Byrne, Crimson Castle, Wizard's Tower.

In the quiet laboratory, the atmosphere is very tense.

Centered on a test bench covered with drawings and a few parts and models, all the wizards involved in the design of the floating city formed a neat circle, everyone's expression was extremely solemn, nervous or hesitant, and many of the older people who were not energetic were wiping cold sweats while swallowing their dry throats to keep their composure.

Engrossed in it, Ayn Rand lay on the table, staring at the drawings without squinting, and from time to time he would pick up parts and models on the side and compare them with the patterns on the drawings.

She was not the only one, but Dalton Kander and Haringvan Ashamai on either side of the station also had a solemn expression, and for a full hour from the beginning to now, the three of them showed no sign of leaving or talking.

Faced with such a situation, although Charlotte Turin had always thought that her patience was good, she began to lose her breath, but Lena de Salion, who was by her side, still looked calm and relaxed, obviously accustomed to the excessive "concentration" of wizards in the laboratory.

Charles, the head of the court, was kept out of the door - Loren had strict restrictions on who could enter the Wizard's Tower, and theoretically only himself, Isaac and Ain, could enter and leave at any time.

The rest of the people, etc... Including Dalton Mentors, there are strict thresholds.

After nearly half an hour, the little wizard who gasped slowly got up, and for some reason, there was a faint color of fear in his sapphire blue eyes.

"How?"

Frowning slightly, Charlotte, who could no longer bear it, stepped forward and asked impatiently, "This drawing left by Isaac Grantham... What was it that was so important that Loren mobilized more resources than he did to build the Floating City?"

"This... It's hard for me to describe it, but it's supposed to be a weapon. ”

Raising his head, the little wizard looked at Charlotte without saying anything: "Isaac seems to have designed a very special alchemy device, which can be used to accomplish one of his long-standing ideas. ”

And judging from the drawings alone, he looks like he's almost done. Haringvan Ashamai looked at the model on the table and continued, "Simple and delicate structure, but capable of using a very complex magic array. ”

This answer did not solve Charlotte's confusion, but made her hesitate even more, and on her beautiful face, the sword eyebrows were raised: "So they are designing a powerful secret weapon, ready to be used against the elves... And it's almost successful?"

"Yes... Not right either. Frowning, Ain shook his head and hesitated for a moment before continuing: "Because Isaac seems to have overturned his idea again... No, I should say that there is a better way!"

"Like you know, Charlotte, alchemy setups are usually expensive - because of the long production cycles, expensive or rare materials, and the hard work of an alchemist for days or even a year. ”

"But Isaac's new design only requires some very cheap materials, and the production process is simple enough that even an apprentice can complete, but it can unleash a high-level spell. ”

"Such a design is simply unheard of!"

"Anyway......" Dalton Candle took Ain's words and explained to the still confused Countess of the Red Blood Keep, "Isaac has brought down an alchemical weapon that can be used by almost anyone with high-level magic spells to a price close to that of two infantry crossbows. ”

"With the riches of the Red Blood Castle... It is possible to arm three thousand soldiers who use this alchemical weapon. ”

The little wizard and Ashamai bowed their heads silently, and the wizards around them also had solemn expressions.

Charlotte's expression changed slightly, and she couldn't help but gasp.

She finally understood why Loren had not mentioned it to herself, but had privately used a lot of resources to support the research.

Three thousand soldiers who can use high-level spells... Even Charlotte, who didn't know much about magic, could understand the horror - even three thousand or even six thousand knights on her paramount would not be able to confront such a force!

On a battlefield with open terrain, this is simply invincible!

And if you can arm 3,000 people with the Red Blood Castle alone, then if you can integrate the resources of all Byrne and form a legion of about 10,000 people......

"Uh... You seem to have misunderstood Dalton's words again, Earl. Looking at Charlotte's increasingly contemplative expression, Ashamai hurriedly interrupted:

"That's right, this 'simplified' alchemy weapon can indeed use high-level spells, but at that time, its power and performance have been weakened!"

