At 12: 15 in the afternoon, the last set of restraining rings of the portal was preheated.
In the center of the lobby of the Treaty Fortress, runes swam on the huge alloy pedestal as the abundant magical radiance flowed along the energy conduits and the magic conductive metal tracks and was continuously injected into the arc-shaped metal arm above the device. The ring full of runes and crystal structure had floated to the top of the portal device, and in the center of the 'cage' that the ring, pedestal, and the metal arm surrounded, a distorted space of a few meters in diameter was gradually taking shape.
The distorted space looked like a sphere, which seemed to be filled with some kind of crystalline substance. Light from a distance was deflected on the surface of the sphere, outlining all kinds of bizarre illusions. This made it look like a crystal lens or an extremely smooth metal sphere, but in fact, it had no physical structure at all. The spherical surface was an abnormal optical phenomenon caused by the folding of space, and what the wandering light and shadow outlined was actually the "perspective" of another dimension.
Kamel and Windsor Mappel looked at the huge portal device, listening to the low humming sound echoing throughout the lobby. All the protective systems had been activated, and the psionic singers had also come to the portal. A technician wearing a heavy protective robe with deep-sea runes engraved on the surface of the protective robe came before the two commanders, indicating that all the systems were ready.
It was time to give the order, but Windsor Mappel turned her eyes to Kamel beside her.
"You should give the order," the Legendary mage Typhon said with a solemn expression. "For the rebels of a thousand years ago, for the pioneers who fell on the path of exploration."
Kamel looked at Lady Windsor. He knew that he should not refuse, so after two seconds, he nodded slightly and looked at the controllers who were on standby.
"'Humanity Barrier' has switched to active broadcast mode. Psionic singers have begun to resonate," the rebel from the ancient Kingdom of Gondor said loudly, his steady and powerful voice echoing throughout the lobby. "Activate the portal!"
As Kamel's voice trailed off, a humming sound suddenly echoed throughout the lobby, followed by a low humming sound from the base of the portal. The massive energy had been accumulated for a long time, and now it was being channeled into the God of War fragment under the lobby, and through a series of complicated conversion and projection links, it was released into the surface structure of the portal. The massive energy surge even affected the illumination in the lobby. The light from the magical crystal lamp flickered, and everyone felt goosebumps on the surface of their skin as a cold sensation flowed through their nerves.
Then, everything quickly reached a balance. The well-designed load system withstood the initial energy spike of the portal, and the heat dissipation system buried under the device began to release massive heat to the outside of the lobby. Dozens of heat dissipation grids inside and outside the Castle of Contract opened at the same time, and steam rose into the sky along with the distant magical glow. And in the lobby, before Kamel's eyes, the 'sphere' in the center of the portal had expanded and solidified into a circular 'mirror', and a glorious and magnificent scene appeared in the center of the mirror.
Everyone in the lobby could not help but look at the glorious scene in the mirror, and everyone's nerves tensed up. The commander of the security team reacted at once, and loudly broke the silence in the lobby. "Protection team, check for divine contamination. All personnel, pay attention to your mental stability!"
Soon, the response came from all the personnel in charge. "No divine corruption and mental contamination detected!" "All teams have normal vision and hearing, no response from the protective filter!" "No change in the load of the 'Human Nature Barrier', the active broadcast is still ongoing!"
The bright light on Kamel's body had almost stagnated since the beginning, and it was not until now that the abundant arcane light began to flow again. He wanted to heave a sigh of relief, but he had already lost his lungs. So he could only let himself flash twice and then turned to Windsor Mappel beside him. "Ms. Windsor, the first step is successful!"
"Yes … We have really opened the portal!" Windsor Mappel looked at the image that appeared in the 'mirror' and said excitedly, "Is that … the divine kingdom of the God of War?"
"The gate has indeed been opened, but we still need to verify whether it is the divine kingdom on the other side." Kamel's steady and powerful voice came from beside Windsor, which quickly calmed her down. "Send the first 'explorer' as planned."
