Orc Tyrant

22nd Era, September 11, 19, Season of Mole

Benedict Empire, Tyre Province, outskirts of Yaco

In the early morning when the sun rises, the warm sun disperses the slightly moist mist. This is the harvest season. The dew-filled wheat ears press the wheat stalks down. The farmers who have worked hard for more than half a year now become More busy, in the field where you can't see the head at a glance, many people are dragging their families to harvest ripe wheat, the sound of sickle cutting and people's calling are intertwined.

Woo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The long sound of the whistle broke the pastoral scenery. Along with the billowing smoke, a metal snake came slowly from a distance along the long track. The huge rumbling and the constant "click" attracted some farmers. Attention, they straightened up one after another, looking at the metal monster.

The billowing head, the rectangular body, the short chimney spitting out choking black smoke, just like the evil beast that should be hung in the cave in the folk song, and many farmers began to curse that it made people noisy. Heart guy, originally the horse-drawn truck was driving on this track. It was quiet and stable, and farmers could occasionally use a cart.

But more than ten years ago, a gadget called a "locomotive" replaced the carriage on the track. This thing uses coal as fuel and is very dangerous. It is ruthless and does not even brake. It just started to run over. There are many farmers who are not aware of the fact that everyone has no way to use their cars. It will cost a lot of money to go to the city to ride this. This is not the most important thing. There are rumors that the smoke emitted by this kind of thing is poisonous. It hurts crops and people's health, and also destroys the land, so most farmers don't want to see this stuff.

"Thank you~"

He politely greeted the neighbors. After Sergey pushed the gift box to the shelf with great effort, he finally took off his round cap and sat on his seat securely. He is an engineer, or to be precise. The famous bridge designer will go to Eero, the capital city of Gramatia Province, to participate in the construction of a railway bridge.

"Stewardess!"

"Sir, what do you need?"

He took out 20 reams from his pocket and put them on the female flight attendant's tray along with the order list. Sergey smiled kindly at the young girl and said:

"Dark tea added a little honey to me, thank you very much."

"Oh... yes sir! I'll deliver it to you right away."

The unexpected tip surprised the girl, and she bowed quickly. Then clutching tightly this windfall quickly disappeared to the other end of the car.

"It's nice to be young..."

Touching Xie Ding’s head, Sergey, who is almost 40 years old, can’t help but recall his lost youth. After all, in this age when the average life expectancy is less than 50 years old, he is already considered a half-earned person, but soon His attention was drawn to a strange person on the opposite side.

He was really a strange man. He was clearly in the car, but he was still wearing a light brown wide-brimmed hat and a coat of the same color wrapped around him. He was a little bit abrupt in this not too cold season. His hands Wearing black leather gloves, holding a newspaper to cover his face tightly, only occasionally a soft cough or two came from behind the paper.

This is a copy of the "Empire Times" of the day. The slightly pungent smell of ink reminds Sergey of his office. Today's headline is a bit special. It is not the Empire Times, but Carlos Salinas, a professor at the University of Tallinn. A biological paper entitled "Evolution and Biodiversity" was published in the society. This event has been fermented in the academic circles of the empire for ten days, and even caused a huge sensation in the political and religious circles of the empire. Well-known scholars criticized this doctrine, believing that it was "an ignorant and arrogant conjecture without scrutiny", and a large number of religious figures seriously warned of this fallacy and heresy, which "contraries popular cognition and attempts to subvert the morality and conscience of people" , Vehemently criticized Professor Carlos as a "fanatic", "mentally abnormal person" and "aggressive clown". The trend once swept the political circle. The Imperial Religious Affairs Administration formally issued an official letter to the Imperial Higher Education Commission three days ago, requesting its revocation. Carlos Salinas has all academic titles and asked the University of Tallinn to dismiss the person. The committee has not yet made any official response. The Board of Governors of the University of Tallinn has publicly stated that they will adhere to the principle of academic freedom and they will not violate the principle of academic freedom. Under the premise of imperial law, dismiss anyone because of academic problems!

As far as I am concerned, Sergey does not support this strange theory. He also studied in university, and he currently does not have any clear beliefs, but I have to say that the theory of evolution is really unacceptable.

"What do you think, gentleman."

Perhaps it was fascinating to watch. When the hoarse voice came from behind the newspaper, Sergey couldn't help but shudder, just when the flight attendant pushed the dining car to his side.

"Sir, your black tea and desserts are here."

"Oh, thanks."

Rejoicing that someone had rescued him from the embarrassment that was about to come, Sergey quickly turned around and took the plate and put it on the table. At this time, the man opposite him also put down the newspaper in his hand.

