The sunlight shone into the spacious study, casting a faint glow on the oak desk and the magic net terminal next to the desk, and the uplifting incense slowly wafted through the air, burrowing into Byron's nostrils, causing the mercenary-turned-imperial general to sniffle and almost sneeze out rudely.

“…… Emissaries from the Principality of the Holy Dragon will arrive at the northern border in the near future," Gawain sat behind his desk, placing a document on the table, "you go and pick them up." ”

Byron scratched his hair, but just halfway through the scratch, he realized that it was already the "Age of Empires", and it seemed a little inappropriate for his general to be so casual in front of the emperor, so he quickly put his hand down: "I understand - but I don't understand diplomacy?" ”

Gawain glanced at the "mercenary general" with a smile: "Haven't you always been very eloquent?" Philip can be convinced by you. ”

"Your Majesty, this is different, the main reason for my communication with Philip is not to be able to speak well, but to adhere to justice and the knightly creed......" Byron immediately habitually talked eloquently, but as he spoke, he noticed Gawain's smiling expression, and had to add cautiously and tactfully, "Of course, there is also a certain shameless element in it......"

There are some things that cannot be changed by putting on the uniform of an imperial general—at least not so quickly.

But Gawain didn't care, but rather admired the various faults and habits of a group of "founding ministers", including Byron.

He wasn't sure if it was because of the memories of Gawain Cecil, or maybe it was because he could see in Byron the shadow of Ansu's founding pigeons seven hundred years ago, but one thing he was sure of was that it was far more comfortable and easier to deal with Byron, Amber, and Wright, who had followed him for years, than with the "professionals" who had migrated from the old kings and had a good eye for everything.

So his posture relaxed, leaned back in his chair, and said with a smile: "Say something that should not be said directly by me - among the many skills required in diplomacy, 'shamelessness' is precisely the main ingredient - and even the role of 'eloquent'."

"Of course, you don't really have to care about this, because the person who is really responsible for the negotiation is not you - you are just going to the border as an imperial general to receive the ambassador to show our sincerity, acting as a 'face' of equal status, and it is Count Cromwell Baishan who is really responsible for contacting and escorting the ambassador to the imperial capital."

"Cromwell White Mountain?" Byron recalled the somewhat familiar name, "Oh, that dwarven half-blood knight lord, I met him in Saint-Sunil. ”

"Although he is a nobleman in the old royal capital, he is also quite familiar with the affairs of the north," Gawain nodded, "You and he go to the northern border to meet the envoy of the Holy Dragon Principality, and the rest can be handed over to him, as for you, you need to stay in the north for a while, and a new task is entrusted to you." ”

"So...... The task of receiving the ambassador is actually incidental," Byron nodded knowingly, followed by a hint of curiosity, "What is my real mission?" ”

"Build the North Harbor and the supporting naval bases," Gawain stood up and walked slowly to the wall not far away where a map of the whole territory was hung, his eyes falling on the northern part of the empire, "to prepare for the construction of the imperial navy and the resumption of the northern continental route." ”

"Northport ......" Byron's gaze followed Gawain's gaze on the map, gradually focusing on the mountains in the north, on the coastline between the Violet Kingdom and the Holy Dragon Duchy, "...... The Principality of the Holy Dragon's sea peninsula left a warm current for the northern continent, and there are natural ice-free harbors beyond the northern mountains...... It is indeed the most suitable starting point for the resumption of the northern continental route. ”

Gawain glanced at Byron with some surprise, and a smile appeared on his face: "It seems that you have already noticed?" ”

"Your Majesty, I don't just care about spending time with my daughter when I'm at home on vacation," Byron smiled and spread out his hand, "You said a long time ago that you should set your sights on the ocean, but once the southern border was surrounded by the mainland, and there was no access to the sea at all, but now that the north is under our control, that precious coastline has attracted my attention for a long time." ”

Gawain smiled.

Clearly, he and Byron had reached a tacit understanding: they were on the northern coastline during their time in the South......

"It seems that it is the right choice for you to lead the fleet," Gawain said with a smile, "After the completion of the North Harbor, we will have the opportunity to connect the sea peninsula of the Holy Dragon Principality, the northern border of the empire, the Oguray tribal kingdom and the western coast of the dwarven kingdom from the sea, and even if the Oguray tribal state is willing to cooperate with us and set up a safe harbor in the sea cliff rift in the southern part of the continent, this route can even extend to the border of the Kaolin Kingdom, including the northern, western and southern parts of the entire continent, It will be a true 'Circumcontinental Route'......

"With the performance of the magic mechanical ship, this is completely achievable.

"Our fleet will also become a real 'naval fleet' at that time, and it will no longer be just a small fight in the inland rivers...... You have led the fleet for so long, you must have felt that those mechanical ships can play a role on a broader stage. ”

"I have long felt that the river is ...... for our mechanical boats It's not very spacious," Byron replied at once, but then frowned a little, "but as far as I know, the environment of the sea is far more complex than that of inland waterways, and it is not possible to turn inland warships into naval warships directly into the sea, and Miss Tyre has also reminded me that the ships she has designed for us so far are only suitable for navigating relatively smooth inland waterways, and we need to challenge the oceans...... It needs a bit of a makeover. ”

"Of course, so it's a long-term task. Humans have been away from the sea for far too long, and it will take a long time for us to re-gather information about the ocean and adjust the design of our vessels. Thankfully, Tyr is willing to continue to be our advisor, and the Northland Wilders have been observing the seas to a certain extent over the past few hundred years, and their track record will come in handy.

"In addition, the construction of the North Port is not our only 'marine plan', after the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Holy Dragon Principality this time, we will redevelop the mouth of the sea at the junction of the Eastern Territory and the Holy Dragon Principality, and this task will also be handed over to you at that time."

