The turbulent water rushed towards the sea, and the splashing water wetted the tidal flats on the shore.
In addition to the Namur Fortress that stood proudly on the south bank of the Solon River, the steel bridge that was built at an unknown time also frightened Earl Dell.
He had never seen such a bridge before. In his inherent value concept, using precious "iron" to forge a bridge was simply something he could not even imagine.
After a while,
Under the signal of Earl Dale, the convoy that had been stagnant on the banks of the Solon River for a long time finally began to move forward slowly.
The wooden wheels carrying the heavy wooden boxes pressed against the spacious steel bridge, but did not cause the bridge in front of him to shake even slightly. This made Earl Dale secretly shocked.
This bridge built over a surging river turned out to be as stable and strong as the ground, which also caused Earl Dale's mentality to continue to change.
Earl Dale is a smart man.
But precisely because he is a smart man, he was able to detect the unusualness of Idar Territory in these scattered details.
"stop!"
As soon as they crossed the bridge, the Idar soldiers on duty at the port of the Solon River interrupted Earl Dale's thoughts and stopped the group of people unceremoniously.
"This is Idar Customs. Please inform us of your departure and destination, and briefly outline the type and quantity of the goods you are carrying." An official who looked like a staff member led several guards and walked over slowly.
"Be bold!"
Mrs. Dennis frowned and scolded.
As an aristocratic lady, she had never been so rudely scolded by these ordinary, lowest-level officials.
But having said that, the attitude displayed by the officials in Idar was not really as "discourteous" as Mrs. Dennis thought.
It's mostly Mrs. Danny's own reasons.
She had long been accustomed to the flattery and respect of others, so the somewhat bland attitude and tone of the Idar man in front of her made her feel quite displeased.
Earl Dale turned around and glared at his wife fiercely.
Although he didn't like the way the Idar man in front of him looked at him - calm and indifferent, he couldn't see the slightest awe for him in that man's eyes.
But... at this time, after all, I have something to ask for.
In addition, he had already arrived at the territory of Idar at this moment, so Earl Dale did not want to cause more trouble.
"Woolley Dennis, Earl of Dale, comes from the Dale Hills in the north. As for the destination... I haven't thought about it clearly yet." Woolley Dennis said in a mysterious way.
In fact, his original idea was very clear, that is, to leave this dangerous place in the eastern part of the empire as soon as possible, but... when he came to Idar's territory, the moment he was about to speak his words, Earl Dale hesitated.
He didn't know why, but there was no doubt that the "Regulations on the Movement of Nobles in the Eastern Empire and the Guidelines for Immigration of Nobles" signed by Bruno made a deep impression on him.
Different from the single requirement of high tolls when leading to the interior of the empire, Bruno made extremely strict restrictions on the ways and means for the Norman nobles to immigrate to the Idar territory, and formulated many rules that made Earl Dale feel very strange.
condition.
For example...
Norman nobles who wanted to settle in the territory of Idar had to pay a settlement fee of 1,666 gold coins to Bruno Stuart, Earl of Idar, and give up their legal claims to the original noble territory.
In addition, at least 120 legal jobs must be provided for the people of Idar!
Linking the immigration requirements of the nobles with the employment needs of the lower class people was a strange condition that Earl Dale had never encountered before.
And besides that…
According to the explanation in the document by Bruno Stuart, Count of Idar, the title of the Norman nobles who settled in the territory of Idar must not be higher than that of the earl. If their title is higher than the earl, they should actively destroy all titles higher than the earl.
Titles and claims.
At the same time, all nobles must unconditionally obey the legal provisions of the Idar Territory. When there is a conflict between the Idar Laws and the contents of the Imperial Code, the legal provisions of the Idar Territory should prevail!
If one were to enumerate the many provisions regarding the nobility in the immigration guidelines, they could be summed up in one word: Get out!
That’s right!
