Sword of Dawn

The lights and runes on the surface of all kinds of magic equipment kept flickering, and there was a low buzzing sound from the magic net at the base of the laboratory. A stream of light flashed across the surface of the recording device not far away, and then Kamel came to In front of the young researcher Cohen Bell.

"Auxiliary equipment is ready, Cohen," the archarcanist buzzed, "ready for the third connection experiment."

The young technician on the chair nodded: "I'm ready."

While talking, he raised his head, looked at the pea not far away who came to look at it out of curiosity, and squeezed his eyes: "Look carefully at the side, this is the real use of nerve thorns."

After getting along for a period of time, almost everyone in this laboratory is already familiar with Pea.

Pea blinked, and she saw two more assistants coming forward, one of them turned on a device next to Cohen's chair, which looked like a terminal used to connect to other magic devices, shaped like a cylinder, The runes on the top flickered, and another assistant came behind Cohen, pulled out the nerve thorns on the back of the opponent's neck, and pulled out a "cable" similar to an artificial nerve cord from the cylindrical device, It is close to the end of the nerve thorn.

"Consciousness extension project, the third connection test, all units pay attention to record data."

Kamel reminded the team members on the side, and then nodded to the laboratory assistant standing beside Cohen, who then connected the nerve thorns to the artificial nerve cord extending from the cylinder—the nerve The terminal extending from the end of the thorn seemed to come to life at this moment, and immediately entangled and connected with the corresponding structure on the nerve cord to form a whole.

In the next second, Pea saw that the young researcher's body tensed for a moment, and there was a whistling sound almost simultaneously from many magic devices in the entire laboratory, and an unknown instrument was buzzing. The recording device spit out a long punched paper tape in an instant, and the lights in the entire laboratory seemed to be affected, and began to flicker.

Kamel and Pittman nervously watched Cohen as the tester, watching the other party forcibly regaining composure after the initial convulsions, and gradually regaining the ability to communicate with others, Pittman stepped forward first: "Cohen, can you hear me?" ?”

"Many voices... overlapped..." Cohen barely opened his eyes, and looked at Pittman standing in front of him, "perceived... chaotic...but it seems... no, I can't control it..."

With the last scream coming from all the equipment, the light on the top of the metal cylinder standing next to the seat dimmed instantly, the connection terminals of the artificial nerve cord and nerve thorns also disconnected by themselves, and the lights in the laboratory suddenly dimmed , Returning to normal little by little - and Cohen Bell, who was sitting on the chair, was already breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Don't move yet," Pittman pressed Cohen's shoulder, "check the situation first."

After the temporary physical examination, Pittman and Kamel confirmed that the tester was not harmed, and then Pittman shook his head and sighed: "It still didn't work..."

"But it's [-] seconds longer than last time," Kamel buzzed. "This [-] seconds is enough for us to record more data."

"It's true... these data should be of some reference value," Pittman smacked his lips, and looked at Cohen Bell, who was somewhat frustrated. "Is there any difference between this connection and the previous one? What did you see when it was finally disconnected?" gone?"

"Basically there is no change. After the connection, I can instantly feel that my perception has been greatly expanded, but it is mixed with countless indistinguishable... impurities. The information from the auxiliary equipment has not been completely converted into harmless control signals. It has become something I can't understand..." Cohen frowned, as if he didn't know how to describe his feelings for a while, and finally said a word that he thought barely fit, "Something I can't understand 'perception'."

"As we conjectured in our last meeting, the boundaries of human perception will fall into confusion when they are directly exposed to 'strange cognition', and our brains cannot understand how a magic network terminal 'thinks'... This is not It's simply a matter of brain-computer translation," Kamel shook his head, "The connection between the nerve thorns and the brain is deeper than the traditional artificial nerve cord, so that the barrier between the brain and the machine becomes more and more blurred. This 'ambiguity' is the biggest hurdle right now."

"Isn't it too early to want the human brain to directly control the machine..." Pittman stroked the sparse beard on his chin, "Fortunately, the experiment of using the nerve thorns to directly control the magic terminal went smoothly... also counted as this paragraph The time wasted was not wasted."

Pea did not understand what advanced technical concepts Kamel and Pittman were discussing. She just lay on the isolation railing next to the experimental area, leaned her neck and looked at Cohen Bell who was wiping sweat, her eyes widened: " Uncle Cohen, is this what you want me to look at? You look a bit embarrassed..."

Cohen Bell was even more shocked, and subconsciously pressed his hand on his forehead, while a researcher next to him couldn't help but tease: "Please don't be so casual—a little girl laughed at you."

