Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 791 - 790: Faintly Emerging

The crisp ringing sound occasionally echoed across the Fountain Garden Square in front of the main gate. Rebecca was happily riding her new "toy," circling around the flower beds again and again. The helpless attendants could only stand not far away or follow closely, always ready to help the princess up if she fell.

However, compared to the beginning, Rebecca was evidently much more skilled at this moment. At least she wouldn’t crash headfirst into the flower beds anymore.

Behind the tall windows of the study, Gawain silently retracted his gaze from the square.

"A two-wheeled vehicle... the Typhon Empire has really come up with something interesting," Amber’s voice came from behind him, "According to the scholars and advisers from the Administrative Office, this seemingly simple transportation tool has enormous potential value. It’s flexible, convenient, and low-cost. Any ordinary person with functional limbs can skillfully use it after a short period of learning. As long as the road is relatively flat, it can be used. Its promotion threshold is even lower than that of ancient magical devices... it’s a good thing."

Gawain didn’t speak for a moment.

The thoughts running through his mind were known to no one else.

Although its appearance didn’t completely resemble the "bicycle" from his memory, the principle and general structure of the thing were not much different from the ones he was familiar with. However... before he could promote this thing in the Cecil Clan, the Typhon Empire had already taken the lead.

Seeing that Gawain didn’t respond immediately, Amber couldn’t help but ask, "What’s wrong? Feeling out of place because the Typhon Empire is ahead in ’technological innovation’?"

"Of course not," Gawain shook his head, "To be honest, in the Anzu Era, the Typhon Empire was always ahead in the technical field. We were only ahead for a few years due to Magic Guide Technology. Moreover, considering the practical situation, it was inevitable that the Typhon Empire would create such a flexible and convenient mode of transportation before us."

"Oh? How so?"

"Their road renovation and leveling projects started earlier than ours. When Anzu was busy with internal strife, Typhon’s towns and villages already had wide new roads. Whereas now, even if we work at full capacity, we can only ensure that the roads between major cities and towns meet new standards," Gawain turned his head, "In the end, the birth of a new thing doesn’t happen just by clapping your hands. Without environmental support, no new thing fitted to the environment will emerge.

"More than these, what I’m more concerned about is when did this ’two-wheeled vehicle’ prototype appear? Its current level of completion is quite high, so it shouldn’t have just emerged recently..."

Amber blinked, quickly recalling relevant information: "... There indeed were earlier ’prototypes.’ Over ten years ago, Typhon craftsmen built a wooden powered vehicle, but not many people paid attention to it, considering it merely a novel plaything. Later, other craftsmen made several improvements, but still, few were interested in it. Until half a year ago, when the number of factories in the Aldernon Region surged, a large number of workers needed to work in factories, and many people related to the factories had to move around. With more factories and workers, workers’ living areas grew further from city centers—then, the ’two-wheeled vehicle,’ which had not drawn much attention, caught the eyes of some sharp merchants.

"According to information from the ’Trajectory,’ this mode of transportation is currently becoming popular among the middle-class citizens in Aldernon, mainly stable-income technical workers, foremen, small and medium-sized lawyers, and respectable business personnel. As for grassroots workers, they can’t afford the two-wheeled vehicle’s price yet. However, some Typhon aristocrats have initiated the ’Two-wheeled Vehicle Welfare Program,’ calling on factories to fund the purchase of a cheaper version of the two-wheeled vehicle and lend it to workers. Workers can own the vehicle ’for free’ if they work in the factory for a certain number of years. This plan has been widely embraced and should be implemented shortly—both factory owners and workers welcome it and feel they have benefitted greatly from it."

"... Factory owners can always recoup costs from their workers, and workers feel pressure from commuting is alleviated. Ultimately, capital always sparks the ingenuity of capitalists," Gawain thought for a moment and said with a faint smile, "However, regardless of anything else, the product itself is good, and we can also use it... Most of the southern borders’ road conditions have already improved significantly, allowing these two-wheeled vehicles to come in handy. The technical difficulty isn’t high, and the factory there can start replicating it."

