Chapter 755 Daniel's Investigation

In the eastern part of Alder, in the deepest street in the city, the lights are dim.

This is the darkest and most closed area of ​​the entire imperial capital, a place that seems to be forgotten by the upper class. The huge Aldenan is like a hill that is stacked up in layers. The upper layer is a magnificent building, but the bottom layer is like festering. The wound is hidden in the depths of darkness. Advanced magic technology, prosperous new-style commerce, and increasingly bright citizens, all of these things have nothing to do with the deepest streets and alleys in the eastern district of Alder—

It is only half a city away from the Obsidian Palace, but it seems to be farther away from civilized society than those mountain cities that are farther away.

And in this alley, far away from the various official eyeliners of Aldernan, a man with a messy beard, sunken eye sockets, and a worn coat was hurriedly walking past the doors of the low and dilapidated houses.

Quick and undisguised footsteps sounded, and some prying eyes emerged from the doors and windows of those houses. At this time of night, those who dared to walk alone in the deepest part of the Eastern District always attracted the prying eyes of the curious, but those who Those who were drawn to the street by the sound of footsteps quickly became confused.

Because they saw nothing, in their eyes, the streets were empty.

But the footsteps did indeed appear.

The sights hiding behind the doors and windows gradually brought tension and fear. The superstitious residents remembered the terrifying legends about ghosts and dark wizards after nightfall, and hurriedly retracted their gazes one by one, closing the already closed doors and windows even more. stricter.

The man walked through the whole street in such an open and honest manner, and came to the door of No. 14 Black Iron Lane.

He stood in front of the pitch-black door, pressed his hand on the door panel, sensed the movement inside a little, and after confirming that there was no abnormality in the room, he turned the key and silently pushed the door open.

He saw a warm light in the room. A figure in a black robe with a blurred face was sitting on the back chair in the room as if he had already arrived. A bonfire was burning in the corner of the room. Spotless.

The man quickly entered the room, closed the door, and bowed in front of the blurred figure: "Salute to you, Bishop Daniel."

"No need to be polite, Grando," Daniel, who was wearing a black robe with a blurry face, waved his hand, and his voice sounded directly in the ear of the man named Grando, "This place is safe, we can talk with confidence."

"Yes, Lord Bishop." Grando bowed his head deeply.

"How is the investigation I asked you to investigate?" Daniel asked quietly.

"Yes, my subordinates have completed the preliminary investigation," the Eternal Sleeper Cultist named Grando replied respectfully immediately, "As of last week, several lower-level Cultists you asked me to contact and inquire about have sent feedback, and they all said that There's never been any distress calls on the Internet, and there's never been any loss of memory -- at least, they don't remember it themselves."

Daniel nodded: "That's all?"

"No, there are more," Grando replied hurriedly, "subordinates are also suspicious of the feedback from these lower-level believers, so they secretly contacted and hypnotized the people around them when conditions allowed, and got some insights from them. Different intelligence...According to those people's recollections, the above-mentioned believers have basically experienced trance, long sleep, and even brief personality changes in the past period of time."

"Personality mutation?" Daniel immediately noticed the keyword, "Is there a possibility of mind replacement or mind parasitism?"

"Subordinates have confirmed,

There is no such possibility," Grando shook his head, "I have contacted those believers several times since then, and observed their minds in various states such as awake and hypnotic. Their minds still belong to themselves, their consciousness is complete, There is no sign of splicing or cutting in the subconscious mind. "

A hoarse and low voice came from under Daniel's hood: "Everything is normal?"

"Yes, everything is normal." Grando said respectfully.

"Everything is normal, but the biggest abnormality..." Daniel's voice was low, "Mental trance, long-term sleep and sudden changes in personality are in themselves proof that the mind has been affected, and it will definitely leave traces in a short period of time. In this case, their minds appear to be normal, then instead..."

