Sword of Dawn

Page 493

But this is only half of the reason why Gao Wen chose to prevent this "fire" from continuing to burn.

"Have you ever thought that even if I can't swallow the whole Typhon, I can have many other choices," he raised his head and looked into Rosetta's eyes, "For example, I can dismember your empire, or I can dismember your empire in Austria. Denan supports the puppet regime, and I can also block and divide Typhon's economic cycle, which is far easier than occupying a country..."

He didn't explain in detail what he would do, but just uttered general concepts one after another, and while Rosetta fell into serious thinking, Bertila, who had been silent since just now, suddenly couldn't help but speak: " So there are so many means?! I didn't expect..."

Rosetta subconsciously glanced at Bertila, with a strange expression on her face: "You are also one of the ancestors of the Augustus family..."

Bertila's expression was very serious, and he sighed in a tone that had seen through everything: "That's all in the past."

Rosetta forced himself to turn his gaze from Bertila back to Gawain, and he looked into the other's eyes: "I don't think you mentioned this to threaten or warn—it's too much for you. Superficial."

"That's right, I just want to point out one thing - the future can be very bad, but none of us want to go in that direction," Gawain nodded, "The methods I mentioned just now, if standing on the side of Cecil From the point of view, it can bring great benefits, but the cost is the overall loss of all mankind - there will only be long-term confrontation and contradiction between Cecil and Typhon, and many generations will have to live in suspicion and conflict. Mutual discrimination, and the damage caused by this relationship may never be repaired; the development process of mortals as a whole will be slowed down, because the wings of one of the most promising nations have been clipped, and other nations... may Everyone is at risk..."

"There is another very important point," Rosetta said suddenly, interrupting Gao Wen's words, "the order that you have been actively promoting to the outside world and trying to achieve - the community of mortal destiny, will be because of Cecil bankrupted by actual behavior in reality."

Gao Wen was taken aback for a moment, and then slowly smiled, it was no longer a polite smile, but a kind of heartfelt joy.

"That's right, if I do that, I'm afraid no one in the world will believe in the concept of 'mortal destiny is a whole'," he said with a smile, "What about you? Do you agree with my idea?"

"...It seems that you really want to create that kind of order," Rosetta said in a solemn tone after being silent for a moment, "an order that treats all human beings as a whole..."

"First of all, not just all human beings, but all mortals—including every race on the Loren Continent, and even those intelligent creatures outside the Continent," Gawain corrected with a serious expression, "Secondly, it's not me To create this order—but it is a natural fact in itself, a natural law of the world.”

As he spoke slowly, a gust of wind suddenly blew between the boundless water surface and the sky, the wind wrinkled the water surface, and under the slightly swaying broad water surface, scenes of images suddenly emerged——

It was the battlefield overlooked from the air, and it was the devastated defense line of Winterhold after the war. A shocking fissure covered by lava and black crystal-like scorched earth spread from the plain all the way to the main peak of Winterhold. Gunpowder smoke, and farther away in this picture are cities and villages, as well as quiet winter forests and snow-covered farmland...

The picture was continuously zoomed out, until it was impossible to distinguish the details of the specific country, and it continued to zoom out. It finally stopped, stopping at a perspective of the vast and boundless land covered by clouds.

Rosetta stood up, subconsciously looking at the land reflected in the water under his feet, and he instinctively thought that this angle of view should be wider—but it stopped at this distance, even the wasteland of Gondor. Can only see half of it.

"This is the land we live on - when you look down on it from the sky, you will find that all the cities and villages have disappeared, and the dividing line between countries is even more impossible to talk about," Gawain said from the side It came, awakening Rosetta from her thoughts, "Of course, we still need the concept of a country and the concept of an individual, but on this basis, all of us... are just inhabitants of this land.

"We are facing a common world, facing all the blessings and all the challenges of this world, we are facing the gods, we are also facing the tide of magic that will come back at an unknown time and the unknown threats. If in Before today, I said this might still make you feel unreal, but today... the shockwave of Ares' disintegration has just swept the roof of Winterhold.

"And you should know that we're up against...not just God of War.