Wan Dou glared at the researcher who spoke, her eyes were full of dissatisfaction—she was about to become an adult, at the age when she was quite sensitive to others treating herself as a child, so she immediately muttered: "Who says I am a child?" Is it a girl? I will be an adult in two years! And what is ridicule? I’m just telling the truth. Uncle Cohen has no problem with it, right Uncle Cohen? By the way, Uncle Cohen, you are still a little pale, yes Is it because you sweat too much and feel uncomfortable? Do you want to..."

Pea crackled and crackled, speaking in such a breathless way that the person involved had no room to interrupt, so that Kamel and Pittman, who were standing by the side, couldn't help taking a small step back, and Pittman still whispered Muttering: "Why didn't we think of installing a switch for her at the time..."

Kamel blinked twice and buzzed: "... I was careless."

……

"Daughter? Do you already have a daughter?" The red-haired dragonborn's eyes widened in surprise, looking at the former leader who had been away for 20 years, but she quickly realized, "Ah, yes, it's already 20 years old. It's been a long time, as a human being, it's a long time, you should start a family... But when you think about it, do you have children now? Have you just learned to speak?"

"Ah, my situation is a bit...complicated," Byron immediately realized that there was some ambiguity in his words, and quickly waved his hand. When he wanted to explain, he realized that his fate with Pea was so special, and his face was full of ambiguity. She couldn't help showing a sentimental smile, "It's my adopted child, who is 15 years old this year. As for just learning to speak...that's because she has been mute for many years."

"Mute?" Azarena was even more surprised, and couldn't help but be more curious in her tone, "Is... healed?"

Byron glanced at Azarena, and suddenly showed a hint of pride on his face: "It's a miracle brought about by magic technology."

"Magic technology..." Azalena frowned slightly, repeated the word softly, and said with a little thought, "This word has also recently spread to the Holy Dragon Principality. It is said...it is the sudden death of the Cecil Empire. The foundation of its rise. A considerable part of our trip to the south is also to see this brand new thing with our own eyes.”

"The magic technology is not the only new thing in this land," Byron said with a smile and pride, "You have been away for 20 years, but just missed all the earth-shattering, and now you are going back to the southern border, believe me, there Everything will leave you stunned."

As he spoke, he raised the wine glass in his hand. In the crystal clear crystal glass container, the dark red wine reflected the light: "Welcome to Cecil."

Azalena raised her glass as well, and there was a clear sound of collision coming from mid-air. After taking a sip of the fine wine, the red-haired dragonborn couldn't help but shook his head with a smile: "I really miss the time when The days of cheap pubs, when big guys poured cup after cup of bad beer out of oak mugs...the shit watered down sucks, but the glasses clink together as much as you want."

Byron smiled, and then took a peek at Victoria, who was talking to Sir Gorosh not far away, and quietly approached Azalena with his upper body, and said in a low voice, "If you are interested, go back to Rin After Winterhold, I’ll invite you to drink something more vigorous——Do you know about Cecil’s frost resistance potion? It’s 52-degree sauce-flavored, drink it with a bucket in your hand, that’s very exciting…”

"I'm looking forward to it," Azarena also moved her upper body closer, smiling in a low voice, "but now tell me about your experiences over the years. What's the name of your adopted daughter? What kind of person is she?" child?"

Byron couldn't help laughing happily: "Her name is Pea, she's a good girl..."

……

In the eastern part of the mainland, night has already enveloped Aldernan.

An inner court nobleman in a dark coat hurriedly walked through the deep and secluded corridors of the Obsidian Palace, the brilliance of the magic spar lamp shone on his face with fine beads of sweat, and the crisp sound of leather boots stepping on the ground One by one pillars and one door after another moved, and finally came to the door of Rosetta Augustus' bedroom.

The inner court guard wearing black light armor and holding a war blade stepped forward and stopped the inner court nobleman: "Lord Bommier, His Majesty is ready to rest, and you have no right to enter the inner palace at this time."

The nobleman of the inner court known as Lord Bomeier looked at the guard in front of him. His face was abnormally pale, and his muscles seemed to be tensed due to excessive tension. More fine beads of sweat oozed from his forehead. His abnormal performance made the heavily armed guards even more vigilant.

"I...I have something important to report to His Majesty immediately," Lord Bommier said with an almost pleading attitude, "It's very important, this matter is really important, and it may be too late Already!"

The inner court guard looked at the man in front of him, and nodded after a short thought: "Your Excellency, I can relay it for you."

