"The wings are wider than the sky; the back is taller than the earth; the tail is longer than the mountains"
"All people worship together, the great red dragon in the sky!"
"The flame is your majesty's robe, the sky is your majesty's curtain, the dark and violent storm follows your majesty's journey, the earth hangs in space, full of treasures and treasures."
"How can I repay this kindness? Your Majesty lets the springs from the mountains flow down to the flatlands, and lets the gentle rain and rain moisten every place"
The bard sat on a wooden bench, playing the lute skillfully. He opened his mouth gently, and melodious music and singing echoed.
People gathered around the bard, clasped their hands, closed their eyes, and chanted with pious expressions.
——They sang the "Kasius Ode" which is widely circulated in the empire. It is said that it was composed by a fanatical dragon-born bard, and the melody is particularly sacred.
The former "Song of Burning Embers" has now become a forbidden song, and is even forbidden to be mentioned by the empire officials.
This is the most prosperous and lively area of Istria - Emperor's Square.
It is centered on a huge square paved with stone and surrounded by some of Istalia's most representative landmarks - the Coliseum, the Imperial Chamber, and the Empire State Building.
All the buildings surrounding the square are magnificent.
Fountains, gilded cast-iron gates, and all kinds of ornate architecture.
In the center of the square, a huge red dragon statue stands majestically. Its pale golden pupils are deep and majestic, as if it is looking down and inspecting everything around it.
Several gold-plated fountains spray clear water and make a clear gurgling sound, which blends with the melodious music.
The Emperor's Square is bustling with people of all kinds: there are Starfallers looking for missions, vendors hawking, bards performing on the street, and drunken citizens.
The choir was just a corner of this bustling square. Their singing couldn't even be heard above the cries of vendors - nor could it be heard above the noise of drunkards in the tavern.
"Drink the strongest wine! Be the strongest man!"
“The best rye bread ever!”
A tall drunk man raised his glass: "The Red Scale Conquerors are the most powerful legion in the empire! After riding the flying dragon, they are unbeatable! I will also go to the garrison to participate in the selection!"
"You fart!"
Another drunkard lay all over the wooden table and slurred:
"Dragon, the Dragon Pact Paladin is the strongest! Lord Antoine of the Dragon Oath Temple once defeated the Lion Knight of the Bosque family with one against three!"
"Crack!"
Another person slapped the table and stood up, looked at the two drunkards with disdain, and threw wine in their faces.
"Stop arguing!"
"You still want to become His Majesty's family members with your muddy appearance? Are you afraid that you can't even pass the recruitment process?"
This is the ethos of the Empire.
Confident, advocating force, speaking loudly, and having great respect for His Majesty.
Different from the despairing hierarchical order and lifeless social atmosphere of the original Northern Kingdom, the empire provided people with a channel for advancement, which also stimulated the vitality of the people.
Almost every citizen of the empire has some ideal of becoming a "big shot".
A tall man wearing a gray robe sat in the corner. He put the sword on his back next to him and took a sip of wine.
"Anzetta has become like this."
"It's incredible."
The man looked very young, only in his twenties, but his eyes showed vicissitudes that were inconsistent with his age. Even the hood could not hide his golden hair and lavender pupils.
Blonde hair and purple eyes were a sign of noble blood in the former Northland, because this was the characteristic of the descendants of the "Northern Lion" Bosk family.
But now, with the passage of time, it has become a symbol of sin and despicability, and will even be reported by people as a remnant of the Northland.
Yes, he is Andre Bosque, the second son of Archduke Leo, the first nobleman to voluntarily betray the North.
After the Northland Unification War ended, Andre did not stay in the army, but chose to become an ordinary adventurer, accepting tasks to make a living.
Andre turned his head and looked at the drunken man who was making more and more noise.
"What did you say?"
"I say - you are worthy of becoming His Majesty's family members, bah!"
"You son of a bitch, you are worse than those northern nobles who peed their pants!"
The verbal conflict soon escalated into physical friction, and intensified under the numbness of alcohol - the drunkards were about to fight.
"No fighting in the city!"
But before they could take action, the sheriff riding a flying dragon descended from the sky and happily accepted the free contribution.
