Winter is over.
Deep in the Pinnacle Base, in a room with closed doors and windows, a Magic Network terminal is running.
The room was empty. The thick curtains blocked the light from the sky, making the whole room inexplicably dark. The white noise projection when the Magic Network terminal was running was like a lamp with insufficient brightness. , casting shadows of shadow on pieces of furniture.
On the only wooden table in the house, the printing machine connected to the Magic Network terminal was making a creaking sound. A piece of white paper was pushed into the machine by the paper feeding mechanism, and then a message came from afar. It is printed on paper and sent to the printout port.
At the front end of the machine, a small stack of printed information has accumulated.
Suddenly, the information on the table floated, as if being held up by a pair of invisible hands, and the papers began to flip.
After a while, the information was placed on the table again, and the automatically running Magic Network terminal gradually became quiet. A weak wind drifted through the empty room, and the curtains not far away shook. Suddenly, with a little brightness in the room, everything returned to silence.
In the center of the base, Gawain was looking through the technical information from Elf Magister Banner - due to the shortened construction period, the auxiliary tower and related facilities responsible for the Cecil Principality will be completed ahead of schedule. The auxiliary tower is currently under construction The later installation and debugging of the magic device was underway, and several purification nodes were mostly completed. In order to ensure that this crucial project could be completed smoothly, Gawain did not dare to relax at this moment.
An invisible wind suddenly blew into the room, and Gawain felt a familiar breath appear at the window. He rolled up a ball of paper and threw it over. With a sound of "Oops", the next second he Seeing Amber emerging from the air, he fell off the window sill in embarrassment.
——The windows at the Pinnacle Base are specially made. The windowsills are narrow and have a concave and convex sealing structure, so mouse traps cannot be placed. This is something that Gawain regrets very much.
"What's going on?" Gawain raised his eyelids and glanced at the half-elf who was getting up from the ground. "It's rare that you come here at this time."
Amber stood up and took pictures. Patting his clothes, he came to Gawain's desk as if nothing happened just now: "I just received a batch of intelligence from the north - there are a few things that I feel are wrong."
" Information from the north..." Gawain put down the information in his hand and said, "Tell me about it."
"Since the end of the Wrigley Moon, a large-scale purge of cultists has begun in the Eastern Territory Controlled Area. I began to speculate whether it was Prince Edmund's 'acting', and guessed that he was trying to deceive others, but according to the latest information, so far the Eastlanders have captured hundreds of believers in the death of all things and destroyed dozens of them. The secret altar where dark rituals were held in secret, intelligence personnel initially judged that the secret altar and evidence of heresy are genuine."
"...It seems that there is cooperation between Edmund and the All-Death Society. The relationship is indeed not that close..." Gawain frowned slightly., "But just because of my warning letter, is the reaction from the East Territory too great? Considering that Edmund had at least a certain degree of cooperation with the Society for the Death of All Things before, he received a warning letter from me There was such a big move immediately after the letter, which is very suspicious..."
"The more suspicious thing is still behind," Amber had a strange expression on his face, "Can you believe it - from the last As of now, in the royal family-controlled area of the Holy Spirit Plains confrontation zone, the noble army has captured more cultists and destroyed more secret altars than in the East!"
Gawain blinked! , he didn’t react for a while, but when he did, his first feeling was how could this be possible——
The old nobles in the north suddenly stopped being their losers. There are things more suspicious than this in the world. What? !
Is my previous warning letter really that effective? The nobles of Ansu suddenly realized the dangers of the death of all things and decided to unite to punish rape and eliminate evil? Victoria Wilder instantly completed the ideological transformation project of the old aristocracy?
Gawain would rather believe that those believers in the death of all things who were found committed suicide!
"What exactly happened?" Gawain looked into Amber's eyes, "I don't believe that those old nobles suddenly improved their efficiency."
As expected, Amber has something else to say: " The reason why the Eastern Territory and the royal family are so efficient is because someone reported it?" Gawain frowned, "Didn't it come from the Military Intelligence Bureau officer you sent out?"
“Only the first few times were reported by our operators, but after the end of the Frost Moon, the number of reports suddenly increased sharply, and clues about cultists were sent to the local lords almost every day. The operators used It took a long time to find out the identities of the informants - guess who they are?"