"Weakened?"

"That's right, according to the drawings left by Isaac, it would be nice to be able to retain one-tenth of the original power. Before he finished speaking, Ashamai, who was worried that he had poured cold water, changed his words:

"Of course, even so, this is still a masterpiece of the top, a very terrifying weapon - its existence will greatly change the way of warfare, the layout and planning of tactics today, and all enemies who dare to charge in front of it will only end up in ashes!"

After listening to the answers of the three people, Charlotte, who finally had a general understanding, nodded, then raised his head and looked around at the wizards present with the most elegant and majestic posture:

"In that case, then continue to maintain the status quo ante until the Duke returns from the imperial capital of Golovin, and study it according to the established route - all necessary materials and funds shall be applied to me directly, and I promise to respond to all requests and reply when the Duke returns." ”

"Please also take out a few samples as soon as possible, test the true power and cost of this weapon, and send them to the palace secretly. ”

"Finally... In the name of the Countess of the Red Blood Castle and the Regent of Byrne, I warn you in advance that what you are involved in is the top secret of the Principality, and any leak will be considered a betrayal!" Charlotte's eyes widened, and her expression was fierce:

"We will treat the faithful as if they were blood relatives, and we will not spare the traitors... It's not just an act of betrayal, but it's not even allowed to have this kind of thought, understand?!"

"Clear, understood, understood!"

The wizards present nodded one after another, and the messy you said a word, and they couldn't even speak in a panic.

However, this reaction was the most satisfying for Charlotte.

As his gaze flickered, the Countess of Red Blood Castle's expression softened slightly, and hesitantly walked towards the little wizard: "Ain, I know you've been busy lately, but if you can, Lena and I have a drinking party in the evening, so you might as well ...... if you have time."

Bang——!

Before he could finish speaking, the door of the laboratory room suddenly opened, and Charles, the anxious and dazed court governor, apologized to the wizard at the door and walked quickly towards Charlotte.

"Charles, what are you doing?!"

Charlotte, who was suddenly interrupted, frowned suddenly, and looked at the palace manager who came towards her with some embarrassment: "This is the secret laboratory of the wizarding tower, the duke has personally given an order, even I ......"

"I'm sorry, Earl, but this news can't be delayed!" Charles, who handed over the letterhead, his shoulders rose and fell violently, trying not to let his breath affect what he said:

"The letter from the imperial capital of Golovin was sent by the thirteenth emperor, Connad I himself—and with it, the Hornfort Floating City, which has returned!"

As the words fell, Ashamai and Dalton around them showed thoughtful expressions, while the little wizard and Lena stepped forward and stared nervously at the letterhead in Charlotte's hand.

"The return of the Floating City, that means that the negotiations are going well, right?" At this moment, Charlotte was the most calm one, calmly putting the letterhead in her hand.

The palace steward nodded.

"However, the duke did not return ... That is, things have changed. The countess's eyes flickered: "Why did he have to stay in the Heavenly Dome Palace in the imperial capital?"

"It's because... Count, you will understand when you open the letterhead. The palace steward, who wanted to explain, stopped talking, sighed, and raised his head with a solemn expression:

"In addition, the Duke is not in the imperial capital now. ”

"Oh, where is he, then?"

....................................

"Sneezing ——!"

On the walls of the ancient castle filled with morning mist, the black-haired wizard who suddenly felt cold on his back couldn't help but sneeze.

"It's getting colder lately, so keep warm, Lord Loren. ”

Although Lu Sien, who was following him, was tired, he couldn't help but smile playfully: "Even if you are talked about by others, you can't catch a cold because of this." ”

This guy... The vindictiveness is really strong, don't you just ridicule him once.

Glancing back helplessly, Loren shook his head and turned his gaze in the direction of the inner fort of the ancient castle.

After last night's explosion, the inner fort barely showed any signs of severe impact and vibration, except for a little charred black and damage, and it still stands.

