Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 1340: Chapter 1339: Frontline Laboratory

Fendil only glanced at the task summary briefly before quickly returning his attention to the road ahead — at this moment, the snowstorm seemed slightly weaker than before, yet the weather remained harsh. The temporarily constructed hardened road extended into the dim distance through the snow and wind, and something could faintly be seen standing atop a hill at the end of the road. In that direction, there was artificial light, which should be the destination of this trip.

The voice of a communications technician came from behind: "Sir, who do you think would set up a Frontline Laboratory in a place like this? It’s almost right next to our front lines with the aberrations..."

"It’s precisely because of that, that it’s called a Frontline Laboratory," Fendil said without turning his head. "I heard that the laboratory is used to study the wasteland environment and the characteristics of aberrations, so of course, it would be set up as close to the interior of the wasteland as possible."

"...Anyway, whoever is in charge of such a laboratory must be a scholar with enough courage. Who else would dare stay in a place like this?" the soldier remarked with admiration. "We are also instructed to maintain enough respect and composure... I understand the respect; these scholars deserve it. But why did they specifically emphasize composure?"

Fendil was actually quite curious about this himself. Hearing his subordinate’s words, he couldn’t help but ponder, and smirked slightly: "Who knows, this mission is all mysterious... It might be because the person in charge of the laboratory has a peculiar appearance? After all, you see, we already have a Grand Artificer who looks like a metal sphere and a Master Mage in an arcane spirit form..."

"Peculiar appearance? Could they be very ugly?"

"If you’re asking me, who should I ask? But I guess their appearance must be unusual." Fendil casually replied, not wanting to continue this meaningless conversation with his subordinate, instead remaining vigilant about the road situation.

This area was already within the Gondor wasteland. Before the big hole appeared on the great walls, there lay only decayed and desolate wasteland and endless gloom. However, with the disappearance of that energy field screen, the environment in this region also changed. External airflow brought rain and snow, and due to the intense changes in magic flow, the weather here was even more unpredictable and prone to extremities than elsewhere.

The Empire had successfully established several forward bases and Purification Devices in this area. In a sense, this once-wasteland area could now be considered a new frontier of the civilized world. But it wasn’t safe here: the aberration Army gathered in the south still maintained their offensive on the Northern Front Battlefield. Small aberration units often broke through the battlefield’s blockage and appeared in this region. They were usually quickly eliminated but posed a real threat to the engineers traveling between frontline camps before being destroyed.

Fendil thought of that "Frontline Laboratory" — a facility that had only recently emerged, its construction astonishingly rapid, situated in a location that felt peculiar. He could understand the Empire’s need for a "forward post" to study the wasteland, but wasn’t such a post supposed to be well-protected? It should at least be built within the forward base to be considered safe. However, the map issued from higher-ups showed that the laboratory was completely removed from all forward bases and frontline stations. It was audaciously located on the "fire line," unprotected by any means. Fendil didn’t wish to question his superiors’ judgment, but he couldn’t quite understand this.

Just then, the environment outside the car window abruptly changed, breaking Fendil’s train of thought. He realized he had seemingly passed through an invisible "boundary," where the snow and wind halted abruptly, forming a large "calm space." At the center of this weather-disturbance-free area sat a small mountain, cloaked in a "curtain" emitting a faint glow. Countless enigmatic magic symbols flowed across its surface, and within the curtain was his destination:

It was a... manor, which in no way seemed related to a "research facility," designed in a medieval style that immediately made Fendil think of the classic estates favored by northern scholars, with somber gray walls and a dark blue roof, adorned with climbing vines and narrow flower beds around the walls. If it weren’t for the fact that the Imperial flag was genuinely flying above it and the emblem of the Empire’s Magical Technology Department was hanging at the door, Fendil might have suspected that he had arrived at the wrong place — the style of this laboratory was unlike any familiar Empire facility.

