Cecil 3 years, the 15th of the month of recovery, the festival of recovery.

The fateful international conference was finally scheduled for the sixth day after the end of the Resistence holiday, and the proximity of the date of the meeting also made this year's Resusceptibility Festival seem to have a special meaning - since the beginning of this month, all levels of government departments have begun to publicize all aspects of the event, explaining to the citizens in as easy a way as possible about the upcoming international event and the role of the empire in it, so that even the most ill-informed people know about it. And the slightly poetic ones associate this meeting with the month of recovery, and have some good expectations for the future.

As the university scholar Godwin Orlando said in an issue of the newspaper - the world is coming to an end to the history of separation and estrangement, and the people who should be hand in hand will be truly united in this spring, the first ray of sunshine after the end of the cold winter, full of warmth like this spring.

At the same time, as the meeting time approached, this year's Cecil City Recovery Festival had some other different changes from previous years—more foreign faces appeared in the city, bringing more news about the exotic land.

In fact, Cecil City has always been full of foreign faces - as the world's first magical city, and as the world's first open and international city, Cecil City's outstanding technological treasure trove and incredible business order have always attracted those guests with a keen eye and sense of smell, and there is always an endless stream of visitors from afar seeking knowledge and money, especially after the completion of several main railways in the empire, the travel cost of foreign visitors entering Cecil has been greatly reduced, So much so that the gray elf merchants, who were originally very rare in the southern region, have become frequent visitors to the imperial capital, so it can be said that all kinds of strangers are one of the characteristics of Cecil's imperial capital.

What makes this year's festival different from previous years is that some of the more distant guests are in town.

In the central city, the shopping streets are lit up, the citizens decorate their shops and streets with colorful curtains and various neon lights, and all kinds of symbolic objects to celebrate the bloom of spring and pray for a good year are hung on the lamp poles and the facades of buildings, so that the atmosphere of tradition and modernity is wonderfully blended, and children happily run around the streets, and the sound of joy is heard in the streets and alleys.

A pair of pale yellow, feline-like eyes glittered under the white hood, observing this incredible human city with great interest, the face around those eyes was covered with fine and silky brown and white fluff, and under the fluff was a rough female face with a hint of softness, after seeing a street "magician" casually shoot a series of colorful light bullets into the sky, causing the surrounding children to cheer, The face that was a mixture of feline and human feminine features couldn't help but show a little surprise, and the cat-like vertical pupils also widened slightly.

"It's incredible," a slightly hoarse voice came from under the hood, "Wenna, I didn't expect there to be so many mages in the human world - even standing on the street and performing magic missiles to children. ”

A petite figure like a child stood beside this "feline lady", and when she heard this, she tried to raise her head and looked at the "childhood playmate" next to her, who was almost two meters tall: "Camilla, you are mistaken-that is not a mage, he is probably an artist invited by a store next to him, or even a clerk in the store, it is not a real magic, it is just a low-power light bullet released by the magic guide terminal." ”

As she spoke, the petite lady, Vinna Bai Zhi, the leader of the Grey Elves, shook her head: "The number of mages in the Cecil Empire is not more than ours, and even if our witch doctor priests are counted, the number of mages in Cecil is not as good as that of Oguray, but their magic guidance technology is very advanced, and everyone who holds a magic guide terminal is at least equivalent to a mage apprentice or a low-level mage. Of course, it is said that the group of mages on Typhon's side is very large, and there may be mages performing on the streets......"

The tall "feline lady" known as Camilla had a look of surprise on her face: "You know a lot - didn't you say that the gray elves used to only deal with the Cecil people in the West, and they didn't know the overall situation of the human empire?" But I see that you know a lot about the people of Typhon. ”

Wenna Bai Zhi sighed when she heard this: "Alas, it is true that I have not had much contact with the humans in the east, but don't forget, Mei Li is studying in this city—she wrote me dozens of catties of letters in the second half of last year alone...... You can't imagine how detailed the letters are, and I can even piece together the wear and tear on the surface of every single tile in the city......"

Camilla suddenly showed a look of shock and admiration, as well as great doubt: "Are you serious? Then you spell it for me......"

