Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 756 - 755: Daniel’s Investigation

In the Eastern District of Aldernon, within the depths of the city, the streets were dimly lit.

This was the darkest and most isolated area of the entire imperial capital, a place seemingly forgotten by the upper class. The vast Aldernon was like a sprawling mountain, with its upper strata filled with splendid buildings, while the bottom, like a festering wound, was hidden in the depths of darkness. The advanced Magic Guide Technology, the flourishing new commerce, the increasingly bright citizen class, none of these had any connection to the deepest streets of the Eastern District of Aldernon—

This place was only half a city away from the Obsidian Palace, yet it seemed further from civilized society than those distant mountain cities.

And in these streets, far from the official eyes of Aldernon, a man with disheveled beard, sunken eyes, and wearing a tattered coat was hastily walking past the doors of shabby houses.

Hasty and undisguised footsteps echoed, and curious glances peeked out from the doors and windows of those houses. At this time of night, those daring to walk alone in the deepest part of the Eastern District always aroused the curiosity of onlookers, but those glances drawn to the street by the footsteps quickly turned confused.

Because they saw nothing, to their eyes, the street was empty.

Yet the footsteps had undoubtedly been there.

The gazes hiding behind doors and windows gradually filled with anxiety and fear, and the superstitious residents recalled the terrifying legends of wandering specters and black wizards after nightfall, quickly retracting their gazes and closing their already shut doors and windows even tighter.

The man thus openly walked through the entire street, arriving at the door of Black Iron Lane No. 14.

He stopped before the dark door, placed a hand on the door panel to sense the movement inside, and only after confirming there were no abnormalities within did he turn the key, silently opening the door.

He saw the warm light of the room, a figure shrouded in a black robe with a blurred face, as if already waiting, sitting on a chair inside. A roaring bonfire burned in the corner, with spotlessly clean floors and furniture.

The man quickly entered, closed the door, and bowed before the blurred figure: "Greetings to you, Bishop Daniel."

"No need for formalities, Grando," the black-robed, blurred-faced Daniel waved his hand, his voice ringing directly in the ear of the man called Grando, "This place is safe; we can speak freely."

"Yes, my Bishop." Grando bowed deeply.

"How is the investigation I tasked you with going?" Daniel inquired quietly.

"Yes, I have completed the preliminary investigation," the Eternal Sleepers’ adherent named Grando respectfully answered immediately, "As of last week, all the lower-level congregants you ordered me to contact and inquire have reported back. They all claim not to have sent any distress signals in the network nor lost any memories—at least, they don’t remember doing so."

Daniel nodded: "Is that all?"

"No, there’s more," Grando hastily replied, "I had doubts about the feedback from these lower-level congregants, so I secretly contacted and hypnotized those around them when conditions permitted, gaining different information... Based on their recollections, these congregants have shown signs of mental distraction, prolonged sleep, and even short-term personality changes in recent times."

"Personality changes?" Daniel immediately caught the keyword, "Is there a possibility of mental replacement or parasitism?"

"I have confirmed there is no such possibility," Grando shook his head, "I contacted those congregants several times afterward, observing their mindsets in both conscious and hypnotized states. Their minds are still their own, with complete consciousness and no signs of cognitive splitting or splicing."

A raspy, low voice came from beneath Daniel’s hood: "Everything is normal?"

"Yes, everything is normal." Grando respectfully stated.

"Everything being normal is the greatest abnormality..." Daniel’s voice was low, "Mental distraction, prolonged sleep, and sudden personality changes are themselves evidence of mental influence, and certain traces should remain in such short durations. For their minds to appear completely normal under these circumstances, it instead..."

He suddenly paused, the Eternal Sleepers’ adherent named Grando couldn’t help but speak with curiosity and a hint of tension: "Bishop, you..."

He stopped mid-sentence, his gaze slipping into temporary bewilderment, and at the moment his focus disappeared, the warm lighting, the roaring fireplace in the corner, and the neat furnishings vanished simultaneously.

