Chapter 1495: The Typhon Plan

The Demon Tide Observation Device and the Unified Mind Field System—these were technological treasures the Noyans had painstakingly unearthed over a millennium from the legacy left by the Precursors. Yet even with such advanced tech, when facing the Demon Tide, it was barely enough.

The limited Unified Mind Field could only filter out a portion of the information from the real universe, while the Demon Tide Observation Device had to provide the entire defense system with an extremely precise “sample frequency” to ensure the protective barrier’s frequency was correctly aligned. These two systems had to work in perfect harmony, and if even the slightest flaw appeared… mortal minds, fragile as they were, wouldn’t last long enough to correct the error.

“Speaking of the Noyans… have the Sea Elves finished upgrading their faster-than-light communication array?” Gawain suddenly remembered and casually asked Rebecca beside him.

Due to hardware limitations on Antavian’s FTL communication array, contact between the Loren Alliance and the Noyan civilization had always been difficult. To fix this, the Sea Elves decided to replace a key component in their communication system with a Voyager energy crystal. This repair had been ongoing for quite some time.

With the only FTL communication device under major overhaul, contact between Loren and Noya was effectively cut off. Though everyone understood this was necessary, in the face of the rapidly approaching Demon Tide, prolonged silence between the two civilizations was far from ideal—it only heightened tensions and made timely responses to crises nearly impossible.

“Last time, Tiel contacted the homeland and said they were in the final stages of debugging,” Rebecca nodded promptly, then added, “It’s taking longer than planned because the Voyager crystal technology is quite special. Even for the Sea Elves, analyzing and modifying it isn’t easy. Tiel mentioned that the first installation attempt caused an accident—apparently, the entire on-site technical team was wiped out. It took several days just for them to revive.”

Gawain: “…Well, as long as they’re happy. What about the Noyans?”

“They’ve been continuously broadcasting, just as agreed before the last communication cut-off. While the Loren Alliance can’t send messages, we can still receive their broadcasts,” Rebecca replied. “Over the past period, the Noyans have sent more technical data related to the Demon Tide Observation Device and the Unified Mind Field—sort of reference materials to help us understand these technologies better. They also sent some introductions about themselves and their history, which have been archived. You’re welcome to take a look if you’re interested.”

Gawain nodded slightly. Just then, the office’s magic network terminal buzzed, and a projection flickered above the focusing crystal. Jenny glanced at the projection, then turned to Gawain: “Your Majesty, the conference system is ready. Representatives from all nations are connecting.”

“Let’s go,” Gawain nodded and headed for the office door. “Both of you are coming.”

Jenny and Rebecca quickly followed. The three left the office—not toward the usual “network conference hall” for alliance meetings, but to another room on the same floor. This room was spacious and bare, with only a silver-white metal pillar in the center, surrounded by several immersion pods.

Three of the pods were on standby, their lids open, energy indicator lights flickering softly at their bases.

Gawain took a deep breath and led Rebecca and Jenny toward the three prepared immersion pods. This meeting was highly specialized, with few participants, technical in nature, and confidential. So he had set the venue directly inside a secure space deep within the neural network.

The familiar, brief dizziness faded quickly. The chaotic light and shadow reassembled into a vast, sunlit sea of white flowers. Gawain and his companions arrived in this special space managed by Beltira. Before them, a round table gradually materialized from thin air, and figures began to take shape around it.

First, flowering vines descended from above, and Beltsethia emerged from among them. The high-level star mage, Lady Virania, appeared closely behind her queen. Then, a solemn black gate lowered from the sky, and from it stepped Rosetta Augustus, the Typhon monarch. Beside her was the legendary mage Lady Windsor Mapel.

The leaders of these two great empires made a striking entrance—after all, their special effects were paid for with monthly subscriptions.

Next, Gawain saw a familiar face: a middle-aged man in pale gold robes, with golden hair and a dignified, steady expression—the current leader of Talrond, the Golden Dragon Heragor.

Beside Heragor stood another middle-aged man with short gray hair, a resolute face, and a prominent nose—Barloger, the Dragonblood Duke and leader of the Holy Dragon Principality.

Unlike Rosetta and Beltsethia, who brought their top technical advisors, the two dragon leaders arrived alone. Gawain was not surprised. He had learned from Enya about dragon history and knew these two were the foremost experts and naturalists among dragons. Neither needed advisors; in Talrond or the Holy Dragon Principality, no scholar understood the Demon Tide better than they did.

“All present,” Gawain scanned the figures around the table, then broke the silence bluntly. “Everyone knows what we’re here to discuss. Let’s skip formalities and take our seats.”

The leaders and their advisors nodded and sat. Gawain continued, “Before we begin, I want to emphasize two points. First, this concerns the fate of the entire world. It is no longer about the honor or loss of any nation or tribe. We will not have another chance to correct any mistakes made today. Therefore, we must abandon all prejudices and conservatism. Everything must be approached pragmatically. Even if some opinions are offensive or defy common sense, if they help solve the problem, they must be voiced.

“Second, technical feasibility comes first. The advice of technical experts here takes precedence over any political or military leader’s personal views, and over any political cost-benefit analysis. If something is technically impossible, there’s no point in discussing it further. If it’s technically feasible, it deserves consideration.”

