usenovelonline Chapter 460 Generous Gifts, Unexpected Decisions and Changes
Chapter 460 Generous Gifts, Unexpected Decisions and Changes
Is this a generous gift?
Yes.
Was it a surprise?
No.
At least Ansalu felt no joy.
If it was him who was still wandering in the mountains many years ago, after seeing that kind of scene, he would probably want to get the same power at all costs. Status cannot guarantee anything, only power can be relied on for a long time.For example, he can be so good at dancing in a foreign country, isn't it because of the strong support of the industrial alliance behind him?What's more, who hasn't dreamed of calling the wind and calling the rain when they were young, hoping that a white-robed mage would descend from the sky one day, telling himself that he was a dusty orb and would grow into a powerful talent?
As long as one has talent, the trajectory of destiny will be rewritten, and wealth and status will come naturally, all of which are effortless.
The emphasis is on effortlessness, and the inevitable enslavement that aloof implies.
This may just be Ansalu's prejudice against talented people as an ordinary person, but some changes in those workers after the surgery show that his prejudice is not unreasonable.
The Earl Greer called this generous gift "the water of talent", and just one drop can endow ordinary people with extraordinary abilities. Very low, and the ability to awaken them looks mediocre and unpromising.But even if it is mediocre and has no potential, this is still a major breakthrough of the epoch.Talented people can turn from an accidental phenomenon into a product that can be mass-produced. From the perspective of ordinary people, it even surpasses the overall influence of the industrial alliance on the world.
Therefore, as soon as the electromagnetic environment recovered, Ansalu reported this important information to the Industrial Alliance, and he and others believed that it would soon reach the ears of the magician.This is the first time that the other party has officially revealed part of their strength to them since they entered the country of fog, so it is of great significance.
However, if it is said that the "water of talent" caused them to panic and waver, that would be true.Of course, Ansalu and the others were surprised at first, but they calmed down soon, regardless of whether any of them were moved by it—these nobles from Tiancheng told them that as long as they wanted, they could let that Yuli Grand Master Tan used a softer method to infuse them with higher-grade talent water to prove what they said was true, but Ansalu tactfully but resolutely refused—only thinking about the problem from the perspective of foreign affairs personnel, "Talent "Water of Water" is indeed an epoch-making breakthrough, but it itself does not pose a real threat to the industrial alliance.
Since its birth, the Alliance has no lack of experience in fighting talented people. To put it bluntly, the number of talented people who died under the artillery fire of the Alliance may be more than many people have ever seen in their lives.Judging from those experiences, unless talented people can solve key problems such as distance, frequency and range, as well as the feudal army's war thinking problem, it will be difficult for them to reverse the disadvantages of the industrial alliance's production and war system on the frontal battlefield.This is also a perception shared by those powerful talents associated with the alliance.
No matter how much the upper and lower ruling systems of the Kingdom of Mists have learned about the industrial alliance through the Union Chamber of Commerce and other channels, they still reflect traditional and incomprehensible ideas in many places.The most representative of them is that although the cruel method is the next policy, they have actually destroyed the feudal land system, organized a large number of people to carry out socialized production with a clear purpose, and thus achieved great success. Remarkable results.However, after the managers selected and took away the group of people who contributed to the improvement of production efficiency in the initial stage, the production departments still used the old production methods and production tools, and discarded all the technologies invented or improved by the creators. no need.
Among them, there are reasons why new techniques and new tools are still immature, and there is no subsequent improvement, but the most fundamental reason is that these production systems are completely dominated by old nobles and talented people. The smart and capable people all went to the sky, leaving a group of waste on the ground who could only vent their grievances to the bottom "work animals".These people know nothing but abuse and enjoyment, but they are madly jealous of mortals who may be selected to heaven as long as they show intelligence. People who try their best to express themselves but have no luck will have bad luck after that-that is, die ugly.
How much darkness and blood and tears there are in this "Heavenly Chosen" system that the people of Tiancheng think is fair and reasonable, even outsiders who have not experienced it are shocking. Those tragic stories reflect not only the arrogance and cruelty of the powerful, but also When they trample on the lives and dignity of others like trampling weeds, and cruelly pinch the seedlings of progress at the seeds, it shows that the civilization they belong to has been corrupted to the point of no cure.
I heard that Sky City is not like this.The heavenly world is good, everyone says so.The people living in the sky are all intelligent, polite and courteous. Talented people and nobles perform their own duties, and they are also very sympathetic to mortals. The benevolent His Royal Highness Rand sends envoys to visit the ground every year, and amnesty the whole territory several times Woolen cloth.
"Global amnesty... so they have always known what the minions below are doing, but they have never punished or replaced them?"
"They live in the sky, separated by the clouds, it's not easy to manage things on the ground—"
"The blood tax has never been dropped."
"Because from such a high place, no matter who it is, it looks like an ant."
Even if it is man-made, the gifted are the gifted. After the so-called essence of life is improved, their status has also undergone a fundamental change, and they are no longer used and can no longer return to the labor force.The nobles from Sky City left them like used utensils, and it was up to the Alliance to arrange themselves.
As a result, after the initial adaptation period, only one of the five resolutely asked to leave, because the members of the alliance were all mortal "native species" without natural talent, and they refused to find a mentor for him, the only gifted person who showed ice talent. He didn't want to stay any longer in this business district where they were still required to work, and wanted to go downtown to find a future by himself.
Naturally, the Chamber of Commerce would not try to keep him, but this newly talented person was beaten up by four former companions as soon as he stepped out of the alliance's business circle, and even the living expenses given to him by the alliance were taken away. Throw it to passers-by watching the excitement.
Even so, the four were still very upset when they returned to the business district.They regarded each other as companions in the past, and all of them had received selfless help from the Alliance, but they suddenly gained a little ability--and they didn't know what troubles would be hidden, so they became ungrateful traitors. They were even more powerful than the Alliance. One also has to feel badly hurt.
The foreign affairs staff asked them again about their willingness. Among the four, three were willing to stay and work for the chamber of commerce, and one was very hesitant.Ansalu had a private conversation with him.
For this young man, getting this talent is more like a disaster than a surprise, which means that he can no longer continue his mission as a messenger, and more importantly, according to what the nobles of Tiancheng revealed to the alliance people, they may Using the item "water of talent" for the internal differentiation of the kingdom of fog-is still the routine of "those who are capable go to heaven, and those who are incompetent are in hell".As long as there is a little hope, people's tolerance for pain is almost unlimited. Only when they are completely cut off, people will choose to resist in the most resolute way.Therefore, once Sky City decides to implement this tried and tested method, the cause of the rebels will be hit hard.
Ansalu has a plan to let these artificial talents return to the labor force in the name of visiting relatives, so as to pass these important information to the rebel organization.However, he has a strong premonition that the sudden appearance of "Water of Talent" will not allow the rebels to suspend their desperate plans as he wished, and may even cause the opponents to revolt ahead of time.
If the rebel insists on this, everything is the other party's independent choice, and according to the principle of communication in diplomatic documents, foreign affairs personnel should not interfere too much in other countries' internal affairs-but first, the document is a member of the country of fog. The aristocrats signed the agreement with the then-consul of the Central and Western Regions, and within two years, neither side expressed their willingness to upgrade it to a higher and more formal level. Only a few months ago, the Kingdom of Mist sent an official representative to "stay in the alliance" ", the alliance chamber of commerce invited to the country of mist can therefore receive a slight increase in treatment, and can also perform some diplomatic functions, so we know the status of that document in the hearts of both parties.
Whether it is the representatives of the fog stationed in the alliance, or the alliance chamber of commerce that has made some achievements in the country of the fog, it is a way for two powerful countries to discover each other to test and guard against each other. The hands and feet are no less than them, but it is difficult to reach the breadth and depth of the Union Chamber of Commerce-the ruling organization of their lower world is simply rotten.
Ansalu and his fellow liberators have hypothesized a hundred ways to subvert this closed world, but all their successes are based on the premise that they don't have a sky city on their heads. They don't even know how many similar talents those sky city people have Such a reserve of water.Every failure of the rebels will bring brutal massacres. Due to the deteriorating living environment of the laborers, this long-awaited outbreak may be the largest in scale, the deepest in consciousness, and the most tragic in results.During his contact with those Tiancheng people, Ansalu deeply felt their ruthlessness towards the so-called mortals. This ruthlessness came from their confidence in power, and also came from - deduced from various signs - that A city in the sky has the ability of self-improvement and self-upgrade, so they are gradually getting rid of the dependence on manpower on the ground.
When sending these artificial talents off, Ansalu called the messenger aside.
"Do you think the Confederation of Industry is a strong country?"
"Without a doubt, of course it is!"
"If we were to give you arms and other aid, would your chiefs be willing to accept it?"
"What, what?" The young man's eyes widened, "Do you want to give us more help? Of course we are willing, we can't be unwilling! No matter what you give us, we are willing! Of course, weapons are our most important thing. needs--"
"I will ask the people above to give you assistance within my ability." Ansalu said, "But it will take time to transport them from the alliance, and it will also take time to smuggle them into the mist. I will definitely give you a certain amount weapons, but—”
He paused, "We only have one chamber of commerce here. Once there is a mess, we may be blocked from business routes, and may even be deported or imprisoned. Therefore, before these weapons arrive, your rebel leaders should not act rashly."
The young man blushed with excitement, "We understand!"
"Very good, great boy, then you can go back quickly."
Ansalu has never felt so guilty and anxious. This is not the first time he has lied in his life, but it is the first time he has uttered such a terrible lie after becoming the liberator.The report he wrote to the upper-level department will not see a reply until the next batch of supplies arrives. Since the last incident of the gods, it has been more than a week since the incident has not received action instructions from the alliance. A kind of torment.
At the meeting of the liberators held at night, Ansalu confessed the promise he made on his own initiative, and then sat down slowly as if peeling off a layer of skin, and the meeting room was silent.
Moments later, someone said: "This is a serious breach of discipline."
He is another head of an organization in the same position as Ansarul, and the others are still silent.
"This kind of behavior should be reported and punished. I will report this matter in the next contact. But—" the man said again, "his actions were not out of selfishness, nor was it impulsive. In fact, we have discussed it many times before. , knowing the enormous difficulties faced by the rebel organizations in the Mist Country, and the serious consequences of the way they will fight. Whether they succeed or fail, it will result in tens of thousands, maybe tens of thousands, or maybe 10,000+ , and even tens of thousands of people were killed."
"As long as we have a little ability, we should prevent this huge humanitarian disaster." The person in charge said, "All of us should have such awareness. It was Ansalu who made the decision one step ahead of us. I can't think of it." The more appropriate way to buy time, he did what I wanted, so whatever punishment he gets, I take equal responsibility with him."
Another moment of silence.
"In that case," someone laughed, "then no one can escape. Captain Anzalu also did what I wanted to do, and I accept the same punishment."
As if the ice and snow were melting, Ru Lin raised her hand amidst low laughter.
"We are all willing to make this decision, and we are willing to share this responsibility."
So a few days later, Ansalu was already prepared for all possible situations when he welcomed the envoy from Tiancheng again in the business district.But surprisingly, what this lightly dressed emissary team brought was not a search or warning order, but a special token designated by someone to be handed over to the "Cloud Deep" magician of the Far East Alliance.
Ansalu looked at the female knight whom he was familiar with: "Excuse me, whose lord is this...?"
The female knight pressed the hilt of her sword, looked into Ansalu's eyes, and said word by word: "The first king, His Majesty Fatales."
When a person's status reaches a certain level, the scenery he sees will repeat itself-for many residents of Sky City, this sentence is not a metaphor, but a not-so-pleasant reality.In this place that even the birds can't reach, watching the sun rise and the moon set, the sea of clouds churning, the mountains and rivers under their feet, away from the filth of the world, can indeed give people a strong spiritual satisfaction at first, but after a long time, they will feel lonely .
But they also don't want it to become prosperous in a short period of time. Loneliness is only temporary. Sky City will not be an isolated island that can only stay in one place. An isolated island is just its incomplete low-level form. Its complete form should be It is a magical and rich floating continent, cruising the world and becoming the eternal capital of God.For this reason, its residents must be strictly selected, and they must not—at least not easily allow those inferior bloodlines of the next generation to share the honor just because of their contributions in the initial stage of building the city.
I heard that those industrial animals have changed recently?
Not many people care about this kind of thing. The most recent topic of Tiancheng people is that the archbishop has been admonished by His Royal Highness Rand and has gone to "silent practice". To completely remove it, this is their top priority.
Even if something really happened in the lower realm, and those wastes left on the ground were unable to solve it by themselves, it would be enough for them to throw a few more Sky Spears in the sky.
The minerals mined by the inferior population of the lower world are turned into the spear of the sky through the urban workshop, and then fall on them. The philosophical meaning of this process is really worth savoring.
"I feel a little disgusted." The head maid said in a low voice, "People who can say such words are not of high morality. Have they forgotten that they are also born on the ground?"
