Sword of Dawn

Page 486

A newsboy ran by nearby, and the excited yell of the other party caught the attention of the captain of the guard: "Extraordinary! Extraordinary! Big news! A big air battle broke out on the front line of the Winter Wolves! Unprecedented! An unheard of big air battle!"

The vocabulary used by the newspaper boy was novel and unfamiliar, and people around him had already attracted their attention. The energetic gray elf ran over in a few steps, his face flushed in the cold wind: "Ms. Morelina! Get a newspaper! You can't miss it!"

"I'm on patrol." Morelina looked down at the little gray elf, with a serious look on her face covered with fluff - she carefully controlled the curling of her tail so as not to let its wagging reveal her Feeling.

But a shrewd gray elf can clearly see through a warrior's thoughts through countless detailed observations: "Don't be like this, Ms. Morelina, the captain of the guard doesn't have to patrol for so long like ordinary soldiers, and this is about Typhon-Cersi News from the front--a soldier should not miss this!"

Morelina's eyes narrowed. She didn't agree with the first half of the newsboy's sentence, but the second half of the other's sentence gave her a good reason... or steps.She glanced at the mechanical clock hanging in front of the patriarch's house not far away, and realized that her patrol time was indeed coming to an end soon, so she reached out to the newsboy: "Okay then, give me a copy."

"Your day will be brightened by this paper! I promise, Ms. Morelina—here's your paper and your change~~"

The eloquent gray elves.

Morelina took the newspaper, shook her head with a smile, and the newsboy ran in another direction in the next second, and a cheerful shout came from not far away: "Big news! A big air battle broke out on the front line of the Winter Wolves! Windsong Big news that even the captains of the city's guards don't want to miss!"

Morelina glanced in that direction, let out a short grunt, but said nothing.Then she picked up the newspaper and saw that the "big news" that the newsboy said was on the first page of the newspaper——

A large "photo" occupies a full third of the page, and after seeing it for the first time, Morelina felt that her breathing slowed down by half a beat——

It was a scene of the sky, taken directly from the perspective of someone flying in the sky.

Morelina has actually seen the scene in the sky—the Cecilians have made some magic net short films with aerial perspective as the theme. They use some kind of flying machine to take personnel and equipment to the sky, and shoot the sky overlooking the land and looking at the clouds. Even the scene of dancing with the wind and rain, with the spread of the magic net to the Ogulei tribal country, these incredible short films also entered the attention of various races as part of Cecil's external publicity, but...

What appeared in the newspapers was a completely different scene.

In the cloudy, snowy sky, armed armies are fighting.

Only then did Morelina understand what the newsboy meant by "big air battle".

Hundreds of flying sorties of war machines are thrown into the field... several times the number of Typhon air forces... a meteorological "miracle" on a large scale... dragons... armored trains...

Air strikes and counter-air strikes in a blizzard.

Grabbing the newspaper, Morelina had put the chopping ax on her shoulders to her legs at some point, and her cat-like tail curled up a little bit, and by the time she realized it, the tail was already in her mouth inside.

She couldn't remember how many years it had been since she had done such a childish thing - it was unimpressive for a powerful orc warrior.

But she can't care about such details at the moment, because a huge doubt is circling in her mind:

When... did war become like this?

In the distant human world, on the east side of the continent, are the people there already fighting in this way?

……

"A big air battle..." In the spacious and bright room, the gray-haired Wenna Baizhi looked at the newspaper that the attendant had just delivered. The report on the front page of the newspaper made the gray elf leader couldn't help but open his eyes. He sighed, "Is this also the change brought about by magic technology..."

"It's magic technology and magic technology," said a tall, black-haired, blue-eyed human standing beside Wenna, "the Typhons don't have flying machines, and they still use traditional magic to fight. "

"Those Typhonians without flying machines suffered greater losses in this air battle—although there may be factors of Cecil's propaganda and decoration, it is clear at a glance who has the greater casualties in this air battle," Wenna couldn't help but lightly Shaking his head lightly, "Not to mention that the dragonborn still appears on the battlefield as a mercenary... Cecil actually made magic equipment for those dragonborn who are already very powerful."

