Chapter 260: A New Breakthrough?

After laying all the most sensitive issues on the table, the conversation between High Lord Gawain and Solderin naturally became much more relaxed—at least for now, they set aside the tense relations between Typhon and Ansu, avoided discussing the decline of the Cecil family and the current chaotic state of the realm, and simply chatted like old friends from seven centuries ago.

At least, that’s how Solderin saw it.

“You know, when I first heard you were establishing a frontier settlement down south, I started to believe you might actually be serious—after all, that’s exactly the kind of thing you’d do,” Solderin said with a smile. “Someone who’s been out of touch with society for seven hundred years wouldn’t really fit in with the noble circles, scheming and politicking. Developing land in a barren wasteland is probably easier for you.”

“Mainly because scheming is just boring, especially with a bunch of juniors,” Gawain waved his hand dismissively. “It’s awkward enough dealing with them, and whenever I remember they’re just descendants of those old fools from back then, it feels… weird.”

Gawain was just making an excuse to distance himself from the capital’s noble circles, but Solderin took it seriously. He recalled the astonishing prosperity he’d witnessed in the Cecil lands, the so-called “black tech” weapons wielded by Cecil soldiers, and the unique aura he’d sensed when facing the Cecil battle regiments—a conviction and spirit unlike any ordinary noble mercenaries. Though still immature, it was enough to command attention.

If only a small group of bodyguards were like that, it would be understandable. But the entire military of the Cecil domain was equally elite—that was worth pondering.

As an elf, and a ranger of the keenest perception among his kind, Solderin could deduce a lot from subtle details.

The old ancestor rose from his tomb, took a look at the domestic situation, declared he didn’t want to play political games with his descendants, and retreated to a remote borderland beyond the king’s reach. Then, in less than a year, he developed a military force capable of taking on any conventional army of the age—and was rapidly expanding it…

Just thinking about it was terrifying. It was like a father coming home to find the living room a mess, then looking at his muddy, wild child with a faint smile before heading to the kitchen for a rolling pin.

Solderin muttered to himself, but Gawain had no idea what the elf ranger had conjured up in his mind in less than half a minute. Gawain casually asked, “So, what exactly is your role in the Typhon army?”

Solderin’s expression turned serious. “I can’t just reveal my employer’s secrets, not even to you—you know my principles.”

“I’m not asking you to spill Typhon’s entire border defense,” Gawain shrugged, thinking this balding elf was just as principled as he remembered. His tone held no disappointment—it was just a casual question. “Just tell me what you can.”

“I serve under Commander Andersa Wendel of the Winter Wolf Legion, but I hold no real power or rank,” Solderin said. “You know, I’m still an outsider. It’s impossible for someone like me to command significant authority in a human army. But the pay Typhon offers is quite good—fair enough.”

“Andersa Wendel?” Gawain frowned. “The young wolf general?”

“You know her too?” Solderin was surprised, then smiled. “Yes, she’s a descendant of Telyan, a very talented young woman. Both her personal combat skills and command abilities are strong—she doesn’t disgrace her ancestors. But she’s a bit stubborn, obsessed with revenge against Ansu. Her father, Bard Wendel, disappeared on the Ansu-Typhon border, and she’s convinced the Ansu killed him.”

“Bard Wendel…” Gawain’s expression darkened. He hesitated, unsure whether to tell Solderin the truth—that Bard had fallen and become a cultist of the End of All Things. After some thought, he decided to reveal it; after all, it wouldn’t affect the Cecil lands whether the news spread or not. “Actually, I met a cultist of the End of All Things this year. That person… was probably Bard.”

Solderin’s eyes went wide. “What?!”

Gawain calmly recounted what he knew. The more Solderin listened, the more shocked he became. “How could this happen… The former wolf general, missing for over a decade, turned into a druid of the End of All Things cult?!”

“God only knows what happened in between. I didn’t believe it at first either, but the reputation of the Mithril Vault is world-renowned. Their intelligence should be reliable,” Gawain shook his head. “Anyway, even if Andersa hears this, she won’t believe it. A vengeful zealot has little judgment. More than these distant matters, I want to know how many Typhon troops have infiltrated the Dark Mountains.”

