Under the Red Dragon.

Chapter 281 Degraded to Pigs and Dogs
In the winter of the thirteenth year of the Great Dragon Calendar, the sky was as blue as azure and the countryside was peaceful.

High above the dome, deep in the white clouds, there is a floating wizard tower that travels along the Nine Sky Orbits, monitoring the Golden Empire in all directions.

Above the endless sea, giant steel ships like cities on land patrolled along the slender coast, controlling the four sides of the Golden Empire's coast.

Across the vast territory, a steel train named "World Python" runs around the growing country day and night, facilitating the empire's logistics and bringing news and information from the center of the empire to every city.

In the past, nobles and spellcasters mastered the magic and technical knowledge that represented productivity, which has begun to flourish in the territory of the Golden Empire.

The crisscrossing railroads connecting every city in the empire bring unimaginable convenient transportation to this world that seems like the ancient Middle Ages.

This allows the empire's political power to cover every inch of territory, and the legionnaires can also quickly respond to the empire's borders in all directions.

Even the dominant empire in the central continent was unable to expand further due in part to transportation constraints.

Because their power cannot be fully guaranteed to be delivered to the corners of the empire, and magical means are too expensive. In the eyes of those nobles, using them on ordinary people is a waste.

The existence of the nobles also greatly hindered the administrative efficiency of the entire empire, resulting in these hegemonic empires, which had territories dozens of times larger than that of the Dragon Kingdom, being far from being comparable to the Golden Empire in this respect.

But in the overall thinking of the Golden Empire, advanced productivity will never be considered advanced productivity if it cannot be promoted and popularized among the masses.

Although production relations are not determined by productivity, the development of productivity still has a positive effect on promoting production relations.

The feedback was that the entire Golden Empire was thriving just like their emperor, like the sun rising above the sky.

After being divided into eighteen provinces, the empire's territory had a specific and rough territorial definition, which better regulated the exercise and demarcation of the empire's administrative power.

The highest executive officer of a province is the provincial governor, who is responsible for the work of the imperial government within the province and exercises the powers prescribed by imperial law within the province.

And they need to represent a provincial government agency to be responsible to the Imperial Central Parliament and perform their duties and report on their annual work.

Each province is divided into municipal-level organizations, which are governed by municipal officials and are responsible for corresponding work.

Each city level is further subdivided into counties, towns, and even village-level imperial power institutions. Although the village chief is elected by the local village, he still needs to be responsible to the town officials at the next level and fulfill the obligation to report on his work every year.

In recent years, the Imperial Ministry of the Interior and the Central Parliament have been organizing the work of summarizing the imperial political structure, and have apparently achieved good results.

With a clear bureaucratic system, which was gradually improved according to the changes in the empire, the administrative efficiency of the Golden Empire was greatly improved, and it was truly achieved that every order issued by the authority could easily cover all villages.

Although this has also increased the number of bureaucrats, making the number of officials appear to be unusually large, it is currently a positive development trend with more advantages than disadvantages.

Moreover, the reform of the bureaucratic system will never stop under the rule of the empire's sole will. This is the advantage of having an absolutely authoritative and relatively correct will.

However, these changes are gradual. Most of the people in the empire are not used to the changes in the provincial system and have always claimed their own territories based on the location of the city.

Clanris, the dragonborn whose cheek scales had turned a little gray, was one of the first resurrected souls to walk out of the temple. He rode on a tall horse and chatted with other people who were rushing to the Golden City on the road to learn more information and to relieve their inner troubles.

Clanlis originally thought that it would be a simple matter to find a remote village and build a temple within the territory of the empire established by the dragons. The only thing worth worrying about was what would happen after the temple was built.

But his idea obviously did not go as he wished. After the actions of the Dragon Worshipers, the Empire became extremely strict in controlling matters in this regard.

All sects and religious systems established without the approval of the Imperial Ministry of Religion will be labeled as cults, and not only the official law enforcement departments of the Empire, but every department has the power to deal with them.

Even ordinary citizens of the empire who report or destroy the rituals and dens of evil churches on their own can receive public commendations and awards from local government agencies.

However, if you apply to the official agencies of the empire on your own to register a sect and build a temple, the application documents you submit will often fall into oblivion and never return.

Clanris once stuffed some gold coins into the home of an official from an agency under the Ministry of Religion to inquire, but after spending ten gold coins, the response he got was just a simple answer.

