The focus of the runic array slowly focused on Amber. She had just woken up from her daze for a few seconds, but now she was once again in a daze.
"What the hell is this?" Amber pointed at herself and then subconsciously jumped two steps to the side. "Hey, wait a minute. What's wrong with this thing? Why is it still following me?"
A few soft light beams followed Amber's direction and kept changing their direction, but they were always firmly pointed at the shadowy goose. Mirmina finally reacted after a brief moment of astonishment. She looked at Amber who was still jumping around trying to avoid the light beams with a strange look. "… This is the rune I set to detect the Shadowy Inclination divine power, and now it has detected it."
"Shadowy Inclination … divine power?" Amber finally stopped. She was obviously distracted and did not hear what Mirmina said. She was especially surprised at this moment. "On me? So your thing is really broken … "
She stopped herself before she could finish the sentence. Obviously, she knew that the probability of a spell set up by the former Goddess of Magic being broken was very low. Gwen looked at her with a particularly serious look. "These runes were not directed at you from the beginning. What did you do just now?"
"Me?" Hu Po frowned, trying hard to recall the memory from a moment ago that was exceptionally blurry in her mind for some reason. She had completely forgotten what happened when she fell, but there seemed to be a vague impression of the few seconds before she fell, like a shallow mark on the sand imprinted in her mind. After trying hard to recall for a long time, those faint marks finally became clearer. She frowned uncertainly. "I remember seeing a shadow suddenly fly past my eyes, and then I reached out to grab it... just like this..."
As she spoke, she waved her hand in front of her as if to demonstrate. In the next second, Gwen saw a grayish-white "mark" suddenly appear in the air. It was as if the space itself was dyed with some kind of color. The mark appeared abruptly and was firmly grasped by Amber.
There was a few seconds of silence, until Amber was the first to break the silence. "… Oh my God."
The runic array floating in the air suddenly glowed brighter than before, and all the light beams focused on the grey-white mark. But now, even without the guidance of these runes, Gawain and the others had already realized what had happened. After gawking at the Shadow Assault Goose for a few seconds, Gawain's mouth finally twitched. "Why do you always keep everything in your pocket …"
"Is this a problem of taking everything into my pocket?!" Hu Po was shocked as well. She grabbed the Grayish-White Mark that was as weightless as a wisp of smoke, and her eyes widened. "I don't know what happened either... I really just grabbed it casually, and then I don't remember what happened at all. Don't you guys have to wave your hands when you see a fly fly past your eyes?!"
"This is the first time I've heard of the process of stealing power from the gods." Mirmina waved her hand and removed the runic array. She looked at Amber from above and studied her carefully several times before she said thoughtfully. "This is obviously a trace of power left by the Mistress of the Night in the Tidetide's corpse … or aura, but now it has been transferred to you … Do you feel anything special? Like what you hear or see? Or is there any additional memory or knowledge in your mind that doesn't belong to you? "
"Not at all." Hu Po shook her head vigorously. By this time, she had calmed down a little. She turned to look curiously at the grayish-white mark in her hand. After discovering that it was neither hot nor sharp, she even began to swing it around like a leather belt with great interest. She then extended her other hand to grab the other end of the mark and pulled it with all her might, stretching it out a lot. She then let go of her hand, and the mark stretched out like a loose rubber band for a long distance. Then, it flew back into her hand.
Gawain and the two Deities of the past were dumbfounded by this mischievous action. Ah Moen's deer-like face showed a look of astonishment.
Finally, Gwen could not help but slap Amber on the shoulder. "We are seriously analyzing it, and you are playing with it. Is it appropriate?"
"Oh, oh, go ahead, go ahead." Amber quickly reacted and shrunk her neck. "I was just testing the nature of this thing …"
"This is not the first time you have 'stolen' something from the Mistress of the Night." Amoun coughed softly as his crystal-like eyes stared at the grayish-white mark in Amber's hand. "The last time it was the Shadow Dust, and this time it's the Shadow Mark … I have a feeling that this is some kind of … gradual 'progress'. I don't know if you have the same feeling?"
