Age of Mysticism

News of Portlem's death reached Tedgar Hills as Rough City stirred up new waves due to the Flying-class steam airship accident.

The Tedgar Hills, located in the southwestern part of the empire, are the fiefdom of the Celtic dukes and a barbarian settlement. Unlike the rapid changes of the outside world, the barbarians in the Tedgar Hills still continue their old traditional life, and it seems that there has been no change in a hundred years.

Slash-and-burn farming, animal husbandry and hunting.

At the same time, military training was carried out.

The savages are a militarized race. They have to go through strict selection from birth, and only babies with strong physique are allowed to survive. At the age of three, barbarian children are trained and indoctrinated to be loyal to the Celtic duke.

A seven-year-old barbarian is a full-fledged soldier and joins the tribal army for more rigorous training.

Though the Tedgar Hills barbarians have never been numerous in number, they are formidable fighters of all ages, men and women.

In the past, the barbarian army was the war hammer of the Golden Shield Empire. No matter how stubborn the enemy was, it only needed to send in the barbarian army to smash it to pieces. It's just now... the new aristocracy is rising, and the old aristocracy is declining.

The power of the royal family has never been stronger in the history of the empire, and the balance of the empire is tilting. There is no hereditary aristocrat in the current imperial cabinet, which shows how far the emperor has alienated his former allies.

The old aristocrats with the Brotherhood of Blades at their core were unwilling to withdraw from the stage of history just like that, and worried that the royal family would eventually deal with these kingdoms within kingdoms. Many hereditary nobles with fiefdoms are preparing for a possible civil war.

The Celtic duke was the leader of this old aristocracy.

Howling City is the capital of the Tedgar Hills, the spiritual resting place of the barbarians. The barbarians who advocated attack did not build a wall for their War Howling City. They believed that if the enemy attacked here, it meant that all the barbarians in the Tedgar Hills were killed in battle, and a city wall was useless at that time.

However, the barbarians built the Celtic duke's castle, which is a symbol of honor, extremely magnificent, and brought out the roughness of the barbarians to the fullest.

The underground area of ​​the Celtic castle is strictly protected. This is the headquarters of the Abyss Temple, where the Abyss mages can study the secrets they want without restriction.

Knowing the news of Portlem's death, the Celtic Duke went underground on purpose to discuss countermeasures with the First Apostle Victor.

The Celtic Duke has a more muscular physique than the average barbarian, and he wears gorgeous old-fashioned noble robes and a ducal crown. The slightly gray beard is very beautifully trimmed.

Behind the duke were two attendants, one of whom was holding a scepter that symbolized power as well as a heavy weapon, and the other was Erguya who had returned from Raging Waves City.

The underground area of ​​the castle is lit with torches and braziers, and abyss mages in characteristic robes can be seen everywhere. Some of them are humans, some are barbarians, and there are other races... They are all attracted by the abyss, and they are determined to throw themselves into the abyss.

Along the way, Erguya reported to Duke Celtic what he had encountered in Raging Waves City.

He talked a lot about clear skies, meteors, and Viscount Iskran.

"Your Excellency... Viscount Iscoran has betrayed the Brotherhood, and Harriman's death is directly related to him. Now Iscoran is very close to Inspector Meteor, and Meteor is the one that Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess placed in Raging City. An important nail."

The Duke of Celtic was very majestic, and said calmly: "Iscoran is a very capable young nobleman, but his family fief has long been integrated with Rage City. His interests are different from ours. His interests are different from ours. The appeal is different from ours, and it is normal that we cannot get together.

Many people in the Brotherhood of Blades are in the same situation as him. They have long lost the courage and responsibility left by their ancestors, and think that they can survive by bowing their knees.

In fact, the battle between the royal family and the new aristocrats is beneficial to us in Rage City. I only care about the Book of Calamity, which is related to how strong my barbarian army can be.

Is the Book of Calamity still in the hands of the elf Qingkong? "

Erguya followed behind the Duke of Celtic, walking in the underground passage.

"Yes, Your Excellency Duke. The informant we bribed spread the news that the Book of Calamity has been in the hands of Fairy Clear Sky since its appearance. Dean Willred did not, nor did he intend to ask for it back... He said, Fairy Clear Sky can safely use the Book of Calamity."

