Magic Industrial Age

Bremen City, located on the west coast of the Kingdom of Sardinia, ranks among the top ten cities even within the kingdom.

Although it's a bottom-dweller, constantly hovering on the edge of making or missing the list, it still has its unique advantages.

Its greatest strength is its exceptionally fine deep-water port, virtually free of reefs, capable of accommodating even the largest ocean vessels.

Consequently, large ocean-going ships bound for the New World may choose to load and unload goods here, even if it means a longer journey, as it's cost-effective for them.

This single factor guarantees Bremen City's prosperity.

As a distribution center, it not only attracts a large number of sailors but also requires a sufficient number of laborers.

The availability of jobs leads to population aggregation, resulting in the haphazard construction of buildings outside the city, brick by brick, tile by tile.

At least one hundred thousand young laborers live here!

Besides this, Bremen City is most renowned for its three large shipyards.

They not only handle the repair and maintenance of large sea vessels but also undertake manufacturing, possessing true master shipbuilders who hold core technologies.

As for other small and medium-sized shipyards, they open today and close tomorrow, and their exact number is impossible to count.

Speaking of which, there's also a shipyard in Fresh Flower Territory's Siren Harbor, specifically responsible for the repair and construction of the Raymond family's ships, as well as some external ship repair work.

The owner of that shipyard was specially hired by Earl Carl from Bremen Port's Tremetes Shipyard.

It's said that it even alarmed a grand duke of the kingdom, a major shareholder behind the Tremetes Shipyard, who only agreed to let the master craftsman and his apprentices leave after negotiations.

As for the price Earl Carl paid, it's unknown to anyone now, following his death and the burning of Lion Castle.

Of course, it would be a mistake to assume that these shipyards are old-fashioned.

In fact, they pioneered the method of solving the problem of hull corrosion by plating the bottom of ships with iron sheets and nailing them with galvanized iron nails.

Moreover, although the Kingdom of Sardinia has a standard aristocratic system, their desire for magic-powered ironclad ships is extremely strong.

They have sent delegations to negotiate technology transfer with the Habsburg Empire more than once, and it's said that the conditions offered were quite considerable.

In addition, they have sent many personnel into the Empire, attempting to learn the relevant technologies through the path of magic academies.

Of course, the above are all the good aspects of Bremen City, the parts worth boasting about.

And what Loya sees now is its most unsightly side.

Angus didn't take them through the traditional city gate but along the streets into the city's slums.

Then, two gangs, with as many as thirty or forty people armed with swords, were fighting in the streets, vying for territory, right before Loya's eyes.

Neither side was strong; at least, in Loya's view, only the leaders had the strength of a peak First Order.

Few of the others had even entered the First Order, and most were ordinary people with little to no training.

But they fought fiercely, all wrapping their swords with cloth to prevent slipping.

Their weapons aimed at the enemy's vitals, with methods such as beheading, severing limbs, and stabbing hearts emerging endlessly, sending broken bricks flying and blood splattering.

Around them, some doors were tightly closed, afraid to show their faces.

But there were also those who were skilled and daring, holding weapons and commenting as if watching a grand show.

Loya and the others didn't care, of course, but they didn't want to cause trouble either. Angus looked around and led Loya to avoid the scene.

They traveled through the side alleys, arcing around to pass through.

And Loya, at the last moment, finally glanced back.

His vision was excellent, his gaze sharp, cutting through the dark night to see the battlefield where victory had just been decided.

The leader of one gang had won the battle, cutting off the enemy's head with his sword, lifting it high as if boasting, showing off his power.

And what impressed Loya most was the expression on his face, a mixture of madness, excitement, and ferocity.

This scene was Loya's first impression of Bremen City!

He thought that this kind of thing should be an isolated case.

But in fact, along the way through the slums, he encountered no less than three gang fights and two chases and killings!

When they reached the end of the road, it was naturally the city wall, where several small gates had been opened.

They were occupied by a gang, with people going out of the city, entering the city, carrying goods, and even horse-drawn carriages passing through...

Of course, there was a fee for entering and exiting, not too expensive, but the traffic was considerable.

Loya and the others entered Bremen City through this small gate, and here the streets were much cleaner, and there were more lights around.

