Cecil's territory, deep in the Rebellious Fortress, southern area.
The light of the portable magic crystal lamp illuminated the dark passage of the ruins. As the light moved forward, the crisp sound of boots stepping on the stone floor broke the eternal silence of this passage that had lasted for thousands of years.
A soldier in light armor walked out from the corner of the corridor. This soldier's armor was different from the armor of most combat professions in this era. It looked like a close-fitting soft leather armor, but the chest, waist, and other key areas were covered with solid steel plates. On the soldier's back, there was a small 'traveling bag' that looked like a miniature version of a combat backpack. On the soldier's left wrist, there was also a device that looked like a light military magical terminal.
This equipment was like a light version of the current Cecil's standard infantry equipment.
The soldier was wearing a strange-looking helmet made of metal. Not only did it cover the entire head, but it also covered the eyes. There were only two dark red crystal lattices on the helmet where there should have been an observation slit. It looked like some kind of goggles or viewfinder. At this moment, the "goggles" made of crystal were emitting a faint red magic light.
The magic crystal light that illuminated the corridor was emitted from the front of the military magical terminal on the soldier's left hand. The highly versatile magical terminal could be installed with a variety of expansion modules. As the Rune Research Institute's work on simplifying low-level magic arrays continued to deepen, modules such as force field shields, arcane missile launchers, electric spears and the like were quickly developed after the initial version of the thermal ray gun. Of course, the lighting devices with simpler structures and lower energy consumption became the standard of the magical terminal. The magic crystal lamp was constantly bright. It was not easy to extinguish or cause fires like torches. It was a necessary function for exploration in dark areas.
The soldier used the light in his hand to scan the situation in front of him. Then, he pressed on the temple of the helmet. The red crystal 'goggles' dimmed and gradually became transparent. A low voice came from under the helmet. "No abnormal magic reaction."
More footsteps came from behind, and a dozen soldiers with the same equipment walked out. The light of the magic crystal lamps lit up this part of the corridor as bright as day. Then, Solderlin, who was wearing a hunting suit, walked in the middle of the soldiers. This high-grade ranger observed the soldiers' clothes and actions and nodded slightly. "Not bad. Maintain this state and carefully explore forward. Dom, how does the goggles feel? "
"It's … quite amazing." Dom was the soldier in charge of scouting just now. He shook his head and touched the crystal plate in front of his eyes with his hand. "So this is how the mages see magic …"
Solderin glanced at the soldier and said, "I didn't ask you to sigh about this."
"Yes!" Dom hurriedly stood at attention. "The vision is very clear. I can see the obvious flow of magic, but there are a lot of jumping light spots in my vision. It will be very uncomfortable if I look at it for a long time … and the helmet is a bit stuffy."
"This is a test subject. Everyone's helmet is slightly different. I'll record the questions you asked and let the technicians fix it." Solderlin nodded. "Let's move on."
"Yes!"
The soldiers responded in unison. Then, they reorganized the exploration team and continued to cautiously move forward along the corridor.
Solderin was still walking at the back of the team, vigilant of the dark corners where the light could not illuminate.
With his strength as a high-grade ranger, he could take care of the whole team from this position — even if there was an emergency.
Looking at the 'Steel Rangers' who were equipped with all kinds of magical equipment, the high-ranked ranger couldn't help but sigh in amazement. They were completely different from any conventional troop class in this era, from their appearance to their combat style to their movement patterns.
The weapons and equipment of these soldiers were all brand-new, and they had been tested and verified in the laboratory before they were actually equipped. Due to the existence of a master metalsmith like Nicholas Egg, the production and testing of this kind of sophisticated equipment were incredibly fast. In addition, some of the equipment of the Steel Rangers were actually modified with mature technology in the territory, so these verified equipment were quickly delivered to the soldiers.
According to Gawain, the industrial production in the territory could not rely too much on Nicholas Egg's ability. Instead, the industrial chain should be self-sustaining and achieve "independence from external cheating" (although no one knew what that "external cheating" meant). However, when it came to testing out some samples or equipping special units like the "Steel Rangers" with equipment, Nicholas Egg was still an indispensable help.
Thanks to Nicholas Eggface's efforts, Solderlin was able to see his Steel Rangers fully equipped (although there were still a few key pieces of equipment in the research and development process, and there were no finished products at the moment). He also saw the incredible power of these so-called "Magicite Armaments".
Now, he completely understood why Gwen was so insistent on producing cheap, mass-produced magic devices that could be used by ordinary people. This path … was actually feasible.
While he was thinking, a soldier's report came into Solderin's ears. "Sir, there's a large isolation gate in front. There's a residual magic reaction. It may be … may be a Class I gate!"
Solderin immediately raised his head and looked at the passage in front of him.
At the end of the spacious yet sturdy ancient corridor, he could clearly see a black gate that had lost its power blocking the path ahead.
