Chapter 1017 — The Approaching God

Beyond the arched window set with crystal glass, snowflakes whipped up by the wind drifted past; ice crystals struck the panes with a faint, rustling sound. The thick walls and the circulating magical currents held back the chill outside the castle, keeping the room at a warm temperature.

A bright fireplace burned not far away; the glow of the flames fell upon several brass ornaments, casting hazy, wavering shadows. The warm firelight made the dust-stained high-ranking ranger relax inside—this cold winter did not seem quite so cold after all.

"Tell me about the situation at Winterhold," Gao Yang said as he walked into the room, casually unfastening his cloak and hanging it on a hook nearby. "How many of our people are still operating out there?"

"The main squads of the Steel Rangers have already withdrawn to our controlled territory. At present, three scout squads and two mobile teams are still carrying out missions in the area from Winterhold to the Frostwood," Su Jilin said with a nod. "In addition, because of the shifting situation in several major towns, divine corruption is spreading beyond the military. The Military Intelligence operatives hidden in the urban districts have withdrawn from the danger zones in batches; only a few well-protected contact stations are still operating at a minimal level."

"Mm…" Gao Yi nodded slightly. "Evacuating ahead of time was the right call. The situation is about to change drastically—the stalemate is coming to an end, and the moment of decision is next."

"I was somewhat surprised when I first received the evacuation order—the situation changed faster than I had imagined," Su Jilin said. "It seems the God of War is deteriorating quickly. Over at Aldenan, they can no longer afford to wait… That also fits certain phenomena I observed before I withdrew."

"Phenomena?" Gao Shao became serious. "What phenomena?"

Su Jilin took a moment to organize his words, then began reporting what he had scouted while operating in the Winterhold region: "By the time I withdrew, very obvious signs of divine calamity had already begun to appear on Typhon's lands. Ordinary people were starting to hear and see certain 'information' related to the god, and strange sounds were frequently coming from the sealed churches of the God of War. In addition, there were sightings of an enormous apparition in the sky over Winterhold; in the clearer reports, the apparition was described as a giant of iron-gray, clad all over in heavy armor."

"…The classic image of the God of War in most religious texts," Gao Che said in a low voice. "An armored giant, marching through storm and cloud, looking down upon the earth…"

He then asked: "Did these phenomena appear after that aerial battle?"

Su Jilin thought for a moment. "If you mean those ordinary auditory and visual hallucinations, they occurred occasionally even before the aerial battle—the locals believe they are magical phenomena produced when large numbers of battle mages gather together. If you mean the giant… yes, that did appear after the aerial battle a few days ago."

Gao Yi exhaled. The intelligence Su Jilin had brought further confirmed his conjecture about the "Descent of the God of War."

He had barely formed that thought when Su Jilin, standing across from him, suddenly spoke again: "If my analysis is right… all these phenomena indicate that the God of War's activity is growing stronger, and that He is already very 'close' to our world. Given that you yourself have come all the way here… could it be that the God of War will descend?"

Gao Yang's eyes widened in some surprise. He looked Su Jilin up and down, and before he could speak, the latter revealed a faint smile: "I am no expert in theology, nor do I have your capacity for deducing the broader picture, but over several centuries I have accumulated a fair amount of miscellaneous knowledge, and the phenomena I recently observed in the Winterhold region were enough to remind me of something… I just never expected things to really turn out this way."

"Luo Yan seems to want to do something big," Gao Yang said with a long exhale. "Even I have to admit he is a rather terrifying fellow… yet also a man of remarkable judgment and drive."

"To my eyes, all of you are that sort of 'terrifying' person," Su Jilin said with a laugh, a note of feeling in his tone. "Sometimes I can't help but think back to when I first met you, over seven hundred years ago… You were a far more reckless sort then—fearsome on the battlefield. But in my eyes, you were much more reassuring then than you are now."

"After all, back then I only had to answer for an army; the weight of the nation rested on Charlie's shoulders," Gao Lan said. The moment the words left his lips, a familiar psychic ripple suddenly surfaced deep in his consciousness, cutting off what he had been about to say.

He waved a hand at Su Jilin to signal that he should wait a moment, then quickly focused his mind and immersed his consciousness in the neural network. Moments later he ended the abrupt communication. Su Jilin, sensing that he had "returned to reality," immediately asked: "What happened?"

"Number Twenty-Five just sent word," Gao Yang said gravely, his expression stern. "Luo Yan Augustus left Aldenan yesterday—and Duke Pei Yi left with him."

At this intelligence, Su Jilin's expression turned instantly serious: at this particular moment, amid such a shifting situation, Luo Yan Augustus himself had suddenly departed from his imperial capital. There was likely only one thing that this signified…

"It looks like it is about to begin," Gao Yang said slowly, his voice low, after several seconds of silence.

……

The dizziness of the psychic connection quickly faded, and Daniel opened his eyes where he sat in his chair.

The fireplace nearby was burning, warm flames dancing cheerfully in the hearth; magic crystal lamps lit the spacious living room; two enchanted brooms were automatically sweeping the dust at the corner of the staircase. The old mage sat in an armchair near the fireplace, a warm blanket over his lower body, an open grimoire resting on his lap, the rune pages within flowing with a moist luster. All of it made him look as though he had merely taken a short nap.

The young woman mage sitting in a chair nearby, reading a book, noticed her mentor's subtle movement and immediately looked up, concern on her face: "Was the message sent?"

"Mm," Daniel nodded simply. "Nothing unusual, I take it?"

"No, none of the sensing runes set up throughout the house reacted," Mary said at once. "No one has been spying on this place."

"Good," Daniel said with a nod. "The situation in Aldenan looks perfectly calm on the surface, but the Obsidian Guard and the royal agents have their nerves stretched to the breaking point in the shadows, so even a few minutes of contact must be handled with extreme care… You haven't used the neural network these past few days, have you?"

"No!" Mary shook her head at once. "I've been very careful."

Daniel gave a soft "mm," then his gaze settled on Mary and did not move for a long while. Under that stare, the black-haired woman mage finally twisted her neck somewhat awkwardly and asked with a hint of nervousness: "Mentor… have I done something wrong again?"

There was no fear in her tone now—merely the nervousness of an apprentice facing her mentor.

"If you want to return to the countryside, I can arrange it," Daniel said, his face expressionless. "With your current abilities and qualifications, I can make you the head of some regional mages' association. Even if you don't wish to take a post, you could live very comfortably in a local area and be respected by many."

"Why do you say that all of a sudden?" Mary's eyes went wide. "Is it because I messed up in the laboratory recently…"