A strange thought suddenly appeared in Gao Wen's mind: "...it can't be that all things will die by themselves, right? ?"
"Yes, it's really them - and the situation is extremely weird! The people who were reported were all at the scene after the dark ceremony, and all the believers in the death of all things who participated in the ceremony were dead. He committed suicide during the ceremony, so strictly speaking, whether it was the royal family or the Eastern Territory, what they 'caught' after receiving clues were only the corpses of cultists who had already performed the ceremony..."
Amber also Before he finished speaking, Gawain's eyebrows suddenly trembled.
How could this really be suicide...
Then he realized that there was something extremely disturbing and strange behind this ridiculous situation——
< p>This is like some kind of secret, continuous, large-scale sacrificial ceremony! Those cultists are sacrificing themselves on a large scale!There is no doubt that Amber, who often handles all kinds of intelligence, can also think of this. The half-elf also showed a serious expression on his face: "It looks like a large-scale sacrifice, right- —Cultists in the Holy Spirit Plains have held at least hundreds of dark rituals that require participants to commit suicide in the past two months. There may be as many as thousands of Doomsday believers who have completed it.A sacrifice! "
"Yes, a sacrifice, this is undoubtedly a sacrifice," Gawain's brows frowned unknowingly. He couldn't help pressing his hand on the table, his voice was low and serious, "But why should they report... take the initiative to expose the altars and strongholds that were finally built secretly after the sacrifice... Unless it is required for the ritual... Wait, it does not have to be a ritual! "
A bright light seemed to suddenly flash in Gawain's mind. He suddenly raised his head and stared into Amber's eyes: "Have all the discovered corpses been burned? ”
“Only part of it was burned – two-thirds were burned by the people from the East, and less than one-third was burned by the royal family and nobles, and most of the rest were thrown directly into the chaos. They were buried in graves or even thrown into the wild. Although their respective high-ranking lords have issued orders that all corpses must be burned and all altars purified with holy water, you should know how poorly the execution efficiency of those lower-level knights and noble soldiers is," Amber said while already guessing Gawain thought, “Do you think those cultists are using corpses after sacrificial rituals as a source of pollution? "
"Dark Druid is very good at spreading plague with flesh and blood remains..." Gawain said quickly, "But no, there is still a problem... This still does not explain why they must be sacrificing Then 'report'... This will cause some of the corpses that could have been a source of pollution to be burned and purified! ”
Gawain had already stood up from behind the desk. He frowned and thought while walking slowly behind the desk, guessing that the cultists must make the remains, altars, and strongholds public after the sacrifices. Intention, and while thinking hard, he suddenly thought of something: he thought that Victoria Wilder and Edmund Morn were both "wise men" among the traditional aristocrats, and that they had obtained the support of the cultists. The orders that may be given after the intelligence——
“After discovering the information about the cultists, do the local lords and their escort knights have to go to the scene in person? ! ”
“Yes, this is an order given by the Duchess of Victoria, and Edmund Morn also has a similar order. This is to prevent the lower nobles and knights from perfunctory work, and to ensure that they can at least Come to the scene in person..." Amber said, her speaking speed suddenly slowed down, and her subsequent words finally merged into an exclamation, "...Oh my god..."
Gawain took a slow breath: " Something big is going to happen - when the cultists take the initiative to expose the altars and strongholds they have operated for many years, it means that their ritual has reached the final step. ”
He cursed secretly in his heart: Damn it, everyone just fell into the pit!!
Who would have thought that those lunatics who talk about the death of all things all day long would hold this ceremony. The last step of the sacrificial ceremony is to report yourself!
"I'm afraid it's too late to remind the duchess and the prince now. At least half of the noble lords and knights in the conflict zone in the eastern part of the Holy Spirit Plain have already been informed. Infected by something," Amber also realized the horror of the situation, her tone was urgentGet up, "But do you think Duchess Victoria and Prince Edmund have realized that something is wrong? They are not stupid..."
"They are indeed not stupid, but if the cultists start from the grassroots If the villages and towns start the operation without entering the big cities and bypassing all the royal family and secondary fiefdoms, then the news from all parties will not reach Victoria and Edmund's ears in just one and a half to two months. "
Amber's eyes widened: "Why?"