The bipedal flying dragon grabbed one person in its left claw and two in its right claw, and flew to the Public Security Management Office not far away.
The snake waiters in the tavern skillfully picked up the overturned tables, chairs and wine bottles, seemingly not surprised by this.
Andre was quite surprised by the efficiency of this work. If it were in the former Northland
A hoarse male voice came, interrupting his thoughts.
"Little Andre, long time no see."
Andre raised his head and saw the familiar, wrinkled face, and stood up to greet him with some surprise.
"Are you—Mr. Guggs?"
The old man smoothed the hem of his worn-out gown and smiled heartily: "Hahaha, little Andre, the Northland has long been dead. We don't need to be so polite."
He sat down on the wooden chair, stretched out his hand to pour the wine, and then raised the glass.
"Come, sit down and drink."
"Okay."
Andre clinked glasses with Gugos, and then drank the luscious wine in one gulp.
This Mr. Gurges is a famous scholar in the North. He is knowledgeable and knowledgeable. It is said that he has memorized all the history of the North for thousands of years. He is known as the "Walking Strafburg Library".
He was also born into a noble family, but after the "Great Expropriation", he became completely disappointed with the decadent rule of the Northland Kingdom and fled to North Wind Castle with his few family properties.
Andre's rebellion was also due to his persuasion.
"Little Andre, do what you think is right."
"Northland is hopeless. It is rotten from top to bottom, and the filthy pus flows to the bones."
——These are the original words of Gugus.
"All nations worship together, the great red dragon in the sky"
The sound of minstrels playing and singing came from outside the tavern.
Andre quietly stared at the bustling Emperor's Square, and then looked at the old man with a serious expression: "Mr. Gugos, have you lived in the Ember Empire for how many years?"
"What kind of country do you think this is?" Gugos put the wine glass to his mouth again, and his beard was almost soaked.
Hearing Andre's question, he shook his head and smiled, then lowered his voice and said: "Same as its supreme ruler - a greedy beast that is never satisfied."
"But compared to the group of borers in the North, it is hundreds of thousands of years advanced, and it can be called a utopia."
Guges did not forget to add.
Andre frowned slightly, seeming to be thinking about something.
He carefully studied the system of the empire. In addition to the supremacy of imperial power, terms such as "freedom and equality" appeared most often. This concept was implemented throughout the empire.
But he always felt like something was wrong - that this wasn't true equality.
This country seems to regard everyone as nourishment for its growth, allowing itself to proliferate and expand at an unimaginable speed.
In layman's terms - the Empire oppresses everyone equally.
"Mr. Guggs, I still don't understand why they want to"
While talking and laughing, Guges had already drank the entire bottle of wine, and a hint of drunkenness appeared on his wrinkled old face.
"Right now, it hasn't reached its limits yet."
"If one day, this empire is no longer as advanced as it is now and is about to be eliminated by the tide of history, I will do my best to do it."
"Mr. Guggs"
Andre looked around warily and covered the other person's mouth.
Fortunately, the people around him just regarded this as the ravings of a drunkard and didn't pay much attention.
A smile appeared on Guges' face. He lay on the wooden table and continued:
"Little Andre, I, I have found the direction, those fallen stars! They are an undiscovered treasure trove. In their minds, there is knowledge that reveals the nature of society"
"I, I've put those things into the manuscript."
The year has passed by in a hurry, and the snow in the northern wilderness has melted for several months, and then piled up again with the biting cold wind.
However, the lives of people here have undergone earth-shaking changes.
The large farmland of Matera developed on a large scale, and the imperial agricultural officers led the skeleton army to work night and day, and later even operated combine harvesters.
The organic combination of spells, equipment and labor has brought about unprecedented productivity improvements.
Therefore, after the unprecedented harvest in September, the ruthless north wind did not bring famine. People could buy food at normal prices, and even if they were in trouble, they could still eat cheap cans from food processing plants.
According to official statistics from the empire, this was the first winter in Anzetta that almost no one died of starvation in thousands of years.
Due to the development of the empire's light industry, cheap and warm cotton coats became standard equipment for people. They no longer had to sit around the stove shivering, but could put on their coats and go out to work.
This was also the first winter in Anzetta in which fewer than 500 people froze to death.
