The alchemical airship "Explorer," trailing chaotic steam and sparks, disappeared in a sorry state at the edge of the clouds like a frightened whale, leaving behind Victor Horn's face, drained of color by extreme fear, and the lingering, cold, eerie blue figure and deep red "gaze" that haunted all the surviving Orcs.
Inside the core command center of the Steel Sky, Lin De watched the last images transmitted back by the Peregrine Falcon on the screen, seeing the alchemical airship struggling and swerving to escape. A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.
With a light tap of his fingertip, the small dot representing "Peregrine Falcon" on the dark blue screen instantly accelerated, transforming into a streak of light invisible to the naked eye, and silently returned to the hangar deep within the Bokou Ruins.
"The bait has been cast." Lind's voice rang out in the silent command room, calm and even. "Let's see if the fish bite hard enough."
The "bait" he referred to was the carefully selected and "processed" data fragments deliberately left behind in the wreckage of the "Earthbreaker" mining machine that was taken away by the Orks.
These data are not core secrets; most of them are Zedu civilization’s engineering structural designs regarding the reinforcement of basic materials, general-purpose energy circuit topology, and some inefficient (but incredibly valuable to the Orcs) structures.
Its core value lies in two points:
First, it proves that Lind possesses a much larger and more complete Zedo legacy than Oak imagined.
That mining machine is just the tip of the iceberg; the level of technology it represents is enough to ignite the ambitions of the highest levels of the Principality of Oak.
Second, it leaves the possibility of "analysis".
Although those data fragments did not involve the core concepts, the ideas, energy models, and material properties they contained were like a lighthouse in the darkness for Oak's top researchers, pointing them in the right direction, yet separated them by an insurmountable chasm.
This kind of temptation, which is visible but intangible, is the most deadly.
This small space-time beacon is one of Linde's most important recent achievements. It is a practical device that he finally realized after mastering the Zedo legacy, combining his own microscopic manipulation ability of the [Deconstruction Halo], and drawing on Alice's ingenious ideas on optimizing the stability of space magic arrays.
Alice's unique understanding of the resonant frequency of energy nodes and the topology optimization of the rune array provided key design ideas for the energy constraint channel of the beacon core.
Although Alice herself was forced by Linde to stay away from high-intensity research due to her pregnancy, the wisdom she left behind continues to drive Linde's stellar power.
Speaking of Alice...
Deep within Blackrock Castle, in a warm and comfortable room decorated with soft magical light and intricate rune tapestries, Alice irritably closed a thick book of magical theory and pushed it aside.
Her slender fingers unconsciously touched her slightly protruding belly, where her and Lind's child was growing.
The once-genius mage is now forced to "retire" from her beloved, challenging, and unknown research position.
This was pure torture for Alice, who was used to thinking and solving problems with logic and arcane energy.
She felt like a magic device with its core removed, possessing energy but nowhere to release it.
"Reading again?"
A voice with a slightly lazy laugh came over.
Nazra, a fox-woman with silver-gray fur, carried a baby girl with a similarly fluffy silver-gray tail as she gracefully entered.
The baby girl stared at Alice with her big, round eyes.
"Lord Linde said that what you need now is rest and to keep a cheerful mood, not to continue studying those rune arrays that can burn your head."
Alice sighed, a hint of helplessness in her grey-blue eyes:
“I know, Nazra. It’s just… suddenly having so much free time makes time feel like it’s moving too slowly. My mind keeps wandering back to those unfinished energy models…”
"I understand, I completely understand!"
A cheerful, slightly heroic voice replied.
The silver-haired Holy Punishment Knight Leonis entered, holding the hand of a toddler with a resolute look already reminiscent of Lind in his features, and carrying a plate of freshly baked muffins that smelled of honey in her other hand.
"When I was pregnant with little Allen, I also wished I could take my sword to the training ground and practice a few more laps. That feeling of having strength but nowhere to use it, tsk."
Leonis placed the muffins on the small table in front of Alice, then casually sat down on the floor, letting the curious little Ellen explore on the thick carpet.
The little boy tried to grab the little tail of the girl in Nazila's arms, but Nazila smiled and gently blocked him.
“Look,” Nazra brought the baby girl in her arms closer to Alice. The little one reached out her pink little hand and babbled as she tried to touch Alice’s belly. “The little one already knows to greet the new brother or sister. Your most important ‘research topic’ right now is to feel his/her presence and stay in the best state.”
