Chapter 471: Daniel’s Contact

Mary left with a puzzled expression, tinged with a faint hope she carefully concealed. Daniel remained standing quietly on the dimly lit staircase for a long time. His once-broad frame was now stooped, draped in a black robe. From the back of his neck extended artificial neural cords that twitched softly beneath the fabric, emitting barely audible faint sounds. He looked like a faded oil painting blending into the dark background—his gaunt, grim face etched deeply with the scars of time.

After standing there for a while, a flicker of life returned to that faded portrait. Daniel blinked, gave a slight nod in the direction Mary had gone, then turned and slowly made his way up the winding stairs toward the upper levels of the mage tower.

Memories surfaced in his mind—memories from over a decade ago, before he had completely lost control to hysteria, before the neural modification surgery had shattered his emotional stability. Back then, he was mostly lucid and still retained a trace of kindness toward his apprentices.

But the frustration of chasing magical truths had broken him. The neurosurgery and brainwave technology of the Sleeper cult had transformed his mind into a monster. He lost the ability to stay clear-headed and control his emotions, trading that for the forbidden knowledge of the cult…

Yet recently, some of his reason and self-control had returned—not fully, but enough to be noticeable.

Daniel climbed the long spiral staircase to his private chamber in the upper tower. He opened the heavy black wooden door and stepped inside.

The room was furnished with sturdy wooden tables and chairs, carved bookshelves and display stands, iron candlesticks, an alchemy platform, and at its center, a magical brazier that controlled the entire tower’s operations. Beyond these furnishings, every exposed wall, floor, and ceiling surface was covered with strange, mysterious symbols and patterns.

These were neither the Sleeper’s dream sigils nor any known runic system. Not even the self-important royal mages of the imperial capital would have the honor of accessing such incredible markings.

These symbols and patterns were a gift from the “Master” himself, their power far beyond human comprehension.

Daniel didn’t understand the principles behind them; he only knew they brought him immense benefit.

After closing the door, the old mage approached the brazier and casually sprinkled a handful of spices into the flames. The comforting incense filled the room, helping him relax and focus as he admired the intricate symbols like a work of art.

Though the complex, bizarre patterns seemed maddening at first glance—almost enough to drive one insane—their true effect was the opposite. Surrounded by these markings, Daniel felt a surge of uplifting energy fill his heart. A gentle, wave-like sound echoed in his mind, as if he were sinking into warm ocean waters. Countless pleasant thoughts and feelings arose, slowly healing his severely fractured and twisted soul, even mending the damaged neural tissue in his body.

He had long believed the injuries deep within his nervous system were incurable—gifts from the Sleeper’s deception years ago. Due to outdated technology and his own mistakes during the neural grafting, huge risks had been left behind. Maddening noises and faint stings had tormented him for over a decade, directly causing his paranoid mania. Yet somehow, these strange “images” had healed those wounds… a miracle only the Master could create.

Daniel savored this soothing atmosphere, but he remembered the Master’s warning. When a strange thought suddenly popped into his mind—“Should I go dig up the giant squid?”—he immediately snapped out of his trance, regaining full clarity.

This was one reason he kept these “gifts” locked away in his chamber, forbidding his apprentices from touching them. Though the Master had never explicitly ordered this, Daniel felt that weaker-willed apprentices might not be able to break free from the influence of these symbols. They might be led astray by their own thoughts and drown in the sea.

Once fully alert, Daniel shifted his focus away from the patterns—resisting their power was not difficult after some practice. He recalled what his apprentice Mary had told him, as well as the orders from the Master, and moved toward a magical array in the corner of the room.

He connected his neural cords to the nodes on the array and began calling out to the ineffable “Master”…

…

In the Ansu region, inside the lord’s manor of Cecil’s main city, Gawain had just finished reviewing a report from the Kant district. He stretched lazily, reaching for another document, but suddenly stopped mid-motion.

Heddy, standing by the desk with the files, noticed immediately and asked with concern, “Ancestor, are you alright?”

The “Great Steward of Cecil” was a little worried. After all, the old patriarch was very advanced in years. Though he appeared vigorous and sharp, a sudden stretch might cause a muscle strain…

Of course, Heddy wouldn’t dare say such things aloud—that was Rebecca’s style.

As a mature and steady steward, Heddy only worried silently and secretly decided to add an extra bone broth to the old man’s dinner.