“I agree,” Rosetta Augustus was the first to respond, nodding solemnly at Gawain. “Before coming, I reviewed the materials on the Unified Mind Field and the Anti-Divinity Barrier. I’m mentally prepared for the scale of this project. There can be no hesitation. Whatever plan we adopt, we have only one chance to get it right.”

“Good. We don’t need to debate the theory behind the observation device and the Unified Mind Field today. The main issue is the engineering challenge,” Gawain said, leaning forward with hands on the table. “Simply put, according to the Noyan blueprints, we need to build a force field generator array covering the entire planet to fully resist the Demon Tide. But in reality, that’s nearly impossible.

“With less than a year and a half before the Demon Tide arrives, even if we convert all existing Anti-Divinity Barrier devices into Unified Mind Field generators, their scale falls far short of what’s needed.

“So, we need a solution: based on current technology and production capacity, how can we use the resources and equipment at hand to build a usable ‘doomsday shelter’… I want to hear your thoughts.”

Gawain’s words hung in the air as he gave the others space to think. He saw Rosetta and Beltsethia quietly consulting with their technical advisors. The two dragon leaders remained stoic and silent. After a moment, Rosetta raised her gaze and looked toward him.

“After receiving the materials from Cecil, the Imperial Engineering Association and the Royal Mage Association experts urgently discussed a plan,” Rosetta said gravely. “Do we have to build a planet-wide, astonishingly massive shield? That scale is beyond comprehension and extremely difficult to realize. Could we instead settle for building one or several smaller shields? For example… a network of shelters?”

Lady Windsor Mapel added from beside her, “We believe it’s feasible to build shields over major cities to create independent shelters. City-level magical protective fields and their supporting energy systems are relatively achievable technologies, and many countries have practical experience with them…”

As she spoke, the Typhon Royal Mage Association president waved her hand gently in the air. A clear magical projection appeared, showing cities enveloped by force field shields and a sprawling, unmanned facility complex.

“This is our concept of a ‘shelter city cluster,’” Lady Mapel explained. “Each city would be modified to install a full protective system and expanded housing to accommodate as many refugees as possible…

“Each shelter would have basic, complete production facilities and ample supplies to sustain itself for over a year in complete lockdown. The cities would be independent, with no personnel or material exchange during the Demon Tide. Communication between cities would be via the neural network—the only safe information channel during the Demon Tide, protected by non-directional thought waves.

“Outside the shelters, there would be unmanned facilities maintained by magical constructs or tower spirits—‘low-mind entities.’ These include wilderness nodes of the neural network, production and storage facilities outside cities, and large energy stations that cannot be shut down. These must continue operating during the Demon Tide to maintain the shelter cluster’s basic functions and to enable rapid societal recovery afterward…”

Lady Mapel’s presentation was clear and detailed, with a richly parameterized projection. The Typhons had prepared thoroughly.

Shelter city clusters—that was the Typhon solution. Since a planet-wide shield was too fantastical to build, why not break the big shield into smaller ones? By converting large cities into shelters, they could house the population. Though each shelter would be overcrowded and living conditions harsh, at least it was achievable. And after all, the Demon Tide would last only six months to a year—people could endure it.

It was an attractive and feasible plan. Gawain’s mind even briefly spun out a two-million-word novel set in these shelter cities—enough material for a film series by Philm. But after this fleeting daydream, he forced himself to discard all the romantic notions and focus on the cold, harsh reality and unforgiving numbers—

“How many people do we have to give up?” he asked, locking eyes with Windsor Mapel, his expression unusually grave.

“That depends on each country’s population size, urban development, and industrial base,” Windsor Mapel replied calmly, meeting Gawain’s gaze without flinching. “Even if the Alliance pools enough resources to help every nation build shelters, the number of people left behind will still be staggering. For example, our current estimates for Typhon show that the network of shelter cities can only accommodate about half the country’s population. And that’s actually on the high end compared to other Alliance members—most will fare worse.

“After all, while some smaller countries have fewer people, their industrial infrastructure and urban standards are even weaker. These shelter cities have to be built on well-functioning, modern urban centers.”

Gawain’s face darkened, silent and somber. Sitting beside him, Jenny and Rebecca let out soft, involuntary gasps.

Clearly, the scale of sacrifice this plan entailed had exceeded their expectations.

“What if we try to increase the capacity of each shelter as much as possible?” Jenny suddenly spoke up. “We could cram more people in—after all, the magical storm only lasts six months to a year. Everyone just needs to survive inside the shelters for at most a year…”

“I’ve already given you the upper limit in my estimates, Master Jenny,” Windsor Mapel said evenly. “Each shelter’s population is already at the extreme threshold. Everyone’s supplies are rationed just above the bare minimum for survival. We’ve even eliminated any extra allocations for ‘privileged’ groups in advance. According to the plan, even royalty and high-ranking military and political officials will receive the same rations and living space as ordinary citizens inside the shelters, to maximize the number of people who can survive.”

Jenny was momentarily at a loss for words. “I… see.”

“In the end, it’s not just supplies that limit how many people can be sheltered,” Windsor Mapel continued. “The real constraints are the size and number of shelters. There’s only a limited number of cities that can be converted into shelters, and the production of protective equipment is limited as well. It’s simply impossible to cram an entire country’s population into shelter cities.”

(End of chapter)