"No, I can't say it now... I may only have one chance to speak, and I have to tell His Majesty in person..." Lord Bommier grabbed the hem of his clothes, as if he was being watched from behind by something terrifying , he seems to be using great courage to fight against a certain instinctive fear, but still insists on going to meet Rosetta Augustus, "Please go in and report, at least let His Majesty know that I have been here... ..."

The two guards at the door looked at each other with some embarrassment: "Your Excellency, please don't let us..."

But just as the guard spoke halfway, he was suddenly interrupted by a voice from behind the gate, a gentle but with a certain irrefutable female voice said from behind the door: "Let him in—this is His Majesty The command."

Hearing this voice, the guard immediately stood up straight and responded solemnly: "Yes, Miss Diana."

Afterwards, the gate of the inner court, which was sealed by magic, slid open silently, and the guard at the gate nodded to Lord Bomeier: "You can go in."

Lord Bommier stepped through the gate, and behind the heavy and gorgeous gold-encrusted gate, he saw a young woman with black hair, black eyes, dignified and soft appearance, but a blank and expressionless face, standing beside her. Wearing the dress of the most senior maid, her gaze was quietly falling on herself.

This is the chief maid of the Obsidian Palace, the highest female official in the inner court area, a "maid"—but here, this "maid" symbolizes part of the mouthpiece of Emperor Rosetta.

"Thank you for your help, Miss Diana..." Bomeier said.

"No need," said the head maid of the royal family indifferently, and raised her right hand slightly as she stepped forward, pointing forward, "Please follow me, Your Majesty is already waiting for you."

Chapter 0836 Whistleblowing

The head maid with black hair and black skirt walked in the corridor illuminated by soft lights. The sound of boots hitting the ground rhythmically rang in Lord Bommier's ears. This crisp sound even cooled his overly confused mind a little bit. After coming down, after realizing that his mental state was gradually improving, the inner court nobleman couldn't help but look at the other party: "Miss Diana, thank you for your spiritual comfort..."

"It's easy to do—after all, your state just now is not suitable for meeting His Majesty," the head maid said indifferently, and then stood still in front of the door, "Go in, Your Majesty is already waiting for you."

Before they knew it, they had come to the end of the corridor.

Lord Bommier, who was standing at the door, couldn't help swallowing, and looked at the black gold-patterned wooden door in front of him—this guest room in the bedroom area is very special, and with his title, there is almost no chance to come here , but now Emperor Rosetta sent his head maid to pick him up, and let him meet here...

This caused various speculations to pop up in the Lord's mind.

Then he settled down, knocked lightly on the door, and opened the door to enter after getting permission.

In the room covered with soft and thick carpets, bright lights poured down from the roof, illuminating the furnishings in the reception room. The hero was sitting on a high-backed chair by the window, turning his head and looking at this side.

"Close the door, Lord Bommayer," Rosetta Augustus nodded to the late-night visitor in front of her, "and then sit in this chair and tell me why you chose to come to see me so late."

Lord Bommier immediately turned back and closed the door, then turned around and took two steps forward, sitting opposite Emperor Rosetta, he felt the sweat on his forehead again, and his heart was pounding—he was finally able to When he opened his mouth to speak, however, he found that most of the courage he had accumulated before stepping out of the house had been consumed on this journey. At this moment, every breath he took was weakening his willpower, allowing him to slowly take over the fear of death. upper hand.

The pair of deep eyes of Rosetta the Great stared at this side quietly, and Lord Bommyer's heart was excited. Under the gaze of those eyes, he suddenly mustered up his courage again for a short time, and broke the silence with a particularly hoarse voice: "Your Majesty...Your Majesty, I first ask for your forgiveness. I have acted rebelliously...I can't guarantee that I can finish my sentence, so please remember every key word I said——

"Your Majesty, the Throat of Orendelle! Gawain Cecil has meddled in it! The lair of the heretics! The Eternal Sleeper!"

An icy chill piercing into the soul instantly spread up the spine, and Lord Bommier felt his entire cervical spine tingling like needles, and his brain was buzzing—death was about to come, and he triggered the alarm , his brain must be dying quickly, he is about to pay the price for his greed for power and mysterious knowledge many years ago...

The only thing that is gratifying is that the countless drills in his mind before going out have worked. He successfully uttered all the key words before the brain nerve died in the shortest time, and he didn't come up with any damn "deathbed stay" White", in this way, even if His Majesty the Emperor cannot understand all the content he wants to convey, at least he can conduct a series of investigations based on key words, and then...

Keep that fearsome extraterrestrial rogue at the gates of the Empire.

Lord Beaumel leaned back in his chair quietly, closed his eyes peacefully, and waited for death to come completely.

A few seconds later, he found that he was still breathing, but death did not come as expected.

