19 Alex City

As Parrett said, the post city was built to fortified standards, and it would not be an exaggeration to call it a small city. From the outside, inside it was enough for thousands of soldiers and the same number of horses, including enough supplies and equipment. Several groups of cavalry can be seen coming in and out of the post city, which is alternate patrol posts, corresponding to what Parrett said earlier about preventing outsiders from entering the "holy land". The carriage had to go around the post city and continue on its way, looking for the next place to stay.

Erin finally couldn't help but ask, "Why is Haus Luku weakening his country?" Kolan. ”

"I'd like to know," Parrett asked as he drove the car, "after all, the strength of the Aube Empire is obvious to all. ”

Kelan didn't answer directly, but turned out the window and asked Milo, who didn't make a sound: "Milo, what do you think of Haus Luku's approach?" ”

"Although I don't know much about politics and statecraft, the root cause of the recent turmoil in Aube must have been the result of House's laws. ”

"Hey, go on."

"First of all, there are many very strict restrictions in the laws of Haus Luku, such as the prohibition of mining minerals, which may have been maintained a few hundred years ago when the country was small and the population was small, but now the Aube Empire is not able to take on the development of industry without mining, and it is much behind in crafting weapons and machinery. I still remember that Viscount Li once said that the turmoil in Aube was due to the inability of gold and silver currency to meet the circulation, and now that I think about it, isn't it also caused by the prohibition of gold and silver minerals? ”

"Oh, indeed." "I see." It dawned on Parrett and Erin that they were also present when Viscount Lee talked about it.

"Hey, that's a good point, please continue." Klan very much agrees with Milo's statement.

"In addition, the laws of Haus Lucu that Kolan said are 'peace and prosperity in exchange for order', and these strict laws can play a role in uniting the people when the state is still insufficient, but now that Obey no longer has to fight for survival, then this kind of iron order may not be accepted by the people born in a period of peace and stability, and the citizens of other countries occupied and annexed by Obey should not be able to endure such cruel laws, so the seeds of rebellion will be planted. Coupled with the fact that the suicide of Haus Lucu made these laws unchangeable, many of the laws should no longer be suitable for today's developments and situations, but they are still holding back the Aube Empire and her people. ”

"So that's weakening." "It is all too common in history that many policies that can see benefits in the short term will become shackles in the future, restricting better reforms." Very well analyzed, Milo. But the rulers of the Aube Empire are not incapable of seeing through this," Koran said, looking out the window at the post city, "When they found that their empire was so large that those laws were an obstacle to the development of the country, the rulers of Aube stopped in time to stop expanding. They changed their strategy from conquering other countries with iron cavalry to trading with other countries. The other three nodded at the same time, "Buying mineral raw materials that they can't exploit through commerce is also the reason why my hometown of the Duchy of Komet can still exist under the shadow of the Aube Empire." But the resources he could get from the smaller countries around him were still limited, and Obey had to find a larger client to do the deals—"

"The Spreet Empire." Milo said.

"Well, it's the Sprelet Empire. The Aube Empire has been sustained for more than a hundred years by importing various minerals from the Sprout Empire every year, but smart people have long seen that the lifeline of the Aube Empire has been seized by the Sprout Empire. ”

"So after the Djinn crisis, Split was busy rebuilding, and Obey ran out of mineral supplies, and the economy was in chaos." Erin said.

"Hey, little Irene digests quickly. However, even without the containment of the Sprelet Empire, the Aube Empire is like a giant with feet of clay, as long as the slightest wind and rain at home and abroad will immediately form an unstoppable flood, and this situation will repeat until there is a better policy. Now it seems that Haus Lucu's weakening of the country was imperceptible, and poor Aube citizens eventually fell victim to him. Koran concluded.

As the sun set, Parry lit the lantern and the carriage continued on its way, until late when he found a farm where he could spend the night. Perhaps influenced by the story of House Lucqu, the four of them tossed and turned to sleep that night.

For the next three days, the carriage continued to travel southeast along the river, and gradually they saw the beach again and felt the sea breeze. Finally, the meandering river crosses in front of the carriage and flows into the sea. After the carriage crossed a large and sturdy wooden bridge, the city of Alex could already be seen.

"The city is still going to be visited, so it's best for the two friends to change their looks and outfits to avoid being discovered." Despite what Kran said, she was confident that Milo and Erin wouldn't be easily found out as wanted here. Milo changed her hairstyle and put some hair on her face as a beard; Erin braided her hair and wore a large cape. The two of them were dressed like passing travelers, and they would certainly not attract attention.

Early in the morning of May 13, the carriage carried four people into Alex City.

Alex City, mentioned many times in previous stories, is the second largest city in the Aube Empire, the most important seaport city in Aube, and the commercial center of the eastern continent. Alex City is an ancient city, many of the buildings are hundreds of years old, the most famous is the Alex Library, where Kolan once worked, and the wind chimes were visited. The city is full of shops and warehouses, after all, it is a commercial city, and the streets are bustling with buying and selling. There are also several Wanyuan Sect chapels in the city, all of which are gorgeously built, which shows that the city attaches great importance to religious culture. The port is bustling with boats, and the wharves are crowded with a considerable number of ships of all kinds, and its size and prosperity rival that of the aforementioned Golden City (Port of Pasima delagon).