In the view of Woolley Dennis, Earl of Dale, no nobleman would approve the immigration guidelines issued by the Idars. If anyone accepted it, he would simply be a sinner who had betrayed his family ancestors.
What's more, Bruno's move almost made it clear that he wanted to build Idarland into a country within a country located in the eastern part of the Norman Empire!
It is precisely for this reason that when the words "I didn't think clearly" came out of Earl Dale's mouth, even Earl Dale himself was a little confused.
Because he really couldn't figure out why he would give such a reply under the guidance of his extremely smart little brain.
Immigration is impossible!
It is impossible to immigrate in this life!
Shouldn't he say very firmly that he wants to go to the interior of the empire through the Idar Territory?
"Earl Dale..."
Even though he had already predicted it, when these words reached the ears of the Idar official, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
The earl expected it well!
The nobles whose fiefdoms were located to the north of Idar finally succumbed to the domineering spirit of Bruno Stuart, Earl of Idar and the intimidation of the Odin people. Whether they were allowed to immigrate or pass, this would make them
Idar received a large amount of additional income!
"Count the belongings! Check the registration!"
The Idar official waved his hand, and the staff who had been waiting around for a long time stepped forward to unpack and inspect the wooden boxes carried on the carriage one by one.
"It's better than this..."
Taking advantage of this gap, Earl Dale winked at his butler, and the old butler walked forward with a smile and took out a few gold coins from his cloth pocket.
"Sir, these properties are the savings accumulated by my Lord Earl for generations. I hope you can make it easier." The old housekeeper said tremblingly.
I saw the Idar official looking at the gold coins held by the old housekeeper with vigour, and then he raised his head, with a bright smile on his originally very calm face.
The Idar official touched the gold coin in his hand seriously, and then... his expression suddenly became extremely serious:
"According to the relevant provisions of the "Integrity and Self-Discipline Regulations for Public Officials in Idar Land", public officials in Idar Land who are suspected of openly offering bribes shall be charged a fine equivalent to three times the amount of the bribe from the briber!"
What?!
What the hell is going on!
The moment he heard these words, Earl Dale was stunned, and the old housekeeper was even more stunned.
Bruno has long been aware of this widespread situation across the empire, so...
With proper deterrence and fair judgment, when Bruno punished several Idar officials for accepting bribes to scare the monkeys, the morale of the Idar leader was shaken!
The first stop into the Idar Territory was met with disappointment, which undoubtedly made Count Dale feel quite unhappy.
but……
Unhappy as he was, through this incident, he once again realized what was unusual about the Idar Territory.
He paid the fine honestly and reported his belongings to Idar Customs. When Earl Dale successfully passed the Solon River port and set foot on the land of Idar Territory, he felt his fragile little heart thumping again.
Get up for vigorous exercise.
The sun sets and night is approaching.
A series of lamps lit up the winding road, and the lights that illuminated the fields in the deepening night seemed to scare the little heart out of Earl Dale.
He doesn't understand what a magic circle is, let alone what magic industrialization is, but...
Those bright street lights erected on both sides of the road shattered his original values, making it difficult to achieve even the most basic logical self-consistency...
What the hell is going on with this world?!
At this moment, these words gradually occupied Earl Dale's mind, and they could not get out of his mind from beginning to end.
"Master...should we continue on our way?" the old housekeeper asked cautiously.
According to the original plan, since the visibility was greatly affected at night, the convoy would stop and rest after entering the Idar Territory.
However, looking at the bright lights in front of him, the old housekeeper suddenly became a little overwhelmed.
If Count Dale hadn't just borne all the fines and a bail amount of dozens of gold coins for him, the old housekeeper might have been arrested by the policemen of the Idar Public Security Bureau at this time.
So much so that at this moment, he was still a little frightened and trembling.
"Since the Idar people have lit up lights around the road..." Earl Dale swallowed his tears, and then made a decision:
"...Then we will continue on our way and wait until we reach the Glen Highlands ahead to rest!"
