In the blink of an eye, half of the winter has passed, and the stormy year of Ansu 738 (the first year of Cecil) came to an end in a cold snowstorm in the depths of winter, and the time has reached the beginning of the year.

In the past year, so much has happened in this ancient and young country, the end of the former royal power, the reunification of the once divided country, the catastrophe of natural disasters, large-scale reconstruction, the reshuffling of the old aristocratic system, and the arrival of a new era......

In the dark, it seemed that a god in charge of destiny suddenly overturned his table in this year, turning the whole kingdom upside down, and when the dust settled, people realized that the world had changed.

In the south of Rock City, a brand-new magic train is quietly parked next to the platform, waiting for instructions to depart.

A cold wind whipped up loose snowflakes and lighter dead leaves into the air, but a hazy, translucent shield hung over the edge of the platform, blocking the cold wind that swept into the station. On a rectangular platform with two rows of long seats, some passengers are sitting on chairs waiting for the train to arrive, while others are boarding the next train under the instructions of the guide.

Most of these travelers wore the cuffed jackets and straight-leg trousers that had only become popular in the south in the past two years, and wore thick soft or felt hats on their heads, and a few wore old-fashioned long and short burqas, while most of the ladies wore "simple long skirts" that balanced practicality and beauty, and extra warm cotton clothing under the long skirts, and a few women wore jackets and trousers specially designed for women.

This was an incredible sight for newcomers - before Ansu 736, even in the south, few commoner women would go out in a "transgressive" costume such as trousers, because mainstream sects such as the god of blood, the god of war, and the god of light, as well as the nobility of various places, often had strict rules about this:

Only the ladies and ladies of the nobles of higher status had the right to participate in hunting and martial arts in the form of breeches and swordsmanship trousers, or to participate in banquets in various dresses and court skirts, all of which were considered to be "decent and in accordance with the life of the nobility", while commoner women were not allowed to wear "offensive" trousers, shorts, and "bright dresses" other than black, white, brown, and gray (unless they had been registered as prostitutes), otherwise they would be fined by the church or nobles, and the heavy ones would be punished with " In the name of offending the doctrine and "transgressing the rules", they were punished and even enslaved.

It was not until the frost month of Ansu 736 that the White Knight led the people to smash open the cathedral of Lu'an City, and the Supreme Government Council issued a decree to remove all churches from private arming and inquisition, that the prohibition in this regard was gradually relaxed, and now after more than two years of changing customs, more courageous and educated civilian women finally began to wear trousers and go out.

Outside the southern borders, where liberal arts education is just beginning and customs are just beginning, even if the government office encourages the public to accept the new social order, few people will challenge the old customs that have not yet completely disappeared.

In the second half of the train, in a special carriage, Victoria Wilder, who had long silver hair, wore a long court skirt, and had a cold and noble temperament, withdrew her gaze from the window and nodded to the chubby nobleman sitting in the opposite seat: "Count of Bahrain, do you have any opinions?" ”

The Grand Consul of the Northern Territory had recently completed her work in St. Sunil, and due to some work needs, she had to go to the imperial capital to report on her work, and for this reason, she also brought several officials from the St. Sunil Council and the Count of Bahrain, who assisted her in the affairs of St. Sunil.

The Count of Bahrain, who was slightly haired, glanced at the platform outside with a slightly complicated expression: "...... There are so many things that I have never seen in my life, and I once thought that I was not very knowledgeable, but I was still very knowledgeable, but here I could not even think of a few suitable adjectives. ”

As he spoke, the royal nobleman couldn't help but shake his head: "Anyway, this place is indeed a place to 'challenge ideas' as rumored. I couldn't tell which of the people outside was a pauper, a burgher, or a nobleman...... Oh, the nobleman can still see that the man who was accompanied by an attendant just now and walked with his head up and chest high should be a little nobleman, but the rest is really hard to judge. ”

Victoria did not deny the words of the Count of Bahrain, but only looked out the window again, and whispered as if talking to herself: "Richer and more energetic than anywhere else in the North." ”

"It is true that the common people wore more elaborate costumes, and there were women who wore men's clothes...... Ah, I shouldn't have judged women so vulgarly, but this is the first time I've seen anything other than women'......s breeches and women's sword-fighting trousers," said the Count of Barin, who seemed to be suddenly at a loss for words, and shrugged his shoulders awkwardly, "and look at the dresses, how colourful they are, and every one of them seems to be new." ”

"Trade with Typhon's empire brought cheap textiles, and with our own textile mills and garment factories, 'clothes' were no longer a luxury for the common people," Victoria said lightly, "but in the south, it was not only the 'price' of clothes that was broken, but also the 'customs' that were entangled in these daily necessities......"

