Chapter 1381: Chapter 1380: Joint Exploration

Gawain places great importance on the observatory that Philip discovered in the wasteland.

Although in the eyes of those unaware of the facts, that observatory might just be a slightly unusual ancient facility — it’s old, mysterious, perhaps containing some knowledge and antique value. But on the entire Gondor wasteland, such ancient facilities wouldn’t stand out much, at most being a little more well-preserved. However, Gawain sees it differently; he has a clear understanding of the "Wepland Observatory."

Three thousand years ago, Amon collided with the Firmament, with some fragments enduring a long orbit and slow descent in space before crashing into the earth. Some of the fragments fell into the Wepland area of ancient Gondor, historically known as "Wepland Meteor Shower." Subsequently, the Gondors built that observatory and constructed numerous supporting research facilities to study the objects from heaven. Unfortunately, limited by the technology at the time, humans researched for a long time without understanding the legacy of the Voyagers. Until the collapse of the Gondor Empire, Gawain Cecil and Charlie the First led the northern pioneers past Wepland, and one fragment was dug out from the basement, scarily connecting the pioneer heroes on earth with the satellite spirits in space like a hidden thread.

For Gawain, that observatory has a profound connection with himself, and he even feels it’s some kind of destiny — and this destiny extends in another direction, connecting with the Typhon Empire.

The hereditary maidservant supervisor of the Augustus Clan, the black-haired Lady Diana, is, in fact, an "Iron Soldier" from the Gondor Era. Before the chaotic wave erupted seven hundred years ago, she was one of the guardians of the Wepland Observatory. When the disaster occurred, she fled northward following the order of the observatory director and eventually fell in the eastern Dark Mountain Range, being "picked up" by the then Typhon Royal Family.

Now, Lady Diana seems to have memory module issues; she can’t recall what happened at Wepland Observatory back then or what tasks her former master instructed her. All she remembers is endlessly fleeing and wandering on the desolate earth... If she could return to Wepland Observatory, could she remember anything?

Gawain is also uncertain about this, but he feels it’s necessary to inform Typhon about Wepland Observatory — he needs the amnesiac Iron Soldier to try to open the door on the upper level of the observatory.

Anyway, currently, the entire Wepland area is under the Cecil Legion’s control, and the explorers sent by Philip have explored the accessible areas of the observatory many times inside and out, packaging anything deemed valuable back to the base while leaving image records and rubbings for the rest. Considering they hold the dominance, Gawain doesn’t really mind if the Typhons "share away" too much in this matter.

After preparing a bit, Gawain connected with Aldernon’s direct communication, with the magic signal instantly leaping between the string of node towers and relay stations across two nations, a distance that once took a messenger an entire month to reach can now be contacted in a blink. The Magic Web Terminal vibrated slightly for a moment, and the signal was connected. Emperor Rosetta Augustus’s bust appeared in a holographic projection beside the desk, and before the Typhon monarch spoke, Gawain candidly said: "We’ve discovered the ruins of the Wepland Observatory, are you interested?"

...

The magic communication from Cecil didn’t last long, and in the brief exchange, Emperor Rosetta Augustus learned the matter’s process. More detailed information will be transmitted after both parties finalize the exploration plan. As the magic projection gradually dissipated into the air, Rosetta waved his hand, completely shutting the communication device on the desk. Then he looked up at a certain corner of the room: "You heard all of that, right?"

In the corner that was initially empty, an abnormal light and shadow began to fluctuate, with the position distortion Force Field subsequently disabling. The black-haired, tall Royal Head Maid emerged from where she usually stood. This "Iron Soldier," who had served the Augustus Clan for several centuries, came before Rosetta and slightly bent down: "Yes, I heard all of it."

"What do you make of this matter?" Rosetta gazed at Diana’s artificial, perfectly shaped eyes, "In an environment like the wasteland, maintaining the main structure for seven hundred years and moreover having something inside still operating, how incredible does that sound."

"I don’t remember the situation when I left the observatory, nor do I know what happened there afterward. All I vaguely recall is Director Scott and Scholar Alphonse ordering me to evacuate, with all monitoring instruments roaring at the time. An astonishing energy pulse was surging along the magic power pipeline straight to the imperial capital — theoretically, this energy pulse would lead to the annihilation of the observatory’s energy core, and as with all other Gondor cities within the wasteland, the annihilated energy core would melt everything covered by the network, turning the entire facility into a mass of wreckage... My logic unit tells me, it’s impossible for the observatory’s main structure to have remained intact after that."

"But it indeed remained intact, apparently the facility wasn’t destroyed by the out-of-control Magic Power of Deep Blue after you left back then. Something unknown transpired there," Rosetta said solemnly, "Cecil surely hasn’t disclosed the entire situation to us, but the existing intelligence must be reliable. The upper level of that observatory... is locked by an ancient access control system, and perhaps you can open it."

"I am unsure, and I don’t remember, but it now seems the authority I might carry is the only reason allowing Typhon to participate in this investigation action. We have no reason to refuse this matter, Your Majesty."

Diana spoke without expression, her refined appearance carrying a non-human sense of calm, but having seen this poker face from a young age, Rosetta Augustus had long been accustomed to it. He just smiled: "And you? Aren’t you curious about your missing memory and the place you once worked and lived?"

"I’m somewhat interested," Diana answered earnestly, "But my curiosity setting does not conflict with the current primary work goal and doesn’t actively show in non-essential situations, so you might find me too calm. However, my current primary work goal is to ensure the Augustus Clan’s interests, and this investigation action does not conflict with that goal, so I’m very willing to go — it’s a good chance to satisfy curiosity."

"...Alright, at least compared to the cold and rigid impression from my grandfather’s memories, you’re much more flexible now," Augustus helplessly shook his head, "Then prepare yourself, set off for the northern control zone as soon as possible, leave the Wanderer Troops affairs temporarily to Hadrian — and try to bring good news back."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Diana slightly bowed, said in a cold voice, then gently retreated half a step as her figure gradually faded into the air.

Further communication and discussion with the Cecil side soon concluded, and the preparation work didn’t take much time. In just three days, a small elite team departed from the Winterwolf Legion’s frontline base under Andresha Wendell, moving northwest along the "safe corridor" constructed by the alliance advancing troops in the wasteland, quickly reaching the First Legion’s frontline base under Philip — Diana herself spearheading this team.

As the battle progresses, the alliance forces gradually form an encirclement trend in the wasteland, each frontline base coming closer to one another, making it now a "shortcut" through the wasteland’s "safe corridor."

Along the edge of the lush forest, the large base constructed by the Cecil Clan stands proudly in the sunlight. Several Magic-guided Vehicles bearing the Typhon Empire emblem drove through the main gate of this frontline stronghold, and from the foremost Magic-guided Vehicle, Diana’s gaze through the car window projected outside, absorbing the scenery that was distinctly different from the Typhon frontline base — towering trees, shrubs and blossoming flowers blanketing the ground, heavy artillery pieces on the walls, Dragon Rider Aircraft patrolling the skies near the base, these contrasting styled elements surprisingly mixed together, presenting a particularly bizarre view.

If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she could hardly believe this was in the depths of the Gondor wasteland. Even with the somewhat rigid and mechanical mind of an Iron Man, Lady Diana found herself deeply shocked.

And then, she witnessed an even more shocking scene—she saw a giant tendril, horribly terrifying to ordinary people, suddenly emerge from beside a barrack and swiftly lunge towards a group of resting soldiers. However, instead of panicking, the soldiers laughed joyously and cheerfully greeted the tendril. Then they somehow dragged out large, ominously hued pieces of what clearly wasn’t normal meat, and fed it to the terrifying tendril as if it were a pet. The tendril seemed quite pleased, twisting in the air as its end, like a magician, revealed many bright red little fruits, eagerly plucked by the soldiers...

