Chapter 1392: Chapter 1391: The Dust Has Yet to Settle

The gentle words of the Elven Twins sounded distant to Balken, as if coming from another world—a hall located at the deepest part of the entire flesh construct, where countless neural connections linked this massive alien body to his mind, transmitting a vast ocean of data. This included not only the construct’s own perceptions and the surveillance of the battlefield but also the ongoing integration of the dark priests in the depths. Despite all the dark priests continuously adjusting their mental assimilation, they still had various minds of their own compared to true "unity." Integrating and streamlining them into one was a daunting task for Balken.

The attack from the Well of Deep Blue arrived, a counterattack launched by the ancient specter hiding in the iron fortress. High-intensity energy beams focused on the top of the construct, seemingly aiming to destroy the organ releasing the "Calamity Magic Bullet." Several organs designed to deploy barriers activated their energy fields in time. Although they quickly burned out due to overloading, the attack from the Well of Deep Blue was successfully blocked.

Then the damaged tissue began self-repairing, with an overwhelming amount of biomass transported from deep underground to the surface, transformed into additional layers of carapace. Balken executed these operations with machine-like precision, showcasing a power and capability once unimaginable to his formerly human self. Now, all of this was at his disposal. In moments between wakefulness and dreams, he pondered his current existence... He felt as if he were a god.

A set of psychic communication from afar reached the construct, from which Balken read the death signals of a massive number of aberrations and bio-synthetic beasts, as well as the unique intense impact of "Skyfire Falling."

It was the Cecil Clan; they had advanced to the Northern Scorched Plains and were setting up their purification devices there. The Wasteland Legion left behind only had basic killing instinct and lacked heavy units. They held out for less than a day against the attack of the Mortal Army—a foreseeable outcome. They were meant to be cannon fodder, but the only regret was their role was much less effective than expected.

In the "Brain Chamber," a neural node emitted a dim red light, as Balken’s will turned into psychic waves, quickly transmitting northward along the crisscrossing root network underground. There were no dark priests capable of executing commands there; the end of the root network was merely connected to a large neural node with basic intelligence. This deeply embedded neural node could exercise minimal control over the aberrations and bio-synthetic beasts within a certain range, mainly to prevent those basic units from going completely "feral."

Thus, the deployed Wasteland Legion in remote areas could still serve as a minor hindrance and delay against the Mortal Army.

After issuing the order to regroup forces for delaying tactics, Balken’s consciousness again focused on the battlefield before him—the evil-cult had abandoned all external gains thus far, relinquished over seventy percent of the land within the wasteland, and sacrificed everything discardable just for this battle. However, in truth... this was not the future Balken originally envisioned.

He wanted to tame this planet, to construct an isolated "land of eternal peace," to let the Deep Blue Webway extinguish the current civilization on this planet and transform into a planetary shield, but he had never intended to achieve all this at the current cost. He did not want a direct confrontation with the ancient specter in the center of the wasteland, as the price was unbearably high even for him. When the Elven Twins proposed this plan, he initially wanted to refuse. Yet, when he looked around the wasteland, he found there was no other choice...

How did the situation evolve to this point? In the brief interval when the endlessly roaring "voices" in the mental world slightly diminished, Balken momentarily pondered this question. However, before he concentrated on the issue, neural signals from various parts of the construct interrupted his focus. He was compelled to continue keeping his thinking threads attentive to maintaining the battle situation and integrating those minds. Meanwhile, a feeling of wielding immense power, transcending all things, surfaced at the right moment, weakening Balken’s inclination to question his current state.

Such... power, akin to... a god.

Good, this is good. Although he sacrificed the evil-cult painstakingly built over hundreds of years, it exchanged for today’s invincible power and immortal body. What immeasurable power—just a thought could unleash earth-shattering might; as long as his will remained, this body could infinitely regenerate... If the world eventually fell into a fiery abyss due to the explosion of the Deep Blue Webway, he would undoubtedly be the only individual surviving thereafter. And after that, an eternal place of peace would descend upon this planet. As the sole, most powerful life form on this planet, it seemed he had many things to accomplish...

Balken smiled, plotting that great future—when that day arrived, should he first create loyal servants or construct a majestic palace for himself?

