Chapter 918 — The Day of Grid Connection
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
A brand-new tower-like structure stood proudly on the high ground west of Winterkeep, with the ever-snowcapped mountain peaks of the Northland stretching into a rolling curtain that served as its backdrop.
Built of steel and concrete, the tower had a hexagonal base and clean, straight lines; luminous currents drifted between the runic lines and magic-conducting metals on its lower body, as though it possessed surging vitality, while a vast support apparatus with mechanical structures and a crystal array formed from multiple crystals were fixed atop the tower. In the bitter winds of this far-northern land, a semi-transparent magical shield kept out the wind and frost, and within that shield the crystal array at the tower's peak continually fine-tuned its own structure and angles.
It had not yet been activated; at this moment the crystal array was still further acclimating to the magical environment around Winterkeep.
Amid a flurry of snow, Victoria and several high-ranking mages descended slowly from the air onto this high ground, guarded closely by several military watchtowers and a ring of walls. She lifted her head and saw the tower gleaming in her sight, piercing the sky like a sharp blade, and a hint of a smile rose unbidden to her eyes.
This was perhaps the most beautiful of all the primary hubs of the magic net across the Empire—its pure white coloration and clean, forceful lines might have looked plain, yet they harmonized perfectly with the surrounding environment. Victoria had even personally taken part in some of the steps when designing this tower, bringing the style of the Northern primary hub into a degree of accord with the equally white Winterkeep beside it, and now she was thoroughly satisfied with the form the tower had finally taken.
And the tower's connection to Winterkeep went further than that.
Below this high ground, which pressed close against the castle's main keep, within a series of magic-net relay devices extending along the mountainside, surging magical power flowed day and night without cease—this primary hub was linked to Winterkeep's own magic.
The Wilde family of the Northland had for centuries been the most distinguished magical lineage in this kingdom, and Winterkeep held the accumulated foundations of the family's several hundred years. Victoria had not wasted the excellent, ready-made magical foundation here—after earnestly studying the knowledge of runic logic and magical technology, she and the technical advisors from the imperial capital had together designed a vast system. This system took the magic net as its "substrate," covering Winterkeep's own magical structure as well as the entire urban district around the castle, and at the same time solved the problems of powering the district, powering the magic-net hub, reinforcing the magic net's stability, and upgrading the castle's own facilities.
And now this system was already running, gathering surging yet stable energy and injecting it into the tower before Victoria's eyes. Soon, through the crystal array at the tower's peak, it would broadcast the further stabilized and adjusted energy across the whole region, and establish stable connections with the magic-net hubs in other nearby towns.
"Once the final stage of stress testing is complete, send word to the imperial capital," the duchess said faintly to those beside her, having reined in the expression that had slipped out unguarded. "You may begin preparations for the final grid connection."
The mages beside her immediately acknowledged the order and departed, while Victoria gazed quietly at the tower a while longer, then lowered her head and murmured softly: "Myrmidna, Goddess of Magic... may you watch over all of this..."