Alien Knights

After handing over the matter of the perfume workshop to Huggins' security bureau and repeatedly emphasizing the importance of secrecy, Todd held a three-hour meeting with the academics in Muxi City.

The leader of the academy, Master Terrence, was ill, so the meeting was attended by Elijah, the rumored gifted scholar.

Before the formal meeting began, Todd chatted with the man in his early thirties for dozens of minutes alone. What surprised him was that this tall and handsome scholar did not look like a commoner born in a shoemaker's family at all, but more like a son from a noble family.

The opponent's logical thinking and values, in Todd's view, are incompatible with the oppressive Middle Ages.

On the one hand, Elijah longed for the glory of ancient Tyro, and on the other hand, denounced the darkness of the current world. His knowledge covers philosophy, art, physics, chemistry, law and other disciplines. While exchanging knowledge, he also gave Todd a detailed introduction to the political environment and religious ecology of the mainland. There is no doubt that this is an excellent statesman, artist and scientist. But aside from these outstanding features, what secretly troubled the monarch of the Muxi Kingdom was that Elijah highly praised the revival of humanism between the lines. This kind of contempt for authority and fanaticism for democracy even made people smell a little dangerous.

In the following meeting, Todd and academic scholars discussed the future development of Muxi Kingdom.

After receiving assurances from Todd that "words will not be punished," the scholars spoke freely, focusing on the boundaries between religion, kingship, and democracy.

After this conference, Todd received the support of academics and the praise and praise of many scholars. The king himself transferred part of his power and arranged for some scholars with real talents to step onto the stage of the kingdom.

In the process of transferring power, Todd's newly established institution-"Patent Office" and a law jointly supervised by many factions-"Patent Law" were included.

At first, this law did not attract much attention from the residents of Muxi City. It was not until the verdict of the first "patent infringement" case that it officially attracted everyone's attention.

A scholar named Pascal from the Holy City of the East invented a thing called "Mercury Thermometer" based on the principles of thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, and expansion coefficient. After spending 30 copper stars to register a patent. Merchants in Muxi City manufactured a large number of imitations based on the prototype of the mercury thermometer without permission.

After collecting evidence and investigating, the merchant's actions were determined to be infringements. According to the sales profit and the number of products, the patent office required the businessman to pay Pascal a large patent royalty, and prompted the two to reach an out-of-court settlement.

After this incident, some subtle changes occurred in Muxi City:

1. Residents of Muxi City gradually have the awareness of "patents are an intangible property", and people begin to learn to respect knowledge achievements. More and more people go to colleges and libraries to try to learn and understand science.

2. Invention and creation are no longer idle jobs. It is not uncommon for those scholars who hold major inventions and prototypes to lie at home and rely on patent fees to live like kings in Muxi City.

3. Relying on 20% of patent income and emerging trade commodities such as perfume, Muxi Kingdom's treasury was filled again, and the financial crisis was easily resolved.

4. Relying on the power game and patent income, Todd has won the trust of most scholars, and tied these people who are skeptical of religion and kingship to the chariot of the Muxi Knights.

After completing this series of actions, Todd finally had the time and energy to refocus on the military.

On a warm winter afternoon, Todd sat on the throne, looked at several reports on the desktop, and looked up at Cumberland: "The barbarian army on the Moonbrook Plain has increased to twelve thousand?"

"These people can't all be called the army. A considerable number of them are the old and weak women and children of the northern barbarians. Although their fighting power is not as strong as that of adult men, it is still troublesome to gather together." Cumberland touched a faint scar on his chin, and said to Todd in a strange tone: "Compared with the number of barbarian troops, I am more worried about the barbarian wizards and war beasts."

"Wizard? Beast?" Todd laughed unconsciously when he heard Cumberland's speech.

In this different world, he, who has never seen magic and monsters, thinks that the so-called witchcraft is just a trick of pretending to be a ghost. But after a while, Todd saw only seriousness on the other's face.

Cumberland brushed the scar lightly with his knuckles: "As early as thirty years ago, I was a trainee knight. I once followed the commander through the Watch Valley to attack the barbarian army that was transporting sacrifices. After climbing over the mountains and traveling for three days, my knight regiment encountered a barbarian priest group with only a hundred people. We designed an ambush circle and made some traps with sharp wood and boulders..."

Hearing this, Alfonso, who was sitting next to Cumberland, twisted his body unnaturally, as if he had some different views on the knights' tactics of ambushes and traps.

"In that encounter, the Cavaliers took the lead. We were condescending and killed nine barbarians in the first wave of attacks. But then, the nightmare began..." Cumberland's beard trembled slightly, and Todd thought he had never seen the expression on his face before: "There was a woman of indeterminate age, who was heavily protected by the soldiers of the barbarian sacrificial group. She was wearing a coir raincoat made of crow feathers, holding a strange wooden staff in both hands, and shouted some strange words to the sky. .and after that..."

Todd looked at Cumberland gasping for breath, and asked in a low voice, "After that?"

"Those barbarian warriors in the sacrificial group, their bodies swelled and their limbs were alienated, turned into lightning-fast werewolves and powerful bears."

Todd's eyes widened in disbelief: "Are you sure?!"

The old knight nodded: "Your Majesty, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that scene. For quite a long time, that battle has become my nightmare every night. But fortunately, in the more than ten years of fighting against the barbarians, I have only met the barbarian wizard once."

wizard? werewolf? Bear man?

The more Todd thought about it, the more puzzled he became. According to his experience in the other world, he had never encountered magic and witchcraft. But according to the Norse mythology and the dialogue of "Crystal Inn", these seemingly supernatural things may have reasonable explanations.

Putting aside the matter of the wizard for the time being, Todd asked Cumberland again: "So what's the matter with the war beast?"

Cumberland compared the distance with his hands, and said slowly: "In the barbarian tribes, some strange beasts often appear. Some of them are like cows, but their bodies are as hard as iron, and they can breathe fire; some are like birds, but their wings can spread up to five meters, and their beaks and claws are like sharp knives; some are like lions, but their blood is highly poisonous, and their roar can make people faint..."

Todd's eyes straightened. Hearing this description, it was simply a collection of monsters.

"The most frightening thing is a war beast called "Thunder Beast". Although I have never seen it, it is rumored that it is tens of meters high, has two curved and sharp tusks, and its body collision can destroy the strongest city walls!"