Chapter 77 (continued)
The magical fighter jets fly incredibly fast, and at low altitudes. No matter how well we mages fly, we can't compare to machines specifically designed for flying. Otherwise, the latest advancements in Magitech would be far too vulnerable.
In addition, we were interrupted earlier, so we landed on the ground for the time being. The terrain here is quite messy. If it were the plains where the Federation is located, it would be much easier to find people. If it weren't for the open terrain, my second teacher wouldn't have gone to such lengths to dig a bunker as a mage tower to hide his illegal activities.
While it's true that a mage's tower doesn't necessarily have to be a tall tower, people generally prefer traditional designs. Tall towers are the culmination of the shared aesthetics of generations of mages over the years, while unconventional mage bunkers are a far cry from ideal. That's why I don't feel bad about burning it down. I'd rather live in the research institute's assigned apartments for the rest of my life than return to a tunnel crawling with spiders and skeletons. If it had been a magnificent tower, I might have had to reconsider.
"Wow!" Moli and Anna exclaimed again. Before I could scold them, they switched their phones to projection mode and started playing the video.
Forehead...
It's Reynold video.
Although the kidnapper had escaped using his own methods (which softened Mel's attitude towards Reynold considerably), the kidnappers remained remarkably calm, showing no sign that Reynold had escaped, and were even "live-streaming" their torture of Reynold to the world.
The man in the video is standing next to us, his face contorted in pain, much like when he was lashing out at the Five-Star Old Man. If you put his secretaries in front of him, you'd probably hear them all crying in unison. Reynold is gripping his phone, frantically texting and then furiously tapping the screen with his finger, as if he were a kidnapper.
Then, he smashed his phone with great force, and I thought he was about to make a vow to quit his phone addiction.
"There's no way to contact the Federation; this place is probably in a signal jamming zone." Reynold's expression was ferocious.
... Then don't smash your phone! Does your money grow on trees?
Well, speaking of which, I haven't asked the president of the Federal Magic Council how much he earns a month, but I guess it's much more than my three thousand dollars, otherwise he wouldn't be able to live in such a big house and live alone.
"Our esteemed Speaker of the Federation is in good spirits today." The kidnapper in the video greeted him in a seemingly professional manner. Reynold was still tied to the familiar frame in the video. He was extremely pale and soaking wet with his own cold sweat. He didn't look any drier than when we pulled him out of the water.
Then, with practiced ease, he stabbed Reynold in the shoulder. This time, Reynold in the video didn't even struggle violently; he just trembled uncontrollably. Reynold next to us instinctively flinched, as if recalling the pain of recording the video through the screen.
Reynold suddenly lunged forward to pick up the phone, then realized the signal was blocked, and in a fit of anger, smashed the innocent phone again.
He said, "I remember now, I was in so much pain that my mind was completely confused, I was so focused on running away that I forgot about the important things!"
Important things?
Our attention shifted from the video of the thugs torturing Reynold to the real Reynold, leaving only Moli and Anna staring intently at the video, unwilling to give up.
Reynold gasped for breath, his face even worse than when he was being tortured in the video. I instinctively wanted to check his vital signs, but Goliath cast a holy light on him first.
Reynold nodded his thanks, then said, "When this video was filmed, the enemy... the enemy was torturing me. They tortured me, trying to get me to reveal the design of the Northern Cross Barrier!"
What is that?
Mel and I were completely baffled. The Northern Cross? That's a story made up by bards. There's no such star in the real sky. It's an ancient fairy tale from the legendary era, and an inspirational one at that. It's about how our ancestors, when faced with some insurmountable disaster, would place their hopes on magical powers, saying that the Northern Cross would light up when disaster struck, becoming humanity's last protector, and that those chosen by the star would become warriors... If I were twenty years younger, I would love this story.
"The Northern Cross Barrier is the magical defensive barrier of the capital of the Osland Federation," Goliath suddenly told us. "About a thousand years ago, our ancestors chose this name, which has a beautiful meaning in fairy tales. It was at the end of the Age of Darkness. Relying on this defensive system, the mages recalled by the Federation and the priests of the Temple joined forces to resist the final blow from the Machine Zealots, restoring order and beginning a new era. Since then, the Federation has been responsible for perfecting this defensive barrier through the Magic Council, generation after generation. Today, it is rarely mentioned, but it is always in effect."
"So powerful?" Mel and I couldn't help but feel awe. The hardships of the Dark Ages were unimaginable to us. Back when I was in the dungeon, whenever I couldn't hold on any longer, I would imagine, "What if this were the Dark Ages... and I could still learn magic, I could still live, and I could still pursue knowledge? What would I have to fear then!"
Reynold added, "Flying is prohibited in the Federation capital, and the use of Black Magic in private is forbidden, but do you think the Federation uses road surveillance cameras to detect whether you are using prohibited powers?"
Oh, not through surveillance cameras? I knew it, magical surveillance cameras don't have that kind of power.
Moli looked at me in alarm—we were speeding once when we were released from prison! Could it have been detected by the capital's defenses?
"... Speeding still relies on road surveillance cameras to detect it..." Reynold said weakly.
Because his tone seemed to carry a heavy sense of despair, our expressions changed simultaneously. Even Anna, who was engrossed in the video, turned her head. The elf's pair of pointed ears stood up very high. Mel and I couldn't resist pinching one ear each. Anna immediately reached out to cover them, but then, remembering that we were teachers after all, she reluctantly lowered her hands, stiffening her neck as we pinched them.
"Teacher, thank goodness I'm a dark elf. If I were a nature elf, pinching ears would mean proposing marriage!" Anna rolled her eyes mischievously.
"When your pamphlets were confiscated last time, you even claimed it was human custom," Mel criticized. "And that time when your novel was adapted into a TV series, and your editor contacted me to ask if you were an adult, didn't you stand there shouting that you were over eighteen and could decide for yourself to sign the contract?"
Anna looked deflated.
Ahem, sorry, we've gone off-topic again.
Reynold wore a look of impending doom, Goliath, playing along, became serious and asked, "So, you withstood the torture, didn't you?"
Speaking of this, Reynold blushed, nodded, and added, "It's a very complex system, even if I can't handle it... um... I didn't memorize it."
... Tsk, could this be considered one of the benefits of over-reliance on computers? We breathed a sigh of relief, but I don't understand, if Reynold didn't say anything, why was he so grief-stricken just now?
He glared at me, and I glared back at him. Luckily, Reynold turned his face away, otherwise I was afraid Mel would have turned him into an alpaca again.
Honestly, I have no idea what the defensive barrier of Holy Light City is, because Lusien's Shield of the New Star has kept the capital's security too good lately.
Reynold said that this system, perfected over hundreds of years, makes the Federation capital, Holy Light City, impregnable, with its defenses covering the main city area and the hills where the main hall of the Temple of Light is located.
"The Northern Cross is no longer just a defensive barrier; it serves many other specific functions," Reynold said. "Now that the main energy center incorporates Magitech, the magical energy supply throughout the Federation can be centrally managed through the central capital, and..."
It's complicated; I can't understand it at all.
I now understand why my classmates used to sleep in class.
Reynold's detailed explanation only left Mel and Mel confused. Anna and Moli weren't focusing on that at all; only Goliath seemed to be following along, and we automatically ignored his dragon plaster. To be honest, neither of us really understood the importance of this barrier. I felt that Lusien's Shield of the New Star was already quite powerful. As for magical energy, that might be important, but aren't there various energy companies? Unified control and all that is unnecessary except in momentous historical events, right?