Without any hesitation, Gwen told En Ya about the news from Tarlonde.
The incubation room quieted down. Gwen and the rest did not speak for a while. Only the pale golden runes on the surface of En Ya's eggshell flowed slowly as usual, showing that the former Dragons were deep in thought.
"About the Tide-Defying Tower …" Amber was the first to speak. The half-elf's face looked quite nervous. "Could it be …"
"There are two things that can't be explained," En Ya's voice came from the eggshell. "First, Modiel's special state doesn't seem to be the result of being contaminated by the Tide-Defying Tower. It's obviously related to the missing Goddess of Shadow in ancient times. What's the connection between the Tide-Defying Tower and the Goddess of Shadow? Second, when Modiel left the Tide-Defying Tower, he was in a normal state. After that, he even had many years of adventure records. I'm sure that after he left, he never returned to Tarlonde until the day of his' coming-of-age ceremony '. It's impossible for him to come into contact with the Tide-Defying Tower again. So, his strange state can't be the result of coming into contact with the Tide-Defying Tower. So, where did he come into contact with the power of the gods? "
"So, we have always suspected that this matter has something to do with Violet," Amber said immediately. "That country is mysterious. It feels like there's a big secret hidden in it. To be honest, I won't be surprised if one day we know that the power of the gods is hidden in that huge island. Maybe Modiel Werde went to Violet and was contaminated by the gods there, and even established a connection with the Mistress of the Night?"
As soon as Amber's voice trailed off, Gwen shook his head slightly. "Unfortunately, the City of Thousand Towers has officially responded to us. They denied that Modiel Werde had ever visited Violet."
"This is just their denial. No one knows what the truth is," Amber could not help but mutter. "But then again, if Modiel Werde was really contaminated in Violet, then this matter really has nothing to do with the Tide-Defying Tower. We can breathe a sigh of relief …"
No one spoke for a while, and no one responded to Amber's mutterings. It was not until a few seconds later that Enya's voice broke the silence. "Nothing is absolute in this world …"
"A great adventurer …" Gawain suddenly tapped his forehead as if he had a headache. "This is really a troublesome profession. Modir has been to too many places and encountered too many suspicious things in his life. It seems that any clue can be found in him. Even two completely unrelated fields may have an intersection in him …" Gawain muttered to himself as he tapped his forehead. "This is really a troublesome profession. Modir has been to too many places in his life and has come into contact with too many suspicious things.
"My friend, how do you plan to deal with this matter?" En Ya suddenly said, "Regardless of whether there is a connection behind all of this, there are at least two things that we can be sure of. The Tower of Against the Tide can't be left there forever, and Modiel Velde's deteriorating condition can't be delayed. Our discussion here is of no use. We should at least come up with a concrete response."
Gawain didn't say anything for a moment. He frowned as he fell into deep thought and weighed the pros and cons. Beside him, Amber muttered, "If only we could just blow up that tower …"
"How can it be so easy to blow up something left behind by the Voyager?" Gwen looked at the half-elf helplessly, and then his expression became serious as if he had made a decision. "I may need to go to Tarlonde in person."
As soon as he said this, Maggie, who had been standing quietly by the side, suddenly widened her eyes in surprise. "Your Majesty? You want to go in person … "
"You want to go to Tarlonde again?!" Before Maggie could finish her words, Amber also widened her eyes. "Think carefully. This time, going to Tarlonde is not as safe as the last time. And now there are a lot of things to do here. Whether it is the coordination of the Alliance's member states, the route around the continent, or the domestic affairs of the Empire, all of these are important matters —"
Gwen did not wait for Amber to finish. He smiled and shook his head. "Everything that needs me to deal with is a big matter, but there are many things that can be done in my place. I dare not let others touch the Tower of the Tide. As for whether it's safe or not … I didn't do so many things for the sake of safety. Besides, the last trip to Tarlund … wasn't that safe, was it? "
As he spoke, he looked at the giant golden egg next to him with a smile. Enya's helpless voice came from the eggshell. "My friend, last time I invited you with sincerity …"
"I'm not kidding. At that time, your existence was too dangerous." Gwen smiled and waved his hand. Then his expression became serious. "This matter is settled, but I still need to let Heti and Bai Dewen make some arrangements, and let the government office prepare. Amber, when you go back, you are responsible for informing them. Also, make preparations to properly maintain the domestic situation during my absence. "
Hu Po had just nodded subconsciously when he immediately reacted, "Ah? You're not taking me this time? "
"It's different this time." Gwen nodded slowly. His expression was a little serious. "This time I'm not dealing with the forces of the mortal world. Your talent in intelligence and infiltration will not have much room to play there. Compared to taking you to Tarlonde, I'm more worried about leaving many domestic affairs to others."
"… Okay." Amber thought for a moment. She felt that Gwen's words made sense, but her ears still drooped a little. "Then I'll listen to you."
…
Amber and Maggie left first. The former needed to arrange her work, while the latter had experienced a long-distance flight from Tarlonde to North Harbor, and then from North Harbor to Cecil City. She was tired and needed a rest. The two Young Dragon were taken away by Betty and had not returned. For a while, the hatchery was quiet. Only Enya and Gwen were left.
One person and one egg were thinking about their own things in this quiet atmosphere. After a long time, Gwen broke the silence with some apology. "It seems that I only come to you when I'm in trouble."
"Compared to the past, the 'trouble' you bring now is just a joy to my life." Enya's tone was gentle and low. "You don't have to feel sorry for it. On the contrary, I'm more happy to see that you can bring so much 'trouble'. It means that you are not satisfied with the status quo, and it means that you are still moving toward your ambitious goal."
Gwen could not help but smile. "Is that so?"
"Of course," Enya said with a smile. "I'm very happy about it. And what makes me particularly happy is that you have decided to go to Tarlonde for the second time in person …"
Gwen could not help but be a little curious. "What's so special about it?"
"It means that you have not been fooled by the glorious achievements you have created so far," Enya's tone became serious. "And this is what I have been most worried about. When you have succeeded in making this land prosper, fulfilling your initial promise to the people, when you have established an alliance, and dozens of countries in the alliance regard you as their greatest pillar, when you have restarted the trans-continental shipping route, and started the flow of the largest river of trade in the history of civilization, when you have successfully established the Theocratic Council, and made all the power of the secular and theocratic for your own use, when you have done all these things that would have made you famous in history, I am happy to see that you are still willing to leave your palace and go to a wasteland to solve the crisis in person.
"I once knew many great mortals. I've lived through their lives and witnessed their great achievements. It's not that no one has done what you did, but very few people are still willing to risk their lives after accomplishing so many great deeds … Sometimes, this doesn't mean that they're cowardly and slack. Sometimes, it's just a wise and safe choice. But to be fair, I admire your choice more … And I believe that it's not just because you're an 'extraterrestrial wanderer'."
"Extraterrestrial wanderer … This title does not have much practical significance. I am just a traveler, and I don't even know where I am going next." Gwen laughed a little self-deprecatingly. "But since my next stop is here, I have to do what I promised. Besides … this world is so dangerous, I dare not slack off."
Speaking of this, he paused for a moment before looking at Enya with a serious expression. "Tell me the truth, about the Tide-Defying Tower … Are you also worried that the pollution in there has actually —"
"The dragonkin girl is here. I don't want to make her too nervous." The golden runes on the surface of Enya's eggshell slowed down. "… Just as you have guessed, I do suspect that there has been an unknown change inside the Tide-Defying Tower."
Gwen immediately said, "There is still no evidence to prove that the phenomenon on Modiel Werde is related to the pollution of the Tide-Defying Tower. Although he did show signs of being chased by the power of the ancient gods after he got close to the Tide-Defying Tower, the ancient god chasing him is obviously the Mistress of the Night, not the Tide-Defying Tower — "
"That is what I am worried about." Enya interrupted Gwen. "The most likely opportunity for Modiel to be contaminated by the gods is when he stepped into the Tide-Defying Tower. But now the one who is chasing him is the Shadow Goddess, who has been missing for more than 1.8 million years. That is what I am most worried about."
