The night had yet to fade, and dawn had yet to arrive, but the hazy radiance of the giant sun had begun to appear on the horizon. The weak rays of the sun seemed to be struggling to break free from the shackles of the earth, while the stars still shrouded this land that was sleeping in the darkness.
Near the border of Typhon, a tower with a silver-white spire and a grey-white outer wall stood quietly on the highlands beside the Shadowy Swamp. Starlight shone from the sky, outlining a layer of brilliance on the surface of the tower. A huge ring at the top of the tower floated out of thin air, rotating quietly in the night sky. The starlight shone on the surface of the ring, constantly reflecting various kinds of colors.
A magic message came from afar, and a series of originally dark runes on the ring suddenly lit up.
The middle-aged mage on duty in the tower was awakened by a piercing sound. He quickly got out of his meditation and stood up from the runic circle in the Listening Hall. A complex structure of dazzling runes was constantly lighting up on the wall in front of him. In front of the runes was the insignia of the Royal Association of Mages.
The expression in the mage's eyes changed, and he immediately walked quickly to the complex magic circle drawn on the wall. He casually pressed on the surface of a specific runic stone and said, "This is the border tower of the Shadowy Swamp, please speak."
"An order from Oldenheim." A slightly distorted voice immediately entered the mage's ears. "Immediately inform the border outpost, intercept …"
Listening to the voice from afar, the middle-aged mage quickly frowned. Without hesitation, he turned around and patted on a runic stone pillar nearby, calling for another mage on standby on the ground floor. "Nim, come and take over. I'm going to the outpost. Urgent order from the Imperial Capital — check the records yourself!"
After that, without waiting for the response from the other mage on duty, he had already rushed to the window at the side of the hall. The robe, cane, hat and other things that were hanging nearby flew over on their own and put on the middle-aged mage as if they had a life of their own. When the cane finally landed on his palm, the crystal window with many runes painted on it had already opened with a bang —
The middle-aged mage leaped straight into the dark night sky outside the tower.
Under the starlight, the Mage in a long robe was like a bird in flight, quickly flying past the high ground where the Communication Tower was located. Behind the Mage, the ring at the top of the Communication Tower was still rotating silently. More runes were being lit up one by one. Another Mage on duty in the tower had already taken over the magic formation. This expensive and intricate magical creation hummed in the night sky, beginning to transmit Oldenheim's orders to the next Communication Tower …
…
The steel wheels rolled over the guide rails embedded in the ground. The repulsive runes under the truck and on the surface of both sides of the truck were emitting a faint glow. The power spine released a surge of energy. The magical device hummed as it operated at high speed. The mechanical python made of metal crawled on the ground, stirring up the early spring mist in the dark night as it rushed towards the border at high speed.
The mechanical noise of the wheels, bearings, and levers as they operated reverberated in the quiet truck. After the lights were switched off, the tense and depressing atmosphere kept everyone in a state of alert. Yuri looked up. His extraordinary vision allowed him to see pairs of eyes in the dark, and the worried look on Venti's face.
"We have passed the checkpoint in the Shadowy Swamp and will soon reach the border," Yuri said in a low voice. "No matter how fast Oldenheim's reaction is, it takes time for the magic communication to go through the layers. And this route can only reach the Communication Tower next to the Shadowy Swamp. Typhon has a limited number of Communication Towers, and the messengers at the end can only be carried by manpower. They won't be able to catch up."
"I'm worried about those who stayed in the country," Venti said softly. "The informant appeared earlier than expected. I'm afraid that many of them will not be able to move in time. The identity of the middle and lower class believers will be easily exposed through mutual reporting. And the Empire has implemented population registration a few years ago. Our brethren who are exposed will not be able to hide for long."
Yuri frowned and suddenly said softly, "… Our brethren who are exposed may not necessarily be in danger."
Venti looked at him curiously. "Why do you say so?"
"If it's Rosetta Augustus …" Yuri lowered his voice even more and said cautiously, "He is more likely to try to recruit the Eternal Sleepers, especially those mid-level priests who have mastered dream theurgy and nerve cord technology …"
Venti's eyes changed slightly. She heard Yuri continue. "The Royal Association of Mages is completely loyal to him. The archmages should have found a way to disconnect the Eternal Sleepers from the mental network. The informant who broke away from the mental network is the evidence. And the Eternal Sleepers who broke away from the mental network … will become technicians under the control of the Augustus family."
