"Warning! Warning! The Weave at coordinates 12540,03780 is under external intrusion!"
Just as the anomaly erupted in Water-Drawing City, alarms were likewise blaring throughout the Netheril Magic Ship deep underground, more than sixty kilometers north of the Gershon City ruins. Beneath the flashing dark-red signal lights, magic researchers worked with grave expressions. And the most conspicuous sound among them was, as ever, Fischer's Red Dragon-like bellow:
"What the hell is going on? Report immediately!"
"The cause of the malfunction is still under investigation!"
"Report, team leader! The Weave centered on Water-Drawing City is undergoing violent fluctuations. The link signal has been cut off. We are stabilizing the magical energy harmonics!"
Battle Nun Commander Aierlinni is leading a griffin squad to investigate!"
"Can we force-restart the Icarus mainframe?"
"The mainframe is still being transferred from the Zelandia ruins to the ship's backup Database Zero! The short-term risks of doing so cannot be assessed! Request denied!"
"Fuck!" Fischer slammed his staff against the floor, veins bulging across his face, with the distinct feeling of having strength but nowhere to use it.
Honestly, he was pretty dumbfounded himself. In all his life, this was the first time he had heard that the Weave could actually be invaded.
Well, perhaps not the first time.
Legend had it that when Karsus, Netheril's magic technology director, had tried to usurp the Goddess of Magic's divine office, he had also done this on the side. The result was that he blew himself up on the spot—and took down the five-thousand-year-old Netherese Empire with him.
Could someone be following Karsus's example, planning to seize the position of Goddess of Magic from beneath the backside of his daughter Anna, who had not even warmed the seat yet?
How the fuck could he tolerate that!
He did not care about