Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 1074: Chapter 1073: Silver Empress

Time flies as the earth warms up, and the day that attracts the attention of all nations on the Loren Continent is finally upon us.

On the northeastern border of the Gondor wasteland, Elf Outpost No. 112 stands proudly between two mountain ranges — this ancient elven settlement was established over seven hundred years ago. Since its completion, it has served as the far eastern sentinel of the Silver Empire, flanked by protective mountains and overlooking the vast and perilous Gondor wasteland to the southwest, while connecting to human territories to the northeast. Throughout its centuries of service, this outpost, like other Silver outposts, maintained a low-key, reclusive, and neutral stance, seldom interacting with the local humans despite being at a foreign border.

However, this tranquility was shattered in the spring of Cecil Year 3: a much-anticipated conference and a series of negotiations are set to take place at this outpost. The statesmen, ambassadors, and their entourages gathered for the conference even outnumber the elves residing here. To ensure order during the conference, the Silver Empire began organizing personnel a month ago, summoning elven wanderers active around Outpost No. 112 to ensure ample staffing throughout the event. However, this also made the once spacious Outpost No. 112 increasingly crowded.

On the 20th of the Revival Month, a multitude of flags appeared within the elf outpost — the delegates from various countries were accommodated in inns south and north of the territory, and the emblems of their respective countries became the ”new decorations” that this sentinel had not seen in centuries. Among the elegant buildings with silver and white alloy frames, vibrant flags fluttered in the wind. Under these flags, representatives of various skin colors, languages, and even races were experiencing a brief period of chaos after settling in. Amidst the hustle, they seized moments to observe the situation in the camp, converse with familiar foreign delegates, and discern potential future partners and rivals.

On a broad street within the outpost town, Rebecca, finally seizing the opportunity to breathe fresh air, gazed around with wide eyes, filled with amazement and excitement.

She looked towards the end of the street, where in the central square of the town stood a large building, strikingly different from the human world in style, which could only be described as elegantly beautiful. It gleamed in the sunlight with a layered upper structure resembling petals. On its streamlined roof, three beams like leaf veins extended into the air, connecting to a white high tower nearby. From the base of the high tower, several paths stretched, linking to the nearby white houses.

On either side of the main road in front of the hall, two rows of tall flagpoles stood neatly, with the flag of the Silver Empire waving in the wind. Magical power interwoven in the threads occasionally released clouds of light dust, enchantingly dreamy.

”Is that the Messenger Hall?” Clearly, Rebecca’s attention was not on the impressive flags or the beautiful architectural style; she was entirely captivated by the complex and intricate transmission structure atop the hall and the transmission towers not far away. ”I’ve only seen it in records before... this is the first time I’ve seen the real thing.”

”Yes, the Messenger Hall,” Gawain stood beside Rebecca, also gazing into the distance with a slight smile on his face. ”The highest crystal crafted from elven communication technology. Our Magic Web Communication became possible not only because we had the technical expertise accumulated by the Eternal Sleepers and our own communication spell moulds but also because we drew extensively on relevant elven technology... this aspect of things was a collaboration between you and Jenni, which you should remember well.”

”Yes, so I’ve always wanted to see their communication facilities firsthand; my wish came true today,” Rebecca said, nodding repeatedly as her eyes turned, softly murmuring to Gawain, ”Hey, Ancestor, when there’s no one around, can we secretly...?”

Gawain tapped her forehead with his finger before she could finish, ”No—you should put away these bold thoughts. If you truly want to study it, properly draft a proposal for technical exchange and negotiate with the elves. Don’t create a diplomatic incident.”

Rebecca immediately covered her forehead with an aggrieved expression, ”What do you think I wanted to do? I didn’t say I wanted to dismantle anything. I just want to go inside and take a look, maybe use their equipment... after all, I’ve never been able to try it before...”

Gawain paused, realizing he had misunderstood Rebecca, but before he could apologize, a slightly magnetic female voice came from the side, ”This is entirely possible, little princess—besides, you don’t have to wait for any time when no one’s around.”

