Chapter 934: The Signal Reappears

“You’ve already accepted Talrond’s invitation?!”

In High Chancellor Gawain’s study, Heddy’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at the smiling patriarch before her, utterly stunned and at a loss.

“That’s right,” Gawain said with a knowing smile, fully expecting this reaction from Heddy. “But of course, I’m not leaving immediately—at least not until the whole matter with the Goddess of Magic has completely settled, and all domestic affairs are properly arranged.”

Though the surprise on Heddy’s face hadn’t fully faded, seeing the calm smile on her ancestor’s face and hearing his composed explanation, she realized this wasn’t a whim. This decision was likely the result of deep contemplation. Still, it was so far beyond expectations that it left her feeling utterly unmoored.

“Come to think of it, I probably should have discussed this with you all beforehand,” Gawain said, lightly tapping his forehead with a hint of apology. “This isn’t just my personal matter anymore. I admit my decision was somewhat hasty.”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Heddy quickly shook her head. “I’m just very surprised. Since you’ve made up your mind, I’m sure you have your reasons.”

“There are many reasons,” Gawain explained clearly. “The Dragonkin are a powerful and mysterious force. For mortal realms, opportunities to engage with such a faction are rare. Talrond holds countless secrets; I suspect their civilization far surpasses that of the Loren Continent. That alone warrants careful observation. The Dragonkin have survived multiple magical cataclysms—intelligence on that is invaluable to us.” He shook his head. “But personally, none of these are the main reason. The key is… they have a god who has descended into the mortal world, and this god seems to have something to say to me.”

“You mean the ‘Dragon God’…” Heddy frowned slightly. “You’ve mentioned this before. Do you believe this god is friendly?”

“I’m not sure,” Gawain replied. “But I’m certain it’s capable of rational, intelligent communication. So far, we’ve never had direct contact with any ‘normal’ deity capable of such exchange. Those we’ve encountered were either false gods created by cultists, or unique ‘new gods’ like Nariel who differ greatly from the pantheon, or ‘former gods’ like Amorn whose divinity has largely faded… While all of them offer valuable insights, the Dragon God’s communicative value is clearly unique and irreplaceable.”

Heddy nodded slowly, forced to acknowledge Gawain’s perspective, but the worry between her brows remained. “You’re right, but this still carries great risk—especially now. If you go to Talrond in person, you’ll face countless unpredictable variables. We still don’t know what the Dragon God’s true intentions are, but the danger is very real.”

She shook her head again. “If only we could handle this through normal diplomatic channels first, with ambassador-level exchanges…”

“Unfortunately, this isn’t a normal ‘diplomatic’ matter,” Gawain said. “From their perspective, this is a personal invitation to me alone. Any attempt on our side to gain more from it would be one-sided. Don’t expect us to exchange ambassadors anytime soon—at least not now. It holds no meaning for that god, and it’s not interested.”

He looked at Heddy, who seemed caught in a tangle of worry and thought—the kind of state she often found herself in for various reasons—and smiled gently to reassure her. “I’ve considered all sorts of contingencies, including the possibility of malice from Talrond or traps set by the Dragon God. I only accepted this invitation after carefully weighing the risks and benefits and feeling confident.”

“You’re confident?” Heddy blurted out instinctively. She looked at the ancestor who always seemed so composed and reliable, and for a moment wanted to ask how, as a mere mortal, he could be so sure about facing an inscrutable god up close. But the words caught in her throat.

She thought of the many ways this ancestor, resurrected after death, was no longer quite human—his extraordinary resistance and even suppression when confronting divine knowledge or relics, his far-reaching plans, and his incredible knowledge. He had explained some of it came from the ancient Gondor era, some from fragments of history glimpsed in his soul-state. Yet no human records matched those insights, not even faintly.

“I understand,” she said softly, bowing her head. “I’ll make all the arrangements quickly. While you’re away, everything here will continue to run smoothly.”

This ancestor, resurrected from death, was perhaps no longer simply “human.” She had sensed this for some time. But no matter how many secrets he held, these years had proven one thing: for this land and its people, Gawain Cecil was a mountain to rely on, a rock of trust.

For Heddy herself, knowing this ancestor who had returned seven centuries later was enough.

“I won’t be gone long. This will be a brief ‘visit,’” Gawain nodded. Though he couldn’t see Heddy’s expression as she lowered her head, years of interaction had taught him to sense her inner turmoil in moments like this. A faint smile touched his lips as his tone softened. “Don’t worry—I’ll return safely, and soon.”

He waved the topic away and casually asked, “Enough about that. You came early—was there something you needed to report?”

“Yes,” Heddy quickly gathered her thoughts, recalling why she had come so early that morning. “I brought the latest monitoring report from the Solin main hub… That mysterious signal we detected before appeared again just after midnight.”

Gawain’s eyes flickered with surprise as he recalled the mysterious signal Heddy mentioned. “It appeared again?!”

“Yes… and it was very similar to before. It played for several cycles, interspersed with brief high-frequency oscillations and repetitive waveforms, then vanished as mysteriously as it had come. We still haven’t located the source, and decoding attempts have made no progress.”

Gawain frowned deeply. “So… this signal has nothing to do with the Goddess of Magic.”

They were discussing the strange signal previously picked up by both the Solin and Winterhold hubs—an unknown origin, unknown meaning, like a ghost suddenly appearing at the edge of the magical network’s monitoring range, causing noise and ripples before vanishing again. The signal baffled all technicians. To investigate, Gawain had even contacted the Dragonkin, the Sea Elves, and the Elves, but no one could trace its source.

