The surging power of the magic-powered engine drove the black armored engineering vehicle into the distance on the temporarily hardened road. After crossing the invisible "boundary," the snowstorm once again filled the view outside the window. Fendill, who was already on shift with the soldiers, subconsciously turned her head to look at the back of the vehicle. She saw the mysterious mansion on the hill gradually being shrouded by the snowstorm and gradually becoming blurry in the chaotic sky.
However, the feeling of being watched only gradually disappeared when they were far away from the mansion. It took a long time for the pressure of the gaze to completely dissipate.
"So that's the pressure of a Legendary …" An accompanying technical soldier could not help but mutter. "This is the first time in my life that I'm facing a Legendary-mage face to face … Just as everyone said, he's unfathomable, unfathomable …"
"I'm scared to death!" The soldier who was driving in front muttered with lingering fear. "I actually said that the lady might be ugly. Fortunately, she didn't hear me."
"She might have heard you a long time ago. Do you think a distance of a few kilometers can escape the perception of such a person?" The soldier next to Fendill pursed his lips. "Ms. Mina just didn't hold it against you. She must be a broad-minded person."
"How old do you think that Ms. Mina is?" The soldier who was driving paused for a few seconds and couldn't help but say, "I feel like she's about the same age as my sister, and like my sister, she's a very kind person … But she also gives me a feeling that she can see through everything. That kind of feeling is like a very knowledgeable elder …"
"Who knows? Maybe what we saw from the beginning to the end was just an illusion. And I heard that Legendary masters can easily live for two to three hundred years. Before they age, they can use magic to maintain their appearance for a long time. Maybe Ms. Mina is already —"
"Ahem, ahem." Fendill finally could not help but cough twice to interrupt the conversation between the two soldiers. "It is impolite to talk about a lady behind her back. Not to mention that the lady is a respected scholar who is in charge of a research facility alone at the front line. You two should leave it at that."
"Ah, yes, sir. Sorry, sir." The soldier who was driving in front hurriedly nodded and replied. Then, he could not help but look at Fendill and asked curiously, "Sir, what are you thinking about? I've felt that your expression was particularly serious since just now … "
"… Nothing." Fendill was silent for two seconds. She then shook her head and said, "Focus on driving. We haven't passed through the wilderness yet. Pay attention to the roadside. I want to take a break."
The two soldiers quieted down. Fendill let out a sigh of relief and closed his eyes to rest. He could not tell the soldiers that he had accidentally recalled the fear of being dominated by his aunt when he was young when he was listening to them talk about the 'pressure of a legendary champion'.
…
At the northern foot of the Dark Mountain Range, in the Cecil Palace, Gwen was sitting behind his large desk. The afternoon sun shone into the room through the window, casting long shadows on the desk and adding a sense of tranquility to the room. Gwen was looking down at a document that had just arrived at noon. After a long period of concentration, he put down the document in his hand and let out a long sigh to relax his high-strung nerves.
Amber's voice came from the side. "What's going on? I feel that your expression has been quite scary. Is there a problem with the wartime supplies?"
"It's from Byron. His fleet has crossed the southern coastline of the Dwarven Kingdom and successfully restored the communication between the Dwarven Kingdom and the central and southern coastal areas of Augoray. Coupled with the temporary sky communication network set up by Rebecca, our communication problem on the western front has finally been solved …" Gwen said in a low voice. "Now, the imperial fleet is approaching the estuary of the Sacred River."
"Just arrived at the estuary of the Sacred River?" Amber could not help but widen her eyes. "Why is it so much slower than expected? Even if they had to restore communication and communicate with the coastal countries along the way, they should have arrived there two days ago … "
"That's why my expression was so serious just now," Gwen said in a low voice. "Byron mentioned in the report that after the fleet crossed the coast of Forge City, the situation at sea began to be a little strange. There were frequent fog and dangerous' staggered waves', even in the coastal areas near the land. Although the Winter and other main naval ships have been specially strengthened to withstand the far-sea environment, the bad sea conditions have greatly delayed the fleet's speed. And … the sirens and naga navigators who followed the fleet also frequently sensed abnormal energy surges around the Lorien Continent. They advised Byron to be cautious. "
"Abnormal energy around the Lorien Continent? That's a bit scary … "Amber was speechless." Is it also related to the energy waves released by the wasteland? That thing has begun to affect the sea? "
"… I'm not sure yet. We know too little about the wasteland. It's not until now that Mirmina has built the first real 'wasteland laboratory'. No one knows how much incredible power is sealed in the land that has been soaked in the dark blue magic for seven hundred years." Gwen shook his head slightly, then looked up at Amber. "Let's not talk about this first. How are things on your side?"
"... To be honest, there are some people whose bottom line can always be beyond your understanding. Even at a time like this when the survival of a race is at stake, there will still be people who will take risks for the sake of huge benefits." Hu Po sighed. "The clues have been confirmed. We caught a group of people who were reselling military supplies during the war. No one pleaded for them, but I suspect that we won't be able to catch all of them..."
"Of course you can't catch all of them. The complexity of mortals is that the most glorious and the most despicable individuals often exist at the same time and forever. This opposition will never end, and those who are lucky always think that the 'little interests' they steal will not affect the overall situation. So at this time, we need your people to give them a little help." Gwen looked indifferent. "Prepare a few beautiful flagpoles for them, and some strong ropes. They will pay for the ropes and flagpoles themselves. Make it a little sensational, and also do a good job in guiding public opinion. We need the rest to be deterred, but we can't hurt the people's trust in the order of the Empire."