Leonis picked up a muffin and stuffed it into her mouth, saying indistinctly:
"Exactly! Forget about those complicated runes. Think about how to teach this little guy to call me 'Mama,' how to introduce him/her to this wonderful world, and how... well, how to protect yourself when Nazra's precious daughter pulls his/her tail."
She winked mischievously at Nazla.
Nazla gave a feigned snort, but her eyes were full of doting affection as she looked at the little one in her arms.
Alice watched the heartwarming scene unfold before her:
Nazra's maternal tenderness, Leonis's generous yet delicate care, and the two lively and healthy children... the restlessness and anxiety in her heart seemed to be truly alleviated by this scene full of life.
She reached out and gently took the fox-woman baby girl from Nazila's arms. The little one's soft, warm touch and milky scent quietly relaxed her tense heartstrings.
She imitated Nazla, clumsily but gently adjusting her posture, her grey-blue eyes reflecting for the first time a pure expectation and tenderness for the little life inside her.
“Alright…” Alice’s voice softened, with a hint of resigned amusement. “Perhaps… researching a magical method for preserving baby food at a constant temperature would be a good research topic?”
Nazra and Leonis exchanged a smile.
————
Return to the chessboard of iron and blood.
Linde's "greetings" and the "bait" he left behind had an immediate and even more effective result than expected.
The Principality of Oak, a nation known for its precision, composure, and calculation of interests, experienced an unprecedented upheaval at its highest levels after Victor Horn returned with the fear of death and data fragments capable of overturning conventional wisdom.
Linde Truk, who was originally just a troublesome "minor lord" on the border of the Kree Empire, was instantly elevated to the level of "number one target" that could threaten the core strategic interests of the duchy!
They were no longer content with hiding behind the Sass Empire providing "technical assistance" and conducting "sample collection".
Greed for Zedo's complete legacy, and a deep fear of Lind's azure figure, which resembled divine punishment, prompted the Principality of Oak to completely shed its pretense of "neutral observation."
Almost at the same time that the Explorer was making its way back, several large military bases on the western border of the Principality of Oak suddenly awoke like sleeping steel behemoths.
A massive army, bearing the insignia of crossed Occo gears and flasks, began to assemble:
Mass-produced "Crimson Bulwark" units: Although their performance was far inferior to the prototype next to Victor, their numbers were astonishing.
The dark red armored torrent gleamed with a cold luster in the sunlight, and its heavy footsteps made the earth tremble.
They are no longer scattered sharp knives, but rather a steel wave about to make a head-on impact.
The Obsidian assault force, equipped with the "Magic Breaker" heavy armor-piercing cones:
Their numbers are also considerable; they are a force specifically designed to attack heavily armored units.
Steam tanks equipped with an emergency-upgraded array of "resonant spikes": learning from the lessons of the higher command, these spikes were integrated into a heavy mobile platform, equipped with a more powerful energy source and a more sophisticated frequency scanning and locking system, targeting more "relic artifacts" that Linde might deploy on the battlefield.
A massive fleet of steam-powered airships: far exceeding the number of the previously seen "Explorers," larger in size, with thicker armor, and energy projection cannons at the bow and stern flashing with dangerous arcane light.
They are like steel fortresses floating in the air, obscuring the sky above the border.
The massive amount of logistical supplies and engineering units demonstrates that the Principality of Oak is going all out this time, with the goal of not only defeating Linde, but also completely occupying Blackrock Territory and excavating and seizing the complete ruins that may exist underground!
This unprecedentedly large and heavily armed Orc army took no detours and ignored the main Kree army currently engaged in fierce battle with the Sass Empire in the east. Like a tempered, purposeful alchemical hammer, they charged straight towards Blackrock Territory!
The will of the Archduke of Oak spread across the continent through cold, official pronouncements:
"Given that the Kree Empire sheltered the evil 'Relic Thief' Lind Truk and carried out a brutal attack on the Principality of Oak's expedition team, the Principality was forced to exercise its right of self-defense, march into Blackrock Territory, eliminate the threat, and maintain the alchemical order on the continent!"
The announcement was presented in a grand and respectable manner, but its underlying greed and murderous intent were blatantly obvious.
The mountains of Blackrock Territory were instantly thrust into the very heart of the war storm that swept across the entire continent of Til.
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