He stopped suddenly, and the Eternal Sleeper cult named Grando couldn't help but asked with curiosity and a trace of nervousness: "Sir Bishop, you..."

His words stopped abruptly before he finished speaking, and his eyes fell into a brief daze, and at the moment when his eyes lost focus, the warm lights in the room, the burning fireplace in the corner of the room, the neat furniture and other things also disappeared instantly. not see.

The room was pitch black, there wasn't a single candle, there was no burning fireplace, and in fact there wasn't even any furniture except a chair by the window.

The man named Grando stood quietly in this empty dark room, standing at the door, with his eyes dazed for two minutes.

Two minutes later, his eyes blinked, and the room instantly returned to its warm and bright appearance. Bishop Daniel in black robes also reappeared on the back chair in front of him.

A chill ran down his back, and Grando shivered instantly. He realized that he had just received a detailed "examination" from the powerful Eternal Sleeper Bishop in front of him, and couldn't help but said nervously and fearfully, "Sir. ,I……"

"Your memory has been modified," Daniel said bluntly. "This is the end of the investigation, so don't go any further."

"...Yes," a drop of cold sweat dripped from Grando's ear, full of fear, "Thank you for your reminder."

"Well," Daniel nodded, "In addition, try not to connect to the spiritual network for a long time in the near future. If you must connect, keep it shallow and not go deep.

"Finally, the archbishop of the Supreme Bishops' Conference may contact you in the near future to ask about your recent investigation behavior. You don't have to hide it for me at that time, and you can tell it frankly."

Grando couldn't help showing an expression of astonishment, and instantly realized the truth that his memory had been modified, and blurted out: "My lord, do the people who modify my memory and hide the truth are the archbishops..."

Halfway through his words, he closed his mouth vigilantly and continued to ask in a low voice, "Sir, what happened to the Mind Network recently?"

"Don't ask too much," Daniel interrupted him indifferently, "Knowing too much is not a good thing."

Another chill hit, and Grando couldn't help swallowing, and cautiously stopped talking.

Then, all kinds of things in his field of vision suddenly shook.

The lights disappeared, the fireplace disappeared, the furniture disappeared, and 14 Black Iron Lane turned into a dark and empty room again. The man named Grando blinked, fully awake, and he found himself standing in the door of the room, One hand reached behind him, still keeping the attitude of closing the door.

The powerful and mysterious Bishop of the Eternals has left, out of Grando's mind.

...

In the Aldenan Mage District, in a brightly lit and well-decorated villa, Daniel was sitting on an easy chair in the study, holding a scroll in his hand, flipping a page.

The artificial nerve cord behind him stayed silent and snug, only the end protruding from the hem of his suit and wiggling slightly near the back of the chair.

"...It's time to think about how to respond to a certain archbishop's inquiry," the old mage sighed silently and said to himself, "I just don't know which one to face..."

The Supreme Bishops' Conference is really trying to hide some huge secret, and this secret definitely involves a lot and has a huge impact. They are closely watching all the information flows related to this secret.

Daniel felt a burst of joy.

Fortunately, he has been strictly following the master's instructions, controlling the scope of his investigation, and carefully handling the details of his actions. Although he is investigating the fluctuation of the mind network, what he has shown is not so abnormal, but more like It is a loyal believer who is concerned about the operation of the spiritual network and proactively troubleshoots faults after discovering abnormalities.

An excellent, dedicated, proactive safety executive.

In addition to some overreach, it is simply unspeakable.

...

At the Obsidian Palace, Rosetta Augustus was sitting behind his large desk, and Duke Ferdinand Wendell was sitting diagonally opposite him.

Seeing His Majesty the Emperor who was reading the letter with his head down, Pei Dinan suddenly felt a little emotional.

It seems that since the rise of Cecil, since the situation suddenly turned in a direction that no one expected, the Typhon ruler, who was plagued by a spiritual curse, suddenly got rid of the curse of his family and became invigorated and high-spirited. And he himself was summoned by His Majesty the Emperor more frequently than usual, and came to the Obsidian Palace more frequently.

