Restart the laboratory in the Fortress of Disobedience.
To be honest, this idea really surprised Gawain. He looked at Kamel in great surprise: "I remember... we have moved several laboratories in the Disobedience Fortress. Empty."
"We moved away the samples and most of the movable equipment, but what I mean is the laboratories themselves," Kamel explained his thoughts. "There is one in the Fortress of Disobedience. There is a divine protection and early warning system integrated with the building. This system cannot be dismantled, and it can still be used. This system uses those mysterious 'exotic technologies', which can effectively resist the power of gods. When we cut up the carcass of the giant deer Amorn, the system had already proven its effectiveness - we could conduct experiments inside the protective system."
"Will this system interfere with it?" Did the judgment mechanism of "God's Punishment" lead to inaccurate final experimental results?" Gawain asked, "If it blocks the perception of the God of Holy Light...then even if we safely activate the Holy Light Rune in the Disobedience Fortress, it does not prove that This process is safe in the current world."
A voice with strange resonance came from Kamel's body: "You don't have to worry about this. The protection system has no shielding function, it only has a protective function."
Gawain pondered for a moment and nodded slightly: "You are an expert in this area, and I agree with your plan. But there is one last hidden danger... The Fortress of Disobedience is located in the Shadow Realm, which is where we are currently. In a world where you can't travel freely, there is currently only one thousand-year-old magic door in Gondor that can open the passage to the Shadow Realm, and we haven't figured out how that door suddenly reopened, so once it is in the experimental process. The connection between the two worlds weakens and the magic door collapses, and the experimenters in the Shadow Realm will be trapped inside forever."
This is undoubtedly a huge hidden danger, and it will have terrible consequences. ——Explorers who are good at taking risks (seeking death) may have become accustomed to encountering "accidents" such as the collapse of magic gates, turbulence in time and space, and ancient seals when exploring magical ruins. They even regard such accidents of resignation as some kind of "accidents". "Exciting romance", but for Gawain, everything that cannot be explained by technical means, unknown and uncontrollable must be avoided.
Kamel had obviously thought about this issue in advance, and he answered quickly: "We have indeed not fully analyzed the link between the shadow world and the real world, but after more than a year, With my efforts, I have repaired the monitoring system of the 'Shadow Portal' and added an early warning mechanism to it - by monitoring the fluctuations of the shadow realm, we can predict the collapse of the shadow channel at least one hour in advance. One hour...at least enough to evacuate people."
As a senior technician who has survived from the ancient Gondor period, Kamel has different feelings towards the Disobedience Fortress, and he also has a different feeling for it. He understands the technical value of that fortress better. He has been trying to find ways to dig out the valuable technical heritage from the severely damaged fortress and pay more attention to the quiet building on the bottom of the fortress.The research on the shadow portal is one of the projects he has been working on so far.
It is a pity that the current high-end talents in the territory are not enough. On projects involving the Disobedient Fortress, there are very few people who can study with Kamel.
Hearing Kamel's answer, Gawain breathed out softly: "In this case... let's do it, we need to understand the secret of magic."
...
In Saint-Sunil City, in the Cathedral of the Holy Light, the old Pope is listening to the latest news conveyed by the bishops.
“…The flames of war have burned into the Holy Spirit Plains. The Eastern Legion may break through the King’s defense line before the Harvest Festival and advance to the area around the giant wood crossing. Affected by the war, a large number of displaced refugees are in the plains. Wandering... Our communication with the Eastern Diocese has also become more and more difficult."
"In the central, western and northern parts of the Holy Spirit Plain, the situation is better, and the panicked people and small nobles are getting more and more. The more people go to churches to seek solace..."
"The activities of cultists have not decreased, especially in the eastern part of the plains, where the death of all things appears frequently. Coupled with the pressure of injuries and illnesses caused by the war, the local nobles We welcome our team of priests..."
"This war is sighing," the voice of Pope St. Ivan III echoed in the Great Hall of Light. The old pope was deeply trapped in In his seat, the holy light shines on his compassionate face, "Internal fighting, fighting for power, and grabbing profits have caused innocent people to be involved in blood and fire... The outbreak of this war has proved one thing: if there is no With the guidance of the Lord, people will eventually be trapped by ignorance."
After making the conclusion, the old pope raised his head and looked down at a tall bishop: "Bishop Megall, Central Region. Is the operation to eradicate heresies going smoothly? "
"The faith in the central diocese has become increasingly purified, and we have defeated several counterattacks organized by the Apostolic Church," the bishop known as Megol lowered his head. , said respectfully, "Most of them fled to the east, and the rest fled into the mountains and forests of the west, or fled to the south."
"Very good, continue your work," the Pope nodded slightly Said, his slightly muddy eyes swept across the entire Great Hall of Light, "...We must lead people to the right path. This war has given us a warning - ideological differences make people fall into the struggle for power. If there is a unified belief, the situation may not be so deteriorating. If the Church of Alien God cannot do this, then we can only do it.”
Stand on the side of the Pope. Next to her, Veronica Moen turned her gaze slightly and glanced at the old pope.
