The meeting was over, but Heti did not leave the room.
She asked Solderlin to stay, and not long after, Kamel was also summoned to the meeting room.
Before the meeting ended, Solderlin had already sensed something. Now that there was no one else around, he asked directly, "Do you think this is very strange?"
As a comrade of Gwen, Solderlin was actually considered Heti's senior. Therefore, even though his position was slightly lower, he had always been direct with Heti.
"This is weird from the beginning to the end," Heti nodded frankly. Her eyes swept between Kamel and Solderlin. "Typhon's actions are illogical. Sending an ace troop to attack the border defense line alone is not tenable from any tactical point of view. Philip and General Maryland both emphasized this point. And this illogical behavior … can't be explained by the commander's stupidity or lack of intelligence.
"Typhon's people can't be stupid, and they're not that backward in terms of intelligence. It's impossible that they don't know about the existence of the armored train and the railway defense network."
"You're suspecting … that the Church of the God of War in Typhon has changed?" As a member of the rebels, Kamel naturally thought of this.
"Although there's no evidence, it's very likely." Heti nodded. "The Church of the God of War has been abnormal for some time. Typhon's royal family has taken many measures to suppress the church's activities and reduce the number of believers, but the abnormal situation shows no signs of ending. We can assume that all their measures have failed. Although we don't know how the crazy God of War affected the believers, we can assume that the actions of the Iron River Knight Regiment have something to do with the God of War's loss of control."
Solderlin couldn't help but frown. "If that's the case, then we and Typhon …"
"No matter whether the Iron River Knight Regiment was ordered by Rosetta or by their 'Lord', in fact, they have attacked the Longwind Defense Line. Now that the enemy is here, of course, we have to fight back. This will not change," Heti said without hesitation. "The key is that we have to figure out as soon as possible whether we are fighting the Typhon people or the out-of-control god.
"Right now, Maryland and General Philip are conducting military operations at the border. At the same time, they will also conduct investigations to gather as much information as they can on Typhon. However, the main army is best at direct combat. They may not be able to find out the truth quickly. The latter is the strength of the Steel Rangers.
"Solderlin, you may need to make a trip to the eastern border. Bring your rangers and try to figure out what's going on over there. The military intelligence agents who have infiltrated Typhon will also cooperate with you."
Solderlin nodded without any doubt. "Of course, the Steel Rangers are used to deal with such situations. Besides, I know the situation in Typhon quite well. I'm the right person to go."
"You're right." Heti recalled something and smiled. "I almost forgot that you had been in Typhon for a long time."
At this time, Kamel also broke the silence. "Is my mission to fight against the possible contamination of the gods?"
Heidi looked at the ancient sorcerer whose body was full of arcane brilliance. Her face became solemn and she nodded hard. "Yes, this is probably another battlefield."
"If Typhon's army is really contaminated by the crazy will of the God of War, then the imperial soldiers fighting against them will undoubtedly be exposed to danger." A buzzing sound came from Kamel's body. "Although the belief of the God of War in Cecil is not strong, some soldiers and officers in our army are also affected. We cannot rule out the possibility that the spiritual contamination will spread through these ordinary believers."
Heti asked with a serious face, "Will the existing protection measures work?"
"Through further decoding of the siren runes and a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of 'Eva', we have improved the 'Mind Protection System' on all kinds of vehicles and individual soldiers. Naretil thinks that the effect is enough to resist the close-range, visual and auditory spiritual contamination for a few hours. On the other hand, we have set up a 'Human Barrier' system in the neural network. By converting the low-frequency oscillation in the siren song into neural background signals, we can continuously 'broadcast' the purifying information flow across the entire network. Coupled with the resistance provided by Naretil herself, as long as the neural network can cover the frontline, even if the soldiers are slightly mentally contaminated, we can reverse and purify them.
"Of course, all of this is laboratory data. The whole system has not been tested in actual combat. I have to be honest about this."
Out of the rigor of a scholar and the responsible attitude in his character, Kamel bluntly pointed out the possible hidden dangers in the protection measures. Heti had obviously already considered this.