Windsor immediately nodded and turned to the technicians on standby. "Bring the 'explorer' here."
A few moments later, a few technicians arrived at the portal. Behind them was a strange looking magic puppet that was only about a meter tall. It was a self-regulatory mechanism made of brass. It had a round body and several arthropod-like legs. Other than magic symbols engraved on its copper shell, there were also deep-sea runes and crystal lens structures. It also had a "head" with a long handle and three "arms" that extended from the copper shell. All of these were driven by the delicate mechanical structure and the magic gear at its core.
Carmel couldn't help but stare at the magic puppet for a moment. Windsor, who was beside him, saw this and said with a smile, "The best creation in the traditional magic domain. Perhaps it's not as powerful and cheap as a magic device, but it has its own uses in this situation."
"… I see some technology of the Ironman project," Kamel said in a low voice. "Its joint connectors are of the More-76 model."
"Yes, we have learned something from Gondor's Ironman technology," Windsor said with a faint smile and a little pride in her voice. She then raised her hand and said, "Let the explorer enter the portal!"
Under everyone's expectant, nervous, and worried gazes, the magic puppet made of brass stepped forward. Its arthropods, which were convenient for moving in all kinds of terrains, creaked as it walked fearlessly toward the circular 'lens' that was flowing with faint light. As it stepped into the lens, ripples appeared on the surface of the mirror. Then, the explorer seemed to have passed through a water curtain and appeared on the other side of the portal.
When the explorer had completely passed through the 'lens,' Windsor immediately turned to the control mages in front of the portal. "How is it? Can you still track it?"
"Yes, Master Windsor," one of the control mages immediately nodded and said. A magic projection floated beside him, which clearly showed the scene in the explorer's field of vision. From the projection, the first thing that came into view was a very wide boulder square and a grand building standing in the distance. "The signal has successfully passed through the portal. I can see it very clearly from here."
Kamel, who was watching all of this, could not help but ask, "What are you going to do if the signal can't pass through the portal? What if the explorer is cut off from the outside world after entering the divine kingdom? "
"We have a plan." Windsor Mappel immediately nodded and said, "If the control signal from the rear is cut off, the explorer will determine the course of action on its own. It will patrol the limited area near the portal and collect data, a small number of samples, and will return after a set time. If it senses that it has been contaminated by something harmful, it will immediately self-destruct."
Kamel nodded. He did not ask in detail what the 'harmful thing' that the magic puppet had determined was because this part of the information was publicly circulated within the Theocratic Council. The source of the information was several senior consultants of the council. In the 'list of harmful things in the divine kingdom', there were but not limited to self-moving substances, disordered light and shadow products, animated shadows, and anything with the above characteristics. Basically, anything that could not exist in the real world, could cause mental pollution to ordinary people, and had the tendency to actively spread, was a 'harmful thing' that could possibly breed in the divine kingdom.
His gaze returned to the side of the portal, to the few mages who were in charge of controlling the explorers. He stared at the holographic projections floating between the mages. The explorers had left the portal's direct line of sight, and the mages on 'this side' could only use the holographic projections to determine the environment around the marionette.
He saw a very wide space, and most of the ground in the space was paved with huge stones. He also saw some magnificent buildings in the distance. The outer walls of the buildings had a steel-gray sheen, and the top of the buildings seemed to be decorated with polished spears, swords, and shields. This scene reminded many of the scene described by the believers of the God of War:
In the realm of the God of War, the most magnificent palaces and cities stood on the huge stone ground. The most exquisite weapons and armor in the world were decorations that could be seen everywhere in the cities. Brave warriors could enjoy the battles in the arena of the God of War without dying. They could also enjoy delicious food and wine in the palaces of the God of War. Everyone had their own palaces and temples, as well as an eternal and glorious life.
Now, they had seen the land piled with boulders, the iron palace, and the weapons and armor that decorated the palace. If the explorers continued to move forward, they would most likely find the arena and the place where they could enjoy good food and wine as described in the mythological books.
