[Slow Travel] Assassin System - Mingguang

It was early spring again, the snow receded, and the melted snow washed the square outside the church clean, while the flowing sewage flowed into the low-lying waterways, and finally they were discharged into Nordnoll, which runs through the capital. in the river.

Zechariah stood by the edge of the painted window, the dawn light passed through the thick and dense clouds dimly, and polished the glass statue of the Virgin Mary. When he looked from the inside to the outside, he could vaguely see A flock of white pigeons jumping in the square.

This group of chubby pigeons huddled together, resisting the cold wind of early spring together, and scrambling to eat the grains scattered on the ground, which looked like white pebbles from a distance.

In almost all religious stories, white birds are the messengers of gods, so both priests and devout believers have the habit of feeding white birds.

But there will only be more and fatter pigeons outside the cathedral in the capital, where the population is densely populated and many people from other places gather.

Zechariah looked away, and walked quickly to the candlestick that was one person tall.

The lighting tools in the royal sanctuary are almost all the traditional old candlesticks, which require manual operation whether they are lit or extinguished.

Six years have passed since the last cathedral collapsed, and the new Nordnor church has been built. As the prime minister and the councilors promised, steam technology is filled in every corner of it, from the towering zenith From fountains in chapels, even pipe organs can be activated by mechanical springs.

People love this bright and splendid building, and compared with it, the ancient royal sanctuary is only sacred and peaceful.

Outside the colored window, the sun behind the clouds jumped again, so the sky was illuminated brighter, and the morning light scattered through the gray clouds, illuminating the pigeons on the square.

Zacharias extinguished the candles placed in front of the painting of the Virgin. In the past two years, his stature has grown rapidly, surpassing the sisters and nuns who took care of him, and stepping into the normal height of most adult men.

However, his figure is still thin, and an overly thin body will still give people the impression of frailty, and his face is not completely out of the category of softness, so it can still be regarded as indisputable.

The candles were extinguished, and Zacharias continued his work. Today is the day of worship. The queen and the little princess arrived at the church again. The bishop prepared a sermon for them. Even though he is the adopted son of the bishop, he still has to bear these tedious tasks work.

With the development of steam technology, people are increasingly advocating new technology. From secularism to religion, this new idea has penetrated into all aspects. The parliament that advocates steam technology is constantly gaining greater power. The contradiction between the church and the parliament It's also getting sharper...

Fortunately, there is also the queen. Under her leadership, the royal family has become the best bridge and enrichment. She is trying to stabilize all conflicts that may erupt, and has repeatedly promoted reconciliation between the church and the parliament.

And Your Highness...

With the constraints of His Highness, the council cannot be too presumptuous.

Zechariah couldn't help but think of the letter he had just received a few days ago, and couldn't help but smile knowingly.

As expected of His Royal Highness, in just six years, he already has the ability to restrain the council.

However, apart from Her Majesty the Queen and the little princess, there were also a lot of people who participated in the sermon, including almost all the nobles who were qualified to come to the royal sanctuary. The event was unprecedented.

One month later it will be the Saint’s Good Friday. Noble families with school-age children need to start preparations. In order to make their children more likely to receive “God’s Grace”, they will reserve a place with the church when they participate in this service. .

Today's sanctuary has fallen into a busy year, and since the little princess also participated in the Good Friday, the importance of the ceremony in the royal sanctuary has risen sharply. In-service teaching staff are busier than ever.

... The tragedy seven years ago is still lingering in everyone's memory.

Zechariah extinguished all the candles in the small auditorium. At this time, the bell in the square had already rang, and the disturbed white doves flew into the sky one after another, and people entered the church one by one in order.

Through the painted windows, it can be seen that the archbishop is wearing his full set of equipment, holding his heavy religious ceremony in one hand, and the religious ritual vessel representing the resurrection praise in the other, standing at the gate of the auditorium, solemnly welcoming the worshipers people.

The Queen led the little princess at the front of the queue. Although the five-year-old girl had to hold her mother's hand while walking, she proudly puffed out her chest, showing off the flowers made of pearls and silk threads under her neckline. The light half-length skirt bounced up and down as she moved forward. The corners of the skirt and the hem of the skirt were decorated with fine crystals. From a distance, it seemed that she was covering her body with stars and flowers, solemn yet beautiful.

