Chapter 837: The Transfer
Yuri pressed close to the side wall of the freight car. There were no windows, but a discreet ventilation grille had been installed. Through the narrow gaps between the iron panels, his gaze pierced out onto the platform, where a thin mist had quietly settled. Figures in uniform paced back and forth, their silhouettes flickering in the interplay of light and fog. A manager, keys jingling heavily, was locking the gate at the far end of the platform.
Wendy’s voice came from behind him. “There have been several ‘informants’ before, but all were eliminated after triggering the critical mental locks. This time, however, the mind that disconnected from the network vanished before any lock was even activated… as if some powerful force directly blocked all mental connections.”
Yuri withdrew his gaze and looked at the shadowy figures around him, his voice low and steady. “It seems the string of anomalies has caught the attention of Rosetta Augustus. If the Royal Mage Association is involved, blocking mental links isn’t too difficult for them.”
“Expected, really. It’s just that the Royal Mage Association and Rosetta Augustus reacted faster than we anticipated,” Wendy whispered. “The real question now is how much damage these ‘informants’ will cause.”
“Most mid-level and above members have been accounted for and marked. Two groups have already been sent away. The situation is still under control,” Yuri said, returning to the crate and thinking aloud. “The core members won’t be compromised. The unrest is mostly among the lower ranks… Their intelligence is limited, so Rosetta Augustus probably can’t pinpoint our detailed plans immediately. This train should still be safe… but the next transfers need new routes, and fast.”
“Should we cancel the next train?”
“Yes. No more large-scale transfers,” Yuri nodded. “Those who remain here should move in small groups, crossing the border in scattered fashion.”
He frowned and sighed. “It’s a shame the psychic network can only operate in basic mode now. It can’t monitor every node with the precision it once had. It only reacts when an informant triggers a mental lock… There will definitely be many who slip through.”
“Losses we expected. We just need to protect the core personnel and data as much as possible,” Wendy said slowly, then frowned. “But what about Daniel?”
“He should be safe. Two years ago, Daniel was only a mid-level cleric, with few contacts. After his promotion to bishop, he started working in Aldern, where his identity has been kept highly confidential within the order. Those who know are trustworthy. Still, he needs to be warned—he is, after all, in Aldern.”
Suddenly, a bell rang sharply, piercing the quiet night and cutting off Yuri’s unfinished words.
The car fell silent. A tense, expectant atmosphere spread among the passengers. Someone approached the hidden ventilation grille and peered through the gaps.
The platform lights pierced the mist, magical projections shimmering faintly in the fog. A whistle sounded from deep within the haze, its sharp note traveling from one end of the platform to the other. A subtle vibration began beneath the car, the hum of the power spine growing louder.
The signal light atop the relay post switched from red to green. The platform slowly receded. The massive industrial machine rumbled low and deep, accelerating along the tracks, plunging headlong into the vast night shrouded in mist…
Mary flicked on the magic crystal lamp embedded in the wall, bathing the living room in soft light. The darkness and faint starlight that had filled the room moments before were instantly replaced by a warm, bright glow, creating a comforting sense of safety.
A voice suddenly came from the corner, nearly startling the young female mage who was about to hang her coat on the rack. “Why are you back so late?”
“Master… you’re still awake?” Mary turned, surprised to see Daniel sitting on the sofa in the corner. On the round table before him sat a small brown leather case. The old mage’s eyes held a questioning look, prompting Mary to quickly respond, “Ah, I was researching at the Royal Library… lost track of time.”
“Love of learning is good, but nearly getting locked in the library is another matter,” Daniel shook his head, motioning for Mary to come closer. “Did you encounter anything suspicious?”
“No,” Mary sat on the small sofa opposite him, puzzled. “Why do you ask?”
“Nothing much. Just that we need to be cautious lately. Don’t share too much about our time in hiding out west,” Daniel’s voice was low as his fingers tapped absently on the case. After a moment’s thought, he pushed the case toward her. “Mary, I want you to keep this.”
“Oh… okay,” Mary accepted the case instinctively, then hesitated before asking, “Master, what’s inside?”
“Some notes and materials I’ve compiled over the years,” Daniel said casually. “The other apprentices aren’t serious about this stuff. They’re lucky if they understand their own studies. You’re a bit smarter than most.”
Mary’s eyes widened in surprise at his calm tone. She finally blurted out, “Master, are you…?”
“Don’t be so nervous. It’s just a precaution,” Daniel shot her a stern look. “You’re always so easily startled. Where’s the composure of a mage? How can I trust you with this if you’re like that?”
Mary shrank back, silent. Daniel snorted in mild displeasure but then continued, “You know about the psychic network… and what’s been happening. Our master defeated a god, but some still fear Him…
“Mary, if something happens, you’ll inherit what I leave behind. I have no one else to entrust. You’re the smartest among my many hopeless apprentices.