After resting, the legionnaires who came to change their guards were collecting the bodies of the fallen together with the last remaining mercenaries, including the remains of the leader of the Blackblade Mercenary Regiment.

Loren couldn't help but sigh.

Blackblade's death was indeed beyond his expectations, and although he died at the hands of elves, he still had nothing to do with himself.

As for the soldiers of the Black Blade Mercenary Regiment, they are very silent about the death of their leader, and still choose to continue to fulfill the previous contract, and are willing to temporarily let the Silver Blood take charge of them until a new leader is elected.

Probably for them, the salary promised by the contract and the accommodation provided by Ebolden were more important than the life or death of a leader?

Things turned out like this, and Loren could only think in the direction that was beneficial to him as much as possible - after all, he really couldn't do without these nearly 20,000 mercenaries now, otherwise he would not have been able to insist on the arrival of reinforcements at all.

Turning around, Loren suddenly noticed that there was no one next to him: "Where's Isaac?"

He was too tired, so he went back early. Lusin shrugged his shoulders and looked meaningfully at the mercenaries who were busy below: "The surviving mercenaries in the castle didn't want to disturb him, so they carried him back on a stretcher while he was asleep - probably in this way, thank him for avenging the dead brothers, right?"

Loren nodded: "What about the elves?"

"A third of the Imperial Warriors in the Inner Castle have escaped, and the rest are buried under the ruins of the Inner Castle, and it will take some time to dig them all up. The gray-eyed boy replied very seriously:

"As for those who tried to break the chains, most of them were dead - although they were raided, we paid a lot of casualties, and the narrow terrain was not good for the witchers, the casualties were close to one to one, and a few guys escaped. ”

Speaking of this, Lusen's expression was a little gloomy, but he still puffed out his chest: "The only lucky thing is to capture their leader, the chief lieutenant of the Overseer, and the culprit who killed His Majesty Eckhart II, Alexandra!"

This "surprise" surprised Loren a little.

Then, he suddenly remembered something.

"That's... Isn't the elf named Alexandra the one you let go before?"

"This...?!"

The gray-eyed young man had an embarrassed expression: "Is there any inevitable connection between these two things?!"

"Nothing, nothing... I'm just casually mentioning it, don't think too much about it!" Loren waved his hand again and again, smiling brightly: "Anyway, she'll leave it to you, keep up the good work, and be sure to dig up all the information from her mouth—as long as you can do this, you can do it by any means." ”

"Anything goes... Y-What the hell are you implying that?!"

"No, no, no, I didn't hint at anything, I just said that she handed it over to you - is it wrong to hand over such an important captive to you?"

"I ......"

"Don't stop 'me' and become 'we' as soon as possible, uh... Anyway, come on, Lusen!" the black-haired wizard gave a thumbs up, revealing a "I'm optimistic about you" expression.

"......" Lusen.

"By the way, there's one more thing I haven't told you. It took a full five minutes for the gray-eyed boy to regain his strength: "A few Celestial Wings Demon Hunters had a very strange thing when they were cleaning up the battlefield. ”

"Strange things?"

"Yes... Eugen who was defeated by you, and then slashed in half. Lusen spoke, "His body is gone." ”

Well?!

The corpse is gone... Loren's expression froze.

"It was discovered by a very attentive witcher... Because he was the leader of the enemy, he also looked for it seriously for a while, but it was indeed gone. The gray-eyed boy added:

"It was still found yesterday evening, but it disappeared early this morning - if I guessed correctly, it must have been taken by the fleeing enemy. ”

"Can you determine who it is?" Loren frowned, a bad premonition creeping through his mind, "Are you sure you have taken everything with you, and there is nothing left?"

"No, the other party cleaned up in good order - but there were still some pieces of clothes left in the pit, and internal organs and so on. Lusen shook his head: "Probably just want to bury him, or return him to his relatives or something?"

Probably...... The black-haired wizard thought to himself, but always felt that he was missing something.

What exactly?