The Count of Bahrain sighed: "The 'customs and regulations' in the south seem to be extraordinarily relaxed, and I really can't imagine that so many churches and nobles have accepted the new decree formulated by the government department so quickly, and accepted various changes in the rules of etiquette and religion...... In this they seem to be much smarter than those stubborn churches and nobles in the north. ”

"'Smart'?" Victoria's eyes that seemed to contain ice and snow glanced at the Count of Bahrain quietly, "Count of Bahrain, the priests and nobles of the south suddenly became enlightened after the shelling of Gravel Ridge and the trial of Lu'an City, and the logic in this is the same as the fact that the northern barbarians suddenly changed from brave and good at fighting to being good at singing and dancing after the formation of the mountain army. ”

In the expression of the Count of Bahrain, who suddenly didn't know how to react, the corners of the mouth of the northern "Duke of Ice and Snow" seemed to be slightly upturned, and he said to himself: "What I see here may give me a hint......

The Earl of Bahrain suddenly felt a chill, but it was common for him to feel a chill beside Duchess Victoria, and he quickly got used to it, then twisted his neck, looked around, and then looked at the entrance of the carriage not far away.

The attendants, escorts, maids, and officials who accompanied him were all the passengers of this carriage, and behind this carriage there were two special carriages with rest rooms, which had also been taken over by the Grand Consul and his party—but the Count of Bahrain knew that there were many other "ordinary" passengers on this train, and even the carriages they occupied belonged only to them during the journey, and that at the end of the journey they would welcome new travelers.

Because all this belongs to the "public".

This made Monsieur Earl, accustomed to his own carriage and personal griffin, a little uncomfortable.

"Your Excellency Duchess, why did you choose to take the 'train'?" He couldn't help but ask, "A private magic car or griffin is more in line with your status......

"Have you ever experienced a 'train'?" Victoria's gaze swept over the Count of Bahrain and asked lightly.

"I ...... No," the Count of Baring shook his head, "you know, there is no such thing in the north. ”

"I don't have either, so I want to experience it," Victoria said nonchalantly, "and every time I come here, there's a lot to ...... Experience it. ”

As she spoke, she turned her head sideways and looked at the scenery on the platform outside through the transparent crystal glass next to the train car.

A huge mechanical clock stands in the middle of the platform, and on the mechanical clock, the long iron-black hands are jumping one grid after another.

Seeing Victoria's actions, the Earl of Bahrain couldn't help but be a little curious: "What are you looking at?" ”

On the platform, some passengers waiting for the next train and several staff members had arrived near the mechanical clock at some point, and they all looked up at the beating hands, at the rotating gears under the dial and behind the transparent glass panes, with a look of anticipation and joy on their faces.

"Something that is about to be rolled out to the entire empire."

The second hand of the mechanical clock is moving towards the top, and on both sides of the platform, holographic projections representing the stop of boarding have risen, and a faint tremor is coming from the bottom of the train car.

"Something that generalizes to the entire empire?" The Count of Bahrain was a little confused, "Clocks?" It's also found in the North—though most of it is currently only in churches and aristocratic homes......"

Before Mr. Count could finish speaking, the long hand had coincided with the very top of the dial, and almost at the same time, a melodious and loud flute suddenly came from the top of the carriage, resounding throughout the platform, and startling the Count of Baring in the carriage.

The repulsive mechanisms on both sides of the entire train clicked synchronously, the runes lit up one after another, and the massive steel machine began to slowly accelerate and drive towards the field with a loud roar.

"It's punctuality, Count of Bahrain," Victoria retracted her gaze out the window, "and the quest for 'punctuality.'" This is part of the new order. ”

On the platform, which was gradually moving away, the passengers and staff who were staring at the mechanical clock and waiting for the train to depart were already applauding happily, and some even cheered slightly.

It's a little pastime when you're bored, and it's also a "southern feature" on train platforms around the world, and it's a "waiting entertainment" that has only recently become popular among train passengers and station staff.

