Belica took out the mechanical pocket watch and took a look at it.
This is a product of precision and advanced goblin technology. Only top goblin engineers can polish every part and gear to make the hands on the pocket watch move on time and stably.
Some people always say that goblin inventions are crude and crude, but it is precisely because of these cheap and usable things that more people can master them.
Expensive and fine things were the privilege of the imperial elite.
The time is 17:31.
When the sun sets.
The imperial delegation arrived outside the royal city of the Resurrection Kingdom.
What came to greet him was an army led by Skeleton Knights. They said nothing and continued to fight in silence.
Belica saw a huge vehicle driving on the field, with thick smoke on the front, and rows of bone rollers behind the vehicle, plowing evenly across the ground.
He narrowed his eyes.
Farm tools and teeth] is also one of the goals this time.
The imperial mission was solemnly received by the Resurrection Kingdom. Although the two sides had minor frictions in the past, trade and exchanges between them have never been interrupted.
The only thing that has changed is the status between the two.
In the past, the Resurrection Kingdom was considered a barbaric and stupid land of the undead, a pasture and farm at the rear of the empire. However, when this place was favored by the God Yao, everything became completely different.
In just a hundred years, the Skeleton Kingdom, which used to be submissive to the empire, became a prosperous emerging civilization.
The Resurrection Kingdom has trained a skeleton army that is not afraid of death. It sits on vast fields and grasslands, is self-sufficient internally, and exports large amounts of food, leather, and meat to the outside world.
Because skeleton mercenaries are of high quality, low price, orderly, and have an excellent reputation, they have even begun to undertake partial standing military defense tasks for some vassal civilizations.
The Resurrection Kingdom bypasses the Empire and trades and communicates directly with other client civilizations.
There were many protests and condemnations from the Empire, but the gods remained silent.
That was a place shrouded by the divine power of Yao, and the gods had no right to interfere.
After the Anvil Federation was integrated into the Resurrection Kingdom, it made up for its shortcomings in smelting and mining. The rise of this young kingdom has become unstoppable.
The empire fell into great turmoil.
First, there was the mysterious explosion of Iron Wubao and Sweet City, and the sudden impact and arrival of another world, causing these two cities to disappear into thin air.
This indirectly led to the death of Iron Duke, the holder of Ironwood Castle.
Later, the new duke was poisoned, and the entire duchy was returned to the empire. The sole heir, Ferric Baron, went into exile in the Resurrection Kingdom, and the title of Iron Duke almost existed in name only.
On the other side, the Earl of Spice, who controlled Sweet City, lost his vitality and lost his sugar-making town. The Earl of Spice lost his monopoly on sugar products. His heir also died in the Sweet City incident. Now, the Earl of Spice has become seven
The lesser forces among the elected emperors were in danger under the emperor's power.
This incident was called the "Fortress Explosion", which directly caused the mutual distrust between the elector and the emperor, causing overt and covert confrontation with each other, and the separatism of the feudal towns became increasingly serious.
Belica also discussed with his friends at the time: "It's not a good thing anyway, and anyone who dies will die a good death."
The friend said: "So what is a good situation?"
"Of course it is like this now, the more chaotic the better."
Belica grinned: "I just wanted to have some fun. It would be such a wonderful thing to witness the collapse of an empire."
Not long after, Belica was found by the apostles.
"The empire wants to hire you to work for them, so prepare yourself."
"my pleasure."
Belica obeyed the order.
Although he is working for the empire, he is not from the empire, but from the popular world].
In the popular world, tempering skills are indeed quite good, and those who can hang out here are elites from all walks of life. However, no matter how good the skills are, they must be tested in actual combat.
Facing the foreign minister of the empire, Belica raised his head, put one hand on his shoulder, and said solemnly according to imperial etiquette: "For the empire! Loyalty!"
He then became a technical officer in the Imperial Invention Department.
The technology of the invention department usually refers to goblin technology, construction engineering, smelting and casting, or mechanical design.