“Our influence in the Eastern Territory is very small,” the old pope continued. “Although we have spent hundreds of years, the Laurent family still refuses the church to go too deep into the Eastern Territory, especially after the war broke out. , the situation in the eastern diocese is accelerating... According to recent intelligence, Edmund Moen's attitude towards the church is even worse than that of the Lorens, and he has begun to publicly expel the church's pastors."
Veronica lowered her head slightly: "I'm sorry for what Edmund did."
"This is not your responsibility. The prince was so obsessed with profit that he may have lost his most basic judgment. "The old pope shook his head and continued, "In view of the current situation, I think it is time to withdraw the bishops of the Eastern Diocese."
The pope's voice fell, and the Great Light Hall suddenly rang. A slight commotion.
The bishops looked at each other, and then discussed in low voices. It was obvious that the Pope’s decision even exceeded their expectations. The holy light lingering around these bishops also swayed with the commotion, and merged with the crowd. The "sea of holy light clouds" rippling on the roof of the Hall of Light mixed and entangled together, emitting bursts of buzzing.
Veronica raised her head and looked at the entangled and turbulent scene of the Holy Light. Then she heard the old Pope beside her cough lightly.
The turbulent Holy Light quickly calmed down and became unified again. The discussion of the bishops' conference ended. A bishop seemed to take a step forward as a representative: "Your Majesty, before withdrawing to the Eastern Territory After the Bishops Conference...what other plans do you have?"
"This war...is causing pain to innocent people," the Pope lowered his eyelids, the holy light lingering around him rising, and the great light. The sea of holy light and clouds on the roof of the hall merged into one, which made every word he said seem to contain endless power. "Only unified faith can eliminate these blind and ignorant differences. For this reason, we need to use more direct methods." To combat heresy...the Crusaders will join this war."
The bishops were in commotion again, but this time, their discussion was shorter because they had already heard that the Pope was going to withdraw. The Eastern Bishops Conference had vaguely anticipated such a development.
A bishop with white beard and hair stood up: "Your Majesty, will we support the king?"
"The priest who was expelled by the rebels in the east is already a saint. Enemies of light," the old pope said in a low and majestic voice, "for the cause of the Lord, it is necessary for us to end our neutrality and join the camp of the king."
The needle can be heard in the Great Hall of Light. .
Since the founding of Anzu, religious neutrality has been one of the basic rules for the operation of this country.
What belongs to the king belongs to the king, and what belongs to the pope belongs to the pope. The royal family has no right to direct the operation of the Holy See, and the church cannot affect the rule of the royal family. This is the leader of the pioneer army and the leaders of the pioneer army who overcame all obstacles and worked hand in hand to break out of the wasteland after the pioneering. A commitment shared by church leaders.
However, this rule is about to be broken - the Holy Light Church, which has the strongest military strength among all sects, will participate in this civil war in the kingdom. The participation of the Holy Army means that the Holy See is no longer a complete A neutral organization that does not involve royal power.
After this, regardless of the final outcome of this war, the church's status and influence in Anzu will completely change.
If it were before the civil war, the Ansu royal family would never allow this, even if the Crusaders were in the name of "supporting the royal family"The same is true for participating in the war, because it means that the church is extending its hands to places where it should not be extended, but in this situation... Wang ** is showing defeat under the heavy pressure of the rebels in the east, and there has been news from the south recently. After receiving even more disturbing news for the royal family, the two regent dukes in Silver Castle and the nominal heirs of this country will have no choice.
Veronica stood calmly next to St. Ivan III. The expression on her face did not change. The bishops had no way of judging from the expression of this "Saint Princess" Judging from her attitude towards this matter, they could not guess whether there was any shadow of the royal family behind this matter, but they could at least confirm one thing:
The royal family is not opposed to all this.
"Your Majesty, your thoughts are profound," the tall Bishop Megall said loudly, "For the cause of the Lord, it is time for the Crusaders to preach with swords."
Another bishop expressed a hint of worry: "But in this way, our priests and believers in the eastern diocese who are too late to evacuate may be liquidated by the rebels in the east."
" While withdrawing the bishops, we will also arrange for the evacuation of ordinary priests and missionaries - Edmund Moen is hostile to the church. This is the best reason for us to withdraw the priests," the old pope said quietly, "As for the believers ...The Lord will take care of their souls."
...
The meeting in the Great Hall of Light ended.
The bishops left in order, and soon only the old St. Ivan III and Veronica Moen, who was quietly standing beside the Pope's seat, were left in this vast hall. .
After a brief silence, the pope’s old voice came to Veronica’s ears: “Veronica, do you also think that the Crusade’s participation in the war is a challenge to Anzu’s traditional order? ?”
The Holy Princess was silent for two seconds and replied calmly: “This matter is beneficial to both parties - the church will be able to further develop, and the king will have the opportunity to reverse the decline on the battlefield, both of them The Duke Regent will make the right judgment. In my opinion...the times have changed, Your Majesty, and the traditional order cannot be compromised in the face of the changes of the times."
"Yes, the times have changed. Things have changed, and there are new threats in the new era... But the threats are far more than just one," the Pope sighed, with only a sigh in his voice, "What is the situation in the south?"
"It's full of fog."