Gawain and Rebecca turned toward the voice and saw a petite, blonde elven lady standing behind them. She was none other than Lady Sonia Frostleaf, the high-ranked order messenger from the Silver Empire, and Soldrin’s mother. After the renovation of the great walls, she remained in the northern continent as a liaison, spending half her time active within the Cecil Empire and the rest traveling between the elven sentinel towers and the Cecil Empire’s border areas. During this conference, she served as the ”host” from the Silver Empire, thus accompanying Gawain and others at Outpost No. 112 as their guide.

”Ah, Lady Sonia!” Rebecca greeted her happily, then eagerly asked, ”Did you say I can visit the Messenger Hall?”

Sonia smiled faintly, ”Yes, you may visit anytime—in fact, few people know, the Messenger Halls around the wasteland set by the silver elves are customarily restricted to elves, but in special circumstances, they can be used by another race, such as for sending urgent messages or when ambassador-level personnel submit an application. You clearly meet the second criterion here. Of course, that’s more of a theoretical provision, as our communication devices need elven spells for activation, and apart from some druids who can induce reactions using special methods and devices among people of another race, generally, others are unable to operate it...”

Listening to Sonia, Rebecca pondered seriously for a moment, then honestly shook her head, ”It sounds like the Magic Web Terminal is more convenient; at least anyone can use it...”

”Indeed,” Sonia thought carefully and candidly admitted, ”’Anyone can use it’ is the unique advantage of the ancient magical device, something even our Grand Astrologer Vilaniya appreciates, and the rune logic system that transcends barriers between elven spells and human spells, effective in any spellcasting system, is even more astounding. Our astrologers have already begun researching the mysteries behind rune logic and perhaps one day, you will see magical products produced by the Silver Empire.”

Rebecca nodded as she listened and finally fixed her gaze back on the distant Messenger Hall, ”I still want to go and see — I may not be able to use it, but I can observe how your communication devices operate. It’s said your communication towers can transmit signals clearly over a hundred kilometers without relays, a distance that far exceeds our Magic Web Nexus... I’m especially curious about how you achieve it.”

”Of course, it’s possible,” Sonia immediately nodded, ”I have been authorized to grant you access to the technical details of the communication facilities — it’s also part of the technical exchanges between the Silver Empire and the Cecil Empire. If you’re interested, I can have other messengers show you around the hall now.”

Hearing this, Rebecca immediately became excited, ”Yes, yes! Let’s go now, let’s go now!”

Sonia laughed, and it was uncertain when she made a signal, but two young elven messengers came from not far away, greeting respectfully. Sonia nodded slightly to them, ”Take the princess to visit the communication facilities — excluding the parts connected to the armory, she can see everything else.”

The two elves spoke in unison: ”Yes, Your Excellency, High-ranked Messenger!”

Rebecca cheerfully followed the messengers away, while Gawain turned his curious gaze to Sonia: ”Why is the communication device also connected to the arsenal?”

”Because our communication system is also the monitoring system for the sentinel towers. Although there are secure diversions within the channels, the infrastructure is connected,” Sonia explained. ”Every monitoring station or border outpost has an arsenal, storing a large number of Colossus Puppets and arcane spheres directed at the great walls. This ensures that if something goes seriously wrong with the great walls, the sentinel stations can send an alert immediately and also organize the first wave of counterattacks — even if the situation becomes completely uncontrollable and the high-intensity radiation in the wasteland instantly kills all the elves in the sentinel stations, as long as the communication system is still operational, the command center in the Sacred Stars Temple can remotely activate those arsenals. The automatically operating Colossus Puppets can still buy some time for the rear.”

Gawain listened quietly to Sonia’s story, and after a long time, he sighed: ”Seven hundred years have passed, and the elves are still so vigilant about that wasteland.”

”Because the collapse of the Gondor Empire is something that happened within a generation for us, and the great walls had issues a couple of years ago, which makes it impossible for us not to be vigilant.”