Lelena stood beside the hideous plant in the center of the hall, watching the seemingly smiling yet eerie "expression" emerging on the shriveled, twisted bark, her own face involuntarily revealing a smile. At her fingertips, nearly transparent "threads" extended into the air, entwining and weaving around Balken’s canopy, wrapped around his roots embedded deep into the hall, encircling the bony arches and chitinous dome around the hall, densely layered like a spider web.

Since just now, Balken had been turning a blind eye to these webs growing within his "Brain Chamber."

"He has fallen into a dream, a beautiful dream—a strong exterior hides deep down that our Archbishop is still a feeble mortal," Lelena softly said, her smile widening, "It seems he is not as great as he believes himself to be."

"As a mortal, his will is actually quite tenacious," Fyrna’s voice came from the side, "Until just now, his subconscious was still resisting, trying to bring his reason back... Such questioning and thinking at this stage were beyond our expectations, weren’t they?"

"...There is still merit in that," Lelena said calmly, her gaze lowering as if trying to see through the thick bone, wood barriers, and biomass chambers beneath the ground to the deepest part of this horrific flesh construct, and the darkest, most terrifying part within this enormous "living" body. "The final integration process of the dark priests has begun... Yet they resist fiercely and continue attempting to awaken Balken’s primary consciousness."

"The moment they entered the fusion chamber, the clever among them figured it out," Fyrna said quietly, "But their resistance is futile. This construct has already grown beyond what mortal will can compete with; the cries of the dark priests within the mental network will mostly be regarded by Balken as howling wind and annoying low whispers... If he is still ’Balken’."

Lelena moved her fingertip, causing the web around the hall to become even denser than before. Simultaneously, she frowned, "...But these ’noises’ ultimately have some impact—they affect the power the construct can wield. The footsteps of the mortals are already near; we must breach the Well of Deep Blue’s barrier before they arrive. The construct’s power is not yet enough... Find a way to silence those voices."

"I’ll handle it," Fyrna said lightly, turning to walk toward the exit of the hall.

...

The advance of the Alliance Army accelerated day by day. After infusing the power of the entire Loren Continent into this land, the mortal war machine began to display its astonishingly mighty power—the giant cannons flattened the aberration armies, the war chariots crushed the Wasteland Legion’s remains, powerful Legion Spells made the entire land seethe in heat. Warriors from all countries and races swept like a storm over the plains and mountains of the once Gondor Empire. Behind the army, Purification Towers rose from the ground, Barrier Walls extended like blood vessels across the wasteland, spreading from the southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest, all heading toward the Well of Deep Blue.

And in this process, the effects produced by the barrier wall finally began to reveal themselves — although it is still a long way from being fully aligned, the environmental changes in many areas of the wasteland are already a fact that cannot be disputed.

The polluted clouds are dissipating, toxic substances in the air are decreasing, chaotic energy hovering above the ground is gradually calming, and in some areas, observers have found resilient flora growing in the crevices of rocks — the seeds of these plants flew into the wasteland with the influx of air following the collapse of the great walls, taking root in the land where pollution has receded, and beginning to grow, becoming the first "inhabitants" of this land after seven hundred years of desolate silence.

And at the edge of the wasteland, under the great walls, traditionally identified as the buffer zone, observers have even found large patches of land that have completely returned to normal — even ordinary humans without any protective gear or special powers can live peacefully and cultivate fertile fields in these purified zones.

The war is not over yet, and the fate of the mortal world is still uncertain, yet even though the dust has not settled, the world continues to progress relentlessly.

Kari Perlo ran through the courtyard like a gust of wind, her long skirt flying at the edges of the flower beds and lawns. The male and female servants along the road saw the young lady dashing towards them from afar, already retreating under the veranda. Some attendants familiar with Kari couldn’t help but shake their heads, showing expressions of helplessness.

Miss Kari is naturally optimistic and kind to people, her lively personality contrasting sharply with her stern father, but her lack of composure and the grace of a lady is a shortcoming — when Viscount Perlo sent her to Cecil to study, part of the reason was the Empire’s "missions" for young noble children, but another part was the Viscount’s hope that his daughter could temper her temperament abroad, becoming mature and composed through living with other noble children. However, as it turns out...