The brain was throbbing, and the heart felt a little uncomfortable, but it didn't look like a sign of death, but it seemed to be caused by pure tension.

Lord Bommier opened his eyes in confusion. He looked down at his body and subconsciously muttered, "This... I'm not dead?"

"It seems so," the voice of Emperor Rosetta came calmly, and finally Lord Bommier, who was in a daze, found himself again. The latter raised his head and saw that His Majesty the Emperor was watching quietly. Looking at himself, his expression was indifferent with a kind of... playfulness, "Lord Bommyer, you seem to be alive."

Then, before poor Bomeier asked questions, Rosetta waved to the side: "Diana, my lord needs a glass of refreshing iced wine."

The black-haired maid came out from nowhere in the next second, holding a glass of wine that was cooling down, until he took the glass, Lord Bommier didn't seem to realize what happened, he subconsciously Thanks sincerely, he took a sip of the wine almost instinctively, the cold feeling finally allowed him to recover a little thinking ability: "Your Majesty, I..."

"Answer my question first," Rosetta looked into Bommyer's eyes, "were you shrouded in fear of death just now? You have some kind of curse that can kill you - according to what you say Is it activated by a certain keyword? Does it operate with your spirit, or is it something that monitors thoughts, words and deeds?"

"Yes... yes, Your Majesty," Lord Beaumel replied honestly, "it should have been so, but why..."

"This room shields all spiritual spells," Rosetta adjusted her sitting position on the chair, and said calmly, "In fact, it shields almost all magical effects, including curses rooted in itself, and remote spiritual monitoring, causing Psychological cues of suicide, and all the damaging magic that activates over time."

Lord Bommier slowly widened his eyes, with undisguised disbelief on his face.

Rosetta ignored him, but turned to a corner of the room and said, "Ms. Windsor Maple, thank you for your protection—but please continue to maintain the effect of protection. whether the 'curse' of the disease will delay the onset."

It was only then that Bomeier noticed that there was a fourth person in the room—the legendary president of the Mage Association seemed to be standing there all the time, but he didn't see the person in the lavender dress until Rosetta spoke. A graceful and elegant lady walked slowly from there.

The other party held a mysterious magic ball that seemed to be completely condensed by magic power. Runes flowed on the surface of the magic ball. It was the invisible power that it emitted that protected the entire room.

In astonishment, Lord Bommier subconsciously murmured to himself: "Why..."

"Since the day before yesterday, four people have died strangely while trying to 'report the message'," said Windsor Mapel, who held a magic ball in her hand. This legendary mage looked at Bomeier, his eyes full of The eyes of arcane energy seem to be able to see through all the secrets, "The details are amazingly consistent - they seem to try to tell others something before they die, or convey some information through hints and riddles, but just after they put their ideas into The moment of action burns the brain."

"Two of them died in the Obsidian Palace, and the other two went to find Duke Ferdinand and Duke Cervin respectively," Emperor Rosetta continued, "Maybe there are more similar cases—but they haven't been reported yet. Or they accidentally utter a key word at home and die before they even get to the person they want to confide in."

Bomeier was dumbfounded, and a look of fear and panic could not help appearing on his face.

It turns out that he didn't even have the chance to say those well-conceived keywords... Fortunately, when he was practicing at home, he didn't dare to turn the thoughts in his mind into real words and deeds, but only simulated them in the superficial consciousness... …

"After such an incident, the think tank of the Royal Mages Association immediately analyzed the possible reasons. We believe that some kind of crisis has occurred. At the same time, a large number of insiders are trying to warn the royal family, but all insiders are being monitored by some The spells of the mind are controlled, or they are planted with a curse that will be activated automatically with the keywords," Windsor Mapel said unhurriedly, "At present, the spies of the Royal Mages Association and the Rogue Troop are secretly monitoring the entire Arcadia. Durnan, look for potential 'warners' and try to bring them to this room without sacrificing their survival.

"But you came here on your own initiative, Lord Bomile, this is our windfall."

Rosetta nodded, looking into Lord Bomile's eyes: "Fortunately, Ms. Windsor's powerful power successfully blocked the potential curse, which proves that part of our judgment is correct, and you, Bomile My lord... Now let’s prove that another part of our judgment is also correct. Tell me in detail what those key words mean, and what kind of crisis is threatening my empire?"

Lord Bommier blinked, and finally calmed down after thoroughly understanding the situation. With a kind of indifference and a trace of gratitude that transcended life and death, he smiled wryly, and said calmly: "Your Majesty, I have been overwhelmed by power and knowledge. Bewitched, accepting a 'gift' that shouldn't be accepted, I... am an 'eternal sleeper'.

