Sword of Dawn

"In my eyes, you are just an outsider who has taken up the body of my friend, and no matter how much you have inherited from this body, you are an 'extraterrestrial wanderer'.

"But this is Gawain Cecil's active choice, and it is not anyone's fault, so I will still try my best to regard you as a reliable ally, and I will also regard you as a reliable monarch in the future. Of course, when in front of outsiders , I will also take you as Gawain Cecil, and will not reveal anything that should not be revealed.

"It's just other things, please forgive me for being difficult to do."

"That's right... that's fine," Gawain listened carefully to the other party's words, and suddenly smiled a little while thinking, "I've been 'Gaowen Cecil' for a long time, and you occasionally remind me of my true self... Maybe it's not a bad thing."

Selena looked at her somewhat unexpectedly, and said softly: "You have more 'humanity' than I imagined...."

Gao Wen smiled, noncommittal, and after a few seconds of silence, he brought the topic back on track:

"When do you plan to take action against the No. [-] sandbox? When do you plan to formally contact me and announce to more members of the religious order the news of your cooperation with the rogues outside the territory?"

So far, only the Archbishop and Pope Megaul III know about the appearance of the "Wanderer" on the Psychic Network, and there has been no leak. This has effectively avoided more panic within the Order of the Eternal Sleepers, but it will come soon When taking action on the No. [-] sandbox, there will be many people involved. There will be many bishop-level managers or high-level technical priests directly involved in more core affairs. Cooperation cannot be completely hidden, at least it will spread among the core personnel.

And as Gao Wen began to "incorporate" and "transform" the entire Church of the Eternal Sleepers, soon even the lowest-level members of the Church would know this part of the news.

In view of the effective brainstorming and internal publicity of the "Wanderers outside the Territory" by the Eternal Sleepers, Gawain believes that after the news is made public, it will definitely cause a wonderful chaos in the Church of the Eternal Sleepers—it's a pity that he has limited leisure time recently Otherwise, I will soak in the spiritual network and appreciate it for two days.

Selina could only see the calmness on Gao Wen's face, but couldn't guess what was in his heart. She answered seriously: "In two days, we will hold the Supreme Bishops' Conference again, and I hope you can participate. At the same time, according to the plan, We will release the news in an orderly manner before then, keeping the chaos to a minimum.

"As for the official action on the No. [-] sandbox, we hope that the sooner the better - we have completed the transfer and preparation of personnel, and we can start at any time after the meeting, but I don't know if you need to prepare anything, and if you need our cooperation ,understand situation……"

"I have nothing to prepare. I have already done what I need to do," Gao Wen said casually. "If you can take action after the meeting, then I can directly participate. As for understanding the situation...you don't have to worry about it. I've always known your situation well."

Hearing Gao Wen's last casual sentence, Selena's expression suddenly became a little stiff, but soon returned to normal.

Gao Wen didn't care about this detail, but continued on his own: "In addition, you should also think about the future. After the crisis of the No. [-] sandbox is resolved, some troubles have just begun. .”

"what do you mean……"

"The identity of the extraterrestrial wanderer in the real world is 'Gavin Cecil', and Gawain Cecil is the ruler of the Cecil Empire; the headquarters of the Order of the Eternal Sleepers is located in Typhon, and among the middle-level priests there are Some of them are transformed and converted God of War priests and even Typhon nobles," Gao Wen said, "I believe these members are loyal to the Eternal Sleeper, but do they still retain some proper... patriotism and loyalty to the king?"

Seeing that Selena didn't answer for a while, Gao Wen continued:

"I believe that the original members of the sect, including you and Megal III, and a considerable number of high-level priests insist on the road for ideals, but you should also know that as an ancient and dark sect, there are not only idealists among you... …

"The cooperation with wanderers outside the territory will sooner or later spread to the ears of middle and lower class believers. These middle and lower class believers may become eternal sleepers only for money, power, and even a little knowledge. Such people, Don't think they have joined a cult, but if an 'evil god' really emerges from this cult, they may run faster than anyone else.

"At that time, do you think these people will go to Rosetta Augustus to report that there is really an 'evil god' in the cult they joined?"

Selena was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"We have also considered this point," she said, "The church has developed so far, and its members are no longer as pure as they were at the beginning. The cooperation between 'outsiders' and the church will definitely attract a large number of middle- and lower-level believers and priests. It caused turmoil in the middle, and it is not ruled out that there are members who are not firm and too panicked to take refuge in Typhon's official forces.

"Aiming at the hidden dangers in this area, we have already made preparations, and we do not rule out abandoning some strongholds, transferring the church headquarters, and conducting internal..."

