Solderlin, who had gone to the north to investigate the situation, had sent back information. With the help of the hidden relay devices set up along the river bank, the advance party of the Steel Rangers had always maintained communication with the Magic Net in the south. With the support of convenient long-distance communication, Gwen immediately knew the situation of the 'crystal cluster monsters' encountered by the high-ranking ranger.
To be honest, he hoped that this report would never be delivered to him.
"… We encountered those monsters in the Dolan Hills northeast of Pompeii. They looked like humans made of flesh and crystal, but they were stronger and taller than humans. They seemed to have a strong physique and a certain spellcasting ability, but their specific combat strength was not clear. At present, we only know that the burner is very effective against them.
"According to the remaining clues, those monsters should have wandered from the north. We found a village that was attacked, but the villagers showed no signs of infection. The source of the contamination should not be nearby.
"… The local lord and his army responded to the royal call and went to the front line. It is said that there has been no news for a long time …"
In the holographic projection, Solderlin reported the situation in the north meticulously. Behind him was a temporary camp built at the foot of a leeward rock. The Steel Rangers were vigilantly keeping watch not far away. Due to the lack of relay nodes, the communication picture was slightly distorted. But Gwen could still see the concern on the high-ranking ranger's face.
Communication was cut off in a large area, the whereabouts of the local lord was unknown, and the strange flesh-and-blood crystal cluster monsters were wandering in the area where communication was lost. No matter which feature it was, it pointed to the worst possibility.
After finishing the report, the high-ranking ranger asked for the next order. "Do we continue to move forward?"
"Continue to the periphery of the Great Wood Road. But if you encounter too many 'crystal cluster infected', immediately turn back," Gwen ordered in a deep voice. "Pay attention to the relay devices and small-scale Magic Net along the way. Do you have enough Magic Net units and small relay devices?"
"The relay devices are enough. As for the Magic Net, we can directly install some of the relay devices in the mills and manors of the local lords. The Magic Net is more popular in the central and eastern regions of the plains. The energy here is not a problem."
Gwen nodded and then asked some more detailed questions and arrangements before hanging up.
He looked up and looked at the people gathered in the room.
Heti, Byron, Philip, Amber, Rebecca, and the rest were of course present. Apart from them, the 'technicians' like Kamel and Pitman were also gathered here.
"Now we can be sure that the large-scale destruction of the Ansu Plain has begun, and the situation is probably worse than we thought. No matter how incompetent the nobles in the north are, they will not allow the hordes of monsters to pass through their territory without any concealment. This can only mean one thing — the nobles in the eastern part of the Sacred Plains have lost control of the situation." Gwen said solemnly. At the same time, he looked at the precise map of the entire Ansu that was hung on the wall. On the map, the eastern part of the Sacred Plains was marked with a large red circle. "The biggest problem now is that we are not sure how big the area is, how many 'crystal cluster infected' there are, and how the situation of the Royal Family and the Eastern Region are."
As he spoke, Gwen's mind was not only thinking about the hand-drawn map of Ansu, but also the overhead view from the satellite.
However, even with the help of the satellite view, what he could see this time was still limited.
Since last week, the entire Great Wood Road area was shrouded in thick fog. Although the fog had dissipated, the clouds still affected the satellite view, and at the same time, there was serious interference and distortion in the overhead view, as if the entire eastern part of the Sacred Plains was shrouded in a layer of powerful energy field. And a similar situation … he had only seen it when he was overlooking the Gondor Wasteland.
Of course, it was not that he could not see anything. In the area where the distortion was not so serious, and the cloud and smoke interference were relatively light, he could see traces of battle and some messy battlefields. But due to the lack of clarity, he could not be sure if the traces of battle were caused by monsters or a normal battle between the Royal Army and the Eastern Region.
"The latest news from White Sands Mining. The social order in the Eastern Region is still normal, but there is a disturbing atmosphere spreading," Heti said. "Marquis Berk Lorren has not returned since he went to Sorin Castle. Many nobles in the Eastern Region are frequently meeting, visiting each other, and sending messengers. It seems that they have also cut off contact with the frontline. Holme, who is in charge of the White Sands, thinks that the situation may worsen. Even if there is no attack from the outside, the nobles in the Eastern Region may fall into civil strife after losing control, and threaten the safety of the mine. "
At this point, she could not help but add with a strange expression, "The local nobles near the White Sands Hills … seem to not like our mining method very much."
"The White Sands Hills … It's close to the Gilen area. It's a gap." Gwen pondered for a moment, and then looked at Rebecca. "Is the modification of the 'Iron Throne' completed?"