Gawain had no idea how many strange thoughts hid behind Heddy’s calm and elegant demeanor. He waved his hand dismissively. “I’m fine. I just suddenly needed to meditate… Go fetch Amber and have her keep watch.”

“Amber’s probably tied up at military intelligence. I’ll stay here instead,” Heddy said, frowning slightly. “I’ve heard Amber mention that you sometimes meditate suddenly… Is it a health issue?”

“Health? Oh, no,” Gawain paused, then laughed wryly. “You’ll find out in time. You can watch for Amber too. Don’t let anyone disturb me. If there’s an emergency, just give my shoulder a good shake.”

“Yes, sir.” Heddy bowed her head seriously and resolved to add an egg to the old man’s dinner later.

Gawain then cleared his mind. Moments later, he slipped into the hidden space he had “stolen” within the crevices of the mental network.

Old mage Daniel was already waiting there. Seeing Gawain appear, he immediately stepped forward and bowed deeply. “My lord, I apologize for the sudden intrusion.”

“No matter,” Gawain waved his hand and conjured a table and chairs in the space, sitting down first. “Sit. What’s the matter?”

Though Gawain had devoted most of his energy to consolidating and governing the southern region, he had not forgotten matters beyond it—especially the Sleeper network, which remained a constant focus. Recently, the Sleepers had been quiet, with no major changes in their network, so he had only been logging in routinely to check news and assign Daniel tasks related to study, research, and technology theft.

He hadn’t expected the old mage to contact him proactively.

Daniel sat cautiously opposite Gawain, choosing his words carefully. “My lord, one of my apprentices happened to overhear some news. The ruler of the Typhon Empire… may be researching the magic web, or technologies related to it.”

Gawain controlled his surprise and responded nonchalantly, “Oh?”

“Rosetta Augustus has issued a recruitment order for mages. The notices were even posted in remote towns near the border. The talents he seeks are rare—those with some understanding of ancient Gondor magic technology and familiarity with self-charging arrays. This made me think of your ‘magic web.’”

When Gawain had promoted the magic web, he had called it “a lost technology originating from the ancient Gondor Empire” for convenience—a detail he had shared with Daniel before.

“Understanding ancient Gondor magic and self-charging arrays… that’s indeed uncommon.” Gawain stroked his chin, pondering.

Ancient Gondor magic was considered a “high-end field” among mages, accessible only to those with talent, lineage, and strength. Self-charging arrays were a low-level, almost useless branch of array technology—before the anonymous wild mage created the magic web, these “cheap and inefficient” devices were scorned by great mages. Finding someone skilled in both was like finding two stand-up comedians at the Academy of Sciences.

Even in the northern magical kingdom of Violet, such unorthodox mages were rare.

No wonder Emperor Rosetta Augustus, despite having the royal mage guild at his disposal, still issued public recruitment orders, even posting them in backwater villages—perhaps among the eccentric, reclusive mages, he might find a few with these rare skills.

Gawain couldn’t help but smile at how his offhand “advertising line” for the magic web had inadvertently misled the Typhon ruler. As for Daniel’s “guess”…

He had no doubt. From the recruitment notice alone, he was ninety-nine percent sure the Typhon ruler had taken an interest in the magic web.

This was expected.

He had never hidden information about the magic web—and with Cecil’s rise so conspicuous, it was impossible to keep it secret.

Long before the southern war broke out, intelligence about the magic web had spread along trade routes to the Holy Spirit Plains and the eastern territories. After the war began, Typhon would certainly monitor all news related to Cecil. As an ancient and powerful empire, they must have intelligence channels within Ansu.

Daniel watched Gawain’s expression carefully and tentatively asked, “My lord, what do you think…?”

“Good news. By now, they should have learned about the southern war in Ansu. If Rosetta Augustus is truly a man of vision, he’ll be sharp in this regard,” Gawain nodded calmly. “Remember the knowledge I taught you?”

“Yes,” Daniel replied immediately. “I’ve already implemented the magic web in the lab and developed several basic machines…”

“You’re already making a name for yourself in the Sleeper cult. As a mature mage, you’re about to become a technical star in the Typhon Empire.”

Daniel’s face grew serious. He seemed to have been waiting for this moment and nodded promptly. “I will follow your will.”

“Then it’s settled,” Gawain continued. “Since you’re here, update me on recent developments in Typhon.”

(End of chapter)