Today, they too are going to their deaths.

Until Ms. Julia took her leave and the train arrived at its destination, Cui Xun still couldn't come up with any good ideas to reduce the collateral damage from the changes.

The Kingdom of Albion has a strange technology tree that can develop steam behemoths, but in terms of communication, apart from the royal agents' mark for sending messages, it is basically still a simple mail delivery system.

Some have suggested using iron birds to send messages, but the production of large manned iron birds is extremely low, and fuel reserves do not support long-distance flight, while small iron birds do not have the ability to navigate across cities.

This level of communication capability inevitably limits the royal family's control over various parts of the kingdom.

Even if elite agents can communicate across cities, it would take at least twenty years to train a group of superhumans of this caliber, and every one of them who dies is one less available.

Now, after years of internal strife, the Kingdom of Albion's reserves of extraordinary individuals are insufficient to station an elite agent in every major city.

Cui Xun felt that only by prioritizing communication technology could the government's policies be implemented smoothly, but the radio technology from the original world was extremely incompatible with this world.

Unstable fields exist all over the world, and electrical signals are violently distorted when passing through these fields, sometimes causing damage to instruments at the other end or even casualties. The Royal Society has sentenced this type of technology to death.

Moreover, it's not just the development of radio technology that's facing difficulties.

Due to royal orders, the Royal Academy of Sciences has been researching more efficient communication technologies. They have almost thoroughly studied all the legacy available to them, but so far they have not been able to provide a breakthrough answer.

On the contrary, some technologies that seemed unthinkable in the original world were brought to reality by these mad scientists.

"Is this Tun Ling?"

Cui Xun walked out of the train station and looked towards the tall tower in the city center.

Its altitude may exceed four kilometers, and its tip has already pierced through the low cloud layer and reached directly into the middle cloud layer, allowing it to directly observe weather changes.

In fact, it has indeed transformed the weather around Dunlin, keeping the area in a perpetually warm spring.

Even during the Ice Age, it stubbornly resisted the sudden drop in temperature, preventing frost and snow from invading this city that represented royal authority.

Tessa also saw the tower. Unlike the composed Cui Xun, she couldn't help but open her mouth wide, trembling at this engineering marvel that surpassed human intelligence. She felt an intense excitement, especially when she realized that what was faintly visible in the clouds was not the real sun.

Look, this is our great country, this is our Queen, who commands her subjects to forge a sun that belongs to the kingdom!

Alice calmly explained, "The Solar Tower is a massive project that combines environmental management, energy supply, and temperature control. In addition to its most obvious functions of regulating the climate and releasing heat, all the city's garbage will be transported into the Solar Tower through pipelines."

"There are rumors that this tower imprisons the gods worshipped by the enemies conquered by the kingdom. But I can prove that this is a rumor."

"When the Solar Tower was being built, I served as a guard for a period of time. Mr. Gottlieb of the Royal Society explained its basic principles to me. Would you like to hear it?"

Cui Xun was somewhat interested, but he preferred to sit in the archives of the Royal Academy of Sciences and slowly examine the relevant design drawings. Tessa was equally curious about the structure of the Sun Tower, but she also understood that the principles of such a massive project might require a lot of basic knowledge to understand, and she also had her own ulterior motives.

"Rather than listening to your explanation now, I would much rather one day, through my own abilities, reach a position where people from the Royal Academy of Sciences can personally explain its principles to me."

"Well then, you two, I'll take my leave now... Ah?"

Cui Xun grabbed Tessa by the collar and lifted her up with one hand as she tried to slip away: "No, you're underage, so go to school and don't even think about becoming a child laborer."

Tessa, who had hoped to escape the ordeal of enrolling in school, looked down at her toes, which couldn't reach the ground, from mid-air. Feeling this strange sense of being completely controlled by others, she gave a resigned look: "Okay, okay, I won't run anymore, just put me down!"

Cui Xun released his grip, and Tessa landed on the ground.

She shook herself, let out a long breath, and then suddenly squatted down, looking quite exhausted: "Phew, finally back on the ground. The feeling of not being able to touch the ground and not being able to control myself was terrifying."

