It had been several days since the news of the victory on the Eastern Front arrived, and more and more news was spreading between the cities and the countryside in the south, where the channels of information transmission were more developed.

In the streets, in the tavern and card room, almost everyone eagerly discussed the astonishing and exciting news of the lately, the past of the Ansu royal family and the future of Cecil's empire, a land where even the most ordinary citizens would have their opinion on a similar topic, no matter how ridiculous and shallow.

In a tavern in the merchant district of Rock City, the bright magic crystal lamp dispelled the dimness of dusk, the rows of wine bottles placed on the bar shelves were polished to a sparkling light, and the wine in the bottles shone seductively in the light, and a small rectangular cabinet-like machine was placed next to the bar, and the small machine was transmitting the country tunes that the southerners loved, the rhythm was simple, bright and cheerful.

A light shone on the nameplate on the top of the small machine, and the words "Cod Family Affair Company" glittered on the surface of the brass nameplate.

A man in overalls sat at the bar, he took the beer glass handed by the bartender and raised it slightly: "Cheers to the end of the day." ”

"Joe, have you read the latest newspaper?" A tall and lanky man sat next to him and said casually, "The royal family has come to an end - even the king has voluntarily abdicated." ”

"Inevitably, didn't Mr. Godwin say that the royal power is over, this battle is over, the kingdom will not be able to hold on, if it is not for the rescue of our army in the south, I am afraid that the north will be completely finished, the royal family can no longer control the situation, what can we ......do without regrouping"

"It's true, the newspaper said that the eastern part of the Holy Spirit Plain was completely in ruins, and if it wasn't for Cecil's legion blocking the river in time, I'm afraid the western part would not have been able to survive."

"Xiang Gawain? Cecil salutes—we'll soon call him Your Majesty," the man in overalls laughed, shaking his cup in his hand, "it's not bad, he's much better than the king...... Who is the king? ”

"It was Wales who just abdicated, but I'm guessing you're talking about Frans West...... Anyway, there is not much difference, we don't know each other. ”

The two laughed, and no one seemed to regret the end of Ansu's royal power.

For a long time, the Southlanders didn't care about their king, and the forsaken land had been left to fend for itself for a century, and many Southerners would even treat the distant St. Sunil and the Silver Citadel as part of the story.

That's what ordinary people do.

However, not everyone thinks the same way, and the sound of a wine glass slamming on the table suddenly came from not far away, causing several pairs of eyes near the bar to turn away.

"I don't understand......" a man with a snort of alcohol and a scruffy beard muttered there, but the loud muttering could be heard all around, "isn't he the duke, duke...... How did the Duke suddenly become king...... The duke can't be a king......"

"Hey, Potter, you're drunk again," a familiar man shouted from behind, "you've been here since the morning, haven't you?" ”

Someone else reminded the drunken man: "It's not the king, you should call it His Majesty the Emperor - the title of king is gone." ”

"The same goes for the emperor...... Emperor...... There are also government affairs departments and the constitution, which are all a bunch of people's ...... I don't understand something," the drunk man staggered to his feet, shook off a few pairs of hands that wanted to be supported, and staggered across the bar, "what do you say that there are new opportunities everywhere...... Hell a new opportunity ......"

The swaying man walked down the aisle, and suddenly stopped next to the little machine that was playing country ballads at the bar, and his drunken eyes turned around, and suddenly anger appeared.

"You ...... Noisy stuff you ruined...... Ruined my job......"

Cursing, he suddenly lifted his foot and kicked it at the machine—but before he could do so, the bartender behind the bar had already raised his hand, and the magic guide on his wrist flickered, and a cold cloud of ice smashed into the drunk's face, knocking him over on his back.

Two security guards stepped forward and dragged the drunk, who was still noisy, to drag him out of the door, but the bartender stopped the security guard and came to the drunk, reaching out and pulling a copper plate out of his pocket.

"Freshly made ice cubes, a copper coin." The bartender shook the magic terminal he used to make ice cubes and ignite the fire in front of the drunken man's eyes, and made sure the other person nodded before getting up and leaving.

The drunk was dragged away, and the little commotion was just a trivial episode, and people continued to drink and chat, and when an unfamiliar person inquired about the origin of the drunk, someone explained: "That? Potter, a bard—a crappy organist, in fact, wasn't much of a noise to hear, and not many of them were now. ”

"He went to the factory for a few days, was fired for stealing, and he didn't want to do something else, and now...... I think he's afraid he's sold all his pianos. ”

"Bard...... No wonder he thinks it was Cod's radios that ruined his job. ”

"It's not just the radio, he has also blamed newspapers and magic network broadcasts, and even the chess and football teams - it is because these things attract people's attention that people are reluctant to listen to his stories and performances in the square......

Listening to the surrounding discussions, the man in overalls at the bar turned his head and glanced at the tall and thin man beside him: "Speaking of which, I remember that you were also a bard - now that you don't go to street performances, will you blame this machine for ruining your job?" ”

The tall and thin man looked at the small machine next to the bar, then at his friend, and suddenly laughed rather proudly.