Miss Kari, upon returning from Cecil, has grown in many aspects, yet she has regressed quite a bit in terms of ladylike grace — she’s even learned many "Cecil style" behaviors and speech patterns that seem quite peculiar under Typhon’s traditional view, making one wonder what they actually teach at Cecil’s "Imperial Academy"...

"Kari!" Viscount Perlo’s voice suddenly came from the courtyard, carrying a hint of displeasure, "Running in the courtyard, what do you think that looks like?"

Viscount Perlo, dressed in a crisp suit, sporting a beard, tall and thin, frowned as he looked at his daughter running towards him. His tone carried annoyance mixed with a hint of helplessness. His daughter had returned home from her studies abroad for some time now, yet in terms of future planning, this undependable girl seemed to have no concept at all, her head filled with impulsive, radical ideas. She was neither willing to enter the council as a councilor nor did she have much luck with men, making marriage seem a distant prospect; as for inheriting the title and the family business... that was too early for now.

In "worrying about the future of one’s children," Viscount Perlo shares much in common with most ordinary fathers.

Yet, Kari seemed oblivious to her father’s tone of displeasure. She tightly held a newspaper in her hand, offering it in front of her father: "Father, have a look at this!"

"What’s all this fuss about..." Viscount Perlo muttered as he took the newspaper, his gaze quickly landing on a black and white image on the layout — it was a plant, seemingly just a common roadside wildflower, but the accompanying text made his eyes slightly change, "Discovered plants in the wasteland... Pollution is receding... Purified zone found at the border?"

"This is a photo sent back from Forward Base No. 27 by the Winterwolf Knights!" Kari beamed brightly, her tone inexplicably filled with pride, "It’s from the unit where Marianno is — she discovered this flower, and the article even specially mentions her!"

"Marianno... Count Rivven’s daughter Marianno?" Viscount Perlo quickly found the matching name in the aristocratic genealogy, his face displaying a moment of astonishment before quickly furrowing his brow, "She’s already establishing merits, even bringing her deeds back home to be sung. Look at you — you were classmates! You..."

"Father, what I want to tell you is something else," Kari suddenly interrupted before her father could finish, "Today I heard that there’s a pioneering plan in the southwest enclave of Winterwolf Fortress..."

"Pioneering plan? That southwestern enclave of Winterwolf Fortress?" Viscount Perlo was taken aback, "Isn’t that area a pollution zone..."

"It’s no longer a pollution zone!" Kari said brightly, "The Obsidian reports today published news confirming several border areas fully purified — how the Gondor wasteland will be allocated later is unknown, but those border enclaves are 100% imperial territories. Now the pollution has receded, and the army has pushed the frontline deep into the wasteland, pioneering actions in those places will start soon. I communicated with Dana today, her father Count Yvonne has already mentioned this to her, and I want to join her at the border..."

Viscount Perlo’s expression finally grew serious, he stared into Kari’s eyes, slowly speaking: "Kari, you know what you’re saying."

"Yes, I know," Kari said, pulling back her smile, standing with an unprecedented serious demeanor before her father, "I want to do the same things the ancestors did — father, my classmates at the academy are all doing what they think is most important and right. Fendil Weld joined the wasteland expeditionary army and witnessed the first battle firsthand, Elywen Franklin recently went to the western front as a research assistant, and Marianno is fighting under General Andresha’s command... Father, I can’t fight, nor do I have outstanding magic or magecraft scores, but I understand pioneering and managing territories — since long ago, the Perlo family has been excellent pioneers, you were very proud when you told me that."

"I don’t want to be a councilor in the council where numerous smart people are unnoticed. I also don’t want to marry so soon, having not yet met the right person. Nor do I want to simply inherit the family business and become an ordinary aristocrat, spending time on balls and banquets... as His Majesty mentioned in his recent speech, we’re facing a special and difficult period, the Empire needs each of her subjects to fulfill their duty and exert value...

"Didn’t you just say Marianno has already established merits? Now I want to as well..."

"Alright, I agree."

Viscount Perlo’s faint voice came, stopping Kari’s remaining half-prepared thoughts from pouring out.

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