When the adventurers who had been wandering for six centuries finally returned to their long-lost home and began to try to treat this unfamiliar land as their homeland from scratch, when the information about the 'Sentinels' began to circulate among the upper echelons of the Alliance, a tense atmosphere gradually spread throughout the mortal world. When the entire northern region ushered in the coldest season of the year, the breath of winter had arrived. The three Empires' operations against the wasteland had finally begun.
In the Plains of the Holy Spirit, a loud whistle broke the silence of the plains. An armored train with black paint and heavy main cannons on its back gradually accelerated under the effect of the repulsive mechanism as it moved towards the mountain pass in the south. The train was full of supplies, equipment, and high-spirited imperial soldiers. The snow on the plains was blown up by the wind. Some of the snowflakes spun through the barrier outside the train tracks and hit the heavy armor and reinforced crystal windows of the train. Amidst the dancing snowflakes, the insignia of the Second Imperial Armored Division could be vaguely seen.
In Cecil City, the armored troop convoy was driving through the wide concrete road of the Knight Street. The vehicles powered by the arcanotech machinery let out a low rumble as they carried enchanted soldiers wearing the second-generation arcanotech armor. There were colorful flags fluttering on the front of each vehicle. On both sides of the road, the citizens of Cecil, wearing thick winter clothes, crowded the sidewalks and alleys as they bid farewell to their children and friends who were about to go to the frontlines of the wasteland.
And outside of this regular army, there was a special troop following the army. Their armored vehicles were decorated with the insignia of the Holy Light. The heavy turret armor was engraved with a strong iron fist shrouded in holy light. Scriptures written with prayers of the Holy Light were wrapped around the main cannons and the track armor of the tanks and armored vehicles and reinforced with thick rivets. And behind these 'holy chariots', the troops blessed by the Holy Light were silently moving forward. The White Knight was wearing heavy power armor, and the armor was powered by magic. Every step they took seemed to cause the earth to tremble. The armed nuns were wearing mechanical knuckles and holding combat staffs as a faint light shrouded them.
These troops were moving to the military station in the south of the city. A 'Iron Scepter' light armored train was already waiting on the platform. After a brief farewell ceremony at the station, they would board the train under the leadership of their respective officers, pass through the pass in the Gloom Mountain Range, cross the railway in the Black Forest, and go to the foot of the Great Wall together. They would be assigned to several bases and become part of the steel front there.
A block away, in a tall dormitory building, a pair of eyes looked out of the window. The owner of the eyes had short hair and distinctive features of Typhon. She turned and walked to the desk in the dormitory and saw a tall figure with long blond hair writing something on the desk. She could not help but ask, "Marianne, are you writing home again?"
"I write every week," the Typhon student named Marianne said without looking up. "It's not the first time you've seen it."
"Ah, I mean, how convenient is the magic net communication now? You can just send a message to home, or you can even talk to them face to face." The short-haired girl looked at her somewhat rigid roommate with a strange expression. "It's so slow to write a letter, especially now that there's a lot of wind and snow. Sometimes it takes ten days to half a month to send a letter to Oldenheim."
"Magic network communication has its own benefits, and writing letters has its own meanings, although you won't understand these meanings." Marianu stopped writing and looked up at her roommate. "Carrie, what did you see?"
"I saw another team crossing the main road toward the south of the city. They are also going to the wasteland frontline," the short-haired girl named Carrie said. Suddenly, she felt a little emotional. "… I don't know what's going on over there. Will Oldenheim also gather Knight and mages to cross the Imperial Avenue and go to the wasteland?"