"Alchemists have the concept of 'catalyst', and war is the catalyst of technology-magic technology is of course very good for mines and municipal construction, but obviously it is also very suitable for use on the battlefield." Tall human Said very seriously.

"...Grey elves are not good at fighting, but we really need to learn more about this aspect," Wenna said with a sigh, "Schwak, the agenda of buying arms from the Cecilians still needs to be pushed forward." Go on... not only us, but the other four major tribes should also realize the importance of these things. We can not expect to use the arms we bought to attack anyone, but at least we have to start to keep up with the changes in the world."

"Please rest assured, I have been paying attention to this matter."

"Well," Wen Na nodded slightly, "Speaking of magic technology... Wycliffe's proposal to establish the main hub of the magic net at the Ancestors Peak, what's the feedback from all parties?"

Wycliffe is the leader of the human tribe in the Augure Tribal State, and one of the "Five Kings" who are equal to Wenna Baizhi.

"The establishment of the main hub of the magic web at the peak of the ancestors is indeed a matter that challenges the tradition... At present, the orcs and the spirit race have not reached a consensus on this matter. They are mainly worried about whether this will have a bad effect on the Holy Land. influence, as well as some cultural and traditional concerns,” Schwak, a consultant, immediately reported, “It’s surprising that the goblins have agreed to this matter, and Ms. Stella sent a letter asking us Does Bian also intend to promote this matter..."

"The goblins are so active?" Wen Na raised her head in surprise, "The Ancestral Peak is where they lived for generations, I thought they would be the most concerned about this..."

"Everyone thinks so, but the goblins seem to... think this is very interesting," Schwak said with a strange expression, "at least Ms. Stella's attitude is like this."

Wen Na was stunned for a moment, and suddenly pressed her forehead in distress: "Have they really figured out what the magic net hub is..."

"There should be no problem with this. Elves are surprisingly strong in the field of magic technology. Recently, they are becoming the group most familiar with magic technology besides the gray elves in the Ogure Tribal Kingdom," Shi Wacker didn't seem to hear the joke in Wenna's tone, and said seriously, "Perhaps it is because of this talent that they are so interested in building a giant signal tower in their ancestral home."

"... Well, it's a good thing, so at least three votes passed," Wen Na rubbed the center of her brows, "Is there only the spirit race and the orcs left... I know Camilla and Stoor, they are two He is not a stubborn person, and should eventually agree."

After ending this troublesome topic, the gray elf patriarch waved his hand: "Let's talk about this matter after I communicate with Patriarch Stella. Speaking of which, the letter from Mei Li arrived today, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," Schwak nodded, pointing to something on a small table next to him, "This is it."

Wen Na blinked, her eyes fell on the packaged things, and she murmured to herself after a long time: "I thought it was a package..."

"This is indeed a package—Cecil's postal department registers it as a package, and it is also a package when it is delivered across the border," Schwak nodded solemnly. "Obviously, the letter written by the eldest lady cannot go through the mail channel..."

Wenna: "..."

"Then, please read the letter from home, I will deal with the government documents, so don't bother me."

After the words fell, Schwak bowed slightly and exited the room politely.

Chapter 1014 Appearance

Halfway through this cold winter, life is getting tougher for people living in border regions.

Gesong Town is a rich and prosperous place, at least it has been like this until this winter-it is located near Winterhold, and it is one of the transportation hubs from Typhon to the border trading markets, even in the so-called Before the rise of "transnational trade" in China, this place was also an important foothold for merchants to come and go.

The merchants who came from south to north brought considerable income here, and the merchants made the town prosperous, and after the opening of trade, those smart people with a keen sense of smell turned this place into a town within a year or two. The land of gold flowed, and even made this place faintly have the aura of becoming a big city, but... the good days didn't last long.

War broke out.

