Chapter 666: Hodeceus
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Since the disappearance of the Orb of the Holy Synod a year ago, the Beinz Diocese seemed to have fallen in a state of trouble. In just one year, a series of major events had happened on this supernaturally distorted land—the collapse of the Dragonspine Ridge, the siege of the Rock Giants, the revival of the First Born, the destruction of the diocese, the death of a bishop, and finally the entire sacred lake was turned into a giant crystal mine by orbital bombardment. If each of the events that had happened in this small area were to happen in other places, they would have been recorded in history. Today, the diocese once listed as a sacred land had changed beyond recognition. Almost all the civilian settlements had evacuated. Only the Knight Bases and temporary monasteries remained. The population here was still about the same as a year ago. However, the composition of the population was almost 100% soldiers and monks. Even the gutsy mercenaries of the past had now kept a distance from this place.
However, the trouble of the Beinz Diocese was not over yet; it was not long after the mining operation and utilization of the crystal pit started, the land had once again become the battlefield of the Holy War between the Disciples of Glory and the Cult of Origination.
Today, the Beinz diocese and the west side of the diocese, which did not belong to the sphere of Holletta's influence, had become the battlefront for the Disciples of Glory and the cults. This area was centred on the crystal mine pit. On the eastern side of the pit was the remnant of Dragonespine Ridge, the main forces of the Knights of the Church and the Knights of the Kingdom were stationed there. The high peaks on the west side of the pit were the Werewolf tribal territory. Hidden beneath those peaks were secret fortress that The Cult of Origination had built over the years. The Werewolf tribal state was extremely angry with these infidels hidden under their nose and regarded this insult as an insult. Therefore, their belligerence towards the Cult of Origination was no less weak compared to the fanatical believers of the Disciples of Glory in the east side of the pit.
In terms of strength, the cults hidden in Sacrad Mountain were overwhelmingly disadvantageous. They were surrounded and there was no aid forthcoming. The fearsome snow wolf cavalry and the two battalion of knights sealed off all roads around the western mountains. However, the cults had not shown any signs of backing down, they were dauntless, determined to kill any intruders who enter the mountains. This kind of self-confidence could be the result of a kind of mind control, or it could be that they really believed that by dying a martyr in a holy war, their fresh and blood would return to the Goddess in glory—you cannot argue fanaticism with reason.
The group set out from the royal city to the Knights' camp in the Beinz diocese through the portal. As the glow of the portal dimmed, Hao Ren found himself in a wide hexagonal hall. The walls around the hall were crystal-like and radiant with magic. The ground on the centre of the hall depicted a huge and complicated teleportation circle. There were three-member guards in each corner of the hall, which consisted of a high-ranking mage in a Master robe, and two elite knights with bright armour and magic patterns floating on their armours.
The place was heavily guarded like an important military base.
Lily saw a knight in the corner of the hall had a pair of ear on the head. She waved happily at him and said hello. "Hi, I'm a fellow werewolf too—of husky variety..."
"Stop howling. People are standing guard," Hao Ren quickly dragged Lily back. He then looked around. "This place is gorgeous... I thought the frontline of the diocese was a messy pigpen with cowhide tents and all that…"
Ophra laughed. "Of course there are such places, but they are in the bases on the ground. Come on. Let me show you something. Though all-powerful alien like you may not find it clever, in my opinion it is a miracle. Allow me show off once."
"The ground base?" Hao Ren muttered quietly before following Ophra walked out of the teleporting hall.
He was startled by what he saw when he stepped outside.
It was magnificently shining fortress.
A huge crescent square stretched out before his eyes. Elite knights and magic soldiers were lining up on the square. Neatly arranged, tall buildings with thick walls on the periphery surrounded the square in the centre. Between the buildings were elegant-looking magical minarets. The bright light at the top of the minarets were dancing as they communicated with each other, suggesting that the whole complex might be an energy system: it was rare to see such a massive energy supply system in this world.
