The footsteps of autumn set foot on the land of the western continent, and the hot summer finally ended, as if overnight, the weather had turned cooler.

It was just dawn, the sun had not yet shone, and the cold smell of the night still wrapped around the streets of Aldernan, and a refreshing wind blew along the street, rolling up a few fallen leaves and scraps of paper on the corners, and the wind swirled between the buildings, and then turned and blew the bells hanging from the windows, making a tinkling sound.

Sam glanced up at the ringing bell, at the barely bright light outside, then lowered his head and continued to devour a small bowl of slimy vegetable soup soaked in broken hard bread.

Soaking bread in soup can effectively speed up the speed of eating, provide a rather effective feeling of satiety, and reduce the gastrointestinal discomfort caused by rapid eating, which can be regarded as the wisdom and experience accumulated by civilians in life.

The daughter sat across from him, also devouring breakfast, and the wife had gone out a quarter of an hour earlier—the owner of the textile mill had once again started work earlier, and the female worker now had to enter the factory half an hour before sunrise.

After swallowing the last bite of soup, Sam slammed his mouth and yawned deeply.

He was sleepy, his back and arms hurt terribly, and he felt like he needed to lie down and sleep soundly for a day or two – but he knew it wasn't realistic.

The docks were filled with mountains of boxes and barrels to carry every day, and he didn't have a vacation.

When the daughter had finished eating, the girl with curly flaxen hair stood up and cleaned up the table with such thinness that she would worry about breaking even the biggest plate when she picked it up.

Sam couldn't help but glance at his daughter: "Eight ...... next week We should be able to eat bacon once. ”

The flaxen-haired girl looked up, and after a moment of astonishment, she showed a look of surprise, she stroked her hair, and her eyes were wide open: "Really? Father? ”

"Seongnam is building a station, and every day a lot of things are being transported to the nearby dock and then loaded onto the construction site, so I should be able to earn a little more."

The daughter laughed, and there were some yellowish lines under her eyes and on the inside of her lips.

Sam noticed the lines, but didn't say anything - they did make his wife and himself nervous when they first appeared a few months ago, but now that a few months have passed, my daughter doesn't feel anything uncomfortable, so it must not be a big deal.

Time was tight, and the father and daughter didn't have much time to talk after dinner, so they quickly packed up their things and left the small rented house.

Another gust of wind blew from the alley, rolling up Sam's collar, he tightened his coat, which would soon look thin in the season, and nodded to his daughter, who was about to go in the other direction: "Stay safe, go straight home when you get off work at night, don't stay on the street." ”

The daughter nodded, pressed her floppy hat on top of her head, and sped off to the other side of the street—at the end of that direction, a towering chimney loomed deep in Aldernan's iconic mist, with billowing smoke rising and drifting into the air.

She works at the Burning Rock Acid Chemical Plant, and as an underage child, her job is certainly not to operate the stove or push the feed cart, but to clean the cooled air ducts and the pieces of the burning rock that can be recovered from the waste residue and can be reprocessed - the air ducts are so narrow that adults can't get in, and such work is done by children, with little pay, but no physical strength and no skills.

Sam watched his daughter walk around the corner in the distance before turning around and walking briskly in the direction of the docks.

When the cool wind blew, he couldn't help but recall some things-

He used to have a piece of land, just outside the city, not big, not too fertile, but at least enough to feed the family, with milk mixed with water and a little sugar for breakfast, and sure to eat bacon every week, but since when did life become like this?

Sam walked in the wind, and the smell of autumn reminded the farmer of the harvest, but the "harvest" had nothing to do with him. The land had become part of the cotton plantation of Lord Dürer, where hundreds of serfs worked - serfs were naturally better suited than freemen.

Now Sam can only miss his land, but he can do nothing: Lord Dürer bought it from him for thirty-seven pieces of silver, and not forcibly seized it, and the original contract was clear, with the testimony of the city judge and two councillors, just and proper.

Sam just didn't expect the thirty-seven pieces of silver to be spent so quickly—the houses in the city were so expensive, the clothes and food were so expensive than he thought, and he wanted to start a small business, only to find that the money was not enough to get the next permit...... He once thought that he had exchanged his land for a huge sum of money, but he never thought that the "huge money" in his eyes was nothing in the world outside the town.

Lots of people dressed like him came out of their homes, walking in the dim light of the wee hours of the morning, in the mist of Aldernan, in the direction of factories, docks, and construction sites.

Sam walked forward, slowly blending into the flow of people and becoming one of those people.

A newspaper discarded by someone was swept up by the wind, flew over Sam's head, and finally was blown by the wind on a nearby fence, and the newspaper was unfurled, and the bold letters on it were striking and beautiful:

Paying tribute to this era of abundance.

……

"Salute to this time of abundance, to our long-sighted Emperor Majesty, and to the diligent council and wise scholars; The accumulation of the empire over the past ten years is like a long cultivation, and it has finally borne fruit...... What a wonderful sentence, don't you think? Master Daniel? ”

Viscount Hermir sat in his favorite brown-red chair, raised the newspaper in his hand, and looked at the magician master opposite, the most prestigious university scholar in the imperial capital, with a smile on his face.

The soothing scent of incense lingers in this gorgeous and intimate reception room, where soft and soothing court music wafts from a hedron installation in one corner, and the windows not far away are open, but a shimmering shield covering the windows filters out the unpleasant smell of soot in the air, leaving only the fresh and cool morning breeze blowing into the room.