From the fiefdom of Earl Dale to the territory of Idar, the coachmen and private soldiers who were responsible for transporting the property were already extremely tired, but...
Seeing this miraculous sight in front of them, their previous drowsiness and sleepiness were wiped away at this moment, and they all looked at the bright lights in front of them with their eyes wide open.
You know, the lights that stay on for a long time at night are a privilege only nobles can have!
But in the Idar Territory, on the land beneath their feet, the bright lights seemed to illuminate the spacious roads without spending any resources or money, creating a long dragon woven of lights in the gradually falling night.
.
How did the Idar Territory do it? How did they maintain this continuous light?
"How much waste will this cause? For the Idar people...it is impossible for these lights to be free..." Mrs. Dennis murmured.
actually……
Mrs. Dennis really guessed it right!
Magic is not only a clean energy source in Idarland, but also a top-notch bug that can be recycled and regenerated countless times!
Because the magic power from the Asset Basin is so abundant, a large amount of magic power is continuously transmitted to the Idar territory at all times under the dual effects of magic crystal wires and Stonehenge.
on the land.
The magic industrialization of Idar Territory is still in its infancy, so after satisfying the magic supply of Idar Steel Factory and several other magic factories, most of the unused magic power will be used in the magic well.
The bottom is reassembled into the Asset Basin, thus forming a magic closed loop in a macro sense, a matryoshka structure that can circulate infinitely!
so……
Since he did not need the magic cost for daily maintenance, Bruno simply built these street lamps driven by magic on the entire Idar Avenue that runs through the north and south of the Idar Territory.
The bright lights of Idar Avenue at night have greatly promoted the connections between various parts of Idar Territory and facilitated business travelers traveling between Idar Territory and various parts of the empire.
Even though it was shrouded in darkness at this moment, there were still many pedestrians on Idar Avenue.
Among them were business travelers, civilians from the Idar Territory, and even troubadours who came here for their fame...
The mix of pedestrians of all kinds has greatly increased the pressure and burden on the Idar Public Security Bureau, but it has gradually made this originally remote and desolate territory come alive.
"Look at the latest issue of the daily newspaper! The Odin people are starting to act stupidly again!"
Suddenly, a shout came from the roadside not far away.
The moment he heard the words "Odin's Empire", Count Dale, who was in the carriage with his eyes closed and meditating, suddenly opened the curtain on the carriage.
Looking in the direction where the sound came from, he suddenly felt a little shocked.
A lot of pedestrians gathered on the roadside not far away. They sat around and discussed information that Earl Dale considered to be top secret.
"It is said that news came from the north of the empire that Odin's army has begun to gather! The first target is our Idar Territory!" A middle-aged man in ragged clothes said solemnly.
"No matter how many people from Odin come, they will all be defeated by our Idar soldiers! In my opinion, even if the Odin people don't come, we should take the initiative to fight over!" A young man said with confidence.
The young man's words evoked a chorus of approval.
After such a long period of subtle influence, the rich effect attributes of martial virtue have been integrated into the words and deeds of Idar people.
Therefore, after enduring long-term pressure from the Odin people, even the people at the lowest level in the Idar Territory are full of hatred for the Odin people!
The carriage had already stopped at the signal of Earl Dale, but...he was stunned when he heard these heated discussions in his ears.
Because based on the simple clothes of those people and the information revealed in their words, he was almost certain that these people in front of him were all the most ordinary people in Idar's territory!
But it is this group of people who are extremely concerned about the future of the Idar Territory, and they can talk about everything that happens in the north of the empire!
How is this possible! Who told them this?
Since entering the land of Idar Territory, Earl Dale has been shocked by these unheard-of things again and again, including bridges made of "iron", honest and efficient officials, and even bright street lights on the roadside...
When faced with this, Earl Dale was indeed shocked from ear to ear, but he held back.
However, at this moment, while listening to the humble commoners and serfs sitting around the roadside discussing the secrets of the northern frontier of the empire, he finally couldn't help but ask: