Chapter 1340 — Frontline Laboratory
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
Fendil merely glanced at the mission summary before quickly returning his attention to the road ahead—the wind and snow seemed a little lighter now than before, yet the weather remained foul, and the hastily constructed hardened road stretched through the flurry toward the dim distance, where at its far end something could already be vaguely seen standing atop a small hill. There were artificial lights in that direction; that should be the destination of this journey.
A communications technician's voice came from behind at that moment: "Sir, who would set up a frontline laboratory in a place like this? We're practically right up against the firing line between us and the Distorted..."
"That's precisely why it's called a frontline laboratory," Fendil said without turning his head. "I hear that lab is meant to study the wasteland environment and the characteristics of the Distorted. Naturally it would be placed as close to the interior of the wasteland as possible."
"...Whoever's in charge of a lab like that has to be a scholar with plenty of nerve. Ordinary people wouldn't dare stay in a place like this," the soldier remarked with a sigh. "The higher-ups also reminded us to maintain sufficient respect and composure... Respect I can understand—scholars like that deserve respect—but why add that bit about composure?"
Fendil was actually rather curious about that himself. Hearing his subordinate's words, he couldn't help but mull it over, his mouth twisting slightly: "Who knows. This mission is all very mysterious... Maybe it's because the person in charge over at the lab looks a bit strange? After all, we've already got a grand artificer who's like an iron ball and a grand archmage in the form of an arcane spirit..."
"Strange-looking? Really ugly?"
"How should I know? Go ask someone else. But unusual appearance, that I'd bet on." Fendil brushed it off casually and did not continue this rather unnutritious conversation with his subordinate, instead keeping a wary eye on the road conditions.
They were already inside the Gondor Wasteland. Before the great hole had appeared in the Magnificent Wall, this place had been nothing but rotting, ruined wasteland and boundless gloom, but with the disappearance of that energy barrier, the environment of this region had changed as well. Air currents from outside brought rain and snow here, and due to the violent shifts in magical flow, the weather here was even more capricious and prone to extremes than elsewhere.
The Empire had already successfully established several advance bases and purification devices in this region. In a sense, this former wasteland belt could now be considered the new frontier of the civilized world, but it was not safe: the great army of the Distorted massing in the south was still maintaining its offensive against the northern front, and small bands of the Distorted would often slip through the battlefield blockade and prowl this area. They were usually eliminated quickly, but before that they posed a very real threat to the engineers shuttling between the frontline camps.
Fendil thought of that "frontline laboratory"—a facility that had only recently appeared, built with astonishing speed and situated in a puzzling location. It wasn't that he couldn't understand the Empire's need for an "outpost" dedicated to studying the wasteland, but shouldn't an outpost like that be properly protected? At the very least it ought to be built inside an advance base to be safe, yet according to the map sent down from above, the laboratory was completely removed from all advance bases and forward stations. It sat aggressively right on the "firing line," its position utterly unprotected—Fendil did not wish to question the judgment of his superiors, but he truly could not make sense of it.