"Very wide … just like what they described in the ancient books …" A Typhon mage looked at the holographic projection sent back by the explorer in surprise. He could not help but whisper to himself.
"Of course it will be the same, because the kingdom of the God of War was originally 'described' by the believers," Windsor Mappel said faintly, her eyes never leaving the holographic projection beside the portal. She suddenly sighed. "Wide, but empty … no one. Could it be that the God of War usually wandered in such an empty city?"
"Maybe it only became like this after the fall of the God of War," Kamel said as he pondered. "When he was alive, this place might be very lively."
"A group of imaginary phantoms accompanying an imaginary god? And they could only fight and drink every day … "A Cecil magician muttered and shook his head." It doesn't sound like a good life … "
"It's gray," Windsor Mappel said with a slight frown. "Control team, can you let the explorer observe the sky of the kingdom?"
"Of course, the perspective is being adjusted. The explorer is beginning to look up."
Along with the voice of the magician, the holographic projection began to move, and the 'sky' over the kingdom gradually occupied most of the image.
A boundless, chaotic, and deep sky appeared in front of Carmel and Windsor. They couldn't see any sun, moon, or stars. Only endless light filled their vision. As the explorers adjusted the focus of their vision, they saw countless tiny objects floating in the vast chaotic sky.
Those objects seemed to be wrapped in clouds, or moving behind the clouds, fragmented phantoms. They were obviously orbiting the kingdom and had a massive overall structure. Unfortunately, with the limited vision and resolution of the explorer, the technicians guarding the portal could not see what those things were.
But Kamel and Windsor Mappel knew what they were.
"Those are the things that the 'senior advisors' mentioned …" Windsor could not help but mutter softly. "Those orbiting the kingdom …"
"The wreckage of the ancient gods, the wreckage of the divine kingdom, the wreckage of the civilization, and the echoes of thoughts that have already disappeared. These things are surging endlessly in the 'deep sea,' and will not completely dissipate even after hundreds of thousands of years," Carmel said in a deep voice, his deep voice resonating. "It's really like what the senior consultants said … If you live in the divine kingdom, you can see those things when you look up."
"But it's still not what I imagined," Windsor could not help but say. "I thought there would be something on a larger scale …"
Before the Legendary mage's voice trailed off, she heard the exclamations of the mages beside the portal. She immediately looked up and saw a huge shadow slowly moving across the holographic projection.
It was a fragmented wreckage. It seemed to be part of the dome of a palace, but the disordered lines and irregular edges did not match any of the buildings in Carmel's or Windsor's memories. There seemed to be something hanging on the edge of the wreckage. It looked like an arm, or it could be a withered and rotting wing, but no matter what it was, it was enough to make people uneasy and cry out in alarm.
The massive wreckage moved slowly in the sky. Perhaps it was as long as a thousand meters. It seemed to be very close to the dome of the divine kingdom of God of War, so close that the explorers could see part of the structure of the wreckage. It slowly floated over from the edge of the image, little by little occupying nearly one-third of the holographic projection's perspective. Then it slowly drifted away, leaving the mortals beside the portal with a twisted and bizarre black silhouette that could lead to endless speculation.
After an unknown period of time, Kamal's deep voice sounded, waking Windsor from her stupor. "… The bigger thing you want is here."
"That's …" Windsor took a deep breath. "That's also the wreckage around the divine kingdom?"
"Obviously," Carmel said in a deep voice. "It seems that those wreckages are of different sizes, and some are far and some are near … They are like bubbles floating in the sea, and the so-called Kingdom of God is floating in this sea of bubbles."
"Although I have heard this from the senior advisor before, seeing it with my own eyes is a different feeling," Windsor Mappel said with a bitter smile. "That thing gave me a fright."
"Madam Windsor, we just saw it from the perspective of the explorers. It's still a long way from seeing it with our own eyes." Kamel looked at the Legendary mage Typhon, his voice solemn and serious. "Next, I'm afraid we really have to see it with our own eyes."
(End of Chapter)
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