“Windsor may respect me, but she’s loyal to her emperor. She was my student, but no longer mine.
“For now, just keep these safe. Remember, this is only a backup. We’re unlikely to ever need it.”
Mary stared at the small case in her hands, then looked up at her master. The old mage sat quietly, his deep-set eyes calm.
When had this terrifying, powerful man finally shed his madness and obsession?
Mary realized she had missed the final stage of that transformation. She had been immersed in Aldern’s library and magical labs, soaking up knowledge like a sponge, enjoying the simple life of a normal mage. Now, suddenly awake, she was shocked to find her fearsome master had quietly become an ordinary old man.
She instinctively shrank her neck and lowered her head. “Master, I… I understand.”
“Good,” Daniel said lightly, then steadied himself on the table and slowly rose. “Get some rest early. We have experiments tomorrow.”
He left the table, his stooped figure bending forward as he slowly made his way to the stairs. Artificial nerve cords hung silently behind him—biomechanical modifications that once terrified Mary but now seemed like lifeless burdens weighing down the old mage’s back.
“Master,” Mary suddenly called out, but after opening her mouth, she didn’t know what to say. Her mind was full of words, but when it came time to speak, only a blank silence remained. After a few awkward seconds, she finally managed, “Master, do you… regret it?”
She bit her lip nervously, heart pounding. She realized her question was reckless, even offensive—not something an apprentice should say, especially now.
But the old mage did not respond with anger or turn around. He paused briefly, then continued slowly toward the stairs.
Only when he stepped onto the first stair did he murmur in a low, deliberate voice, as if to himself, “To hear the Way in the morning…”
Mary stood frozen.
Her master had spoken a strange phrase, a few words combined oddly, but she understood. It was a phrase the great “Master” had used when discussing knowledge with her own mentor—a phrase the near-divine “Master” favored.
But why use it now as an answer?
Mary wanted to ask more, but when she looked up, her master had already disappeared up the stairs.
“Your Majesty, that is all I know.” Lord Bomayr sat nervously, clutching the hem of his clothes. Speaking for so long had left his mouth dry, but he dared not ask Miss Diana for a glass of iced grape wine to soothe his throat. He knew how much of what he’d revealed could cost him his head. Now, having laid everything bare, he sat like a condemned man awaiting Rosetta Augustus’s judgment.
But the emperor showed no interest in punishing a minor lord.
“After all these years… they’ve been hiding in Orlandell, beneath the ruins of the Great Collapse…” Rosetta Augustus’s expression had returned to calm. He sat quietly in his high-backed chair, his right hand resting loosely on the armrest, his left hand on his right arm. “The Sleeper… Augustus owes them nothing.”
Lord Bomayr’s mind swirled, but he quickly caught certain words from the emperor’s speech. After a brief shock, he lowered his eyes, pretending not to have heard.
“Your Majesty, we must act immediately to eradicate this cult,” Windsor Mapel’s voice came from nearby, a heavenly relief to Bomayr’s pounding heart. “They’ve grown to such a scale in secret… this is no small matter.”
“Indeed,” Rosetta nodded. “They’re likely already evacuating and erasing their traces everywhere. But an organization this large cannot vanish completely and silently in a short time.”
As he spoke, the ruler of Typhon let out a soft chuckle. “What intrigues me even more is that Gawain Cecil fellow… A bunch of cultists revere him as the ‘Outsider Wanderer,’ believing him to be a ‘quasi-divine’ being who has crossed over from beyond this world. That’s something I never would have imagined.”
“Your Majesty, though these cultists act with madness, we must take this intelligence seriously,” Windsor Mapel said immediately. “At the very least, we can be certain that Gawain Cecil has somehow infiltrated and taken control of the Sleepless within the Empire. That’s an incredibly dangerous vulnerability—he’s effectively planted countless spies across our lands. This matter demands swift and covert action.”
Rosetta nodded slightly, her expression grave. Meanwhile, Windsor Mapel continued, “Furthermore, the notion of the ‘Outsider Wanderer’ can’t be dismissed lightly. An ancient hero who died seven centuries ago suddenly returning to life is strange enough on its own. I believe… we can’t rule out the possibility that some non-human entity is inhabiting Gawain Cecil’s body, causing this miraculous resurrection.”
Rosetta listened carefully, then suddenly shook her head and let out a quiet laugh.
“Your Majesty?”
“I don’t care who’s inside that body. Maybe when he first crawled out of the coffin, it really was Gawain Cecil. But from the moment he began enforcing his new order, who he once was no longer matters,” Rosetta August said in a low voice. “Whether he’s a heroic spirit, a malevolent demon, or even an avatar of some god, the only identity that matters to us is ‘Emperor Cecil’—our neighbor.
“But… the title ‘Outsider Wanderer’… that is rather intriguing…”
(End of chapter)