Myths Reawakened

Chapter 369 (2): Humans Have Limits x Machine Ascension

The laboratory didn’t split researchers into two shifts to work around the clock, and neither were they required to work overtime. Researchers were precious human resources no matter where they went. Deep into the night, though the laboratory was still well lit, most of the researchers had already retired to their dorm rooms.

Wayne and Ottilia took two lab coats off the rack and put them on. With their powerful thoughts... their silver tongue and friendly smiles, they managed to convince a few researchers with receding hairlines that they were new.

With colleagues pointing them in the right direction, Wayne was able to browse the data easily.

He quickly recorded all the research data and found an index in a top confidential file, detailing the other research bases across Prussia. That alone made this trip worth it.

Ottilia helped him compile the documents. What she saw made her scalp tingle. Mass-producing Astral soldiers, especially, was such a bold idea that it shocked her.

Common sense dictated that the most critical documents wouldn’t be left in the laboratory, but in the office of the base’s commander, locked away in a safe.

Wayne had hit a jackpot, which made his desire burn fiercer. He headed to the commander’s office and unlocked several doors to access the information he sought. Taking a look, he couldn’t help but break out in goosebumps.

The Church of Nature’s partnership with the Prussian government was more involved than he had expected, or it would be more accurate to say that Pope Ludwig had provided substantial support to Prussia and helped her expand her military power for the coming war.

From energy to reserve force, the combination of magic and machines resulted in a wonderful synergy. Mages and cannons merged on one of the blueprints, portraying a cutting-edge concept that seemed plucked right out of a cyberpunk story.

“Nice. If this succeeds, it won’t be impossible to conquer the Chosen Land.”

Wayne was both shocked and delighted. He was shocked by the groundwork that Prussia had laid down for war. If the concept portrayed in the blueprint had already been realized, Prussia would be able to break down the allegedly unbreakable defense line from either front—if the other churches stayed out of the war, that was.

He was delighted because the design was useful to him. The Pale Knight was adept at cold weapons, but nothing stopped him from using firearms. The concept was worth exploring and had opened his eyes to new possibilities.

The more he browsed the documents in the safe, the more surprised he was.

“This one mentions the Gate of Hell and includes detailed records of summoning the Seven Demon Lords to descend through human vessels. They have made quite some progress...”

“Converting the energy of Hell into mechanical energy and then electricity? So that machine is... The pipe goes so deep. Aren’t they worried about digging into Hell?”

“Whereabouts of the demon blood...”

“The theories and conceptions on chosen knights, impossible to study due to lack of access to the real thing. Archived...”

“Magical flight machines, a super flying bastion for absolute aerial dominance...”

“What is the nature of faith in deities? Humans have limits. Machine ascension...”

Half an hour later, Wayne lowered the documents, unable to calm the reactions the revelations roused in him.

This was only one research base, yet the results accumulated made the Windsor Ministry of Magic seem like they had been playing house. It wasn’t that the Windsorian research teams weren’t competent enough; the difference lay in their ideology. The legendary mages in Windsor were too conservative and selfish. Whatever research they conducted, they did it for themselves. Prussia was different. Every research was conducted with mass production in mind.

Start with the military before popularizing the method in the private sector. Then, once enough research funds were collected, the resources would be put back into the military, creating an endless capital flow to ensure funding.

“It’s nice, but could this really be popularized?” Wayne looked at the thick stack of blueprints. It was outrageous enough to replace a mage’s flesh and blood with guns and cannons and merge them with airplanes or tanks, but there were even designs to integrate mages with battleships and aircraft carriers.

“How is the private sector going to adopt this? Is the entire population going to achieve machine ascension?”

Wayne didn’t even know where to begin. He imagined Londan being bombarded: a half-human, half-fighter jet monster opened its chest cavity and dropped a Fat Man on Buckingham Palace. With a boom, another island nation got hit with a nuclear weapon.

The Queen made a broadcast... Oh, she would’ve died from the nuclear strike. Instead, Auston would broadcast Windsor’s total surrender.

“If Prussia can make all these blueprints reality, the Gate of Hell would be nothing in comparison.” Wayne returned everything to its original place and erased the tracks he had left, rushing to the next destination with Ottilia in tow.

“You look serious, Boss.”

Wayne’s brows furrowed deeply. “Yeah, Prussia has the ability to open the Gate of Hell, and they are likely to have established a connection to one of the demon lords already. The Church of Heavenly Father must be informed as soon as possible. Even if it’s only a possibility, Prussia cannot be allowed to run wild.”

The catacombs in Palis were one known location where the Gate of Hell might be open, and Londan was the undetermined second option. Now, Prussia was revealed to be the third possibility, with the exact location still a mystery.

Wayne had thought that having seven angels reincarnate in the human world was too many, but now, he found them too few. Seven weren’t enough. Heaven should’ve sent seventy angels. Otherwise, one part of the world would be left unchecked when another part was secured, and all the effort would be for nothing.

“Have you found evidence on the partnership between the leadership of the Church of Nature and Prussia?”