Belica's specialty is stealing.
He is a rising star in the popular world of thievery.
Coming to the Resurrection Kingdom, Belica's imperial mission is to steal two things.
The manufacturing technology of "Kenya" and the formula of the magic medicine "Jiuxin Pill".
…
In his own eyes, the defense of the Resurrection Kingdom was nothing. Belica collected the complete technology of Ken Ya through on-the-spot investigation, consultation, and visits. He even made a small model and gave it to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
As for the Jiuxin Pill, this is not something that the Resurrection Kingdom can produce. The magic potion developed by the Yao people is only delivered as a finished product. The pharmaceutical process is very complicated and the local production conditions are not available.
Belica's work was completed so easily, which made him feel a little empty.
The remaining time is to count the days to return to the empire and receive the reward.
Belica likes goblin technology, especially high-end props.
The mechanical pocket watch he holds, the silver flagon that can hold three kinds of wine in layers, and the belt that can hold various gadgets are all high-end goods made by goblin inventors.
The reward this time is a clockwork motorcycle. As long as he winds up the clockwork, he can ride that handsome motorcycle across the fields and roads.
A few days later, Belica participated in a formal meeting between the two countries.
Nominally, he is the technical officer of the Invention Department and is present as a staff officer.
King Raymond also personally participated in the meeting.
The foreign minister of the empire kept his posture very low, and said with a smile on his face: "...Now there are some bad voices and rumors saying that His Majesty the Emperor is ill, and there are also rumors that it was a 'big explosion in the castle' made by the empire.
It is a man-made accident, which is all nonsense. His Majesty the Emperor hopes that the Resurrection Kingdom can support the Empire as always and continue normal trade between the two sides."
The skeleton emperor sat at the top and said yes.
"So, His Majesty the King supports His Majesty the Emperor, right?"
"of course."
"There was a rumor in the imperial capital..."
The minister squeezed the parchment with his hand and prepared the words: "It is said that there is a powerful external force that is interfering and influencing the electors, and even affecting the final direction of the empire's internal affairs. Your Majesty the King, what do you think of this?
?”
"I've never heard of this."
King Raymond shook his head.
The minister said cautiously: "You mean, the Resurrection Kingdom should not be related to this matter?"
Raymond's dark eyes turned towards the minister, and his voice became lowered: "You ask me if I support it, I do, and I will tell you this clearly."
"You foreign ministers, don't think about making big news everywhere, saying that I am some kind of external force and interfering in the internal affairs of the empire, so that you can criticize me."
The king raised his skeletal finger, shook it gently, and pointed at the minister with an elder's attitude: "I could have said nothing, but then you would think it was acquiescence and arrogance, and you would be unhappy."
"The elections and order within the empire are conducted in accordance with the laws and regulations of the empire. Now the empire is an internal affair. The Yao people never interfere in the internal affairs of other worlds and civilizations... You guys, don't hear that wind is rain."
The minister wanted to say something several times, but was interrupted. Finally, the king left the table directly.
Seeing the empire's diplomatic dilemma, Belica couldn't help but sigh,
This huge empire has indeed lost its majesty.
When returning, the Twin Snakes Empire brought back a skeleton army of 5,000 people through diplomatic trade, which will be used to supplement the defense force of the imperial capital.
The Resurrection Kingdom also sent an envoy to visit the Empire, and Belica was given a new mission.
"You will serve as their guide and attendant."
The Foreign Secretary pointed to the two people in the distance and said: "Watch them, remember their every move, and then tell me."
"No, this is different from what was promised."
Belica protested.
"You have no right to refuse."
The Foreign Secretary said coldly: "Either do it and go to the Invention Department to pick up the car, or go to the mining area to dig coal."
"..."
The situation is stronger than the people.
Belica could only curse in his heart.
shameless!
The empire does not follow the rules and is much crueler than the liars and thieves in the popular world.
