At the same time, at the border of Cecil and Typhon, the Contract Fortress.
The massive energy released by the three energy towers rolled up a visible magic vortex in the atmosphere. The massive beam of light that reminded people of the Deep Blue Well pierced straight into the sky from the top of the tower. The terrifying magic energy was gathered, transformed, and transmitted into the hall in the center of the Contract Fortress, turning into an arcane torrent that maintained the stability of the portal.
The huge portal hummed as the mirror-like circular space channel floated quietly in the center of the arc-shaped alloy beam. The smooth 'mirror' showed the scenery on the 'other side'. It was a scene that mortals only dared to describe and imagine in religious stories and sacred rituals. Now, it had become a real world that could be reached and explored.
It was the kingdom of the gods.
Kamel, Windsor Mappel, and Daniel were gathered in front of the portal, personally checking the various preparations for the next step of the exploration. Not far from them, the 'explorer', an autonomous golem with a brass shell and complex mechanical appendages, was quietly waiting on a charging platform, being checked and maintained by a few technicians.
The advanced artificial intelligence from Typhon had made a great contribution to the entire project. In the past, it had completed sixteen routine explorations on the other side of the portal and two 'extreme walks' to test the threshold of mana consumption. Now, its originally smooth and shiny shell had a lot of wear and tear, and its mechanical appendages were full of scratches. The built-in mana storage structure was also greatly tested in the 'mana depletion' environment again and again. It even had to be replaced once. But under the careful maintenance of the technicians, the overall performance of the golem was still able to meet the requirements of the subsequent explorations.
"In the past series of explorations, we have roughly figured out the environment on the other side of the portal. Even if we can't use current technology to test and quantify the parameters, we have conducted indirect observation and deduction." Windsor Mappel looked down at the platform in front of her. On the silver-white platform engraved with many complex runes and embedded with intricate crystals, a clear holographic projection was floating. The projection showed the temple square, the road, the city wall, and some of the explored buildings in a translucent state before the eyes of the three technical supervisors. This was the result of the explorer's recent series of operations. "All the data is gathered here."
Daniel raised his hand and pointed to the center of the holographic projection, where the phantom of the portal was. The nerve cord behind him hung down obediently. The old mage's voice was low and steady. "This is the entrance to the portal that we have opened. Currently, the explorer's range of activity is around this entrance, a circular area with a radius of about 1.2 kilometers.
"This area is an open square, the purpose of which is unknown. The buildings around the square are made of stone and metal, but it may just be some kind of 'illusion'. The explorer's ability is limited, and we can't accurately analyze the properties of these materials. According to the collected image data, we can confirm that there are huge palaces and arena-like buildings further away from the portal, but that is beyond the limits of the golem's range of activity.
"Currently, we can't determine how big this space is. The explorer's range of activity is limited, and the image signal can't see where the border of the divine kingdom is. But according to the various myths of the God of War, this' divine kingdom 'should only be the size of a city … and beyond that, it may be the realm of Chaos known as the' deep sea '."
As Daniel's voice trailed off, Windsor Mappel nodded slightly and continued. "Apart from these 'terrains' that we have already explored, the most important feature of the divine kingdom is its strange environment. Now, it could be confirmed that the God of War's Divine Kingdom was lacking in mana. Even the most advanced mana charging devices carried by the explorers couldn't be replenished in the slightest. The devices sent through the portal could only run on the mana stored within. Regarding this unusual environment, we have consulted the Theocratic Council's senior advisor, 'Miss Tower'. Her opinion is that this has something to do with the divine setting of the God of War … "
Kamel and Daniel nodded slightly.
'Miss Tower' was the code name of the Goddess of Magic, Mirmina, in the Theocratic Council. The special senior advisors all had such code names. Their identities were special. Although it was no longer a secret to the upper echelons of the Theocratic Council and the heads of state, it was still not appropriate for their true identities to be exposed to the public or the low-level members of the council. Therefore, under normal circumstances, when the senior advisors were mentioned in public, they would be addressed by their code names.