"Your Majesty, there is a secret lair in the Throat of Orendelle, which is shrouded in a powerful force field of spiritual suggestion and a large-scale dream restriction, and has been ignored by everyone for a long time..."

……

In the north and south of Alder, and in the south of the Shadow Swamp, a black-painted mana train is quietly stopping beside the newly built platform.

This is the earliest site of the Mana Train completed in the Typhon Empire, and it is also one of the transportation hubs leading to the Cecil Empire next door.

As early as the Ansu era, when the Cecil Empire was still the "Principality of Cecil", related projects had already started. At that time, the Grand Duke Cecil signed a trade agreement with the Typhon Empire to pass a railway line at the foot of the Dark Mountains Connecting to Typhon is the beginning of the "modern trade" between the two empires—and the station here today is an extension of the old railway, and it is also one of the projects of the "Cecil Railway Investment Company" in Typhon.

The high-power magic spar lamp was hung high on the lamp post in the center of the platform, and the light projected dispelled the darkness around the station, and also illuminated the dark surface of the mechanical giant python. The huge and heavy steel machinery It looks like a dormant giant beast, with cold and rigid lines outlined by the artificial lights. The staff inspecting the site and overhauling the machinery are walking around in the light. Looking from a distance, they look as small as a giant beast coiled around it. The insects and ants are average.

For Typhon, who has just started the magic train and railway project, this advanced and expensive precision thing is far from the stage of large-scale civilian use. In most cases, it is only swallowed by the industrial cities in the hinterland of the empire. The transportation line used for raw materials, and the tools used to transport goods with Cecil, plus it was late at night, and the only civilian train on this line had also stopped, resulting in the huge platform being quite sparsely staffed.

Two workers patrolling the platform were handing over in front of the train—the last train of the day was about to leave for Cecil, full of textiles and alchemy raw material preparations produced by Typhon, and there was no other train tonight There are other trips, so that the staff seem lazy.

A figure swayed past the rear of the train and entered the huge industrial machinery.

The lights in the corresponding area may have some malfunctions, and they are extremely dim, and the patrol personnel can't even see any of them.

Wearing a black coat with a gentle temperament and a monocle, Yuri walked briskly in the "corridor" made of steel. In the nearby shadows, several pairs of eyes raised from the darkness, and quickly dropped again.

Stepping into the last carriage, more eyes were cast from the side.

"All the people have boarded the train," Yuri said in a low voice concisely, "there is still 15 minutes to go, in order to prevent checkpoints and people from Typhon getting on the train, we must try our best until the train stops at Baisha Station. Avoid making noise, let alone cross the penultimate carriage, everyone be prepared."

"I've already explained it," Wendy's soft voice came from the side, "How's the situation outside?"

"Don't worry," Yuri said in a low voice, "there are several key persons in charge and half of the front-line technicians here are Cecilians—the technical handover and training cycle is not over yet, and the Typhonians need Cecilians Here, they are taught how to control these huge and complex machinery and manage the railway system, so everyone who touches this train is reliable tonight."

Wendy exhaled lightly, and then slowly swept her gaze across the carriage. She recalled the shock she felt when she first saw this magical machine, and recalled the "station" outside that was filled with a lot of incredible technologies. , couldn't help but whispered: "This is really an unimaginable creation..."

"Yeah, if it's not impossible, I really hope to study how this thing moves," Yuri Charvin sighed, "I hope I can have a chance when I get to 'there'..."

"I'd rather meet that Miss Jibri the Witch, and watch the Magic Web broadcast," Wendy chuckled. Counting people hear at the same time."

Yuri shook his head immediately: "Don't even think about it, I'm afraid your singing will drag people into an eternal sleep."

Wendy immediately retorted: "I can sing normally, Archbishop Yuri."

"The archbishop... let's give up this title from now on," Yuri said in a low tone as he sat down on a nearby crate, "calling the name directly, forgetting the past, or simply adding 'Mr.' and 'Ms.' ' is also a good title..."

"It's a good idea," Wendy nodded lightly, "But Mr. Uri, you are sitting on Mr. Magnum's head, and he's probably started to curse."

"Anyway, I can't hear it," Yuri patted the crate under his body lightly, with an indifferent expression on his face, "and this is just a 'remain'."

Wendy shook her head helplessly, then opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but her expression changed slightly the next moment.

Almost at the same time, Yuri's expression changed slightly.

All the bishops and above the Eternal Sleepers received an urgent notice from Megoll III at this moment——

Mentally deranged from the Sleeper network.

"The Whistleblower," appeared.