Amber's carefree expression froze in an instant, and her two pointed ears suddenly stood up. "You … Why do I feel a little scared when you say that …"
"You have a connection with the Mistress of the Night. This is a fact that has been obvious for a long time." Gwen looked at Amber with a particularly serious expression. "But now it seems that the connection between you and her may be deeper than we thought, and this connection … seems to deepen with time or some kind of external stimulus. Now we still can't tell whether this connection is good or bad, but getting too close to a god … has never been a safe thing. After that, don't get involved or close to the wreckage of the Reverse Tide. After all, we can't be sure if there is more 'Shadow Power' left on it. "
It was a matter of life and death, Amber instantly turned from reckless to cowardly. She nodded quickly. Mirmina next to her said, "Now it seems that neither the Shadow Dust nor the Shadow Mark has any negative effect on you. The 'Shadow Authority' seems to have undergone some form of … 'harmless' after falling into your hands. But you still have to be very careful. If you find any changes in these two powers, or if there is anything wrong with you, you have to tell us immediately."
Mirmina used a very tactful way to tell Amber the fact that the Shadow Authority would turn into a counterfeit after falling into her hands. But the latter was obviously not in the mood to care about this at this time. She lowered her head and fiddled with the Shadow Mark in her hand as she unconsciously twirled it around her arm and mumbled, "That's what you say, but it's not going to work. If only we could know what the Mistress of the Night is up to, or at least where her divine kingdom is …"
"I'm afraid this matter is now more difficult than before." Gwen shook his head. "The sentries have been eliminated, and the spaceship that can cruise between the divine kingdoms has been completely destroyed. Now, except for the divine kingdom of the God of War, we have no way to get close to and observe any other divine kingdom, let alone the domain of the Mistress of the Night …"
"Now, we can only pin our hopes on the remnants of the Mistress of the Night's power in your hands." Mirmina's voice came from above. "The Council is still studying the Shadow Dust you summoned, but there has been no progress. Now that you have another Shadow Mark, I hope it can bring some breakthrough to the current deadlocked research. If you can establish a connection with the Mistress of the Night through these remnants, then things will be much easier."
"That's the only way." Amber sighed helplessly. Even with her usual carefree personality, she felt a lot of pressure at this time. "It would be great if we could open a door to the dark realm like we did when we opened the divine kingdom of the God of War."
As she spoke, she let go of her hand, and the flickering grayish-white mark gradually dissipated into the air. However, she could still clearly feel that the power did not leave her, but … it was lingering around her in some way that she could not perceive.
She curled her lips. Amber eyes reflected the cold starlight, which quietly shrouded the night sky. For some reason, a strange "illusory" feeling came to her at this time. It felt as if the whole world had become unreal and had become like a dream separated by a thick fog. Or perhaps, she was the false fog.
Gwen patted Amber on the shoulder. "Don't think too much."
The starlight seemed to be a little warmer and more real.
…
After that, the Tarash Plain spent two days in peace. On the 47th day of the Fiery Moon, the third day after the end of the war, the large-scale withdrawal operation and a series of post-war and handover activities finally officially began.
This war would profoundly change the direction of the whole world. It was foreseeable that whether it was to rebuild the wasteland, monitor the receding of the pollution, maintain stability, or ensure the interests of all countries, the Alliance would maintain a certain number of garrisons on the Tarash Plain and along the wall for a long time in the future. But the Alliance obviously did not need to leave all of its main forces on this land.
It was a heavy burden to maintain such a large army in a place far away from the territory of civilization. This war of survival had been fought from last year to this year, and the intensity and scale of the war had long exceeded any recorded war in history. Many of the weaker countries were already overwhelmed, and even an old powerful country like Typhon could not withstand such a shocking consumption. Considering the urgent need for the economic and social operations of all countries to return to normal, after an online meeting of the Alliance's top brass, except for the necessary garrison forces, the main forces on all fronts began to withdraw in a grandiose manner. Millions of mortal troops began to withdraw from the Tarash Plain in an orderly manner.