"It's better than nothing. At least we have a way to deal with it. As for the effect … what should be tested in actual combat must be tested in actual combat," she said. Then she asked, "How's the progress of the psionic choir? Can the psionic singers trained by Venti come in handy now? "
"I'm afraid they still need a little adjustment," Kamel said with some difficulty. "Although we have successfully integrated the low-frequency oscillation in the siren song into the neural thorns and greatly shortened the training period of the psionic singers with the magitech device, it still takes some time for the human body to adapt to 'external spellcasting'. And even if the psionic singers can adapt to it, they are still very unstable. The neural thorns will greatly expand the original range of human magic perception, especially the military models … We are trying to find a way to solve this problem."
"It's necessary to be careful when it comes to this kind of technology that involves the mind and the mind." Heti sighed. "It's okay. Not everything will go smoothly. Even without the psionic singers, we at least have the 'Human Barrier' in the neural network and the 'Human Barrier'. We are not completely helpless."
After making some arrangements, Kamel and Solderlin also left.
Heti was finally the only one left in the huge conference room.
After standing quietly for a while and letting her overheated head finally cool down, the head butler Cecil finally sat back on the chair, a little tired, and let out a long sigh.
…
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The communication tower was operating at full power under the morning light. The runic rings floating in the force field spun slowly in the cold winter wind. From Winterwolf Fort to the Shadowy Swamp, from the reclaimed lands in the north to Aldnan, communication tower after communication tower relayed emergency messages from the border to the distant lands, and finally reached Rosetta Augustus' desk.
Even Great Emperor Ti Feng, who was a great strategist, was stunned by such explosive news.
In the royal study in the Obsidian Palace, Rosetta placed his hands on the table and leaned forward like a falcon. His gaze was fixed on Ferdinand, who was standing in the room. "Ferdinand, the situation is beyond our expectations."
After so many years, Ferdinand once again felt suffocating pressure. "Your Majesty, I don't understand … Why did the Iron River Knight Order …"
"Because the God of War is the 'God of War'. Because the God of War needs a war." Rosetta's expression was especially gloomy. "We've always neglected it … We only know that there's a problem with the Church of the God of War, but we didn't know what their God wants to do … He needs a war. As long as it's a war, it's fine. It can be internal chaos in Typhon, or it can also be … an all-out war with the outside world."
Ferdinand's tone was urgent. "Your Majesty, do you think Andesha …"
"She should have already retreated to the Winterwolf Fort defense line by now. According to the worst-case scenario, Ferdinand, the worst-case scenario," Rosetta said solemnly, "Cecil's men should have already received news from the border. They'll summon our ambassador and contact Oldenheim. They should have already done so … We'll draft a letter now to clarify the situation. This is a war that shouldn't have broken out!"
"Will they accept it?" Ferdinand couldn't help but say, "If the Iron River Knight Order has already launched an attack, then this is definitely not as simple as a border conflict. Perhaps the troops at Fort Changfeng have already started …"
"Whether they believe it or not, we must have a reply like this." Rosetta stared into the old Duke's eyes. "Then, order the Third and Fourth Imperial Mobile Knight Order to move toward the Winterwolf Fort defense line and the Winterwolf Fort defense line. At the same time, cut off all the railways connected to Cecil — pull up those mechanical bridges. Before the situation is clarified, we can't let their mobile fortresses charge in!"
A chill ran down Ferdinand's spine.
Obviously, even though Rosetta was still seeking to resolve the misunderstanding through diplomatic dialogue, he was also mentally prepared for an all-out war.
The old Duke lowered his head. "Yes, Your Majesty!"
In the shortest amount of time, a concise, sincere, and well-organized letter was drafted. Looking at the freshly dried ink on the paper, Ferdinand couldn't help but sigh softly. "If only this letter can stop the situation …"
"Although we are preparing for the worst, I still believe that this letter will be effective. Cecil's people noticed the hidden dangers of the gods earlier than we did, and they also have experience facing the 'Divine Calamity'. If they are willing to calm down and think about it, they will definitely notice the abnormality behind the whole thing," Rosetta said slowly. "The most important thing now … is to prevent the situation from worsening and prevent the chaos from the God of War from continuing to ferment.