One soldier even high-fived the tendril, and then both sides amicably said their farewells...

The Typhon soldier driving the magic-guided vehicle was clearly startled by this bizarre scene, as the vehicle bounced a little before stabilizing. Apparently, even after fighting side by side for such a long time, the Typhon soldiers never expected their neighbors to be this peculiar—were the Cecil soldiers always this thrilling and shocking during their downtime between battles?

The personnel responsible for the reception appeared, and the magic-guided vehicle stopped at the center of the camp. Diana felt her mental core was somewhat overloaded yet maintained a cold expression as she emerged from the car. She saw a young, blond commander approaching her with a smile. Her memory bank had records of this commander, so she also went forward to greet, "Hello, General Philip, in accordance with Emperor Rosetta Augustus’s order and our mutual agreement, I am here to carry out the mission to explore the Wepland Observatory."

"Thank you for coming, Lady Diana," Philip extended his hand; his demeanor was very respectful because he knew that the black-haired lady in front of him was far more than just a "maidservant supervisor" of the Typhon Royal Family. She was also the highest commander of a special Typhon unit and Emperor Rosetta Augustus’s most trusted Inner Court Lady Officer, a status equivalent to his position as an Imperial General, "We didn’t expect you to arrive so soon. We thought... Lady Diana, are you alright? Your temperature seems..."

During their handshake, Philip felt an unusual heat from her palm. Although he didn’t know what a "healthy" Iron Man’s body temperature was, this temperature clearly felt off, prompting him to inquire in surprise.

Diana glanced toward the place where the tendril had come out, only now noticing the well-defined round hole in the ground that seemed specially made for the tendril’s accessibility. Next to the hole stood a sign with large characters: Feeding is allowed. Do not touch. Upon discovery, a three-day confinement will be enforced.

Diana retracted her gaze as a burst of heat emitted from her back ventilation grilles: "A little overloaded, but it’ll be fine after cooling down."

Philip: "...Are you really okay?"

"I’ve cooled down," Diana replied expressionlessly and, as if eager to steer the conversation back on track, immediately added, "When are we heading to the observatory ruins?"

"The site is ready, but... Do you need some rest?" Philip looked at the lady emitting steam from her back, "You must be tired from the journey..."

"I have a special constitution, standing still doesn’t mean anything to me," Diana shook her head. "If you don’t mind, I can start the mission immediately."

Philip didn’t speak; instead, a calm and powerful voice suddenly sounded from the side: "That’s good, I also wish to uncover the secrets of the Wepland Observatory as soon as possible."

Philip immediately turned and saluted in the direction of the voice, while Diana looked in the same direction, a trace of surprise showing on her usually expressionless face: "Your Majesty Gawain? How...?"

The speaker was Gawain, who had somehow made his way nearby, standing there with a slight smile on his face. Amber stood beside him, casually surveying Diana and the Typhon people she brought with her.

"His Majesty values our discoveries at the Wepland Observatory," Philip finally said, "He arrived here yesterday and intends to personally explore the facility. This is a secret visit, not publicly disclosed within the populace or the alliance."

Diana blinked, still somewhat surprised that Gawain Cecil was personally present, but knowing not to inquire too much, she quickly nodded expressionlessly, "Understood. His Majesty Gawain is knowledgeable and being a Gondor himself, his personal involvement in this mission will surely be significant. Rest assured, I will do my utmost to ensure His Majesty Gawain’s safety during the mission."

"That’s not necessary; I don’t need your protection," Gawain replied casually, waving his hand. "You just take care of yourself—your parts are not readily replaceable."

Diana’s eye seemed to twitch slightly, while the ordinary soldiers she brought appeared puzzled—they didn’t know about the "Gondor Iron Man" matter.

However, this was a minor issue; Gawain did not continue on this subject but instead turned to Philip, who stood ready by the side, "Prepare transportation for us, let’s head to the Wepland Observatory now."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

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