Seeing this scene, Zacharias smiled unconsciously—this dress was one of the gifts His Royal Highness gave to the little princess, and in order to match the occasion and atmosphere of the worship service, His Highness had interacted with him The styles and colors of the mini dresses were carefully discussed in the letters.

Although this dress was made by His Highness's puppet, many of his suggestions were also adopted during the production process. Seeing that the little princess liked it so much, Zacharias was very happy for His Highness.

What is even more gratifying is that at the end of this month, His Highness will rush back to the capital, Nordnore, after all, he said that he will definitely come to visit the little princess's feast day...

Your Highness should be on the train by now, right?

Looking at the figure in the distance, Zechariah unconsciously lost his mind.

It would be great if I could complete a piece of work with His Highness, not a simple work like a small skirt that can be made by a puppet, but a large-scale instrument that requires the cooperation of multiple people and has multiple functions-such as this Instruments produced in County Ceylon for several years.

Even if you can't cooperate with the same work, it's good to design and produce the drawings together. As long as it is reasonable and feasible, it can be recorded and stored in the book, so that he can sign his name next to His Highness's signature and circulate it for a long time. For future apprentices to observe and learn from...

At this moment, the bell on the square rang, and Zechariah came back to his senses, and then he was amused by his own rambling thoughts.

What are you thinking, there is such a good thing there, his current level is very mediocre, and he has not been exposed to steam technology on the bright side, how can he write a book about this?

Speaking of which, it takes a lot of time to travel directly from Ceylon to Nordnor by train. If the airship technology is mature, His Highness’s round trip can be shortened to a few days...

Steam technology is really good civilization.

Zechariah looked at his adoptive father from a distance through the stained glass, thinking so rebelliously.

*

The door of the royal sanctuary was opened, and as the bell rang, white pigeons flew in the air on the square, and one by one they filled the clouds with ashes.

"Aina, walk slowly." The Queen whispered as she walked dignifiedly, "You are too immodest."

So the little princess Cecilia lowered her raised chubby legs a little bit, and replied in a low voice, "But then I won't be able to see the little stars."

——The crystals on the hem of the skirt are cut into small round stars, which are very cute.

The queen continued to lower her voice: "The little skirt Mona made for you is not for you to look at the stars in the church square. If you do this again, I won't let you wear it next time."

Cecilia: "...Okay."

The archbishop was already in sight, so the conversation between the mother and daughter ended quickly, and they showed similar expressions - solemn and elegant, especially showing royal etiquette, and especially possessing a quiet ladylike temperament...

In short, business smiles.

After solemn mutual greetings and a series of procedures, the worship this time began.

Everything was the same as before, the same prayers, the same carols, and then the customary call of the Lord, and the deeds of the saints.

Cecilia sat upright beside her mother, looking up at the stained glass on the organ. The beautiful gold and silver glass was spliced ​​to form the pattern of the sun's rays. People in the auditorium have an illusion of landing in heaven.

This was a very beautiful scene, but little Cecilia secretly laughed in her heart.

Religious buildings will deliberately create a holy atmosphere. For example, the church will be built extraordinarily tall. Every corner here is worth pondering over and over again. The light and layout are carefully created to make it easier for visitors to blend in. The atmosphere has already been designed...

As my brother wrote a little story in a recent letter, in a dark world without the sun, religion will hold on to the "light" so tightly that all people with light hair and eyes are preached For "born noble".

The queen herself is a devout believer, and of course she would not pass on this idea to the little princess. All of this was taught to her by Cecilia's good cousin.

——Perhaps Lian Miaoxuan himself did not expect that the bedtime stories he simplified and edited to coax the little girl, had a huge impact on the growth of the little cousin.

The little princess has the great advantage of inferring other cases from one instance. She wants to understand these truths by herself. Her natural intelligence makes her extremely keen, and she can easily grasp the complete world hidden under the brief description; , and the arrogance of noble birth...

These traits combine to make this precocious child.

The choir began to sing a hymn, and the ethereal voice lingered in the empty auditorium, bringing an excellent echo. After this song, the bishop began today's sermon, with the theme of "the glory of nature".

Cecilia had a cute little face, and she seemed to agree, but she actually felt very boring in her heart.

Steam technology is the powerful root of Niaterbo, and no rigid person can deny their role. The archbishop is too rigid, and if he continues to be so stubborn, he will lose many followers.