"Of course, in fact, my brother has been sent to General Andesha's new fortress half a month ago," Marianne said with a calm expression. "And I will apply to go to the border after I return to China. The application has been written." "…"
Back to China? "Carrie was a little absent-minded for a moment." Yes, we are about to finish our studies here … It's really incredible that so many things have happened in such a short time. I still remember that just last winter, we even built barricades in the corridor outside the door. You and two students stood guard on the roof of the dormitory all night. Every day, everyone was worried that there would be angry citizens attacking the dormitory, and all our sense of security was based on those stacked tables and chairs. It's like a dream when I think about it now. "
"Yes, it's like an absurd dream. Now Typhon and Cecil are allies, and we will even fight side by side with them on the wasteland border," Marianne nodded gently. "Carrie, have you thought about what you are going to do when you go back? I heard that you haven't filled in the letter of intent for graduation yet. "
"I …" Carrie suddenly hesitated. She subconsciously looked back out of the window, but only saw snowflakes falling from the sky. In her hazy vision, she could no longer see the team rushing to the front line. The classical castle-style tower and library of Imperial College were also shrouded in a sudden dense curtain of snow. "I haven't thought about it yet. My father wants me to go back and inherit his title as soon as possible. My mother wants me to enter the parliament. She says that there are many opportunities for young people in the parliament now, but my grandfather is very opposed to it. He only wants me to be a 'happy canary' at home and not participate in any political matters … "
The noble student, who was confused because of the upcoming graduation, suddenly sighed. "Sigh, sometimes I really envy you. Your path is clear and definite. From the beginning, you have made up your mind to spend your life as an Imperial Knight, and all your relatives and friends support your decision."
"It's not like you," said Marianne, looking quietly into Carrie's eyes. "You're a cheerful and optimistic person. You were more cheerful than you are now, even last year when we built the barricades in the corridor."
Carrie stuck out her tongue and did not know what to say for a moment. She slowly walked back to the window and looked down at the scenery of the college. The previous snow had not yet melted, but new snowflakes had already covered the flower beds and paths downstairs of the dormitory. Between the falling snowflakes, she saw a small figure trotting across the flagstone road outside the corridor. The figure had light gray hair, was as short as a child, and was holding a heavy package in her arms.
Perhaps the package in her arms affected her balance, or perhaps the flagstone road was too slippery, the short figure suddenly lost her balance and was about to slip to the side. When Carrie saw this, she subconsciously waved her right hand, and a powerful airflow rolled up in the path downstairs and helped the gray elf girl up. The latter was startled by the sudden change and looked around in a panic like a frightened rabbit. After a few seconds, she finally reacted. She looked up at the dormitory building and waved her hand at the window where Carrie was.
"Well, it seems that for some people, the meaning of 'writing a letter' can't be replaced by the magic network communication," Carrie responded by waving her hand in front of the window. She turned around and muttered, "The little gray elf princess seems to be running to send a letter again. I saw her running on the road with a package bigger than her head. The letters I wrote to my family in a year were not that heavy …"
…
The cold wind whistled outside the longhouse. The cold winter in the northern region embraced the capital of the gray elves, Windsong City. However, the city's central heating system, which was newly built last year, finally came into play this year. The cold winter was no longer a long ordeal where one had to carefully calculate every piece of firewood at home. In the ancient but young capital of the gray elves, the prosperous trading market lasted until the end of the Misty Month. If conditions permitted, it might even be extended until the beginning of the Cold Month next year.
Wenna Baizhi, wearing a white cloak, walked in the recently completed market accompanied by Captain Morelina. This market, which was specially prepared for winter, had a high ceiling and a heat exchange system directly connected to the municipal heating system. This advanced technology from the Cecil Empire had created an incredible and comfortable "greenhouse" in the winter. Merchants from all over the world gathered in this huge market. They brought goods that were unimaginable to the gray elves through the northern railway system and the trans-continental route, and these goods would become a huge fortune every day.
"I never thought that there would be such a situation in the world," Captain Morelina said. Her voice had a husky and comfortable magnetism, and her face, which was a mixture of feline and human features, was full of surprise. "It's snowing outside. The whole mossy forest, and even the whole north, is covered in ice and snow, but the number of merchants in the market and tourists in the taverns has only decreased by 20% compared to before. This is the result of some roads being closed due to bad weather."
"The situation in the distant Cecil Empire is even more surprising than here," Wenna Baizhi said casually. "It is said that their scholars are even thinking about restoring a Tarlonde technology called the 'Ecological Dome', which covers the whole area with a huge magic shield and then creates an artificial weather system inside the shield."