"You don't need to tell me the specific measures," Gao Wen raised a hand and interrupted Selena, "you can handle it yourself, I just want the result."

Selena nodded: "...I will relay your words to His Majesty the Pope."

Then she bowed slightly and took half a step back, "If you have nothing else..."

Before she finished speaking, Gao Wen suddenly stopped her: "Don't leave in a hurry, I have something to ask you by the way."

Selena looked at Gao Wen suspiciously, blinked her eyes: "Excuse me."

Under the interplay of starlight and lights, Gawain looked at Selina Gerfen's calm eyes, and slowly, those eyes overlapped with another pair of big eyes in his mind.

"What is the relationship between you and Patty?"

Chapter 0803 Patty's Friend

When the words are spoken, many things can be discussed on the bright side.

Gao Wen believed that when he, the "rogue outside the territory", appeared in the mind network openly, Selina Geerfen should have already prepared herself to be exposed.

After all, judging from the current situation, the psychic network is almost transparent to the "rogue outside the domain".

"What is the relationship between you and Patty?"

Hearing Gao Wen's words, Selena did not have much surprise on her face, she just fell silent for a while, and then said with a little emotion and a tone as if a stone had fallen from her heart: "You finally asked about this matter... ..."

Before Gao Wen could speak, she asked, "Do you care about Patty?"

"Why, is it weird that an 'extraterrestrial wanderer' cares about a little human girl?" Gawain asked with a smile, "I must be as indescribable as you imagined, lacking the emotions and morals that ordinary people should have to be considered a qualified one." 'External Wanderer'?"

Selena was startled, and the corners of her mouth seemed to turn up a little: "The inherent impression is not so easy to break, I hope you can understand this.

"As for Patty...don't worry, I'm just 'together' with her. I haven't hurt her, and I don't intend to hurt her."

Gao Wen didn't take his eyes off Selena: "Why did you choose Patty?"

Selena's voice is very soft: "As a 'spirit' who has lost her body, my soul is splitting all the time. I need a real mind as my 'mental calibration point', relying on continuous self-calibration Come to restore your own soul, so as to prevent yourself from slipping into a irrational undead step by step.

"Such a mental calibration point is not easy to find. It requires an innate matching of the soul and a matching of acquired conditions."

Gawain's brows didn't stretch much: "So, you found Patty because she happened to 'match' you?"

Selena shook her head after a brief silence: "No, the one we found wasn't actually Patty... Although she was also one of the eligible 'candidates', what we were looking for was another girl from the southern border at that time. The daughter of a wealthy merchant."

"Then why did you choose Patty in the end?" Gawain was a little puzzled. "Judging from his physical condition, Patty was obviously not the best choice at the time... Could something be wrong with your original goal?"

In the lights under the night, Selena's voice sounded softly: "...because she wants to live."

Gao Wen looked at Selena in surprise.

"When I was wandering in those chaotic and dim dreams in the southern border, Patty's mind attracted me like a firefly in the dark, a soul that was about to die, exuding a will to survive that surprised me, and When I tried to speak to this weak mind, the first word she said to me was 'hello' - she was still very polite after all that.

"Indeed, as you said, Patty was not a suitable choice. She was even on the verge of death. Maybe I will re-select the next mental calibration point shortly after choosing her, but I don't know if you still remember a sentence: self-help Those who should always be helped.”

"One of the rules of the Dream Church is also one of the principles of psychological rescue that have been handed down from Gondor to the present," Gawain nodded. "I just didn't expect that you would still abide by it."

"...It's been 700 years, and I have violated it so many times," Selina smiled self-deprecatingly, "But occasionally I want to abide by it, just as a recollection of the past."

"So Patty is your 'occasionally'," Gawain said, but he suddenly remembered some of the things that Amber mentioned to him when he reported the progress of the investigation about Glenring, and couldn't help rubbing his fingers. Chin, showing a thoughtful look, "According to the description of the person who once took care of Patty, Patty had 'miraculously' survived the most dangerous stage, and her final survival was considered by professionals such as pharmacists to be It's unbelievable, it's...your handwriting, right?"

"I didn't do anything," Selena smiled indifferently, "I just replaced it with me when she was in the most pain.

"That crown has no effect of shielding pain and perception at all. Apart from being a medium for ordinary people to enter the dream world, its only function is to exchange me with Patty when she wants to sleep-this A little bit, even she herself didn't know.

"Of course, she doesn't use the tiara anymore, and she doesn't need it anymore. I know you gave her a magic device to help her fall asleep. For Patty now, that thing is enough."

Gawain didn't hide his surprised look, nor did he hide his doubts: "So... When Patty fell asleep, it was you who was in charge of her body... Then who is the person accompanying Patty in the spiritual network?"