Although we haven't reached here for a while, the scene of prosperity and prosperity is gone forever, cross-border trade has stopped, merchants have avoided this place of right and wrong, and important transportation hubs have been taken by the empire. Expropriation, now the chariots and horses full of money and goods have been replaced by chariots and troops that stay around the clock, and the locals who used to rely on business travel to and from the north and south for food now have to "leisure".

Simpson, who ran the hotel, was sitting by the window, rubbing a brass pipe in his hand with some sadness. There was no tobacco in the pipe, and the shiny pipe was spinning in his hand like a toy. A layer of water vapor condensed on the crystal glass window, making the scene on the street look hazy. The cold wind whistling from the streets and alleys was blowing outside the window, and some cold air was blown in through the not-so-sealed window crack. The middle-aged man who had begun to lose his hair couldn't help shrinking his neck again.

He raised his head and saw only a few people sitting idle in the lobby of the hotel—the layout of the hotels in the town was similar, and the lobby on the first floor also provided some drinks and snacks in addition to receiving guests, but since this After a goddamn war broke out, the only thing he could sell here was watered down spirits and tough pastries.

A middle-aged man with a beard was sitting at the nearest table, looking only one step away from being drunk. There were several empty wine bottles in front of him, and the pungent smell of bad ale came from His dirty coat seeped, along with many other suspicious smells.

Simpson frowned and yelled over there: "Saville! You drank enough today!"

The unshaven middle-aged man was already lying on the table, and after hearing the shout, he just waved his hands indiscriminately, without even raising his head.

Simpson shook his head, feeling that he had fulfilled his duty as a "good citizen", and continued to lower his head to wipe his brass pipe, but a burst of rhythmic footsteps suddenly came from the side, making the innkeeper again raised his head.

His somewhat sleepy and impatient expression quickly faded away, replaced by a smile, he saw a beautiful lady in a dark cloak and a winter hunting suit was about to pass by the side aisle, the other party's brilliant eyes The blond hair seems to make this terrible winter a little warmer, and a pair of pointed ears protruding from under the blond hair remind others of her origin.

"Ms. Solderine, are you going out?" Simpson asked with a smile, "It's not such a good weather outside..."

"I'm leaving this afternoon," said the elf huntress called Ms. Solderine, with a neutral voice, "I want to see if I can hire someone before the weather is too bad." A carriage to the mountain pass..."

"You're leaving?" Simpson couldn't hide his disappointment, but more of his disappointment was due to financial losses.Since the outbreak of this damned war, few travelers have settled here, and a huntress who is not involved in this war is an extremely valuable "high-quality guest" during this period-a better room, Needs fine food, is not as rough and difficult as those passing soldiers, and most importantly, never defaults on the rent... From a monetary point of view, this elf hunter lives here far better than twelve drunken Savile.

"After all, I'm just passing by, and my people are still waiting for me." Solder "Lin" said casually with a smile, and glanced in the direction of the door - the identity of an elf is a good cover here, because responsible for maintaining The elf stronghold of the Great Wall is located near the northwest border of Typhon. It is only natural for a traveling elf to appear in this area. As long as you are careful and do not provoke the mage sentinels and management personnel in the big cities, "she" You can easily sneak into border settlements that are loosely managed like Gesong Town.

But we can't relax our vigilance because of this: as the battlefield is getting closer and closer to the headquarters of Winterhold, the tension in this area is escalating. The big air battle three days ago has had a profound impact on the entire battle situation. Now The entire Winterhold area is turning into a front line. The agents belonging to Typhon's intelligence department and the security forces under the name of the Earl of Winterhold seem to have smelled something, and they are frequently checking the people coming and going, and I...have been stuck in this place for long enough .

The necessary information has been sent away, and the rangers who were operating inside and outside the city and the officers of the Military Intelligence Bureau who needed to cover have been evacuated in batches, and this place cannot continue to stay.

"Well, it's true," Simpson shrugged helplessly, "You should return to your clansmen, this brutal and bloody war is not suitable for an elegant elf lady like you..."