At the same time, the three senior advisors had their own areas of expertise. Miss Egg of God knew all the ancient mysteries and the secrets of the gods' transformations; Miss Tower knew the characteristics of the gods in this civilization and the general situation of each divine kingdom; and Mr. Lu was an expert in Dou Dizhu.
As for the strange phenomenon of "magic power exhaustion" in the divine kingdom of the God of War, Miss Tower gave a very confident judgment. Her original words were: "The God of War? He's not smart enough to understand magic. Even his scripture said that 'The God of War, Kehr, disdained to use magic to defeat his enemies.' He's not smart enough. "
After some polishing and translation, Miss Tower's interpretation became a version that was easier for the technicians to understand and accept. The priesthood of the God of War contained the negation of magic power, so there was a natural repulsion between his divinity and magic power. This repulsion reached its peak in the divine kingdom of the God of War, so it created an unprecedented environment of magic power exhaustion.
This was extremely difficult for exploration equipment that mostly ran on magic power, but for the researchers … this was an "ideal environment" that they could not find in the real world.
The early exploration by the magic puppets had accumulated a lot of valuable information, and at the same time, it was approaching the limit of what the unmanned equipment could achieve. It would be difficult to continue in this area of exploration. Now, it was time to move on to the next step of the plan.
Kamel raised his head and looked at the open area in front of the portal. A group of heavily armored "vanguard explorers" were making the final preparations there.
In order to allow the living to safely enter the God of War's divine kingdom, the technicians behind the "Door" plan had considered a large number of details. From the selection of the first batch of explorers to the protective equipment they used, they had gone through more than a hundred repetitive discussions. And these "vanguard explorers" in front of him were the result of the discussions. They exceeded many people's expectations, but in Carmel's eyes, everything was very reasonable.
They were the White Knight from the Cecil Empire.
In the eyes of some outsiders who did not know the truth, the White Knight was a heavy-armored cleric of the Church of Holy Light, a "cleric" who could not be separated from the church. It was difficult to understand why they were sent to explore the divine kingdom of another god. But Kamel knew that these powerful warriors, who were "clerics" in name, were actually the most suitable people to fight against the gods.
They were strong-willed and had a clearer understanding of the nature of theology than most technicians. They were the results of the earliest "Fight the Gods" plan of the Cecil Empire. Every one of them had received strict training. Even without the help of deep-sea runes and other protective means, they had a strong resistance to spiritual pollution. They also mastered the new Holy Light, a "clean" divine power that could be completely controlled by magical technology. This power provided them with additional protection.
And most importantly, the White Knight were very strong and very good at using their daunting heavy power armor.
The heavy armor could be stuffed with more divine protective equipment and more magic crystals. The former allowed them to move more safely in the divine kingdom, while the latter allowed them to have more abundant energy reserves in an environment where magic was depleted. This allowed them to carry equipment with them to last longer.
The magical technicians of the Contract Castle modified the White Knight's equipment to ensure that it was more suitable for exploring the other side of the portal. The ample internal space of the White Knight's armor provided great convenience for the modification work.
Of course, the White Knights were not professional technicians. They could not assume the role of frontline scholars. Therefore, the position of this team was the "vanguard". Their task was to be the first batch of mortals to pass through the gate, to ensure that the environment on the other side was safe, and to establish a temporary base there. When the situation was stabilized, the real technicians would follow in.
The White Knight's preparation was coming to an end. Kamel heard the clicking sound of the locks closing in the armor of the twelve heavy-armored clerics.
"It's time for me to move as well." Carmel floated up and turned his gaze towards the direction of the teleportation gate. A buzzing sound resonated from his body. "After so much preparation, this moment has finally arrived."
"Master Kamel." Although the plan had been set, Windsor Mappel could not help but stand up and confirm again. "Are you sure you want to go in person? You know the situation over there — "
"We have already come up with a solution, haven't we?" Kamel's voice was humming. He seemed to be smiling, but it was hard to tell from his appearance. "The environment over there is unable to absorb magic power, but it does not affect the 'reserve magic power' sent in from the outside world. In theory, the more 'reserve magic power', the more stable and lasting the operation over there. And my reserve magic power … is far more than anyone here, even more than any energy device except for the three energy towers."