Gawain looked at her and said word by word: "Because 'my vassal's vassal is not my vassal'."< /p>
Then he returned to his desk and quickly pulled out a piece of paper: "Whether it's too late or not, you have to remind the North - you can send this letter directly to Rock Fortress and ask them to use griffon messengers. The quick griffin messenger sent a message to Wang ** and the Eastern Army. In addition, all the Military Intelligence Bureau operators operating in the conflict zone were withdrawn to the Rock Fortress, temporarily isolated, and a full set of magical, curse, and disease treatments were carried out. After the inspection, we will enter the city. The staff at the Chamber of Commerce will also make arrangements. Starting today, all the Rock Fortress and the Glen Pass will be closed, and the sensitivity of all magic sensor towers in the border area will be turned to the highest level."
He said. He quickly wrote an urgent letter, and then continued while stamping his mark: "I must return to Cecil City - you go back with me."
Amber blinked: "Then What to do with the project here?"
"The project here is nearing completion. Bruce Panshi and Magister Banner will ensure that it is completed smoothly," Gawain said. "The most important thing now is to ensure the southern border. Stabilize and find ways to grasp the situation in the northern region. If there is a problem in the southern region... there will be no projects."
After finishing speaking, Gawain thought carefully again, looking for whether he had missed anything. , and finally added: "Ask Sonia to send them to the western camp. If the situation in the north really deteriorates and there is a problem on Duke Baldwin Franklin's side, we will take over the project of the western camp."
He was thinking of the cultists hiding in the wasteland, worried that the situation in the north was just a smokescreen for the Death of All Things, and worried that their real purpose was to destroy the barrier.
......
At the same time, there was a small town in the royal family-controlled area in the eastern part of the Holy Spirit Plain.
The winter snow is gradually melting, and this year’s Recovery Moon seems to be warmer than in previous years. The pattering snow drips down the roofs and towers, and almost all the roads in the town become wet. The residents who had been hiding in their houses all winter took to the streets one after another. In this month that symbolizes hope, they planted an ear of wheat saved from last year on the door of their house - in Ansu folk custom, This means praying for a full year.
A pair of elf sisters with almost identical looks were walking on the streets of a small town.
They have beautiful looks and gorgeous clothes. Whether it is their outstanding appearance or their identity as elves, they do not seem to appear in such a remote town.Characters, yet they seemed like acquaintances in the town, strolling on the wet streets.
Some of the pedestrians coming and going seemed to ignore the pair of eye-catching elves, while others would stop and greet them with a smile.
"The season of recovery is so good," the elf sisters said in unison as they walked and watched. They didn't know whether they were speaking to each other or their unique "self-talk", "Cold days Once it's over, new shoots will grow soon."
A man in soldier armor passed by them. Hearing this, he stopped slightly and bowed slightly like a gentleman: "Yes, new shoots. It's about to grow out."
"Your new armor is so beautiful."
The elf sister said with a smile, walking briskly through the streets.
On both sides of the street, there are young women arranging the ears of wheat stuck on the door, men repairing farm tools, craftsmen drinking and chatting, apprentices yawning and walking out of the house, everyone with a smile on their face. He smiled peacefully and greeted the passing elf sisters.
"Good morning, Miss Leerna."
"Good morning, Miss Filna."
"Good morning, Uncle Sam - you His beard is so energetic.”
“Good morning, Aunt Poppy, it’s a beautiful day today”
The smiles on the faces of the elf sisters are bright and bright, and they call them Bo. The peasant woman than her aunt stopped playing with the ears of wheat and straightened up with a little confusion, but then she smiled the next second: "Yes, it's a really nice day today."
"Resuscitation Seeing the sun on the first day of the month means that you will have enough food for the next year," the elf sister said with a bright smile, "right?"
The peasant woman's smile became brighter: "Yes, they will fill their stomachs..."
Everyone laughed brightly.
Men, women, craftsmen, apprentices, soldiers, civilians, people on the street laughed one after another.
They grinned, and under their lips, the neat crystals sparkled.
(emmmmm...please vote for me!!!)