Thorde "Lin" just smiled after hearing the hotel owner's words, and did not correct the mistakes in the other party's cognition-many humans seem to have misunderstandings in this regard, thinking that elves are an elegant and war-weary race. When all kinds of "ugly" wars broke out in the world, the beautiful elves would hide in the paradise-like jungle and sing about peace and nature... This kind of misunderstanding is especially serious in the northern region.

However, in fact, the ranger troop of the elves is one of the most powerful armies in the world. The Silver Empire also relied on wars to lay down a vast territory. There were countless rough and bloody tribes in the ancestral forest. Relying on art and music to make those voodoo tribes able to sing and dance... But such trivial things don't need to be explained too much to a human who runs a hotel near the border.

"She" just nodded to Simpson, and was about to leave from here, but before she took a step, there was a sour smell floating from the side, which made "she" stop and looked at the smell coming from Direction—Saville, who was very drunk, had fallen asleep on the table, muttering inarticulate curses in his sleep.

"He seems to have been here these days," Solder "Lin" asked casually, "seems to be your acquaintance?"

"Oh...unlucky Savile, I have some friendship with him." Simpson glanced at the opposite table, sighed and shook his head, "He used to be a hotel owner, on the other side of town, but unfortunately he was caught by those The rich businessman traveling from north to south was dizzy and let his unrealistic fantasies hurt him. He borrowed a lot of money and even mortgaged his hotel in exchange for the right to use three carriages and a franchise permits...for this winter."

Solder "Lin" listened to Simpson's sympathetic narration, and couldn't help but look at the drunk man again.

The destructive power of this war outside the battlefield is becoming more and more obvious day by day, and Savile lying between the wine bottles is just a small microcosm of it.

"She" shook her head, and said casually as if talking to herself: "I hope this war will end soon."

"If this is the case, then I will thank the gods," Simpson couldn't help saying, and he pointed his chest a few times with the fingers he had just wiped the brass pipe, making a gesture of prayer, "This bad day is really not good. I don't know when it will end..."

Solder "Lin" did not respond to the hotel owner's words. "She" pulled up the hood of the cloak, tightened the tie, and turned to walk towards the exit of the lobby.

The door of the tavern opened and closed, and a gust of cold wind blowing from the outside swept through the interior space. Simpson felt the cold wind blowing on his neck, and couldn't help shrinking his neck again. At the same time, he subconsciously glanced out the window—he wiped the window glass, trying to find the figure of the elf huntress from the street, but only saw the empty street, the foggy sky and the distant mountains outside the town, and between the light of the day and the shadow of the mountain, an iron-gray, as if all A giant in armor is wandering in the void.

Simpson felt his heart was suddenly hit by something. The hazy shadow made the blood in his whole body stagnate for a moment. After a few seconds, he took a breath. , regained the ability to think like a resurrection.In panic, he hurriedly looked out the window again, trying to find the figure of the giant, but in the background of the mountains, there were no iron-gray armored giants wandering at all...

It just seemed like an illusion.

"Saville, Savile!" Simpson tapped the brass pipe on the table, trying to greet the person closest to him, "You just saw... Forget it, I'm asking you what to do."

……

Soldering walked around a few streets and entered the alley. His breath was completely subdued. Even the patrolling mage passing by did not notice that a "huntress" had appeared in his line of sight.

After confirming that the surroundings were completely safe, he stopped and looked thoughtfully in the direction of the mountains outside the town.

He thought of the "illusion" that was occasionally mentioned in the town recently, and his face became a little serious, but soon he restrained the changes in his expression and returned to his indifferent state.

After observing the surrounding environment again, he quickly found a hiding place and began to change his clothes: the clothes of the elves are complicated and difficult to distinguish in the eyes of humans. Flipping it over, turning the dusty side outward, completely changed his slightly neutral attire, and finally he stretched out his hand to the top of his head—at this step, the high-ranking ranger finally couldn't help hesitating For a moment, a sentence from a friend many years ago came to mind: the truly strong will face the bleakness of life...

He tore off the wig and quickly put it away—the winter wind is so cool.