At this point, he stopped and fell into brief contemplation.

Magic-conducting machinery and factory production don’t just have a single, superficial impact on a society. Industrialization is a chain reaction. Once its source starts operating, all related aspects of society inevitably start to change.

Factories need ordinary people as workers, and these ordinary people’s roles in society’s operation become magnified. So, whether or not the upper echelons of the Typhon Empire are willing, they will include ordinary people in their field of vision—even if it’s only to view them as cogs and wallets.

The two-wheeled vehicle made especially for ordinary people is only a beginning—it represents not just a few shrewd Typhon merchants discovering a new business opportunity but a change already happening in the mindset of some members of the Typhon upper class who possess knowledge and production materials.

And once such a change occurs, their ability to utilize Magic Guide Technology will inevitably increase rapidly, which, for Gawain, is a pressure but also something he hopes to see.

He once again fell into a conflicted yet expectant state of mind.

Amber curiously watched Gawain: "What are you thinking?"

"The Typhon Empire... has become more flexible in its thinking," Gawain slowly said with a hint of exclamation, "but it’s also a good thing."

"...Although I don’t quite understand how much complicated thinking you did in those few seconds, I still remember you saying that others’ development isn’t a bad thing. We just need to ensure we always develop faster than others," Amber quoted a line from the "Holy Gibberish of Emperor Gawain Cecil" she had recorded and then shifted the topic, "Speaking of Typhon... considering the time, Princess Matilda should be arriving soon."

"Matilda Augustus..." Gawain pressed his fingers against his chin, thinking, "According to the information Maryland and Sir Philip provided, the princess is someone very concerned with Magic Guide Technology. Although it’s not excluded that she’s deliberately showing this attitude, she is indeed quite knowledgeable about some specialized Magic Guide knowledge."

Amber gave Gawain a glance: "Are you worried she’ll discern something from Cecil’s Magic Guide Technology and thus affect the concealment of ’Number Twenty-five’ over there?"

"That’s not the case; ’Number Twenty-five’ has always been cautious. The technology he releases is all mutated, and he also prepared very complete ’research evidence,’ leaving no room for suspicion," Gawain shook his head, "I’m just somewhat curious whether Princess Typhon’s interest in Magic Guide Technology is merely showcasing a certain attitude of the Typhon Royal Family... or if it’s truly her personal preference. If it’s the latter... I’d be glad to establish a good relationship with her and, with her help, send some ’gifts’ prepared for Typhon in an even more natural and reasonable way..."

Seeing the classic scheming look on Gawain’s face, Amber wanted to roll her eyes right there but feared that a slap would actually plaster her onto the wall. So she forcibly suppressed her urge to speak up and changed the topic: "Speaking of the Typhon Royal Family, the Intelligence Agency has been investigating the Augustus Clan’s hereditary ’madness’ recently, and we’ve found something interesting."

"Oh?" Gawain raised an eyebrow. "Let’s hear it."

Understanding one’s opponent is the basis for self-preservation. Based on this, since the war of unification on the southern borders, Gawain had been keeping an eye on Typhon’s Augustus Clan, especially their famous legend of the ’madness curse’. Gathering intelligence on this matter was a priority for the Intelligence Agency in Typhon. Upon hearing there was new information, he immediately became attentive.

"According to previously gathered, relatively public intelligence, we already know that the ’madness’ of the Augustus Clan was not always present; it only appeared after the event known as the ’Great Collapse’ two hundred years ago," Amber immediately began her report. "Two hundred years ago, the old imperial capital of Typhon collapsed due to a massive earthquake and sank underground, but before the collapse occurred, the Typhon Emperor of the time foresaw the disaster and evacuated in advance, thus avoiding any casualties. It was only after that that members of the Augustus family began to be plagued by the madness curse..."

"In the latest intelligence we collected, there is an explanation for this ’curse’ that appeared after the Great Collapse.