"I'm sorry, I was too rushed to rush the car today and I didn't have time to buy the newspaper. Would you like to have some?"

With a smile on his face, he gently pushed forward on the dessert plate. Sergey took a look at the man's appearance. This is a weather-beaten middle-aged man with silver-gray hair on his forehead and light blue. His eyes, tall nose and knife-cut cheeks all revealed his ethnicity-the sparsely populated Youss.

It is worth noting that there was a cross-shaped scar on his right eye, which gave him a peculiar temperament. Sergey recalled for a moment and found that he seemed to be somewhat similar to those veterans who had retired from the battlefield. Similar, but not so decadent, more profound.

There is another point that makes Sergey quite disturbed. Looking from the neckline, he can see the black stand-up collar. Under the man’s coat, there seems to be a black dress. This is an ominous hue that always makes Sergey. Think of some terrible guy.

"Thank you for your kindness, I don't eat sweets."

The man shook his head, gently pushed the plate back in front of Sergey, and then took the cup at hand and took a sip of the orange liquid in it. According to observations Sergey judged that it was Paka, which is famous for its bitterness. Juice, a weird drink that most people can't stand, is said to have an excellent refreshing effect, but Sergey tried it and it turned out that everything he ate all day was bitter.

"By the way, Mr. Sergei Burkatov, do you also think that Professor Carlos is a fanatic."

Sergey was stunned when the other party spoke. He didn't expect this person to know his name, but when he found that the other party smiled and pointed to the hat he put aside, he realized that he had put the locomotive ticket in the hat. Inside.

"My name is Diego Alatrist."

"Nice to meet you."

The two shook hands amicably, and Sergey became more sure that the other party was probably a veteran, because even through the gloves, he could feel that it was a palm with great power. This kind of person is either a mercenary or He is a soldier, but he does not have the general turbulence of mercenaries.

"Is Mr. Alatrist going to Eero too?"

"This train can't drive Quito (the western border city of the empire), can it?"

"cough……"

Sergey had to admit that he had asked a stupid question. He quickly picked up the teacup to cover up his embarrassment. As a last resort, he could only bring the topic back to the original place.

"This is an irrational behavior. He is too eager to prove himself. This theory is full of errors."

"Maybe the direction is right?"

The man's meaningful smile made Sergey feel a little furry, like a mouse being stared at by a cat.

"It's hard to tell. Just like the eel can't be changed in flour, some things may be right at first, but the theory of deviation will still lead everything to fallacy. Just like a locomotive, minor changes in track can also lead to disasters, the correct result It can only be obtained by following the right path."

"But there are many professors who support him."

"Scholars are not sages, and to be honest, do you think...well, let me pretend to be an analogy. Do you think that your sacred ancestor was changed from a fish in the sea? Or something else covered in fur? animal?"

As we all know, the Youss have been adhering to the ancestral beliefs since ancient times. They firmly believe that their ancestors are with themselves. Therefore, this question is strictly speaking. Sergey regrets it a bit, but the person leaned back. He leaned, making a deep voice.

"There are not many people who believe that anymore. Things are always changing, don't they."

"Well……"

As the atmosphere slowly cooled down, the cheers of the children suddenly came from the carriage.

"Mom! Look outside!"

The two turned their heads and looked out the window almost at the same time, only to see a big river traversing the wilderness meandering from afar, and huge sailing boats intertwined on the river, very busy.

"It's here so soon, the Corinth Canal."

Although it was not the first time I saw it, Sherman was still amazed by this mighty creation-the Corinth Canal, the main artery of the empire’s eastern trade. The total length is nearly 380 miles, the maximum width of the river is 400 meters, the maximum depth is 25 meters, and it can be navigated. All currently known ships.

When it comes to this canal, you have to mention the late Arcane Grand Master Zerak of the Empire and the Vaina VII Great Emperor of the same period. When Vaina was young, he lost his inheritance rights in a palace coup and moved to the West. Master Rack rescued him and assisted him to regain the throne, but arcane art was regarded as a dangerous heresy by the Kane Church at the time. Both Eastern and Western churches were strictly forbidden, and even the emperor could not easily disobey it.

In order to prove the power and justice of arcane arts, Master Zerak organized all the apprentices and spent ten years using the plasticity of arcane arts to forcibly cut out a majestic piece from the place where it was impossible to dig out the canal. The canal, so Emperor Vaina VII removed all obstacles and declared that the arcane school had become a legal existence in the empire, and was protected by the royal family. So far, arcane has become a technology generally accepted by the civilians of the empire, and the Royal Arcane Academy has also become The empire's premier high-level academy has even overshadowed the witchcraft school that has been rooted in the empire for thousands of years.