”That’s true... Seven hundred years, it takes you almost six hundred years to grow from an infant to an adult,” Gawain chuckled and shook his head. ”But speaking of which, I don’t remember anything about the arsenals... These things must have been built in the years I was ’asleep,’ right?”

”Yes, this system was built at the behest of Empress Belsetia of the Silver Empire — Her Majesty believed that the radiation intensity in the wasteland had not decreased over time, and the number of wandering aberrations had not significantly reduced. This meant that the Gondor wasteland would not self-purify over time as some scholars initially thought. To strengthen defenses, she ordered this system to be established, and that was about three centuries ago.”

”Belsetia...” Gawain quietly repeated the name, then suddenly smiled, ”You’ve come at this time to deliver a message from your Empress, haven’t you?”

”... It seems I can’t hide from your eyes,” Sonia exhaled, bending slightly at the waist, ”To His Majesty Gawain Cecil, Silver Empress Belsetia Morningstar wishes to invite you for an afternoon tea, to be held in the small garden of Oak Hall — would you be willing to attend?”

”Of course, I’m idle anyway, and I’m curious to see how Belsetia has grown over the years,” Gawain had known even before arriving at Outpost Number 112 that the Silver Empress had arrived here a few days in advance, and he anticipated such an invitation today; he nodded gladly, ”Please lead the way — I’m not very familiar with this watchtower.”

...

Following Sonia’s lead, Gawain left the main road at the center of the town, passed through the districts occupied by delegations from various nations, and traversed the dynamic magic nexus of the town, finally arriving at a quiet and tidy longhouse — it was located at the deepest part of the town, and from the outside, it appeared no different than any large house. Still, the standing royal guards clad in enchanted armor at the entrance served as a reminder to those who inadvertently ventured here that someone of extremely high status was temporarily residing in this longhouse.

Gawain recalled the inherited memories — the habits and actions of Gawain Cecil, the detailed impressions of Belsetia — he was certain everything matched, then ordered the attendants and guards who accompanied him to wait outside, following Sonia into the longhouse.

He passed through the main hall and a small corridor, reaching a small garden behind the house, where the power of magic filled the courtyard, allowing the plants to flourish year-round. Exotic flowers and lush tropical trees filled the view, and amidst these thriving plants, a clearing was set with a delicate round table and chairs. A beautiful woman with long golden hair, a refined platinum headpiece, and an elegant and noble demeanor was quietly seated at the table, with two elven maids standing behind her.

Gawain blinked — although he had previously seen Belsetia’s current appearance in audiovisual materials sent from the southern part of the continent, seeing her in reality, he still found that her aura was vastly different from his impression.

She was entirely different from the snot-nosed little girl who ran around causing eight mischiefs a day back then.

He stood at the garden entrance for a moment — this was a normal reaction — then revealed a slight smile as he walked toward the renowned Silver Empress throughout the continent: ”Belsetia, it’s been a long time.”

”Seven hundred and thirty years, Uncle Gawain Cecil,” the beautiful empress suddenly laughed, her aura of majesty and aloofness seemingly loosening, as she became vibrant and lively, rising to make a welcoming gesture, ”It’s unimaginable that we could reunite in this form.”

”Uncle...” Gawain was slightly taken aback, displaying a somewhat subtle expression, ”It’s been too long since I heard that — you’ve grown so much, yet you still address me this way?”

His words made Sonia, who followed behind, feel a bit odd — what a revered title the Silver Empress holds, and how much more so for this generation’s Silver Empress. Her skills and the increasingly powerful Silver Empire she governs are renowned across the continent, with countless people holding her in awe, yet here, a human could effortlessly say to her, ”You’ve grown so much,” making perfect sense.

”This is a private occasion,” Belsetia laughed, evidently finding Gawain’s words entirely natural, ”If I have to maintain the dignity of an empress during casual conversations, then I truly wouldn’t have a moment’s respite.”

Gawain looked at her, then after a moment, smiled lightly, ”That’s also fine.”