Although it was night, there was no curfew here, and there were many pedestrians coming and going, as well as open bars, dance halls, cabarets, theaters...

From time to time, melodious music came, floating in the air.

Here, there were no street fights.

However, Loya's Eagle Eye technique was quite profound, and Lehman's Ear could hear sounds from very far away.

In his eyes and ears, there were thieves groping and stealing; assassins killing for money; blood spurting, life passing away; desperate struggles, fighting each other.

On the rooftops, there were night travelers; in the corners of the streets, there were men in black using shadows to conceal themselves, appearing and disappearing.

The corners of Loya's mouth couldn't help but twitch, this Bremen City's night was truly lively!

However, after crossing the border near the city wall and walking a few more streets, the security finally improved.

Please note that Loya's so-called 'improvement' was actually that there were more city guards patrolling the streets, making those night travelers more afraid.

But in fact, those who dared to walk here were much stronger.

The place where Angus settled was a high-end hotel, named 'Bremen Grand Hotel'.

With only two or three floors around it, its six-story height made it stand out, quite conspicuous.

Its first floor was a place to eat, decorated luxuriously and grandly, like a palace.

Even the serving maids were uniformly dressed, showing off their tall figures and elegant manners.

There was also a special band playing soothing songs, making people unconsciously relax their minds.

And those who could eat here were all wealthy merchants and nobles, all wearing gold and silver, extremely luxurious.

Going up to the second floor, there was a large bar, with drinks from all over the world placed behind the circular bar.

Under the specially designed lights, each bottle looked beautiful and unaffordable.

This was not only a place to drink but also a casino, with people playing cards, throwing dice, playing poker, gambling...

Even in the center, there was an octagonal boxing ring, using magical means, from time to time, there would be one or two gladiator fights, accepting bets and gambling.

Whenever this happened, it was the liveliest and most profitable time for the bar.

However, when Loya passed by here, he didn't see any gladiators but saw a wandering poet playing a flute.

The melodious flute sound echoed, actually carrying a magical reaction, but more of it was to make people indulge in it and unable to extricate themselves!

At this moment, the corners of Loya's mouth couldn't help but grin. If he wasn't mistaken, that should be a hellish wandering poet.

It's just that he didn't have any murderous intentions at the moment!

Further up was the living area, and not to mention the design of the rooms, even the corridor floor was covered with expensive wool carpets.

Although only separated by one floor, the noise below didn't reach the top at all, obviously using magical means.

Of course, the most commendable thing about this hotel was only one thing: safety!

Because the entire building could actually be regarded as a simplified version of a mage tower, without so many complex structures, but also with an elemental pool for power supply.

Then, these magical energies were all gathered to reinforce the house, almost without dead ends.

I'm afraid that even a Fourth Order Calamity would have to spend a lot of effort to destroy it.

And this was still without anyone presiding over it. This mage tower-like hotel, like that magic warship, must not lack a master.

Loya was also a bit amazed. He really didn't expect that someone would be so extravagant.

The room that Angus had booked was on the fifth floor near the corner.

Through the window, you could see half of Bremen City, the view was excellent.

Of course, the bigger reason Angus chose this place was to look northwest from here.

There was a luxurious manor there, belonging to the Isel family, which had planted many flowers and plants, and connected them with a stream of living water.

Thus, it got the name 'Flowing Garden'.

Looking further west was the Vermont Cathedral, where that Fourth Order Calamity, Ignatius Isel, studied, cultivated, and grew up.

In the end, he made a lifelong vow to the Sun God, thus awakening his battle qi and becoming a Fourth Order Earth-type Oath Knight!

This Ignatius Isel's whereabouts were secretive, and if a Fourth Order expert didn't want to be discovered, it would be even more difficult to spy on his whereabouts.

However, the most places he appeared were these two places.

The door was tightly closed, Angus opened the room's magic seal, and theoretically not a word would be transmitted.

However, Angus still took out a silent scroll, unfolded it, activated its magic, and enveloped the room.

At this point, Angus eagerly opened his mouth: "Lord Earl, you should have seen the situation, I always feel that something big is about to happen in this Bremen City!"

Loya perked up and asked, "What do you mean specifically?"