Gwen could basically confirm that the people who appeared in the fragments of the meeting and whose vague figures were shrouded in black fog were those who had once sailed with Gwen Cecil. They should be a group of believers of the Sons of Storm who had not been completely swallowed by madness and paranoia.
Of course, at that time, they could also be called "storm priests."
This was also in line with his previous inference: seven hundred years ago, when all kinds of advanced human magic technology had failed, the only ones who could help Gwen Cecil complete the mysterious voyage were the storm priests who mastered all kinds of sea theurgy.
And judging from the timeline, when Gwen began the mysterious voyage, the three major churches should have already completed the ritual on the Ancestral Peak and should have fallen into madness.
So, who protected part of the sanity of the Sons of Storm at that time, so that they could complete Gwen Cecil's mysterious voyage?
Lantern …
Gwen could only think of one name: Selena Geerfen.
The lantern in his memory was very vague, but it had a strong sense of familiarity and intimacy. This feeling came from Gwen Cecil, which meant that the image of the lantern had left a deep impression on him. At that time, Selena Geerfen was not on the boat, but since the lantern was hanging on the bow, perhaps it symbolized that Selena Geerfen's "power" accompanied Gwen Cecil in some surreal form at that time.
Gwen rubbed his forehead and remembered a piece of information that Daniel had sent to him.
Although he did not know the specific time and process of Selena Geerfen's death, from the information available to the archbishops, it was basically certain that the "Saintess of Dreams" died shortly after the ritual on the Ancestral Peak. The cause of death was martyrdom. She protected a large number of priests and believers of the Church of Dreams at the cost of her life.
If it were not for her martyrdom, there probably would not have been the remnants of the Order of the Eternal Sleepers. The Church of Dreams specialized in spiritual power. Due to the influence of theurgy, their connection with God was closer and more direct. In addition, at that time, Meghul III was the first to enter the kingdom of God and face God. The impact of the Church of Dreams' members was far more serious than the other two churches.
Since Selena protected most of the members of the Church of Dreams, then … if she still had the strength, it was possible that she temporarily sheltered some storm priests.
The time of Gwen Cecil's voyage was not clear, but it was certain that it was after the establishment of the Ansu Kingdom, when the southern defense system was basically stable and the rear could be trusted.
Inferring from the timeline, Selena Geerfen should have died a martyr's death at that time. In his memory, only the lantern appeared, but he did not see Selena Geerfen. Perhaps this was the reason — at that time, Selena did not appear in front of Gwen Cecil.
She protected the voyage team in the form of a soul. The so-called lantern should be a symbolic impression left in Gwen Cecil's mind from the subconscious.
Gwen's eyes darkened. If that was the case, then this matter was interesting.
He had been looking for clues about the mysterious voyage back then, looking for records left behind by the people who sailed with Gawain Cecil, or clues about their descendants, but he never found anything. He thought that his companions had been completely erased in the past seven hundred years, and their heritage had been cut off. But now, it seemed that the greatest insider was still "alive" in the mental network.
Did Selena Geerfen know the secret of the past? If she knew … then did she know the connection between Gwen Cecil and Gwen? Did she know about the possible "soul trade"?
Gwen Cecil used his soul to make a deal, and the deal was completed during the mysterious voyage. If Selena really went on board with him in some form, then she must know something.
She probably already knew that the soul in Gawain Cecil's body had been replaced by someone else. She should have known long before the concept of "extraterrestrial wanderers" appeared. She should have known long before Gawain opened the coffin.
But according to the feedback from the Eternal Sleep Congregation, she did not seem to have shown this. She was like a person who did not know anything. She also called Gwen an "extraterrestrial wanderer" like the other believers. Was this intentional? To hide something? Or was she waiting for something?
And according to the last conversation in the memory, a storm priest said, "Anyway, everyone will forget in a while." Gwen guessed that this memory of the voyage should be sealed by Selena Geerfen. As the most powerful Extraordinary in the field of soul and dream besides Meghul III at that time, she was fully capable of doing this.
Then why did she seal this memory? And it seemed that she also sealed the memory of everyone in the team. Would there be any hidden dangers in keeping this memory? Would it leak the secret? Who would it leak the secret to? Who could pry these secrets from the memory of a Legendary Champion?
Gwen vaguely had some guesses, but he did not dare to take them seriously because of the lack of evidence.
Victoria just waited patiently on the opposite side. She knew that Gwen was thinking about something very important, and it was not appropriate to disturb him at this time.
In the end, Gwen took the initiative to break the silence.
"Is the estuary at the junction of the Duchy of Holy Dragon and the northeast of the Empire under our control?"
The memory of the voyage was sealed, but now a part of the fragments emerged from the darkness. The opportunity to break the seal seemed to be because of the estuary that Victoria Werde mentioned. In order to continue to explore this mysterious past, and also to explore the actual needs of the ocean, Gwen needed to know more about the current situation of that place.
After all, 700 years had passed. This country had experienced two civil wars and was turned upside down. A small estuary at the distant border … after so many years of ups and downs, it might not be the same as before.
"Nominally … it is still the territory of the Empire." Victoria nodded and replied, "But it has been neglected for many years. As of the last year of the Ansu calendar, there were only a few run-down villages there, and the estuary belonged to a shabby viscount in name. Now the viscount's territory has been assigned to the Bassur Province. "
"Nominally it is, then it is." Gwen breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, he felt a sense of urgency and pressure.
