The sun is high

"What will happen if I say 'mind' now?"

Xiuge cursed in his heart, but of course he nodded in agreement.

After getting permission from the guards and old Zeke, Shuge took the revolver rifle, and then, surrounded by the guards, he followed Zeke Ernst out of the hotel lobby.

The glass shards that had been spilled on the ground during the previous accident had not yet been completely cleaned up, so when the wheelchair rolled over the ground, the glass shards, together with the snow particles, made a slight crunching sound under the wheels of the wheelchair.

It's cold outside, and snowflakes are piling up hard on the ground, but they haven't formed a large scale yet.

The Ernst Manor was still very quiet. The three gunshots fired by Shuge did not seem to have any impact on the manor itself. The guards responsible for patrolling the edge of the woods remained silent. The team gave a simple salute as they passed by, and then continued their work like a machine.

Zeke Ernst was indeed very old. He was huddled in his wheelchair. He was not only wearing a thick coat, but also a blanket to keep out the cold. In addition, Shuge also noticed that the person he was sitting on The wheelchair is very heavy. Not only is there a set of sophisticated mechanical decorations on the back, but there is also a series of magic crystals embedded on the armrests.

Obviously this is also a special instrument created by combining two different technologies: steam and magic.

As an old man, Zeke Ernst looked silent and weak on this cold winter night. He put his palms on the armrests of his wheelchair, enjoying the warmth brought to him by this machine.

Ernst Manor was indeed huge.

It was bigger than what Shuge had seen in the memory of this body.

After walking for a long time, he finally saw the symbol of this ancient family - it was a huge mansion with a large area and an architectural style that was different from the existing Walter house. It did not With such a sharp spire, the overall structure is thicker and more stable, and the color is not the gray-black tone common in the Walter Kingdom, but more pure white.

Under the illumination of many magic lamps erected next to the mansion, the white stone bricks that make up the huge mansion are very eye-catching. In the past long years, although the entire Ernst Manor has been maintained and renovated many times, However, these weathered stone bricks still inevitably reveal a sense of age and vicissitudes.

But they remain majestic and majestic.

It stands among the vast pastures and gardens, just like the Kingdom of Walter stands on the Rowe Plateau.

The historical origins of Ernst's family are older than the Kingdom of Walter.

Some people say that this family migrated from the plains, while others say that they were once residents of the sea in the west, but these are just folk rumors and sayings.

According to the Ernst family's own records, they are rooted here, infusing ancient traditions, customs and culture into the changing seasons, allowing their noble identity and bloodline to flow in this land.

Some people may wonder why such a powerful family with a long history would always voluntarily vassalize the kingdoms that replaced the Rovi Plateau instead of becoming the real rulers themselves. The Ernst family has never answered this question directly. However, on different occasions, the Ernst family's leaders and external spokespersons have expressed their own and the family's views more than once - the Ernst family has no intention of obtaining the supreme secular power, they care more Family continuity and prosperity.

Xiuge agrees with this point of view.

Because he knew that even in the stories he was familiar with two hundred years later, traces of members of the Ernst family still existed widely in Van En's world.

But that was a distant afterthought after all. After his previous experience, Xiuge no longer dared to regard the developments he knew as an absolute reference.

After all, the very concept of destiny is riddled with contradictions.

Believe it or not, adapt it or not, change it or not...it all seems to be changing anytime and anywhere.

Shuge's gaze went beyond the old figure in front of him, and moved from the Ernst family's mansion to the night sky where snowflakes were constantly falling. In that boundless darkness, there seemed to be a hand manipulating and fiddling with it. Everything in this world.

But Xiuge still doesn't want to believe in the so-called gods and destiny.

As a human individual with free will, he does not want to submit to any established arrangement. From this point of view, he can agree with what Theseus said during that meeting.

"Instead of following the script, let's do a little improvisation... I am not the same person as the unlucky guy who was melted into the statue two hundred years later."

While the idea in his mind was being implemented, Xiuge let out a long breath, and his breath turned into a narrow white mist in the cold air, and then disappeared without a trace in the wind.

"Isn't it cold in Bolden?"

An old voice suddenly came from the front: "This year's winter is coming faster than usual. It never snowed so frequently in the past."

Old Zeke didn't seem to expect Shuge to respond to his words, but said to himself: "It won't be long before the cold wind blows to the plains, and then the rivers and lakes there will be If it freezes, life will be difficult for the soldiers."

Shuge hesitated for a moment, then responded: "When I visited the Fifth Chasseur Regiment, I saw a lot of new equipment. Perhaps with the help of steam technology, our soldiers will be much more comfortable than before."

"Haha, I'm not just talking about our soldiers."

Old Zeke shook his head: "No matter how excellent and innovative the equipment is, it will be difficult for them to be installed in every legion and every team in a short time... Votel's allies may be able to adapt to this kind of situation a little bit." It’s a cold climate, but for soldiers on the plains, it must be very difficult and painful to be on duty and fighting in the winter.”

His tone was sincere, even a little bit sad, which surprised Shuge.

A marshal who was known for his iron-bloodedness and skill in the Kingdom of Votel could actually feel compassion for the enemy's soldiers?

"War, child, are you familiar with war? Do you understand it?"

Xiuge chose to remain silent at this moment.

In his past life, he had certainly seen many war-related texts and images, and even the land that raised him had struggled to be reborn in the flames of war, but in the final analysis, he was still just a man who was born in a peaceful era and lived in peace. Ordinary people in the country.

Therefore, his understanding of war remains incomplete and one-sided.

Even if he obtained the memories of those soldiers through the descendants of An Yuan, he still could not understand the real war.

