The old man with outdated clothes disappeared on the platform like a shadow dissipating in the sun, but the coin in the palm of his hand was still warm. The young man blinked, and it took a few seconds to finally react from the shock.
He subconsciously rubbed the coin in his hand and then stuffed it into his pocket. As a cost of asking for directions, this income is already considered to be a lot of money. In terms of purchasing power, it even exceeds what he used to be in the streets and alleys of the town. The young man couldn't help but slapped his lips when thinking of this when the local snake sold "intelligence" to adventurers.
Adventurer, "intelligence", guidance, reward for a coin... Thinking about it carefully, this feels a bit back to the past.
He curled the corners of his mouth, moving his legs and feet that were a little sore because of wandering on the platform for too long, and walked in the direction of the exit with the already very sparse flow of people, and not far from him, a line of scale was larger than that of regular passengers. A freight train with a lot of roughness in the shape of the train is stopping by the cargo platform. The large sliding door on the side of the carriage has slid to the side. The stevedores who are ready to go immediately move forward under the command of the foreman to transfer the full load of materials in the carriage. Onto the trailer.
The foreman with a big beard is standing next to the loading and unloading area. While directing the operation, he looks at the crates of uniform specifications. On the seal on the side of the wooden box, the emblem of the Community Alliance can be clearly seen.
In the dock area of Beigang, the Duke of the North, Victoria, is standing on a platform. The drizzle is blowing towards the platform under the breeze, but before approaching, the direction is changed by invisible forces, leaving only the cold wind surrounding the woman. Around the Duke, she raised her head and looked out at the wide sea that was slightly undulating outside the pier. A dim and hazy sky shrouded the sea, so that all the distant scenery was covered in the thin sea fog. In front of the power of nature, Even the keen vision of the extraordinary is useless, but she still looks there, as if she can see something through the hazy fog and sky.
There was the eternal storm entrenched in the direction just one year ago, and there is a miraculous celestial storm that has not dissipated for a million years, blocking the prying eyes. When the weather is clear, people on the mainland can even look. The cloud wall that reaches the sky and the earth rises from below the sea level and spreads to high altitude, as if supporting the entire sky.
But now, the storm that was once considered an irreversible force of nature has completely dissipated, and the mysterious kingdom behind the storm has opened the door to the mortals of the Loren continent. Even Victoria Wilde, the "Ice and Snow Grand Duke", is at this moment. Can't help but want to feel the wonder of fate.
"Today's last batch of materials has been unloaded on the platform," a middle-aged man's voice suddenly came from the side, causing Victoria to withdraw his gaze towards the sea, "This batch of materials comes from moss woods, including yesterday and the day before yesterday. Those batches that have arrived have exceeded the expected goal and the only thing left to do is to ship them to Tarrond. "Update the fastest computer terminal::/
Victoria turned her head and saw Byron with his messy hair standing beside him, the Imperial Navy Marshal with a happy smile on his face, looking at the sea outside the port with an appreciative look. The majestic officer's cloak draped behind him, but he was pierced with a bandit-like spirit.
"The weather is not good," The Duchess turned her head and nodded gently to the gloomy sky in the distance, "According to my experience, there may be a storm waiting for you tomorrow."
"But our Siren navigators vowed to ensure that the weather will be clear tomorrow," Byron shrugged, "And the naga said the same."
"...Those deep-sea creatures have a different understanding of good weather than people on land like us," the duchess couldn't help frowning, "especially those sea monsters."
"Then we can make a bet, I believe in my pilot, you believe in your experience," Byron laughed, "How about betting on a pound?"
"Not interested," Victoria said casually, "I never bet against anyone."
Byron shrugged boringly, and turned his eyes to the pier not far away. In the long pier extending along the coast, there are a total of six state-of-the-art cargo-guided mechanical ships like small mountains. Floating steadily on the sea, the hidden cargo warehouses under the decks of four of the ships are now open. Under the operation of a series of mechanical devices, a large amount of grain is transferred from the giant trucks on the dock to the cabins like flowing water. Another loading and unloading team was busy beside the remaining two ships, transferring a large number of sealed wooden boxes to the stacking area on the deck.
