In the third week of the Month of Recovery, Dragonborn from the northern realms set foot in Cecil City.

This is the first time that the Dragonborns have visited a human kingdom in an official and public form since the second exploration and the establishment of human beings in the four realms of the continent.

The blue-on-gold imperial flags fluttered in the wind on the spires of the towers, colorful ribbons fluttered from the streets and alleys, trumpets sounded from the direction of the north bank, large magic projections in the streets and alleys relayed the sight of the dragonborns entering the city in real time, excited children ran around the roadside, jostling for the falling streamers and petals, and citizens gathered on the streets where the ceremony was allowed, watching with great curiosity as the envoys in the open-top magic carts made their way down the Pathfinder Avenue to the Palace.

Elite steel rangers in black light armor rode on both sides of the convoy, ceremonial spears pointed high into the sky, separating the enthusiastic crowd and maintaining order.

Sir Gorosh sat with Asa Rena in the second magic car, looking at this human city full of life and vitality, and everywhere with incredible "magic technology", he couldn't help but show a hint of surprise on his face: "This place is more than I imagined...... Much more prosperous. ”

“…… It's a little more than I could have imagined," said Azarena beckoning to a child cheering at her on the side of the road, and whispered quietly, "You can't believe what this place was like when I left here twenty years ago...... At that time, there were no human settlements at the foot of the Dark Mountains......"

“…… I'm starting to worry about one thing now," Sir Gorosh frowned slightly, and his tone was strange, "I'm worried about whether the experience you've gained from your travels in the human world will still be useful in this nascent human empire......"

Azalena glanced slightly sideways at Sir Golosh: "Your Excellency, please do not question my ability as an advisor - although human society changes rapidly, many habitual and ceremonial things do not change in twenty years, and although there are many new things in this city, they are not completely beyond my ......"

The Witch of the Dragon Seal was halfway through her words when she was suddenly interrupted by a screeching sound mixed with a buzz from high in the sky, and she and Sir Gorosh looked up in surprise to see that in the sun, near noon, in the clear and cloudless sky, more than a dozen strange machines that looked like steel cones with wings were flying in a neat triangular queue from west to east.

Below the humming machinery floated shimmering ring devices, and on both sides extended strange structures with shapes reminiscent of dragon wings, they were obviously some kind of man-made objects, and the stability of the flight attitude and the skillful coordination were breathtaking, and when this wonderful "flying queue" was about to arrive directly above the mission, several of the aircraft suddenly turned on some kind of magic device hanging below, and with streamers intertwining in the sky, a huge magical projection appeared in the vision of Sir Gorosh and Azarena -

Magical projections, with words of welcome written in both human lingua franca and dragonborn, floated over the city on a scale larger than any mage could have created.

The magic projections were created by devices similar to the "magic web broadcasting devices" seen on the streets, and the Cecil people attached them to their flying machines, and the effect was particularly shocking.

Sir Gorosh took a moment to withdraw his gaze, and he glanced at Asarena beside him, "Lady Azarena, is this more than you think?" ”

“…… I really didn't think about this......"

"Humans have actually built this kind of flying device...... And it looks like it's still mass-produced," Sir Gorosh couldn't help but look up again, "This is also the 'magic technique'?" ”

"It looks like we're going to get more out of our way here," said Asarena softly, "and I don't know if you've noticed, Sir Golosh, the 'wings' that extend from the sides of those flying machines...... The shape is very close to the dragon's wing. ”

"I noticed." Sir Gorosh nodded, and somehow his daughter, who had been away from home, suddenly came to his mind.

Maggie ...... It should be in the city, not knowing her arrival for herself...... What will be the reaction.

As he pondered, Sir Golosh's expression could not help but become complicated.

……

"The No. 1 machine completed the projection task, and after twenty seconds, the projection was turned off, ready to cruise back. The rest of the crew remained in follow. ”

"Machine Two understands." "Unit 3 understands." "Machine No. 4 ......"

The wingman's response continued to be heard from the communication device, and Maggie, who was sitting in the co-pilot seat of the captain's plane, breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help but look through the transparent viewing window diagonally below at the convoy of missions driving through the street at a constant speed.

