EFB Chapter 149 A New Exploration Mission
Chapter 149 A New Exploration Mission
Chapter 149 A New Exploration Mission
After this little incident, the subsequent discussion actually went much more smoothly.
Guderian's exposure made the Empire realize the pervasive nature of the Ash Ring's infiltration and conspiracies, and also made them value the cooperation with relatively law-abiding foreign powers like the Shadow Raven Tower.
A preliminary agreement was finally reached:
A small, elite reconnaissance team was dispatched by Shadowraven Tower to conduct a preliminary investigation of the suspected entrance to the ruins in Ash Plains, with Imperial forces providing perimeter security and necessary supplies.
Specific details, timelines, scope of intelligence sharing, and profit distribution need to be finalized by higher levels of both sides.
With this initial result, Rolin and his two companions left the Forge on the fourth day, safely returned to the Wasteland Outpost via the rendezvous point, and then went back to the Shadow Raven Tower headquarters via the teleportation array.
Upon returning to Santa, Researcher Duden immediately took a wealth of data and preliminary agreements to report to the Research Department and the Council of Elders.
Luo Lin then returned to the analysis department's research room and compiled all his observations, data, analysis, and speculations from the fortress trip into a detailed report.
In his report, he highlighted the activation of the metal base, the discovery of residual information in the crystal, the legend of the Eye of Silence from the High Priest of Moradin, intelligence on the suspected ruins of Ash Plains, and the events surrounding Guderian.
Regarding the details of his abilities, he still attributes them to his special talent for energy sensing and the inspiration from Soria's notes.
Shortly after the report was submitted, Rowling was summoned again to the Senate's special hearing room.
In addition to the old wizard from the third ring, there were several other high-ranking members with profound presences, including an old woman in a deep purple robe whose radiance seemed to see through everything. She was the head of the research department, Master Veranica.
Master Veranica listened carefully to Rolin's supplementary statement, and then reviewed the report. After a long while, she slowly spoke: "The Silent Eye—the Observer of Order—this does indeed correspond to some vague records in the ancient archives of the Holy Tower."
"I never expected to find such clear clues in this newly discovered fragment of the scorching hell."
She looked at Rowling: "Your performance was mentioned in both Duden's and Gorson's reports."
"Calm, perceptive, and possesses exceptional talent in energy identification and interaction with ancient creations."
"What's even more commendable is knowing when to demonstrate value while maintaining the necessary caution."
"The Research Department has officially listed the exploration of ancient observer civilization relics as a priority project."
"As the junior researcher who is most familiar with this at present, you will be included in the project's core team."
"As for the exploration mission in the Ash Plains," the old wizard of the third ring interjected.
"The higher-ups have basically agreed to this limited cooperation with the Empire."
"The mission is quite dangerous, but the opportunities are significant. Are you willing to participate as a core member?"
"Of course, you have the right to choose."
Another choice is before us.
Venture deeper into the more dangerous and harsher Ash Plains, explore unknown ancient ruins, and confront the possible hidden covetousness of the Ash Ring.
But this is also an excellent opportunity to access core secrets and acquire higher-level knowledge and resources.
Moreover, this is an official mission representing the Holy Tower, so the preparations will be more thorough and the teammates will be more reliable.
Without much hesitation, Rowling raised his head, his eyes resolute.
"I am willing to participate."
In the days following the acceptance of the mission, Luo Lin's pace of life quickened once again.
As a core member of the Ancient Observer Civilization Relics Exploration Project, he has higher access to relevant encrypted archives and the right to access certain special research resources.
The order personally signed by Master Veranica made his movements inside the Holy Tower much easier.
He first immersed himself in the archives, searching for any scattered records related to the "Silent Eye," the "Observer from Beyond the Heavens," and the "Observer of Order."
The harvest wasn't much, but pieced together, a vague image gradually became clear:
It appears to be a neutral civilization or organization existing in the distant past, with footprints possibly spanning multiple dimensions. Their mission was to observe and record cosmic phenomena, energy tides, and civilizational changes, with very little active intervention. The relics they left behind often bear highly ordered energy characteristics and sophisticated technological creations.