Wenna was stunned for a moment, and looked up at the orc leader in front of her helplessly: "Camila...... Has anyone ever told you that your sense of humor is problematic? ”

Camila looked serious: "No, my sense of humor is very strong among the orcs - the people call me 'the queen of humor and cheerfulness'. ”

Wenna: "...... You say yes, that's it. ”

Camila felt a little baffled, but she didn't sense any signs of anger in her friend's attitude, so she quickly shook her head disapprehantly, and said casually, "Aren't we going to see Merry today?" I haven't seen that kid in a long time. The last time I saw her was at the festival of the Ancestral Peak, when she was so tall......"

The orc leader bent down to gesture, but soon realized that the height was still not enough, so he simply crouched down: "...... That's about that. ”

"Almost, almost," Wenna glared at the other party, "Stella is taller than that!" ”

"Sorry, I'm a little confused," Camilla crouched on the ground, eye level with Wenna, "Anyway, aren't we really going to see her?" ”

"We'll go again tomorrow, and we're going to meet the eldest princess Hutty today—although we're not here for an official state visit, the mission has to stop in Cecil once after all," Wenna shook her head, her gaze beyond Camilla's supple fuzzy face to the distant street, where a dazzling image was playing over the radio installation at the end of the street, roughly about the upcoming international conference at Outpost 112 of the Silver Empire, As well as introducing the foreign races that were about to attend the meeting, she saw the faces of the gray elves, as well as the tall orcs and the diminutive dwarves, "I heard that the dwarves' mission has also arrived in this city, but it is not in the same area as us. ”

"That elven outpost is located on the edge of the wasteland, and to get to the outpost you have to pass through human land - this city is the only eligible transportation node in the northern part of the continent, and the emissaries from the north and west will definitely assemble and transit in this city as long as they are in their right minds, after all, it is easier to take the magic train than to trek through the wilderness," Camilla said, suddenly as if she noticed something, and her eyes swept around, "Wenna, why do some passers-by look at the two of us curiously?" ”

"They're watching you," Wenna glanced at her friend, "Orcs don't often appear in the human world—especially after crossing the Plains of the Holy Spirit, orcs like you are rarer than gray elves. ”

Camilla suddenly looked surprised, and at the same time subconsciously pulled her hood: "What! Has my disguise been discovered? How do they see it? ”

Wenna looked behind Camilla helplessly: "You've been flicking your tail outside for a long time - don't you feel cold?" ”

"I see!"

……

In the eastern part of the city, in the industrial area, a construction site is busy with the roar of huge magic machinery, and in this warmer season, it is time to catch up with the construction progress delayed by the winter - despite the strong holiday spirit, for Cecil, which is developing rapidly, many of the city's projects will not be completely stopped by the holidays.

Short, with a yellow beard and messy hair, and wearing a black light armor, Balamo Black Steel stood in the open space beside the roadside, staring at the huge mechanical grabs that easily moved the heavy steel and earth and stone to the predetermined position as if they were carrying a ball of cotton, the dwarven emissary from Forge City blushed with excitement and slammed his thick arm against the shoulder of his companion next to him: "Hey! Paladin!! This thing looks as if it's more powerful than our Runestone Giant! No wonder you've had a heart set on understanding the Cecil's magic techniques and introducing them into the Forge City—I've been persuaded by you, and I'll go back with you to speak to His Majesty Morton!" ”

"You are persuaded by the facts, but not by me," said Paladin Huishanyan, who was also short and strong, with a gray beard and hair, in a rough voice, his voice was like thunder in the mountains, and his eyes were equally excited as he looked at the heavy running machines, "I saw their mechanical ships in White Feather Harbor, and I knew that these powerful things were going to change the world sooner or later—look at the steel, look at the stones, look at the machine beasts, Our Ironstone Hills and Forges are full of occasions where those beasts of prey can be put to work...... The only pity is that none of these things seem to be cheap. ”

"Yes, it's not cheap, there are a lot of good things in this world, but they are all clearly priced—the machines and potions of the Cecil, the ores and crystals of the eastern part of the continent, the medicinal raw materials and rare wood of the elves, the guys who stay at home in the forge city can't imagine how much these things cost," Baramo Blacksteel said and fell silent, and after a short thought, a serious expression appeared, "But if according to the promise made by His Majesty Gawain Cecil, After becoming a member of the alliance, the cost of trade between countries will drop significantly, and many things that were originally listed as restricted exports will also be opened up, coupled with the resumption and opening of the southern and northern ring continental routes, the transportation cost of bulk trade goods will also become very low. ”