Almost every time he encounters something about the Cecil Empire or the domestic magic industry, His Majesty will summon him, which makes Duke Ferdinand even want to apply for it. .

"Cecil has already agreed with our idea of ​​sending international students, and expressed his willingness to deepen our relationship with us and build international relations that are more in line with this new era." Rosetta Augustus's voice suddenly came from the side, Interrupted Archduke Pedinand's thinking.

Pei Dinan raised his head, with a somewhat complicated expression on his face: "Did that Gawain Cecil agree directly..."

"Yeah, he's more daring than we thought..." Rosetta Augustus said, shaking his head slightly, shaking his wrist, put the piece with the royal emblem of the Cecil Empire. The letter was thrown in front of Duke Ferdinand, "You can take a look."

Duke Ferdinand took the letter and looked at it carefully, frowning slightly: "...In both countries, send long-term envoys to each other to build an 'embassy'?"

"Yes, it fits the situation," Rosetta nodded. "We can't rely on this kind of correspondence and the waves of messengers to maintain communication forever."

Pei Dinan continued to look down: "...open more business channels, increase the scale of existing orders, and add new order categories, including more magic parts, synthetic crystals, handicrafts, and open private merchants on both sides Domestic legal and limited investment behaviors…”

"This part of the content, there are many places worthy of discussion and analysis, transcribe a copy, send it to the Parliament and the Royal Advisory Group, and complete the risk assessment and discussion as soon as possible."

"I see."

Pei Dinan lowered his head and said, after reading the last content of the letter, he looked at Rosetta: "Your Majesty, how will the candidates be finalized regarding the dispatch of international students?"

"This is not in a hurry, we should send envoys to Cecil first, just like when we decided to introduce the magic train, someone should go and see the situation there - this is also as an empire interacting with another empire. the necessary etiquette and solemnity.”

"Special envoy..." Ferdinand looked at Rosetta's seldom changed face, "You've already been chosen, haven't you?"

"Let Matilda lead the team," Rosetta said flatly. "She's always got a good eye."

"His Royal Highness Matilda... is indeed the most suitable candidate."

...

In the extreme north of the continent, beyond the mountains and plains of the northern border of the Cecil Empire, there is another country in the snow and ice, lying quietly on the top of the mountains.

The majestic and towering city buildings are among the mountains, and the cold wind blows through the mountain walls, city walls and mountain streams day after day. Facing the north, it exudes a solemn, ancient, and desolate atmosphere.

The ethnic group calling themselves Dragonborn has lived in this frozen country for an unknown number of years.

This is a closed country. Dragonborn who are arrogant but feel guilty have closed their mountains and plains, and they almost never pay attention to the changes of this continent, but even a closed country is not eternal. Unchanged, never communicate with the outside world.

Folk businessmen can still visit this mysterious "Sacred Dragon Principality", and the latter does not reject businessmen and adventurers from human beings - as long as they can endure the harsh climate of the extreme north.

The Dragonborn are happy to have some dealings with those "brave men" who can challenge the extreme northern winter.

It's just that in most of the past years, there are only a few people who can challenge the extreme cold in the north. Those who are qualified to visit the Holy Dragon Principality are basically only awesome extraordinary people, ordinary civilian businessmen... It is impossible to have The ability to walk in the extreme north.

But that has changed recently.

A new "Cecil Empire" replaced the old Ansu Kingdom. Many brave and well-equipped Cecil merchants began to appear frequently on the border of the Holy Dragon Duchy. The cold climate that the mountain people in northern Jiangsu are afraid of can't stop those Cecil merchants - they wear thick cold clothes, drive magic vehicles that can withstand the wind, snow and cold, and they are filled with frost resistance. The potion brought countless new things said to be from the "Magic Age".

Change, centered on the Cecil Empire, is quietly spreading to those areas that were once closed...

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