The first dragoon cadet, Air Force Commander Jinna sat in the main pilot seat next to her, this young girl from the griffin knight family took a deep breath, calmed down a little nervous, the first time to perform such a special task made her excited face slightly red, after confirming that the mission had been largely completed and there were no mistakes, she turned her head to look at Maggie: "Miss Maggie, this time I also worked hard for you...... Miss Maggie? Are you feeling unwell? ”

"Huh? Ah, no, it's nothing," Maggie suddenly came to her senses and quickly waved her hand, "Thinking about something a little. ”

"It's rare," said Ginna, shaking her head, "that you would wander away on a mission." ”

Maggie smiled a slightly stiff smile, and the corner of her eye swept over the observation window diagonally below, her face complicated.

I learned that there was my own father in the envoy team in the morning, but in fact, this kind of information should have been sent to His Majesty the Emperor many days ago, and the news was suppressed for so long before I told myself...... It inevitably made Maggie wonder if His Majesty was playing a bad joke on herself.

Maggie, however, quickly shook her head vigorously, and shook the unreliable thought out of her mind - His Majesty Gawain Cecil was a majestic and wise man, and he had no such bad taste for the burden of the entire empire, and the reason why no one came to tell him the details of the mission in advance was either because of the need for secrecy, or because His Majesty was usually too busy to care about these details.

The runaway Miss Dragonborn quickly convinces herself, and continues to agonize over what might happen afterward.

……

The place where the envoys were entertained was still in the banquet hall of the Autumn Palace.

At the end of a sightseeing tour from the Pioneer's Avenue to the Autumn Palace, Sir Gorosh finally met the rulers of the nascent human empire in a brightly lit and imposing hall - Gawain and Hetty and several high-ranking officials of the Government Hall stood in front of the steps of the banquet hall of the Autumn Palace, watching the dragonborns in alien costumes come to him, and when the attendant in charge of the announcement read the name of the messenger aloud, the middle-aged man who looked quite serious stepped forward accompanied by a red-haired woman, and handed over a handwritten letter from the Grand Duke Balogel.

"Hats off, His Majesty the Emperor of Cecil, to you, knight of knights, pioneer of pioneers...... The founder of the old kingdom of Ansu and the new kingdom of Cecil," Sir Gorosh looked at the "pioneer" in front of him who had a legendary story in the human world, and even created the miracle of resurrection from the dead, without showing the slightest hint of excessive curiosity or prying eyes, he said with a solemn expression, and said a ceremonial opening sentence, a long list of titles and standard words, "I have brought the ruler of the mountains of the Far North, the guardian of the kingdom of the dragonborn, the lord of the rocks and the ice...... Greetings from His Majesty Baloger, the powerful and wise Grand Duke of Dragonblood, and the friendly wishes of the Holy Dragon Duchy. ”

"Welcome to Cecil," Gawain replied more simply and bluntly, "Cecil has always been a cordial neighbor to the Principality of the Holy Dragon, and we always welcome visitors from the mountains of the Far North. ”

At the same time, he was a little surprised - he hadn't heard such a standard opening sentence with a long list of honorary titles and flattering words in a long time, the Dragonborn messenger came from a world that had been isolated from the human kingdom for many years, and his choice of words was surprisingly human.

It seems that in the far north, many of the dragonborn's impression of humans is still stuck in the Ansu era in the past.

- In order to prevent the conflict of ritual and culture, and to ensure the standardization of the ritual process, the envoys had already familiarized themselves with some of Cecil's etiquette rules in Wintercastle in the north before coming to Cecil City, and with the help of Victoria, they had adapted to the audience process in advance, but although the process was rehearsed in advance, the envoys' audience words were drafted by the Duchy of the Holy Dragon (Duke Victoria only confirmed that there was no taboo in these words).

And now, some of the words in these rather classical phrases even made Gawain feel a little crying and laughing.

Of course, he was still calm and indifferent on the surface, and he didn't show a single thing.

