Chapter 931 — Reminder
Blade of Dawn · Page 3 of 4
A "letter" of this kind, sent from its source, was automatically forwarded through layer upon layer of arcane-net nodes or relay tower nodes, requiring only minimal human intervention to reach its destination swiftly. Counting the necessary manual forwarding time in between and the time for transcription and delivery at the far end, the whole process took less than an hour—an almost conceptual leap in efficiency compared with the communications of old.
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: