Chapter 473 The Imperial Dilemma

 Time is precious.

Belica took out the mechanical pocket watch and took a look at it.

This is a sophisticated and advanced product of goblin technology. Only top goblin engineers can polish every part and gear to make the hands on the pocket watch move on time and stably.

Some people always say that goblin inventions are crude and crude, but it is precisely because of these cheap and usable things that more people can master them.

  Expensive and fine things were the prerogative of the imperial elite.

 The time is 17:31.

 When the sun sets.

 The imperial delegation arrived outside the royal city of the Resurrection Kingdom.

What came to greet them was an army led by skeleton knights. They said nothing and fought in silence.

Belica saw a huge vehicle driving on the field. There was thick smoke on the front of the vehicle, and rows of white bone rollers were driven behind the vehicle, plowing evenly across the ground.

 He squinted his eyes.

 Farm tools [tooth farming] are also one of the goals this time.

The imperial mission was solemnly received by the Resurrection Kingdom. Although the two sides had minor frictions in the past, trade and exchanges with each other have never been interrupted.

 The only thing that has changed is the status between the two.

 In the past, the Resurrection Kingdom was considered a barbaric and stupid land of the dead, a pasture and farm at the rear of the empire. However, when this place was favored by the **** Yao, everything became completely different.

In just a hundred years, the Kingdom of the Skeletons, which used to be subservient to the empire, turned into a prosperous emerging civilization.

The Resurrection Kingdom has trained a skeleton army that is not afraid of death. It sits on vast fields and grasslands, is self-sufficient internally, and exports large amounts of grain, leather, and meat.

Because skeleton mercenaries are of high quality and low price, well-ordered, and have an excellent reputation, they have even begun to undertake partial standing military defense tasks for some vassal civilizations.

 The Resurrection Kingdom bypasses the Empire and trades and communicates directly with other client civilizations.

There were many protests and condemnations from the Empire, but the gods remained silent.

That is the place where the divine power of Yao is shrouded, and the gods have no right to interfere.

After the Anvil Federation was integrated into the Resurrection Kingdom, it made up for its shortcomings in smelting and mining. The rise of this young kingdom has become unstoppable.

 The empire was in great turmoil.

 First of all, there was the mysterious explosion of [Ironwood Castle] and [Sweet City]. The sudden impact and arrival of another world made these two cities disappear into thin air.

This indirectly led to the death of Iron Duke, the holder of [Ironwood Castle].

 Later, the new duke was poisoned and the entire duchy was taken over by the empire. The sole heir, Ferric Balon, is in exile in the Resurrection Kingdom, and the title of Iron Duke is almost in name only.

On the other side, the Earl of Spice, who controlled [Sweet City], lost his vitality and lost his sugar-making town. The Earl of Spice lost his monopoly on sugar products, and his heir also died in the Sweet City incident. Nowadays, the Earl of Spice has become the last force among the seven elector princes, and is in danger under the power of the emperor.

This incident was called the "Fortress Explosion", which directly caused the mutual distrust between the elector and the emperor, causing overt and covert confrontation with each other, and the separatism of the vassal towns became increasingly serious.

Belica also discussed with his friends at the time: "It's not a good thing anyway, and anyone who dies will die a good death."

 The friend said: “Then what is considered a good situation?”

 “Of course it is like this now, the more chaotic the better.”

Belica grinned: "I just want to have some fun. It would be a wonderful thing to witness the collapse of an empire."

 Not long after, Belica was found by the apostles.

 “The empire wants to hire you to do work for them, so prepare yourself.”

"my pleasure."

 Belica took the order obediently.

 Although he is working for the empire, he is not from the empire, but from the [Popular World].

 In the popular world, the training of skills is indeed quite good, and the people who can hang out here are elites from all walks of life. However, no matter how good the technology is, it must be tested in actual combat.

Facing the foreign minister of the empire, Belica raised his head, put one hand on his shoulder, and said solemnly according to imperial etiquette: "For the empire! Loyalty!"

 He then became a technical officer in the Imperial Ministry of Inventions.

 The technology of the invention department usually refers to goblin technology, construction engineering, smelting and casting, or mechanical design.

Belica’s skill is stealing.

 He is a rising star in the popular world of thievery.

Coming to the Resurrection Kingdom, Belica’s imperial mission is to steal two things.

 The manufacturing technology of [Kenya], and the formula of the magic potion [Jiuxin Pill].

 …

 The defenses of the Resurrection Kingdom are in vain in his own eyes. Belica collected the complete technology of "Ken Ya" through on-site investigation, consultation, and visits. He even made a small model and gave it to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

 As for [Jiuxin Pill], this is not something that the Resurrection Kingdom can produce. The magic medicine developed by the Yao people was only delivered in the form of finished products. The pharmaceutical process was very complicated and the local production conditions were not available.

Belica's work was completed so easily, which made him feel a little empty.

 The remaining time is to count the days to return to the empire and receive the reward.

Belica likes goblin technology, especially high-end props.

The mechanical pocket watch he holds, the silver flask that can hold three types of wine in layers, and the belt that can hold various small tools are all high-end goods made by goblin inventors.

 The reward this time is a clockwork locomotive. As long as he winds up the clockwork, he can ride that handsome motorcycle across the fields and roads.

 A few days later, Belica participated in a formal meeting between the two countries.

  Nominally he is the technical officer of the Invention Department and is present as a staff officer.

King Raymond also personally participated in the meeting.

The foreign minister of the empire kept his posture very low. He said with a smile on his face: "...Now there are some bad voices and rumors saying that His Majesty the Emperor is ill. There are also rumors that the 'Fort City Explosion' was caused by the empire. It is a man-made accident, this is all nonsense. His Majesty the Emperor hopes that the Resurrection Kingdom can support the Empire as always and continue normal trade between the two sides."

 The skeleton emperor sat at the top and said yes.

“So, His Majesty the King supports His Majesty the Emperor, right?”

"of course."

“There was a rumor in the Imperial Capital…”

The minister squeezed the parchment in his hand and prepared the words: "There is a powerful external force that is interfering and influencing the electors, and even affecting the final direction of the empire's internal affairs. Your Majesty the King, what do you think of this? ?”

 “I’ve never heard of this.”

King Raymond shook his head.

The minister said cautiously: "You mean, the Resurrection Kingdom should not be related to this matter?"

Raymond's dark eyes turned toward the minister, and his voice became lowered: "You foreign ministers like to say that we are some kind of external force that interferes in the internal affairs of the empire, and blames the Resurrection Kingdom for all problems."

The king raised his bone-white finger: "I could have said nothing. Then you will feel that it is acquiescence and arrogance, and you will not be happy."

“The Yao people have never interfered in the internal affairs of other worlds and civilizations, not in the past, not now, and not in the future.”

 The minister wanted to say something several times, but was interrupted. Finally, the king left the table directly.

 Seeing the empire’s diplomatic dilemma, Belica couldn’t help but sigh.

This huge empire has indeed lost its majesty.

When returning, the Twin Snakes Empire brought back a skeleton army of 5,000 people through diplomatic trade, which will be used to supplement the defense force of the imperial capital.

 The Resurrection Kingdom also sent an envoy to visit the Empire, and Belica was given a new mission.

 “You will be their guide and attendant.”

The Foreign Secretary pointed to the two people in the distance and said: "Start at them, remember their every move, and then tell me."

 “No, this is different from what was promised.”

Belica protested.

 “You have no right to say no.”

The Foreign Secretary said coldly: "Either do it and go to the Ministry of Invention to get the car, or go to the mining area to dig coal."

　　　…”

 The situation is stronger than the person.

Belica could only curse in his heart.

shameless!

The empire does not follow the rules and is much more cruel than the liars and thieves in the popular world.

 …

The two people Belica was following were the one in yellow clothes named Yazdan, and the other was a long-eared rabbit named Baiding.