At the small intersection on the other side of the street, a carriage was already waiting here. Soldering walked out of the alley and confirmed the situation around the carriage in less than a second, with a look on his face. Gujing Wubo's expression came to the coachman.

"Master Delin," the coachman jumped out of the car immediately when he saw his employer, with a respectful smile on his face at the same time: Elf monk is a profession full of mystery, and it is said that this kind of excellent and knowledgeable traveler is in the whole world. There are no more than a thousand people on the mainland, not to mention that the other party paid twice the fare for the car, which is worth all the polite gestures he has accumulated since his mother's womb, "Shall we start now?"

"I've been waiting for a long time," Soldering nodded slightly, and said in a deep voice, "Let's go out of the city directly from the west."

……

An order from Cecil City made Solinburg's technicians and Bertila himself completely busy. Along with them, there was also a person in charge of psionic singing who came from Cecil City by aircraft. Technician for the project.

In the central area of ​​the Solin Giant Tree, on a square on the west side of the trunk, Wendy, who hurried over from Cecil City, and several other technical experts were standing with Solinburg's technicians, and in front of these people, holding Selina Geerfen, who carried the lantern, gradually appeared like a spirit who entered reality from the dream world.

The "Saint with the Lamp" looked up at the weird thing floating in the center of the open space ahead, and finally couldn't help but look sideways at Wendy: "You think this thing is put on the battlefield...it really won't Does it have a huge psychological impact on our own soldiers first?"

Wendy opened her mouth and was about to speak, when a hoarse voice with a slightly woody friction came out from the nearby bushes: "This sentence comes from the eternal sleeper priest who is good at mental attacks and specializes in creating nightmares. It's weird."

Selena looked in the direction of the sound and saw Bertila's figure rising from the bushes. The twisted and wriggling flower vines condensed into an "incarnation" that was hardly different from the real person in an inconceivable way. Relying on the constantly moving roots and vines of the lower body, he walked towards this side.

"We just create some illusions from the spiritual level - you are something that can scare people in the real world," Selina shook her head helplessly, pointing to the things floating above the square - it was a huge star The artificial brain has a diameter of more than two meters. The off-white and slightly pink flesh and blood tissue floats at a height of several meters in an anti-gravity manner. There are a large number of tentacles-like nerve cords extending from the bottom, wriggling and curling unconsciously as the main body floats, "As for the ability of disgusting people, you are better at biochemistry."

"...Really so serious?" Bertila thought for a while, then said helplessly, "But I think it's a little cute..."

The technicians behind Selena suddenly showed a look of horror, and Wendy couldn't help pressing her forehead——

The aesthetics of this vegetable...seems to have completely rotted away.

Chapter 1015 Frontline

Regardless of how much "aesthetic" ability a druid who has studied biochemical technology in the dark sect for hundreds of years can have, there is one thing Selina Gelfen must admit: the "brain" she sees is absolutely It is the most incredible and outstanding biochemical engineering creation she has ever seen in this life.

It looks like a separate brain, but in fact this "brain" is almost an independent and complete creature. It has its own energy cycle and special organs for maintaining floating and small-scale movement. Hidden in the depths of its bloated and weird "body", its wriggling "tentacles" are not only nerve cords that can be used to establish connections with the giant tree of Thorin (or other "interaction targets"), when necessary, they seem to be Could be some kind of predatory organ...

This thing reminded her of something in the dark forest beyond the dark mountains, something that only existed in the mouths of superstitious hunters and drunken bards, the darkest, most twisted, and the closest to nightmares mutant creature.

Ordinary people who live in peace and daily life know little about these dark and terrifying creatures, but the dark believers who have lived for hundreds of years have more or less dabbled in the secrets beyond the boundaries of this civilization.

Selena turned her head and looked into Bertila's eyes: "To be honest, this original biological sample of the brain...is it the nightmare skull deep in the black forest?"