…
The two men Belica was following were the one in yellow clothes named Yazdan and the other a long-eared rabbit named Baiding.
Both of these two people came from Shacheng, Yao State, and were news collectors at the Di Newspaper Office.
The job of the news collector is to visit everywhere and send the collected events to the newspaper office, and then publish them in the form of newspapers so that more people can see them.
Yazdan feels cold and inaccessible, like some kind of humanoid stone.
Bai Ding, the rabbit man, is friendly and talkative.
They have a special powder called Xingnao Mint that can easily eliminate language barriers.
"Mr. Belica is from an ethnic minority, but he can serve as a technical officer in the Imperial Invention Department. It is really amazing."
Bai Ding smiled and said: "What kind of invention are you engaged in?"
"The things I make are relatively unpopular, and I tend to focus on door locks."
Belica replied.
As an experienced thief, dealing with various door locks is a must-have basic skill.
"Then I don't know which lock is safer? I've heard of iron locks and wooden locks, but I don't quite understand the difference."
"It depends on the usage environment."
Belica gestured: "If it's a door lock, it can be made of wood, stone, or metal, as long as it prevents people from opening it. The key is to make people retreat. If you really want to break in at all costs, unless you
The iron door of the stone chamber would otherwise be knocked open by external forces."
"If it is a lock used to store containers, or a lock used to lock people or objects, it needs to be strong and sophisticated. At present, yellow locks are still the best to use."
"This is also a technology with a long history. Several or more than a dozen yellow pieces are used to form a specific shape inside the iron lock or copper lock, which can only be opened by a specific key."
"However, the lock is a man-made thing after all. As long as you meet someone who understands the principle, it will always be opened. This kind of tool focuses on short-term locking and design ideas."
"Amazing! Mr. Belica is really an inventor with deep research!"
Bai Ding looked impressed.
A faint smile appeared on Belica's lips.
In the popular industry where competition is fierce, getting ahead is just a basic course.
"In addition, I also have experience in knife polishing, small hook locks and iron and copper wire making. These tools are planted in a delicate..."
"Really? I heard that the Yao people's research on copper wires and iron wires is still at a bottleneck. Do you really know such a technology?"
"Of course, although the copper and iron drawing technology is a bit complicated to operate, it is actually not difficult."
…
Both parties were in lively communication along the way.
The collectors had a wide range of knowledge, and Belica also benefited a lot from it and obtained a lot of information that he had never had before.
After arriving at the imperial capital of the Twin Snakes Empire, Bai Ding suddenly said: "Mr. Belica, I can confirm that you are the talented scholar that the Yao people dream of. Are you willing to become a scholar in the Yao Kingdom or the Resurrection Kingdom?"
"..."
This is outrageous.
Belica sternly refused: "I am a technical officer in the Empire's Invention Department and I serve the Empire."
The main reason is that he is not a scholar and his background is not clean. In the past, he was found to have stolen technology from the Yao people and was finished.
"Then would you like to be our special interviewer?"
Bai Ding still refused to give up: "Becoming a news collector, you can open a column in the "Shachengdi Newspaper" to talk about the situation in the empire, and also explain your non-confidential skills and experiences in lock picking or related aspects."
"Every issue of Di Bao is watched by 100,000 people. A top scholar like you really shouldn't be so unknown."
"Isn't this not good?"
"Of course, we will pay you the highest standard for every issue of your article!"
Bai Ding came to Yazdan and quoted an irresistible price.
Belica immediately said: "Since you are so enthusiastic, then I will reluctantly write it. If the writing is not good, please don't dislike it."
Write an article and the newspaper office will give you a box of heart-saving pills.
According to the market price of Jiuxin Pills in the empire, if you sell just one pill, you can exchange it for a clockwork motorcycle! There are three pills in a box! These are all hard currency.
The Yao people are indeed rich and wealthy, much better than the two-snake empire.
Belica's mood was a little complicated.
only.
How come I, an elite in the theft industry, have become a columnist?