At this moment, the drizzle is still flying, but a thin layer of energy shields rises from the dock area, covering the entire loading and unloading area in the shield. Those shield generators are shining light blue on the top of the reinforced concrete protective wall. As long as they are still in operation, the dock operation area can guarantee good dry and windless conditions.
And beside another pier farther from the cargo ship, the majestic mechanical battleship "Bitter Winter" watched this scene like a silent giant. The lofty magic wings and the imposing turret stood proudly, and two more A smaller, new-deck frigate is moored next to this huge main ship, and the resupply operations are underway.
At this increasingly busy Beigang Wharf, the loading, unloading, and replenishment operations of a large number of ships are almost non-stop, especially after the beginning of summer, the huge economic stimulus brought by the circum-continental route allows all merchants with a little ability to participate in this event. During the feast, Beigang, which runs on a shaft, has become a real city that never sleeps, and the loading and unloading scenes on the wharf are becoming more and more common to many people.
But the six cargo ships currently undergoing loading operations are extremely special, even so special that the Grand Duke of the North and the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy will personally oversee the situation. The reason is simple: these ships will truly break the blockade of Los Angeles. The "barrier" of mortals on the Lun continent for centuries, they carry a significant mission, a mission that can even be said to have laid the cornerstone of the Community Alliance, they will sail to Tarrond.
This is a more challenging sailing task than opening a circum-continental route. They have to challenge the far sea after crossing the "offshore calm line", which is a dangerous sea area that is "violent, disorderly, and unchallable" in traditional perception.
"I can't believe that we will actually challenge the far sea..." After a long period of silence, the Duchess Victoria finally couldn't help but said, "And the first challenge was on such a large scale, the goal is even more so. The hometown of the legendary dragon...If time goes back a few years, someone mentions this kind of thing to me, I will definitely release the mental retardation identification technique to him as soon as possible."
"Is there such a spell?" Byron's thoughts are obviously not on the same plane as the Duchess, "What is the use of this strange-sounding spell?"
"Yes, and they are very useful spells." The Duchess of Victoria glanced at the marshal next to her. "It is necessary for the big family to identify the heir’s intellectual potential as early as possible to avoid wasting huge training resources. Such spells are used exclusively. In the selection of heirs of nobles under the age of six, in the old days, almost all large families above the earl would use this method to examine their heirs." Update the fastest mobile terminal::
"...Magic is really convenient," Byron curled his lips, "but it sounds pretty unsympathetic."
"It's really ruthless, and this practice of concentrating all resources to at least the elite and giving up the vast majority of ordinary children runs counter to the concept of education and talent reserve promoted by His Majesty," Victoria said blankly, "but you can't I don’t admit it. Sometimes, this effective screening method still has its place."
Byron shrugged and quickly lost interest in this topic. He returned his attention to the voyage mission that was about to begin. After a little thought, he said: "Your Majesty attaches great importance to this voyage. A demonstration of the strength of the alliance and the new order is also a test of the series of efforts we have made so far in Beigang. To be honest, I am not worried about the voyage itself, but I am not so relieved that Beigang will go with us before. The mission performed by Typhon offshore was not the same. After moving away from the land, the communication between the entire fleet and the land would be interrupted."
"You can trust me," the Duchess said in a deep voice, "in this land, there has never been a snowflake beyond the control of the Wilde family."
Byron was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly: "...Then I will be relieved."
After that, he looked at the sea again, and on the weather-beaten face of this "mercenary knight", the expression of seriousness and expectation gradually emerged.
He knows that what he will carry out is probably the riskiest challenge in his half-life, far beyond his leading companions to explore the ancient ruins and the nests of Warcraft. In the old days, his voyage would even be regarded as suicide. Lift, but with the addition of naga technicians and siren navigators and the ocean-going navigation skills they brought, this kind of voyage is now possible, and more importantly, they will be accompanied by a group of giant dragons. , The suicidal voyage in the past may now become a feat that can be recorded in history.
If the old companions who ventured together are still there...will they toast themselves to this epic adventure?