"Maybe they are just too boring, but they don't really have too much malice." Her partner said softly, "After all, they are not the ones who decide when and where the Spear of Heaven will be thrown."
The head maid wanted to say some sarcastic words, but controlled herself, and just buried her head in embroidery. Her companion was also embroidering flowers, and continued to whisper to her: "There are really too few changes in the sky. It's been a long time. Everyone really wants to see some new things, so I am very happy that His Highness is lifting the ban this time. Although I don’t think wine is good to drink, I heard that there are many other interesting things in the ground country, such as moccasins , perfumes, and fabrics of every fashion, and—”
Her voice was almost a whisper, "Lots of books."
The head maid raised her head and looked at this pale-skinned friend who was always smiling in the corner.
The door was suddenly opened with a bang, and a group of people headed by the female knight entered in a single file. The maids in the living room stood up one after another.
"What about Your Majesty?"
"Your Majesty is still in the observation room today."
The knight walked through the corridor and gently knocked on the door.After waiting for a few breaths, she skillfully pushed the door open and entered.
"Your Majesty," she said to the man by the window on the ground, "there has been no twists and turns, and the token has been delivered to his hands."
Fatales responded irresponsibly, and the female knight stood up from the ground. Although the majesty spends most of the day immersed in his own memories and thoughts, it doesn't matter whether there are people or how many people are with him, the female knight She can go back to the dormitory to rest now, but before leaving, she couldn't help asking: "Your Majesty, what kind of scenery is the world you see in your eyes?"
She waited for a while, but did not get an answer. The companions behind her exchanged glances, and some of the following maids secretly smiled gloatingly. He spoke: "You want to know?"
"Yes, yes!" said the startled female knight.
Fatales turned around, "What about you?"
After a moment of silence, the head maid took a step forward, "Of course, we also hope to have a closer relationship with Your Majesty."
"In that case..." Fatales said lightly, and everyone was stunned when they didn't see what he did.
Like falling instantly, but also like being infinitely lifted, in an indescribable feeling, all their perceptions were drawn to the endless place between the sky and the earth, and their weightless souls were floating in the howling wind.
The floating clouds were torn by the strong wind, the ground stretched under their feet, and the perspective was completely different from that in the city of the sky. Perhaps because they knew that all of this was controlled by His Majesty Fatales, everyone quickly overcame their fear and focused on this exciting Surprising novel experience.Looking down at the land they haven't returned to for a long time from a god-like perspective, some people have mixed emotions.
But Fatales is not a parent who wants to satisfy his children on a whim. He wants them to watch something else.
No matter what these young people were focusing on just now, when they appeared from the edge of vision, no one could ignore these monsters.
Huge streamlined monsters came in groups from the other side of the sky.
Shouts came and went in the observation room, and more than half of the people quit their spirit vision due to excessive fright, "What is that?" "What is that?" "Are they coming towards us?" "Are these monsters coming towards us?" Did we start the war?"
Panicked questions also erupted among several invisible checkpoints in Sky City. Even though this post, which was considered useless since it was launched, was filled with idlers, they were more likely to be placed than those whose spiritual vision was opened by Fatales. The maid and the knight were only one step behind when they noticed the abnormality from the west. After the panic, the low, long and frightening horn sounded through the sky. This was the highest alarm ever, and the entire sky city was alarmed .
At the edge of the misty line, a child crawled out of the crypt-like residence under the soft call of its mother. The woman with her hands clutching her arms poured the child into her arms, and tore a fat white worm found from the rotten wood in two. , half stuffed into his mouth, and half swallowed by himself.When there was something to eat, the child began to cry because she was hungrier, and silent tears rolled down the mother's cheeks because there was nothing she could do about it.
How great it would be if people were like bugs and could live only by eating wood!
As humble as she is, she still doesn't understand what kind of sin they committed, that the gods let such a tyrannical shepherd manage his flock. They really squeezed their last bones!The cold-faced priests say it's a great honor to be able to contribute to "a great cause", but people just want to live.
Or let them die like this, the soul leaves the heavy body like a bird, and floats with the wind to the ignorant darkness... The mother staring at the sky suddenly widened her eyes.
Enormous--extremely large, something living or created, passed over vaguely shaped mountains, and the air rippled, and shadows of a size not seen in dreams were cast from the sky, and the people on the ground watched it pass overhead. .