Solderin, who went to the north to investigate the situation, sent back intelligence - with the help of secret relay devices set up along the river bank, the Iron Ranger advance team has always maintained communication with the magic network in the south, at a convenient remote location With the support of communication, Gawain immediately knew the situation of the "crystal monsters" encountered by the high-level rangers.
To be honest, he hoped that this report would never be sent to him.
“...We encountered those monsters in the Dolan Hills area northeast of Pompeii Territory... They looked like humans made of flesh and crystal, but they were stronger and taller than humans. They seemed They have strong physical fitness and certain spell-casting abilities, but their specific combat capabilities are not yet clear - currently it is only known that burners are very effective against them.
"According to the remaining clues, those monsters should come from further north. Wandering in the direction... found a village that was attacked, but the villagers showed no signs of infection, and the source of the pollution should not be nearby...
"...The local lords and their troops responded to the royal call and went to the front line. It is said that they have No news has come back for a long time..."
Solderlin in the holographic projection meticulously reported the situation in the north. The background behind him was a temporary camp built at the foot of the leeward rock, made of steel. The Ranger soldiers were vigilantly guarding not far away. Due to the small number of relay nodes, the communication picture was slightly interfered with distortion, but Gawain could still see the obvious look of worry on the face of the high-level ranger.
Contact in large areas has been interrupted, the whereabouts of local lords are unknown, and strange flesh and blood crystal cluster monsters wander out from the areas where contact has been lost... No matter which characteristic points to the worst possibility.
After completing the report, the senior ranger asked for the next order: "Should we continue to move forward?"
"Continue to move forward to the outside of the giant wood crossing - but if we encounter If there are too many 'crystal infected', they will return immediately," Gawain commanded in a deep voice, "Be careful to set up relay devices and small-scale magic nets along the way... The magic net units and small relay devices you carry are enough. "
"The relay device is enough. As for the Magic Network... we can directly install some of the relay devices in the mills and manors of local lords. The Magic Network is more popular in the central and eastern areas of the plains. Gao, the energy here is not a problem."
Gao Wen nodded, and then made some more detailed inquiries and arrangements before hanging up the communication.
He raised his head and looked at the people gathered in the room.
Of course Hetty, Byron, Philip, Amber, Rebecca and others were present, but in addition, "technical staff" such as Kamel and Pitman were also summoned here. .
“Now it is certain that the large-scale destruction of the All-Death Society has begun, and the situation is probably more serious than we imagined - no matter how incompetent the nobles in the northern region are, they cannot let it go Groups of monsters without concealing their whereabouts are crossing their territory. This situation can only mean one thing -The noble lords in the eastern part of the Holy Spirit Plain have lost control of the situation," Gawain said solemnly, while his eyes looked at the precise map hanging on the wall next to the entire territory of Ansu. On that map On the top, the eastern part of the Holy Spirit Plain is marked with a big red circle. "The biggest problem now is that we are not sure how big the out-of-control area is, how many 'crystal infections' there are, and what the respective situations of the royal family and the Eastern Territory are." . ”
As he spoke, what came to Gawain’s mind was not only the hand-drawn map of Ansu, but also the overhead perspective from the satellite.
However, even with the assistance of the satellite perspective , what he can see this time is still limited.
Since last week, the entire giant wood crossing area has been shrouded in thick fog. Although the fog has dissipated, the clouds still affect it. Looking down at the satellite's sight, there was serious picture interference and distortion in the overhead view. It seemed that the entire eastern part of the Holy Spirit Plain was shrouded in a powerful energy field, and a similar situation... He was only looking at the Gondor Wasteland.
Of course, he could not see anything. In areas where the distortion was not so severe and the interference from clouds and smoke was relatively light, he could see traces of the outbreak of battle. He arrived at some messy battlefields - but due to lack of clarity, he could not be sure whether those battle marks were caused by monster attacks or normal battles between the king and the east.
"The news came from Baisha Mining. The latest news is that the social order in the East is still normal, but there is indeed a disturbing atmosphere spreading," Hetty said at this time, "Marquis Belk Laurent never returned after going to Solinburg, and many people in the East stayed behind. The nobles were gathering frequently, visiting each other, and sending messengers. It seemed that they had also cut off contact with the front line. Holm, who is in charge of the White Sands area, believes that the situation may further deteriorate - even if there is no external enemy attack, the nobles left behind in the east may fall into civil strife after losing control and threaten the safety of the mines. "
At this point, she couldn't help but add with a weird expression: "The local nobles near the White Sand Hills seem to...never like our mining methods very much. "
"White Sand Hills...it is close to the Grenn area and is a gap," Gawain pondered briefly, then looked at Rebecca, "Has the modification of the 'Iron Throne' been completed? ”
Rebecca’s eyes were bright and she looked excited: “The armor plate has been welded, and the rail gun group and incineration device have also been installed! It is currently undergoing control and balance testing at the depot - but if you feel it is necessary, you can drive it directly to Gulen, and subsequent testing can also be completed there..."
