Sword of Dawn

Page 263

While watching those monsters being gradually eliminated, Gawain's intuition was suddenly touched. He raised his head and looked at Rosetta Augustus who was standing next to him.

The Emperor Typhon was looking into the distance quietly. His sight had already crossed the battlefield and the deformed monsters that were about to turn into wreckage. He was staring in the direction of the wasteland of Gondor, watching .

His gaze was deep and introverted, and his whole body was like a heavy and solemn obsidian sculpture.

Chapter 0604 Similar

For a long time, Gao Wen felt that it was difficult for him to see the ruler of the Typhon Empire clearly—but at least at this moment, he stared at Rosetta Augustus' eyes staring at the wasteland, and suddenly had A sense of familiarity.

After a short period of confusion, he realized that this sense of familiarity came from Gawain Cecil's memory, but he couldn't tell where it came from or who it corresponded to.

Those monsters rushing from the direction of the plain are almost wiped out, thick black-red smoke is rising from their broken wreckage, only the last few wobbly deformities with incomplete hands and feet in the smoke The body is still struggling to move forward, and is completely torn by crossbow bolts, fireballs or lightning from the ramparts.

Rosetta watched all this quietly, and suddenly broke the silence softly: "I have been thinking about how they are produced, how they are maintained, and how they act..."

"The birth of the aberrations is a mystery, but multiple evidences point to that they may be mutated victims of Gondor," Gao Wen said, "As for their maintenance and actions... I can only say that they are the same as the Chaos Demons in the wasteland. related to the environment.”

Rosetta's expression remained unchanged, and her voice was low: "Your statement is consistent with what is recorded in ancient books. I have checked all the materials related to aberrations, and they all say so, but... isn't this very ironic? "

Gao Wen didn't understand why the other party said that, but he thought that the other party would explain himself soon.

Sure enough, Rosetta continued after a short silence: "The first generation of pioneers summed up these experiences and conjectures 700 years ago, and now 700 years have passed, and this is all we know—in the case of In terms of cognition of aberrants, I don’t know any more than you.”

Gao Wen understood Rosetta's meaning, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

"This is located outside the Great Wall," Rosetta said again, and he raised his hand, pointing to the plain between the Great Wall and the Spire Base, "Theoretically, it is impossible for monsters trapped in the wasteland of Gondor to However, in fact, there are always wandering monsters in this plain, sometimes they are just ordinary corrupt monsters, sometimes they are aberrations. I once sent knights to find out where those monsters came from However, the knights saw those monsters condensing out of thin air...they appeared out of thin air, what an unreasonable phenomenon."

Gao Wen nodded: "Monsters will be produced in the environment with high concentration of chaotic mana energy. This is a major feature of the wasteland, but the specific mechanism is still unknown."

"Yes, unknown, and there are many other unknown things, such as why these monsters that appeared out of thin air have not covered the entire world until now—since they can't be killed no matter how hard they are, what factors limit their number? The upper limit? Why do they just wander around the wasteland most of the time? What restricts their range of activities? What is the difference between the aberrations that appear outside the magnificent wall and the aberrations inside the wasteland?"

The ruler of Typhon asked many questions in succession, but he obviously didn't expect to get an answer. After he finished speaking, he just closed his mouth, as if he was immersed in his own questions and thinking.

Gawain glanced at the plain to the southwest, and saw that the last monster had gradually turned into black and red smoke, he suddenly felt moved, and asked aloud: "Have you encountered any particularly huge mutants in this period of time? "

Rosetta Augustus woke up from her thoughts, her tone slightly confused: "Extraordinarily huge?"

"Yes, it is equivalent to two to three times the height of ordinary deformed bodies. It is extraordinarily burly. There is a magical structure on the surface of the body that can release powerful magic attacks, and it seems to have the ability to strengthen the surrounding deformed bodies. The most important point - those who are exceptionally strong Huge individuals seem to have a certain ability to think."

"Thinking ability?" Rosetta finally had a trace of surprise in his tone, but soon he shook his head, "I've heard of them, Winter Wolf Castle was once attacked, Andersa mentioned that kind in the report Huge individuals, but we haven't encountered them here, if they do appear...they are definitely a huge threat. Your camp was attacked by them?"

"No, but they once attacked Cecil's mainland—I suspect they came out when there was a hole in the Great Wall. I thought I would deal with them here, but I haven't seen them again so far."

What Gao Wen was referring to was the giant deformed body that appeared once during the second Cecil defense war, also known as the "giant avatar". Big big big big big fireballs were wiped out, but their terrifying strength and vaguely intelligent features still impressed Gawain deeply.