Venti opened her mouth subconsciously. "You …"
"I used to live in Oldenheim, and …" Yuri suddenly showed a complicated smile. "I know a little about Rosetta Augustus. Plus, as a former noble, I also know how a country's ruler will think when faced with things that are helpful to his rule … The royal family will soon issue an order to recruit the Eternal Sleep Congregation, and Rosetta Augustus will arrange a series of high-sounding reasons to eliminate people's resistance to the dark cult. The Parliament of Nobles will fully support him. Some of our priests will become the secret advisors and aides of the Oldenheim families, and the others will join the Royal Association of Mages or the Association of Craftsmen. All of this will not take long."
Venti looked at Yuri quietly.
She didn't know much about the nobles, but she knew that Yuri was once one of them. What he said shouldn't be a lie. These … seemed to be the rules that the upper echelons of the empire followed, and the inevitable result of this set of rules.
"You have thought of this before?"
"I thought of it before the evacuation began," Yuri said softly. "And I believe that a few others have also thought of it, but we have a tacit understanding not to say it. Some people want to avoid shaking people's hearts, and some … I'm afraid they are already waiting for Oldenheim's invitation."
Venti could not help but bite her lips. "… I thought the threat of the extraterritorial wanderers was enough …"
"The extraterritorial wanderers need the mental network to extend their power, and the mental network is not enough to carry this power now. Mid-level priests and above know technology, they know this, and they also know the strength of the Royal Association of Mages … Even if the risk is huge, there are still people who are willing to take the risk," Yuri said slowly and shook his head helplessly. "There are too many speculators, and staying in Typhon is a huge attraction to many people, especially those who are destined to not be accepted by the 'Cecil Order'."
Venti was silent for a moment. In the darkness and silence, she heard Yuri's voice with a sigh.
"Division is inevitable, Madam Venti, especially after we have become too arrogant … Now is the best situation, at least there are no traitors among the archbishops."
"I used to think that the mental network connected all of us together …" Venti sighed softly. "But it has come to this situation today."
Yuri did not say a word.
A few glimmers of light passed through the narrow air holes on the side of the carriage and tore open a bright line in the dark freight carriage.
A few figures swayed between the crates, and a few eyes were in front of the air holes. A bishop whispered not far away, "It's dawn outside …"
Yuri approached the gap behind him and put his eyes on the narrow gap. He saw the morning sun rising from the end of the wilderness, and the brilliant corona was illuminating the entire plain and the mountains at the end of the plain. The inlaid lakes and rivers on the plain were glowing with golden light, and the nearby vegetation quickly retreated beside the railway, forming a shadow.
The mist had been dispelled by the sun.
"We're approaching the border," Yuri immediately reminded. "Be careful, there's a checkpoint here —"
A sudden shaking came from the bottom of the carriage, and the harsh sound of steel wheels rubbing against the rails was heard. At the same time, there was an obvious tremor on both sides of the carriage. Outside the walls on both sides, there was a "ka ka" sound of some mechanical device in operation.
The brake device was pressurizing the wheels, and the repulsive mechanism outside the carriage was adjusting the polarity one by one — the train was slowing down.
"Don't be nervous," Venti immediately turned back and said. "We're approaching the border outpost, and it's a normal stop."
"I'll check the carriage in front," Yuri got up gently and whispered. "It's close to the connecting section, so we have to be extra careful."
…
The sun shone on the outpost near the Typhon - Cecil border, and a slightly cold wind blew from the plain. A few heavily-armed Typhon soldiers were waiting on the platform, watching the freight train from Butterfield gradually decelerating and steadily approaching the checkpoint line. The commander of the outpost squinted his eyes, forcibly suppressing the urge to yawn in the cold morning, and ordered the soldiers to step forward and conduct a routine inspection of the train.