"We still have many gods, many gods who once protected us and continue to protect us today. They cover the entire world, not only affecting the kingdom of humans, but also affecting elves, dwarves, goblins, orcs...

"We successfully defeated a god today, but the price you have seen with your own eyes - how many other countries in the whole world can do similar things like Typhon and Cecil? You should be very clear about this.

"That's why I said that all mortals are a community of destiny in the face of a 'world crisis' such as gods and demon tides—this is not decided by me, it is decided by this world, and it is a part of the natural law of the entire world. "

Gao Wen stopped, and the breeze blowing in this space also gradually stopped. The image reflected under the water disappeared little by little, and turned into an endless blue again. Rosetta finally exhaled softly, and he saw Gawain glanced at him: "Thinking of your status as an 'Outsider Wanderer', I feel even weirder now... You even care more about this world than the residents of this world."

"That's why I said don't think about 'extraterrestrial wanderers' for the time being—I didn't stay in this world because I found it interesting," Gao Wen shook his head with a smile, "Besides, what I said just now was not for the sake of Convince me, it's not to show you my 'care' for this world, as I said at the beginning, this is just a 'contact', we need such a private contact, not at the negotiating table, not in a formal It is not an occasion for a meeting, but just a 'chat' that does not need to be made public. I am here to tell you some of my own thoughts, as for how much you can understand, or how much you are willing to understand... that is your business."

Chapter 1028 tacit understanding

After that, there was a short silence, Gawain was concentrating on watching the exquisite patterns on the cup in front of him, Rosetta fell into short-term thinking, and Bertila looked a little lost - she looked at the distant sky Those changing symbols and geometric structures narrowed their eyes slightly, as if they were calculating something.

"Actually, I have thought about what you will talk to me when we have a chance to talk face-to-face like today, and both parties are relatively open and honest," Rosetta suddenly broke the silence. He looked at Gao Wen, the sunken eye sockets seemed to be a pool of deep water, "Frankly, I never thought that 'Outlander Wanderer' would talk to me about... ideals and the future."

"If we don't dare to talk about ideals and the future in the world of mental imagery, then this world really has no future." Gao Wen smiled, raised his teacup and gestured slightly to Rosetta, "Actually, I am not an ideal. I believe in realistic experience and natural principles, real interests and laws of things that can be measured rationally, but because of this, when I talk about ideals, I am absolutely serious."

Rosetta glanced at the teacup in front of him, the liquid in the cup reflected the clear blue sky, all of which looked as flawless as the real world, he said casually: "Then for the great common ideal, Cecil will withdraw troops unconditionally Is it?"

"No," Gao Wen said lightly, "and I will ask for a good price."

"Ah, I'm much more relieved." Rosetta showed a relaxed expression on his always gloomy face, and he picked up the teacup. "Then we can continue all this at the negotiation table."

Gao Wen smiled back, and the two finally reached a tacit understanding on the balance point recognized by both parties. Then Rosetta exhaled slightly. He seemed to be more relaxed, and he also showed clear understanding of this incredible space. Interested, he looked around and said with curiosity: "It's an incredible place...but I'm concerned, what happens outside when we're talking here?"

"I have partially accelerated this space. As of now, half a minute has passed in the real world outside," Gao Wen said. And I don't want to screw it up."

"How did you...bring me to this place?" Rosetta asked seriously, "Is it related to the flying machine with a brain I saw last?"

"It's not that there is a brain on the machine, but that the brain is riding on the machine." Beltira, who had been quiet for a long time, suddenly broke the silence. "We indeed established a connection with you through it."

"That thing makes people... very surprised," Rosetta tried to choose a relatively neutral word, "To be honest, when I first saw what was in there, I almost subconsciously attacked it. It's a normal weapon, but it's more like a product of some kind of dark magic..."

"I agree with this point, and I'm trying my best to improve it," Gawain said helplessly, and at the same time he looked at Bertila seemingly inadvertently, "But I suggest that you don't pay too much attention to the image of that thing, because it came from a certain place. In a sense...it is actually a part of this Ms. Bertila."

This time, when Rosetta looked at Bertila again, her eyes were more than complicated and indescribable.

