Amber blinked and looked at the words Gwen had written on the paper. She could understand a few words, but when they were put together, it was something she had never seen before. The half-elf's brain rumbled for a while and finally confirmed that she could not understand this thing. So she simply looked away and began to stare blankly at the scenery outside the window.
Gwen looked up and glanced at the half-elf. "I thought you would ask."
Amber suddenly became proud. "I knew you would ask."
"Then I won't ask. Anyway, this matter has not been settled yet." Gwen waved his hand without any psychological burden. Then, as expected, he saw the half-elf in front of him puffed up her cheeks. This made him even happier and he immediately changed the topic. "Have we received a response to the invitation we sent to the neighboring countries?"
"How long has it been since the invitation was sent out? How could it be so fast? Even you have just returned to the imperial capital." Amber wanted to continue to ask Gwen what the words meant, but she had to answer him when Gwen changed the topic. "They must have discussed it, discussed it, and maybe a conspiracy theory, speculating whether the two human empires are plotting to divide the interests of the entire continent …"
"Indeed, they have to weigh the pros and cons. After all, this has never been done before." Gwen smiled, his expression was quite calm. "But in the end, they will most likely agree, or at least send a representative to have a look and confirm the matter. Cecil and Typhon are now the 'leaders' of the two major settlement zones on the continent. All the kingdoms that trade with the two empires cannot ignore this invitation. Even if they did not pay attention to the previous war, they will have to pay attention to the economic operation of the settlement zone after this … The real headache is the countries outside the settlement zone."
"The Violet Kingdom, the Dwarf Kingdom, and a few city-state alliances in the southeast corner of the continent …" Amber rolled her eyes and the corresponding information came to her mind. "They are all relatively closed countries, or countries that have a natural geographical barrier to the interior of the continent. Actually, the Dwarf Kingdom and those border city-states alliance are easy to deal with. The sea trade route will pull them into the settlement area of the two empires sooner or later. Only that reclusive Violet Kingdom … is hard to deal with. "
"A hermit kingdom huh …" Gwen's expression turned complicated as he listened to Amber's nagging. While many countries on the continent were gradually opening their doors to this new era, there was one country that seemed to be in a different world, maintaining a mysterious and isolated state. This inevitably aroused people's curiosity. "This country built on a huge island has always maintained a distance from the other countries on the continent … But there are quite a number of mages from the Violet Kingdom who have come to the continent to travel, and there are also merchants in the north who do business with the other side of the sea. They don't seem to be completely isolated …"
"That's right. The Violet Kingdom doesn't prohibit its citizens from traveling to other countries on the continent, nor does it prohibit the coastal cities from engaging in foreign trade. However, their capital, the City of Thousand Towers, is not open to anyone. Their royal family also doesn't interact with people from the Roland Continent. So far, all of our communication with them has been done indirectly through the Violet Parliament or second-class envoys. "
"… This makes me even more curious." Gwen muttered, stroking his chin. "They are so close to us, but they seem more mysterious than the Dragons. Now even the Duchy of the Holy Dragon has opened its doors to us."
"Shouldn't we take a more proactive approach to communication? Hmm … or investigation? "Amber thought for a moment and gestured with her hands." I mean, send some spies or something … "
Gawain glanced at the half-elf, who was also staring back at him with his eyes wide open, as if he were a conscientious intelligence chief who was ready to stir up trouble at any moment.
"You are indeed a qualified minister of intelligence." Gwen sighed. "But haven't you tried to send people to infiltrate the Violet Kingdom? Is it effective? "
"Well … Well, the Military Intelligence Agency did send some people. We tried to investigate the situation in the Violet Kingdom under the cover of merchants and adventurers, but it didn't go well. Basically, we could only operate in their coastal cities. It's very difficult to infiltrate the inland. And those coastal cities look no different from the rest of the Roland Continent. But if you give me the order, I can come up with some new plans … "
"No, that's enough." Gwen shook his head. "We can't treat every country that doesn't want to open their door as our enemy. It's offensive to test them more than necessary. They have their way of life, and it's their freedom to close their door. We can't expect everyone in the world to follow Cecil's values."