"Wow, that sounds incredible." Morelina wagged her furry tail in surprise. "Is this what Miss Merry described to you in her letters?"
"… To be honest, I really don't want to remember those letters, but it is what she mentioned in the letters." Wenna Baizhi sighed. "Since she went to Cecil Empire to study, I have almost memorized all the paths and street lights in the human city."
This was a private matter of the gray elf patriarch. As the foreign guard, Morelina could not comment on it. She just calculated the time in her mind and said thoughtfully, "Miss Merry is about to finish her studies, right?"
"No, in a year, she has successfully passed the advanced rune logic certification and will go to the Rune Research Institute of the Empire for an internship," Wenna said. "If everything goes well, she will return to Windsong City a year later as an advanced rune scholar. Merry will become the highest-level rune logic expert in the entire Augulay tribe, and our own rune research will have hope."
"… I don't know much about this kind of professional stuff, but it sounds like a good thing." Morelina carried her favorite axe and imagined what the rune scholars usually did in her mind. Her tail wagged from side to side. "By the way, I heard that the two leaders, Wycliffe and Camilla, are sending troops to the east of the Sacred Mountain. Do you know about this?"
"Of course, we are consolidating the ancient defense line in the wasteland of Gondor. Humans and orcs are the main forces of the tribal kingdom. They will take the lead in military operations, and this has been the case for hundreds of years. The gray elves are not good at fighting, but Windsong City will soon send out our own enchanted troops. The sprites and the eldar are also preparing. Their golems and Covert Walkers have not been used on the battlefield on a large scale for hundreds of years, but their iron fists and blades should still be strong and powerful."
"Those ancient defense lines …" Morelina looked at her palms subconsciously. Her furry palms slowly clenched into fists, and when she opened them, her sharp nails popped out. "Typhon, Argent, and Cecil are all sending reinforcements to the defense line in the wasteland. I heard that the mountain troops trained by the elves in the Kingdom of Kaolin are also very powerful. But we have enjoyed hundreds of years of peace in the mountains. The most dangerous battle our soldiers have faced was clearing out some monsters that escaped from some ancient nests. Those ancient defense lines in the wasteland … Can they really withstand the legendary aberrations now?"
"The main forces pushing into the wasteland are the three empires. The other border countries only have to face small groups of monsters in the process. Although Wycliffe seems a little worried, the situation should not be too bad," Wenna said slowly. "The great wall of the elves is still there. Those aberrations can only wander out in small groups."
"I hope so," Morelina said softly. She looked at the prosperous market in front of her, at the wholesale merchants, signs, and flags with various emblems on them. Her magnetic voice was very low. "We have just ushered in this prosperous scene …"
"No one wants the prosperity here to end prematurely, and no one wants to fight the monsters in the wasteland. But this world will not run according to our will," Wenna Baizhi said softly. "Developed commerce and stable markets are built on strong security. Only when we are alive, we are qualified to talk about economic prosperity …"
Morelina listened thoughtfully to the short but smart gray elf leader beside her. At this moment, a tall, black-haired human suddenly appeared in her sight and walked toward her.
"Mr. Schwacker," Wenna also saw the figure coming toward her. She recognized that it was her human advisor. A smile appeared on her face. "What happened?"
"Miss Merry's letter has been delivered, Madam," Advisor Schwacker said with a slight bow. "It is on your desk."
The smile on Wenna's face froze.
After a while, she tilted her head and said helplessly, "Morilina, do you know? Based on the speed of mail delivery and Merry's efficiency in writing letters, when a letter is placed on my desk, it means that she's already on her way to deliver another package. So, I'm feeling double the pressure now …"
"But in fact, you only need to read a letter now," Morelina corrected her with a serious look.
"Yes, a letter," Wenna said, gritting her teeth. She looked up at her advisor. "Mr. Schwacker, do you think there is a magic in the world that can instantly 'sweep' a large number of words into a magic circle, extract a few useful sentences in an instant, and stuff them into my brain in an instant?"
"… Madam, please be realistic. There is a limit to the speed of reading magic."
"Well, I don't think so too …"
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