Thinking about it, Byron couldn't help but look forward to the distant Tarrond even more.
……
Near the city center of Beigang, in the lobby on the first floor of the "Northern Exploration and Development Group Reporting Office" nicknamed the "Adventurers' Guild" by business travelers, the once lively windows are now gradually deserted as the evening approaches.
The jingle bell suddenly came, and the sleepy girl Ji Ling who was sitting behind the registration window suddenly woke up and looked towards the door with an unexpected look.
An old man wearing a short black robe, a black cap on his head, and white beard and hair stood there. After looking around in the hall, he strode towards this side.
That black short robe is not very popular in this era. After all, even the masters of the masters with outstanding identities in the past have the concept of pursuing the trend. Now all kinds of "modern dresses" lined with rune interlayers and magic thread Quickly replace the old gloomy and inconvenient mage robes. They have the same casting assist effect and modern and beautiful appearance. But for the registrars who often deal with adventurers recently, this kind of old look is actually not Rarely, their practicality and durability have withstood the test, and for adventurers, they are more accustomed to using the equipment they have been used to, instead of surrendering their lives to "fashion stuff".
But adventurers of this age are not so common.
There was a trace of doubt in her mind, and the girl behind the registration window immediately became energetic, and after the old mage approached, she gave a formulaic smile: "Hello, how can I help you?"
"Registered as an adventurer to Tarrond," the old mage said, with a very easy-going attitude, not like those traditional mages who are also old, with a sense of arrogance that is hard to fade through life's accumulation. Far North Exploration and Development Group, right?"
"You want to register as..." The girl was taken aback, her eyes under the red short hair couldn't help but swept over the old mage twice, "Are you sure you want to register as an adventurer? If you want to join an inspection tour as a scholar You can go next door..."
"It's an adventurer, I'm not too confused yet," the old mage waved his hand, and then glanced suspiciously at the "Instructions for Adventurers" hanging next to the registration window, "What? There is a problem? Is it possible that you still limit it? Is the upper age limit for registration? I have read the promotional materials carefully when I came here, there should be no restrictions on it..."
"This... we do not limit the upper age limit." The girl was a little dazed, and said subconsciously. At the same time, she suddenly felt that this non-restriction of the upper age limit for registration seems to be a loophole, but then again, it is true under normal circumstances. Will there be adventurers who have already come out to take the task? !
"If you don't limit it, it's easy to say," The old mage didn't know what the young girl was muttering in her heart. With a happy expression on his face, he reached out and put his hand in front of the window, "Give me a registration form, little girl."
"This...Okay," the girl nodded dizzy, reached out her hand to take a blank form from the side, and began to explain as if with professional inertia, "Please fill in your age, place of birth, occupation, and adventure time here. And whether there is a team relationship, sign your last name and first name here, and finally trace this rune here to leave your mark..."
"Okay, I know, this set is actually not much different from the previous adventurers' guilds."
The old mage waved his hand impatiently before waiting for the girl to finish. He picked up the form and took a quick glance and took the pen in front of the window to fill it out. But soon he frowned, and the tip of the pen stroked the paper. Mumbled: "Age here...I can't remember it, and I don't remember where I was born. I don't have a problem with my occupation. Adventure time? Can I fill in a few centuries..."
The girl behind the window listened to the old mage’s muttering and she couldn’t help but shake her mouth. She couldn’t help but suspect that the old man in front of her was not actually an adventurer who came to register, but because she ran out of the house because of Alzheimer’s. Maybe it’s more appropriate to call the security guard at this time.
"If you don't remember, then leave it empty," the girl said in her heart to call the security guard, while following the old man's words. This is to take care of the other party's emotions and prevent the poor old man from getting excited. You should know how to fill in the last name, right?"
The girl’s idea is simple: if she has an accurate name, she might be able to help the old man find his family.
Hearing the registrar's words, the old mage frowned slightly, thought about it very seriously, and mumbled while writing: "I really don't remember the last name, although I'm sure I should have a last name, first name …Um, Modil, it’s signed, is that okay?"
:. :