After all, peace in a broad sense has indeed been maintained for too long, and even professional soldiers rarely have the opportunity to set foot on the battlefield.

"Well... I was addicted to social dances when I was young, so for a long time, I felt that human activities were like one dance after another, and war was the largest and most passionate one. .”

The old man stated his point of view in a strange tone: "There are always many reasons for holding a dance, or in other words, we can always find reasons of different sizes to carry out this activity, and once it starts, there will be People, organizations or countries of this kind are involved...and the content of the dance is often not limited to dancing, everyone always takes this opportunity to talk to each other, exchange information, and even do some business."

At this point, Zeke Ernst sighed slowly: "Kid, you probably haven't been to these social occasions in the past, right? Don't worry, there will always be opportunities in the future. As a young man, don't be too boring. ”

The servant kept pushing the wheelchair forward, and finally, amid Old Zeke's words, Shuge and others finally arrived in front of the mansion.

The lights in the mansion are very bright.

"At least from the outside, it doesn't look like it has been undergoing so-called renovations...or has it not started yet?"

Shuge observed the surroundings carefully, fearing that he would miss any details about Ernst's mansion.

Here, he did not dare to cast magic or mobilize magic power at will, because from the moment he stepped into the door of the mansion, Xiuge had already felt that a large number of complex and non-interfering rituals were operating here.

He was certain that this was definitely not in line with the so-called renovation plans for the mansion.

Even if he is just getting started in magic, he also knows that when carrying out building inspections and renovations, whether it is the protective rituals engraved in the building walls or the special secret rituals buried deep under the building, they must be stopped in advance, otherwise it will be very dangerous. It may cause irreversible accidents. This content is mentioned in the basic "textbook".

There are many elderly people in the Ernst family, and many of them, like Zeke Ernst, need to rely on wheelchairs to move around. Therefore, the mansion is not only equipped with elevators, but also has facilities on the stairs that can accommodate people. A gentle slope for wheelchairs to climb forward.

Various works commemorating the glorious past of the Ernst family are hung and placed in the corridor and living room of the mansion. The portraits painted in different eras and the huge paintings recording different events seem to make this ancient Every experience and important figure in the family's past is deeply engraved in the hearts of everyone who walks here.

The guards dispersed, and two armed maids came over. One of them took over the wheelchair, and the other took the revolver from Shuge after bowing.

On their bodies, Xiuge smelled something similar to those of the sword-wielding hermits of the Legal Committee.

That kind of dangerous aura that has been transformed by a lot of magic potions and magic rituals.

He followed Old Zeke up to the second floor, and after stepping through a series of stairs and stone bricks engraved with magic rituals, he walked into a bright hall.

Xiuge's eyes lit up involuntarily, because this was actually an exhibition hall.

An exhibition hall with many different weapons on display.

From simple sticks, to swords, to the earliest crystal guns, to the new firearms that have appeared recently... Among them, Xiuge also saw many mage supplies that should only exist in the Legal Committee system, such as old-fashioned magic Scrolls, Merlinle and the first edition of the magic book that started to be promoted after the reform, swords, shields and crossbows made with magic silver, specifically used against wild mages...

As for some standard alchemy supplies, there is no need to mention them.

Shuge took a quick glance and saw that two entire display cabinets were installed here just for the magic pendulum used to search for traces of magic.

What really makes people unable to take their eyes away are the heavy weapons placed in the middle of the hall, surrounded by huge glass cabinets and magic-killing silver guardrails.

The old-fashioned crystal cannon that has been widely used hundreds of years ago, the throwing metal magic cannon that has pioneered the addition of many different magic rituals, and the 'Saints' that began to appear a hundred years ago and represents the evolution of the new crystal cannon The prototype of Tyr's Cannon was specially created to deal with dense infantry arrays. It has multiple rows of small barrels and uses deadly crystalline debris as a magic volley of bullets to scatter bullets...

It is not difficult to see from these strange weapons with different functions that people still have great enthusiasm for how to destroy their own kind and other living beings.

At the front, Xiuge saw a huge thing made of complex metal, inlaid with many magic crystals, and combined with a giant steam machine.

"Mucci Type 3...Steam Crystal Cannon."

Old Zeke's voice came from the side: "It was the one that bombarded Salem City."

"Not only is the firing principle very different from the crystallized cannons of the past, but its range and the types of shells that can be used have also made amazing progress..."

The wheelchair slowly came to Shuge's side. Old Zeke said: "The Mucci family has made a big splash this time. Maybe it won't be long before their workshop will become the exclusive workshop of the Walter royal family." , the orders from St. Steele and Hain are all piled up in their warehouses, haha..."

Shuge turned his head, and he saw the extremely bright eyes of Zeke Ernst, and then he heard the old man in front of him say: "I actually really want to hear what you think about Salem City and Walter. Insights into the relationship with Derain.”

"I don't know much about this."

"Oh? Really?"

Old Zeke had a smile on his face, but his tone was full of doubts: "Son, if you really don't know anything, then my student wouldn't want to see you in the first place."

"I know that the family has brought you a lot of unhappiness in the past, so I think you can hate your father, you can hate those who have brought you unfair treatment, and even if you want to retaliate against them, there is no point. questionable."

The old three-clawed falcon hugged his cane and gently rubbed the eagle pattern on the top of the cane with his wrinkled fingers: "As Ernst's current controller and your elder, my only request for you is , I just hope you can put down your resistance to everything at the moment, accept them, and embrace them."

…

It’s the last day of January~~ If you have any tickets that you haven’t thrown away, please throw them away.