Free Web NovelChapter 916: Chapter 915: A Ship Arrives from the North
The chill of autumn sweeps over, and the brief warm season in the northern parts of the continent has long since ended. As the Frost Throne Constellation gradually draws closer to the zenith, the vast Loren North Continent begins to be enveloped by cold winds. From the North Wilderness adjacent to the endless ocean to the expansive plains occupied by all the countries in the north, and further to the Moss Woods where the gray elves have lived for generations, everyone is preparing for the approaching winter.
People are storing fuel for winter, hurrying to sun-dry fish and make pickles during the last sunny days, patching up houses damaged in the autumn rains, and taking out winter clothes and quilts. Aside from the Cecil Empire, where Magic Guide Technology has already entered civilian use, most people in this world still live like they did in the past. Even though this ancient land has seen changes due to the Magic Guide Technology brought from afar, these changes require time.
Rupert, who had just moved to the city, walked down the street pushing a cart full of charcoal. The wind was much colder than yesterday, blowing against his face and sneaking into his collar, making the short gray elf man shrink his neck involuntarily. He raised his head, looked around at the place that was still very unfamiliar to him, and couldn’t help but sniff.
He is still striving to adapt to city life, which is not easy.
Compared to the forest he was accustomed to, this "large forest" built by humans seemed too massive, too cold and hard, too crowded, and too chaotic. Every day, he deals with countless strangers, does unfamiliar work, hears lots of news that he doesn’t understand, and finally returns to an unfamiliar home. The only thing that offers comfort is his wife and two children who moved with him. They are the ones who give him the greatest motivation to settle down and eventually decide to put down roots in this unfamiliar city.
After all, despite the difficult adjustment to the unfamiliar environment, life in the city is much more comfortable and convenient than life in the forest. As a gray elf skilled in processing herbal materials, Rupert earns enough at the distillation and curing factory to provide a warm home for his family. His wife no longer has to worry about the wild beasts and poisonous insects in the forest, and as for the children...
They quite like this bustling big city.
Another gust of cold wind blew, causing Rupert to sniff again. He looked at the cart of charcoal in front of him. The charcoal was purchased from a carbon-burning yard in the south, and with previous acquisitions, the family’s winter supply in the city was now complete. Life in the city, unlike in the forest, doesn’t allow for firewood gathering. Heating fuel must be bought. The operator of the carbon-burning yard was a gray elf merchant who looked shrewd, probably the richest person Rupert had ever met, though he recalled the merchant being somewhat worried during their transaction.
Rupert pushed the cart through the city center when a soft, pleasant melody suddenly entered his ears. He instinctively looked up and saw a massive crystal device proudly standing in the plaza before the leader’s longhouse. The surface of the large magical device shimmered with magic symbols, and a large crystal floated on a base made of some alloy, rotating slowly. The gentle music emanated from the device’s structure.
He recalled the name of this device, which should be called the Magic Obelisk. Since coming to the city, this had been the most astonishing thing to him. Rupert didn’t know how those living in the eastern Cecil Clan created such an incredible device, but he knew this plaza and the large street area outside relied on it for energy. Those exceptionally bright streetlights and some factories’ "machines" were powered by it.
Moreover, this device would play traditional gray elf music every day from sunrise until sunset.
This second function supposedly came from the clan leader’s personal instruction and was tinkered out by the gray elves’ own "Mage Technicians." Rupert didn’t understand concepts like "technical exchange" or "foreign expert guidance," but he knew that city residents welcomed the plaza’s music, with some previously resistant to Magic Guide Technology letting down their guard. Many residents, comfortable with technology, organized and danced or played instruments when the music sounded, just like during festival celebrations.
A slightly husky and neutral voice suddenly came from beside Rupert, interrupting his thoughts about the "Magic Obelisk": "Citizen, do you need help?"
Startled by the voice, Rupert turned in panic to see a very tall and strong female figure next to him—a beastman nearly three times a gray elf’s height, with beautiful soft fur covering solid, bulging muscles, carrying an intimidating Chopping Axe on her back. The lady guarding the plaza looked at him, not with hostility, but enough to make Rupert, unaccustomed to city life, nervous.
"No... nothing, just daydreaming, daydreaming..." Rupert said, gesturing nervously.
"Alright, then don’t dawdle too long," the beastman lady said casually, her gaze falling casually on Rupert’s cart of charcoal. She frowned, "Well, hopefully, there won’t be a need for charcoal in the future; it’s unfriendly to fur."
"Ah?" Rupert was surprised by the city guards being friendlier than expected, curious about her words, "Lady, what did you say? No more burning charcoal?"
"I said there’ll be no need for charcoal," the beastman lady glanced at the seemingly clueless gray elf, "Haven’t you heard? The city north and south are building Magic Thermal Power Stations. According to those ’Cecil contractors,’ once the power stations are built, a few thermal conductive pipes will warm the entire street without fire hazards or stifling smoke, and there won’t be any bald-tailed beastmen due to charcoal fires. Of course, that’ll be sometime next year at least..."
Rupert listened to the plaza guard’s description as if hearing celestial stories, as the terms and concepts were entirely otherworldly to him. And he believed that even long-time residents of this city couldn’t necessarily understand what "Magic Thermal Power Station" or "Thermal Conductive Pipe" really meant, as in the past few days he’d heard eight different versions explaining the workings of the "Magic-Powered Engine" in the tavern. The things brought by Cecil merchants were incredibly difficult to comprehend. ƒreewebɳovel.com
Rupert could only ascertain that those seemingly magical machines were all human-made; when taken apart, they were just ordinary iron blocks and crystals, with no small devils living inside or requiring soul extractions—something the Cecil people repeatedly emphasized, even the clan leader personally assured the citizens.