Trains are not always on time, and the word "delay" is a frequent passenger in the railway system, but even so, His Majesty the Emperor still ordered that a mechanical clock at every station and every train be set up at a uniform time, and that it be uniformly calibrated through the magic network communication throughout the southern border, and at the same time, the process of vehicle scheduling in various places was optimized and adjusted again and again.

Since the opening of the factories in Cecil, the Supreme Government Council has been trying to introduce the "concept of time" into people's lives, and these mechanical clocks at the station are obviously part of this effort.

The effort has paid off – at least, people are already striving for punctuality, and the train that departs on time is something to be proud of in the eyes of the Southerners.

……

Archconon Victoria Wild, from the north, will be coming to the south in the near future to report on his duties.

In a house in the southern block of Cecil City, the Mage District, Findil Wild, with short silver hair and a tall build, was standing in front of the window facing the street, holding the newspaper he had just bought this morning, and his eyes fell on a headline on the front page of the newspaper.

The newspaper is heavy, the headlines are heavy, and the heart is heavy.

There was a sudden knock on the door, and Fendil raised his somewhat heavy head, adjusted his expression, and said politely, "Please come in." ”

The door opened, and Eliven Franklin appeared outside the door, and the heir of the West, who also had a newspaper in his hand, waved it as soon as he entered the room: "Fendir, the Duchess of Victoria seems to be coming to the South soon!" ”

Fendil raised the newspaper in his hand weakly: "I already know." ”

"Oh...... Yes, you have a habit of reading newspapers, too," Elevenn nodded abruptly, then looked at Fendil's face curiously, "What's the matter, my friend, you don't seem to be in a very good mood?" ”

Fendil couldn't help but glare at the other party, "It's probably the same as how you felt when you suddenly learned that your father was coming to see you tomorrow." ”

"Ah, then I should be glad," said Elivan pleasantly, "after all, I have just passed all the first-level exams of the four academies, and Mr. Santis says that I am the only one in this group to pass the exams of all four academies at once—it has proved that I have been very effective in staying up late every day to read books and ask questions from my tutors in the past few days......"

Fendil couldn't help but cover his forehead.

He had forgotten that Eleven's talent for "reading and learning" was so amazing.

As for himself, he is better at frost spells and other combat skills.

So he only passed the first-level test of the military branch and ...... Serious deviations.

The knowledge of the nobility, heraldry, etiquette, and art that he knew was not useless in the Academy, but ...... All are electives.

Thinking of his usual stern aunt, the optimistic and cheerful Fendil couldn't help but feel heavy again, as if it was filled with ice, snow and frozen soil from the north.

Knowing this, he should have had a good understanding of what the detailed subjects taught in the "Imperial Academy" were before he set off, although this would not help him improve his grades quickly, but at least it could make him mentally prepared.

Elevenn watched Findir's expression change, but it was not difficult to guess what was going on in the other person's mind, and he patted the other man on the shoulder, which was a bit laborious, because he was more than a head shorter than Fendil: "Relax, my friend, didn't you say it before?" Coming to the South, the academy is just a part of the 'study', and the 'Shadow Drama' we produced with Film has been completed, isn't it equally proud? ”

"Shadow Drama ......"

Hearing this word, the irritability in Findir's heart really faded a lot.

Yes, after such a long time of hard work, many people have put in a lot of effort and energy, and the world's first "Magic Shadow Drama" has finally been completed.

He couldn't help but turn his head and his gaze fell on the window.

A large notice promoting the Magic Shadow Drama (called a "poster" by His Majesty the Emperor) had been posted on the side of the road, and in the last two days of the Magic Network radio program, this new thing had been introduced and promoted in advance, and now he could faintly see the content of the poster on the wall across the street—

A mechanical ship full of passengers sails on the wide Gorgon River, and several main characters with distinctive characteristics appear in the background of the picture, and below the whole screen, the final name of the Shadow Drama is finalized -

"Immigration"

Simple, straightforward and unpretentious.

"Indeed...... This has given me a sense of 'pride' that I have never felt in my life for more than a decade," Fendil laughed and exclaimed, "I never thought that I would be so happy to leave behind all my identities and traditions and work hard to achieve something with many people from all walks of life and all circumstances." ”

Elevenn also smiled: "I am also glad that I listened to your advice and participated in this meaningful event......"

Fendil glanced at his friend, smiled, and reached out to pat him on the shoulder.

"So, my friend, let me copy the answers to the second set of geometry papers."

“……？”