"It's already under review. This kind of thing needs to be reported to higher authorities, and then your intention to build the temple will be investigated according to the corresponding procedures. After relevant evidence is collected, there will be a series of evaluation meetings. You just have to wait a little longer."

So Clanris, the long-lived dragonborn, waited for several years.

From the time he came to the Golden Empire penniless to the time he became a wealthy citizen of the empire by relying on farming and business, this question still has not received a definite answer.

So after learning from the Dragon Daily, which was recently launched by the Minister of Culture and Propaganda of the Empire, the Copper Dragon Alfred, that the Emperor of the Empire had reappeared with a group of dragons and returned from the newly opened plane world, he decided to truly face the ancestral red dragon. Perhaps only in this way could he complete his mission.

A group of people rode on horses or dragon beasts and walked on the forest path.

These horses and dragon beasts, which have been improved and optimized in the animal farms of the empire, have excellent leg strength, great endurance, and extremely docile personalities. Even a young child can easily control them, and they are the favorite vehicles of the people of the empire.

Even though the steel trains that rely on steam engines and magic engines to run quickly on tracks are more comfortable than riding horses and dragon beasts, the people of the empire still prefer this way of travel.

In the distance, a train was speeding by. Occasionally, a flapping-wing aircraft like a steel dragonfly would fly slowly in the sky. The Fremen warriors on it would curiously scan the vast jungle, conscientiously performing their duties.

"These big steel guys are powerful enough on the battlefield, but in normal times, these treasures are more interesting."

A sturdy man patted the lizard-headed dragon under his seat and laughed loudly.

"Yes, these flying creatures look weird and are not as powerful as those flying dragons."

A tall young man narrowed his eyes and pointed at the dragon knight flying in the sky, with envy and admiration in his eyes.

The dragons ridden by these dragon knights, although not as huge and exaggerated as adult dragons that are hundreds of meters long, are just some young dragons that can pass through the space-time transmission channels of the planes.

However, because the appearance of these dragons is somewhat similar to the dragons that rule the empire, they are also very majestic in the eyes of the people of the empire.

The young man's words aroused everyone's agreement. This was the culture unique to the Dragon Empire. Although they did not reject new things and readily accepted those steel creations that represented another advanced productivity, the people of the empire still had their own favorites.

Just like the iron-cast ships that began to run rampant on the sea, the people of the empire still loved to ride those whales, sea beasts and sharks and swim freely on the sea. The cultures blended together, but they retained their own characteristics and shined in their own way. "It is said that the world opened up by the empire this time encountered demons. Those stinky brats from the chaotic abyss were also completely crushed by the empire's legions. It was really refreshing. If I hadn't failed the legion election, I could have followed the dragon lords to see the world."

The topic gradually shifted to the Golden Empire's martial spirit, from top to bottom and from bottom to top.

The people living in the wilderness and the four war zones are extremely tough and have never thought about the price they will have to pay when facing the war against the devil. Perhaps in the eyes of these grassroots people, as long as they follow the pace of the dragon, all enemies will only face destruction.

"Yes, I also saw in today's daily newspaper that outstanding warriors were rewarded and promoted. The commander of the Burning Hoof, Saha, was promoted to the only general in the empire, and Lord Gilenes was promoted directly from centurion to commander of the corps."

"This kind of overnight honor is what we men should pursue," the man who spoke had a stubble on his face and looked a little haggard. His face with dark circles under his eyes appeared very weak, but his expression became particularly excited.

"That requires an outstanding strength like Lord Gilenes," said a companion beside him with a smile, "I heard that many powerful warriors who fought in the arena of the King's Capital and wanted to win the title of a thousand victories wanted to challenge Lord Gilenes."

“But guess what?” The man laughed. “As a result, some of them were severely beaten by the veterans who returned from the battlefield. Those veterans also made fun of them, saying that they were gorgeous but fragile weapons that should be placed in the house for appreciation instead of challenging the sharpness that has been tempered by blood and fire. Hahahaha.”

Dragonborn Clanris occasionally chimed in, but these idle words were dissected in his mind.

Combined with the current policies of the Empire regarding the freedom of citizens to explore new planes of the world, he has learned that the Empire is gradually encouraging those bold and adventurous people to embark on the journey of plane world development through these seemingly small actions.

Perhaps many forces that do not belong to the Golden Empire will be bewitched and influenced by this, and shift the conflicts within the world of Ekania in another direction.

The group walked and talked, and even though they were on a slightly remote road in the forest, they still met some mysterious travelers wearing black robes that covered their entire bodies and concealed their faces.

