Chapter 868: The Mysterious Signal

When Gawain asked, Beltira nodded. “Yes, just as I detailed in my report—and to this day, I still haven’t figured out where those patterned signals are coming from.”

Gawain furrowed his brow slightly.

What they were discussing had happened not long ago—about a week prior. The magical network in the Solin region had just completed its regional grid. Previously, the major cities scattered across the eastern plains were connected linearly through relay towers, but now they had successfully established a mesh distribution of energy and information. The largest mana obelisk in Solin Keep, perched atop the great Solin tree and serving as the regional hub, had undergone a mode conversion that very day, becoming the central node for the entire area. The process itself went smoothly, but soon after, some perplexing “phenomena” began to emerge.

On the third day after the network’s completion, Beltira started detecting a series of regular signals from the crystal array nestled in the treetop of the Solin giant tree—signals that didn’t belong to the network itself and whose origin was unknown.

Because the Solin mana obelisk was built right on the crown of the giant tree, with many of its auxiliary facilities integrated into the tree’s structure, Beltira herself was essentially a living network hub. Realizing this, Gawain’s technical team collaborated with her, teaching her how to operate the arcane devices. Monitoring the obelisk’s signal modules for anomalies became part of her daily routine.

—By the way, the Solin hub was currently the only self-maintaining magical network node within the empire. Gawain hoped to build more, but Beltira’s grafting and transplantation techniques still had no breakthroughs in sight, so for now, it remained just an idea…

After a brief pause, Gawain looked up. “Have the technicians made any progress decoding those signals?”

“None whatsoever,” Beltira shook her head. “These are signals we’ve never encountered before. They consist of a series of very brief tremors and cryptic echoes, completely unlike the ‘neural simulation pulses’ or ‘mental transmission streams’ we currently use. But one thing seems certain…”

Gawain raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

“They’re definitely not natural interference,” Beltira said with conviction. “At first, we suspected they might be related to the ubiquitous magical field disturbances in nature. But after collecting readings from all the mana monitoring towers around Solin, none matched the signals I intercepted. We even sent samples to Master Kamail in the capital, who noted that some of the tremors showed complex combinations—very much like artificial manipulation.”

“So… the technicians believe these signals received by the Solin hub are man-made,” Gawain mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “But… who would be sending them? Our magical network communication system is new; no other nation on this continent has mastered it.”

“If they are indeed artificial, then sending such signals would require a complete set of technologies. It’s unlikely any human nation currently possesses that,” Beltira said slowly, her flowering vines gently writhing behind her, emitting a soft, peaceful rustle. “But I remember you once said—there’s more than one powerful civilization in this world, and humanity isn’t necessarily the dominant one.

“Sea hags, dragons, even the elves in the southern continent—they all have advanced technologies. Maybe we just happened to catch their broadcast signals?”

“Elves can be ruled out. We have technical exchanges with the Silver Empire, and through the Sentinel Towers, we’ve established a signal relay and translation system. Kamail has signal samples from them, so there’s no ‘unrecognizable’ issue,” Gawain said gravely. “As for dragons and sea hags… that’s possible.

“Though our contact with those two races is still limited—especially the dragons, who are practically strangers. Confirming the signal samples with them might be tricky.

“But the sea hags… we could try asking them. The Cecile Empire does have some technical cooperation with them.”

Beltira lowered her gaze. “It’s up to you.”

Gawain nodded, but sighed quietly to himself.

There was so much unknown in this world, and behind those unknowns often lurked great dangers. The technical department was still struggling to unravel the secrets deep within the magical energies. Now, as the network expanded, these “unidentifiable patterned signals” appeared, stirring unease.

Who was sending these signals? Sea hags? Dragons? Or some ancient civilization hidden from human sight? Perhaps something from the ruins of Gondor, or even an unknown god… Every terrifying possibility seemed plausible.

Gawain shook his head, then suddenly recalled something. “Speaking of which, there was a report from the northern border not long ago. During network testing near Winterhold, technicians intercepted a strange ‘howling’ echo throughout the system… I wonder if the two incidents are connected.”

“I heard about that,” Beltira nodded. “The hubs share intelligence. I’m aware of what happened in the north. It’s possible they’re related, but the two events are quite different—the Winterhold signal was a brief, chaotic howl. According to the data, it was so disordered it couldn’t even be called a ‘signal.’ The one at Solin Keep, however, is much clearer, with signs of artificial tuning. So while it’s tempting to link them, I suggest treating them as separate incidents for now—at least until we have more evidence.”

