Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 1165: Chapter 1164: Violet Kingdom in the Mist

The cool morning breeze swept into the room through the open window, carrying with it the sounds of soldiers gathering and training in the courtyard square. Aunt Heidi walked briskly through the corridor and entered Gawain’s study, placing a report in front of him.

”Ancestor, the theocracy Authority Council document—test project EC-27 has been successfully completed. Here is the relevant data and summary record.”

Gawain shifted his gaze from the materials at hand, took the file handed by Aunt Heidi, and quickly flipped through it, some key information quickly catching his eye: ”...During the test, the ’miraculous’ influence exerted by project G-1 on project G-2 indeed traversed the barrier of space and reality, acting directly on the body... There was no contamination of the Divine Domain, nor was there any form of ’overflow’ phenomenon observed... Subsequent monitoring and testing of project G-1 indicate that its divine aspect shows no signs of revival, nor has it established a spiritual connection with any mind in the real world...

”...In summary, the practical implementation of the Non-directional Thought Trend has achieved substantial results, and its effect is not limited to passive ’isolation,’ but also can conduct proactive, controllable, and targeted protection...

”Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that project G-1 demonstrated a high level of cooperation in this test, earning the respect of all project members...”

”The tests conducted on Patty and Amon were successful,” a few minutes later, Gawain put down the document, looked up at Aunt Heidi and said, ”Without any external will interference or suggestion, their cross-boundary contact did not cause contamination—the Non-directional Thought Trend permeating the neural network is effective. Now we can establish a ’protected field’ not only at the defied Fortress, but as long as the neural network is present, the Anti-Divine Barrier can take effect.”

Aunt Heidi smiled slightly, ”Now, with the addition of the ’broadcasting device,’ even if a God suddenly descends into madness, we won’t need to worry about the populace being instantly converted into fanatics, nor about them becoming sources of power for the Mad Gods...”

”Not only that,” Gawain chuckled, lightly tapping the document on the table with his fingers, ”The ’bridge’ that establishes the connection between the God and the real world is rooted in the reflective relationship within thought trends, and now we have gradually made this reflective relationship controllable—at least disruptable. According to the latest theories, as long as the strength of the Anti-Divine Barrier is powerful enough, and broadcasting devices are dense enough, we could even directly interrupt the descent process of a Mad God into the real world.”

”...This is a final insurance,” Aunt Heidi stated seriously, her tone grave, ”Although we must strive to avoid the Gods reaching the ’Mad God’ phase, once this stage arrives, we finally have an effective ace to counter it... I hope this technology matures quickly, so that the tragic scenes on the Winterhold Fort Battlefield won’t be repeated.”

Thinking about everything witnessed at the Winterhold Fort Battlefield, Gawain solemnly nodded, then pensively said: ”Next... is to fully accelerate the expansion of the neural network. We’ve already signed an information interface agreement with the Silver Empire, negotiations with the ’Communication Tower Management Association’ of Typhon are proceeding smoothly, large-scale Magic Web deployments are underway within the Augari tribal borders, and progress in the Sacred Dragon Kingdom is fast... But the biggest issue is indeed still that group of ’hermits’ up north...”

Aunt Heidi furrowed her brow slightly, quickly responding: ”You mean... the Violet Kingdom?”

”Yes, the Violet Kingdom, the hermit-like Mage country,” Gawain nodded with a bit of a headache, rubbing his temples with his forefinger, ”They’re only separated from the Loren Continent by a strait, yet the ’distance’ between us is greater than that of the entire Gondor wasteland separating us from the Silver Empire. They’ve again declined the invitation to join the alliance communication protocol... and this time the reply came directly from the City of Thousand Towers.”

Aunt Heidi recalled: ”But I heard they didn’t completely refuse?”

”Yes, theoretically, negotiations have made some progress,” Gawain sighed helplessly, ”They agreed to establish alliance communication stations in several major coastal cities to facilitate merchants and adventurers from Loren Continent doing business at the Violet Frontier. However, they refused to establish an interface between the ’Violet Webway’ and the alliance communication network, no interfaces at all, nor do they accept the introduction of Immersion Capsules or neural network nodes, crucial equipment of the sort.”