He originally thought that when he came to the border of the wasteland, he would have a chance to see that monster again, but in fact he never saw it once.

Ordinary aberration attacks in this area are very frequent, but the "giant aberration" has never appeared again.

Rosetta Augustus had never seen that kind of giant guy, and on this point, Gawain didn't think the other party needed to lie to him.

This made Gao Wen vaguely speculate-could it be that the extraordinarily huge distortion is unique to the wasteland?

Regardless of the Cecil camp or the Typhon camp, the only ones I have dealt with during this period of time have been wandering monsters outside the magnificent wall. All the distortions are due to the influence of the chaotic magic power spreading from the wasteland. "Beyond the Wall" was naturally generated, and the aberration that attacked Cecil Territory at the beginning probably wandered out of the wasteland when there was a hole in the magnificent wall, and it was a product of the depths of the wasteland!

He thought about the last of Rosetta's series of questions: what was the difference between the aberrations that appeared outside the Great Wall and the aberrations that appeared inside the Wasteland.

Could this be the difference?Monsters inside the wasteland "evolve" but not outside?

Gao Wen frowned, and subconsciously looked at the magnificent energy barrier connecting the heaven and the earth in the distance, and a second question popped up in his mind:

Even if those gigantic aberrations are a unique product inside the wasteland... Why haven't the sentinels stationed on the edge of the barrier even seen them for so long?

The aberrations inside the wasteland will wander aimlessly. Naturally, they will inevitably wander near the barrier. Almost every day, the sentries at the pinnacle base will witness large groups of aberrations wandering to the foot of the barrier, and then evaporated instantly by the energy stirred up by the barrier. However, after such a long time, the sighting report of the giant avatar has never appeared...

Is it because gigantic bodies are extremely rare?Or is it because... something is controlling the giants, preventing them from wandering to the edge of the barrier, preventing them from being seen by the sentinels outside the barrier?

Following this line of thought, Gawain couldn't help but wonder whether the giant avatars that attacked Cecil's territory before were accidental, or...intentional?

When thinking about this level, a name has naturally appeared in his mind, the only name that can be associated with the magnificent wall and the wasteland of Gondor so far, and it is also full of conspiracy:

Everything will be blamed.

……

In the end, Gawain did not get any answers in the Typhon camp.

He embarked on a journey back to Cecil's pinnacle base.

The desolate and corrupt wilderness kept receding outside the car window, and the endless wind on the wasteland swirled dust around the convoy. The side of the "Steel Ambassador" multi-purpose chariot in front of the convoy flashed a flash of fire, and the scorching rays pierced through it. A mutated monster trying to get closer, while Gawain sat quietly in the magic vehicle in the middle of the convoy, having been contemplating for a long time.

Amber looked away from the desolate wasteland, and looked at Gao Wen curiously: "What have you been thinking all this way?"

Gawain breathed a little, and temporarily put down all his complicated thoughts, then he glanced at the half-elf lady with bright eyes, and said casually under the gossiping gaze of the other party: "What kind of person do you think Rosetta is? ?”

Amber said without even thinking about it: "An old fox like you - I mean the kind of person who is scheming."

Gawain glanced at the Shame of the Elf, who quickly changed his words at the last moment, and shook his head slightly: "I can't be sure how deep the connection between Rosetta Augustus and the End of All Things is, only from the details I have observed so far. Judging, the two of them may just be interested in cooperation. Of course, it may also be that Rosetta Augustus's acting skills are too watertight."

"When you mentioned Bertila Augustus, he acted as if he didn't even know that the other party was a high-ranking priest who was the end of all things." Amber blinked, "If he really didn't know, then he The cooperation with the Death of All Things Society may be really shallow, and Bertila Augustus has really completely separated from the former Typhon royal family. If he pretends not to know, then the fun will be great... That means mentioning The royal family of Feng and the Society of the Death of All Things are bound to be together."

Gawain was noncommittal about this, but in fact, intuitively, he had already begun to think that the connection between the royal family of Typhon and the End of All Things was only for profit, at least Rosetta Augustus himself was like this, but he I also know that you can't rely on "gut feeling" to judge this kind of thing.

The inside of the car became quiet again for a while, only the hum of machinery running and the occasional sound of weapon shooting from the escorting chariot to destroy the monsters that suddenly appeared on the wasteland would break the silence.

After a period of silence, Gawain broke the silence with a slight sigh: "I don't know why, but I always feel that Rosetta Augustus is a bit like me..."

Gawain couldn't help but look curiously at the half-elf beside him, but saw that the elf's shame was staring at him with wide-eyed eyes in astonishment, and it took him a long time to hold back a sentence: "Mom!" Ah - what did you do back then?!"