North of the Deep Blue Well, in the frontline command, Gwen was standing by the window and looking at the bustling scene outside. The second batch of troops was gathering in the base, including Cecil's own soldiers, the dragonborn soldiers from the Holy Dragon Dukedom, and the expeditionary soldiers from Tarlonde.
Some of the Tarlonde expeditionary soldiers had transformed into Giant Dragon form on the open ground. They were lowering their wings to the ground, allowing the human soldiers to carry all kinds of supplies onto their backs. Some dragonborn soldiers were not far away discussing the flight sequence for the return flight. They planned to relay their comrades and fly back directly.
"… I didn't expect them to be so familiar with each other and adapt to each other to this extent in such a short time …" Philip's voice came from the side. "Humans, Giant Dragon, dragonborn, and elves, dwarves, and orcs on other fronts … Just a few months ago, many soldiers had not even come into contact with the 'other races', but now they can help each other so naturally."
"The battlefield is like a furnace, melting 'ingots' from all over the world into one. No communication efficiency and effect can surpass the camaraderie brought about by covering each other on the battlefield," Gwen whispered with a hint of emotion. "In a sense, we should be grateful for this war. It has proved the correctness and necessity of the Alliance's existence."
Philip nodded. Then, as if he suddenly thought of something, he could not help but smile. "Looking at these troops returning home, I remember that I received a call from Byron this morning. He seems to be very resentful. His Winter and the entire Imperial Navy still have to circle around the mainland to return. I'm afraid it will be almost autumn by the time he gets home."
"… I hope he doesn't forget to bring a gift for Pea in addition to his resentment." Gwen shook his head with a smile. Then, he looked out of the window and sighed softly. "… The victorious soldiers are returning home. This will really let the highly stressed society slowly return to normal. By then, we will need the military to come forward and cooperate with the publicity department to do some publicity and guidance work. You have to be prepared."
Philip's face turned bitter when he heard this. "Your Majesty, I … I'm really not good at this. Speaking in front of reporters, why don't you wait until Byron returns home? He's more thick-skinned than I am … "
"Byron? Not to mention that he still has to circle around the mainland to return to North Harbor. Do you think he's suitable for 'speaking in front of reporters'? " Gwen glanced at Philip. "You're the one. You're very suitable. It's time for you to show your face. Maybe you can attract more girls. You're not young anymore …"
Philip was speechless.
It turned out that his character was really not suitable to take on Gwen's task.
But fortunately, Gwen was just saying it casually. Philip had a lot of work to do at the same time. The young general quickly left the room in embarrassment.
Gawain stood in front of the window for a moment until a familiar aura appeared in the room. Only then did he retract his gaze from the window and look at the petite figure that was jumping out of the dark fissure to the ground.
"… To be honest, don't you consider using the normal way to travel?" Hao Ren looked at the shadow aura around Amber gradually dissipating. He could not help but say, "Reduce your contact with the shadow power …"
"I've thought about it, but I don't think it's going to work." Amber spread his hands and said helplessly, "It's not like you don't know how special I am. I'm 'Android 36' created by the Gondor Empire. My 'inner self' is a part of the Shadow Realm. Even when I'm eating, sleeping, and breathing, I'm constantly establishing a connection with the Shadow Realm. This isn't something that can be affected by using Shadow Steps a few times."
Amber was undoubtedly an expert in the Shadow Domain, and Gawain knew that his judgment was no match for the goose's own instincts, so he could only sigh helplessly and get down to business. "How's the response from everywhere?"
"Most of the responses are in place. Emperor Typhon, Rosetta, and Queen Bersetia are going to come in person. Other countries have also said that they will send representatives as soon as possible. Basically, the leaders who can come in person will come in person. Some military and political leaders are already on the Tarash Plain. Like you, they are coming in person," Amber said as she picked up the glass of water next to her and took a few big gulps. "I feel like it will be as grand as the 112 conference …"
"A grand event to shape the world," Gwen laughed. "What should be, will be."
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