A melodious ringing sound came from the nerve link, and Bersetia, who was sitting on the throne, slowly opened her eyes.
There were not many people in the huge control hall at the moment. The Stellaris Sanctum, which was cruising in low-power mode, was now slowly returning from the border of the Kingdom of Kaolin. Faint light flowed slowly between the elegant support structures with pale golden arcs at the edge of the hall. Amid the low and soothing mechanical vibrations, there was the occasional hum of some system.
Compared to the sound that these people could hear, Bersetia could hear the deeper 'echoes' of the sanctum through the neural link directly connected to the core of the fortress. The echoes sounded soft and slow.
Since Master Velania led the astromancers to overhaul the Stellaris Sanctum and replaced the old system with a new energy array, the ancient sky fortress, which had weathered thousands of years of ups and downs, finally broke free from the countdown of decay and collapse. The overburdened energy system finally had a chance to take a breather, and the overloaded anti-gravity engine was also improved after receiving auxiliary power. In Bersetia's memory, this was almost the slowest and most comfortable sound she had heard from the fortress through the neural link since she sat on the throne.
But she knew that this relief was still only temporary. The Stellaris Sanctum was too old, and the problems it faced were far from being fixed by replacing part of the energy array and engine. Although magical technology was useful, it was not omnipotent.
The technicians had bought time for the sky fortress, but only time. One day, the elves would have to find a way to find the real long-term way.
But that was not something to worry about now.
Bersetia gently rubbed her forehead, recovering some of the 'dislocation' caused by the long-term connection to the sanctum system. At the same time, she looked at Irene, who was standing beside her. "It's about time. Let the unrelated personnel leave."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Her personal maid, Irene, replied softly. She then turned around and waved her hand at the attendants below the throne and the royal guards outside the inner circle. The personnel who received the order immediately bowed to the throne and then filed out in an orderly manner. In just a short moment, the huge control hall was only left with the Silver Queen on the throne and her maid, Irene beside her, as well as a large number of automated fortress monitoring systems.
"Shift the main control to autonomous mode. Continue cruising at low speed." Bersetia commanded the control system of the Stellaris Temple in her mind. Then, she bent her finger and gently tapped the armrest of the throne. A nerve cable connected to the throne lit up, and the lights in the control hall dimmed. All the windows were quietly closed and locked. In the next second, the floor in front of the throne slid open with a soft grinding sound, and a crystal altar-like communication device rose from it.
The device was activated, and the crystal array at the top of the device quickly lit up. Two beams of light were released, forming a clear magic projection in the air. The figures of Gwen Cecil and Rosetta Augustus appeared in the projection.
"Very well, the meeting begins as scheduled." Gwen looked at the two figures in front of him. He was sitting in his study, and the images of Bersetia and Rosetta were sitting opposite him. Except for some light trembling at the edge of the image, the feeling was almost no different from a face-to-face conversation. "Good afternoon, both of you."
The three empire leaders greeted each other, and without any excessive pleasantries, the thin, black-haired, and black-eyed Rosetta Augustus immediately went straight to the point. "I heard that when you were exploring the divine kingdom of the god of war, you took an ancient spaceship to the depths of the 'deep sea' and only returned to this world two days later. Now that you have called for this meeting … What did you find?"
"The spaceship is a legacy left behind by the Voyager. It belongs to an ancient guardian system called the 'Sentinels'." Gwen did not hide anything and said directly. The Voyager used to be confidential information of the Cecil Empire, but with the establishment of the Alliance and the changes in the world, especially the common threat that the mortal kingdoms faced, this information was now made public among the Alliance's member states. And according to the weight of each country, each country had different levels of information about the Voyager, and among the three empires, this information was shared according to the highest standards. "I think you are no stranger to the warning 'beware of the Sentinels'. Yes, that Sentinel."
Gwen told them everything he saw in the depths of the deep sea, the information he obtained at the Sentinel's mother port, and his observations and speculations about the strange situation of the spaceship. In the face of a crisis that could threaten the world, there was no need to hide this information. Explaining the critical situation clearly would be more effective in getting his comrades on the same front to come up with enough strength.
During Gwen's narration, Rosetta and Bersetia maintained a serious and solemn expression. They frowned and listened attentively, only occasionally interrupting when they had questions. It was not until Gwen's narration came to an end and the communication system returned to normal that Bersetia broke the silence first. "So, the mysterious cube that the sirens salvaged from the Deep Blue Network is probably the signal that the Sentinels have begun to act?"
"If we only suspected that the activities of the wasteland cultists were related to the Deep Blue Network before, now we are almost certain that the Sentinels are behind this matter." Gwen nodded and said, "The cube that they dropped is probably some kind of magic control device. A large number of those devices will form a huge system in the Deep Blue Network. Once that thing is formed, the Sentinels and the cultists controlled by the Sentinels will almost control the lifeline of our planet. I don't need to emphasize the danger."
Rosetta Augustus looked at Gwen. "So, what are your thoughts on this?"
"Mobilize all the forces we can mobilize to the foot of the Great Wall. Now is not the time to continue to conserve strength. After the border defense line is completed, immediately let all the bases march into the wasteland, establish a bridgehead in the polluted area, and begin to search for the cultists. At the same time … find a way to contact the center of the wasteland. "
"Contact the center of the wasteland?" Bersetia could not help but frown. Gwen's last sentence had obviously caught her attention. "What can there be there …"
Gwen's gaze slowly swept across the Silver Queen and Emperor Typhon. After a moment of silence, he slowly said in a low voice, "The last legion of the ancient Kingdom of Gondor … is still holding on in the ruins of the Deep Blue Well. They will be our staunchest ally when we counterattack the wasteland."