Rebecca's eyes lit up, and her face was full of excitement. "The armor plate has been welded, and the railgun and incinerator have been installed! It's now being tested for control and balance in the car factory. But if you think it's necessary, you can drive it directly to Gilen. The follow-up tests can also be completed there. "
After a short thought, Gwen nodded. "Drive to Gilen and stand by."
Then he paused again and turned his head to Byron.
"Where are the Pathfinder, Aurora, and Morning Star now?"
"They have arrived at Boulder Port."
"Go there immediately. Three days later, whether Sordling has new information or not, set sail immediately. Cross the Boulder Fortress, go north along the Dorgon River, and enter the Holy Spirit Plains. Be ready to support the Rangers at any time. In addition, I have ordered Sir Walter to prepare a batch of mechanical ships to receive the refugees. They are still on standby at the port. Those ships are also under your command. If the situation really goes in the worst direction, you will need those ships. "
When this order was given, even Knight, who had always been carefree, showed a serious look on his face.
If the officers of the Bureau of Military Intelligence were only intelligence personnel, and if the Steel Rangers were only a small team of soldiers carrying out reconnaissance work, then once the three arcanotech warships crossed the Boulder Fortress and entered the Dorgon River, their significance would be completely different.
Since the end of the war for the unification of the south, since the flag of the Duchy of Cecil was hung on the Boulder Fortress, this land had closed its door. The nobles of the Holy Spirit Plains and further north all wondered what kind of power was brewing in this mysterious land, and what kind of world was behind the steel walls. They sent out all kinds of spies and made all kinds of efforts, but in the face of Cecil's strict social system, all efforts to pry open the door were futile.
Now, the door was finally going to open.
The nobles of the plains, who had been staring at the south until now, would finally see what was behind the door.
"Yes, sir," Byron said in a low voice, but after a short moment of seriousness, he could not help but laugh. "I guess the nobles of the plains along the Dorgon River will panic — if they are still alive. Of course, it is more likely that they don't know our advanced warships at all. "
"This is a serious occasion," Philip immediately interrupted Byron with a straight face, and then looked at Gwen. "Sir, where is the army combat corps?"
"Temporarily on standby."
At present, there was still insufficient information. Gwen was still not sure how serious the pollution or the 'curse' in the eastern part of the plains was, how the strange 'crystal clusters' spread, and the situation of the royal army and the eastern army in those areas. In a situation where there was a serious lack of information, it was not wise to rashly send ground troops.
On the other hand, the powerful magic-powered warships had almost unparalleled power in this era and had excellent survivability. At the same time, the warships sailing on the water could also greatly avoid the threat of the 'plague' from the land. Even if they encountered a situation, they had the ability to quickly return.
Combining these two factors, he decided to let the magic-powered warships enter the Dorgon River first. While going north along the river to confirm the situation in the Holy Spirit Plains, he would set up reliable naval artillery support in the river to provide the ground troops with the conditions to enter the area in advance. After that, when Solderin collected more information, he would consider letting the following chariots and infantry enter the potentially dangerous' contaminated zone. '
The area where the royal army and the eastern army confronted each other was located at the Jumu Road in the east of the Holy Spirit Plains. Although it was in the eastern part of the plains, it was actually very close to the central area, and the Dorgon River just passed through that area. Therefore, the naval artillery in the river could provide effective support to the ground troops on the eastern shore.
The meeting was over. Most people left the conference room, but Kamel and Pitman were asked to stay by Gwen.
"What do you think about the 'Crystal Cluster Infected' that Solderin mentioned?" Gwen's eyes swept between the two masters (although one of them seemed to be a fake master) and finally fell on Kamel. "It does sound like the 'Abominations', but the details seem to be different?"
"Yes, it's not quite the same as the Abominations in my memory." Kamel nodded and made a buzzing sound. "The Abominations we created back then, even the most seriously infected ones would only have crystals on the main joints, and at the same time, the body would swell and distort. But according to Solderin, the 'Crystal Cluster Infected' he saw had more than 50% of their bodies covered in crystals. It was almost a creature made of a mixture of crystals and organic matter."
