Yuri leaned closer to the wall of the carriage. The freight carriage had no windows, but there were vent grilles hidden in the corners. His gaze penetrated the gaps between iron plates and saw a thin mist had somehow enveloped the platform. People in uniforms walked back and forth in the backdrop of light and mist, and a manager carrying a large number of keys was locking a fence door at the end of the platform.

Wendy’s voice came from behind: "There have been several ’whistleblowers’ before, but they were all eliminated after triggering the critical intelligence lock. This time, the mind disconnected from the network seemingly ’disappeared’ before the intelligence lock could be triggered... Seems like some powerful force directly shielded all mind connections..."

Yuri withdrew his gaze, looking at the silhouettes in the darkness, his voice low: "It seems that the continuous anomalies have already alerted Emperor Rosetta Augustus, and if the Royal Mage Association intervenes, blocking mind connections won’t be too difficult..."

"Expected, it’s just that the Royal Mage Association and Emperor Rosetta Augustus reacted faster than we imagined," Wendy whispered, "Now the crucial issue is how much damage the ’whistleblower’ will cause..."

"Most of the mid-level and above members have already been accounted for and marked. Two batches have also been sent away; the situation is still under control," Yuri said, pondering as he returned to the crate. "The core layer won’t have any whistleblowers; most of the wavering are beneath the mid-level... They have limited intelligence, so it’s hard for Emperor Rosetta Augustus to pinpoint our detailed plan right away. Thus, this train should still be safe... But the subsequent routes must be planned quickly."

"Should we cancel the next train?"

"Cancel it; we can’t proceed with large-scale transfers anymore," Yuri nodded. "Let those remaining here act in batches, scattered across the border..."

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but frown and sighed: "Unfortunately, the mind network can now only operate in basic mode; it can’t monitor every node as sensitively and accurately as before, only reacting when a whistleblower triggers the intelligence lock... There will surely be many wavering ones that slip through."

"These losses were expected. We just need to preserve the core personnel and data as much as possible," Wendy slowly said, then frowned slightly. "But Daniel on the other hand..."

"He should be safe—Daniel was just a mid-level priest two years ago and usually interacted with few people. After ascending to bishop, he started operating in Aldernon, and due to the unique area of activity, his identity has remained highly confidential within the cult. Those privy to it are all reliable. But some caution should be exercised; after all, he is in Aldernon..."

A sudden ringing pierced the silent night sky, interrupting Yuri’s unfinished words.

The carriage suddenly fell silent, a kind of indescribable tension and anticipation permeated the crowd. Someone approached the hidden vent holes on the wall, peering through the gaps between the iron plates to observe the situation outside.

The platform lights pierced through the thin mist, the glow of the Magic Projection flickered indistinctly within the fog. Someone deep in the mist blew a whistle, the sharp sound transmitted from one end of the platform to the other, while a faint tremor began emanating from the bottom of the carriage. The hum from the power spine charging grew increasingly prominent.

The light atop the relay post switched from red to green as the platform slowly retreated. This hefty industrial machine emitted a low, humming roar and began sliding increasingly swiftly on the train tracks, accelerating into the depths of the thin mist, plunging headlong into this vast night sky...

...

Mary turned on the Magic crystal lamps embedded in the wall, letting the soft light illuminate the living room. The darkness and faint starlight filled the room were instantly dispelled by the artificial lighting, creating a warm and bright atmosphere that provided a comfortable sense of security.

Suddenly, a voice came from the corner, nearly startling the young female mage who was about to hang her coat on the coat rack: "Why are you back so late?"

"Mentor... you’re still up?" Mary turned her head in surprise, seeing Daniel sitting on the sofa in a corner of the living room. A small brown leather case was placed on the round table in front of the sofa, and the old mage’s eyes carried inquiry, leading the young female mage to quickly react, "Ah, I was researching material at the Royal Library... accidentally lost track of time..."

"Preferring to learn is good, but almost getting locked in the library is another matter," Daniel shook his head, gesturing for Mary to approach while casually asking, "Have you come across anything suspicious or unusual?"

"Not at all," Mary replied, settling onto the small sofa across from Daniel, puzzled. "Why do you ask?"

"...Nothing much, just be careful lately, don’t casually talk to outsiders about the things we did during our seclusion in the western area," Daniel’s voice was low, his fingers unconsciously tapping the small case on the round table. Seemingly pondering for a moment, he pushed the small case forward, "Mary, this case is for you to safeguard."

"Ah... okay, alright," Mary instinctively followed her mentor’s orders; after taking over the case, she belatedly asked, "Mentor, what’s inside this?"

"...Some of my notes and materials put together over the years," Daniel said casually. "Other apprentices aren’t serious enough with these; getting their own studies clear is good enough. You’re somewhat brighter than the others..."

Mary listened to Daniel’s calm voice, her eyes widening in shock, finally unable to resist speaking out: "Mentor, is this..."

"Don’t be so tense; better safe than sorry," Daniel glanced at Mary and his tone turned stern. "Seeing you get so startled over everything, where’s your mage poise? How can I trust you with this?"

Mary immediately shrunk her neck, not daring to speak further. Across from her, Daniel let out a slightly dissatisfied snort but then continued, "You know about the mind network... and also know what’s happened recently. Our master defeated a God, yet some with wavering will still fear Him...

"Mary, if anything goes wrong, you’ll inherit what I leave behind. I have few to entrust, and you’re somewhat the brighter one among a ragtag group of apprentices...

"Windsor may respect me, but she is more loyal to her King. While she’s someone I taught, she’s no longer my apprentice.