The room plunged into darkness, with not even a candle, nor a burning fireplace. In fact, apart from a single chair by the window, there was no furniture at all.

The man named Grando stood quietly in this empty, pitch-black room, at the entrance, in a daze for a full two minutes.

Two minutes later, he blinked, and the room instantly returned to its previous warm and bright appearance, with the black-robed Bishop Daniel reappearing in the chair before him.

A chill ran down his spine, and Grando shivered involuntarily, realizing he had just undergone a thorough "examination" by the powerful Eternal Sleepers’ bishop in front of him, he couldn’t help but nervously and fearfully speak: "My lord, I..."

"Your memories have been modified," Daniel stated bluntly, "The investigation ends here; do not delve any deeper."

"...Understood," cold sweat dripped from Grando’s ear, laden with fear, "Thank you for the warning."

"Mm," Daniel nodded, "Also, avoid long connections to the mind network recently, and if you must connect, maintain a shallow access, do not delve deeply.

"Lastly, a Supreme Council of Bishops’ archbishop may contact you soon, inquiring about your recent investigations. When the time comes, do not hide anything for me, speak candidly."

Grando couldn’t help but show a shocked expression, instantly realizing the truth about his memory modification. He blurted out, "My lord, could it be the ones who modified my memory and concealed the truth are the archbishops..."

He stopped mid-sentence, closing his mouth watchfully, and asked in a low voice: "My lord, what exactly has happened with the mind network lately?"

"Don’t ask too much," Daniel interrupted lightly, "Knowing too much is not always a good thing."

Another bout of chill swept over him, Grando swallowed nervously, cautiously refraining from speaking further.

Then, everything in his vision suddenly swayed.

The lights vanished, the fireplace disappeared, the furnishings all gone, and Black Iron Lane No. 14 reverted to a dark, empty room. The man named Grando blinked, completely alert, finding himself standing at the room’s entrance, hand reaching behind, still maintaining the posture of casually closing the door.

The powerful, mysterious bishop of the Eternal Sleepers has departed, from Grando’s mind.

...

In the Mage District of Aldernon, inside a brightly lit and elegantly decorated villa, Daniel was sitting on an armchair in the study, holding a scroll and casually flipping a page.

Behind him, the artificial nerve cord lay quietly and obediently, with only its end poking out from beneath his clothes, slightly swaying near the chair’s backrest.

"...It’s time to consider how to deal with certain Archbishop’s inquiries," the old mage sighed silently to himself, "just not sure which one I’ll be facing..."

The Supreme Council of Bishops is indeed trying to hide a great secret, and this secret definitely involves extensive ramifications, with great impact. They are closely monitoring all information related to this secret.

Daniel felt a sense of relief.

Fortunately, he had been strictly following his master’s instructions, controlling the extent of his investigation, meticulously managing the details of his actions. Even though he was investigating the fluctuations in the mind network, his behavior wasn’t overly abnormal, but more like a loyal follower concerned about the mind network’s operation, actively troubleshooting issues upon discovering anomalies.

An excellent, passionate, proactive Chief of Security.

Apart from some overreach, his loyalty was almost beyond words.

...

In the Obsidian Palace, Emperor Rosetta Augustus was seated behind his broad desk, while Duke Ferdinand Wendell was seated diagonally across.

Watching the emperor reading the letter, Ferdinand suddenly felt a wave of emotion.

Since the rise of the Cecil Clan, since the situation unexpectedly turned in a direction no one anticipated, the Typhon Ruler, tormented by the curse of the family, suddenly seems revitalized, his spirit renewed and full of vigor. As for himself, he had been summoned by the emperor more frequently, visiting the Obsidian Palace more often than usual.

Almost every time an issue involving the Cecil Empire or domestic magical industry arose, the emperor would summon him, making Duke Ferdinand even consider requesting a permanent room in the Obsidian Palace to reside there.

