Month of Passion (June). Flowers bloomed in profusion, and the exotic fragrances of the various bizarre blossoms planted throughout Allinson filled the air.
"This time, Stanis and I went to the 'Observer's Fortress' and the Night Plateau but couldn't find the Silver-Eyed Count. Reportedly he's away and hasn't returned. The other Princes have no way to contact the 'Silver Moon,' so the plan to join forces against Maldymos must be temporarily shelved."
In the Supreme Council's meeting hall, the "Storm Dominator" Fernando reported the results of his trip to the Dark Mountains with a sour expression.
For a Grand Archanist of impatient and irritable temperament, being interrupted at a critical moment of research was maddening enough in itself. To have made the journey to the Dark Mountains for the greater good, only to return with nothing substantive to show for it, naturally left him in no pleasant mood.
Douglas nodded gently, his expression calm: "Perhaps the fact that he's away and hasn't returned is itself a form of indirect attitude—at least it's better than a direct refusal. However, during this period, 'Helkes,' whose body has been occupied by the 'Lord of Hell,' has been mainly focused on dealing with the forces in the ocean at the continent's southern end—the proxies propped up by the Southern Church. This tells us his primary enemy is still Vican."
Though they hadn't achieved their goal, the calm and composed manner of Douglas and the other Grand Archanists kept the remaining Supreme Council members from feeling any panic. Only Lucian let out a quiet sigh. In the end, what truly mattered was one's own strength, not allies. Those who lacked real power yet fantasized about playing both sides—rallying a host of powerful figures as allies who would fight and die for them—would ultimately find themselves becoming someone else's prey.
"According to intelligence reports, the 'Sacred Avenger' Melmos has already rushed to the Southern Endless Ocean to prevent the Church's forces there from being completely destroyed. However, the power of a Demigod is not something he can contend with—he'll probably have to abandon most of the territory and rely on the Divine Arts maze lock at the core to barely hold out," said Oliver, who oversaw the Affairs Committee.
A stack of papers on field theory sat before Brooke—he had just obtained them from the Arcane Review Committee, containing the submissions the committee members found most promising. He'd redeemed them early, hoping to gain some insight, but the Supreme Council meeting was called the moment he finished, leaving him no time to read them yet: "Only after the situation in the Southern Endless Ocean is preliminarily resolved can we see what Maldymos is truly after. So we must not be careless or let our guard down. With the Elven Royal Court as our partners and given our current strength—while we can't drive Him back to Hell—we should be confident in holding the ocean defensive line."
"This will require a Peak Legendary to hold the archipelago line, maintaining mutual support with the 'Elven Empress,'" Helen said, rarely joining the discussion for matters of such magnitude.
Douglas surveyed the assembled Supreme Council. Seeing Lucian, Erika, Begna, Atuman, and the others all nodding slightly in agreement with Helen's assessment, he spoke with a somewhat grave expression: "Safety comes first. This time, Brooke and I will go to the archipelago defensive line. Once this period of greatest vulnerability to surprise attack has passed, we'll reduce it to a single Peak Legendary."
"No objections from me—conducting experiments is the same wherever you are," Brooke replied without hesitation.
Douglas then turned to Fernando: "During this period, you should also avoid going out. Stay with Heatherway and guard Allinson—we can't let the Southern Church take advantage of the chaos to launch a sneak attack."
With the Allinson maze lock and a Peak Legendary on hand, he wasn't worried about the Northern Church in the slightest.
"I don't have time to go out lately, either," Fernando grumbled, thinking of the out-of-control fission reactor and the numerous neutron-related experiments.
"Everyone should also try to avoid moving about too freely in the main world, lest Maldymos set their sights on you. He incorporates the uncanny nature of ancient demons and is extremely difficult to guard against," Douglas added as a final caution.
Throughout the entire meeting, Lucian had barely spoken a word, seemingly absorbed in other thoughts. The other Supreme Council members didn't find this the least bit strange—his injuries hadn't yet recovered, and he had no good means of dealing with the "Lord of Hell." A certain melancholy was only natural.
......
Back in the "Atomic Universe," Lucian went straight to the top floor and continued setting up his magic circle.
"An ultra-long-range spatial jump magic circle?" Before she knew it, evening had fallen. Having finished the kingdom's affairs, Natasha returned to the Tower of Babel and quietly observed for a time before recalling from memory something that closely resembled the magic circle Lucian was setting up. Having lived with him for so many years, and with her own distinguished family background, she still couldn't understand or master the complex arcane patterns, but her ability to identify magic circles and spells had improved considerably.
Lucian's spiritual energy was on the verge of exhaustion, so he halted his work, took out a vial of the high-grade potion "Light of Life," and drank it down, nodding slightly: "Mm."
"You want to go searching for the existence of planets? Don't tell me you've unlocked the secret of the deep Endless Ocean—figured out exactly what's going on and what's causing it?" Natasha's mind immediately connected to the focus of Lucian's recent research, her translucent silver-purple eyes wide with both surprise and curiosity.
Lucian walked over with a smile: "I've gained something from the data that confirmed some of my earlier theories. I now have a conjecture about what state exists in the depths of the Endless Ocean. So I'm applying those verified ideas to the question of why planets cannot be detected—adjusting the jump coordinates, hoping to obtain another confirmation."