After presenting the credentials, completing the necessary audience ceremonies, introducing each other, and going through all the agreed procedures, Gawain did not let the guests from afar go through more red tape, but went directly to the main part of Cecil's hospitality - announcing the beginning of the feast.

When the dazzling array of food was presented to the guests, the hall resounded with a light and pleasant melody, and the attendants began to guide the guests to their seats, Sir Gorosh approached Azalena and couldn't help but whisper, "Although I have learned a little in advance, the etiquette rules of the 'Cecil Empire' still seem to be much simpler than I thought...... It doesn't seem to be at all like the human kingdom mentioned in the data, with many rules and cumbersome rituals. ”

Azarena glanced at Sir Gorosh slightly, "Do you prefer simple processes or cumbersome rules?" ”

Sir Gorosh smiled slightly, "Personally, of course I prefer it - simple and straightforward communication is more to my taste. ”

Azalena smiled, but didn't say anything more.

In her impression, human beings like to use cumbersome and complex etiquette and rules to show their "orthodoxy" and "heritage", which is very different from the Dragonborn, although the Dragonborn also attach importance to tradition and abide by the rules, but that is more of a respect for tradition and "obedience" to ancient admonitions, and human insistence on etiquette rules is a kind of unnecessary "external decoration" in the eyes of the Dragonborn, not so much has any practical significance, but more like a body full of decorative feathers, etiquette for the sake of etiquette, For the sake of the rules, the rules go by.

It is precisely because of this perception that the Dragonborn have been quite prejudiced against the human world for a long time: in their opinion, a race with a short life span like humans has pursued "orthodoxy" and "heritage" too much, and seems nondescript.

Azalena never imagined that only twenty years later, humanity would have changed in this regard.

She conjured up of a young and heroic mercenary leader, and then the figure became a general with a sloppy beard and a medal and ribbon.

It's only been twenty years.

Mankind...... What an interesting creature.

The feast began.

When it was time for free time and communication, the guests began to move around the feast, fetch food and talk to each other, with Sir Gorosh naturally making contact with the Emperor Cecil first, and Asa Rena moving freely around the hall with a little curiosity.

She, as a "consultant", is to play a role in analyzing the data later, but at this moment she is very idle.

In the process of taking all kinds of human delicacies that I know and don't know, and casually talking with people passing by, a small figure suddenly runs by.

It was a girl in a pale yellow dress who looked like she was not yet an adult, and she was running happily from one long table full of food to another with a large plate full of food in her hand and a happy smile on her face.

Azalena suddenly subconsciously frowned - a child?

She wondered why a child was here, but soon realized that it was the child of some member of the royal family or the upper echelons of the Empire, and the appearance of the other person running around with a plate full of food seemed very different from the "atmosphere" of the others in the hall, but it made Azarena laugh.

And at this moment, she saw that the cheerful girl suddenly slipped under her feet, as if she had lost her balance in the run, and was about to fall to the ground in embarrassment.

Asarena quietly raised her finger slightly, and an invisible force lifted the girl's body, allowing her to quickly regain her footing.

It was just a handy help, and no one should have noticed, Azalena smiled and shook her head, and was about to turn and walk away, but she didn't expect the girl in the pale yellow dress to immediately look over and walk this way.

This kid has a keen sense of magic!

As soon as Azarena had such an exclamation in her heart, the girl had already walked in front of her, she bowed politely, without opening her mouth, but a slightly mechanical voice came from somewhere behind her neck: "Thank you~Madam~~"

"You don't have to...... You're welcome," Azarena looked at the girl in front of her in surprise, she was sure she hadn't seen the child open her mouth to speak, "you...... Are you talking? ”

"Yes! But I'm talking with 'it'~! The girl said happily as she turned around and showed off the strange metal device on the back of her neck, which looked like a flattened silvery-white spine that was obediently fitting the back of the girl's neck, "It's called nerve thorns. By the way, ma'am, are you a dragonborn? I heard that today I am here to entertain guests, a guest from the Holy Dragon Principality, and I know a sister named Maggie, who is also a dragonborn...... Oh, by the way, I haven't introduced myself yet, my name is Pea......"

Azarena: "......?!" ”