Solderin recalled the information he had received from Byron. In this ancient "Defiant Fortress", there were all kinds of isolation corridors and gates. These gates were divided into three categories according to their functions and sizes. Class III gates were the ordinary gates in the various areas of the fortress. They were usually the entrances and exits of the various rooms. Most of them had lost their power, but because they were very weak and had simple structures, they could be cracked (or destroyed) with technology. Class II gates were the isolation gates used to separate the various areas of the fortress. These gates were larger and sturdier, but their backup power was still running. With the unlocking method provided by Kamel, most of them could be opened. Class I gates were the largest and were located in the main passage.
So far, only a few had been discovered. They were located in the entrance hall of the ruins. They were the entrances and exits of the Defiant Fortress.
Solderin's expression became serious. He waved his hand and signaled the soldiers to come closer to him. He then took the lead and walked to the front of the gate.
When he was close enough, he was even more certain of the soldier's judgment.
This gate was very large. It was located at the end of a large corridor that seemed to be the main passage. Beside the gate, there was an ancient identification device. The entire gate seemed to be made of purple steel.
This was not an ordinary gate used to separate areas. It was a main isolation gate.
They had reached the southern end of the Defiant Fortress?
They had reached the end so quickly?
Solderin was a little surprised. He knew that this fortress was huge and that there were many unknown areas hidden in the endless dark corridors. So, when he set out to explore this place, he had already prepared for a long time. However, today was only the sixth day since he entered the fortress. There were still four days before the one-week exploration time limit. Yet, he had already reached the southern end of the fortress?
"Stay alert. Lights, illuminate all dark places. Members with odd numbers, turn on the detection eyepieces. Members with even numbers, assist in observation."
Solderin quickly gave a series of orders, and the soldiers quickly responded. Every corner of the wide corridor was illuminated by the bright light of the magic crystal lamps. Solderin came to the heavy and ancient purple steel gate alone and looked up at the words engraved on the gate.
Solderin could recognize the ancient Gondor words. There was a line of words on the gate:
"Ahead, Shadow Experiment Field."
Another experiment field is on the other side of the gate?
Solderin looked at the purple steel gate in front of him with surprise and curiosity. He immediately realized that this so-called "Shadow Experiment Field" was unusual.
What separated the "Shadow Experiment Field" from the main body of the Defiant Fortress was a "Type I Gate". In theory, it could be used as the main entrance of the fortress. It was extremely sturdy and had extraordinary magic resistance!
With the experience that he had accumulated during his seven hundred years of traveling around the continent, Solderin immediately made a judgment about the gate in front of him. Although it looked like the entrance and exit of the fortress, this gate was probably not the southern end of the Defiant Fortress. It was probably just an extraordinarily strengthened protective barrier. Opposite this gate was another important area of the Defiant Fortress!
"Sir, should we try to open this gate?" A soldier asked. This soldier's eyepieces were flashing with dark red light. "There's still magic power flowing in the gate. The gate doesn't seem to be broken."
Solderin thought for a moment and shook his head decisively. "Leave a mark on the map, a magic network unit and lights here, and then go back. We'll come back when we're fully prepared. "
"Yes, sir!"
The soldier obeyed the order. Solderin turned around and took one last look at the purple steel gate.
In fact, he was more interested in knowing what was on the other side of the gate than the soldiers, but he did not forget that this was just an exploration mission. He led the trainees of the Steel Rangers to explore the ruins partly to train them and partly to test the newly designed equipment. This was already a very bold operation because even with Egg Nicholas' technical ability and Solderin's supervision, the soldiers who used the test equipment still had to take a great risk. Encountering danger and sudden equipment failure in the ruins had been in everyone's consideration since the beginning. Therefore, before they set off, Solderin had received an order from Gwen. They were to explore at most one area for a week, and they were not to enter the high-risk areas. If they encountered a battle, they would have to retreat first.
Now, facing the unknown "Shadow Experiment Field," he decided to temporarily retreat according to Gwen's order. After he returned, he would first report the situation here to his superiors and then come back after some preparation.
It would not take long. Although it took the team six days to reach this place, that was because they were constantly drawing maps, exploring forks, and setting up guiding lights. If they went back and forth at full speed, it would only take them one day.
…
At the same time, in the study of Cecil's mansion, Gwen finished reviewing the documents. He leaned back in his spacious chair and made sure that no one would disturb him during this time. He slightly emptied his mind and outlined the communication channel with the surveillance satellite in his mind.
The surveillance footage from the synchronous orbit slowly emerged and formed a stable image in Gawain's world of consciousness. In that overlooking field of vision, he could clearly see the mountains and plains in the northern part of the Loren Continent.
He began to gradually zoom in and adjust the satellite view of the area observed.
His vision swept across the southern part of the Ansu, then slowly moved to the northeast, gradually crossing the Gelan Region and the eastern part of the Ansu Region.
The image stopped moving and gradually zoomed in. On a small plain with a relatively flat terrain, he saw a slightly blurry fortress standing on a stone platform.
The Contract Castle.
Gwen shifted into a more comfortable position and began to patiently adjust the image of the surveillance satellite that was slightly out of focus due to the aging of the satellite.
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