"I don't remember... Maybe there is, or maybe there are spirit-eating monsters on the Ancestral Peak?" Bertila thought for a while, and a self-deprecating smile appeared on his stiff face, "I can't remember that I swallowed and assimilated I have lived so many things. In the depths of my body, there are huge genetic samples that cannot be imagined by mortals. There are also humans, elves, and monsters...so no matter how horrible and twisted monsters, I can easily find them. Don't you do the same? Selina Gelfen—how many souls of the defeated have been restrained in that lantern of yours?"

"...I've released them all," Selena shook her head after a short silence, "Okay, let's get back to the topic—are you sure that the thing you created is harmless?"

"You can rest assured about this," Bertila said indifferently, "These things have already undergone a long iterative evolution in my genetic sample bank, and those uncontrollable things have been pruned like redundant branches and leaves. The thing is essentially just a gestation product of the giant tree of Thorin, and in a sense, it is no different from the fruit of the Thorin tree you ate for lunch today..."

Speaking of this, she suddenly looked up and down Selena who was in a state of psychological projection: "Oh, I forgot, you can't eat now."

"..." Selena didn't seem to care about the other party's little teasing, she just nodded after a short silence, "Well, I believe in your professionalism in this area. Then let's talk about this ...how exactly is the brain used?"

Beltira raised her head and looked at the giant brain floating in the center of the square—or, in other words, some kind of floating creature that looked like a brain. Her thinking was still connected to this "brain". Now, the latter rises slightly, so the neural structure below the "brain" is more clearly presented in front of everyone.

"In short, I adjusted its nerve connection method so that its nerve cords can be directly connected to the brain wave amplifier used in the immersion chamber, and then through the amplifier as a relay, it can travel hundreds of meters Create a 'brain domain' within the range of the radius, and the psionic singers within this range will be strengthened in terms of computing power and magic adaptability, and can directly connect to a higher-level neural network through brain waves, so that As a result, the pressure they bear during combat will be greatly reduced. So obviously, we need to design a dedicated 'vehicle' for this 'brain', and put things like brain wave amplifiers and extra energy packs on it. go up."

Bertila paused, and then continued: "In addition, if possible, it is best to have a set of biomass cycle equipment—although the 'brain' can run independently for a long time without nutritional supplements, it also has self-predation. ability, but considering the rapidly changing battlefield situation, the frontline units may not have such a leisurely supply opportunity, so it is very cost-effective to directly provide nutrition to the 'brain' with biomass recycling equipment.

"When it comes to the specific biochemical technology, I have a ready-made solution here. I just need the help of the magicians to integrate it into the vehicle. This should be very simple."

Wendy, who was standing by the side, interjected at this moment: "Have you already thought about the vehicle?"

"Yes," Bertila nodded, and looked towards the direction of Solinburg not far away, where several dragoon aircraft were flying low in the air space between the crown of trees and the roof of the castle, buzzing low The voice came from a distance, "After careful consideration, I think the chassis of the Dragoon is very suitable - its cabin doesn't even need to be modified, just remove the seat and a few partitions to serve as a container for the 'brain', and Since the brain itself can directly control the magic mechanism, the space left after removing the corresponding console and rune stacking box in the aircraft can just be used to place equipment such as brain wave amplifiers..."

While talking, the former dean of the End of Everything Society showed a smile on his face at the same time. Even the "incarnation" who couldn't make an expression was filled with a proud look at the moment. Obviously, she was very concerned about her own set. The design is very satisfactory.

Time was tight and tasks were heavy, so some changes had to be made to the original step-by-step research plan. In order to ensure that the psychic singer could put into actual combat as soon as possible, she had to seek to transform some ready-made things into the project.In the past few days, she brought druids and magicians here to study alternatives one after another, and then alternatives of alternatives, and more alternatives... Now what she proposes, That's the sum of all these alternatives.

A finished product that can be "cobbled together" in a few days may not be so useful, but it can be pulled to the front line immediately.

Selina, holding a lantern, listened carefully to the other party's idea. After the other party finished speaking, she only thought for a while and nodded: "I believe you have discussed this plan with the magicians. Regarding the aircraft, we understand There are not many, but regarding brain wave amplifiers and neural network technology, the most outstanding experts in the empire are here-we can start at any time."