Even religion has to conform to the trend of the times!

"The Trend of the Times"...is that the spelling?

The sermon ended and the confession began. Everyone clasped their hands and stood with their eyes downcast. Cecilia stood up with her mother. This was the part that the little princess disliked the most. It was protracted and long. The hymns are not over.

Cecilia surreptitiously opened her eyes a slit and stared at the fat star under her skirt.

When will my brother come back...

This month goes by so slowly.

Since Cecilia can remember, she can only see her brother twice a year at most. Although there are full trains from Ceylon County to Nordnore every month, no matter how rich the letters and gifts she receives, It's far better than seeing my brother in person.

Thinking about it this way, it seems that even the ugly doll of my brother has become a little more friendly.

Next month... next month she will officially participate in Good Friday.

Will she be able to obtain divine grace smoothly?Or, will she still be an ordinary person like her mother?

The confession is still not over. The adults have endless regrets and want to tell God, so Cecilia closed her eyes again, and in this part of not praying, she made a wish not so sincerely—if possible, Please also give her "God's Grace".

Ask for the graces associated with "flying" and "sky"!

*

Ensor College, Sacrament Hall.

"...the Gospel came down from the angels in heaven...O merciful Lord, grant us..."

The pastor and professor of theology of a public school stood on the pulpit of the auditorium, piously proclaiming his prayers. This resonant tenor voice had been circling in the huge auditorium for three hours, tormenting all the teenagers in the audience until their expressions became numb. , Life is worse than death.

Ensor Public School is a thorough boys' school, serving the noble class, providing heir education for the eldest sons, training the second sons to be knights, priests or military officers; Elites build rudimentary social environments. 7K 妏敩

All in all, this public school not only inherited the traditional system well, but also brought forth new ones, providing a reputable service to the ruling class in the new era.

"...As I wish!"

At last the public-school priest on the stage uttered the last words of his prayer with great passion, and the whole auditorium erupted in commotion.

Immediately afterwards, the old dean of the seminary tremblingly rang the prayer bell at hand, officially announcing the end of this service, and the bastards all over the place couldn't wait to jump up.

"Children aged ten and under, please go to the prayer room, you will be participating in the Holy Good Friday in a month's time..."

"Future pastors, please come with me, we will gather in the great library of the Holy Church, please be sure to bring your classics..."

"Listen up, all knight reserves, bring your pistols for practice... gather in the courtyard within 10 minutes!"

……

All the prefects and club presidents called on the juniors one by one, and their subordinates also followed the steps of the seniors, and everything was in order.

Although a bastard who has been educated by the nobles is still a bastard, the appearance of jumping is always a little different.

The students of the public school left the auditorium one by one, and only the seniors of the ninth and tenth grades were left.

In Enso School, the system of student self-government is quite perfect, and the relationship between seniors and seniors is very strict, the higher the grade the higher the status of the students.

However, the tenth grade students are about to graduate, and social and family are more important to them. Therefore, among the students in this school, the real ruling class is actually the ninth grade.

Ninth grade and tenth grade have always had a delicate relationship.

As the students of the lower grades left one by one, the bustling sacrament hall gradually became deserted, but the students of the ninth and [-]th grades still sat quietly in their seats, separated by the white stone steps. The completed aisle, one on the left and one on the right, is like the Chu River and the Han border, with a clear distinction between Wei and Wei.

When the last teacher fled the chapel, the place was finally reserved for the oldest students.

"Persival."

The chief of the tenth grade was the first to stand up from the seat. This is a young man who has just grown up, tall and strong, and the equipment transformed by divine grace can be faintly seen under his solemn dress.

The chief who was about to graduate crossed his arms and said condescendingly, "How many years have you endured? Five years? Four years? It's not that I'm going to graduate and you still hold back this tone, right?"

The tenth graders burst into mocking laughter, but the ninth graders across the aisle were very calm. They remained silent and looked at their leader together—the prefect and chief .

This is a boy with sandy blond hair, a pair of dark green eyes that are calm and resolute. Although he is not yet an adult, he already has a mature physique and appearance like a young man. Under the serious dress, there is only a pure and strong body.

Although he was just sitting on an ordinary wooden bench, just looking at this broad back gave off a strange sense of reliability.

"Senior, I respect you very much."