Amber shrugged. "Well, you have the final say."
Gao Wen nodded and was about to ask about something else, but before he could open his mouth, the magic network terminal on the side of the desk suddenly rang.
After the terminal was connected, the holographic projection in the air shook twice, and Veronica appeared in the air. She looked a little strange. "Your Majesty, we are analyzing the wreckage of the God of War recovered from the battlefield. We have found something."
Gwen immediately put the previous topic to the back of his mind. His face suddenly became serious. "Wait a minute. I'll be right there!"
…
Defiance Fortress, deep in the Gloom Mountain Range.
The continuous development of the empire and the perfection of various facilities in Cecil City did not cause the ancient fortress to be abandoned. Instead, with the restart of the Defiance Project and the deepening of various research projects about the gods, this facility, which was once specially used to study the gods and the demonic wave, was once again put to use.
The space in the mountains, which had been there for thousands of years, was re-fortified. The ancient corridors and rooms were cleaned and painted. New experimental equipment and staff moved in. Many laboratories and warehouses were now put to use. Under the leadership of Veronica and Kamel, and with the permission of Gwen, the middle and lower levels of the Defiance Fortress had become the new "God Research Base" of the Cecil Empire, dedicated to deciphering the mysteries of the gods.
To achieve this purpose, Gwen even set up a neural network computing node in the Gloom Mountain Range to channel the power of Naretil into the Defiance Fortress. The former "Upper Narrator" could provide the necessary data analysis service for the laboratory here. At the same time, it was a powerful security barrier to protect the vulnerable ordinary people in the facility from the harm of the gods' legacy.
At this moment, in a large laboratory in the deepest level of the Defiance Fortress, a group of technicians was analyzing the dangerous remains collected from the battlefield of Winter Castle.
The rectangular experiment hall was brightly lit. Various magical devices were humming and operating in every corner of the room. There were several platforms arranged neatly in the center of the room, and on each platform was a part of the remains of the God of War. Some of them were iron-gray armor pieces, some were tangled and growing dark red fibers, and some were rocks that seemed to have been completely soaked and corroded by blood. But no matter which one it was, they all exuded a strong magical wave and an eye-catching presence.
Around each platform stood four metal cylinders engraved with complex runes. A thick layer of magical halo floated between the cylinders to isolate the dangerous samples inside from the outside.
More than a dozen researchers were busy at work, recording the magic waves released by the wreckage and the various changes it showed as time passed. Everyone had a serious and slightly excited expression on their faces. Carmel, who was the director of the laboratory, floated among the researchers, directing and supervising the operation of the site. Veronica, who was holding a platinum scepter, stood at a position slightly further away from them. The radiance around the Saintess Princess fluctuated slightly, but her expression was already deep in thought.
Gwen and Amber entered the room at this moment.
Veronica immediately sensed Gwen's presence. She immediately woke up from her contemplation and turned around. "Your Majesty, you're here."
"Well, I'm here to take a look." As Gwen spoke, he first looked up and around the scene. In addition to the busy technicians, he also found some extraordinary "existences".
On the roof of the laboratory, some hazy and vague lines spread out from the air and intertwined into a spiderweb-like shape over the entire room. This almost transparent spiderweb sheltered everything here, and in the center of the spiderweb, Gwen vaguely saw a lazy white spider lying on top of it.
It was the "Upper Narrator" who had shrunk down many times. She looked a little bored, or she might have fallen asleep.
"When the technicians need to directly touch the relics of the gods, Naretil will provide shelter and early warning of contamination." Veronica noticed Gwen's gaze and immediately explained. "This is one of the experimental procedures designed by Kamel, and it has proven to be very effective."
"Okay." Gwen nodded. He stepped forward and said casually, "Tell me about the situation. What did you find?"
