A gigantic eagle flew across the cloudy sky, bringing the messenger and news from afar. As the soldiers and craftsmen watched, the steel-gray raptor circled twice in the sky before landing on a landing platform on one side of the Pinnacle Base with the help of a guiding light on the surface.
"Caw!"
The eagle let out a loud and excited screech after completing its mission. Although the screech was embarrassing, the eagle's master was obviously used to it. Sonia jumped down from the raptor's broad back. Her steps were light and graceful. Then, she patted her companion's drooping feathers and walked towards the camp.
On the way, she looked up and saw a hexagonal tower frame that was dozens of meters tall standing on the open ground not far away.
The frame was obviously not complete yet. There were still various structures being added on the upper level. Under the dim light, she saw rugged steel bars and runic columns intertwining within the frame like the bones and veins of a giant. Faint runic radiance flowed around the base of the frame, providing a stable source of magic power for the entire construction site. Inside and outside the stable scaffolding, powerful mechanical devices and weight-reducing planks were constantly transporting all kinds of construction materials and personnel to various parts of the frame, casting the tower body, and burying magic mechanisms.
And a little further away from the construction site, in a long and narrow area that extended towards the Dark Forest, a series of small towers had risen from the ground or were beginning to take shape. That was where the 'pressure relief point' or 'purifier' was located.
Even though it was winter, the construction was not delayed at all. Instead, with all the machinery and personnel in place, a few temporary frontline factories in the base had started to operate, and the efficiency had increased by a lot.
Even the high-ranking messenger from the Silver Empire could not help but exclaim, "Cecil's efficiency … is really frightening …"
A voice came from not far away and interrupted Sonia's exclamation. "You've only been away for two days. You don't have to exclaim like that. Two days of construction doesn't seem to have changed that much."
Sonia turned around and saw Gwen standing not far away with a smile on his face. She could not help but laugh. As she walked over, she said, "Elves are good at accurately perceiving the changes in things from the details. I can even count how much the workers have raised the buildings in just two days …"
"How much?"
"… It's just a metaphor … You weren't this serious seven hundred years ago, right?"
"Occasionally, a joke can help you maintain your state of mind, which is very valuable in this wasteland," Gwen casually changed the topic. "How's the reply?"
"You should have guessed it. Rosetta Augustus welcomes you to visit at any time. He will treat you with the highest standard — the standard of welcoming heroes and the top nobles of the neighboring country," Sonia said as she took out a letter sealed with magic thread and wax from an exquisite hollow wooden cylinder. "This is his reply letter."
Gwen's gaze landed on the scroll with the insignia of the Typhon Royal Family.
After a second of pause, he took the letter, opened it, and quickly skimmed through the contents.
The ruler of the Typhon Empire had responded to the letter sent by Gwen with impeccable words. It was polite and dignified. At the end of the letter, the wise and bold emperor gladly accepted Gwen's visit and expressed his welcome.
After a moment, Gwen put away the letter that he had expected and sighed softly. "Very well, then I'll leave tomorrow."
Sonia could not help but be surprised. "Why are you in such a hurry?"
"I've been wanting to meet the Emperor of the Typhon for a long time, and I've been preparing for this for a long time," Gwen said casually. Then, he added, "By the way, your queen has sent a message — the Silver Empire has officially established in-depth technical cooperation with the Cecil Empire. You and your messenger team will temporarily stay with me as the exchange ambassador. Since you are not here, Mage Banner will accept the queen's order on your behalf."
Sonia blinked and was a little stunned.
So fast?
She was not surprised by the news. When she learned that the Cecil Duchy intended to establish technical cooperation with the Silver Empire, she had expected the Queen of Silver to agree to this request. The queen had never been an old-fashioned and conservative person, and more than half of her most trusted court advisors were progressive reformers. She just did not expect the news to come so soon.
Excluding the necessary procedures of drafting official documents and coordinating between departments in the internal affairs of the empire, the proposal itself was very likely to be passed in two to three days!
The high-ranking messenger lowered her eyes slightly as thoughts surfaced in her mind.
… … This is not the normal speed of a proposal being finalized.
The queen and the "Iron Hand Prime Minister", Lord Valentine, had directly pushed this matter forward.
It seemed that … … the astromancers were in more trouble than outsiders thought.
… …
Gloomy and dirty clouds covered the sky of the wasteland, and the outline of the giant sun was also blocked outside of the clouds. Only the hazy glow that moved slowly in the sky, constantly rising and falling, proved the existence of the sun to people, marking the alternation between day and night.
In Typhon's Pinnacle Base, in a stone palace that rose from the ground, Rosetta Augustus was sitting in front of a table, his head lowered as he read the documents that his attendant had just copied.
The contents of these documents were the most important intelligence in the empire and matters that required the emperor's personal orders. They were relayed through the Communication Mage Tower along the way and sent to the Pinnacle Base at almost no cost. The money spent on each letter was enough to match the income of a commoner for two years.
There was not much content in the documents, and only a small portion of them required the emperor's personal orders. Most of them were detailed reports about the situation in the empire, the Noble Parliament, and the various armies. Rosetta Augustus finished dealing with all the documents very quickly. On his cold and slightly sinister face, there was a faint smile of satisfaction that could not be detected.
