Chapter 372 — A New Life at the Research Institute
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 3
Everything now called the "rules of civilized society" in Anzu was merely the result of certain offhand words spoken by that ancient hero seven centuries ago, evolving over the long passage of time. So it was utterly meaningless to debate "orthodox propriety" in Cecil Territory: whatever the founding duke said—that was orthodoxy.
Cohen had settled firmly upon this conviction early on, though he himself could not say whether it had arisen after he personally witnessed that Master Carmel bow in homage to Gawain Cecil...
Turning over these idle thoughts, Cohen arrived before the door of the First Practical Technology Laboratory. But before he could push it open, a young girl with a flaxen ponytail came running down the corridor, waving a rolled-up paper in her hand: "Cohen! The new issue of the Cecil Weekly! I bought it for you—don't forget you owe me a meal!"
Cohen reached out and took the weekly from the girl's hand, agreeing offhandedly, then watched as she ran cheerfully toward another laboratory at the far end of the corridor.
The girl's name was Media, a mage apprentice from Kant Territory. She had arrived before Cohen, and so had become a "senior" of sorts at the Arcane Technology Research Institute; Cohen's life there had benefited a great deal from her care. Media was an enthusiastic girl, and seemed deeply influenced by the lord's thinking—eager to help others and possessing little sense of hierarchy. Many in the institute were fond of this spirited young woman.
Cohen shook his head with a smile, and walked into the laboratory where he worked, reading the newspaper in his hand as he went.
A newspaper—this too was something unique to this land. It had not appeared long ago; only three issues had come out so far. Yet Cohen found it fascinating. Reading a newspaper did not drain one's energy the way reading a grimoire did, and its contents were both entertaining and practical. Cohen treated it as relaxing reading to restore his energy—and he knew many others in the institute did the same.
What was more, Cohen knew that the project he and his colleagues had lately been working on was closely tied to this thing called a "newspaper."
"Morning, Cohen," a voice called out from nearby as he entered the laboratory. A fellow arcane technician he knew fairly well greeted him, and catching sight of the paper in Cohen's hand, could not help his curiosity: "What's in it this time? I haven't had a chance to look yet."
Another arcane technician nearby laughed and said, "I'm hoping for a sequel to that tale of strange happenings in the northern forests from the last issue. I never imagined there were so many bizarre legends up in the northern parts of the kingdom."
"Pay more attention to the useful news," Cohen said, glancing at the technician and raising the paper in his hand. "It says our king has already set out for the border to negotiate with the emperor of Typhon—and Mr. Godwin reckons they'll meet next week."
"Tch. So the day has come after all," the first technician said, smacking his lips. "Seems our king is in quite a hurry too."
"Nobody likes war—least of all the king. It'll cost him a fortune," the second technician said, and burst out laughing. "Renovating Silverhold ten years ago drained his entire savings!"
Cohen took no part in the conversation that followed. He merely shook his head with a smile, folded the newspaper neatly, and put it away in his own cabinet.
Here on a frontier settlement in the remote southern borderlands, two men who were nothing more than a craftsman and a mage apprentice discussed, with perfect naturalness, the negotiations between their king and a neighboring emperor—and this was no stale news from years past, but events unfolding over these very days. It was truly an astonishing scene.
The Cecilians seemed to have grown accustomed to accepting all manner of astonishing things, but for this mage from the royal capital, fully adapting to it all would likely take a little more time.