Staring in awe at the square and things around it, Hao Ren found that the building materials of these structures were not the same as the ordinary Holletta buildings. The material was obviously man-made and very high-end. They were smoother than rocks, more exquisite than bricks with a layer of shimmering crystal shell on the smooth surface, giving a feeling of glaze. Hao Ren had never seen anything like this on the planet.
The designs and arrangement of the buildings reminded them of a military installation. At first glance, they had thought that they had come a fortress. However, in this completely abandoned Beinz diocese filled with cliffs and pits, there seemed to be no place for building such a military base.
Stretching her neck and looking around, Lily suddenly found that the landscape was somewhat out of place: there was not any mountains; in the mountainous Beinz area, mountains should be everywhere. She asked in surprise. "Where are the mountains?"
"Below us," said Ophra, smiling as she took them onto a circular platform beside the Crescent Square. There was railing around a hole in the centre of the platform. Hao Ren looked down and was surprised to discover that down below was the crystal pit that his orbital bombardment had created, and the place he stood was obviously flying in the air!
"Welcome to Hodithus—our aerial fortress, which The Pope and the twelve Royal Mages had personally involved in its design and construction, and it took only less than a month to get it up from the ground," said Ophra, voice full of praise. "This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen... Of course, I'm talking about manmade thing."
"Wow..." Lily was wide-eyed for a long moment before she exclaimed in awe. "Cool!"
"Is it cooler compared to yours?" Ophra laughed. "This is the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life, but I heard from Becky that there are things that are far beyond human imagination in other worlds, more magnificent miracles, and even cities that fly between the stars. Although I haven't seen them yet, I can imagine that. Compared with those things, Hodithus is too primitive."
"It's still very cool!" Lily yelped. "Magic Floating City! This name sounds like it!"
"This husky always overreacts," said Vivian, pressing Lily's head to calm her down, but she herself was in awe too. "How did you do that? I know about your magic technology... it seems your air force is still consisted of griffins and a flying magicians. The only dwarven steam-powered aircraft needs refuelling every one hundred kilometres. How could you suddenly create the Floating City?
"Thank to the pit below," Ophra pointed at the pit beneath them. "The crystals, they are magical: with just a proper handling, they can maintain a certain magical effect for a long time, so we have created a long-lasting floating stones—the shiny bricks that you see is. The "enamels" on the surface of those bricks are made of crystal dust. The entire floating fortress is made of floating stone. The hundreds of magical arrays on the outer walls keep the fortress in position and provide power. It requires a hundred higher-level magicians and thousands of magic apprentices to control. At present, we are still not very clear about the usage and battle tactics of this floating fortress, but anyway, it is already one of Holletta's symbols of power. At least I think so."
"With that crystals?" Hao Ren had never expected that the crystal mines could have been so useful. "I already knew there bound to create problems with orbital bombardment."
Ophra looked at Hao Ren. "Is leaving us these crystal mines in violation of your organisation's protocol?"
Hao Ren thought for a moment and poked at the MDT that was on his shoulder. "I remember we have not breaking any rules, have we? –According to the situation at that time."
The MDT knocked on Hao Ren's head. "Do you have to ask me about this thing? Has your employee's handbook gone to the dog?"
Lily's ears stood erect. "Nonsense, Mr. Landlord has never let me read his handbook!"
Everyone: "..."
Hao Ren blinked and said, "... well, I think it is not against the protocol. Although it seems to have affected your development, but it was done to prevent your civilisation from becoming extinct. I remember this as an exception."
What Hao Ren had not mentioned was that the invention of a magic floating city by a planetary civilisation might seem to be a major event, but probably, no one in the Space Administration would blink an eye, much less in violation of the rules…
The magic floating city of Hodeceus was occupying the sky in the Beinz area, like a monster looking down at Sacred Mountain where the cults were hiding. Meanwhile, what was the brain monster that seemed to be in a desperation was up to?