"If these promises can be kept," Paladin Huishanyan muttered, "open up the northern and southern continental routes...... The former Circumcontinental Route lasted only a short time, but the glory of that time still remains in the annals of history, and it was an exciting time...... It's a feat to be able to bring the Circumcontinental route back to life today, but I'm not very optimistic about it. ”

"Really?" Balamo Blacksteel said casually, "This is good for everyone. ”

"Yes, it's good for everybody - because no one has a ship for ocean voyages at this time, but that's a different matter for the two human empires. Connecting the Circumcontinental Routes meant that not only Cecil, but also the Typhon Empire would have to open up their ports and shipping routes, and dock with the Cecil's shipping route system - I have no doubt that those mechanical ships would be able to go around the continent, but only if the Typhonians could accept Cecil's terms. After all, as far as we know, now that Typhon's national power has been greatly damaged, and he is no longer able to build a few new ships, if they open the shipping routes, then the dominance of the entire Circumcontinental Route will undoubtedly fall completely into Cecil's hands...... In the future, it will not be so easy for the Typhonians to reassure themselves if they want to compete for a share of the ocean. ”

"The biggest regret is not that I can't get the treasure, but that I was able to return with a full load, but I was unable to intervene for a while, resulting in a missed opportunity...... The truth in the mountains is just as useful on the sea," Baramo shook his head, then looked at his companion with some surprise, "I didn't expect you to think so deeply about this - Typhon and Cecil are thousands of miles away from the Forge City. ”

"But now that the whole world is going to be connected, you came by magic train, and you know that the distance between those thousands of rivers and mountains will be shortened sooner or later," Paladin Huishanyan spread his hands, "Few people in the forge city will look beyond the mountains, but we always need someone to understand the changes in this world, but fortunately, I usually have a lot of free time, at least I can think more about the future than those who only know how to deal with stones all day." ”

"The future...... The future is not so easy to figure out," Baramo said, blowing the beard from the corner of his mouth and letting the proud hairs fly, "I feel like my brain is working enough today, and I think it's best for the two of us to have a drink tomorrow." ”

Paladin's eyes lit up immediately: "That's exactly what I want, and I have a suggestion - don't waste your time in any bar, the really good wine doesn't sit in those bells and whistles counters, I know there's a place in the city that sells Frost Resistance Potion, and that's ......"

Baramo cast a skeptical look: "Frost Resistance Potion? Are you sure? That thing sounds like some kind of alchemical potion......"

"Trust my judgment, I've tried it in White Feather Harbor, and the human alchemist is even more genius than you think," Paladin's eyes lit up, and his voice was like a bell, as if those frost-resistant potions had been invented by him, "Fifty-two degrees of sauce flavor - it is said that even the dragons of the north can't refuse the good taste in those little bottles!" ”

Baramo looked at his partner's nostalgic look, and did not doubt the other party's judgment in terms of wine at all, and after dispelling the doubts in his heart, he could only sigh: it is really worthy of Cecil, the capital of the new star of mankind, and this place is so unusual even with a bottle of potion......

……

As emissaries from the north and west gathered at the transit point of Cecil City, far away near the elven stronghold northeast of the Gondor wasteland, the giant eagles from the Silver Empire were flying across the clear blue sky.

The air in the north is much colder than in the south, and although the air currents in the high altitude are blocked by the breeze shield, it seems that there is still a trace of coolness seeping in, Persetia Morningstar's eyes narrowed slightly, she shared the vision of a giant eagle, and the elven outpost in the distance had entered her line of sight.

The glittering antennas and streamlined roofs and towers all point to the blue sky, looking slender yet powerful.

A huge flock of dozens of giant eagles flew in a row in front of her, left and right, and it looked quite spectacular.

The voice of the pilot elf came from the magic brooch: "Your Majesty, we are close to the 112 outpost and will land in fifteen minutes. ”

"Got it." Persetia replied simply, her gaze scanning the distant outpost to either side.

Cecil was on the west and Typhon was on the east.

"It's been more than seven hundred years...... "The ruler of the Silver Empire whispered to himself, "Do you know that humanity has been divided for seven hundred years...... I thought I would never see them back together again. ”