Chapter 1462: Plan Number Three

A sudden hush fell over the conference hall. Every word that Wenna Whitebloom spoke came out clearly, each syllable striking the ears of everyone present. The weight of her statement caused most attendees to wear expressions of stunned disbelief.

“…Within the sacred mountain of the Ogure tribe—the ‘Peak of Ancestors’—there lies a second deep blue rift in the material world, comparable in scale to the Deep Blue Well… it might even be slightly larger,” Wenna Whitebloom said, noticing all eyes fixed on her. Her expression was calm, her tone steady and resolute. “This deep blue rift has autonomously operated for millions of years, profoundly altering the space-time structure of the entire Peak of Ancestors region. Reliable evidence indicates that within the mountain itself, a ‘space-time weak point’ spanning the dimensional boundary has formed. Our most powerful spirit mages believe this perfectly fits the criteria for a ‘vibration focal point.’”

The room stirred with murmurs as the attendees exchanged whispers, visibly unsettled by the revelation. King Audris of Gaoling abruptly stood. “Ms. Wenna, is what you say true?”

Wenna’s gaze briefly flicked toward Gawain’s seat before she nodded calmly. “It is true. Although we have never had the capability to ‘mine’ the magical energy deep within the Peak of Ancestors, and for a long time were unaware of the rift’s existence, during the recent Wasteland War we inadvertently obtained reliable intelligence on this matter.

“Furthermore, after the war, we dispatched technical teams to explore the ancient caves and fissures within the mountain. They discovered numerous abnormally concentrated magical focal points… which serve as indirect evidence.”

Gawain hadn’t expected Wenna to reveal the secret of the Peak of Ancestors so openly. As the nation most devastated by the Wasteland War, the abundant magical reserves within the mountain were their greatest hope for resurgence in the new era. Yet here was the Gray Elf chieftain laying everything bare.

Still, Gawain realized that the Peak of Ancestors might be an even better candidate than the Deep Blue Well for the project—a naturally stable, primordial deep blue rift untouched by artificial interference, with a space-time distortion point formed over millions of years. It seemed tailor-made for a vibration focal point.

If the deep blue rift inside the Peak truly met the criteria, and if they could find a way to ‘remodel’ the sacred mountain, building the magical tide observation facility there would be far more efficient. The question was… would the Ogure accept this?

“I want to know if this is the unanimous opinion of the Five Kings,” Gawain adjusted his posture, adopting a more formal tone as he looked at Wenna, who was still standing by her chair. “Or is this just the Gray Elf tribe’s view?”

Before Wenna could answer, a boisterous voice came from beside her. Though the speaker wasn’t visible on the holographic projection, Gawain recognized the voice of the orc chieftain. “I, Stoor, Wickliff, and Stella—we’ve all discussed this. It’s the consensus of the Ogure Five Kings.”

Hearing Camilla’s voice, a sudden realization dawned on Gawain.

This wasn’t just a spur-of-the-moment decision by the Ogure Five Kings. The discussion had likely begun as soon as they received Cecil’s technical data sent to the entire alliance. They must have considered the Peak of Ancestors as a ‘third plan’ well before this meeting. But if Plan Two hadn’t already failed, if Plan One hadn’t been so impractical, and if not for the recent flash in the night sky, Wenna might never have revealed this ‘third plan.’

Regardless, the Ogure’s Plan Number Three struck a chord with everyone present. No one was unfamiliar with the Peak of Ancestors. Even without considering the hidden deep blue rift, the mountain itself held a sacred status within the Ogure tribe. Throughout their long history, the Ogure regarded it as a vital link between their ancestors and the holy spirits—a symbol of profound significance.

“Then we will designate the Peak of Ancestors as Plan Number Three,” Gawain’s voice rang out after a brief pause. “Ms. Wenna has already outlined the advantages. But we must also prepare ourselves mentally for the challenges and uncertainties. First and foremost—the most obvious point—we know very little about the deep blue rift inside the Peak.

“At present, we only have evidence suggesting a ‘high probability’ of its existence. The exact scale, number of rifts, and their boundaries with the material world remain unclear. Whether the Peak is truly suitable as the foundation for a vibration focal point requires a thorough and detailed evaluation.

“Secondly, even if conditions prove favorable, we must devise a plan for remodeling and construction.

“The deep blue rift in the Peak differs from the Deep Blue Well on the Talash Plain. Its magical energy source is almost fused with the mountain itself. Unlike the open-air extraction wells built by the ancient Gondor Empire, we likely need a new method for magical energy extraction and conversion. The energy station demonstration project currently underway on the Talash Plain might offer some insights, but overall, this remains an extraordinarily difficult engineering challenge…”

Gawain paused deliberately before continuing in a low voice, “Building a new ‘Deep Blue Well’ from scratch may not be any simpler than Plan One. The Gondor ancestors struggled greatly when constructing extraction facilities on the Talash Plain. Although our current conditions are far better than theirs thousands of years ago, the Peak of Ancestors is far more complex.”

His words cooled the earlier excitement in the room. This was a hard truth no one could ignore. No matter how suitable the conditions inside the Peak might be, if they couldn’t transform it into the core of a vibration focal point, it was all just talk. And in this matter… the technical data from the Noyans was of no help to the Loren people.

“We are willing to accept destructive remodeling of the sacred mountain,” Wenna’s voice came again, “but we worry that even large-scale excavation might not reach the deep fissure zone. According to recent intelligence from scholars we sent into the mountain, the magical focal points point deep underground. Even ignoring extraction difficulties, penetrating the thick mountain itself is a major challenge. To be frank, even the ‘supercritical accelerators’ aboard the Dawn of Dust are limited here. Moreover, we cannot accept using such accelerators to bombard the mountain directly—that would cause uncontrollable geological disasters and might destroy the rift zone.”

