Chapter 268: Deterioration

Ever since the last attack by the aberrations on the camp, Gawain’s attention to the Magnificent Wall had never wavered. Having witnessed its construction firsthand, he understood better than anyone what that magical barrier meant to the various races across the continent—and even more so, how unimaginable the consequences would be if the barrier were to fail.

So, even under the most difficult circumstances in his territory, he had invested heavily in setting up several observation posts near the southern pass of the Dark Mountains. These posts monitored the Magnificent Wall around the clock. That pass was the very gap through which the aberrations had once breached the mountains to invade the territory. It was the greatest weak point in the entire Dark Mountain barrier—and the only “window” from a relatively safe vantage point to observe the Wall.

Just this morning, multiple observation posts reported strange “flickering” in the middle section of the Magnificent Wall. The massive magical shield dimmed briefly, then suddenly brightened again. The entire episode lasted only a few seconds but was clearly visible.

The flicker affected only part of the barrier, and it returned to normal immediately afterward. That was the only good news: it didn’t seem to be on the verge of a total collapse, and the Wall’s self-repair function was still working properly.

After receiving the report, Gawain didn’t even attend the scheduled activation ceremony of the Arcane Obelisk. Instead, he locked himself in his study and reviewed recent satellite surveillance data. Only after confirming there were no major surges of magical energy around the territory, and no abnormal energy readings from the Dark Mountains, did he allow himself some relief: the problem was still confined to the ruins of Gondor itself, unrelated to the Great Sun above or the world’s overall magical environment.

“What has Thordrin been up to these days?” Gawain suddenly changed the subject, referring to the bald powerhouse currently freeloading in the territory as a “prisoner.”

Hetty thought for a moment, uncertain. “He’s been cooperative, mostly staying where he lives. But I heard he’s been spending more time with Pittman lately. Though I guess that’s normal—after all, the Druidic tradition comes from the elves, so maybe they have some common ground in the ways of nature.”

Gawain’s lips twitched involuntarily. Thordrin really was a fighter who never gave up—he still hadn’t abandoned hope of curing his hair loss! Only now he was pinning his hopes on Pittman, that unreliable fake medicine peddler… Looks like Thordrin planned to spend all his earned commissions on charms and miracle hair ointments.

Only Gawain knew the “truth” about Thordrin’s strength, so he didn’t bother explaining it to Hetty. Instead, he simply said, “Go fetch him.”

Not long after, Thordrin arrived in Gawain’s study. Though technically a battlefield prisoner, the “Typhon officer” was treated well in the Cecil territory. Aside from necessary surveillance, his living conditions were on par with Hetty and Rebecca’s, and he was free to move about most of the territory. Now, appearing with a cheerful grin, he greeted Gawain: “Hey! Gawain, I gotta tell you—there’s someone in your territory who—”

“Don’t believe a word of it. Aside from the normal Druidic potions, most of the ointments he sells privately are fake.”

Thordrin: “…”

“The charms are fake too. Those so-called ancient amulets from old ruins? They’re just scraps from the steel mill’s waste heap.”

Thordrin: “…”

“And the hair growth stuff? Don’t buy it. His thick hair is natural, and besides, you’re not even the same race—believing him won’t help.”

Thordrin: “…I’m gonna find him and make him pay with blood!”

“Back off!” Gawain shot him a sharp look. “I called you here on serious business.”

Thordrin finally noticed the gravity in Gawain’s expression and straightened up. “What’s going on?”

“You’re a Silver Elf, right?” Gawain gestured to the chair beside his desk. “How much do you know about the Magnificent Wall?”

“It was indeed built by the Silver Elves… but that was the work of the mages. I’m just a ranger, so my knowledge of magic is limited,” Thordrin answered honestly—one of his virtues was never boasting about what he didn’t know. “Is there something wrong with the Wall?”

Gawain didn’t hide anything. He recounted the flickering incident and the aberration attacks that had occurred when the territory was first established, down to every detail. At the end, he mentioned the disaster that had befallen the old Cecil territory: “…The old Cecil lands were also destroyed by aberrations and magical surges. You should know the original Cecil territory wasn’t here, but further northwest in the hills.”

Thordrin’s expression grew increasingly solemn as Gawain spoke. When he learned that similar aberration attacks had happened more than once, his brows nearly knitted together, and his unique emerald eyes—so characteristic of the Silver Elves—were filled with worry.