Gao Wen: "..."

At this moment, he suddenly had an almost irresistible thought: tie this elf shame to a pole, poke it on the roof of the car, just hang it all the way, hang her to the camp ! !

After finally getting away from the strong Rebecca, Hu Po's head is also hardened! !

……

At Typhon Peak Base, next to the palace of Rosetta Augustus, a magical mechanical creation made of steel with tough lines was quietly parked in the square.

A dozen heavily armed Typhon soldiers guard the place.

Rosetta and Andersa Wendell stood beside the "magic car", observing the complex machinery in front of them with a trace of curiosity.

It was a gift from the Cecilians, left here as a souvenir of the "Trade Treaty."

"It's an incredible marvel of engineering and magic... isn't it?"

Rosetta sighed softly.

Andersa frowned slightly: "But I still have doubts about this thing."

"You can have doubts about the behavior of the Ansu people, but you must be in awe of advanced technology," Rosetta glanced at the young wolf general, and reminded faintly, "Technological progress will bring about huge development. The social output will increase, the people will be rich, the army will be strong, and the country will prosper, and every advancement of Tifeng in these years has been built on these foundations."

Andersa lowered her head: "Yes...Your Majesty."

Rosetta nodded her head lightly, her eyes returned to the magic vehicle, and she sighed in a low voice: "I just didn't expect... I didn't expect that Ansu, who was already completely behind, would suddenly walk ahead of us. Sisi The Er people have found a way that no one has ever thought of before, and if we found it later, we would even be left behind by a principality."

"You seem to attach great importance to the Principality of Cecil?"

Rosetta did not answer Andersa's question, but suddenly asked after a few seconds of silence: "What kind of person do you think Gawain Cecil is?"

Andersa expressed her feelings frankly: "...he looks very generous and upright, but hides a dark side. I have heard many stories about the first generation of pioneers, including his , but those stories only described him as a symbolic hero, and never mentioned that he would confront others at the negotiating table.”

Rosetta inadvertently glanced at the "Wolf General".

Considering the wolf general's hostile attitude towards the Ansu people, the above is obviously a high evaluation.

He showed a slightly stiff smile, and said in a low voice, "That pioneer...sooner or later he will become an enemy of Typhon.

"Because he's like me."

Chapter 0605 The End of Winter

Andersa looked at her loyal monarch with a trace of astonishment.

At first, she didn't realize that there was something wrong with what Emperor Rosetta said - because almost any Typhon noble who had mastered the situation and understood the changes in the empire over the years could see that Typhon and Anzu would eventually go to war , This is a kind of necessity, but soon, she realized that the deep meaning of Rosetta's words was more than that.

Gawain Cecil would eventually make Typhon his enemy.

Rosetta Augustus has always regarded Ansu as prey, but now, there is a hunter among the prey, a hunter who is also hungry.

"Your Majesty, if this is the case, why do you still cooperate with him?"

"War has many forms, 'cooperation' is one of them," Rosetta said calmly, "In this cooperation, the empire can gain too much, and the Cecilians have something we urgently need. But at the same time, we have what they desperately need ... we have their designs on them, and they have their plans on us."

Andersa lowered her head slightly, thinking about the deep meaning contained in the emperor's words.

"The 'magic industry' created by the Cecils is changing the rules of society. I still can't see what it will look like in the end, but I can feel that the existing order is based on land and farming. The order of things will soon be broken by factories and machines, and in this field the Cecilians are ahead of us, but they have their advantages, and we have ours," Rosetta went on, "to put this Send the car back to the country, send it to the Imperial Manufacturing Association, dismantle it into parts, no matter how much it costs, we must figure out how it works. We may not be able to build something better than it for the time being, but at least we must build something that can match it ran the same.

"In addition, inform Duke Ferdinand to convene court advisors to make statistics on the production and demand of iron ore, magic materials, grain, and cotton across the country, and plan the initial transportation route.

"Organize scholars in mechanical and magic technology, let them work and live with road builders from now on, and prepare to become 'workers'. There is a high probability that the Cecilians will not allow our mages and scholars to participate In the technical link of repairing the 'railway', it is impossible for them not to recruit workers.

"Prepare for me an order for Duke Seven to start preparations for the 'bank'...

"Order the Council to assess the risks of all matters..."

Risk... This word flashed through Andersa's mind, and at the same time, she firmly remembered every order of Emperor Rosetta.

The huge sun was hidden behind the chaotic and dirty clouds, and the light leaked from the clouds gradually approached the western horizon, and the sky quickly dimmed. The street lamps in the camp were lit up one by one, and the bright magic spar lamps released a constant brilliance , so that this small camp is like a lighthouse in the chaos, shining brightly, and complementing the hazy and magnificent majestic wall.