While waiting for the train to open its carriage, the commander of the outpost took a deep breath of the cold air of the plain, and while cheering himself up, he looked not far away. Two battle mage towers stood on both sides of the railway, and the huge arcane crystal on the tower shone brightly under the sun. A few low-level battle mages and Knight were guarding the nearby outpost, watching the situation of the train stopping.
His eyes continued to move into the distance, over the fence, across an open field, over the low wall at the border, and over the blockade on the other side, and finally landed on another outpost — it was Cecil's border outpost. A few square houses were built on a concrete platform, and a magic crystal device floated in the middle of the open field. There were also a few weapons called "rail guns" installed on the top of the wall, and the muzzles pointed high into the sky.
The Typhon officer glanced at the soldiers who had begun the inspection, then turned back and pulled out a small dagger from his waist. With the sunlight reflecting on the blade, he waved it twice at Cecil's outpost.
A few seconds later, a similar reflection swept across his eyes.
The young officer grinned, then put away the dagger and walked in the direction of the train.
A bearded man in a blue uniform leaned against the outside of the carriage. He was the conductor of this train, and he was from Typhon.
"A full load of textiles and alchemy materials," the bearded man said to the young officer with a smile, "to exchange for some glistening gold for our emperor."
The young officer stretched out his hand, "Let me see the list."
"I've just given it to the soldiers …"
The officer frowned, "I haven't seen it yet."
The bearded man had no choice but to take out a document and handed it to the officer in front of him, "Ah, okay, here you go."
The officer took the list, then turned around and walked towards the few carriages not far away.
The bearded coach glanced casually at a spot not far away. All of a sudden, a faint black dot appeared in the sky to the east. It was flying towards them like a bird.
The look in the conductor's eyes changed, and he immediately turned to the officer who was leading the soldiers to check the carriages one by one, with a smile on his face, "Mr. Knight, these carriages have just been checked."
The young Typhon officer looked at the soldier beside him, "Have they been checked?"
"Yes, sir," the soldier immediately replied, "It matches the list."
The Typhon officer looked down at the list in his hand, then glanced at the bearded man beside him, then grabbed the handrail of the carriage door, one leg stepped on the door pedal, and the upper body of his body unhurriedly looked inside.
The black dot in the sky was getting closer, and even the outline of a human could be vaguely seen.
"Mr. Knight," the bearded man stepped forward and smiled flatteringly, "There are alchemy materials in here …"
The Typhon officer's eyes slowly swept across the carriage. In the dark freight carriage, there were a large number of crates piled up together, and there was nothing else.
It was obviously too much of a waste of time to count those crates again.
The conductor stood outside the carriage with a smile on his face, but his eyes were fixed on the officer's movements without blinking.
He did not dare to bribe the officer, nor did he dare to make any verbal inducements, because these two actions would immediately arouse suspicion. The people guarding here were the preparatory members of the Black Steel Knight Regiment. These soldiers were of noble blood and had targeted the Black Steel Knight Regiment as their target, and they were very vigilant.
"Mr. Knight, we have to go through another inspection at Cecil's place …"
The Typhon officer finally retracted his body from the carriage door, and his military boots fell to the ground with a click.
"To be honest, this kind of crossing method of stopping twice at the border is a bit unreasonable," the officer said casually, "What do you think?"
"I dare not say," the bearded man hurriedly waved his hand, "The higher-ups must have set this set of rules for a reason, we just have to follow it …"
"Sooner or later, it will need to be optimized," the officer chuckled, "After all, it's just the beginning …"
"Who knows …" the bearded man spread his hands, "Anyway, for me, just figuring out the big guy behind me is enough to make me dizzy."
"Okay," the officer seemed to feel that it was a waste of time to discuss these matters with the man in front of him, and finally waved his hand, "The inspection is approved, it's about time to stop, let's go!"
The bearded man immediately smiled and bowed like a gentleman, then turned around and climbed up the carriage handrail. In the next second, the signal bell inside the train rang.
The huge and complicated steel machine began to slowly accelerate, gradually leaving the Typhon outpost, crossing fences and low walls, across the wide buffer zone, and steadily moving towards Cecil's territory …
When the train crossed the border, a middle-aged mage in a black robe finally landed at the Typhon outpost.
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