But he quickly set aside this doubt because, after all, the Empire’s upper echelons contained many eccentrics, and styles were always varied. Compared to the tree on the Plains of the Holy Spirits and the priests of the Holy Light, a laboratory that looked more like a private residence was still within the realm of common human understanding — he only couldn’t understand how the person who built this laboratory managed to create such a manor in such a short time. It certainly didn’t look like it was made from prefabricated pieces...

A jumble of thoughts flashed through his mind, but Fendil’s actions didn’t stop as he drove the vehicle up the slope leading to the grand manor, passing through that "curtain" adorned with countless flowing magic symbols. As the vehicle crossed the curtain, he felt something sweep over his body — perhaps some kind of defense or recognition system. Then, he parked the vehicle in the open space in front of the "laboratory," accompanied by two soldiers wearing expressions of surprised curiosity, they arrived at the heavy, dark door.

He took a deep breath, feeling an inexplicable nervousness, and placed his hand on the door. But just as he was about to tug the rope marked "visitor bell," a gentle and pleasant female voice came from inside: "Come right in, I’ve already seen you— the door’s not locked."

Fendil and the soldiers exchanged glances. He lightly pushed the door, which appeared exceptionally heavy, yet it opened silently.

A bright hall came into view— the next second, the hall’s bizarre structure made him feel a wave of dizziness.

He saw a vast space covered in a dark red carpet, with countless dazzling experimental devices and alchemy vessels arranged in a neat yet chaotic order, functioning autonomously. Arcane Servants shaped like spiritual bodies moved back and forth among platforms and shelves, transcribing data or controlling various magical mechanisms;

At the hall’s far end, he saw a high, spiraling staircase that led to a platform suspended in the air. Above that platform, there was no visible ceiling, but an infinite space that seemed to extend upward indefinitely. The crisscrossing stairs, overlapping platforms, countless doors, and the corridors and bridges spanning the air were dizzying;

At the highest point of that endless space, Fendil vaguely saw some floating, moving, chaotically dark silhouettes. He didn’t know what those entities were, but he had a feeling... He felt like that space’s end seemed disconnected from this physical realm, possibly even linked to a more distant, mysterious place...

The interior’s scale and structure were entirely incongruous with the mansion’s exterior!

Fendil abruptly drew a deep breath, freeing himself from the dizziness. He looked to his two accompanying technicians and saw the same shock and bafflement reflected in their eyes. But soon, rhythmic footsteps echoed from not far away, footsteps imbued with a sort of magical quality that immediately calmed his pounding heart. He heard the pleasant female voice again from behind: "You all are here to help connect to the web, right? Great, I’ve been waiting... Ah, sorry, this place is still a bit messy right now..."

Fendil turned around following the voice, his just-relaxed expression slightly stiffened: a tall figure appeared before him, causing him to instinctively look up and finally discern the lady’s visage.

A beautiful lady exuding an air of mystery, dressed in a complex black court gown, wearing silk gloves and delicate purple hair accessories — she was at least over two meters tall.

"You must be Fendil? I’ve seen the files," the tall lady over two meters spoke, and the voice coming from above made Fendil subconsciously think of listening to his aunt and mother talk when he was young, "I am the person in charge of this experiment facility, you can call me Lady Mina or Miss Mina—I prefer the latter. Would you like some hot tea? The weather outside with the snowstorm is really treacherous; warm up a bit."

While speaking, two Arcane Servants floated over, holding steaming tea and snacks. A small round table and a few chairs also floated over from a distance, landing in front of Fendil and the others.

"Apologies, I’ve just settled in, and many of the furnishings haven’t been set up yet," the tall woman who self-identified as "Miss Mina" said, "Have some tea and rest for a bit."

Fendil initially wanted to prioritize the mission, but he muddle-headedly sat down at that moment, and by the time he realized, he already had a teacup in his hand. He then glanced at the extraordinarily tall lady before him—from entering this incredible "experiment facility" to seeing this towering woman, he finally understood what the special instructions in the mission briefing meant by "stay calm."

However, it is clearly not gentlemanly to comment on a lady’s appearance at the first meeting, and although Fendil was usually a bit bold and carefree, he knew this much at the moment. He quickly withdrew his gaze and, looking around, found a more normal topic: "Miss Mina... is it just you here?"

He hesitated for a moment but chose to address the woman in front of him as "lady." After all, even disregarding the fact that she is a respectable scholar, he couldn’t really ignore the intimidating presence brought on by her over two-meter height. A more respectful and formal address seemed more appropriate.

"Miss Mina" didn’t seem to mind the address; she just smiled and casually replied, "That’s right, it’s just me—and the assistants I summoned. I’m used to working alone."

This "Frontline Laboratory" was indeed solely occupied by this lady?!

Fendil had his suspicions, but he couldn’t help but widen his eyes in surprise at that moment. He quickly forced himself to control his overawed reaction—imagining that the lady in front of him was probably a powerful legendary powerhouse; this much could be deduced from her ability to construct such an incredible magic laboratory. And such legendary Transcendents usually have some peculiar traits; some like to dwell alone in solitary, perilous places, some create highly intelligent companions using magic, and some like to freeze their nephews and throw them off castle towers... Compared to that, preferring to work alone hardly counts as "peculiar."

Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but ask one more question: "Isn’t this dangerous? You set up a laboratory in such a place alone..."

"It’s fine; I’m reasonably adept at combat," Lady Mina chuckled, gently waving her fist as if showcasing her strength, "Moreover, being alone means that if an emergency happens, it’s more convenient for me to evacuate."

"Well... alright," Fendil nodded and then, under the watchful eyes of the tall lady, forced himself to finish the tea and stood up, "Thank you for your hospitality, but we should get down to business—where would you like to set up the Magic Web Terminal?"

"Let me show you..."

Fendil and the two subordinates he brought began to get busy. Under Lady Mina’s guidance, they were to install a military-grade Magic Web Terminal beside the magic focal point in the center of the hall. After they started working, Lady Mina left the hall. She ascended a staircase at the hall’s end, went through a corridor that appeared almost at a 90° angle from a visual standpoint, and entered a special room whose entrance was completely invisible from the hall’s perspective.

This room was semi-circular, and one side of its arc was not fitted with normal windows but rather inlaid with a series of enormous irregular crystals. Those crystals were filled with hazy dim light, and while there seemed to be imagery within, none of it was clear enough to make out specific details.

Lady Mina approached one of the large crystals, and the misty floating light inside the crystal instantly became clear. The phantoms created by clouds and wind dissipated within the crystal, revealing a landscape within the wasteland.

"Begin recording observation logs."

Lady Mina casually spoke to the air beside her, and immediately, an Arcane Servant holding a recording board appeared in the air.

"Chaos, seemingly unending chaos... yet it’s probably actually a regular ’tremor’..." Lady Mina murmured as if to herself, lightly brushing her fingers over the crystal’s surface. The scenery of the wasteland depicted in the crystal began to change accordingly, as a layer of semi-transparent "filter" made up of countless colorful hues covered the scene. Those color blocks floated in the air, continually outlining the flow of magic power and its transformation process. Amid the floating lights, numerous large and small "vortexes" emerged and dissipated.

Just like an ocean of chaos undetectable to ordinary humans, hovering over the ancient Gondor Lands.

"If the essence of the Gondor Wasteland is truly a chaotic, complete, and unified ’field,’ then any detail observed within this field should help in describing the mathematical model of this field as a whole...

"Frontline Laboratory, first observation record, window one, time..."

Accompanied by Lady Mina’s soft words, the Arcane Servant swiftly wrote words and symbols on the recording board.

After seven centuries, the truth buried within this mysterious wasteland has finally begun to be gradually uncovered in front of reason and logic.