He shook off the confusion about "how to keep warm without burning charcoal," putting it aside as it sounded like something slated for next year. He instinctively glanced at the tall beastman lady’s tail—she noticed the cautious peep instantly, quickly pulling her tail behind her and glared at him.
Rupert promptly shrank his neck and hurriedly pushed his cart forward.
Though uncertain if the imposing soldier had ever had her tail singed by charcoal, he now understood why the shrewd, wealthy charcoal merchant always looked worried...
...
Morelina watched the not-so-bright gray elf who seemed to have recently come from the countryside pushing his cart away, making a feline-type rumbling sound from her throat before glancing at the mechanical clock hanging outside the leader’s longhouse, confirming that it was close to the appointed time. She then leisurely approached the large crystal device in the plaza center.
Next to the Magic Obelisk, responsible for powering most of the urban area, stood a smaller device—a Magic Web Terminal with a triangular base and clear crystal components.
The terminal had been installed there for three days, with countless citizens speculating about its purpose. But it was only today that it would finally be put to use.
Several technical personnel are calibrating this complex ancient magical device here, among them two humans with noticeably foreign accents checking crystals while discussing details with those beside them, while the others, dressed in short white robes and small like children, are gray elves holding paper and pen, intently listening to the guidance of the two foreigners like apprentices.
None of them paid attention to the female Captain of the guard who walked past them—a female warrior filled with curiosity but clueless about Mage technology couldn’t affect the work state of these technical personnel.
Under their tinkering, the relatively small ancient magical device finally started working—almost right on the scheduled time.
With a slight hum and interference noise, a bright light screen appeared out of thin air, and the large Magic Projection instantaneously emerged at the center of the square, bursting with vibrant colors and pleasant sounds simultaneously—
Morelina, carrying the Chopping Axe, almost instantly fluffed up like a sensitive feline hunter, abruptly jumping backward and nearly drawing her weapon, but soon she realized the device merely created harmless projections, and appearing even was a gray elf who looked extremely nervous.
She felt somewhat embarrassed; even the fine white fur couldn’t hide her slightly reddened face. Yet, the citizens suddenly startled around clearly didn’t notice this tiny detail, as they looked at the magic image suddenly appearing in the square, curious and surprised, hearing sounds emerge from within:
"This...this is the Moss Woods Magic Web broadcast, the first transmission. Today we are broadcasting images from ’White Feather Port,’ our chieftain, Lady Venna Baizhi will..."
...
Autumn wind blew through the low woods on the coast, with moist airflow swirling past residences beside the port and portside sentry posts, as long piers stretched from land all the way into the endless ocean, where the azure blue expanse gently undulated at the pier’s end, basking in the sunlight with a rich texture.
Emerald seas and blue skies, with crashing waves, persistent wind sounds, and seabirds calling—this was a rare sight deep within the Moss Woods.
Venna Baizhi stood on the pier of this small port, accompanied by her trusted guards and advisors.
Not far beside her were distant representatives from the Dwarf Kingdom.
"The time should be about right..." Venna muttered to herself.
"Yes, Chieftain," a human in a brown robe and a silver headband nodded, "The final signal indicated they are just an hour’s journey from the port, and the northern sentinel tower reported sighting the ship’s silhouette on the ocean - it should arrive shortly."
Venna made an acknowledging sound, turning back to look at the open space not far away—a group of technical personnel were gathered there, huddling around a brand-new, seemingly valuable magic machine, atop which a crystal device stood fixed, gleaming brightly under the sun.
The machine made the Gray Elf leader slightly tense, but she easily dispelled this discomfort, knowing her image was likely already recorded by that marvelous device and transmitted back to Wind Song City deep within the Moss Woods and to Santibitoc City in the woods’ eastern region—those were the only two cities in Moss Woods equipped with the Magic Web and connected via communication devices, forming the "Magic Web pilot project" for the entire Augari tribal country. As the project’s primary driver, she knew she had to present herself both flawlessly and outstandingly today.
"I hope the citizens of Wind Song and Santibitoc won’t be too nervous when seeing the Magic Web broadcast for the first time," she whispered only for her advisor to hear, "This thing is unlike any Mage machine they’ve encountered before."
"New things always cause a bit of tension, the Cecil Clan too called out in surprise when seeing the Magic Web broadcast for the first time," the human advisor with the silver headband replied quietly as well, "But after the initial tension, daring and curious individuals will emerge, and we simply need to encourage and guide this, and new things will grow rapidly."
Venna acknowledged, raising her head again to look at the distant seascape, yet her focus was on the not-so-large pier within her line of sight.
This was only a small port, and if not for the recent urgent repairs and expansions, its state would be even worse now.
After all, its original purpose was merely to provide local fishermen a place to dock small boats, with the boats’ furthest navigational range not surpassing the nearby coastal boundaries.
"White Feather Port is just a fishing village..." Venna murmured softly, "But perhaps starting today, this place will be more than just a fishing village..."
A loud, penetrating whistle from the sea suddenly reached everyone’s ears.
"It’s coming! It’s coming!"
People gathered at the port shouted excitedly, as even the gray elf representatives on the pier and distant dwarf representatives craned their necks simultaneously, all looking towards the gleaming sea surface. Amidst waves and sunlight casting bright reflections, a steel-made vessel, covered by shimmering magic shields and extended with peculiar wing plates on its sides, surged through the waves towards this direction.
A ship is coming from the North.