”This is troubling,” Aunt Heidi understood Gawain’s dilemma, her expression turning solemn as well, ”Refusing these key installations means the neural network cannot connect at all—erecting a few Magic Obelisks in border cities is meaningless; the key to the Anti-Divine Barrier is the coverage rate of the neural network...”

She paused and could not help but ask: ”Do they not perceive the threat of divine disaster? Or do they not believe the things we’ve already made public?”

”No, judging from the response from the City of Thousand Towers, they know and believe, they’ve even expressed respect and blessings for the entire world,” Gawain opened his hands, ”But they simply do not care.”

Aunt Heidi was speechless: ”...This is... isn’t this a form of provocation?”

”I’ve suspected that for a long time, but now I can only affirm that they genuinely do not care,” Gawain uttered with some headache, ”Those enigmatic ’hermits of the high towers’ in the City of Thousand Towers... they seem to have exiled themselves from this world, not caring about the survival of the world, the continuity of mortal civilization, or even whether they would perish in the next divine disaster or chaotic wave. Frankly, I find it hard to comprehend their mindset... It feels as if they are not beings living in the same world as us.”

”It’s rare to see you quite so troubled,” Aunt Heidi remarked, watching Gawain’s troubled demeanor, though unable to suppress a faint smile; quickly she withdrew that smile and resumed seriousness, ”Ancestor, honestly, I’ve always had an extra focus on the Violet Kingdom, and perhaps you’d be interested in hearing my impression of this kingdom.

”You know, I myself am also a Mage, and any Mage knows that there are two peaks of magical mystery in this world. One is located within the Silver Empire, established and led by the elves, the ’Association of Astrologers,’ whose profound magical foundation is unquestionable. However, due to differences in neural systems, the elves’ magic system isn’t compatible with other races, so this ’magical peak’ has never been open to outsiders. The other peak... is the ’Association of Mystics’ in the Violet Kingdom.

”The Violet Kingdom is a hermit-like Mage nation, but its ’periphery’ is not completely sealed off as if it’s some sort of ’transition zone’. This kingdom still maintains communication with the Loren Continent, and its coastal cities have institutions specifically open to merchants and travelers. The citizens living there have a lifestyle similar to ours; those who have been to the Violet Kingdom know that the people living there are much like us, average and ordinary.

”However, once you step beyond the edge of the giant island and take a few steps deeper, the situation becomes vastly different—it’s said that there lies a magic city with a style vastly distinct from the Loren Continent, with ancient, eerie towers standing like a forest, where magic permeates and reshapes the kingdom’s core environment, blurring the lines between reality and illusion. Even people living in those regions... appear mysterious and bizarre.”

”Those who have ventured into that ’core’ region unanimously describe it as entering a kind of ’foreign land,’ shrouded by an inexplicable ’strangeness.’ You may even feel like you’re being assimilated by the peculiar environment, gradually forgetting what ’normal life’ outside feels like... Of course, this part of the description often proves exaggerated, but the rumors of such nature imply that the core region of the Violet Kingdom truly holds peculiarities.”

Gawain listened intently to Aunt Heidi’s narration; these are contents he rarely encounters in previous reports—within them are Aunt Heidi’s personal folklore and her impressions as a Mage of the Violet Kingdom, with perhaps not much accuracy in intelligence, but sufficient to spark some new thoughts for him.

”From your description... it is as if the kingdom is layered from outside to inside,” Gawain mused, touching his nose, ”The deeper you go, the more peculiar and eerie it becomes, starkly different from the ’world outside’... It feels less like a country founded by mortals, and more like a ’secret realm’ used to seal and suppress something.”

”It’s not without reason,” Aunt Heidi shrugged, ”Some scholars describe the Violet Kingdom in just such a way, saying that the whole country is a vast secret realm—half the things on the island are lies, and half are illusions.”

Gawain did not respond to this overly absurd folklore, instead showing a contemplative expression, slowly saying, ”You mentioned the ’Association of Mystics’ of the Violet Kingdom earlier... I do have an impression of that organization. The founder of the Magic Web, the unnamed Wild Mage... he was driven away by the Association of Mystics, and as I know, every year, some members of the Association leave the Violet Kingdom and roam the northern parts of Loren Continent...”