"It's me too, just a split incarnation, but occasionally it's Wendy, Rachel, or Irelia."

"...What you did for Patty surprised me."

"It's nothing to me. I have experienced a death, which is much more painful than Patty," Selina shook her head, "and I am also using Patty to calibrate my mind, and put her As some kind of container, it's a fair trade."

Selena's voice fell, but there were more words she didn't say.

She is very clear that what she did to Patty...maybe it's just some kind of self-touching and comforting. It has nothing to do with the sublime, and it's not even a conscience. It's just to make her face those brainless... I can feel more at ease.

Gawain just looked into Selena's eyes quietly, and in a certain tacit understanding, neither of them mentioned anything about it.

"Now Patty no longer uses your crowns, and can no longer access the spiritual network," Gawain broke the silence, "but obviously, you still have the ability to roam in the spiritual world without using a medium, Will you see Patty again?"

"The current spiritual network is very insecure, and it's good to keep Patty away," Selena said, "As for me... Although I am still with her now, I don't plan to appear again, so let her treat her as a It is a dream of my own childhood, just like every child's 'green elf friend' when they were young."

"Green Elf Friends" is a long-standing saying in many parts of the northern part of the mainland. People believe that the giant trees drop huge seeds in the spring and there are elves. Parents usually collect the fallen giant wood seeds in the spring and carve them into puppets as playmates for their children. In this custom, many "green elf friends" as the core have been derived. Stories, and even the saying that "every child will have a green elf friend in childhood" are widely circulated in the northern part of the mainland.

As for the evidence behind these legends, it was confirmed after the First Druid Research Center of the Empire successfully isolated the harmless calming ingredients from the giant wood seeds...

Some slightly divergent thoughts flashed through Gao Wen's mind, and he couldn't help but shook his head with a smile: "Patty is long past the age of believing in 'green elf friends'. You choose to fade out of her sight, yes Because you don't want to disturb her future life?"

"She is recovering and will live a more normal life in the future. In a normal life, there is no need to have a ghost from the dark sect standing by her side all the time."

"...I don't intend to interfere with your decision, but I just want to remind you that you have no right to decide what is a normal life for Patty," Gao Wen said slowly, "Cecil is a more open and inclusive society , even a plant can become a legal citizen of the empire, and you should learn to be more adaptable to all of this."

"...I will keep your reminder in mind and seriously consider it."

"I hope so," Gao Wen said, and then glanced at Selena who was about to leave, "By the way, before you leave, I have something for you—it may pollute those who are affected by the upper-level narrators." people can help.”

Selena immediately became interested: "What is it?"

"Some runes," Gawain smiled, sketching a few symbols in the air, "a gift from the deep sea..."

……

After a few minutes.

The invisible spiritual connection gradually faded away, and Selina Gerfen, holding a lantern, disappeared into the air as quietly as a waking dream.

Gawain didn't look back, but just looked at the cityscape shrouded by lights and stars as always, and the dark mountains in the distance that only showed a hazy outline in the night.

Everything seems to be very peaceful, but under the calmness known to the world, crises and turmoil unknown to the world are constantly surging.

Prior to this, it was impossible for Rosetta August to know nothing about the sect of the Eternal Sleepers hidden in his empire, but for a long time, his main energy was obviously not on this dark sect.

But that was in the past, if he knew that the shadow of extraterrestrial wanderers emerged from this dark sect, if he knew that the rulers of neighboring countries had reached into the heart of his empire...

Gawain couldn't help but look forward to it, looking forward to the reaction of that Emperor Rosetta Augustus.

It is foreseeable that after the No. [-] sandbox incident, Typhon will definitely usher in a turmoil. Large-scale eradication of cults and internal investigations are inevitable.

Even if the Eternal Sleepers are ready, their power in Typhon will suffer a severe blow, and they will have to secretly transfer to Cecil.

As for Gao Wen himself, in fact, he doesn't care what will happen after the information about the wanderers outside the Italian territory and the Eternal Sleep Order is exposed to Rosetta. First of all, he and the Eternal Sleep Order have already made preparations. The transfer will begin soon, followed by…

From the very beginning, the Cecil Empire's infiltration of Typhon did not focus on any cult forces - culture, technology, economy, these things that are on the surface are the focus.

During the negotiations between the two countries, Rosetta must have thought from the very beginning that Cecil would infiltrate Typhon in some way, and even this infiltration is a normal "link" in the "communication" process between the two empires. In this case, Gawain would be happy to have something that can attract Rosetta Augustus' attention, let him concentrate on dealing with the Eternal Sleepers in the territory, and let him leave the Phantom Theater and Cecil merchants alone, Never mind those "private technology companies"...

