Chapter 931 — Reminder

Luo Yan took the letter the attendant handed him. It was a "copy" printed less than half an hour earlier from the relay tower at the Obsidian Palace; the paper still gave off the smell of ink. At the top of the sheet was the shield crest of the Typhon royal house, and at the bottom could be seen the emblem of the Cecil imperial household.

The Typhon ruler recalled what had been discussed the last time he spoke with Windsor and Daniel about the new communications technology—from a purely technical standpoint, the communications efficiency between Typhon and Cecil could in fact be raised further still. One need only clear away those useless manual links and thoroughly upgrade and replace the relay tower technology, and it might even become possible for the rulers of the two nations to speak directly with no delay at all. What sounded like a miracle was feasible in terms of arcane engineering; what stood in its way… was nothing more than the conservative nobles and traditional mages who still held most of the profits from the relay towers.

The main item on the council's agenda today was precisely the upgrading and replacement of communications technology—and like yesterday's session, today's dispute would most likely yield no result either.

Gentle discussion and voting could not resolve the problem of distributing interests between the old and new blocs. Usually there were only two ways to silence the old forces: wait for them to die, or drive the wheel of the new straight over their faces—and not stop for an instant as it rolls on.

Hopefully young Matilda, after confronting a council in utter chaos, would clearly recognize this.

Luo Yan shook his head and put aside these unrelated matters for the moment. His gaze fell upon the words of the letter, and he had read barely two lines before his brow knitted instinctively.

The letter was issued in the personal name of Gao Yang Cecil, and it came straight to the point—

"To my neighbor and friend: of late I have learned of certain most disturbing circumstances, which may even reach as far as Typhon, a thousand li away—my mages report that the divine seat of the Goddess of Magic appears to have vanished…"

Luo Yan drew a slow breath. He glanced at the attendant waiting nearby; the man understood at once and silently bowed and withdrew from the garden. Only then did Luo Yan return his gaze and read on:

"…This may be an omen before the outbreak of some large-scale event. As neighbors whose lands are closely joined, I believe it is necessary for us to share intelligence on matters of this kind—not only for the sake of the friendly relations between our two nations, but above all out of concern for the common future of humankind…

"…The mages of Cecil have already made a series of attempts and conducted an 'investigation' by technical means. My advisors now have a dreadful conjecture: they believe the Goddess of Magic may already have fallen for some unknown reason—this sounds absurd, and yet we all know that something similar happened three thousand years ago, when the White Star fell and the druids lost their 'deity'…

"…The mages will continue their investigation, and I hope Typhon will take this matter seriously, for the faith of the gods is not confined to one nation or one place—it stretches above all mortals and shapes the order of the entire mortal world…"

Luo Yan's gaze continued to move downward, and what followed made his eyes sharpen:

"...Furthermore, at the same time as the Goddess of Magic's anomaly, the priests and clerics of the God of War have also reported irregularities—in a sense, I consider what they report to be more troubling than the disappearance of the Goddess of Magic...

"...Many of the clergy who serve the God of War have shown symptoms of mental disturbance; they are repeatedly harassed by violent visions and voices, and the more they pray to the God of War for protection, the worse this disturbance becomes, as if it were coming from the God of War himself...

"...These would ordinarily be internal church matters, but with the Goddess of Magic and the God of War both showing anomalies in succession, it has inevitably drawn my attention...

"We all know that during the 'Ansu Civil War,' the mad Xuanming cultists once created a god out of control. I do not wish to speak blasphemy, but this incident proved that 'divine power' is not, as mortals imagine, purely benevolent—it too can turn terrible and violent. And now I fear certain forces are brewing something similar... The 'Godcalamity' of the Holy Spirit Plains may repeat itself, and what makes this more dangerous than the evil gods those dark druids created is that the Goddess of Magic and the God of War—especially the latter—wield immense influence over the faith of this age...

"My friend, by the time you read this letter, I too will be preparing to send warnings to the surrounding nations, but I believe Typhon ought to be the most vigilant of them all, for reasons that need no explanation...

"...If you agree, I am willing to share with Typhon some of the experience and proven protective techniques the Cecilians used to counter the 'Godcalamity' on the Holy Spirit Plains. Of course, no one wishes the Godcalamity to truly recur—all of this is merely to prepare for a rainy day...

"...Your neighbor, Gao Yang Cecil."

Luo Yan's gaze swept over the final signature, and after a silence of several seconds he drew a deep breath.

Dai Lan stood quietly beside him, showing no curiosity whatsoever about the letter's contents.

"...A most timely warning," Luo Yan said, as if to himself. "'Godcalamity'... what an apt phrase indeed."

Dai Lan's voice came from beside him: "Your Majesty, shall I summon Grand Duke Pei Yi to discuss the matter?"

Luo Yan nodded. "Yes, have Grand Duke Pei Yi come at once. I will see him in the study."

As he spoke he turned, ready to leave the garden, but just as he was about to step away he suddenly stopped again, his gaze sweeping over the lanceleaf pine beside the flowerbed.

The tree had been sick for many years, and its incurable ailment had even begun to affect the growth of the other plants around it.

"Also, tell the gardener to cut this tree down."