Short-term After thinking about it, Gawain nodded: "Drive to Glen and be on standby at any time. "
Then he paused again and turned his head to Byron.
"Where are the Pioneer, Aurora, and Morning Star now? "
"Arrived at Panshi Port. ”
“You go immediately, and no matter whether Solderin is there or not in three daysWhen the new information came, they all set sail immediately, crossed the Rock Fortress, and went north along the Dorgon River into the Holy Spirit Plain, ready to support the Ranger advance team at any time. In addition, I have previously ordered Sir Walder to prepare a group of mechanical ships to receive refugees. They are still on standby at the port. Those ships are also under your command - if the situation really develops in the worst direction, you Will use those boats. ”
When this order was issued, even the veteran knight, who had always been carefree and unconventional, showed a serious look on his face.
If the Military Intelligence Bureau officers are still intelligence personnel, if the Iron Rangers are still just a small group of soldiers performing spy work, then once the three magical mechanical warships cross the Rock Fortress and enter the Dorgon River, the meaning will be completely different.
The integration from the southern border will be completely different. After the war ended, the flag of the Principality of Cecil was hung on the Rock Fortress, and this land closed its door. The nobles in the Holy Spirit Plains and further north all speculated on what kind of power was brewing in this mysterious land. Speculating on what kind of world was behind the steel-covered wall, they sent out various spies and made various efforts. However, in the face of Cecil's strict social system, all attempts to pry open the door were blocked. All efforts to open this gate have been in vain -
Now, its gate is finally about to open.
Those plains nobles who are staring at the southern border longingly, You will get your wish to see what is behind the door.
"Yes," Byron accepted the order in a deep voice, but after a brief moment of seriousness, he couldn't help but laugh, "I guess Dole. The nobles of the plains along the Gon River would be panicking - if they were still alive. Of course, it is more likely that they do not recognize our advanced warships at all..."
"This is a serious occasion," Philip immediately interrupted Byron with a straight face, and then looked at Gawain, "Sir , what about the Army Combat Corps? "
"On standby for now. "
The current information is still insufficient. Gawain is not yet sure how serious the pollution or "curse" is in the eastern part of the plain. He is not sure how the strange "crystal clusters" spread, nor is he sure In the case of the regional kings or the eastern army, it is not wise to rush to send ground troops in a state of severe lack of intelligence.
On the other hand, the powerful magic warships have almost the same effect in this era. It has unstoppable power and excellent survivability. At the same time, a warship sailing on the water can also greatly avoid the "plague" threat from land. Even if it does encounter a situation, it has the ability to return quickly.
After considering these two factors, he decided to let the magic warship enter the Dorgon River first. While going north along the river to confirm the situation in the Holy Spirit Plain, he established reliable naval gun support in the river to provide land troops with advance support. Entry conditions, after this, until Solderin collects more intelligence, he will consider allowing subsequent tanks and infantry to enter the "contaminated zone" that may already be very dangerous...
——The area where Wang** and Dongjing confront each other is located at the giant wood crossing in the east of the Holy Spirit Plain. Although it belongs to the eastern part of the plain, it is actually very close to the central area, and the Dorgon River happens to pass through that area, so the river channel The naval guns in it can provide effective support for ground troops on the east coast.
The meeting ended and most people left the conference room, but Kamel and Pitman were left behind by Gawain.
"What do you think about the 'crystal infected' mentioned by Solderin?" Gawain's eyes were between the two masters (although one of them seemed to be very knowledgeable) He scanned it and finally landed on Kamel, "It does sound very similar to the 'Godly Evil' back then, but the details seem to be different?"
"Yes, it's the same as in my memory. The abominations are different." Kamel nodded and made a buzzing sound. "The abominations we made back then, even the ones with the most serious crystallization infection, only had crystals appearing in the main joints, and at the same time, along with the body's It was swollen and distorted, but according to Solderin, the 'infected' he saw had more than 50% crystal coverage on its body, and was almost a creature made of a mixture of crystals and organic matter..."
He paused for a moment and then said: "This gives me a very weird feeling. Our research on divine evil back then was to try to reduce the 'alienation' tendency of the carriers, so that they could carry the divine evil While using the evil factor to become more human, what Solderin saw... went to the other extreme, trying to make people... inhuman."