This perfectly matches the legend of the High Priest of Moradin, the information displayed by the metal base and the crystal remnants.
Meanwhile, a specific cooperation agreement with the Molten Empire is also under intense negotiation.
The final plan is:
A four-person reconnaissance team was dispatched by the Shadow Raven Tower, while the Empire provided a twenty-person elite guard team to be responsible for perimeter security and logistical support.
The exploration area is limited to the perimeter of the exposed entrance to the ruins and possible shallow structures, and must not extend into the core.
All discoveries must be recorded by both parties, and the ownership of physical items must be negotiated separately.
The operation was scheduled for ten days from now, with both sides meeting at designated coordinates on the edge of the Ash Plains.
The roster for the reconnaissance team to which Rolin belongs has also been finalized.
The captain is Duden Researcher, responsible for technical guidance and coordination with the Empire.
Gorson continued to serve as a guard, responsible for security.
The fourth member, to Rowling's surprise, was Ella, the red-haired second-ring witch.
She has just returned from another mission and has extensive experience in wilderness exploration and combat, especially in fire and environmental manipulation, and is also relatively familiar with the environment of the Scorching Hell.
"It seems the higher-ups are taking this mission very seriously, which is why they sent you along."
"At the mission preparation meeting," Rowling said to Ella.
Ella tossed her fiery red hair and laughed heartily, "I heard you pulled off a stunt at the Imperial Fortress, managing to trick that traitor from the Ash Ring into revealing himself? Well done!"
"This mission sounds very interesting. Exploring unknown ancient ruins is much better than arguing with those bureaucrats."
Researcher Duden adjusted his glasses and distributed a thick stack of documents to everyone: "This is detailed intelligence about the target area shared by the Empire, including observation data on the quicksand activity cycle, intensity distribution maps of energy turbulence, and a rough description of the unidentified energy entity they encountered."
"Everyone, look carefully, we need to develop a detailed action plan."
Over the next few days, the four-person team held frequent meetings to study the data and discuss countermeasures.
The environment of Ash Plains is even harsher than that of Burning Mountains.
It is a region where energy deposits and waste accumulate from the fragments of the scorching hell, and the land is composed of loose, scorched earth mixed with ash and cooled lava particles, with many places being quicksand traps.
The free energy in the air is not only scorching hot, but also extremely chaotic and inert, which strongly interferes with the stability of spells and the ability to perceive.
The unidentified energy entity mentioned in the Imperial intelligence was described vaguely. It seemed to be a short-lived, aggressive aggregate formed by the accidental condensation of chaotic energy and dust, without a fixed form and difficult to predict.
"Quicksand and energy interference are the biggest problems," Gorson said, pointing to the danger zones marked on the map.
"Our conventional positioning and communication methods are basically ineffective there."
"Once they get separated, it's very difficult for them to reunite."
"We need a method to maintain contact in environments with strong interference," Ella pondered.
"Perhaps we could use a resonance crystal?"
"Within a short distance, simple signals are transmitted through pre-tuned mental resonance."
"We can give it a try, but we need to practice our coordination beforehand." Duden agreed and then looked at Rowling.
"Rolin, how much of your special perception would be effective in that environment?"
Rowling pondered.
The combination of the Echo Unit and the Ring of Insight makes his energy perception much stronger than that of wizards of the same level, but the effect is definitely reduced when facing the large-scale, high-intensity chaotic energy background of Ash Plains.
"It will be more difficult than usual, but we should still be able to maintain a certain range of precise perception, at least enough to provide early warning of nearby energy anomalies and quicksand activity," Luo Lin estimated conservatively.
"Alternatively, I might try to simulate a relatively stable energy marker as a temporary beacon for the squad in chaotic environments."
"Energy markers? Similar to road signs?" Duden's eyes lit up.
"The principle is similar, but it's simpler and consumes less power."
"By utilizing the orderly properties of stellar energy and combining them with stable frequencies extracted from the observer's energy, we can create a small imprint that will not be assimilated by the surrounding chaotic energy in a short period of time," Rolin explained, attributing this to his research on the energy of stellar core embers and metal bases.
"Okay! This is important!" Duden immediately jotted it down. "We need to test the effective range and duration."
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