Gwen suddenly had a terrible conjecture in his mind. "You mean —"
"The Tide-Defying Tower … may contaminate the gods." Enya's voice was low as she slowly revealed a truth that stunned Gwen. "To put it more directly, the Tide-Defying Tower's tendency to contaminate the gods may be more obvious than its tendency to contaminate the mortals."
"The tendency to contaminate the gods?" Gwen's eyes widened. "Why does it have such a nature? Isn't its main characteristic to instill taboo knowledge into the mortals? "
Enya's voice rang out from the eggshell. "Instilling taboo knowledge into the mortals is the Tide-Defying Tower's unformed 'priesthood.' It is the embodiment of its divinity. But don't forget the foundation on which the Tide-Defying Tower was first born."
"The foundation on which the Tide-Defying Tower was born …" Gwen thought for a moment and understood what Enya meant. "You mean … the legacy of the Voyager?"
"The essence of the Tide-Defying Tower is the 'deified product' of the Voyager's legacy. And the legacy left behind by the Voyager … has one of the greatest 'missions', which is to deal with the gods on this planet," Enya said slowly. "This' mission 'is very likely to become one of the essences of the Tide-Defying Tower along with the deification of the Voyager's legacy, thus giving it the tendency to chase and contaminate the gods."
Gwen finally fully understood Enya's concern. "So … after learning about the strange situation in Modir, you are most worried that the Tide-Defying Tower has found the hidden Mistress of the Night and has set its eyes on the ancient god?"
"The Mistress of the Night has been cut off from this world for more than 1.8 million years. Such a long time is enough for the once powerful ancient god to weaken. If the Tide-Defying Tower is looking for a suitable prey, the Mistress of the Night is obviously the best choice. Secondly, the Mistress of the Night has no true believers and messengers in this world. This means that even if something happens to her, the world will not notice it. The other gods will not know that an ancient god has been ambushed by the Tide-Defying Tower through the 'eyes of believers' all over the world. This is a 'prey' that will not alert the enemy …"
Listening to Enya's analysis in a low voice, Gwen felt a few drops of cold sweat on his forehead. But at the same time, a question arose in his mind. "Wait a minute, didn't you say that the so-called 'God of the Tide-Defying Tower' does not have complete rationality? Without rationality, how can he make such complicated judgments and arrangements? "
"Indeed, the Tide-Defying Tower does not have complete rationality, so he will not make too complicated a plan. But he will follow his instincts to find a way to get himself out of trouble or become stronger. And the instincts of a god …" Enya paused for a moment, as if thinking about how to explain this concept more concisely. "The instincts of a god are more complicated than the instincts of mortals. Sometimes it will directly point to a 'successful result', and to achieve this result, the god can do a series of actions without thinking. This is essentially a mechanism to meet the condition of 'responding to the wishes of the believers.' But in some cases, it can also allow the Tide-Defying Tower to complete a perfect 'hunt' under the instincts of the believers."
"Doesn't this mean that the Mistress of Shadows is in a very dangerous situation?" Gwen suddenly felt a little nervous. "So the real reason Modir is being chased by the power of the Mistress of Shadows is most likely because the contamination of the Tide-Defying Tower used him as a springboard to connect to the 'hiding place' of the Mistress of the Night? He has become some kind of medium to transmit the contamination? "
"Now you know what I am most worried about," Enya said in a low voice. "Once my speculation is true, once the Tide-Defying Tower really contaminates and engulfs an ancient god, then he will have the opportunity to complete the 'transformation' and complete the last step of 'maturity' that he could not complete in ancient times. He will go from an unformed 'embryo' to a fully formed god, and this god will be completely unbound by any clergy and dogma, and will not have the initial cognition of 'protecting mortals' at all …"
Gwen added Enya's last sentence. "Because the mortals who need his protection … have gone extinct more than a million years ago."
Enya sighed. "Speculating in a worse direction, perhaps there will be a residual instinct of 'protecting mortals', and then this instinct will be twisted into the impulse of 'avenging his people.'"
(End of Chapter)
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