Gawain said unhurriedly, his gaze gradually falling on Byron, and that gaze contained some expectation.

"At that time, you will be truly the 'Commander of the Imperial Navy'."

"Ah, this sounds a lot more imposing than the 'Admiral General,'" the corners of Byron's mouth went up, "I'm looking forward to that day." ”

……

The sun was rising high in the sky, the sun was pouring generously from the sky, the air was still cold, but the heat contained in the sun seemed to herald the arrival of the warm season—in the midst of the light and heat, Byron stood in the garden square in front of Cecil's Palace, his head up, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Commander of the Imperial Navy......" The mercenary knight couldn't help but muttered to himself with a faint smile on his face, "It does sound quite emotional." ”

As he spoke, he shook his head slightly, and walked unhurriedly to the magic guide car that was waiting for him at the edge of the square.

The holiday is over, going back and talking to Pea.

A pleasant, crisp bell suddenly came from nearby, interrupting Byron's thoughts.

He looked up with some curiosity and looked in the direction from which the sound came, only to see that in the clearing between the flower beds not far away, Rebecca, dressed in an easy-to-move winter hunting suit, was staggering towards this direction on some strange two-wheeled "machine".

The strange "machine" was not like any kind of magic machine that had been seen before, it obviously did not use any magic mechanism as a power source, but simply assembled with iron wheels, skeletons, chains, etc., and was driven by human pedals, and the crisp and pleasant sound of the bell came from a small device hanging next to its grip-

Rebecca was fiddling with the gadget, making it jingle and jingle, and her face was full of excitement, but Byron saw that the situation of Her Royal Highness was not very optimistic - she obviously did not control the "car" with only two wheels, and it shook badly on it, although it seemed to be riding towards the open road on the side, it was getting more and more crooked, and she was rushing towards Byron.

"Ah, Byron!" Rebecca had noticed the people in the way ahead and immediately shouted, "Don't move, don't move!" ”

Byron thought for a moment, stood still, and then watched Rebecca fall off the two-wheeled car with a thud when he was still a dozen meters away from him, and was on all fours, embarrassed.

But still smiling brightly.

Soon a guard came running next to him, hurriedly helping the princess up from the ground, Byron also walked over, looking at this girl who could be said to be the one he grew up with three points of doting on his face, and smiled helplessly: "I thought you asked me not to move because I was ready to aim and crash over-my protective aura is open." ”

"Hey, I told you not to move and then I tried to dodge it myself, but then it didn't seem to be what I imagined...... But anyway, it didn't hit it in the end, isn't it," Rebecca said crackling as she rubbed her skull, and then turned her head to look at the "two-wheeler" that had just been picked up by the attendant, and couldn't help but show a somewhat distressed look on her face, "Oh, don't break it...... In total, I didn't send a few ......."

It was only then that Byron had the time to observe the strange-looking "car", and he found that the style of this thing was very different from many of Cecil's other mechanical creations, and he couldn't help but be a little curious: "Your Highness, this thing ...... Did you just invent it? ”

It occurred to him that if there was any strange new thing in Cecil City, and it happened to be near Rebecca, it would probably have been invented by the whimsical princess or her research team—and the former would make up half of all the new things.

Although the proportion of Rebecca's "creation" in all kinds of new things is decreasing due to the continuous improvement of various research facilities and the increasing number of intellectuals who are engaged in technological development, Byron still subconsciously associates it with Rebecca when he sees something new.

However, Rebecca shook her head: "No, this is a gift from the Typhon people when the merchant brought it by the way when he imported textiles from Typhon recently, and the gift from the Typhon people seems to be called a 'two-wheeled car'......"

"Typhon?" Byron was a little surprised, and couldn't help but look at the strange-looking car twice, "Hmm...... No wonder the style feels a little weird, but it looks very subtle. But the people of Typhon were really strange about this kind of car with only two wheels...... It's not easy to control. ”

"That's what you're guessing wrong, but it's actually convenient after learning it," Rebecca slumped over, "It's very easy for me to watch people demonstrate, it's convenient and fast—I just fell down because I wasn't skilled." ”

Listening to Rebecca's excited chatter, Byron looked at the "two-wheeled car" from Typhon in front of him, but he couldn't help but have a thoughtful look on his face.

The Typhonians were a late starter in magic technology, and they were indeed far behind Cecil in this field of technology, which could almost symbolize a new age, but they had always been ahead of the curve in other aspects - a very clear example is the "mechanical clock", which used to be the exclusive preserve of the aristocracy and the church, and in the last two years with the "punctuality requirements" brought about by the construction of factories and the operation of railways, and gradually spread to all parts of the country, the first time was invented by Typhon's craftsmen about half a century ago.

Like many technologies in the old era, it was originally used in theological ceremonies, to set the time of Mass in churches, to summon believers to prayer by ringing mechanical bells, and later in the castles and estates of the nobility, but it still had little to do with the daily lives of the common people.

The world's best watchmakers are in Aldenain, and the world's finest crystal glass technology is also in Aldenan.

Of course, the latter's key technology has now leaked to Cecil through some unspeakable channel, and the "floor-to-ceiling window" that is gradually becoming popular in the southern region of Cecil is one of its "influence results".

Now, Typhon's clever man has invented this "two-wheeled vehicle", and there is a very obvious difference between this thing and the mechanical clocks and crystal glass at the beginning of its existence:

It's not elegant enough, and it's not luxurious enough.

This thing seems to have been born for the common people......

Byron frowned, he was not as good at analyzing the situation from this information as Gawain or Hetty, he was just instinctively a little thoughtful, instinctively feeling ......

Typhon, who has knowledge, seems to have changed their way of thinking.