The topic grew sensitive again. Solderin hesitated, but Gawain pressed on. “Solderin, I respect your principles, but now it’s in everyone’s best interest if you share intelligence on the other infiltrating units. You know my soldiers have already wiped out one infiltration team. As long as the others remain active in the Dark Mountains, it’s only a matter of time before I catch them. You’ve chosen a path that looks safe but is actually a death trap. The only way to save them is to tell me their routes—I promise to capture them alive whenever possible.”

And then send them off to mine in the mountains, Gawain silently added.

“It’s not that I don’t want to cooperate,” Solderin shrugged, “but you probably can’t catch them anymore. Before we set out, Andersa Wendel received intelligence and planned for the possibility that you had truly returned and that the infiltration teams might fall into your hands. If my main force is endangered, or if two or more squads lose contact, the others immediately withdraw with whatever intelligence they’ve gathered, either retreating the way they came or circling back through the northern wilds to the border. Their retreat routes are randomized to prevent anyone from revealing others’ locations if captured.”

He added, “We check in every few hours with communication magic worms to confirm each squad’s position and safety. Everyone must realize something’s wrong by now. I’ve observed your soldiers’ speed and the mountain terrain—it’s impossible to catch them.”

“…As expected of the Winter Wolf Legion’s elite. They really leave no gaps,” Gawain sighed, giving up on the idea of wiping out all Typhon forces infiltrating the Dark Mountains this time. The Cecil soldiers’ black-tech weaponry was indeed deadly, but in deep mountains, they had no special advantage—at least not yet.

Still, he planned to take some action—like writing to Duke Selas Loren in the eastern territories to warn him about Typhon’s winter infiltration operations.

The Dark Mountains were indeed a good entry point for infiltration, but Gawain was certain Typhon wouldn’t limit themselves to just one. The Ansu-Typhon border was vast, with many complex terrains—there were bound to be vulnerabilities.

After their long talk, Gawain arranged lodging for Solderin. Given the ranger’s complicated status and position, Gawain had him stay in a manor not far from the lord’s estate, right next to Knight Street. This both honored his high-level supernatural status and made it easier to monitor and control him.

Even though Gawain trusted the ranger wouldn’t cause trouble, he had to set an example for his subordinates.

After personally seeing Solderin off, Gawain returned to his study, only to find Amber standing at the door waiting for him.

“You’re still here guarding the door?” Gawain blinked at the half-elf. “Why so obedient today?”

“Guarding the door? Your great-granddaughter and that electric guy are inside waiting for you,” Amber rolled her eyes. “They came right after you left and have been waiting ages.”

“Heddy and Kamail?” Gawain frowned. “Then you don’t need to stand guard. They wouldn’t keep you out.”

“Don’t remind me. Those two are acting like lunatics, all excited over a rock, babbling nonstop about magic field dispersion. I was just sipping tea nearby, and they dragged me into their nonsense. Headache city. Better to wait for you out here,” Amber complained, waving her hand. “You better go see for yourself. I’m off to check on Anton and those idiots training.”

With that, Amber vanished down the corridor in a shadow step, not even giving Gawain a chance to reply.

Gawain stared after her disappearance, shaking his head in bemusement, then pushed open the study door.

Inside, Heddy and Kamail were eagerly discussing something, gathered around what Amber had called a “rock.”

Clearly, Amber’s description was off—this was no mere stone. It was a brand-new, complex magical device.

“Ancestor!” “Lord!”

As Gawain entered, the two researchers immediately looked up and spoke in unison, “You have to see this!” “An incredible property!”

“Wait, wait, calm down you two,” Gawain said, knowing how researchers got when they made a breakthrough. “Heddy, explain. What is this?”

He gestured to the device in the center of the room—a roughly one-meter-tall crystal cut into an obelisk-like shape, glowing with a deep blue-purple sheen. The crystal was mounted on a silver-white metal base shaped roughly like a triangle, with a raised center securely holding the crystal. The base’s surface was etched with numerous magical runes and had bolt holes for mounting, clearly designed to be fixed onto a flat surface. At the top of the crystal sat a smaller metal apparatus, resembling a miniature version of the base, also inscribed with magical patterns.

It looked impressive.

“It’s a purified and reforged Home Crystal,” Heddy said, her face glowing with excitement. “And this device solves the problem of magic network energy transmission—it can diffuse magical energy over a considerable distance in the form of a mana field!”

(End of chapter)