This mysterious signal had rattled many nerves.

After the Goddess of Magic’s invasion and her escape through the magical network, many technicians—including Gawain himself—had instinctively linked the two events.

He had once suspected the Goddess of Magic was the source of the mysterious signals received at Solin and Winterhold, even that those strange signals were caused by her probing the network during her escape plan. Though lacking solid evidence, the theory was plausible and widely accepted.

But now… the Goddess of Magic had been confirmed to have completely fled, far from the mortal world. Her traces in the magical network had been thoroughly erased by Nariel and Duvalet. Yet the strange signal had reappeared!!

“Only the Solin main hub detected it?” Gawain frowned. “Any similar reports from the other hubs?”

“Not yet. The signal is unstable—sometimes strong, sometimes weak. It seems to appear only under rare circumstances, caught by our magical crystals by chance,” Heddy shook her head. “But the other hubs are currently reviewing all monitoring records from midnight to early morning yesterday, to see if anything was missed. If the signal was too faint or brief, the on-duty staff might have overlooked it, but traces might remain in the buffer crystal arrays.”

“Hm…” Gawain nodded slowly. “Have them check carefully. This signal… it concerns me deeply. It’s very unusual. The Goddess of Magic already caused chaos in our network once. Now this signal’s return suggests the troublemakers aren’t limited to her alone.”

Heddy lowered her head and bowed. “Understood, ancestor.”

After Heddy left, Gawain sank into thought behind his desk. Then he looked to his side, watching as an amber crystal slowly materialized in the air.

The half-elf lady blinked, her face a mix of surprise and confusion. “I thought the signal issue was over once the Goddess of Magic fled…”

“I thought so too—we all did,” Gawain said, frowning. “But now it seems these are two unrelated incidents…”

“If only Nariel had managed to keep the Goddess of Magic here,” Amber muttered instinctively. “Then we could have asked her directly. Even if she didn’t create the signal, maybe she’d know something—after all, she’s a god, and gods usually know more than mortals.”

Gawain just shook his head silently at Amber’s murmurs.

…

Two days later.

A cold wind swept across the vast Holy Spirit Plains. Looking up from the Solin region, the sky was high and clear, the horizon wide and open.

The season of frequent rain and even snow was approaching, and such clear days would grow fewer in the coming months.

Amid the autumn breeze, a rustling stirred deep within the massive canopy of the Solin Great Tree. Countless branches shifted and creaked, as if some internal structure was moving and rearranging. Continuous rubbing and rolling sounds followed, like something was moving through the treetop, leaving a trail of noise behind.

At the very top of the Solin Great Tree, the uppermost canopy formed a dense, interwoven wooden platform, its heterogeneous leaves and branches overlapping to create a surface as solid as steel. This “green ground,” comparable in size to a city square, was dotted with man-made installations—railings to prevent falls, street lamps for illumination, and small meteorological observation and collection devices.

The largest of these was the Solin Main Hub Array, a massive crystal network held in place by a complex framework of metal and entwined vines at the center of the platform.

This was the highest point on the Holy Spirit Plains and one of the most important facilities in the Solin region.

Around the enormous crystal array stood a dozen or so heavily armored treants—massive tree guardians grown from the Solin Great Tree itself. They were the protectors of the giant tree and the precious devices it bore.

Each treant was clad in thick alloy armor, with large magical energy packs strapped to their backs and waists—equipment no human could carry, only seen on war chariots. In their hands, they wielded formidable Gorgon cannons. Every one of them looked imposing and fearsome.

But the defensive forces of the Thorin main hub didn’t end there—

A little farther from the crystal array, along the edges of the treetop canopy, numerous unusually thick and sturdy wooden structures jutted out from the branches. These massive, arm-like limbs each “gripped” fortress-grade railguns or large bomb launchers at their tips. Such formidable firepower formed another crucial layer of security for the Thorin main hub.

The Arcane Network’s main hubs were vital strategic assets of the empire. It wasn’t just the Thorin giant tree that boasted such defenses—other main hubs were similarly well-guarded.

Suddenly, amid a rustling clatter, a fissure opened on the “ground” near the crystal array. The leaves that normally covered the surface parted to either side, forming a petal-like cluster. From the gap, a cage woven naturally from vines rose smoothly upward.

The cage came to a steady halt, its sides unfurling layer by layer. Margarita and several technicians stepped out.

The shield enveloping the entire treetop platform blocked the biting high-altitude winds, leaving only the breathtaking, expansive view from the canopy to greet the visitors. Margarita inhaled softly, unable to suppress a sigh of admiration. “No matter how many times I come up here, the view never ceases to amaze me…”

A soft rustling came from nearby. The vine segments that had separated from the lift cage wriggled and merged, shifting and reshaping until they took the form of Beltira. The former High Priestess of the End of All Things nodded to Margarita. “Looking out from such a height does give a very unique perspective—if you need, I can create an even taller observation platform atop the canopy.”

“No, that won’t be necessary. Thank you for the offer, Lady Beltira,” Margarita replied quickly, then turned her gaze toward the nearby crystal array. “His Majesty is very concerned about the signal reappearing. Have you found anything new?”

“The tracking attempts have failed. The signal source has vanished completely, and there’s no trace within my perception,” Beltira shook her head. “But while analyzing the signals we’ve already recorded, I think I may have made a discovery.”

(End of chapter)