Humans, with their short lifespans, could forget the horrors of a nation’s destruction after a few centuries. But elves, long-lived and far from forgetful, still occasionally relived those perilous days on the ruins of Gondor in their dreams. Thordrin knew all too well what it would mean if Gawain’s story was true.

“Are you sure those were the same ‘aberrations’ we fought back then?” Thordrin asked anxiously.

“Impossible to mistake,” Gawain replied firmly. “I fought them for decades—when I died, I was surrounded by a whole bunch of them. How could I be wrong?”

Before closing his eyes, damn aberrations everywhere; upon opening them, damn aberrations still—damn, all my efforts in the last version were for nothing. That was the most genuine feeling Gawain had inherited from his past memories.

“The magical surges are sealed inside the Magnificent Wall, so their reappearance within civilized lands is definitely abnormal…” Thordrin frowned and began recalling what he knew about the Wall. “Well… though I’m not a mage, I do know more about the Wall than most humans. From what I understand, the Magnificent Wall is a magical barrier built on an ancient ‘adaptive shield’ technology. It relies on a series of ‘Sentinel Towers’ erected along the border of the Gondor ruins. The shield can automatically adjust itself to the complex magical environment inside the ruins. You know, the magical surges brought chaos and disorder—those constantly fluctuating energy waves are its most dangerous feature. Only an adaptive shield can adjust in real time to the chaotic energy’s ebb and flow, maintaining strong protection with minimal energy consumption…”

Gawain listened carefully and then asked, “So, if an energy fluctuation beyond the shield’s adaptive range appears inside the ruins, the Wall would ‘fail to respond’ and overload locally?”

“In theory, yes…” Thordrin said hesitantly. “But I heard from the elven mages back then that each Sentinel Tower was built with a large safety margin. They should be able to handle sudden large-scale surges inside the ruins. Also, fifty percent of the towers have backups. If the shield really started to overload, those backup towers would activate immediately to balance the load. There shouldn’t be such a serious problem as a temporary breach in the barrier…”

“Ah, backup Sentinel Towers—I’ve heard of that setup,” Gawain recalled the relevant information. “Have you been back to your homeland in recent years?”

“Only once, three hundred years ago,” Thordrin smiled faintly. “It’s really difficult to go back—the Gondor ruins lie in the continent’s center, so returning to the Silver Empire in the north means circumnavigating most of the continent. Besides, I don’t have my own griffon or dragonhawk.”

“How do you usually keep in touch with your people? Or… do you still maintain contact with your homeland?”

“We do keep in touch,” Thordrin explained. “The Sentinel Towers themselves have magical communication functions that relay signals from the Starry Sanctuary. This system monitors the status of each tower. There are barrier monitoring stations set up by the Silver Empire within Typhon and along the Ansusi border. I can contact my homeland through those. But the frequency isn’t high—the towers can only transmit limited information, and many elves are traveling abroad.”

“When was the last time you communicated with the Silver Empire?”

“You’re worried…” Thordrin caught Gawain’s concern. “That the maintenance of the Magnificent Wall has gone wrong, but the Silver Elves haven’t told the world?”

“That’s a possibility. Ever since the collapse of the large information network between the Gondor Empire and the Silver Empire, it’s been hard for human nations to get timely news from the elves. Now, only the southernmost Gaoling Kingdom maintains direct contact with the elves—and Gaoling is the most mysterious of the human kingdoms,” Gawain said calmly. “Even if we ignore everything else—if the Magnificent Wall is truly having problems, but no news comes from the Silver Elves, that in itself is worrying, isn’t it?”

Thordrin’s face darkened with concern. Though he had lived among humans for many years, he was still a Silver Elf at heart and could never abandon his homeland.

“My last contact with the homeland was over a decade ago… You know, by elven standards, that’s quite recent,” Thordrin looked up at Gawain. “But now I think I need to reach out again. As a high-ranking ranger, I know some influential people in the Silver Empire. Maybe I can find out what’s going on with the Magnificent Wall.”

“You can also tell them that ‘Gawain Cecil has returned.’ I have many acquaintances among your Silver Elves, which will make your message more credible,” Gawain nodded. “Even if nothing is wrong inside the Silver Empire, it’s good to warn them about the temporary failure in the northern barrier. It’s at least a heads-up—after all, the Dark Mountains line is the hardest part of the Magnificent Wall to monitor. Maybe your mages don’t even know the barrier is having problems yet.”

Thordrin nodded solemnly. “Understood.”

(End of chapter)