Chapter 31: Regarding Number 3's Fans
Moldavia, Central Square—
The Saint Lawrence Cathedral could be considered the most magnificent church in the Northern lands. In terms of history, this solemn and majestic towering edifice was also one of the oldest sanctuaries in the Northwest region. It was established together with the main city of Moldavia, and its earliest priest also entered this cold wilderness alongside the Radcliffe Family. Four hundred years had passed, the city had gradually expanded, and many new facilities had been added to this cathedral.
For example, the teleportation hall that had only recently been constructed.
Located in the side hall to the left of the prayer hall, ripples of space-time began to surge, and the church personnel, who had already been notified, hurriedly activated the guiding formation. Subsequently, a deep blue space-time gate opened in the center of the side hall.
Joshua, who stepped out first, furrowed his brow.
He could hear faint, miserable screams coming from not too far away. The warrior took a step forward, making room for the others, and then, turning his gaze, he looked toward the right hall, his eyes seeming to pierce through the walls.
"What, caught more cultists again?"
Gesturing for Ying and Lin to go check the situation first, he asked the young apprentice controlling the teleportation formation in a flat tone, sounding somewhat impatient: "Haven't they learned their lesson? They've already sent so many people."
"Yes, Lord. On the night you left, Miss Number 3 caught quite a few more cultists. Mr. Loranda is currently interrogating them with Holy Light."
The apprentice controlling the formation was still that young, black-haired priest apprentice. He looked somewhat weary, as if the screams from the interrogation had kept him from sleeping well. In response to Joshua's question, he perked up and replied seriously: "Since there were quite a few, the interrogation has been going on since last night. This should be the seventh one, I think?"
"Troublesome."
Shaking his head, the warrior seemed dissatisfied with this method of handling: "Their purpose has already been exposed. It would be better to execute them early and save the effort." His words showed that he didn't regard the cultists as human at all.
"At first, Artanis and the others thought the same way."
Just as Joshua finished speaking, and after Ying and Lin had left the side hall to head toward the source of the screams, a somewhat gentle girl's voice came from the doorway. The voice was initially a bit ethereal, carrying a hint of echo, but then it became clear: "But later, we discovered that this group wasn't the same batch as the previous ones. That paladin was also worried that their purposes might be different, so he decided to interrogate them through the night to see if there was any new information."
As the voice grew clearer, faint glimmers of arcane power flickered, refracting into a holographic projection in the air. With the continuous construction of tiny runes, the form of a blue-haired girl, floating in mid-air, appeared at the entrance of the side hall.
About one meter fifty tall, wearing a black dress with feather decorations on the hem, the girl had a delicate face, as exquisite as a doll. Her ears tilted slightly upward, and she had a pair of wings on her back. It was clear she wasn't human.
"Number 3, regardless, thank you for your hard work."
Turning his head, Joshua raised his hand and greeted the somewhat sulky-looking girl. He asked bluntly: "So, what's different about this group of cultists compared to the previous ones?"
"Hmm..."
Tilting her head, Number 3 looked somewhat troubled. She raised a finger and pressed it to her lips, thinking about the right adjective: "Weaker? Less organized, completely a rabble. Their purposes are all over the place, basically all lies."
After speaking, she shook her head slightly, let out a cute snort, and then said somewhat bored: "I thought it would be a bit more interesting."
While the artificial intelligence girl and Joshua were discussing the cultists who had appeared last night, the subsequent mages also passed through the space-time passage one by one, arriving in the side hall.
They seemed very familiar with teleportation; none of them felt dizzy from the slight spatial dislocation caused by the transfer. After all fifteen had passed through the passage, the deep blue space-time gate slowly closed.
Before these mages could even sigh in relief at having arrived in the Northern lands, once the edge of the empire, the most 'backwater place,' they saw Number 3 floating in mid-air in front of Joshua.
"Hiss—"
The first to see the artificial intelligence girl was a middle-aged mage with slightly graying temples. He looked quite refined and gentle. Regarding the chaos plague he was about to face, he showed no emotional fluctuation, having mentally prepared himself for everything. Yet even so, upon seeing Number 3's form, he couldn't help but inhale sharply.
"This is... what is this?!"
He could tell at a glance that she wasn't a real living being but some kind of arcane aggregate. Yet precisely because of this, the middle-aged mage was so shocked: "Such precise arcane control techniques, perfect rune structures, exactly like a real person—no, rather, more beautiful than a real person!"
"By Truth!"
Following his fervent gaze, the other mages also noticed Number 3's figure. They all turned their eyes to the artificial intelligence girl and, in unison, let out exclamations of admiration: "It's art!"
As mages, they quickly analyzed the rune structures on Number 3, which surpassed the current magical level of the Mycroft Continent.