Ian Parcival also stood up from his seat. Compared with his predecessors, he looked much more polite, even polite: "You taught me a lot of useful truths, just For this reason, I don't want to have conflicts with you."

The chief of the tenth grade sneered: "It's better not to talk about such hypocrisy. I won't bully you either. Tell me, what competition?"

Ian raised his chin: "Draw lots to decide—but only for martial arts competition, ten people."

"Okay, that's what you said!" The head of the tenth grade nodded, so the nine seniors stood up behind him, which looked like a wall at first glance.

Of course, the ninth grade students will not lag behind. As Ian raised his hand, the other nine also stood up together.

These half-year-old youths who are only one year apart do not have much physical difference, especially when they have their own commands, the confrontation between the two sides is particularly fierce.

In the dead silence, Ian was the first to laugh and said: "Let's go, don't make everyone wait—everyone, let our seniors go."

This ruthless remark caused the tenth grade to be noisy for a while, but neither party had any intention of pestering them. The 20 people quickly walked out of the Great Church one after another, and the door of the auditorium was closed, leaving only the restless other students

This anxious waiting lasted for about an hour. Just when someone in the tenth grade couldn't help but wanted to leave first to find out, the door of the auditorium opened again.

The moment they saw who was coming, the ninth grade students almost stood up from their seats together, applauding and cheering for their prefect.

Willing to admit defeat, the tenth graders left one after another in silence, leaving the auditorium to the victors. Amidst the cheers that shook the sky, Ian took the ice cubes and handkerchief from his deputy, and temporarily stopped the bleeding on his body .

"Go to the hospital?" the deputy asked concerned, "The private hospital run by my family will not be discovered."

Ian waved his hand and only asked, "It's not necessary—is the wound on my face serious?"

The deputy was very professional. After careful inspection, he concluded: "It can be recovered, but scars are likely to be left within two months. You have to think of an excuse."

"Is that so..." Ian frowned in distress, "Then before the end of this month, find a way to heal it, I don't want to leave scars."

The deputy understood: "You are finally going to be forced to go on a blind date? Which ladies are you from?"

Ian froze for a moment, then laughed: "What are you thinking? No... It's just that at the end of this month, I'm going to meet an important person."

*

Under the same sky, some people are deserting in the church, some are fighting in public schools, and of course some are lying on the train enjoying the scenery along the way.

The whistle blew, and the train passed through Elisano County, the place where industry originated. This is the core of the origin of the steam civilization of the entire empire. The steam engine was invented, improved and promoted here.

Sitting behind the window, Miao Xuan looked at the dingy sky through the glass. He could guess the smell outside the window without opening the window. It must be a mixture of iron filings and cinders, which is the bone and flesh of industry.

Even though Ceylon County has developed rapidly in the past three years, it is still far behind Alisano.

In the past few years, the speed of the train has increased a lot. It took more than a month and more to rush back to the capital from Ceylon County. Seeing that he was about to go home, Miao Xuan stopped writing long letters and only sent simple ones. message.

...Suddenly he didn't have to write a long novel, and he was still not used to it.

Ever since his little cousin started to learn to read, Miao Xuan's writing task has suddenly become much heavier. He not only has to write family letters to relatives and friends, but also sends official documents to the Queen and the Prime Minister on the issue of Ceylon County. The prime minister is a source of trouble.

Miao Xuan's plan for Ceylon County was carried out within such restrictions. Even though he had more advanced technology in his mind, he could only dally with the prime minister a little bit under the embarrassing age and identity restrictions.

Fortunately, in the past few years, his dedication has finally paid off accordingly. He no longer needs to squat in his fief hometown, and can return to the capital ahead of schedule to make the next step of his efforts.

Miao Xuan drew the curtains, turned on the lights in the carriage, and before he could say anything, a pair of steel arms hugged him first.

Seven years later, this body is no longer that of a child, but the puppet can still easily hold him in his arms—even because Miao Xuan has grown a lot taller, the puppet has changed from holding a child-like lift to a more Frequent side hugs.

"I've been sleeping for a long time, and I don't have any appetite." Miao Xuan smiled, and whispered in the puppet's ear, "... let's take a bath first."

The whistle sounded and the train moved again, but even in the violently shaking carriage, the puppet continued to move forward smoothly and quickly.

Miao Xuan leaned on the puppet's chest, looking at the slightly shaking chandeliers above his head.

Before he knew it, he had also been in this world for seven years.