"Ferdinand, activate that list. All military officers and nobles with real power who are in close contact with the Church of the God of War and who are suspected to have beliefs above the oath of loyalty are to leave key positions immediately. The freezing and transfer of key authority is to proceed according to the plan. The Church of the God of War is to completely seal off all areas immediately. In the name of the Pope being summoned by the Lord and the royal family assisting the Church in maintaining the situation, isolate all clergymen and keep them away from the army …"
"Your Majesty." Ferdinand was a little worried. "In such a tense situation, doing this may further weaken the Typhon army's combat ability and affect the stability of the country. Cecil's people may launch an all-out attack at any time."
"Allowing those who can lose control at any time to stay in our national system is a greater threat. I don't want to do this, but we no longer have a choice." Rosetta stared into Ferdinand's eyes. "This is a crisis. Perhaps it is the biggest crisis that you and I have ever faced, or even the entire Typhon Empire has ever faced … We didn't make enough preparations, but in the face of a Divine Calamity, mortals will never be able to make enough preparations. Let's do everything we can, Ferdinand. "
"… I understand." Ferdinand took a deep breath. In that instant, he seemed to have returned to decades ago, to the time when Rosetta Augustus had yet to ascend to the throne, and the time when the Typhon Empire was deeply mired in a quagmire like Ansu in the past, when the country was riddled with crises. The suffocating pressure, the future hidden in the fog of chaos, the situation where they could lose their footing and fall at any time, and the time in his memory coincided subtly with the situation in front of him. All of these made his heart, which was no longer young, beat wildly. "We will overcome the crisis again, Your Majesty."
"Of course."
…
Ferdinand hurried to the Obsidian Palace's communication tower. In his hand was a letter written by Emperor Rosetta himself, which was used to explain the situation.
He wanted to send the contents of this letter to Cecil City through the communication line and the Magic Net communications of the people of Cecil. In a sense, this could be the last chance to prevent the situation from falling into the abyss.
He stepped through the door, passed by the guards who were saluting him in the hall on the first floor, and took the lift that led to the upper level of the communication tower. He arrived at the receiving center of this facility. Just as he stepped down from the lift, he saw a panic-stricken mage on duty running toward him.
"Sir!" When the mage saw Archduke Ferdinand, he immediately raised the paper in his hand and shouted, "An emergency message from Cecil City!"
"Let me see!"
Ferdinand took the document that had been transcribed, and his gaze quickly scanned through it.
Everything was just as His Majesty had predicted. The battle at the border between the two countries had angered the people of Cecil. Now, the two countries were standing before the abyss of war.
Both sides were sliding toward the bottom of the abyss.
"Send it to His Majesty's study immediately." He returned the transcribed document to the mage and said quickly. At the same time, he strode toward the receiving center of the communication tower.
Since he had already received the inquiry from Cecil's people, he could now send the letter drafted by His Majesty without having to wait any longer.
This matter could not be left to any servant or mage to handle.
He entered the receiving center. In a room that was not too big, a magic circle was operating quietly on one side of the wall. A huge crystal was embedded on the platform in the middle of the room. The surface of the crystal was radiant and colorful.
After ordering the mage on duty to adjust the transmission parameters, Ferdinand came to the platform. He took another look at the contents of the handwritten letter, then placed his hand on the crystal. He began to channel magic power into it while concentrating his mind to transcribe the corresponding information into the crystal.
"… The people of Typhon can no longer tolerate the interference and destruction in the economic, cultural, and even internal affairs of our country … They have provoked us with armed forces at the border several times … They have declared war … to defend our …"
The crystal on the platform flickered quietly. The information that had been transcribed into it instantly traversed a long distance and reached the next communication tower. From Oldenheim to the reclaimed lands in the north, from the Dark Shadow Swamp to Winterwolf Fort. Soon, it would complete the final transmission and enter the Magic Net of Cecil's people.
In the blindspot of Ferdinand's vision on the sparkling crystal, a blurry silhouette was reflected on the crystal's translucent surface. Malcolm Dumont looked at Ferdinand with a gentle and loving smile.
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