Chapter 582 — Inside

Gao Yang expressed his thanks, then led the group onward. Beneath his calm features, however, a flicker of excitement was hidden deep in his heart.

This is the highest crystallization of the Silver Empire's technology. Everything here... is a priceless treasure!!

Of course, he had not lied about his reason for entering the tower—he truly did want to figure out just what had gone wrong with these Sentinel Towers, and that was indeed one of his goals, even a mission, in helping organize this vast undertaking. But beyond that official reason, he was equally interested in the elven technology within the Sentinel Towers.

After the fall of the Gondor Empire, these elves held in their hands the most advanced artificial intelligence technology in the world, the finest high-density rune technology, the most powerful anti-gravity technology!!

Of course, because of the historical legacy of the "Great Schism of the Primeval Elves," the elves themselves still had many black boxes to resolve in these technologies, and for ages all of the elves' magical arts had been all but incomprehensible to humans. The two races had never even considered the possibility of technological exchange—but... that did not matter.

Mathematics would explain the power of every rune and their optimal positions.

Suo You and the elven mage named Banner walked quietly alongside. In the faces of these two elves, Gao Yang could discern little fluctuation of feeling.

They did not mind Gao Yang observing the core structures within this tower; they did not mind their technology falling into human hands.

Was the reason simply the fellowship of the various peoples who had built the Sentinel Towers together seven hundred years ago? Or was it out of their friendship for "Gao Yang Cecil" himself? Or else... had they simply not realized that the Cecil people had already fully mastered the technique of using rune logic to reconstruct elven runes—not realized that humans could now completely command elven magic, and not merely apply a wind-element blessing to a cannon shell?

To be honest, the other side's agreeing to his request so readily still surprised Gao Yang somewhat. He had even been prepared to study secretly within the Sentinel Tower—but since they had already agreed... there was no reason for Gao Yang to pass up such an opportunity.

Seven hundred years ago, Gao Yang Cecil had been learned, but he had been more a military man than anything else; when the Sentinel Towers were being built, he had never delved deeply into their technology. Humanity seven hundred years ago was passing through the Great Decline and faced the gulf of "alien magic is incomprehensible." Though he had taken part in the tower-building project, he had likewise never come into contact with the latter's core technology—so today's opportunity was especially precious.

The group pressed on toward the core zone at the base of the Sentinel Tower, and every so often Suo You or Banner would call for a halt so they could inspect the operation of the critical devices.

"This is the sensory hub of the entire third Spine," Banner stopped again when they were halfway down the corridor. He came to a square pillar connecting ceiling and floor, gray-white with pale gold ornamentation, and spoke as he took out his tools. "All sensory hubs are linked together. In theory, no matter which of the six Spines has a problem, it should be detectable from any one of the sensory hubs..."

As he spoke, the mage had already removed a cover panel from the pillar. With the protective casing taken off, a great mass of metal plates, overlapping like leaves and inscribed on their surfaces with complex magical runes, was revealed to everyone's eyes.

These metal plates were stacked in layer upon layer within the pillar. Banner reached out and swept his hand near the plates, and a portion of them immediately detached from their places, flying up into the air with a clatter. A grave expression on his face, Banner used telekinesis to send the plates flying one by one past his eyes while he carefully observed their condition. After some inspection, he channeled magic into the other plates still within the pillar, sensing how they were operating.

"...all the sensory hubs are functioning normally, and the sensors along all six 'spines' are intact," Banner said with a frown. "The signals coming through from the wasteland side are perfectly clear as well."

Sophia asked from beside him, "What about communications with the Mind of the Magic Spirit?"

"Communications are good, almost no delay, and the Mind of the Magic Spirit seems to be running normally too," Banner said, using magic to return the metal leaves to their places. Then he lifted his head and looked toward the end of the corridor. "Just ahead is the control hub at the base of the Sentinel Tower. Perhaps we should go and inspect its 'brain' directly."