Chapter 630: Empire's Past

"The Mechanical Temple? What do they have to talk about?" The prince was obviously a little surprised.

"I need some technology from the Mechanical Templar."

"Technology? Don't I know what kind of technology the Mechanical Temple has? With all due respect, they have all this junk, yet they treat it like a treasure and hoard it tightly."

There was visible disgust on the prince's face.

Xius couldn't hold it in any longer, and said, "Good man, you don't even want to act anymore, right?"

The Mechanical Temple, formerly the Mechanical Society, is also located within the Empire.

Theoretically, the Empire is the territory of the Candlelight Society. Part of the reason why the Mechanical Templar can stay here is that they do not have any extraordinary means. Theoretically, they are closer to mortal organizations and are not the same concept as the Candlelight Society.

Another reason is their close relationship with the royal family.

The imperial family of the empire has only declined in recent decades and has been sidelined by several dukes of the empire. Even now, someone has to be chosen from the John family to succeed it.

But before that, it had always been very powerful and quite strong.

Isabella's ancestors had also tried to compete with the Candlelight Society. The Mechanical Society was supported by them in the past, so naturally it has deep roots in the royal family.

"The Mechanical Society was once glorious." The prince suddenly spoke.

"The Rhine was once built by the Mechanical Society with the support of the royal family. They bypassed the Candlelight Society and built a miraculous city out of thin air. At that time, the Empire also attempted industrialization. If all had gone well, it might have been the Castel of that era."

Hughes' eyes flashed. He remembered the cathedral where the Candlelight Society was held. It was located on the Rhine.

According to the prince, the Empire had fought against the Candlelight Society decades ago, but it was obvious that the Empire lost.

"Since the death of the great sage Bruno, the Mechanics Society has gradually declined, but at least some of its former strengths remain."

"Unfortunately, several decades ago, a catastrophic event struck a city in the western part of the empire. The royal family, the nobility, the Candlelight Society, and even the then-Mechanics Society were all caught up in it. The details of what happened are no longer recorded, but afterward, the royal family declined, the Mechanics Society changed its name to the Mechanical Temple, and the Candlelight Society demolished the factory in the Rhine and built a church."

"After that, the Mechanical Templar became a complete vassal of the royal family, obsessed with knowledge and prohibiting all innovation and research and development. Rhineland's industry fell into decline, and it wasn't until recent years that a group of factory owners emerged again."

The prince glanced at Galahad, who was standing guard at the door, and his expression darkened.

"Ha, you might not know this, but later on, all factories in the Rhine had to undergo inspection by the Candlelight Society. Those knights of the church were able to carry out 'purification' in the factories without trial!"

Of course Hughes knew about it and even participated in it personally, although he was the one who was "purified".

"The Mechanical Temple is now just a decaying shell. Perhaps some are still trying to revive it, but unfortunately, its soul and will are lost. If it were to rise again, it would be nothing more than an unrecognizable monster."

The prince shook his head.

"As for the technology you mentioned for the Temple, believe me, even the combined technology of the entire Temple cannot compare to your airship that can rain down fire and death from the sky."

Zeus could not agree with this point. Castel's war technology was indeed powerful, but the prince did not know how outrageous the human body transformation technology of the Mechanical Temple was.

This is completely different from Castel's approach, it's just not convenient to use on the battlefield. With these technologies, medical research can avoid many detours.

According to Zeus's existing technology tree, it may take decades to develop it. Doesn't that mean Chloe will have to work overtime for decades more?

"I still want to try it. I happen to have a batch of steam rifles in my hands. I heard that they attach great importance to this thing."

"Steam rifle? You still have such a good thing?" The prince was a little surprised, then rubbed his hands and said, "Hurry and show it to me!"

Hughes smiled, and a moment later the door opened, and Ash entered the room carrying a steam rifle.

This thing was in the Banshee's duty room, and Zeus asked her to bring it over directly through the mental link.

The prince practically jumped up from his chair and walked around the steam rifle several times, admiring it.

"This thing is a sacred object in the Mechanical Temple. Just to see it requires going through over twenty gear consecration ceremonies, and you can't just look at it whenever you want. There might not even be a working one in the entire Mechanical Temple. And you actually have one? Where did you get it?"

"That's a long story. This is for you. Please hold off on your attack for a few days. I'll send someone to make contact first."

The prince stroked the steam barrel of the steam rifle with his hand, his eyes filled with love and greed, but he still shook his head: "You should take this gun and trade it with them. Those oil men are the most stubborn. Without such good things, it is impossible to pry some technology from them."

After saying this, the prince seemed to be trying to convince himself, but he muttered unwillingly: "Although this steam rifle looks good, the Gatling gun is actually not bad, and its firepower is even stronger. This thing is just a flashy vase."

"Don't worry, I have plenty here, you can keep this one."

"Really? That's great! I've been wanting to get one to hang on the wall for a long time. Hehe. By the way, where did you get this thing?"

"Oh, I hit a steam rifle vein."

“???”

Hughes and the prince talked until late at night. When Hughes yawned and opened the office door, it was already very late.

"Connor, take the prince back to the mansion."

Connor nodded in agreement. The security level in Zeus had increased a lot recently. The possibility of Lina infiltrating Blood Harbor was not high, but it was not impossible. It was still late at night, so they naturally needed to pay attention.

Zeus looked down from the window and saw the prince walking away on the street. In addition to several guards of the Crusaders, there were also night watchmen in the shadows everywhere on the street.

In the past, the prince would have dragged Zeus to chat all night long, but now he has a lot to do. He has to prepare for war against the empire, carry out mobilization and plan specific offensives, as well as the most troublesome logistical matters.

Looking at the prince's high-spirited look, Zeus couldn't help but shook his head with emotion. These elites seemed like monsters. They seemed to have endless energy. They were always full of enthusiasm and always looked fearless.

Perhaps only people like this can change the world.

"Guard the door for me." Zeus nodded to Ash, then returned to the office and locked the door.

"Let's go to the worker Xius first to see if our Miss Scepter is online."

(End of this chapter)