But it was obvious that Bertila herself was not interested in continuing to expand on this topic. She ignored Rosetta, but suddenly showed a concentrated expression as if she was listening, and then looked at Gawain: "It seems that the matter outside has been resolved." It's almost there—Naritel has sent a safety signal."

As she spoke, she stood up, and her figure had gradually faded in the air: "Then I'll deal with the temporary nodes—you can chat for a few more minutes before the network is interrupted."

Rosetta looked at the ancestor of Augustus 700 years ago, and finally couldn't help but said: "Are you in Cecil now? Will you return to Typhon?"

"...Sorry, I can't leave," Bertila paused slightly, then shook his head, "Forget the name Bertila Augustus, everything is a thing of the past."

"I understand," Rosetta said slowly, "In short, thank you for your protection just now."

"Don't worry..." Bertila's voice faded away as the figure faded away, she gradually left this space, and finally only one sentence came from the air, "...but if it is a real It's okay for a god, but a mere fragment from a god...isn't worthy of dying with the children of Augustus..."

Bertila left, and only Gawain and Rosetta were left in this vast space. In a strange but tacit silence, they sat down again and tasted quietly. Sipping tea, let the last few minutes of conversation gradually pass in this silence, until Gao Wenqu raised his finger and tapped the table lightly: "There is still one minute."

"I haven't drank a cup of tea in such a peaceful way for decades. This kind of quietness is really... nostalgic, even to the point where I can hardly get used to it," Rosetta said with a touch of emotion as she put down the teacup in her hand , "Thank you for your hospitality—although it's only in the 'dream'."

"You're welcome," Gawain nodded, and then looked at him curiously, "I suddenly want to ask you a question—when God of War broke free from his restraints in the final stage, you seem to be planning to reverse the magic power of the entire Winterhold Is it really your last card to die with the other party? Are you really going to use your own death to end all of this?"

"Seriously speaking, that is indeed my last card - there is no need to doubt, what I said is true. I am ready to die with the God of War. No matter what people in the future describe, my death today will indeed be true. End it all," Rosetta said calmly, but then he shook his head and changed the subject suddenly, "But starting today, I probably won't make a similar choice again."

"Why?" Gawain asked curiously.

"Because of what you showed me," Rosetta said slowly, "to Typhon, you are too terrible—no matter how great your ideals, you are first and foremost a terrible opponent, so As long as you live, I dare not die."

"...This is really a compliment." Gao Wen was startled for a moment, then shook his head with a helpless smile, "Then I may live for many, many years, and there is a high probability that you will not survive me."

Rosetta stood up expressionlessly, and he smiled suddenly after a few seconds: "I will do my best."

A faint dizziness suddenly struck, and the surrounding scenery began to shake and fade. Rosetta felt that his connection with this wonderful space was rapidly weakening. At the same time, he gradually heard voices from the real world. He realized that Bell The "time limit" that Tira mentioned before leaving was approaching. Before leaving this world completely, he looked up at Gao Wen again and asked very solemnly: "The land you showed me just now... How big is the world beyond the sea outside it?"

The scene in front of him quickly disintegrated, the endless sky and the vast mirror-like water surface disappeared in a mess of light and shadow, the five senses from the real world suddenly recovered, the whistling wind next to his ears and the cold air blowing on his face strongly reminded him of the crisis. The dreamlike "contact" has ended, and in the last ray of connection left by the spiritual illusion, he vaguely heard Gao Wen's answer: "Very vast..."

"Yeah, that sounds really good..."

Feeling down-to-earth, Rosetta suddenly opened her eyes, and at the same time heard a voice from nearby: "Your Majesty! How are you, Your Majesty? Your Majesty?"

He followed the prestige and saw Palin Winterhold and several high-ranking battle mages running into the hall. These people ran towards him with nervous faces. The Earl of Winterhold had a trace of apology besides the nervousness.

"I'm very sorry, I disobeyed your order," the Earl of Winterhold said quickly as soon as he ran in front of Rosetta, "You ordered that no one should approach the Hall of Secrets—but we just saw a flying machine suddenly collided with you. I broke the wall of the hall, because I was worried that you would be in danger..."

"It's okay," Rosetta interrupted the other party's words, "I will not pursue this matter."