He paused for a moment and then said, "This gives me a very strange feeling. Our research on the Abominations back then was to reduce the 'mutation' tendency of the carriers, so that they would become more human-like while carrying the Abomination. But what Solderin saw … it went to the other extreme. It was trying to make people become … inhuman. "
"This may be what they call the 'Great Evolution' — abandoning the human body and embracing a new form brought about by mutation." Gwen shook his head and turned to Pitman. "According to your understanding, how do you think this' infection 'might spread? Or rather, what kind of prevention is the most effective? "
"No matter how strange the 'Plague Spell' of the Die End looks, it's still a plague in essence. And the spread of a plague is nothing more than a few ways — water, food, air, and the contamination of cursed corpses. Air was the most efficient way to spread it, but it was usually only able to spread a relatively weak plague that was easily dispelled by ritualistic magic. Next was water and food, which the All-Ending Society loved to use the most, but boiling water and thoroughly heating food was the most effective way to deal with it. As for the last … cursed corpses have the strongest contamination power, because flesh itself is an excellent spellcasting material, so our various burners are necessary. We must burn all the corpses, regardless of friend or foe, no matter noble or lowly. Burning them to ashes in the shortest time is always the safest way. And before burning them, we must minimize close contact or direct contact as much as possible. If there is contact, we must isolate them and use detection spells to ensure safety. "
Gwen touched his chin and said, "It doesn't sound like anything special …"
"For us, for the people in the south, maybe so. But on the Plains of the Holy Spirit, any one of these transmission methods is fatal." Pitman put away his usual frivolous look. He stroked his beard and sighed softly. "The firewood needed to boil a kettle of water is enough to exchange for half a loaf of bread, and because of this half a loaf of bread … the water plague can kill thousands of people."
The room was silent for a moment.
"We still have too little information about the 'Crystal Cluster Infection'. I can't make an accurate analysis." After a short silence, Kamel suddenly broke the silence. "If we have more samples, I should be able to make some progress."
"Solderin will send a team to send the Crystal Cluster Fragments back. After confirming that they don't carry activated magic and have no tendency to spread contamination," Gwen nodded. "I'll give you a laboratory to study it. Until this incident is over, it will be the focus of our attention."
…
After Kamel and Pitman left, the room was completely silent.
Gwen sat in his armchair, quietly thinking about the next arrangement and development.
This silence lasted for an unknown amount of time before Gao Wencai was suddenly awakened by a slight movement at the door.
He raised his head and saw that the door to the room had been opened slightly, and a person who he had almost forgotten about poked his head into the room.
Tyre.
Gwen had left the territory since last autumn and had been busy with projects near the wasteland. He had not seen this guy for a long time.
But in fact, even if he stayed in the territory, he did not have much time to meet Tyr. Since the weather turned cold last year, the sea caterpillar had entered hibernation and slept in the pool for 20 hours a day. Occasionally, it would climb out of the pool only to go to the balcony to bask in the sun and flip over. It was as if it had completely forgotten where it came from and where it was going. Why did it suddenly come here?
Gwen was puzzled. At the same time, he saw Tyre crawling in. The shame of the sirens looked around with a blank face. "Ah, didn't you say you were having a meeting?"
Gwen was speechless.
"The meeting was over a long time ago." Gwen tried his best to keep his expression from collapsing, but he could not help but look at the saltwater freak strangely. "You … actually know about the meeting?"
"Yes, Rebecca told me, but I took a nap." Tyre shook the tip of his tail and looked helpless. "Then you guys finished the meeting."
At this time, Gwen suddenly remembered that Rebecca seemed to have told Tyre to come over because this saltwater was more or less a technical consultant in the military industry. But at that time, Gwen did not believe that the saltwater would come.
It had to be said that even though Tyr didn't help at all, Gawain still felt inexplicably happy when he saw the muddle-headed Sea Caterpillar squirming around in the room.
Perhaps this was the power of the God of the Deep Sea.
He shook his head slightly and removed the 'God of the Deep Sea' from his mind. Then, he stood up and was ready to leave. "I'm leaving. If there's nothing else, you can go back to sleep."
"Sigh — I'm rarely awake." Tyre stretched three to four meters, then raised his upper body and looked curiously in a certain direction. "Say … what's going on in the north?"
Gawain immediately stopped in his tracks.
Tyre was looking at a little to the east of the north, the front line of the confrontation between the Royal Army and the Eastern Region.
So far, no one had mentioned the situation over there to Tyre in detail. Even if someone had mentioned it, she would not have remembered it with her personality.
Why was she suddenly looking in that direction?
Instinct told Gwen that the fish's reaction was probably because she felt something!
"The battlefield over there is deteriorating. We're trying to figure out the situation," Gwen said. "Has anyone told you?"
"No, but I seem to feel … there's a little smell of food in that direction." Tyre blinked, then raised her body harder and looked to the north. "It's a little like a big squid …"
Gwen's eyes narrowed slightly. His instinct was right. The siren who had been dealing with the corpse of the God of Storms for a long time had a sensory ability that humans could not understand. When his satellite view overlooking the Great Wood Avenue was disturbed, it meant that there was a special energy field covering that area. Tyre suddenly looked to the north … it meant that she had sensed that energy field!
He immediately asked, "Food? Are you sure it's food? "
"A little." Tyre wrinkled her nose (although she did not rely on her nose to sense the 'smell') and said uncertainly, "But I feel a little confused …"
Gwen was speechless.
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