”Yes, such traveling mages truly exist, sometimes they even accept commissions from northern countries to act as magic consultants for certain leaders or kings, but these mages rarely talk about their homeland,” Aunt Heidi nodded, ”When they leave the Violet Kingdom, they seem to undergo a form of ’memory reshaping,’ sealing memories of the Violet core, especially those about the City of Thousand Towers. This phenomenon further enhances the mystery of the Violet Kingdom among the various clans of Loren.”

”...When you put it that way, I am becoming increasingly interested in that country,” Gawain murmured, rubbing his chin gently with his fingers, ”Employing memory reshaping of this sort, it appears the secrets this country harbors are not small.”

For a moment, Aunt Heidi said nothing, seemingly recalling something, and after a while, she suddenly spoke: ”Ancestor, when it comes to connections with the Violet Kingdom, I suddenly remembered something... Did you know? Among those familiar to you, there is someone who has had deep interactions with the Violet Kingdom—she even entered the City of Thousand Towers.”

”Someone who entered the City of Thousand Towers?” Gawain was instantly surprised and widened his eyes, ”There’s such a person? Who is it?”

”The Duke of the North, Grand Governor, Lady Victoria,” Aunt Heidi said with a serious expression, ”She trained in the City of Thousand Towers during her girlhood!”

Gawain paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered: ”Ah, I recall hearing about this... Victoria was the most outstanding magic prodigy in the entire northern region during the Anzu Era; it’s documented that her talent was recognized by the Violet Kingdom, and she was fortunate enough to be invited to further her studies in the City of Thousand Towers... I hadn’t thought about this at all!”

”That’s normal, because there’s probably not much information to dig up behind that event,” Aunt Heidi nodded, ”Like everyone leaving the Violet core, Lady Victoria also does not remember her remarkable ’student days’—related memories are sealed, so she almost never mentions this to outsiders, and others hardly discuss the private affairs of an aristocrat frequently.”

Gawain unconsciously drummed his fingers on the files on the table, while seemingly speaking to himself: ”The heir to the Duke of the North... even has such an experience, truly worthy of the ’Pastoral Age of Sword and Magic.’ But no matter how, this piques my interest—link to Bitter Winter Castle, I want to talk to Victoria.”

”Understood,” Aunt Heidi nodded immediately, ”I’ll call right away.”

The Magic Web Terminal set beside the desk was activated, a call rapidly dispatched along the internal line, and within a few seconds, Bitter Winter Castle responded—luckily, Victoria, the busy northern manager, was conveniently in her castle today, and soon appeared before Gawain.

”We are discussing matters about the Violet Kingdom,” Gawain said straightaway, ”I heard you once went to the City of Thousand Towers, even selected because of your extraordinary talent to further study at the headquarters of the Association of Mystics—I am very interested in your experience.”

Victoria did not expect Gawain to call her suddenly on this matter; she seemed a bit surprised but quickly reacted, shaking her head a bit awkwardly: ”There’s nothing to hide, but... I actually don’t remember my specific study experiences in the City of Thousand Towers... You know, the Violet Kingdom strictly controls its secrets, even Violet citizens within the Association of Mystics must undergo memory reshaping before leaving the City of Thousand Towers...”

”I know about this, Aunt Heidi just mentioned it to me,” Gawain nodded, ”So I’m interested in your memories before entering the City of Thousand Towers... How they select qualified trainees, how the trainees travel across the sea to the Violet Kingdom, what can be seen and heard on the way from the border regions to the City of Thousand Towers... you should still remember these, right?”

Victoria listened attentively, slowly nodding: ”Of course, I remember most of those experiences—since you are interested, I can tell you.”

”It is a very ’mage-style’ experience; in summary, it goes like this: gifted young individuals are taken by a mysterious magical country, educated and guided in the truths of arcane, and after an apparent six-month ’disappearance,’ they return to human society, no longer remembering the specifics of their past six months because the mysterious magical country needs to preserve its mystery—the only proof of the real existence of that ’study’ period is increasingly advanced magical capabilities, and knowledge and spell models seemingly appearing out of thin air in one’s mind.”