Gawain gave a slight nod.

Though once fallen into a dark cult, Beltira was still a technician at heart. When discussing such matters, her thoughts were clear and precise, making the conversation much easier.

After a brief pause, Beltira added, “However… if these two incidents are connected, I have a theory.”

Gawain glanced at her. “Go ahead.”

“If—just if—the signals from Winterhold and Solin share the same source, then the northern signal was likely an unsuccessful attempt. It wasn’t fully tuned or adapted to the network, so it came out as a strange howl. By the time the Solin hub went online, the signal had been properly adjusted…”

“That’s possible,” Gawain pondered aloud. “In any case, I’ll order all hubs nationwide to monitor these mysterious signals closely. Maybe we can capture more samples. Additional data might help us uncover the secrets behind them. As for you… Solin’s giant tree was the first to catch a clear signal. We can’t yet say if it’s related to the local environment or the hub’s unique nature, so you need to be extra vigilant. I’ll have the Administration Office send a few more experts in magical network communications to assist you.”

“That would be best.”

After settling the official matters, the two fell into a brief silence before Gawain broke it. “It’s been half a year—how are you adjusting to your new identity and life?”

“Better than I expected,” Beltira seemed to smile. “I thought being a plant would be boring, but the endless new things you’ve brought have kept me busy. Watching this land slowly come back to life is deeply fulfilling… and there’s the magical network broadcasts and shadow plays to enjoy.”

“As long as you keep being a law-abiding citizen of the empire, even more incredible things await. This is an era of rapid change.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Beltira nodded, then suddenly looked up toward a nearby figure. “Ah, a visitor.”

Gawain turned to see Selina Gerfen’s silhouette materializing out of thin air.

He nodded to the Dream Saint. “Have you finished your tasks?”

“Yuri and Semler can handle things in the real world. Nariel and Duvalet are managing the network side,” Selina replied calmly. “As for me… I just want to keep some distance from that foolish Magnum.”

“What did he do now?”

“He was chatting happily with Norris, then came up with the ridiculous idea of forming a club made up of ‘network intelligences.’”

Gawain chuckled dryly. “I think that’s not a bad idea—after all, you, Magnum, and Norris are in similar states now. And since we plan to add more ‘network citizens’ in the future, Magnum’s suggestion might be a way for these new identities to form social groups. You could even bring Megor along…”

“He named the club ‘Echoes of the Past,’” Selina said flatly. “After looking up what that phrase means, I decided to keep my distance.”

Gawain’s heart skipped a beat.

He realized that Amber’s secret compilation of The Sacred Banter of Emperor Gawain Cecile was already spreading—and his previous attempts to confiscate it had clearly failed.

“That name definitely needs reconsideration,” Gawain said, his expression as blank as Beltira’s. “What about Norris? Any thoughts?”

“He’s not interested—a respectable man who only worries about the grain fields of the Holy Spirit Plains and when he can return to work,” Selina shook her head. “I still don’t understand how such a respectable man and Magnum could find common ground…”

“…Maybe just out of politeness,” Gawain said in a low voice, then fell silent for a moment. “Excuse me, ladies, I need to step away—I have some matters to discuss with my intelligence minister.”

Beltira gave a slight bow. “Please, go ahead.”

Gawain left, and in the quiet flower field beneath the Solin giant tree, only Beltira, embraced by flowering vines, and Selina, holding a lantern, remained standing silently.

After a moment, Beltira looked at the former Eversleep Archbishop. “I never thought we’d meet again under such circumstances.”

“I heard about your ‘new state.’ Honestly, it’s more incredible than I imagined,” Selina said. “I warned you all—your biotech has serious risks…”

Beltira smiled faintly. “And what about your path of the soul?”

“…True enough.”

They fell silent again.

Standing quietly beneath the tree, as if letting seven centuries of time slowly settle, it was several minutes before Selina softly broke the silence. “It’s been seven hundred years…”

“We were still human back then,” Beltira said calmly. “And then we gradually became less and less like humans.”

“…You’ve been rooted in this land for some time now. Tell me your thoughts—can ‘It’ be trusted?”

A rustling sound came from the canopy of the Solin giant tree, like waves rolling in.

“That body houses a non-human soul, but from what I can see, this non-human soul is making every person on this land live more like a person. Maybe we can’t be sure what an otherworldly visitor like ‘It’ truly thinks, but at least its actions so far… have been better than anything we’ve done.”

“Indeed… It even grants citizenship to a plant.”

“And to ‘ghosts’ like you.”

“…”

(End of chapter)