"Use the Book of Disaster Safely?" The Celtic Duke stopped and asked Erguya, "Are you sure?"

"Not sure. No one has ever seen Clear Sky use the Book of Calamity. Dean Willred said all of this. He may be lying."

The Duke of Celtic continued to move forward: "The appearance of the Book of Calamity and the death of the two Abyssal Apostles have disrupted our plans. Let's hear what Victor has to say."

In a occult laboratory, the Duke of Celtic met the First Apostle Victor.

Even though he had seen them countless times, it was still difficult for the Duke of Celtic to distinguish these apostles of the abyss from their appearance. The influence of the abyss made them all have shriveled skin and a pair of red eyes.

But Victor's temperament is very unique.

That strong scholarly demeanor made it easy for people to overlook his appearance. If you talk to him, you will fall into admiration for his rich knowledge.

"Mr. Victor." The Duke of Celtic saluted Victor very politely, which was a respect for the strong.

Victor was in a bad mood. He invited the Duke of Celtic to sit down, and then said: "I know the purpose of your visit, and I also received news of Portlem's death. This surprised me, and Harriman... …

We opened the abyss together and created the abyss temple together. For more than a hundred years, we have sat together countless times to discuss our respective occult research. However, in this short period of time, I completely lost two close friends.

The opponent is strong. "

The Duke of Celtic said: "I express my deep condolences for the passing of the two abyssal apostles. They are also my best friends and teachers.

Now I want to hear what is the next plan of the Abyss Temple? Is it to continue to recover the Book of Calamity? Raging City is more dangerous than we expected... My men are fully investigating Clear Sky's background. "

Victor said: "The Book of Calamity is the subject of the secret technique that opens the abyss. We have been trying to make another Book of Calamity for so many years, but they all failed...it is irreplaceable.

If you want to have a barbarian army blessed by the power of the abyss, you must help us get the tome of disaster. "

"But my relationship with you has been exposed." The Duke of Celtic said worriedly: "A member of the Blade Brotherhood in Raging City discovered the relationship between Erguya and Harriman, and told the Imperial Secret about it. Intelligence Bureau, His Majesty must have known about our cooperation by now.

He has long been wary of me, and the war is very likely to break out early. I hope that the Abyss Temple will focus on preparing for me at this time, instead of wasting energy in Raging Waves City... The death of the two abyssal apostles is an unbearable loss for us. "

The Duke of Celtic came to see Victor this time to persuade him to temporarily give up taking back the Book of Calamity. Every abyssal apostle is the top combat force on his side, and he lost two in Rage City for nothing, which made Duke Celtic feel so distressed to death.

Although Victor was thinking about the Book of Calamity, he had to admit that what the Duke of Celtic said made sense. Howling City is the base camp of the Abyss Temple, and it was with the support of the Celtic Duke that the Abyss Temple was able to develop. The barbarian's attitude towards life and death made this place a fertile ground for the study of the Abyss mage's secret arts.

The Abyss Temple cannot lose here. If the Empire Civil War has to be fought, the Abyss Mage must fight for the barbarians.

"I already know what you mean. The mystery of the elf Qingkong's origin and its powerful strength should arouse our warning. The Abyss Temple is now in the investigation stage of the Book of Calamity. We must first figure out Qingkong's identity before making plans. .

I will summon the pit mages of the diaspora to Warhowl. Even without the Tome of Calamity, we can build you a mighty army of barbarians. "

"Thank you, Mr. Victor... I will also use my power in Raging Waves City to investigate Elf Clear Sky for you."

At this time, Luke didn't know that because he changed the plot, the Imperial Civil War, which was supposed to be fought five years later, had the possibility of breaking out early.

Now he only thinks about how to win a battle in Raging Waves City.

The secret agents of the Haijiao District Bureau of Secrets are like wild dogs, biting the Changxiang-class hydrogen airship accident and not letting go. After all, their inspector was on the burning airship at the time, and it was reasonable for the imperial agents to go crazy.

The Cape Bureau of Secrets prosecuted the City Alchemists Guild for murder and scoured for evidence. In order for the imperial agents to compete with the Alchemist Association for the wreckage of the airship, Shelley led the Rangers to put on a stance of going to war, sealed off all the areas where the wreckage of the airship might fall, and organized a manpower search in the cape area.