"How is this possible? Even those guys from the Eastern Plains couldn't create an arcane lifeform of this level!"
"Twenty years, no, at least thirty years ahead of our technical level. This grade of micro-rune construction is a continental-level problem. Many mana mechanical cores are stuck here, unable to be miniaturized. Who solved this problem and actually applied it?!"
"...Unbelievable."
Unable to help widening his eyes, Muir, who had been spacing out, also sharpened his gaze from its previous vagueness. This old mage, who compared to Nostradamus lacked a bit of a mage's elegance but had more of a soldier's unique resolute temperament, stared at Number 3's form and said in a deep voice: "Rather than an arcane aggregate, it's more like an elemental being... A life completely constructed from pure arcane power and runes, yet possessing a complete soul. By Truth—"
For a moment, he seemed at a loss for words, but then Muir nodded firmly and said in a determined, slightly excited tone: "Perfect!"
Noticing the commotion among the mages, Joshua's breath caught slightly as he was communicating with Number 3. He had forgotten that for these mages, who were obsessed with knowledge and technology, Number 3's very existence would excite them immensely.
She was a life formed from the most essential mana technology of the Carlis World, her very existence a miracle.
The artificial intelligence girl, however, enjoyed the mages' praise, especially comments like 'Just like a real one!' 'No, more beautiful than a real one!' 'What are you talking about? She is real!' Hearing these, Number 3 couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth slightly. But she also understood that if she stayed here any longer, the situation might get out of control. Those still-shocked mages might later be unable to resist 'getting their hands on' her to analyze her.
So, after roughly briefing the warrior on the cultist intelligence, the artificial intelligence girl simply vanished from the spot, leaving behind only scattered fragments of arcane light.
"I can only say, no comment."
Before the mages could react, Joshua turned his head first, scanning the spellcasters behind him. He said in a serious tone: "This is a secret concerning the Radcliffe Family."
—Even if you ask me, I don't understand that technology. Thinking this to himself, combined with his terrifying charm, the warrior successfully suppressed the scene. Except for the old mage Muir, who remained expressionless, seemingly still pondering, the other mages felt a cold wind blow past, sending a chill down their spines. Their excitement at seeing such unprecedented exquisite rune techniques also cooled down.
As spellcasters, they were naturally intelligent people. After calming down a bit, these mages, who had been somewhat carried away, recalled their original mission and also remembered what Nostradamus had told them before leaving the Imperial Capital.
'In Moldavia, there are many things beyond your imagination.'
The old mage had said solemnly: 'But don't get too excited and forget your original task.'
At first, they thought it was just ordinary advice. Now, recalling it, these mages immediately understood that Nostradamus was merely stating a fact, and they had better follow it.
This wasn't the Imperial Capital, but the distant Northern lands. The powerful black-haired warrior before them was the lord of this place, and in a sense, its ruler. Since he said not to ask, they should shut up quickly.
Seeing these people quickly quiet down, Joshua nodded slightly in satisfaction. It seemed negative charm occasionally had some positive effects. Then, he turned and looked at the black-haired young priest, asking directly: "What's your name?"
"My name is Delano, Lord."
The black-haired priest was slightly startled, seemingly not expecting the warrior to ask this question, but he quickly replied: "What are your orders?"
"Then, Delano, first take these mage lords to their resting place and prepare breakfast."
Giving the order decisively, the warrior turned to Muir, who had a serious expression, and said: "And Mr. Muir, you come with me to see the cultists. If necessary, we can also go to the dungeon and take a look at the so-called plague."
"Alright."
The old mage agreed solemnly. As the leader, he was more composed than the others: "That was our purpose from the start."
After speaking, the two left the side hall decisively, while the other fourteen mages followed the black-haired priest named Delano toward the reception hall of the church.
Joshua and Muir were not gone long. About an hour later, the old mage returned with a serious face.
At this time, the mages, who had finished breakfast, had split into several groups, heatedly discussing the difficulties of rune structure miniaturization, high-density arcane life, and artificial souls. Some of them suspected that Number 3 was not some kind of arcane aggregate but the projection of an even more advanced artificial life, because her body condensed and dispersed so easily, with no sign of gathering around any core.
But unfortunately, no one could confirm this speculation, nor did they have the chance to verify it.
"Alright, everyone."
Seeing this scene, Muir's face was stern. He spoke in a deep voice, asking everyone present to quiet down: "We need to start discussing the real business now."
The entire reception hall instantly fell silent, which was enough to show the old mage's authority in the Third Research Group. Yet even so, Muir didn't show any pleased expression. He sighed slightly, then pulled a small bottle containing something black from his robe and said seriously: "This mission of ours is extraordinary."