Bersetia's eyes instantly widened. She subconsciously looked at Rosetta Augustus, and saw the same shocked expression on the face of the serious-looking middle-aged human. After a full ten seconds, she heard Rosetta say, "I can't remember how many times I have been shocked by you, my King Gwen. How many secrets are you hiding?"
"That's a lot, Augustus. Who doesn't have secrets?" Gwen said as he spread out his hands. "But the secrets of us should ultimately serve the safety of this world and the survival of all mortals. Just like now, we are facing the biggest safety problem of this world."
Bersetia quietly looked at Gwen in the holographic projection. Then she slightly adjusted her posture and leaned forward. "I agree."
…
Winter had arrived, and the cold wind dominated the mountains of the north. As the snow on the main peaks spread, the city at the foot of Winter Fort Academy gradually became one with the world of ice and snow. In the wind and snow, the land that the Wilde family had sheltered for hundreds of years had been wrapped in pure white. It was the scenery that Victoria, who grew up in Winter Fort Academy, was most familiar with.
She stood on the highest terrace of Winter Fort Academy, letting the cold wind roar past her. Snow was blown down from the high tower and fluttered outside the terrace. She turned to look at the old man beside her, a rare smile on her face. "These mountains and the vast fields and valleys beyond the mountains are the land that the Wilde family has sheltered for generations. Of course, with the establishment of the Cecil Empire and the implementation of a new order, the old land aristocratic system has collapsed on this land. The mountains in the north now belong to the people living on this land, and the one who manages this land is the government office authorized by the Empire. As one of the three governors of the Empire, I have returned the ownership of all the northern lands except for Winter Fort Academy."
Modiel Werde walked to the edge of the balcony and cautiously poked his head out to look down. He saw a city built on the mountainous terrain extending into his field of vision. Smoke rose from the city, and a giant shield shimmering with a faint light shrouded all the places with signs of human habitation. He knew that he should have seen this scenery before, but he couldn't find any trace of this scenery no matter how hard he searched through his memories.
So in the end, he could only shake his head and give up the meaningless memory. He then asked curiously, "But you seem to still be in charge of part of this place?"
"This is one of my jobs as the Great Governor. Every Great Governor is in charge of a 'direct province' that is the center of the Empire's industry and military," Victoria explained. "My authority to give orders in the central province of the north comes from the authorization of the Empire, and I do not have any innate authority over these lands. In fact, the next Great Governor of the north may not even have the surname 'Wilde', and my family's heir can only inherit from me, other than the title, the castle and other family assets."
Modir had never come into contact with matters of this level, at least not in his memory. Now that he heard Victoria's explanation, he was both curious and surprised. After a moment of thought, he asked seriously, "Then, does your heir have any objections to this?" "Yes.
"We have had a frank and in-depth conversation, and he has no objection to this," Victoria also said seriously. "In fact, Fendill is a very excellent young man. He has the keen thinking and receptive ability of a young man. He can understand the necessity of the new order very well and is willing to embrace His Majesty's new policy. You probably don't know yet, right? He entered the Imperial Academy a long time ago to further his studies and graduated from the school of sergeants with excellent results. Now, he has taken the initiative to go to the wasteland border in the south, preparing to take his first step as a soldier there. "
The duchess, who always had a cold face in front of outsiders, had a slight smile on her face. "I believe that he will use his ability to exchange for a place in the empire for himself, rather than inheriting something other than a title and a castle from me … This is also the path he has chosen."
At this point, she paused. After a few seconds, she slowly continued, "It's not easy to let the remaining nobles who survived the upheaval accept this change. Even if they have decided to stand on the 'right side', some things are worse than death for some people when it really comes to them. But if a family like the Wilde family is the first to stand up and support His Majesty's decision with real actions, then things will become much simpler. At least … the number of people hanging on the flagpole will be greatly reduced."
"… That's good." Modir thought for a moment and said, "I mean, the current order is very good. In North Harbor, I have been in contact with the local government office and procedures. I have also dealt with the nobles in various places before. The contrast between the two is obvious. Some old things do need to be replaced by new things. There's nothing wrong with that."
Hearing that, Victoria quietly looked at her ancestor for a moment, and then said in a somewhat strange tone, "Actually, I was worried that you would be angry. When I mentioned the 'new order', such as the land and power that I have given up, such as the changes in the Wilde family today … I thought you would complain about the 'decline' of the family in my hands."
Modir was stunned for a moment, and a somewhat complicated expression appeared on his face. He looked back at the mountains in the distance and the smoke rising from the city in the mountains. After a long silence, he responded, "I know what you mean, but … I don't feel it. This huge castle, these mountains and snow, and the 'antiques' you showed me, you said that there are many things in there, even the objects that I used in the past? But I still have no impression of them. I only remember my name and the origin of this surname, but my connection with this land … seems to have been completely separated to 'another place'. I'm sorry, Victoria, my answer will only disappoint you. "
"No, don't say that," Victoria immediately said. "I don't mean anything else. I just hope that you can have a better time here. If you really can't remember anything about this place, you can just treat this place as a comfortable place to stay. Every door here is still open for you, even if you don't remember them."
"I'm glad that you can say that," Modir laughed. "In fact, I'm already very happy here, Victoria. There's no room as good as this in the wilderness. And although I still can't remember when I used to live here, I still found something I like here. For example, the soup for dinner yesterday. You said it was a traditional delicacy of the Northern Region. What is it called again?"
"Mosakeshi soup."
"Oh yes, that's the soup. I like that taste."
"Okay, I'll ask the kitchen to make it again for dinner today."
"Very good," Modir said with a smile. "I think I can start with the soup and treat this place as a 'home' again."
(End of Chapter)
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