"Some upper-class Typhon aristocrats and scholars suggest that the old imperial capital’s collapse two hundred years ago was not a natural disaster but a man-made one. It was the result of the Typhon royal family’s attempt to extract some forbidden power from the earth, which led to backlash and caused the Great Collapse. Therefore, the Typhon Emperor at that time didn’t foresee a disaster but rather knew about the loss of control in the ritual, which prompted the evacuation.

"As for the so-called madness, it’s supposedly the aftermath of this backlash—the uncontrolled powers from the depths of the earth polluted the Augustus family’s souls and have been passed down through generations to this day."

"Man-made disaster... trying to extract power from the depths of the earth?" Gawain furrowed his brows. "That sounds more like an absurd court tale. Such defamatory rumors against the royal family must be considered taboo in Typhon, right?"

"Of course, no one dares to openly discuss these tales; discussing them publicly is akin to courting death—the Typhon Royal Family has always been strong-handed, which is quite different from Anzu’s royal family back in the day," Amber nodded. "However, these kinds of tales persistently remain hidden and continue to circulate among some less than honest aristocrats and scholars.

"In his early years, Emperor Rosetta Augustus used all kinds of strong-handed methods to push for reforms but was restricted by the domestic situation, so he couldn’t be as thorough as you. This left many disgruntled aristocrats within Typhon. These. aristocrats perhaps wouldn’t oppose Rosetta’s rule, but they surely wouldn’t mind privately discussing some ’small stories’ about the Augustus family.

"These small stories may sound absurd, but since they dare to involve the royal family and are able to circulate among numerous scholars and Transcendents, there must be some truth in them..."

Gawain glanced at Amber: "It seems you’ve already filtered and verified what you’ve told me?"

"We’ve sifted out the overly ridiculous and malicious parts, keeping only the portions that can corroborate with various versions of rumors and legends," Amber nodded, "I can’t say this is the truth, but the fact that the Augustus family stirred something up two hundred years ago, leading to the hereditary madness, is likely true."

"...Now I’m a bit curious as to what’s buried beneath their collapsed old imperial capital," Gawain remarked, his voice calm, "Under the deep sea lies the God of Storm, beneath the Dark Mountain Range lies the defied Fortress, and the heritage from the Inversion Tide Empire is connected under the Sorin Giant Tree... In this world, digging into the earth is not exactly a safe venture."

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but entertain another somewhat odd thought:

Would Princess Matilda Augustus, who is about to visit, also carry this curse destined to invite madness?

...

In the circular hall of the Central Temple within the dream city, Selena Gerfen’s figure had just solidified in the air when the voice of Archbishop Yuri rang beside her:

"Archbishop Selena, there has been an issue with our initial probe into Sandbox One."

"I know," Selena’s figure solidified and she looked at Yuri, who was clad in a white robe. "What’s the situation specifically?"

"The first batch of Spirit Knights entered Sandbox One and arrived in a deserted city. They found records of chaotic madness in the city, which described that the world had ended, and all living beings had escaped meaningless Samsara. After exploring the city’s outskirts, the operatives confirmed there were no residents," Archbishop Yuri spoke quickly. "Using that Spirit Knight squad as a mental beacon, we finally restored surveillance over Sandbox One and discovered... all minds inside have truly disappeared!"

Selena Gerfen’s expression suddenly turned serious: "All of them—including the real testers, as well as all the virtual personalities simulated by the sandbox?"

"Yes, all of them," Archbishop Yuri nodded. "There are no ’residents’ left within Sandbox One, and it likely was ’emptied’ early during the sandbox’s closure. Previously, the phantom town we explored showed empty scenes. We once suspected it was a ’phenomenon’ caused by projection distortion, but now it seems that empty state was not a ’distorted phenomenon’ but the true state of Sandbox One—it’s idling! It’s been idling all along."

A Sandbox One that was already out of control for a long time, which should have contained tens of thousands of ’residents’, was conducting high-speed evolution internally, and in its early stages of loss of control, had projected resident illusions, has long been empty.

The minds within... where did they go?

The ’residents’ it projected in its early stages, the ’priests’ in the phantom town... what exactly were they?

Despite having lost her physical body in the real world, Selena Gerfen still felt a peculiar chill suddenly rising up.