Frost Rose, District 1, former Rulna country, clock tower capital Mozwa.
Chimneys in the suburbs emit thick black smoke, and neat rows of factories are densely packed on both sides of the river. Tall ships slowly pass by on the river, bringing with them long wakes. These ships enter from the distant estuary.
Inland, various heavy cargoes are constantly being unloaded, some are black coal, and some are heavy metals.
These things are transported from various places and then gathered here. They will be processed into various alchemical products and then sold to various places. These include weapons, cannons, clocks, telescopes, metal parts, etc., and the huge profits generated make them
The alchemists of Lurna are extremely wealthy.
The streets in the city are very spacious, and the brass street lamps are exquisitely shaped. Unfortunately, some corners have been covered with a layer of light rust.
There was a small amount of water on the road after the rain. As the carriages passed by quickly, there was a splash of water. Some of these carriages were pulled by horses, and some relied on machines to run. Or they should not be called carriages, but magic locomotives.
more appropriate.
As a magic motorcycle stopped, first a middle-aged man who looked like a housekeeper got out of the car, then he opened the door and helped a girl in a blue dress to get off gently.
The high heels stepped on the wet floor, and a slight splash sounded. The girl with blond hair and blue skirt looked up at the tall building in front of her. The long spire extended to the sky. There were four huge stone pillars in front of the main entrance.
, people in clothes and leather shoes kept going in and out of the door, and various conversations could be heard from inside.
"Is this the branch of the Aoni Chamber of Commerce?" The girl held up her skirt and walked in front, with several bodyguards in black walking behind. Looking at the exquisite patterns on the mechanical swords in the hands of these bodyguards, you knew that these were
An exquisite alchemical creation after enchantment.
"Yes, Miss."
The steward on the side led the way and then introduced the background of the Aoni Chamber of Commerce.
"The Aoni Chamber of Commerce mainly deals in books and paper manufacturing, and is also involved in opera and performance industries."
"It is said that over the years, they have trained a group of famous singers to perform operas and poems, which has greatly increased their book sales," the housekeeper continued.
"Then their products should be very popular among the nobles or wealthy ladies. Why not set up their headquarters here? The rich people in Mozwa should be among the top three in Xuehua Seven. Besides, they are relatively
Compared with the profit-minded Ubere businessmen, the alchemists and scholars in our country are more interested in literature and drama, and have more guests."
"Well, it is said that most of their paper mills are located on the Verga side, because they are close to forest farms and some raw material production areas, which is more convenient. Later, Verga split, and they were also assigned to the west side, and only part of the industry was transferred over."
"New Verga..." The blond lady was thoughtful, then walked into the hall and looked at the rows of windows and the long queue.
"There are a lot of people here. Have you made a reservation in advance?"
"The appointment has been made. Madam, please come with me. The person in charge of Aoni's branch is on the third floor." The housekeeper walked in front, and then asked a follower behind him to contact the waiter in the chamber of commerce first.
Soon after, several officers in neat uniforms came forward to greet him.
"Welcome to visit the eldest lady of the Shelia family, please come with us." A long red carpet was put down, and then people stood on both sides and bowed in salute.
Looking at the grand scene in the hall, some people nearby began to talk about it.
"Who is that lady? The Aoni Chamber of Commerce welcomes her so much."
"I don't know, but judging from her appearance and the bodyguards around her, she should be from a big family."
"I've never seen her before, but she is really beautiful." One guest exclaimed.
"Okay, okay, just those few words that come and go. You are also a literature lover after all. Don't you know other adjectives?"
"Isn't this just casual? It's better to be simple in life. By the way, do any of you know that lady? I want to know her name."
"But I don't know either."
"I don't know."
After a long time, a voice came from the corner: "That is the leader of the hour hand faction, the eldest lady of the Shelia family, Letis."
As the words fell, the blond girl also disappeared around the corner of the stairs.
As the former capital of Lurna, Mozwa is known as the capital of clock towers. This is because in the early years, clocks were precision creations that only a few alchemists could make, so they were in short supply among the nobles and wealthy people and were extremely valuable.
high.
Most alchemists are also proud of their ability to make accurate clocks. Because Mozwa is the capital, many well-known alchemists in the country have gathered together. There are many factions, and most of them will build a large clock tower on the faction's building.
, in order to demonstrate its own technical excellence and also serve as an advertisement.
In this way, more and more clock towers were built in Mozwane, and eventually it was named the City of Clock Towers.
Over the past few hundred years, the number of alchemists in Lurna has doubled. Although the precision of clocks has gradually become less and less rare, these clock towers have remained. And to this day, some alchemy factions also retain their original names, 'Hour Hands'
The Moment is one of them. As a faction that started out as a clock maker, it is still one of the six strongest factions in the country, and the descendant of the leader's family, Letis, naturally also has a lot of power.
------------------
Aoni Branch, third floor.
"In other words, does Miss Letis want to publish a magazine of her own?"
A middle-aged man wearing a white shirt and neat vest sat on the sofa, looked at the blond lady opposite, and asked carefully.
"Yes, people's aesthetics nowadays are too vulgar. They still have thick faces, wearing layered skirts, and the ornaments hanging on them must weigh several kilograms. Women are decorated like vases, and it's uncomfortable to look at them.
.”
After explaining in detail, the blond girl picked up the white porcelain tea cup in front of her and took a small sip. She had long been dissatisfied with some of the current clothing styles. While other girls of the same age were still chasing trends, she had already begun to think about what to do.
Create a trend.
"Then what are your thoughts, or Miss Letis, what kind of beautiful style do you want to convey?" The head of the Chamber of Commerce thought about the words and asked the eldest lady carefully. Aoni Chamber of Commerce
The current headquarters is far away in the west. As a branch, this side is already weak. If he offends this young lady, he will probably encounter all kinds of troubles in the future. This is not what he wants to see.
"Well..." Letis put down the tea cup, but her mind gradually drifted to her distant roommate, the friend who barely wore any accessories.
"Perhaps it would be much better if it was simpler and more natural."
The blond lady seemed to be inspired by an explosion of inspiration. She described a new dressing style to the person in charge of the chamber of commerce in front of her, which was mainly simple and fresh. The other party was trying hard to understand the lady's whimsical ideas.
, and then write them down one by one.
"We have a general understanding of Miss Letis's idea, but as for the first edition, we probably won't be able to release it until next year."
"No, even if you find someone to hire someone to do the preparation and printing, it won't take so long." Letis was a little confused.
"I'm very sorry, because the current printing line is already running at full capacity, and there is really no time left to re-debug and print new products."
"Are you trying to deal with me? Or are you treating me like a child?"
Although her temper had somewhat subsided in school, when she returned to the familiar territory of her home, the temper of the eldest daughter of Letis was heightened again. Moreover, what she said was not unreasonable. With so many printing houses in Aoni, Teng
Printing a few magazines is a piece of cake.
"I'm sorry, this... how can I explain it to you better? It's indeed an extraordinary situation right now. It's not convenient for me to tell you directly. If you ask the head of the Shelia family, he will tell you the reason." The person in charge of the Aoni Chamber of Commerce
The man wiped the sweat from his forehead and tried hard to explain the reason.
Letis turned to the housekeeper behind her with some confusion, and the latter leaned down and whispered in her ear.
"Miss, the Aoni Chamber of Commerce really can't spare any time because the war is about to begin."
In the distant Black Rock Principality, Falcon Kingdom, and Sanctuary Kingdom, airships passed by from high altitudes, papers like snowflakes fell from the sky, and documents printed with rose patterns were announced in all directions.
Under the sky, flags with rose patterns were gradually erected, running into the distance.