Although these travelers never show their true appearances, without exception, their natural black robes or robes covered with magic shadows all bear the badges of the empire's approval and passage, which indicate the identity information of these travelers and every city and village they pass through.

The people of the empire all know who these mysterious guests are. Among them are many lich's messengers and even liches themselves.

There are also many wizards who study dark forces, and many warlocks. These people are attracted by the discrete market of magic materials in the Golden Empire, but it is inconvenient for them to reveal their true identities to the public.

The City of Gold is already the largest discrete market for arcane materials in the northern part of Ekania. These materials, which are measured by grams, are extremely expensive.

Some arcane materials are dozens of times more expensive than the same weight of gold. This industry has become a very considerable source of profit for the City of Gold.

However, as he got closer and closer to the Golden City, the Dragonborn Clanlis, whose mental power was dozens of times stronger than that of an ordinary person, began to sense that an invisible and intangible order was beginning to loom over his head.

It is like the forest will that exists in all forest areas of the Golden Empire, but without any specific subjective will. It is like a pan-collective consciousness, but it is dozens or hundreds of times larger.

It was as if there was a real order hanging over the heads of all the people of the empire, standing still and high above, yet it actually existed among all living beings.

For those citizens who are loyal and devoted to the country, this huge order can have some positive effects.

In the eyes of the Dragonborn Clanlis, the most obvious manifestation was that the faces of those who entered the gate of the Golden City with him became more rosy and lustrous involuntarily, and their aura seemed to be blessed, becoming different from the ordinary temperament of the farmers and vendors before.

Just like what the great diplomat Roya, who is now well-known in the empire, once said, "The people of a superior country do not worship the ruler of an inferior country."

Under the blessing of this order, these ordinary people seem to spontaneously possess the bearing of the people of a superior country.

But for a man like the Dragonborn Clanris who has ulterior motives, it is like a sword of Damocles hanging upside down over his head, ready to fall at any time, making Clanris feel a little uneasy and uneasy.

"What a horrible feeling," Clanlis couldn't help but think in his heart. He always felt that there was an eye in the sky, staring at him, but it seemed as if it was not in the sky, but everywhere.

After searching for a long time in this increasingly large and prosperous city, Clanlis still could not detect the source of this feeling.

However, the only thing that could be found out was that the closer he got to the imperial government agencies, the clearer and more massive the order that Clanris could feel became, and the greater the pressure it brought to him.

Especially when standing before the Imperial Inquisition, this feeling reached an unprecedented peak.

"You have colluded with other countries, resold weapons and food, engaged in rampant corruption, and mixed inferior food with the food delivered to the soldiers on the empire's frontiers. You have confessed to all of the above crimes. Now, in public, I will announce your trial!"

The judge of the Imperial Court stood tall, with the sun shining on his body from his back. His majesty was so great that the imperial citizens watching could hardly open their eyes.

But this did not stop the people of the empire from cheering. The policy pursued by the empire was enlightened and fair. No matter which official committed a crime, there would be no cover-up or concealment, and it would be made public to the people after the trial.

Such actions not only did not damage the reputation and image of the empire, but instead became increasingly supported by the general public.

The kneeling officials were wearing white prison uniforms and crying bitterly, but there were no signs of torture on their bodies. In an empire where magic prevailed, there was no need for the crude method of torture to obtain evidence.

"Your crimes should be punished by death according to the law."

The imperial judge said majestically, "But the emperor of the empire, His Majesty the Holy Gogmora, has issued an order to deal with it otherwise."

The imperial judge unfolded the handwritten edict of the imperial emperor and read aloud: "The imperial emperor considers that you have made meritorious services and your crimes are not punishable by death. Therefore, he demotes you to pigs, dogs, cattle and horses, so that you can experience all kinds of bitterness again."

A sound like ancient witchcraft and dragon's voice echoed, overlapping as the order was read out.

That was the emperor's decree, carrying incredible power.

"I will condemn you all to become pigs, dogs, cows, and horses forever!"

The prisoners in the audience suddenly wailed. An invisible force swept through, and each person instantly turned into pigs, dogs, cows and horses, roaring on the spot.

"Mass transfiguration? Law magic? Mind control?" The dragonborn Clanris took a breath and was shocked by the situation. Even his powerful body could not help but break out in a cold sweat.

His shock was completely drowned out by the cheers of the people of the empire.

All the people shouted: "Long live the Empire, long live the Emperor!"

　Refresh, there are deletions and modifications!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)