As he spoke, he raised his eyes and looked around the vast hall, but there was no other figure in sight except the Earl of Winterhold and a few battle mages—the God's Eye had disappeared, and the giant spider could not be seen either. The arthropods and the "brain aircraft" that crashed into the wall disappeared, leaving only a mess in the hall, with broken bricks and tiles scattered on the ground in front, a big hole in the wall not far away, and the howling cold The wind blowing in from the hole reminded that what happened just now was not an illusion.

"Where did that aircraft go?" He asked casually.

"It flew out and ran away in front of everyone just now," said the Earl of Winterhold with a hint of embarrassment and annoyance. "We wanted to intercept it, but all the mage towers were either exhausted or severely damaged. Launching an attack, some of the battle mages who tried to ascend into the air to block them were entangled by those weird flying soldiers-they fought with hard-to-defense spiritual attacks, and there seemed to be a strong interference force field around those flying machines. The mages were quickly defeated..."

With that said, the loyal frontier earl quickly added another sentence: "But don't worry, I have just notified a few nearby battle mages who are still able to move, and I am going to carry out a lift-off..."

"No need," Rosetta interrupted immediately, "The Cecilians are not our enemies right now."

"...They crashed into your floor just now," the Earl of Winterhold couldn't help reminding, "Is this a misunderstanding?"

Rosetta was silent for a while, and said slowly: "...This is a Cecil-style support. In short, don't worry about those aircraft, let them leave as they please."

……

Gao Wen slowly opened his eyes, and the busy scene in the command post of Winter Wolf Castle came into view.

Philip came to him quickly: "Your Majesty, the psychic singer and the wetware server have already started their return journey - the Typhons did not intercept them."

Gawain nodded slightly: "Well, it's expected."

He believes that even the extremely weak and exhausted Typhon army at this moment, if they really want to intercept, they can always gather a few formations of mages to launch into the air to stop those "psychic choir" teams whose whereabouts have been exposed. If you choose to stand still, you should be under Rosetta's order... This is also a normal situation.

After all, the "generation" of those wetware servers may be many rounds older than Rosetta...

"Don't pay too much attention to the movements of the Typhon people," Gawain glanced at the battle map hanging not far away, turned to Philip and said, "Although the battle is over, we have a lot to do. Send a few more Send a search force to the place where the wreckage of the God of War fell, no matter what it is, as long as it looks wrong, get it back first-remember to remind the soldiers to take precautions."

Speaking of this, he paused, and added: "You may encounter the search team of the Typhons—although they don't have the same level of mental protection technology as us, they still have the basic siren runes, so I will definitely try to recover the wreckage fragments of God of War. Order the frontline soldiers to give priority to recovering the wreckage if it is close to our control area, and if it is in the opponent's control area... If you do not meet anyone, give priority to recovering the debris. People say we are the pilots who jumped out of the plane in the search for air combat, anyway try not to conflict with the Typhons."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Gawain thought for a while, and asked casually, "Is Tire awake?"

"Miss Till woke up half an hour ago. After knowing that the dust has settled, she seems a little disappointed. She should not be asleep yet."

"The direction to the south near the Shadow Swamp is the main debris fall area, let her act together with the search team in that direction," Gawain said unhurriedly, "she may help us find more valuable war gods." Sample...but we need to send someone to keep an eye on it to prevent her from stealing too much."

After Philip left, Amber's figure gradually emerged from the air.

"Where did you go just now?" Gao Wen asked without raising his head.

"I've been staring at that 'Ms. Diana', but she seems very quiet, and she hasn't moved much until now," Amber said casually, then glanced at Gao Wen, "Have you chatted with the 'opposite'?"

"A rare opportunity," Gawain nodded, "I don't want to waste the opportunity created by Bertila."

Amber looked at Gao Wen seriously, and said slowly after a long time: "Look at your appearance... We should not attack Aldernan anymore."

"Originally, this plan was not listed as a priority option. It is just a possibility after the war situation gets out of control," Gao Wen said, with a serious expression on his face, "Typhon... after all, it is not the old Anzu who is hopeless. Durnan is not good for either country."

