Chapter 249 — Heresy and Faith
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 3
"Of course!" Jenny nodded hurriedly, and at the same time was somewhat surprised. "I didn't expect you to be... so interested in these things. I thought a great archmage like you would be angry upon seeing this sort of thing. After all... treating mysterious magic as a tool is, in the eyes of many mages, heretical behavior. My mentor nearly killed me over it."
"Heresy, is it... perhaps it really is," Camille said with a soft scoff. "But do you know what I did back in my day?"
Jenny shook her head honestly. "I... don't know."
"I have done far more heretical things," Camille said mildly. "All of us have... We were the most heretical researchers, selected from thousands upon thousands. So the things you are researching are nothing at all to me. I would be delighted to study them together with you."
Jenny lowered her head in delight. "Master Camille, it is my honor."
"In this field, you are the master," Camille said, quite humble in this regard. "Much of what I learned no longer applies in this era. It is necessary to learn anew. On the path of scholarship, honor belongs only to those with ability... Hm?"
"Master Camille?"
"Nothing. I itched again..." Camille twisted his body uncomfortably, then suddenly turned toward a certain direction. In that brief instant just now, he had finally sensed from which direction came the magical fluctuation that had made him "itch." "What's over there?"
"Over there? Over there it's mostly residential areas and warehouses..." Jenny was taken aback. "Ah, but at the end of the street there's a magic laboratory. It belongs to Lady Heddy. She should be in the laboratory doing experiments right now."
"Magic experiments?" Camille's tone carried curiosity. "Interesting... I want to take a look."
...
In the Fortress of Defiance, located in the Shadow Realm, the work of moving supplies was drawing to a close.
Most of the useful samples and ancient equipment had been packed into crates and transported through the magical gate to the fortress in the real world. What could not be moved was mostly large equipment connected to the main structure of the building, or contaminated materials already known to be harmful and unsuitable for transport into outer space. And as the moving work neared its end, this fortress facility was also gradually returning to calm.
Pi Yun stood at the very top of the Fortress of Defiance. The heavy isolation wall had already been opened, and through that semi-transparent "divine power protective barrier," he quietly watched the chaotic, disordered, shattered world outside the barrier, watching the giant white stag floating amid a vast expanse of rubble and metal debris.
Soldiers passing by would occasionally glance curiously at this old druid. They were surprised that this old man, ordinarily so improper, could also wear such a deep and solemn expression—but none came over to strike up a conversation. They were still busy finishing the last of the work, so as to leave this eerie place as soon as possible.
Some soldiers would also cast a curious glance at the corpse of the giant stag Amon outside the protective barrier, but they likewise did not devote much attention to this enormous creature's remains. Only a few knew the truth about this giant white stag, and those in the know had been ordered to keep silent. Ordinary soldiers now had no idea how astonishing a secret was buried in this fortress. Regarding this fortress, all they had been told was that it was an ancient research base used to study powerful primeval creatures, and that the giant white stag floating in the other space was a demonic beast that had died many years ago. Such an explanation was, after all, easier to accept than telling them outright that this place was where they sliced up a god.