be smelled almost everywhere – of course, Duke Ferdinand knows that this is just his own delusion.

The chimney was 100 meters high, and the smoke emitted would only dissipate into the sky, but not on the ground.

But the old duke couldn't help frowning.

Factories, magic nets, boilers, tall chimneys, a lively "investment era...... It was as if it had popped up overnight, and all of a sudden it was everywhere, and it seemed like everybody was participating, and everybody seemed to be in high spirits.

The old duke, who had been in the inner circle of the empire for most of his life, had never seen anything develop so suddenly, and he didn't think he was a conservative, but these new things came out of the storm...... It always gives him a very uncomfortable feeling.

"Lately even what has been discussed all day in the Council of the Nobles has become what the Bill for the Construction of Factories and Cotton," said Archduke Ferdinand, shaking his head, "that Viscount Hermir's textile mill has attracted a lot of people to invest. ”

"After all, the new mills produce abundant and good fabrics," said the butler, "and I have heard that Madame Mila also wants to open a textile mill, but she cannot afford a machine—there is not enough of it." ”

"I've seen the fabric they weave," said Duke Ferdinand with some disdain, "it's quite strong, but it's so rough that it doesn't taste at all." ”

The butler spread his hand: "...... But for the average man, that's a good fabric, sir. ”

Duke Ferdinand frowned, and after a short silence, he could only sigh slightly: "Probably because I'm old." ”

"You are still an important pillar of the country," said the butler, "and His Majesty the Emperor needs you." ”

Pei Dinan didn't respond to the butler's words, he just looked ahead, the majestic walls of the Obsidian Palace were already close in front of him.

It is said that several special envoys came to the imperial capital, and these envoys brought news from the south of the continent, and their status was noble, and His Majesty the Emperor suddenly summoned himself to the palace, which should also be for this matter.

The empire is booming day by day, and everything seems to be moving at a rapid pace.

And yet, for some reason, Ferdinand? Wendell always had a faint uneasiness.

Obsidian Palace.

This majestic palace stands there as always, towering in the center of this empire, although it is only a "new palace" built two hundred years ago, but the deep tone and solemn style of this palace still carry a sense of solemnity as if it can stand for a thousand years, when entering this palace, Peddinand's originally somewhat gloomy and uneasy mood gradually settled down.

He walked towards the Emperor's parlor, a crisp knock between his boots and the marble slabs, and stopped as he passed the "Hall of the Nightingale."

An old magician in a black robe with a gloomy expression approached from the opposite side, an unpleasant rustling or creeping sound accompanied the old magician's footsteps, while a young female mage who looked no more than in her early twenties followed behind the old mage.

"Good morning, Lord Duke."

The old mage stopped not far away, bowed his head slightly, his voice hoarse, as if even his vocal cords were beginning to corrode.

Duke Ferdinand nodded slightly with the reserve and pride that a top-ranking nobleman should have, and said politely according to the courtesy that the great magician in front of him should receive: "Good morning, Master Daniel. ”

The two were about to stagger each other, but Ferdinand suddenly spoke again: "Master Daniel, I'm glad to see that you are willing to return to this place - Windsor?" Ms. Marpel must be the same. ”

"I'm happy too."

The old magician and his students walked away, and Duke Ferdinand couldn't help but shake his head slightly as he watched their backs disappear into the depths of the corridor.

Windsor? Lady Marpel's mentor, a former member of the Royal Mages Society, and the Grand Wizard Daniel? Fred, he was once a talented high-ranking mage, but his temperament changed drastically due to frustration in his research and failed promotion, and he went into self-exile, no one could have imagined that such a person who had left the highest magical institution of the empire would one day return, and in recent times, this great mage has become a prominent figure in the imperial capital, and he has not only shined in the Imperial Industrial Association, but also become a guest of many nobles - those people seem to have forgotten Daniel many years ago? Fred was desolate and embarrassed when he left the imperial capital, and they all swarmed around him because he saw the amazing profits of the textile factory.

Duke Ferdinand lamented the ugliness of the little nobles in the face of interests, and then walked through the corridor to the emperor's reception room.

After the briefing, the door to the reception room opened. Wendell walked into the room, and the first thing he saw was Rosetta sitting on the main seat? Emperor Augustus, and then his gaze fell on the slender and tall aliens.

Blonde hair, pointed ears, and more elongated, soft facial features than humans.

It's the elves, the elves from the Southern Silver Empire.

Sure enough, just like the rumors I heard before, the empire ushered in a group of special "messengers", but why did these elves come from?

It wasn't easy for them to get to Typhon - it was half a continent away!

Although some doubts arose in his heart, Duke Ferdinand did not show the slightest expression of surprise - he collected all his thoughts in his heart, nodded politely to the elves, and then came to Rosetta the Great: "Your Majesty, I have come in response to your summons. ”

"Sit down, Pei Dinanqing," Rosetta? Augustus nodded slightly, "As you can see, we have some guests - these elves have brought very important news. ”

Peddinand looked at the elves - each elf was unusually handsome, to be honest, the blind human couldn't even tell their male and female when they saw the elf, and Peddinand could only judge that the elf sitting opposite him was a lady based on the other party's clothing: "Ma'am, it's nice to meet you - I'm Ferdinand?" Wendell, advisor to the Emperor. ”

"Shiva? Far Traveler, messenger of the Silver Queen Belsetia," the beautiful elf spoke—thank goodness, a lady," we have an important mission: the Silver Empire sends the most urgent warning to the nations of humanity that the Great Wall is not in good condition. ”

Ferdinand? Wendell's eyes froze instantly.

After a brief conversation, Ferdinand learned where the elves came from and what was going on.

These elves had come to warn the nations of humanity, and they had kept their covenant seven hundred years ago—though that was a distant matter for humans—and had brought the latest news about the Great Wall, which, according to them, had deteriorated to the point where it had deteriorated beyond the reach of the Silver Empire, and the disturbing disturbing events of the Winter...... It is only the beginning of a series of catastrophic events to come.

As the top nobleman of Typhon, of course, Ferdinand knew about the winter barrier movement - any country where the border meets the Great Wall can observe that change, and the flashes and sounds that lasted for three whole days made the people on the border very nervous, and the western part of the empire even entered a state of martial law for a while, and the Winter Wolf Legion also sent a force to the western border to guard the movement in the wasteland, but fortunately, it was all a false alarm, and the worst did not happen.

Now the messenger of the elves has come here and brought with him the most disturbing truth: it is not a false alarm.

"We've paid a huge price - the elves have sacrificed twelve Magisters and nearly a hundred ranger warriors, and the Kaolin Kingdom has sacrificed a third of the full mountain legions to successfully restart the Sentinel Tower," the elf Shiva said in a calm tone, "but if it is damaged again, I am afraid that no number of lives will be enough to fill it." ”

It wasn't a false alarm, it was a real disaster.

Bad things have happened - it just hasn't happened to the Typhonians.

Ferdinand? Wendell suddenly felt a great deal of pressure, but he knew that the elven lady in front of him did not have the slightest idea of alarmism or pressure, and according to what he knew about the elves, the other party should have just stated the facts: this fact did not need any exaggeration at all, it was disturbing enough.

He thought for a moment, then looked at Rosetta the Great, and then looked at the elf: "Then we ...... What can be done? ”

"We don't have the capacity to rebuild the Great Wall, so the best thing to do is to strengthen the barrier before it goes out completely, put additional protection, and take the pressure off the core systems of the Sentinel Tower to prevent them from being completely damaged," Shiva said, "and this will require the cooperation and help of every country around the barrier." ”