"Ah——I understand what you mean. What you're considering are demonic tides and divine disasters, and the probability of mortals' overall survival in the face of disasters," Amber shrugged. She had stayed with Gawain the longest and obviously knew him best. "Then you still want Philip to send more search teams to compete with the Typhons to count the 'relics of the gods' scattered on the battlefield?"

"I hope to establish an order in which mortals advance and retreat together, but this does not mean that we will stop and wait for anyone," Gawain glanced at Amber, "What's more, Typhon is far from being a Cypher Syl's 'allies' - what's happening on this battlefield is a good start, but we're still a long way from realizing the order I envision."

Chapter 1029 Iron Man

One of the most dangerous and fierce battles in human history is over, but for this "war" itself, the ending is still a long and cautious process.

In the frontline command post of Winter Wolf Castle, Gawain sat at a long table with Philip, Maryland, Solderling, Amber and others. Projected in the air above the table, there are many other holographic projections showing the situation of various troops in the area, as well as pictures from Cecil City.

"In the past few hours, we have had three troops passing by the Typhon people. Although there is no conflict at present, considering the poor communication between some front-line soldiers and the rear, some legions on the Typhon side have also been dispersed. Many small corps are in a state of loss of contact and out of control. I suggest that the soldiers who entered the east side of the belt plain be withdrawn to the middle of the plain," Philip said, "The Knights and Mages of the Typhons have begun to resume operations. Gradually blockade, there is no need for search troops to continue to operate in the area controlled by Winterhold."

"Hey——" Amber couldn't help but sighed, "After fighting God of War, I had the illusion that everything was settled in this war... I almost forgot that this place is actually us and Typhon The 'battlefield' of man..."

"It's not just you who have such an illusion, we all have this feeling more or less, after all... that is the God of War, we just fought a head-on battle with God," Maryland smiled wryly and spread her hands, "And I believe that Feng's side is even more chaotic than us - I hope they can fully restore their command system to normal as soon as possible, there are too many scattered small groups of troops on the battlefield, and all of them are magic crystal bombs that will detonate at any time .”

What Maryland is talking about is the complicated situation that the frontline troops of both Typhon and Cecil are facing now: the battle is over, but the embers of this "war" have not been safely extinguished.Although the high-level leaders of both sides knew the real situation, reached a certain tacit agreement, and issued a temporary ceasefire order, it took a little time for the order to take effect due to the chaotic post-war situation. The contacted combat troops are still waiting for orders on this scorched earth, and the respective search troops of both sides are active on this broken line of defense, looking for their respective lost troops or battlefield resources. The war itself is even more nerve-wracking.

"Philip is right," Gawain broke the silence, "What's the reply from Winterhold?"

"We have established a temporary communication line with Typhon," Soldering said, "The 'Citizen of War' staying on the edge of the war zone is used as a temporary hub of the magic net, and some of the steel ambassadors that can still function enter. The Typhon-controlled area acts as a 'messenger', and now it can finally deliver news to Winterhold. The Typhon people are also willing to withdraw some troops to the station, and designate a part of the war zone intersection as a 'buffer zone', allowing only medical treatment from both sides. and search and rescue forces to enter. But they want us to retreat one after another, at least let the mechanical troops of the first and second regiments retreat first."

"Ah?" Amber immediately muttered subconsciously, "Why do we have to go back first..."

"Because our two tank regiments have already driven to the Typhon camp at the foot of the mountain—directly drove in," Maryland said with a bit of embarrassment. "The situation in the final stage was too chaotic...Fortunately, there was no fight yet."

Amber: "...ah, oh..."

"We can withdraw from the security circle of the Winterhold Fortress Group—this is a reasonable request from the other party," Gawain said, breaking the awkward atmosphere on the field, "The ground troops are shrinking, but the several long-range artillery positions set up in the middle of the plain must be Temporarily reserved—Rosetta may be a trustworthy monarch, but this chaotic battlefield is not very safe, and we must retain the ability to provide cover for the search and rescue forces entering the theater."

"Understood, I will make arrangements," Philip nodded, and then asked again, "Then about the team entering the military buffer zone..."