Archduke Ferdinand Wendell, who was supervising the internal affairs of the empire, had done a good job. The empire's operations were in order.
The emperor of the empire stood up and handed the completed documents to the chief attendant who had been waiting by the side. He then exhaled slightly and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window at the side of the room.
One-third of the Pinnacle Base was presented before him.
The empire's engineering mages had used the miracle of magic to shape this base. Before the arrival of winter, hundreds of mages had used spells such as Stone to Mud, Mud to Rock, Wall Building, Rock Building, and other spells to turn this rotten and twisted land into a camp. They had also drawn the magic circle of the camp on this foundation and set up a magic shield that could protect the entire Pinnacle Base. At this moment, the craftsmen and engineering mages in the Pinnacle Base were working in shifts under the protection of the shield, building that crucial 'sub-tower'.
He could see that at the south side of the Pinnacle Base, a dense magical radiance was shining. Several mages floating in the air were using Hand of Magic to pile up heavy and huge rocks on a high platform. The first and second levels of the octagonal tower could already be seen from the part that had been piled up.
Reality had proven that the systematic registration of the Extraordinary profession, the implementation of the national system, and the mandatory uniform management policy were effective. If it were not for this' new policy 'that had been implemented since more than ten years ago, who would dare to imagine the existence of' engineering mages'?
However, Rosetta looked at the scene outside the window and frowned slightly.
In Ansu, in that Cecil Dukedom that had suddenly risen, they seemed to have walked further and more thoroughly on the path of 'using supernatural powers for development' than Typhon …
Would that path be more correct?
The rhythmic footsteps of military boots on the ground interrupted Rosetta's thoughts. He turned his head and saw the young female Knight with a determined gaze, a tall figure, and shoulder-length gray hair standing behind him.
"Your Majesty." The young wolf general, Andesha Wendell, lowered her head and saluted. "Miss Siva Traveler has received a message from Sonia's messenger. The visitor will be arriving soon."
Rosetta was slightly surprised, but he still nodded faintly and said, "I know."
Siva Traveler was a messenger from the Silver Empire to Typhon, and Sonia Frostleaf was a messenger from Ansu. Elven messengers were a unique profession. Their job was not just to deliver letters and parcels as most people thought. In fact, they were experts in communication magic, especially the special communication magic used between messengers.
Messengers could transmit messages between their compatriots with very little mana consumption, as long as the distance was close enough. Now that Siva Traveler had received the signal, it meant that Duke Gawain Cecil was very close. This was what made Rosetta a little surprised: she did not expect the other party to come so quickly.
"Andesha," Emperor Typhon suddenly said, "how do you think the ancient duke who came back from the dead came here?"
"How did he come here?" The young wolf general was stunned for a moment, but soon understood the deeper meaning of the emperor's question.
For people at the level of the Lord Protector and the Emperor, their every trip and visit often had a special meaning. Their every action in the process was actually a different 'language of negotiation'.
Gwen Cecil wanted to come to the camp of the Typhon Empire. For this, he had to cross a long journey, and this journey was in the wastelands.
There were wandering monsters everywhere, and the outer outposts of the Pinnacle Base would be attacked once every three days. In the wilderness where there was no cover and no protection, the danger level was imaginable.
The process of crossing the wastelands itself was a process of showing one's strength.
He obviously could not use the Elven Giant Eagle for safety, as that would make him lose face.
He could choose to bring a large group of well-equipped and well-supplied guards over. This was to show his army and the Dukedom, and to a certain extent, to show the strength of the Ansu Empire.
He could also use his legendary strength to bring a few top-notch experts over, and challenge and cross the wastelands with a small number of people. This was to show his powerful personal strength.
For a ruler of an empire, Rosetta Augustus was obviously more wary of the former.
"He came quickly." After understanding the deeper meaning behind the question, Andesha Wendell quickly made her own judgment. "If he brought an army of ordinary people, it is obvious that he would not be able to travel so quickly. So it is very likely that he only brought a small number of guards, and relied on his own legendary strength to cross the wastelands."
After saying that, the young female Knight could not help but lightly shake her head. "Perhaps the legendary ancient hero is just a brute … He is only here to show his strength."
Rosetta Augustus looked at Andesha quietly, as if he wanted to say something. But before he could speak, there was a faint commotion and a blurry, sharp sound that sounded like a flute suddenly came from afar.
The emperor and his Knight looked at each other.
At the same time, outside the gates of Typhon's base, Gwen and Amber were sitting at the back of the arcanotech vehicle.
In front of them, a stone wall stood ten meters away, and a few Typhon soldiers were standing on the wall and pointing at them. Two mages who came to check the situation were flying over from afar, and behind them, three arcanotech vehicles and four 'Iron Ambassadors' were lined up in a row.
Hu Po poked his head out and kept looking at the base that the Tifengs had built. He couldn't help but compare it to Cecil's base. "This should have been 'pulled up' using a wall-building spell and a rock-making spell … Although it's not as pretty as a reinforced concrete wall, it still looks pretty cool. Plus, their base looks a lot bigger than ours."
"Typhon's people arrived at their construction site earlier than us." Gwen said casually.
"Hey, hey." Amber could not help but move closer to Gwen. "Do you think the emperor of Typhon will be interested in your proposal?"
"Then I don't care. Anyway, I have to get the car out first."
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