"In short …" Kamel floated over from the side and bowed slightly in front of Gwen. A buzzing sound came from his body. "We found that these remains … do not cause any mental damage to mortals."
Gwen suddenly stopped in his tracks, as if he was stunned on the spot.
Amber, who was walking behind him, bumped into his back with her head. Ouch! She rebounded nearly a meter away.
"No mental damage?" Gwen did not seem to feel the impact on his back. He stared at Kamel and asked, "Is this conclusion reliable?"
"It's reliable. We have conducted a direct and strict test," Kamel said solemnly. "This includes a personal test. The testers were directly exposed to the samples under close observation, and nothing happened.
"Of course, we have done a protective measure. Naretil used spider silk to entangle the testers' minds. Once mental contamination occurs, the testers will be instantly 'pulled' back and purified and healed."
"You even tested this …" Gwen finally recovered from his shock. He listened to Kamel's explanation in disbelief. His eyes involuntarily fell on the platform closest to him. Between the runic pillars and the energy barrier, there was a piece of armor shimmering with an iron-gray brilliance. Due to the original size of the God of War, it was impossible to tell which part of the armor the fragment once belonged to. But one thing was certain, this thing … was once enough to drive the most determined warrior into a frenzy.
Originally, when he entered the laboratory, he saw the fragment on the platform. The people around him did not seem to be affected. At that time, he thought it was the various protective systems in the laboratory and Naretil's work. But now … it seemed that was not the case.
The remains were harmless.
So, what exactly happened to these fragments?
"After the fall of the God of War, did the fragments he left behind lose their 'divinity'?" Gawain muttered to himself in a low voice. "Because he died so thoroughly, the fragments he left behind became ordinary objects?"
"We also guessed that these fragments had changed, but Naretil did not think so." Veronica's voice came from the side. "Before the fall of the God of War, she used spider silk to 'hunt'. At that time, she remembered the aura of the God of War. Just now, she analyzed the residual aura on these fragments and confirmed that there was no change in the nature of the two auras except for some weakening and dissipation. This was confirmed by Miss Tyr as well … "
Without needing an explanation, Gwen knew how Tyre confirmed it. But he still could not help but ask, "Is Tyre's examination reliable?"
"I think it can be trusted." Veronica, who had always been calm, was a little hesitant at this moment. "Although she 'consumed' a lot of samples, she is indeed an expert in this field."
"… I see." Gawain rubbed his eyebrows. "In short, the residual power of the gods in these fragments hasn't faded. In theory, the mental pollution they carry hasn't disappeared, but now the pollution has lost its effect on mortals. So, it is not the fragments that have changed, but … "
Speaking of this, he subconsciously stopped.
It was not that he could not come to a conclusion, but the conclusion in his mind at this moment was a little bizarre and even a little challenging.
But behind him, Amber, who was rubbing his nose as he walked over, did not think too much about it. The half-elf spoke almost instinctively, "If these fragments didn't change, could the ones that changed still be humans …?"
The whole laboratory became quiet. Amber, who was rubbing her nose, immediately felt the change in the atmosphere. She stopped and looked around a little scared. Her eyes finally fell on Gwen. "I'm just saying. You don't have to take it seriously …"
"No." Veronica shook her head and said slowly in a deep voice. "Our speculation … is correct."
Amber's eyes widened and was stunned for a long time. "… What the hell?"
"This is not the final conclusion. Everything needs more testing and analysis." Kamel could not help but say, the arcane light on his body was flickering. "Yes, more testing and analysis … The significance of this conclusion is too great. We have to design a more thorough —"
"We can verify it carefully, even a hundred times is not enough. But before that, we can make a bold guess." Veronica interrupted Kamel. She gripped the platinum scepter so hard that her fingertips were a little white. "Perhaps … the impact of our battle at Wintercastle is far more than just the fall of a god."
(Why did so many people go to watch the first season of the Record of Unusual Creatures? Isn't that the production team reorganized by the readers?)
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