“Furthermore, even if we manage to carve tunnels reaching the rift zone, it’s meaningless unless we can build large-scale energy collection and conversion facilities nearby. All of this must be done deep underground, with unprecedented construction difficulty. Even Cecil’s engineering machinery might not be up to the task.”

“…Indeed, it’s a formidable challenge,” Gawain nodded thoughtfully. “Setting aside the difficulty of underground excavation, all this must be done adjacent to the deep blue rift. That’s the greatest danger. The unshielded primordial deep blue currents are extremely hazardous. Deep underground, even a slight loss of control could cause the entire area to collapse and melt away…”

“Don’t forget,” the Silver Empress’s voice followed, “Ms. Wenna mentioned that the space-time structure inside the Peak has already been distorted by the deep blue conduits. Operating in such unstable space-time regions carries enormous risks. Not to mention the frequent use of high-energy engineering equipment during construction—workers could fall into the Shadow Realm, the Phantom Realm, or even more dangerous abnormal semi-planes.”

One difficulty after another was laid bare. The optimistic mood in the hall gradually turned heavy and serious. Behind each leader, their technical advisors began working furiously, analyzing the Peak’s actual conditions, assessing current technologies, and racking their brains for possible solutions within their limited knowledge. With their help, the attendees exchanged new opinions—but the discussion inevitably stalled.

Gawain furrowed his brow, his face as calm and deep as still water, weighing every factor.

He knew that with Plans One and Two already declared dead ends, the Ogure’s Plan Number Three was likely the only feasible and most achievable option left. At least in terms of overall direction and strategy, it was sound. But when it came to concrete implementation, the obstacles were daunting.

Suddenly, a faint interference noise buzzed in his ear—and in the magical network terminals used by every attendee.

Gawain’s senses sharpened. Following the source, he looked toward the center of the round table. There, a cluster of flickering lights gradually coalesced above the empty surface. Several backup magical network terminals, previously inactive, had somehow powered on and were operating autonomously. Through their connections, the flickering points merged into a translucent, blurry figure—

A woman. Her features were veiled in a misty shroud, her eyes glowing with arcane flames symbolizing magical radiance. She wore a black, intricately designed court gown, her semi-transparent form floating before them all.

“Apologies for my uninvited arrival,” the figure of Myrmina slowly turned, scanning the room before fixing her gaze on Gawain. “Would you like to hear my opinion?”

The atmosphere shifted instantly. More than half the attendees suddenly grew tense and solemn, their eyes locked on the apparition. Most struggled to hide their shock and surprise, while a few, though startled, gradually composed themselves, maintaining a serious demeanor.

The presence of a senior advisor from the Theocratic Council was no secret to the alliance’s leaders. Since the 112th Conference, with the Council’s covert influence and gradual expansion, some truths about ‘gods and ideologies’ had begun to trickle down to the council and mid-level officials across the alliance. The attendees were familiar with Myrmina and aware of the true nature of the gods. But knowing was one thing—seeing a former goddess suddenly appear unannounced in the meeting was quite another.

None had expected Myrmina’s sudden arrival.

Gawain was probably the calmest among them. In fact, he had to exert great effort to suppress the urge to greet her with a casual “Have you eaten?” Instead, he maintained his dignified composure and asked, “What plan do you propose?”

“It’s actually quite simple,” Mylmina began. “I’ll investigate the rift zone deep within the Ancestral Peak. The massive mountain itself and the unstable space-time structure won’t pose a problem for me. I can transform into pure magical energy and enter the peak’s mana circulation directly—actually, I can even ‘flow’ straight into the rift zone. If all goes well and the intel is accurate, we’ll have results within a day.”

A low murmur of discussion inevitably rose among the audience, but High Lord Gawain paid it no mind. “And then? If you confirm the rift zone’s existence and it meets the technical requirements for the excitation focus, what’s your next move?”

“First, I’ll compile detailed data on everything inside the Ancestral Peak and hand it over to you. Then, I can ‘draw out’ those mana currents and guide them outside the mountain—of course, this depends on the deep blue rift inside the peak being as stable as we suspect, more so than the currents beneath the Talash Plains,” Mylmina said confidently. “After that, the rest is straightforward.”

“Draw them out?” Gawain raised an eyebrow. “How do you plan to do that? By directly altering the flow of the deep blue currents? Do you think they’ll be that ‘obedient’?”

“I’ll act as the conduit myself,” Mylmina replied, still brimming with confidence. “I can make my own ‘nature’ nearly identical to the deep blue ley lines. Trust me—if done right, those currents can be very ‘compliant.’ To me, that surging magic is just a river.”

“And after that?” This time, it was Rosetta August who spoke from the other side. “How do you get out? If you become the conduit yourself, then—”

“Me? I’m not coming out. I’ll stay inside the Ancestral Peak,” Mylmina smiled. Though her face was veiled in mist, the warmth of her smile was unmistakable. “I’ll remain there, continuously powering the entire observation apparatus, until the world is saved—or until I watch it fall into ruin.”

A sudden hush fell over the hall, an indescribable tension hanging in the air. Gawain tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his gaze fixed on Mylmina’s figure. After a moment, he spoke slowly, “And once the world is saved, will you return to your original form?”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Mylmina’s smile faded as she nodded gently. “I’m not planning to completely ‘dissolve’ myself into the deep blue ley lines. Once the observation device’s mission is complete, I’ll restore the rift. That process is actually quite safe for me. As for before all that…”

She paused, her tone calm and steady. “For beings like us with long lifespans, this is just a year and a half of ‘duty.’ To me, that’s as fleeting as a blink of an eye.”

(End of chapter)