Daniel sat in a relaxed posture in the chair opposite Viscount Hermir, the artificial nerve cord poking his head out of the hem of his clothes, and waited honestly: "Habiye?? Mr. Reston was a master of grammar and a poet of great fame, and even during my years of seclusion, I occasionally heard his poems circulating. His Majesty the Emperor's choice of this master as editor-in-chief of the Imperial Newspaper was undoubtedly a move of wisdom. ”

"Salute to Your Majesty," Viscount Hermir laughed pleasantly, took the black tea from the small round table, raised it slightly in place of the wine, and then frowned again, "Newspapers are really good...... It is said that the Cecil people of the Ansu kingdom were the first to think of this, but unfortunately I didn't realize its effect when I first heard the concept, so that a businessman like Polberg, who had no taste or background, became the number one investor in the Reich...... So many members of the aristocratic council now have to pay that merchant to advertise their products, what a lot of money! ”

"There is no end to money, Mr. Viscount," said Daniel, blandly, "and there is more value in exploring new things than that." ”

"Ah, you're right," Viscount Hermir quickly restrained the grumbling between his eyebrows, as if he was afraid that this "worldly act" would cause disgust to the wise old man in front of him, "I have always been keen to explore new things, such as the magic train that has been under construction recently, and I am considering investing in it......"

"Train...... Ansulai's technology, but it is indeed worth investing in," Daniel frowned slightly, as if he was a little unhappy when talking about some new technologies that he couldn't even master, but nodded and said, "If you want to invest, it's best to move faster." ”

Viscount Hermir made the other party's words meaningful: "Is there anyone else competing?" ”

Daniel nodded slightly: "I have gossip, don't make a noise." I have heard that the nobles of the south have made up their minds to take part in the two railroads under construction, and for this purpose they have even gathered together to raise funds, and have borrowed a large sum of money from the Duke of Severn, an amount that can impress His Majesty. ”

Viscount Hermir was stunned for a moment, and suddenly showed anger: "Those vulgar southerners! They want to get their hands on everything!! ”

"There is no way, my friend," said Daniel, with a calm face, like a true scholar, calmly analyzing the huge flow of interests, but not moved by them, "the nobles of the south have suffered a great loss because of cotton, and the north is full of new plantations, and the cotton they planted last year has not been sold until this year—and now that the Cecil people have come to build the railroad again, if the nobles of the south do not seize this opportunity, they will really not be able to turn over." ”

"Railway...... Railway...... The railroad can't fall into the hands of those southerners! "Viscount Hermir is a very intelligent man, and because he is keen to explore new things, he has always known a lot about cutting-edge and trendy things, and naturally understands their respective values, "If they really want to control the railway in the north-south direction, even if it is only within the permission of His Majesty, then they will have the final say on the transportation of this line!" His Majesty the Emperor would not favor the North in such a matter! ”

"Yes, then they will solve the problem of transportation inconvenience, which is the biggest reason why Southern Cotton lost in the competition last year," Daniel helped analyze, "after the problem of transportation costs is solved or reduced...... You know, Mr. Viscount, because of the climate and the soil, the cotton in the south is indeed stronger than the north in terms of quality and yield, and the plantations of the north cannot compete at all. ”

"In the name of the god of commerce! I've just put a fortune into the Count of Doureux's plantation! I've also called a few friends! Viscount Hermir couldn't help but raise his voice, his aristocratic demeanor was almost broken, "God, how can Duke Severn lend money to those southerners?" ”

"Duke Severn runs a bank, and banks can't refuse legitimate loans," Daniel couldn't help but remind, "What's more, you also know that Duke Severn's wife herself was born in the south...... He didn't dare offend the powerful lady. ”

"That's why I don't want to get married—it would ruin a man's dignity!" Viscount Hermir stood up, pacing back and forth rather restlessly, before suddenly stopping in front of Daniel, "Sorry, Master, it seems that I had to end this meeting early—this matter cannot be delayed. My personal loss is nothing, but I don't want to bear the wrath of my partner. ”

"I can understand your feelings," Daniel stood up, the artificial nerve cord behind him wriggling and contracting, "and it's time for me to leave—my apprentice is still waiting outside." Also, before leaving, I suggest you consult with the Count of Dürer - his connections in the council will produce better results. ”

"Thank you for the reminder, you are really my mentor," Viscount Hermir stepped forward, grabbed Daniel's hand and shook it up and down, "If it weren't for you, I don't know how many detours I would have taken!" ”

Daniel smiled slightly, calmly accepted the gratitude of the reformist nobleman, and then beckoned to the coat rack next to him, letting the staff and robe automatically fly into his hands and put them on himself, and then left the viscount's mansion.

He came to the side of the road and got into the carriage waiting there, in which Mary, the female apprentice, sat and did not seem to have left.

After another moment, a carriage with an emblem on it drove out of the main entrance of Viscount Hermir's mansion and hurried off into the distance.

- Although Typhon's magic guide car technology has made a breakthrough, and practical vehicles have entered the eyes of the upper nobles, due to its priority supply to the army and industrial construction, it has not yet been popularized among the middle and lower nobles, and the horse-drawn carriage is still the choice of most nobles.

Daniel looked down the street through the crack in the car window, a smile on his face.

Mary noticed the smile and couldn't help asking, "Mentor, you seem happy?" ”

"Because I did our Majesty Augustus a favor......"

"Did Your Majesty a favor?" Mary looked a little confused.

"yes," Daniel whispered, "I helped him with some detours......