Rosetta Augustus returned to his palace. He sat quietly on a high-backed chair, with many reports and materials related to factories, roads, and cotton production spread out in front of him.

As the night was getting darker, the emperor glanced at the sky outside the window, then leaned back slightly on the back of the chair, closed his eyes, and took a short rest.

The boundless darkness, the extremely quiet darkness, seemed to envelop his senses and spirit for an instant.

Rosetta Augustus opened his eyes, and he saw himself in a magnificent palace.

This palace is extremely gorgeous, with towering columns and a magnificent dome. All the walls and roofs are painted with exquisite paintings and colorful lines. The narrow windows with strong Typhon style are inlaid on the walls on both sides, and the crystal glass of the windows is the same. Has intricate patterns.

A vast hall appeared in front of Rosetta, which seemed to hold a thousand people for a ball—but in fact, the entire palace was empty.

An unspeakable dead silence enveloped this magnificent and empty building. There were no attendants, no guards, and no one. One after another of light and dark shadows.

Rosetta quietly looked at the uninhabited palace in the dream, with a calm and indifferent expression. After standing still for a short time, he stepped forward.

The moment he stepped forward, countless low, vague whispers and whispers from nowhere suddenly came from all directions.

The ubiquitous voice is mixed with small and overlapping conversations, laughing and fighting, and it seems to be mixed with suppressed crying and screaming, as if this empty palace is suddenly full of people, those invisible people Visitors or residents come and go in the empty corridors and halls, chatting and laughing, cursing and crying around Rosetta Augustus wantonly - but surrounded by these voices, Rosetta just walks quietly , as if ignoring the interference of all sounds.

Finally, a clear whisper emerged from the chaotic whispers and whispers, and it was hoarse and deep into Emperor Typhon's ears: "...ah... you are here again... so unyielding..."

Rosetta continued to walk forward. With his steps, the wide hall broke silently, and a long and deep corridor appeared in front of him. There were also narrow windows on both sides of the corridor. The bright skylight shines on the opposite wall through the narrow window. Between the light and shadow, one can see portraits hanging silently on the wall.

Rosetta saw her elder brother, her father, her uncle...

Every person who has inherited the blood of the Augustus family and has left this world hangs here quietly, looking at himself with indifferent eyes through the cold oil painting.

The closest to him is his eldest son who died young.

The young man who was frozen in the picture frame looked at Rosetta, and suddenly said: "Father...don't you stop to rest?"

Rosetta did not stop, and continued to walk forward.

The deep whisper sounded again: "On both sides of this road, there is death, and at the end of this road, there is also death..."

Rosetta is gradually moving towards the depths of the corridor, the surrounding light has become increasingly dimmer, and the portraits on both sides have begun to become older, more faded, and more indifferent and alienated. As if full of malice, he stared at Emperor Typhon walking in the corridor, and the deep whisper continued to sound:

"...It's better to stop and take a rest, you don't need to challenge this impossible task...

"How painful the truth is...it's better to leave it behind, sometimes, it's the bliss of mortals to live in ignorance...

"Those Augustus before you, they were as stubborn as you, but what happened to them? None of them made it, they were crazy, they were all crazy... You shouldn't see it, but since you've See, it's better to accept this curse calmly..."

At the end of the corridor, all those maddening whispers and whispers suddenly disappeared, and Rosetta quietly raised her head, looking at the portraits hanging at the end of the corridor.

That was the beginning of the name "Augustus" as the ruler of Typhon, the beginning of this ancient family - Augustus earlier than that, have disappeared in time in the collapse of the ancient Gondor Empire , even if there is a name handed down, it has not left an image in this "palace".

In the dim light, Rosetta saw several portraits: Roland Augustus, Berthomund Augustus, Thalia Augustus...

At the end of these side-by-side portraits he saw the place of Bertila Augustus, but in the center of the dark frame, there seemed to be a lingering shadow, completely obscuring the 700-year-old figure. The face of a saint who has been active before.

Rosetta looked at the portrait calmly for a while, then withdrew her gaze, and broke the silence for the first time: "Bertila Augustus is really still alive?"

In the depths of the empty palace, no voice responded to his question.

Rosetta seemed to have expected this result, he just showed a mocking smile, turned and walked towards the direction he came from.

The whisper sounded again: "Why aren't you crazy yet?"

Rosetta's footsteps paused slightly, and her voice was low: "We have resilience beyond your imagination."

The palace began to shake violently, as if the dream was about to end.