“Not necessarily evidence,” Wayne said. “It’s all records made on the Prussian side. With no account books, we can’t do anything about anyone.”

The documents only mentioned Pope Ludwig providing technical support without specifying what it was, and it was many years ago. Ludwig would be able to talk himself out of it easily.

Wayne felt a headache brewing. He was investigating the leadership of the Church of Nature, but ended up finding Prussia’s daring misconduct. He had been told that he shouldn’t look into everything since he could end up finding something, and he now saw the truth of the warning.

He hadn’t even looked that deeply, yet already found so many landmines. If he dug deeper...

“Wait, if I could find all this, the Papal State, the leading faction of the Chosen Land, must know already. The Pope must have been losing sleep and rushing around looking for reincarnated angels because he knows too much.”

Wayne pondered for a moment. He could notify the Papal State, but he shouldn’t be the one charging in the forefront again. If there was a traitor in the Papal State, and they sent his information to Hell, demons would surely open the gate in Londan just to spite him.

In the end, he decided to warn the Papal State through the official channel of the Church of Nature. That way, he could provide intel about the Gate of Hell and separate the Church of Nature from Prussia.

What was in the past was the past. The previous Pope had done something immoral, but now, under the leadership of the Nature Knight, the new Pope was working for the benefit of the Chosen Land in a righteous, down-to-earth manner.

“Perfect. Let’s do that!”

Having formulated the follow-up plan, he decided to work efficiently, pulling a few all-nighters to look into all his targets and have Senna deal with the high-ranking degenerates. Then she would contact the Papal State as the new Pope.

His train of thought was interrupted by a message from Regina. He turned to the downtown area.

“How unlucky of you...”

***

Abandoned factory, downtown.

Regina arrived at the third investigation destination according to Wayne’s order. After scouting the area, she didn’t venture deeper, but instead went to the sewers to check the surroundings.

This particular base was under the management of Oracle High Reverend Weaving of the Church of Nature. He provided the human resources and the know-how, while the Prussian government supplied the funds and the equipment. The two had formed a mutually beneficial partnership, sharing the results of the research.

The base focused on researching the flesh of Astral Beasts. Simply by setting fire to the warehouse in the Church of Nature’s headquarters, research material was supplied to the base.

The project’s goal was to mass-produce Astral soldiers. The upper level was the laboratory, while the lower level was the soldier factory. Currently, the project was already at the mass-production stage.

A few military vehicles pulled over at the door. More than ten military officials got out, joined by Oracle High Reverend Weaving.

Dressed in a well-tailored suit rather than a mage’s robe, the middle-aged man with a gentle smile presented himself more like an elite member of society, such as a doctor or a lawyer.

Regina was keeping watch from a distance. She had seen Weaving’s photo in the document, so she recognized the face. Without hesitation, she contacted Wayne.

The big fish had shown up. Tonight, they would fill their bucket!

“Generals, you’ve inspected the factory. I won’t be accompanying you on the tour tonight. Allow me to step away for a moment.” Weaving politely led the military officials to the entrance of the factory before handing them over to the person in charge.

“Mr. Weaving, I have a few important questions.”

“My apologies. I have a greater problem.” Weaving smiled, glancing at where Regina was hiding. “There’s a little mouse to deal with. It’ll be troublesome if left unchecked, won’t it?”

The two officials nodded with a smile, hearing the unspoken message.

They weren’t worried about Weaving. A legendary mage was among the most powerful in the human world. He would be unmatched as long as he didn’t run into a chosen knight. An Oracle High Reverend, holding an important spot at the church, would be one of the strongest legendary mages.

“Mr. Weaving, please return as soon as possible.”

“It won’t take long.”

“Of course.”

They shared a smile. The officials followed the factory manager into the factory.

Weaving turned to where Regina had disappeared to, his smile dropping and his expression darkening. “Whose subordinate is it? Baker or McCarey?”

“Those two, coming after me rather than Senna. Do they really think that damn woman would stay put and do nothing?”

Weaving made a step and vanished as if he had teleported away. In only a few strides, he closed the distance between Regina and him.

Sensing her moving toward the forest in the suburbs, he continued to give chase at a deliberate pace. “Run all you want. You’re not getting away from me. Wait for your death!”

***

Seinube River.

The broad river calmly flowed. Distant light melted into the night sky, with stars sparkling radiantly in two colors. Regina, entirely clothed in a black robe, stopped at the riverside with a mask of pale wrinkles. The spots for eyes were two sunken vortexes.

The mask looked ominous.

“Why did you stop?” Weaving looked around and said derisively, “Did you choose to die at this spot, or is your companion here? If it’s the latter, stop waiting. I can assure you that your companion has given up on you. There’s no living being around.”

“That’s not true. I’ve always been alive.”

A whisper responded to him and lingered in his ears. It sounded distant, like it had come from afar, but also intimate, like it was in his head.

Weaving’s pupils contracted. He whirled around and demanded, “Who’s there? Ludwig, is that you?”

In the darkness, a distorted shadow elongated infinitely.

“Kekekeke—”