"Are you familiar with the sound of this machine?" He smiled smugly, and his smile became even brighter when he saw his old friend's sudden expression, "This is what I recorded...... Well, although only two of them were recorded. ”

Many people around heard the conversation here, and some of them couldn't help but show a look of surprise - seeing the people in the magic machine appear in front of them alive, this feeling is new and interesting at any time, and the tall and thin man who has received a lot of surprised eyes smiled reservedly and added: "But I really like storytelling more than playing, so after a while I plan to try it out at the Magic Network Broadcasting Bureau in Carroll City, which seems to be recruiting people who are good at storytelling to make new shows......"

More and more people gathered around the bar, and a new focus of conversation had apparently emerged there, but in a corner far from the bar, a thin, pale, and disheveled man in old robes sat quietly in his place, seemingly uninterested in what was happening in the bar or what was being discussed.

In front of the emaciated and pale man, a current issue of the newspaper was quietly spread out on the table, and his gaze slowly moved on the newspaper, focusing on one of the pages:

"According to preliminary investigations, the catastrophe caused by the Death Society stems from the 'power of the gods' they stole, and the 'evil creation' that was jointly destroyed by the Cecil legion and the Kraken's allies seems to be a replica of the gods created by the cultists of the end of all things by some means......

"The power of this imitation comes from the fallen god of nature......

"The god of nature, the god that the druids once believed, and there is evidence that the fall of this god occurred three thousand years ago......"

The emaciated and pale middle-aged man suddenly sighed softly after reading the contents of the newspaper: "Such content...... It was printed in the newspaper and left to be discussed casually by civilians who had just become literate for a short time...... Could it be that we are wrong here? ”

No one heard his low exclamation, and after the emaciated and pale middle-aged man finished speaking, he stood up quietly, and he rubbed his fingers lightly, and a wisp of fire suddenly ignited out of thin air, burning the newspaper on the table in an instant.

Looking at the ashes on the table, he was distracted for a moment before he turned and walked straight to the bar door, pushed it and left.

"Rock City...... I didn't expect this place to become so prosperous. ”

Walking on the streets of this southern gateway city, looking at the tall brand-new buildings and wide and clean streets around them, the middle-aged people couldn't help but mutter.

Then he noticed that the pedestrians around him had suddenly scattered and run away, and a large group of vigilantes in black uniforms, armed with weapons and shields, had appeared at various nearby crossings and were rapidly gathering in this direction.

The emaciated, pale man's first instinct was to reach for his waist, where he wore a short sword for self-defense, but after noticing the number of vigilantes and the weapons and equipment in their hands, he stopped wisely.

A tall sheriff stepped forward, a condensed magic shield gleaming beside him: "Sir, lay down your weapon and raise your hands above your head!" You've been arrested for violating the Transcendental Control Act! ”

At the same time as the loud announcement, the sheriff also quickly glanced at the man in front of him out of professional instinct:

Dressed in an old-fashioned traditional tunic with a lace-up cloth belt, hand-sewn boots, and what appears to be wide-legged trousers underneath the robe...... An obvious foreigner, and probably a newcomer to the South.

In the south, changes in labor tools and labor methods have caused changes in all aspects - due to the need for safe operation of all kinds of machinery and equipment, due to the dress code of factories, new clothing that is closed, lightweight, easy to move, beautiful and practical has gradually become the mainstream, and all kinds of long robes, wide-legged trousers, wide-brimmed long sleeves and jackets with lace-up belts are gradually replaced by dresses and light workwear, as well as daily variants of such clothing, although some scholars believe that this change of "machine determines man" is a constraint, It is a step backwards from traditional customs, but it is undeniable that 90 percent of the workers in the south are accepting this change while still maintaining the old way of dressing...... Either they are more conservative people or they are foreigners.

In this fortress city at the gateway to the South, the latter has a higher chance.

The middle-aged man who was surrounded by the vigilantes was obviously still stunned and surprised, but he still understood what the sheriff meant, untied the short sword and short staff from his waist and put them on the ground, and raised his hands above his head.

The sheriff nodded, "Very well, sir, active cooperation is a good start—your name?" ”

The middle-aged man vigilantly observed the security guards around him, and he was silent for two seconds, but finally said cooperatively, "Bud...... Bud? Wendell. ”

"Mr. Budbad?"

The middle-aged man's face trembled slightly: "No, it's Bud?" Wendell. There is only one Bard. ”

The sheriff remained serious, "Okay, Mr. Wendell, you'll need to come with us next—it's up to you to get released." ”

"Why are you arresting me?" The middle-aged man finally couldn't help but say, "I didn't hurt any ......"

"We've detected unauthorized spellcasting," the sheriff said, staring at Bard, "times have changed, Mr. Wendell, where's your spellcasting permit?" ”

Bard was stunned: "...... Spellcasting license? What's that? ”

The sheriff shrugged, "Well, it looks like you're still smuggled in." This time, I'm afraid you're really going to be locked up. ”

The corners of Bud's eyes twitched, but after a brief moment of hesitation and reflection, he finally sighed.

"So far...... It doesn't matter," he sighed, "whatever, I'm not going to resist." ”

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