"The canal is a miracle, and the bridge is also a miracle."

Sergey nodded when he heard the man's words. He knew that he was referring to the bridge.

The Yilan Bridge, the first river-crossing bridge on the canal, is also the first pure metal structure bridge, and the only bridge that uses both railways and highways. It was led by the Imperial Ministry of Transportation 20 years ago and was supported by the Arcane Association. It took five years to complete. It is worth mentioning that for the construction of this bridge, the empire was led by the government to set up an exclusive construction management company for the first time, and issued shares. After all, for the empire whose financial situation is deteriorating, it is really unable to independently bear this. Huge construction costs.

"My mentor participated in the design."

This has always been something Sergey is quite proud of. Although he himself is only one of the less effective tutors among the many students, the person still exclaimed when he heard it.

"Great designers and builders can make such great achievements."

Time always flies quickly in small talks, and when night falls, the locomotive has also reached the end.

"It's nice to be able to make a trip with you."

Stepping out of the carriage, Sergey saw a carriage with the Bridge Engineering Association brand not far away. The driver was already drowsy on it, so he shook hands with Alatrist and said goodbye with a smile. The other party was just polite. Nodded, and didn't say much.

"By the way, where are you staying? Maybe I can visit you if I get the chance."

"I have to continue on my way, so I'll leave."

Seeing the other party hurriedly disappearing into the crowd, Sergey could only helplessly shy away. This is indeed a strange guy.

But he would not have thought that this man who had just had a good chat with him, after leaving the crowd, would throw away his coat, and if Sergey saw him again, he would be scared to pee his pants. Because under that coat is another coat, a corset that is as dark as the night, with a blood-red belt on the waist, and a holster on the left side, with a rare revolver inserted in it, red The handle of the gun is very conspicuous in the night, and a silver badge is hung on the right side. The content of the badge is very peculiar. It is a dog with a broom in the mouth, and the hat on his head is turned over to show the black side.

Secret Guards-The Benedict Empire established an early intelligence agency that only obeyed the emperor's orders.

The first secret guards were only to investigate the insurgents, but as time went by, the power of secret guards became more and more powerful. Most of them were orphans. They were nurtured since childhood. When they grew up, they sneaked around the empire in the name of the emperor. The government Institutions, churches, military, academies...No place can guarantee that they have not been invaded by secret guards. They collect all useful or seemingly useless intelligence, and set out to eradicate the impending threat, the dark beasts roaming the border, and abuse it. The wizards of the South Power, the dangerous monsters that run out of various laboratories, the corrupt officials, the generals at both ends of the mouse, the cultists who instigate the masses, the dissidents who promote harmful ideas, and even the royal family members who are unfaithful to the emperor. , When the secret guards are allowed to lift the Judgment Blade, their power will be infinitely magnified.

Because of this, the reputation of the secret guards became very stinky. People believed that they were just a group of evil dogs raised by the emperor, cruel, ruthless, and cold-blooded, just like the judges in the Western world, people were both fearful and disgusted.

Da Da ~ Da Da ~

Just turning into an empty alley, Alatrist heard the crisp sound of horseshoes. He turned around and looked at him. A black steed was running towards him. He seemed to know that it would happen, and he didn't have the slightest expression of surprise. , But when the steed came to him, a lightly turned over and straddled.

"Isn't there yet?"

Outside the city of Eero, in a small station dedicated to the army, a locomotive was lying quietly on the rails. A group of soldiers with live ammunition lined up on the platform. They were dressed in gray coats and top hats, like rocks. At every turn, with the latest rear-loading gun developed by the Empire on his shoulders, an officer was pacing irritably, taking out a pocket watch from his jacket pocket from time to time.

Da Da ~ Da Da ~

Hearing the faint sound of horses hoofs in the distance, the officer quickly turned around, and saw a vigorous figure running along the railroad tracks in the vast night.

"Sir! Here comes the man!"

"It's finally here? Can't the current secret guards even keep on time."

A helpless sigh came from the locomotive, and a middle-aged soldier in a gorgeous military uniform walked to the platform with heavy steps, but when he saw what the person looked like, his original expression of dissatisfaction suddenly became surprised.

"It's you!"

"Why, General Yusuf doesn't want to see me so much?"

With a grin, Alatrist untied a long sword from the saddle, then jumped slightly and landed on the platform.