The overall situation of the Empire had just been settled, but the sequelae caused by the war still needed to be slowly healed.
The situation in the border areas changed, the disputed areas were nibbled away by neighboring countries, or disputes with neighboring countries in the process of re-measuring the border and increasing the defense were all possible.
If there was a situation in this regard, then it could only be "since ancient times."
"We need to build an estuary at the Dragon Calling Fjord as a foothold for future ocean exploration," Gwen looked at Victoria and said slowly, "At the same time, the plan to open a port on the far north coast remains unchanged. We will set up a 'North Port' to restart the northern route around the mainland."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Gwen thought for a moment and added, "The foundation of the port at the Dragon Calling Fjord needs to be built according to the standards of a military port. In the future, we will add some facilities to test marine warships …"
Victoria looked up, "Warships … Magic warships used for ocean warfare?"
"Yes," Gwen nodded and said with some emotion in his voice, "We are not the only ones who think of the ocean … Typhon has a much longer and better coastline than Cecil. They also have a large number of natural ports and offshore resources. Sooner or later, they will set their sights on the ocean. They might even be taking action now. "
Victoria's expression changed slightly on her usually expressionless face.
A sense of urgency arose spontaneously.
After giving the order, Gwen's thoughts wandered slightly.
The Dragon Calling Fjord was still the territory of the Cecil Empire, but its geographical location determined that it would be more sensitive between the Duchy of Holy Dragon and the Cecil Empire.
Setting up a military port there, setting up a large-scale military research and development facility, and even stationing troops and permanent warships there would cause quite a stir.
It seemed that it was necessary to take advantage of this diplomatic activity to build a good relationship with the Duchy of Holy Dragon.
The good news that Victoria brought … was really timely.
…
The darkness of chaos seemed to shroud the entire world. Above the flat and colorless plains, a woman in a white dress with a lamp stood quietly in the air, looking at the deserted town in the distance that was dormant in the night.
This was the "Imaginary Zone" located outside the City of Dreams. It was an area that was not marked by the mental network and could not be directly located. Ordinary residents of the City of Dreams (Eternal Sleepers) could not even sense the existence of this area without authorization. Even if they stood where Selena Geerfen was at this moment, they could only see a void of darkness.
This characteristic of the "Imaginary Zone" effectively prevented the spread of pollution.
However, the strangeness of the town was beyond imagination. It seemed to have thoughts and reason. It was actively seeking a way to break through the blockade and find a way to enter the main structure of the mental network.
After a long period of quiet observation, Selena suddenly turned her head and looked at the dark sky beside her.
A man in a white robe with a gentle temperament outlined his figure from the void.
"Archbishop Selena, are you still monitoring this area personally?"
"No one is more suitable for this job than me. The ghosts in the network don't need to rest." Selena nodded slightly to Yuri. "What happened?"
"The preparations for the second exploration have been completed. I'm here to ask about the time of the next operation."
"Next Thursday," Selena said.
"I see." Archbishop Yuri nodded, and then his eyes fell on the deserted town in the distance with Selena. "Is there any change in this phantom town?"
"As always, it's quiet and deserted, as if time has frozen," Selena said indifferently. "The church has never appeared again, and there is no bell in the town. According to the information revealed by the priest in the church, the bell should have rung yesterday."
Archbishop Yuri guessed. "Perhaps … it will only 'come to life' when we enter the town."
Selena was silent for a moment and asked, "Is there any change in sandbox No. 1?"
"There is no change in the sandbox, and we have made no progress."
"… No news is the best news."
"It's as you said," Archbishop Yuri said with a sigh, then took half a step back, and his figure gradually faded. "Then I'll go back first. The sandbox control team still has work to do."
"Take care."
After Archbishop Yuri's aura disappeared, Selena lowered her head and quietly looked at the lantern in her hand for a long time.
After what seemed like a long time, she softly broke the silence as if she was talking to herself.
"Will you be a glimmer of hope …"
…
A cold wind blew through the hills to the southeast of Winterwolf Fort. The cold wind that was approaching the end of winter was frightening. Even the soldiers who were stationed in this northern fort all year round couldn't help but shiver when the cold wind blew.
But even so, the sentries inside and outside the main fortress still faced the cold wind and tried their best to stand straight, maintaining their dignity and momentum as soldiers of the empire.
This was because a special guest was visiting this border fortress.
In the main hall of the fortress, Andesha Wendell, who had long silver-gray hair, wore a lady's armor, and had a family heirloom sword on her waist, stood upright in front of the stairs. Her silver-gray eyes, which were the same color as her long hair, were full of solemnity.
In front of her was the team from the imperial capital, Oldenheim.
Leading the team was a beautiful woman wearing a complicated and gorgeous black court dress. She had fair skin, a tall figure, and black straight hair that reached her waist. There was an exquisite gold chain inlaid with fine rubies hanging down from her hair. Andesha Wendell's face was reflected in her deep watery eyes.
The woman in the black court dress had a faint smile on her face, but she exuded a calm and noble temperament, which made the people around her respect her, but also added a subtle sense of distance.
"Your Highness Mathilda," Andesha Wendell bowed in front of the flower of the empire, "Welcome to Winterwolf Fort.
"Beyond here is the land of the Cecil people."
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