Everything looks so beautiful, but underneath the beauty, there is also a lot of blood and tears hidden.
What has changed the most is the city.
Factories rose up one after another, forming a cold steel forest, while new buildings appeared in the city, and a large number of people poured into various cities.
They have basically become diligent workers, screws in the development of urban industry, or fuel and consumables.
Although the empire's regulations have provided the most basic protection for workers, according to incomplete official statistics from the empire, tens of thousands of people still died due to unnatural causes - most of them died in factories, but this information was hidden and could not be seen by the outside world. .
The empire's management of important cities such as Isdalia and Beifong Castle is still relatively strict, but in the remote cities of the former Northland Kingdom, the management is much weaker.
What's more, the rules and regulations of the empire were not perfect at that time.
As a result, all kinds of darkness and chaos arise.
After the Empire had just conquered the North. Dragon-blood nobles and emerging businessmen followed the official call for industrial development and invested in building factories in various cities.
On the eve of the promulgation of the Imperial Labor Law, various regulations had not yet been completed.
Thanks to the widespread use of steam engines and textile machines, cotton mill work was not only easy to learn but required very little physical effort. As a result, factory owners hired women, especially children, in large numbers.
The main reason why factory owners like children is that children are weak and docile, while adults are often reluctant to submit easily. At the same time, the wages of child labor are very low, less than one-third of those of adults.
In order to maximize profits, the machines run 24 hours a day and the workers have to work continuously day and night.
They take breaks in shifts. Under such circumstances, work-related accidents have become commonplace - fingers are broken by belts, or limbs are crushed by gears.
But when the workers sought compensation, they didn't even have the guts to file a complaint when faced with the powerful and powerful dragon-blood nobles.
These cheap daily necessities are produced in large quantities. Most of these products are sold to the Fadland region through the Empire Southern Continent Company, but some are also sold to the mainland.
But just this small amount ruthlessly crushed the original market, and the former handicraft workshops and workshops in Northland declared bankruptcy one after another.
Craftsmen passed down from generation to generation in their families have declared bankruptcy, and their shops have been acquired by factory owners. In the end, they can only enter factories and become the fuel for industrial development.
With the collapse of slavery, people were indeed free, but invisible chains gradually wound around them.
Where there is oppression, there will be resistance.
Under the frenzy of industrial development, a small-scale uprising broke out in the city of Rustin, located on the northeastern border of the empire. The workers smashed the machines and fled out of the city.
Immediately afterwards, several sporadic resistance incidents occurred, but they were all ruthlessly suppressed.
It was only at this moment that the imperial officials finally realized the seriousness of the matter. As the chief minister, Trump was even more furious and issued a far-reaching "Beware of Barbaric Development" statement.
He was offended not because he sympathized with the workers, but because it was detrimental to the development of the empire—and more importantly, contrary to Cassius's will.
As a result, under the day and night work of the Ministry of Justice, relevant laws and regulations such as the Empire Workers Act and the Apprentice Health and Ethics Act were promulgated one after another.
The Imperial Judicial Patrol Team also patrolled various cities, sending many people to prison, and even guillotining those "nouveau riche" whose excessive oppression led to riots.
This incident and the previous implementation of the "Imperial Company Law" were collectively referred to as the "Great Cleansing Movement", and this also left a mark in people's minds that the laws of the Empire should not be desecrated.
Maybe it is not sacred, but the shining guillotine dripping with blood proves that it is indeed not something to be violated lightly.
However, light industries such as spinning, ceramics, and leather processing are not the fastest-growing industries in the empire. There is only one industry that can bring the greatest benefits to the empire—the military industry!
The "Three Emperors' War" in the south intensified. Millions of people were chewed to pieces by the cruel battlefield. The former Fadelan forces such as divine descendants, legendary mages, and constructed golems wreaked havoc on the continent.
This is undoubtedly a disaster for the local people.
But the more this happens, the easier it will be to sell the empire's armaments, the better the Empire's Southern Continent Company's business will be, and the group behind it will be able to make more profits.
Later, people began to look forward to war, hoping for a more violent war, and even took the initiative to provoke a war - only in this way could they bring more gold coins.
A terrifying monster gradually thrived under the nourishment of blood and fire.
——Asking for monthly tickets——(End of chapter)