"As for now, just keep these things stored safely. Remember, this is just a precaution; it’s unlikely we’d have to use it."

Mary looked steadily at the small box in her hand, then lifted her gaze towards her mentor. The old mage sat quietly there, with only a sense of calm in his sunken eye sockets.

This terrifying and powerful old man, when did he completely shed his madness and obsession?

Mary suddenly realized she had missed the final stage of this transformation. She had been immersed in the library and the magic laboratory at Aldernon, immersed in a new environment where she could indulge in learning, greedily absorbing knowledge like a sponge and enjoying the most ordinary daily life of a normal mage. Now, she suddenly awoke to find to her surprise that her terrifying mentor... had somehow become like an ordinary old man.

She suddenly reacted, habitually shrinking her neck, lowering her head, "Mentor, I... I understand now..."

"It’s good that you understand," Daniel said lightly, then supported himself on the table and slowly rose from the sofa, "Get some rest early tonight, tomorrow we have experiments to conduct."

He left the round table, his hunched body bending forward as he slowly walked towards the stairs not far away. The artificial nerve cords drooped silently behind him, these biological reformation products that used to terrify Mary now seemed like lifeless burdens, heavily weighing on the old mage’s back.

"Mentor," Mary couldn’t help but call out suddenly, but after speaking she didn’t know what more to say. She seemed to have a mind full of things to say, but at the moment of speaking, her brain was left blank. After a few seconds of awkward, tense silence, she finally constructed a sentence, "Mentor, do you... regret it?"

After saying this, she couldn’t help but bite her lip, her heart pounding in fear. She realized she had been too reckless, the question was not only bold but almost offensive, not something a mage apprentice should say to a mentor, especially in the current situation.

However, the old mage did not fly into a rage as he used to, nor did he even turn his head. He just paused slightly and then continued to slowly walk towards the stairs.

It was not until he stepped on the first stair that he spoke in a low, slow voice, as if to himself, "Discover the path..."

Mary stood there in a daze.

The mentor had said a strange phrase, created from a few words combined, but she could understand it. She knew the phrase was once spoken by that great "master," the near-godly "master" who had used this phrase to describe those who sought knowledge when conversing with her mentor—a phrase her mentor had always liked.

But what was the mentor’s intention in using this phrase to respond now?

Mary wanted to ask more, but when she looked up, her mentor had already disappeared on the stairs leading to the second floor.

...

"Your Majesty, that is all I know." Lord Bomai sat in the chair, nervously gripping the hem of his clothes. Speaking for such a long time had left him a bit parched, but at this moment, he did not dare ask Miss Diana for a glass of ice wine to soothe his throat. He knew there was enough in what he had just confessed to lose his head, thus, like a criminal awaiting judgment, he sat in place, waiting for Emperor Rosetta Augustus to pass judgment.

But an Empire’s ruler clearly had no interest in pursuing the sins of a minor lord at this moment.

"For all these years... they have been hiding in Orlandeau, beneath the ruins of the great collapse..." Emperor Rosetta Augustus’s expression had returned to calm. He sat quietly in the high-backed chair, his right hand relaxed on the armrest, and his left hand resting on his right arm, "The Eternal Sleepers... Augustus owes them nothing."

Lord Bomai’s mind was a bit muddled, but he quickly and sharply caught certain words in His Majesty the Emperor’s speech. After a brief shock and surprise, he realized he might have heard something he shouldn’t transmit, so he quickly dropped his eyelids, pretending he hadn’t heard anything.

"Your Majesty, we must immediately begin to eliminate this cult organization," Windsor Maple’s voice came from the side, heavenly and calming Lord Bomai’s pounding heart, "They have secretly developed to such a scale... this is no small problem anymore."

"Indeed," Rosetta nodded, "They should now have begun a complete retreat and elimination of traces left everywhere, but such a massive organization cannot simply disappear in silence within such a short time."

While speaking, the Typhon Ruler gently laughed, "But what truly intrigues me is Gawain Cecil... a group of cultists reverently calls him the ’Outland Wanderer,’ believing he is a ’god-like’ entity invading the real world from outside—something I would never have thought." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Your Majesty, although the actions of the cultists are insane, we must still take this intelligence seriously," Windsor Maple immediately said, "At least we can be certain Gawain Cecil has infiltrated and controlled the Empire’s Eternal Sleepers in some way, which undeniably is a terrifying hidden danger. It essentially means that he has planted countless eyes within the Empire... this matter must be swiftly and covertly dealt with."

Rosetta lightly nodded, with a solemn expression. Meanwhile, Windsor Maple continued, "Additionally, the notion of the ’Outland Wanderer’ must be treated with seriousness. The miraculous resurrection of an ancient hero dead for seven hundred years is intrinsically peculiar from the start. I believe... we cannot exclude the possibility that some entity other than humanity is occupying Gawain Cecil’s shell, resulting in this incredible resurrection miracle..."

Listening to Windsor Maple’s words, Rosetta suddenly shook his head and chuckled lightly.

"Your Majesty?"

"I do not care who resides within that body; perhaps when he first crawled out of the coffin, he indeed was ’Gawain Cecil,’ but from the moment he began to implement his new order, who he was no longer mattered," Emperor Rosetta Augustus said in a deep voice, "Whether he is a Heroic Spirit, an evil spirit, or even an incarnation of a god, for us, his sole significant identity is ’Emperor of Cecil’—our neighbor.

"However... the name ’Outland Wanderer’... is indeed intriguing..."