"Indeed, in theory, you are the one who can move the longest on 'the other side'. But on the other hand, your current life form is essentially an energy creature, which means that the environment where magic power is depleted is the most dangerous for you," Windsor Mappel said in a low voice. "Ordinary people will at most faint when magic power is depleted, but you —"
"Don't worry, I'm going there to do research, not to die. I don't intend to use my magic power to fight the environment over there. Our 'solution' will come in handy," Kamel said. "Besides … don't forget, we still have a powerful 'foreign aid' who will help us after we enter."
"Lady Tower …" Windsor Mappel said softly and thoughtfully. "Indeed, she has sent a message saying that she is in place …"
Kamel nodded and said nothing more. He floated to the White Knight who were ready and waiting for orders. He found the leader of the Clerics' advance team. After a brief briefing, he took the lead and flew in the direction of the portal.
The white knights followed closely behind. Their heavy footsteps shook the castle hall with extraordinary historical significance. They carried a large number of "advance equipment" and heavy supply boxes that needed to be brought to the other side. They stepped into the mirror-like space passage.
After White Knight entered the arena, the "Explorer" magic puppet that had completed its maintenance jumped down from the platform and waved its long mechanical limbs as it followed behind the team. This time, it was going to be the support magic puppet of the vanguard exploration team to assist the people on the other side in completing the mission.
In a brief interruption of consciousness and a sense of weightlessness, Kamel felt as if he had crossed an invisible curtain.
The curtain was only a thin layer, but when he crossed it, he felt as if there was a "long distance" that did not conform to the physical and spatial structure. Kamel seemed to hear countless voices around him, but in the blink of an eye, these voices disappeared like phantoms in his ears. All these wonderful feelings only lasted for a very short moment. The second after crossing the "mirror", Kamel felt that he had "landed on the ground" in another dimension.
"Landed on the ground" was a psychological feeling. In fact, he had been floating in the air. Due to his special body structure, he had not felt what it was like to have his feet on the ground for a long time.
Kamel floated forward. An extremely spacious square filled his vision. In the distance, high walls and palaces came into view. There was also a turbid sky covering this vast space. Everything was like the "scenery" that the Explorer saw.
But the feeling of seeing all this with his own eyes was completely different from seeing it through a holographic projection.
The sound of heavy footsteps came from behind. The White Knights had already stepped through the portal, followed by the sound of the Explorer Golem waving its mechanical limbs.
"This is the divine kingdom … the forbidden zone for mortals …"
Hearing the commotion behind him, Carmel couldn't help but mutter to himself. All his long-cherished wishes, all the past, all the regrets and memories of the past … They suddenly gathered at this moment, but they silently dissipated into nothingness.
He quietly floated in front of the portal. He could not make any rich expressions, and he could not shed a single tear of excitement.
Then, a sudden feeling of "flowing away" appeared in his body, and it interrupted his thoughts that were about to dissipate.
The ancient arcanist looked down and saw that the arcane energy on the surface of his body was changing at a special frequency. The feeling of the magic in his body, and even his own body, was "evaporating" began to become more and more obvious. He clearly felt that the magic that made up his body was constantly being consumed in order to maintain this body. In the next second, he clearly felt that the entire environment around him was … a kind of "vacuum".
The arcane light on Kamel's head suddenly brightened. His "eyes" widened.
This was the first time in his life that he had such a feeling. It was completely strange, unbelievable, and yet he had been searching for this feeling for a long time!
The feeling of the magic consumption began to become more and more obvious, and this consumption was consuming his "life foundation". But Kamel was in great joy. If it were not for the twelve White Knight behind him and the many colleagues on the other side of the portal looking at him, he would have even had the impulse to shout in excitement at this moment!
But Kamel was not overwhelmed by this great joy. When the White Knight behind him moved the initial exploration equipment to the open space near the portal, he immediately turned around and floated to a large silver metal box. Without hesitation, he split a stream of arcane flame from his body and connected it to a crystal on the top of the box.
The flashing magic light on his body instantly stabilized.
This was the "solution" that Kamel, as a magical creature, designed for himself when exploring a divine kingdom that was drained of magic.
Dragging a super big "charger" …
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