Koran asked Parret to drive the carriage to the port and hired a huge cargo ship to transport the two horses to the Duchy of Komet. "It's not that I'm in a hurry, I'm afraid that the fishing villages behind me won't be able to rent such a large cargo ship to transport them." She explained this, and paid a large sum of money, and instructed the ship's owner to feed the horses with good fodder, but even then she was not at ease. Seeing Klan's concerns, Milo consulted with Erin and decided that the group would also take the ship to Komet.

"The ship looks stable, Erin won't get seasick so easily." After Milo finished speaking, Kelan was overjoyed and thanked again and again.

Erin asked, "But why charter a boat to take these horses to Komet?" Can't just drive the carriage over? ”

"No, Miss Akayi." Parrett snatched the words, "Because Komet is surrounded by mountains, there is no way to walk through the road, only by the sea. Erin understood, and she remembered that Captain Allen had called Komet "the land of mountains".

"It's too noisy here, let's go find a hotel first." Kolan suggested.

"Why don't you just board the ship?" Milo and Erin didn't expect Klan to plan to stay in Alex City.

"Hey, there's plenty of time." "Thanks to these two horses," said Kelan, "we got here ahead of schedule, and we might as well settle here for two days." And this is your first time in Alex City, right? Milo and Erin nodded, "Then let's relax in this city, it should be a very good experience for you." ”

"yes, it's two days here!" Parrett followed suit, saying that he was thinking of Klan's promise to watch the stage show.

Mello shrugged, Erin tilted her head and smiled, and the two of them thought it was time to relax. Hit it off, and the group quickly settled on a small but sophisticated hotel in the center of the city, and then went their separate ways to avoid obscurity and have fun at will. Naturally, Milo and Erin are together, and Parrett follows behind Koran like a fart, and the two groups of people with very different styles merge into this all-encompassing metropolis.

Lunch was still early, and Milo and Erin were wandering around the shopping street. Shops of all sizes, goods, signs, decorations, and food and street fashion are all part of the city's story.

The two of them looked here and there, and there was nothing they wanted to buy after shopping for a long time. But the lively atmosphere, the noisy crowd, and the warm greeting still made the two feel physically and mentally happy, and eliminated a lot of fatigue from hurrying. Erin stopped suddenly, staring at a shop in a daze, and Milo followed her gaze, and understood a little, and took her hand and entered the shop, the Delray Gun Workshop.

As soon as the two entered, the owner of the workshop, Delai, greeted him warmly and introduced the various muskets on the shelves. Erin listened to the introduction, carefully examined each musket, and tugged at the strap of the new rifle on her back. Delai gushed about it, glancing at the bolt-action rifle on Milo's back every now and then.

"Boss, I'd like to buy some ammunition for this gun." Erin handed the new rifle to Delai, who carefully took it and began to take a closer look at the shape and design of the gun.

"Hmm...... The butt is very light, made of southern wood...... Flint fires, but this trigger shouldn't be easy to use...... Yikes! Delai shouted, "This muzzle is hexagonal, it needs special bullets, I really don't have the right ammunition here, but it can be made fresh, and the price is not low." Your gun is very new, and the accuracy and range should be good, but it is difficult to mass-produce and the ammunition is also difficult to handle, so it is recommended to change it. With that, Delay solemnly handed the gun back to Erin.

"Thank you, boss." Erin took the gun as if nothing had happened, and it was clear that what Delay had just said was what she expected.

Boss Delai suddenly said to Milo, "Your gun...... Can I take a look? After exchanging glances with Erin, Milo handed out the bolt-action rifle, which Delay respectfully accepted—not to Milo, but to the gun. He looked at it more carefully than before, and let out a sigh of admiration:

"Mmmm, the coordination is in place, and it feels good...... Hey, the body of the gun is hard enough, walnut, it should be from the north of Split, right? …… Oh, breech guns, who said that eating with the mouth is the most elegant, huh...... Dust-proof device, actual combat design...... The muzzle is here, it's amazing! Spiral rifling, this process is so complicated that people give up directly, even if you have money to produce, you don't have money to maintain it, my god of all sources...... Uh, no bullets, that, can I ......" Delay asked Erin with a wistful look, and Irene quickly pulled a bullet out of her pocket and handed it over, "Oooh! Sure enough, the projectile and gunpowder were packed together, a metal cartridge case, the idea was too advanced! But it's also difficult to produce, and someone told me a few years ago that making this in large quantities is a craft disaster......" Suddenly, Ryder's face froze, and he stared blankly at the bottom of the bullet, "This is ...... Production Lot Number ......" He slowly lowered the bullet, supported his forehead with his hand, and sat down slowly.

"Boss?" Erin asked worriedly, and Ryder's contrasting performance puzzled her.

"I'm fine," Ryder gestured, "a little surprised." Because of the process of this ammunition, it is difficult to achieve mass production, but it is obvious that the Spreite Empire has been able to produce it systematically, which is really unexpected! ”

"This musket is just a test sample......

"The gun may need more testing, but the munition has a production lot number on it, indicating that more than one factory is producing it." Delai explained, and then he asked the two in a very sincere tone, "Can I ...... Test shot shot? ”