During the whole process, the only thing that needs to be paid attention to is to keep Daniel hidden and pay attention to his own safety - after all, he is the only key person who crosses the "open line" and "dark line" at the same time. , is also an important node of the Eternal Sleeper Order.

So in the next period of time, Gawain would keep Daniel away from the affairs of the Order of the Eternal Sleepers as much as possible, so as to avoid exposing himself.

Anyway, he, a "rogue outside the territory", has publicly participated in the Bishops' Conference of the Eternal Sleepers, and he can already do some things in person without Daniel's frequent transfers.

……

At midnight, bright stars shine on the sky of Aldernan, but there is a layer of lingering mist blocking the cold brilliance from the universe. Under the layers of thick fog, this city named "Millennium" despite its youth The imperial capital of the "City" was sleeping in the dark, with dark spires, towering walls, and majestic towers lined up row after row in the mist, as if reflecting the orderly and hierarchical rules of this empire.

In this foggy imperial capital, only the Obsidian Palace and a few towering towers can break through the thick fog and bathe in the clear starlight.

Rosetta Augustus woke up in a dream, and saw that the cold light shining into the room through the glass window was stained with a twilight-like luster.

He quickly got rid of the haze brought about by sleep and woke up completely.

After putting on a coat casually, the middle-aged ruler of the empire came to the window with a cold and indifferent expression, overlooking the window.

The light of dusk enveloped everything, and the familiar scenery of Aldernan was no longer outside the window.

The streets and houses of another city were bathed in the setting sun, and the indifferent golden light spread from a distance to the outer wall of the palace, immersing everything in this cursed dream.

It seems to be happening more and more often...

Rosetta Augustus frowned slightly, but the indifferent and indifferent expression on his face did not change much. He just stepped back half a step away from the window, then turned and walked towards the door, pushed the door open and walked out of the room.

According to the rumors in the family, choosing to protect yourself in this cursed dream and shutting yourself in a safe room is the first step to complete failure and being swallowed by madness.

Rosetta didn't know whether this statement was right or wrong, he only knew that since the first time he fell into this dream, he had only one way to deal with it——

Face it.

Chapter 0804

In the palace stagnant in the dusk, the corridors are long and deep, the halls are spacious and empty, whispers from unknown sources echo lowly behind every door, as if countless invisible guests are gathering in this ancient and illusory palace, While continuing their never-ending banquet, they scrutinized the visitors who entered the palace with malicious intent.

The footsteps of Rosetta Augustus suddenly sounded in the empty corridor.

The ruler of the Typhon Empire walked along the corridor that he had walked countless times, as if he didn't hear the strange whispers coming from around him, his figure stood in the hallway where the twilight light was shining. Shadows of different lengths were cast under the narrow window. After each shadow emerged, it trembled slightly as if it was about to come alive, but gradually returned to calm under the ignorance of the emperor.

He came to the deepest room of the palace, to the place where portraits of successive members of the Augustus family hung.

A series of expressionless faces were inlaid in the dark picture frames, staring at Rosetta Augustus with indifferent eyes, some of the images in the picture frames came alive, whispering to the next picture frame, A muffled murmur that didn't sound like a human voice.

Those "living" frames, without exception, are members of Augustus in the last 200 years. They were Augustus who were born and active after the collapse of the old imperial capital and after the curse came.

Those who were active between 700 and 200 years ago just stayed quietly in the picture frame, acting as cold portraits.

Rosetta is used to this.

Nightmare is the product of the curse, and it is also the reflection of the cursed spiritual world. It takes the collapse of the old imperial capital 200 years ago as the node. Before the collapse, the souls of the Augustus were free, and the nightmare can only be projected Out of the illusion of soullessness, the Augustus after the Great Collapse were trapped in this dream world, which became the root of many weirdnesses here, and made this nightmare world even more weird and dangerous.

Rosetta glanced over the portraits that had come to life, with a cold expression.

Those were his parents, grandparents, some were the people closest to him in childhood, some were the prototypes of the heroic stories he had heard since he was a child, but that was what happened before they were alive—now, they are just this weird dream palace It is a part of this curse. In them, any expectation of family affection and humanity will lead to an early tragic ending. This is the experience and lessons summed up by generations of members of the Augustus family with their lives.

But as long as you keep your sanity and restrain your greed and aggressiveness, the shadows in these nightmares will have other uses.

In the portraits brought to life, Rosetta’s grandfather, the wise George Augustus the Great, seemed to have noticed something, his pale and shriveled face turned, and his eyes fell on Rosetta Augustus , the low and weird grunt turned into a human-recognizable voice: "Ah, look who's here... my dear grandson... are you okay?"