"Don't worry … I'm familiar with this process." Amber nodded, but her expression was still a little difficult to accept. "But I don't understand what those 'people' are thinking. I can understand if this is a war between nations, but this time we are facing a natural disaster that can wipe out civilization. Why would people still take risks for the sake of gold pounds? Even the most despicable people I have seen in the slums would not do such a thing at this time, but those people are not affected by the bloody battle on the frontline of the Empire?"
"You're wrong. They are precisely the group of people who trust the Empire's frontline the most. They trust the Empire's protection so much that they take it for granted and forget where the protection comes from. They forget that their lives are closely related to it. They are the people who dig bricks from the city walls, and they believe that there will always be another group of 'idiots' who will fill in the bricks indefinitely … But they don't understand that they are the source of the next batch of bricks. "Gwen shook his head." From the beginning, I knew that these people would appear sooner or later. That's why I asked your Special Task Force to keep an eye on the flow of materials and the underground market. "
Amber stared at Gwen for a long time before she muttered with a thoughtful expression, "Is this what you always say? The strength of the Empire's order is not that there is no darkness under our law, but that our order will never recognize this darkness … "
Gwen nodded slightly, but before he opened his mouth to say something, the magic net terminal on the desk suddenly buzzed, and a projection mark labeled 'Special Confidential Line' appeared above the crystal. At the corner of the mark, there was a small emblem formed by the outline of a tower and an eye.
Hu Po immediately noticed the inconspicuous small emblem. He immediately turned to lock the door of the study and activated the barrier system in the room. At the same time, he casually said, "Oh ho, you just mentioned our wasteland laboratory, and now there's news."
"Looks like the communication system over there is working," Gwen said casually as he raised his hand to activate the magic net terminal. "Our 'tower' lady is quite efficient."
Before he finished, a series of jumping light spots appeared above the magic net terminal. It seemed that there was a powerful source of interference on the other side of the communication device that was affecting the stability of the communication line. But soon, the interference dissipated, and Mirmina's clear projection appeared before Gwen and Amber. It was not the 'mythical body' shrouded in fog, but an 'avatar' with a clear face and wearing a court dress.
"Can you hear me? Can you see me? I don't think I'm mistaken about this … This device is different from what I usually use … "Milmina's voice came from the other end of the holographic projection." Oh, it seems like it's out. It's not that difficult. "
"It's very clear, Madam Mirmina." Gwen smiled and greeted the lady on the other side of the communication device. "It seems that you have settled down on your side?"
As he spoke, he glanced at the lady on the other side. Behind her was an open indoor space. Judging from the furnishings, there were many self-operating experiment platforms and arcane servants coming and going not far away. That should be the main work area of the 'frontline lab'. Mirmina in the middle of the communication screen was standing on a separate platform. Judging from the proportions of the furnishings on the platform, the avatar that the lady was using at the moment should still be quite tall.
But at least it should be within the acceptable range of humans.
At this moment, Mirmina should be called Mirmina .zip.
A slightly strange thought flashed through his mind, but Gwen's expression was still calm and smiling as usual. Mirmina on the other side of the communication device had no idea that she had a 'zip' suffix in Gwen's mind. She just looked back at the lab that she had just set up and replied happily, "Yes, the main experiment area is almost set up. The rest are just some small problems. Fortunately, I am alone here. I don't need to consider the needs of ordinary people, and my avatar doesn't need to eat or sleep."
"How's your avatar doing now?" Gwen asked. "I mean when you talk to others. Is it going well?"
"If you are referring to the young people who came to help me set up the network today, I think it's going well," Mirmina .zip said with a happy smile. "They were a little surprised by my lab, but only a little. In front of them, my identity is a 'legendary witch who has been living in seclusion for a long time and has only recently been recruited by Emperor Gwen to serve the Empire. It seems that they are quite convinced of this identity.
"By the way, I saw the young man named Fendill. I heard that he is Victoria's nephew? He looks good. He is more mature and steady than I thought, and he seems to have completely adapted to his position. You seemed to be worried that he might be a pampered aristocrat, but I think you can rest assured now. A pampered person would not be able to walk through the wilderness of the front line in the blizzard like he did. "
"How's the anti-divinity barrier and the security limiter working?" Gwen asked again. Although he had approved Mirmina to set up the frontline laboratory, after all, her avatar would be active in the world for a long time in the future, and Mirmina herself had just left the divine throne. Some necessary caution was indispensable.
"Everything is normal," Mirmina .zip said, nodding. "I have integrated the security devices with this' lab ', and set up a set of' filters' on the main body. Now there is no danger of divine contamination leaking here. Today, the young people who helped to set up the network came and stayed for a long time, but there was no reaction. But then again, I think they were a little nervous the whole time … Was my smile not friendly enough? "
"Well … I think you think too much," Gwen said as he subconsciously glanced at Mirmina .zip. "Not everyone is like me or Amber … excellent receptive ability. Most people are the most normal reaction when they step into your 'lab'."
Just as he finished speaking, Hu Po, who had been in a daze for a long time, suddenly snapped back to reality and said, "So what if you have thick nerves? Why do you have to be so tactful … Oh, you're including me? Then it's okay. "
Gwen glanced at the half-elf but did not respond. Instead, he confirmed with Mirmina about the frontline laboratory, and then brought the conversation back on track. "Now let's talk about the wasteland. Now that your avatar is inside the wasteland, you should be able to see the situation of the land more clearly than before. What did you find?"
"I don't have any results that can be called 'discovery' in such a short time," Mirmina .zip said, shaking her head slightly. "But … after placing my avatar in this contaminated area, I did see some 'scenes' that I could not see outside.
"Just as I had guessed before, this wasteland is shrouded in a magic field that covers a large area and changes rapidly. The environment here has already mutated, and this mutation has directly led to the blurring of the boundary between the material world and the non-material world.
"I think I can start to plan the direction of the first wasteland barrier. The lab I set up is the initial starting point …"
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.