"The Cecil side has already agreed to our idea of sending exchange students and expressed willingness to deepen relations with us, forging international relations more in line with this new era." Emperor Rosetta Augustus’s voice suddenly came from beside him, interrupting Duke Ferdinand’s thoughts.

Ferdinand raised his head, his expression somewhat complex: "That Gawain Cecil indeed directly agreed..."

"Yes, he is more determined than we imagined..." Emperor Rosetta Augustus said, gently shaking his head, flicking his wrist to throw the letter with Cecil Empire’s royal seal before Duke Ferdinand, "You can have a look."

Duke Ferdinand took the letter, examined it closely, his brows slightly furrowing: "...Mutual dispatch of long-term liaison envoys in both capitals, establishment of ’embassy’?"

"Exactly, which aligns with the development of the situation," Rosetta nodded, "We can’t rely solely on letters and waves of messengers for communication forever."

Ferdinand continued reading: "...Open more business channels, expand existing order scales, introduce new order categories, including more magic parts, synthetic crystals, handicrafts, and allow limited, legal investment behavior by civilian merchants in both territories..."

"This part has many areas worth discussing and analyzing. Make a copy, submit it to the council and the Royal Advisory Council, and expedite risk assessment and discussion."

"I understand."

Ferdinand said, lowering his head, and after reading the final content of the letter, he looked at Rosetta: "Your Majesty, regarding the dispatch of exchange students, how should we determine the selection?"

"No need to rush this now. We should first send a special envoy to Cecil, just as we did when we decided to introduce the Magic-guided Train. Someone should go to see the situation there firsthand—this is also a necessary etiquette and solemn attitude for an Empire interacting with another Empire."

"Special envoy..." Ferdinand looked at Rosetta’s expressionless face, "Do you already have a candidate in mind?"

"Let Matilda lead," Rosetta said lightly, "her judgment is always outstanding."

"Princess Matilda... indeed the most suitable candidate."

...

In the extreme northern parts of the continent, beyond the mountains and wilderness of the Empire Northern Border of Cecil, lies another realm of ice and snow, quietly resting atop the peaks.

The majestic, towering city buildings stand amidst the mountains, with the daily howling cold winds blowing across the mountain walls, city walls, and mountain streams. Amidst the monotonous backdrop of snow as the base, the gray-white stone architecture seems to merge with the mountains, facing the north, emanating a heavy aura of pride, antiquity, and desolation.

The self-proclaimed Dragonborn tribe lives in this eternally frozen kingdom, having endured countless years.

This is a closed realm, where the proud yet self-professed sinful Dragonborn seal their mountains and wilderness, rarely paying attention to the changing tides of the continent. Yet even a closed realm isn’t eternally unchanging, never interacting with the outside world.

Civilian merchants can still visit this mysterious "Sacred Dragon Kingdom," and the latter does not reject human merchants and adventurers—as long as they can withstand the harsh climate of the extreme north.

The Dragonborn are actually willing to engage with those "Braves" who dare to challenge the northern winter.

However, throughout most past years, few could challenge the extreme northern cold, and those eligible to visit the Sacred Dragon Kingdom were essentially only awe-inspiring Transcendents. Ordinary civilian merchants couldn’t possibly traverse the extreme north.

But this situation has changed recently.

A new "Cecil Empire" has replaced the former Anzu Kingdom, and many daring and well-equipped Cecil merchants frequently appear on the borders of the Sacred Dragon Kingdom. The cold climate that once deterred most ordinary people and even the mountain people of the Anzu Northern Border couldn’t stop these Cecil merchants—clad in thick cold-resistant clothing, driving magic vehicles capable of resisting wind and cold, chugging frost resistance potions, bringing countless fresh wonders reportedly from the ’Magic Era.’

Change, centered on the Cecil Empire, is quietly spreading towards those once closed regions...