"I feel like I could fall and die at any moment."

Alice scoffed, "Less than half a meter, and you're going to die from a fall? You're too fragile! You're as fragile as the unlucky witch hunter in 'The Witch Hunter'! In reality, no one would die from a fall from that height."

Crouching on the ground, Tessa argued, "It's a feeling, you know? Feelings don't need to follow reason! I'm just afraid of leaving the ground!"

Cui Xun suggested, "Then, would you like to try to overcome your fear? Once you can fly, you shouldn't be afraid to leave the ground."

"Coincidentally, I'm about to recreate an interesting piece of equipment that allows people to glide through the air, and even if it malfunctions, it can greatly reduce the impact of falling, as long as it's not completely destroyed."

Tessa tried to imagine herself flying through the air, then decisively extinguished the terrifying fantasy, firmly stating, "No, absolutely not!"

"I absolutely do not want to leave the ground!"

Alice remarked, "Compared to witch hunters who risk falling to their deaths, this intense resistance to leaving the ground seems more like that of dwarves?"

The Little Red Riding Hood dwarves in folklore, who would cut off people's ankles, were wiped out for angering the powerful. In other myths, dwarves were born from the corpses of giants and are said to have escaped underground. The dwarves that people talk about now mostly refer to the dwarves in modern fantasy novels.

Of course, Tessa could never be a dwarf-to-human hybrid, given her height.

Tessa retorted helplessly, "If you say so, then so be it. Even if I'm mistaken for a dwarf, I will never leave the ground!"

Cui Xun said regretfully, "Alright, then let's leave it at that."

He really wanted to tease the child, but he always respected other people's normal choices, even if the other person was just a child.

Meanwhile, the royal agents responsible for meeting Cui Xun and the others in the distance watched the blue-haired detective girl who had squatted down and wouldn't stand up, and fell into deep thought.

For various reasons, as Princess Valencia's direct agent, he was assigned to greet the dignitaries recruited by Prince Charlemagne. To avoid any problems arising in their alliance, he had to be meticulous and thorough in his actions.

There must be a deeper meaning behind Cui Xun's actions!

According to research by the Royal Society of Sciences, humans are not born with blue pigment, and their hair color is limited to black, brown, gold, red, and white. Blue hair is only a natural mutation and can only be found in people of mixed races.

Is that blue-haired girl from Cui Xun's own race, or simply a friend from another race? In any case, let's rule out the possibility of a chance encounter on the road.

Given that there was no prior information about her, she must have found Cui Xun that very day. Her arrival signifies the attention and involvement of the power she represents, and this power...

Fear of leaving the ground, crouching, dwarfs, flying devices—the liaison agent gathers all the elements from the conversation, then lets instinct override reason, seizing a fleeting flash of inspiration to draw a conclusion.

Living underground, these alien races do not crave power or value, nor do they expect to escape their current situation through technology. They are willing to intervene in the affairs of the Kingdom of Albion in a relatively humble manner, seeking wisdom and ways to help them get through the winter!

Yes, that must be it!

So, to express Princess Valencia's attitude... should I kick this blue-haired girl away?

Although intelligent alien races are almost extinct in human territory, and the extraordinary beings cannot express their stance to a non-existent group, Princess Valencia is definitely a staunch human supremacist.

When the agents and the princess talked about the alien races, she always looked down on those who dared not fight against humanity. Even those alien races who paid tribute to the royal family in the records were regarded as cowards who might betray them at any time.

But clearly, kicking the girl was an offense to Cui Xun. If he dared to kick her like that, he might have to fly across half of the capital city next.

So, what are some ways to express your attitude tactfully without causing conflict?

After careful consideration, the agent decided to ignore Tessa, who was squatting nearby, and walked directly to Cui Xun, giving him a gentle expression: "Hello, esteemed Mr. Cui Xun, I am the royal agent responsible for your reception. You must be tired after such a long train journey."

"We have prepared a room and dinner for you at the Royal Hotel. The tour and social activities will begin tomorrow. At least tonight, we will ensure that you will not be disturbed."

"In addition, the Royal Hotel allows pets and has prepared special rooms for all kinds of pets. Do you need someone to take care of your blue-haired pet?"