"Medical and search and rescue teams..." Gao Wen thought for a while, and made an arrangement casually, "Let the two regiments of Iron Holy Power and Scarlet Holy Light go in. They are more experienced in dealing with field search and rescue missions."

This arrangement is very reasonable, but Maryland on the side couldn't help showing a somewhat embarrassed look. He thought of the "Holy Hammer-II" heavy tanks and the large burners used to clean up the battlefield, which were beloved by priests and nuns, and hesitated He said calmly: "Your Majesty, is it possible for these two battle groups to cause misunderstanding? Their style..."

"They are the most suitable ones—and to be honest, don't all the pastors here have this style?" Of course Gawain knew what Maryland was talking about, but he had already adapted to this aspect, and he was even interested in complaining. It's all gone." Communicate with Winterhold and send them the standard insignia of the Holy Light Corps, which will help their front-line troops identify it. Make the situation clear-although those people drive tanks and equip Heavy artillery, with warhammers and heavy burners, but they're really medics..."

Listening to Gao Wen's instructions, Maryland nodded seriously: "Yes, I understand."

The details of the aftermath have been properly discussed, and relevant instructions have been issued one by one. Although the entire border theater is still in chaos, the most basic order has gradually been restored. Whether it is Cecil or Typhon, those in power are very clear about this time. what to do.Combat troops began to withdraw from sensitive areas cautiously, and the communications of grassroots troops were reestablished. Some units that lost contact in the battle were successfully recovered, and some began to return to the nearest higher-level camp on their own. Although many soldiers at the grassroots level still don’t know What will happen tomorrow, but at least everyone knows that they survived today-this life is precious.

After the temporary meeting was over, Gawain left the busy command hall. After informing others of his whereabouts, he brought Amber to an open space in the castle's atrium—the entire Winter Wolf Castle was surrounded by a vast area from top to bottom. In a busy environment, this is a rare and quiet place in the castle.

Several fully armed mana infantry guarded the place. A young lady with black hair and black skirt was standing quietly in the open space. She seemed to have been waiting here for a long time, but until Gawain appeared, there was no expression on her face. A look of impatience.

Gao Wen came to the black-haired lady: "Ms. Diana, I'm sorry to keep you waiting for a while. The meeting took longer than I expected."

"You don't need to apologize," the black-haired Maid Typhon bowed her head slightly, "I can imagine the chaotic situation you will have to deal with after the battle is over. In order to make those who managed to survive safer, I don't mind waiting a little longer .”

Gao Wen looked at the other party up and down. He always felt that this "Maid of Typhon" who called himself Diana was exuding a familiar and special temperament, but he couldn't tell what it was for a while, so he said casually: "... Obviously, you can't be an ordinary maid, and ordinary maids don't have your opinion."

"I take this as your compliment," Diana said meticulously, then raised her head and glanced in the direction of Winterhold, "So, my mission has been completed, can I leave here?"

"Of course," Gawain nodded, "You are not our prisoner, and the door here is always open—give my regards to your master, and tell him by the way that I look forward to talking to him on a more formal occasion. "

"I will," Diana took a small step back, then bowed slightly, and lifted the skirts on both sides with flawless etiquette, "Then, let me take my leave..."

While speaking, her figure gradually faded in the air, and Gao Wen was ready to watch her leave, but at this moment, a gentle female voice suddenly came from the direction of the corridor not far away, calling Cutting off Diana's departure: "Wait a minute—turn around."

Gawain followed the reputation in surprise, and saw Veronica holding a platinum scepter standing under the corridor on the edge of the courtyard, and Diana who was about to leave next to him instantly dispelled the effect of the shadow spell. There was obvious consternation on the face that never changed much, and he stared dumbfoundedly at the "Saint Princess" down the corridor.

Veronica walked over quickly, with a rare serious expression on her face, Gawain was surprised by this: "What's the problem?"

"Who is this?" Veronica looked at the black-haired maid who seemed to be frozen in place, and frowned slightly. Although her tone was still gentle, her attitude was obviously very serious.

Amber on the side immediately said: "Her name is Diana, and she is from Winterhold—you should have received the news, she is the 'messenger' sent by Rosetta Augustus."