Southwest of Cecil City, a massive facility stood at the junction between the Dark Mountains and the forest. Heavy walls isolated the entire complex from the outside world. Towering Magic Obelisks could be seen at every node along the walls, surrounded by sentry posts and firing platforms. Soldiers patrolled back and forth atop the walls, fully armed. One road extended from the rear of the base deep into the Dark Mountains, pointing toward Fortress of Defiance in the distance, while another stretched from the side of the base toward the dense western woods, in the direction of the Number One Dragon Rider Training Base.
This massive facility was one of several testing and processing bases under the Magic-Powered Technology Department.
Deep within the facility, a standalone office building stood inside a vast cavern carved out with the aid of the natural mountainside. The Cecil Empire's flag hung from the lofty dome along the mountain wall all the way to the ground. A middle-aged male researcher crossed the mechanical bridge connecting the isolation checkpoint and the office area, then stepped into the building beneath the gaze of the Imperial Flag.
Compared to the base's stern, oppressive atmosphere, the building's interior was brightly lit and decorated in soothing colors. Along the long main corridor, the soft light of Magic Crystal Lamps poured down from above, casting a gentle glow over the middle-aged researcher's shoulders and a bright sheen over his head.
A young female researcher approached from the opposite direction, stopped before the middle-aged man, and politely greeted him. "Good day, Leslie Think Tank."
"Miss Fanny." Marlin Leslie, who had already risen from senior researcher to "Think Tank," nodded to the young woman before him. She had only recently graduated from the Imperial Academy and been transferred here. "I just received word