"Pets?" Tessa looked up, incredulous. "Your royal family goes to such lengths!"

Alice immediately retorted, "The members of the royal family are all of impeccable character, and treating people like pets is a taboo subject for Her Majesty the Queen! If anyone dares to do such a thing in front of her, they are very likely to be killed by Her Majesty's instincts."

Cui Xun looked at the agent who was supposed to be there to meet him, and said with great interest, "So, this friend deliberately induced us to break the taboo?"

The agent shook his head and quickly explained, "But the prerequisite for this taboo is 'human.' Keeping a non-human being as a pet is naturally not a taboo. However, if you don't like this term, we can treat it as a human."

This should be considered a full expression of contempt for the foreign race and respect for Cui Xun.

Tessa stood up, pointed at herself, and said in a stern voice, "How do I look inhuman?! I'm clearly a lively and adorable young woman! I can go to the musical without paying, just by showing my face!"

Alice glanced at Tessa and thought to herself: Ah, this little one has added another crime to her list: fare evasion.

But to be honest, she had already suspected it before, so it wasn't surprising that the intelligence agents had confirmed it. They were operating outside their own intelligence network; before Cui Xun even met Tessa, the other royal agents had probably already found out everything about her.

But what kind of alien race is she?

Before Alice could figure out the answer, Cui Xun had already asked the contact agent out of curiosity, "What race do you think this child is?"

The agent hesitated for a moment, realizing that this was a test of his intelligence capabilities, but unfortunately, he couldn't determine Tessa's lineage based solely on her hair color.

He chose to appear weak, saying in a fawning tone, "I don't know, whatever you say it is."

Using his ability to detect crimes, Cui Xun carefully observed the micro-expressions of the receiving agent to confirm that this statement was not a lie.

He was momentarily at a loss for words: "If you don't even know, then what proves she's from a different race?"

The liaison agent understood Cui Xun's meaning. The forces behind Tessa weren't considered aliens, at least not to them, and in the political game, they wouldn't allow anyone to use an alien identity for anything.

The agent readily agreed, saying, "Okay, if you say it doesn't count, then it doesn't count."

"So, should I prepare an extra room for this friend?"

Cui Xun replied affirmatively, "Of course!"

And so, after a brief interlude, the four of them entered the steam car, leaving behind the many eyes watching them, and drove toward the Royal Hotel.

Cui Xun's arrival in Dunling alone is a major event, drawing attention from spies from various factions who are keeping a close eye on the area in their own ways.

However, none of those present who were paying attention to Cui Xun probably realized that there were other forces that didn't care much about Cui Xun, but were also paying attention to this place for other reasons.

In the fragrant little house, a woman opened her eyes.

Opposite her, on a mirror covered in darkness from which nothing could be seen, a pattern made of flames lit up, followed by a voice.

"Is the Child of the Earth well?"

The woman replied respectfully, "The one raised by wolves is growing up strong and healthy; she is much taller and wiser than her peers."

Black Mirror ordered, "Then, take her to my residence."

The woman paused, somewhat worried that her next answer would offend the other party, but there were some things she had to say: "I'm sorry, sir, royal agents have taken the Child of the Earth away; they seem to have discovered her special abilities."

"But fortunately, those agents didn't pay much attention to her."

Black Mirror said in disbelief, "How is that possible? Before his true awakening, the Child of the Earth was perfectly normal except for his rapid growth and great strength."

The woman felt that blue hair was already a very obvious abnormality, so for this person to say that there was nothing unusual about that extremely rare blue hair, this person might be a little strange.

Of course, this was something that couldn't be said directly, so she skipped the topic: "In any case, the Children of the Earth have been discovered, and we can only think about what to do next."

Black Mirror pondered for a moment, then asked, "What was the name of the agent who took her away?"

"Cui Xun." The woman said the name she had just heard, and then she heard a gasp come from the other side of the black mirror.

The adult, who had initially been somewhat angry, immediately softened and comforted him, saying, "This isn't your fault; it's purely a matter of ability. From now on, you don't need to get involved in this anymore. Just continue to be a spy and gather intelligence."