These two people are both from Shacheng, Yao State, and are collectors of the Di Newspaper Office.

The job of the collector is to visit everywhere and send the collected events, big and small, back to the Di newspaper office, and then publish them in the form of newspapers so that more people can see them.

Yazdan feels cold and inaccessible, like some kind of humanoid stone.

　　　Rabbit Baiding is friendly and talkative.

 They hold a special powder called [Xingnao Mint] that can easily eliminate language barriers.

“It’s amazing that Mr. Bjelica is from a minority, but can serve as a technical officer in the Imperial Invention Department.”

Bai Ding smiled and said, "What kind of invention are you engaged in?"

“The things I make are relatively unpopular, and I tend to focus on door locks.”

 Belica replied.

As a experienced thief, dealing with various door locks is a must-have basic skill.

“Then I don’t know which lock is safer? I’ve heard of iron locks and wooden locks, but I don’t quite understand the difference.”

 “It depends on the usage environment.”

Belica made gestures: "If it's a door lock, you can use wood, stone, or metal, as long as it prevents people from opening it. The key is to make people retreat when they are faced with difficulties. If you really want to break in at all costs, unless you The iron door of the stone chamber would otherwise be knocked open by external forces."

“If it is a lock used to store containers, or a lock used to lock people or objects, it needs to be strong and sophisticated. At present, reed locks are still the best.”

“This is also a technology with a long history. Several or more than a dozen reeds are used to form a specific shape in an iron lock or copper lock, which can only be opened by a specific key.”

“However, the lock is a man-made thing after all. As long as you meet someone who understands the principle, it will always be opened. This tool focuses on short-term locking and design ideas.”

 “Amazing! Mr. Belica is really an inventor with deep research!”

Bai Ding looked impressed.

Belica had a faint smile on his lips.

 In the popular world where industry competition is fierce, getting ahead is just a basic course.

“In addition, I also have some experience in knife sharpening, small hook locks and iron and copper wire making. These tools are planted in a delicate..."

“Really? The Yao people heard that research on copper wires and iron wires is still at a bottleneck. Do you really know such a technology?”

“Of course, although the copper and iron drawing technology is a bit complicated to operate, it is actually not difficult.”

 …

 The two sides had lively exchanges along the way.

The collectors have a wide range of knowledge, and Belica also benefited a lot from it and obtained a lot of information that he had never had before.

After arriving at the capital of the Twin Snakes Empire, Bai Ding suddenly said: "Mr. Belica, I can confirm that you are a talented scholar that the Yao people dream of. Are you willing to go to Yao or the Resurrection Kingdom to be a scholar?"

　　　…”

 This is outrageous.

Belica sternly refused: "I am a technical officer in the Imperial Invention Department, and I serve the Empire."

 The main reason is that he is not a scholar, and his background is not clean. In the past, he was found to have stolen the technology of the Yao people and he was finished.

“Then would you like to be our special interviewer?”

Bai Ding still refused to give up: "Becoming a news collector, you can open a column in the "Shacheng Di Bao" to talk about the situation in the empire, and also explain your non-confidential skills and experience in lock picking or related aspects."

“Every issue of Dibao is watched by 100,000 people. A top scholar like you really shouldn’t be so unknown.”

 “Isn’t this bad?”

“Of course, we will pay you the highest standard for every issue of your article!”

 Baiding came to Yazdan and quoted a price that no one could refuse.

Belica immediately said: "Since you are so enthusiastic, then I will reluctantly write it. If it is not good, please don't dislike it."

 Write an article and the Di Newspaper Office will give you a box of Jiuxin Pills.

According to the market situation of Jiuxin Pills in the empire, just selling one pill can be used to exchange for a clockwork motorcycle! There are 3 pieces in a box! This is all hard currency.

The Yao people are indeed rich and wealthy, much better than the two-snake empire.

Belica's mood was a little complicated.

only.

How come I, an elite in the theft industry, have become a columnist?

 (End of this chapter)