"This. Perhaps it is what they call 'great evolution' - abandoning the human body and embracing a new form brought about by mutation." Gawain shook his head and turned to Pitman, "Based on your understanding, you think this 'infection' may Through what means is it spread? In other words, what kind of prevention method is the most effective? "No matter how weird the 'plague spell' of the Death of All Things looks, it is still a plague in nature, and the spread of the plague is not There are several other ways - water, food, air, and the use of cursed corpses for pollution. Airborne transmission is the most efficient way, but it can usually only spread relatively weak plagues and is easily dispelled by ritual spells. , followed by water and food. These two methods are most favored by the Death of All Creatures, but boiling drinking water and thoroughly heating food can effectively deal with it. As for the last one... the cursed corpse has the strongest pollution power, because the flesh and blood are the most powerful. It is an excellent casting material in itself, so our various types of burners are very necessary: all corpses must be burned, regardless of friend or foe, noble or humble. It is always safest to burn them to ashes in the shortest time, and before burning Minimize close or direct contact as much as possible - if you have to contact, you must take isolation measures and use detection spells to confirm safety."
Gawain touched his chin: "It sounds like nothing. Special..."
"For us, for people in the south, maybe so, but in the Holy Spirit Plains, these transmission routesAny one of them is fatal enough." Pitman put away his usual rude look, twirling his beard and sighing in a low voice, "The firewood needed to boil a pot of water is enough to replace half a loaf of bread, and it's because of this. Just half a loaf of bread...the waterborne plague can kill thousands of people. "
There was silence in the room for a while.
"About those 'crystal cluster infections', we currently have too little information, and I cannot make a sufficiently accurate analysis," After a brief silence, Kamel suddenly broke the silence, "If there are more samples, I should make some progress. "
"Solderin will send a team to send back those crystal cluster fragments - after confirming that they do not carry activated magical properties and have no tendency to spread pollution," Gawain nodded, " I will give you a special laboratory to study it, and until this incident subsides, it will be the focus of our attention. "
......
After Kamel and Pitman also left, the room became completely quiet.
Gawain sat in his armchair , quietly thinking about the next arrangements and developments.
This silence lasted for an unknown period of time before Gawain was suddenly awakened by a slight movement from the door.
He raised his head and saw that the door of the room quietly opened a narrow crack, and a guy who had almost forgotten that there was such a person poked his head in.
Tiel.
Gawain has left the territory since last autumn and has been busy working on projects near the wasteland. It has been a long time since he saw this guy.
But in fact. Even if he stayed in the territory, he didn't have much time to meet Tier - since the weather turned cold last year, this sea caterpillar has entered hibernation openly, sleeping in the pool for twenty hours a day, and only crawling out occasionally. In order to go to the balcony to bask in the sun, he turned over, completely forgetting where he came from and where he was going... Why did this guy suddenly come?
Gowen felt doubtful. At the same time, watching Tier crawling in one by one, the Siren's Shame looked around with a blank expression on his face: "Ah, didn't you say there was a meeting? "
Gawain: "..."
"It was finished early," Gawain tried his best to keep his expression from breaking down, but he still had a weird look on his face. Looking at this salt water freak, "You... actually know about the meeting? "
"I know, Rebecca told me, but I took a nap," Tire shook the tip of his tail with a look of helplessness on his face, "Then you're done. ”
At this time, Gawain suddenly remembered that Rebecca seemed to have told Tyr to come over before, because this salted fish was more or less a technical consultant in the military industry, but at that time Gawain entered the left ear. The right ear is coming out - I never believed that this fish would come...
I have to say that although Tier was not helpful at all, he watched this confused sea caterpillar walk around the room. Go away, Gawain'sI still felt inexplicably happy.
Perhaps this is the power of the Deep Sea God of Harmony.
He shook his head slightly to eliminate the association of "Deep Sea Harmony God" from his mind, then stood up and prepared to leave: "I'm leaving. If you have nothing to do, you can go back. Go to bed."
"Hey - it's rare for me to wake up for a while," Tier stretched out three or four meters long, then raised his upper body and looked in a certain direction with a curious look on his face. , "By the way...Did something happen in the north?"
Gawain's move to leave immediately stopped.
What Tire was looking at was a little east of the north, the front line of the confrontation between the king and the east.
So far, no one has mentioned the situation there in detail to Tier. Even if someone mentioned it, it would be impossible for her to remember it due to her personality.
Why did she suddenly pay attention to that direction?
Intuition told Gawain that the fish’s reaction was probably sensing something!
"The battlefield over there is deteriorating, and we are trying to figure out its situation," Gawain said, "Has anyone told you?"
"That's right. No, but I seem to feel... there is a little smell of food in that direction," Tire blinked, then raised his body harder and looked towards the north, "It looks a bit like a giant squid..." < /p>
Gawain's eyes narrowed slightly: his intuition was indeed correct. The sea monster that has been dealing with the corpse of the Storm God for a long time has a perception ability that humans cannot understand, and his satellite perspective was overlooking the giant tree crossing. Being disturbed meant that the area was covered by a special energy field. Till suddenly looked north... which meant she sensed that energy field!
He immediately asked: "Food? Are you sure it's food?"
"A bit," Tyr wrinkled her nose (although she did not rely on her nose to sense the "breath" "), said uncertainly, "But it always feels like it's a bit different..."
Gao Wen: "..."