In Raging Waves City, all the affiliated institutions of the Alchemist Association related to the research and development of hydrogen airships have been frequently visited by spies from the empire. In particular, those directly involved in arranging the Changxiang-class airship as the duel arena were forcibly taken away for interrogation.

The Haijiao District Secret Affairs Bureau relied on itself as the master of suffering, and unscrupulously exercised its privileges. The Urban Alchemists Association is inherently unreasonable. Not only do they have to deal with difficult lawsuits, but the hydrogen airship accident has already made them burnt out.

How does hydrogen gas with stabilizer burn up?

How to make up for the loss caused by the incident?

How to rebuild society's trust in the safety of hydrogen airships?

A lot of follow-up investigations of the accident are waiting for the Urban Alchemist Association to do, but not only the wreckage of the airship has no clue because of the scramble of the Cape District Secret Affairs Bureau, those who have direct contact with the Changxiang-class hydrogen airship have all been arrested stand up.

I want to check, but there is no way to check.

Without the truth and data, there is no way to restore the image of the hydrogen airship.

For a whole month, the City Alchemists Guild was in this trouble. During this period, the city council made a major adjustment to the Cape Harbor renovation project.

Withdraw the previous decision to hand over the project to Saxon Engineering, and hand over the project to the local engineering company in Haijiao District...Yanyang Group.

Get a small victory first.

Luke continued to lead his subordinates to exert all-round pressure and harassment on the City Alchemists Association, within the scope of the hydrogen airship, he did not give the other party any chance to breathe.

In the major newspapers in Raging Waves City, the hydrogen airship flight accident and the murder case of the City Alchemists Association made headlines alternately. Inspector Meteor accepts exclusive interviews from time to time, telling how he had a tragic duel with Edgar on the burning airship.

For most city residents, these days, they can eat melons and eat them very quickly; for newspaper offices, as long as there is information about Inspector Meteor, the newspapers of that day are guaranteed to be out of stock. Inspector Meteor has become a traffic code, and the major newspapers racked their brains to obtain information related to Inspector Meteor.

But for those who have invested in hydrogen airships, every day is a struggle. He clearly knew that his heart would ache when he saw the relevant news, but he couldn't help not watching it.

They wanted to know if there was any way to save the hydrogen airship project, but the Urban Alchemists Guild didn't even let out a decent fart, and didn't even explain how the airship burned.

Disappointment turned to despair.

When I saw Haijiao District Secret Affairs Bureau tell the City Alchemist Association so happy, I felt a sense of relief in my heart.

Yomington was released by Clear Sky after the city council gave the Cape Harbor repair project back to Yanyang Group.

Under the background of the restlessness in the whole city at this time, he became a neglected existence. Yomington was also very low-key, hiding in his room, not looking for or seeing anyone.

Every day is to read the newspaper, and then listen to the news collected by the subordinates.

He could see that Inspector Meteor was trying his best to pursue the Urban Alchemists Association on the Changxiang-class hydrogen airship accident. Even though the parliament changed the relevant resolutions on Cape Harbor under pressure, he still refused to give up.

It seems that it is just to vent a bad breath and take the opportunity to build up power for himself.

But Yomington always feels that things are not as simple as they appear on the surface. Inspector Meteorite's work... Appearance has never been his goal.

Yomington synthesized the information collected by all parties and tried to find the real plan of Inspector Meteorite's troubles this time, but he still couldn't figure it out.

It's impossible for him not to know that except for the Nasty City Alchemist Association, it is impossible for him to really convict the murder. So why is he doing everything he can to interfere with the City Alchemists Association?

Seeing nothing in Meteor, Yomington turned his attention to his allies.

Not only did Viscount Escolan, Councilor Ible, and Mrs. Mihir not prevent Meteor from doing so, but they actively used the resources in their hands to assist.

It's not in their interest.

Meteor doesn't have much connection with the Urban Alchemists Association, he can do whatever he wants, but these three people are different.

Especially Councilor Ible, who offended the City Alchemists Association was tantamount to ruining his own job. But Senator Ible jumped up and down, and the jumping was the most exciting.

Where did he get his confidence?

Or...he knew that if Inspector Meteor Star did what he did, he would not have to fear the revenge of the City Alchemists Association.

In other words, Inspector Meteor is going to abolish the Urban Alchemist Association!

Yomington broke out in a cold sweat from his own conclusion.

is it possible?