Chapter 81
The echoes of memory continue, just like with Mel's teacher; these spellcasters who once lived here left very strong traces.
In the corner sat a group of warlocks, showing off their fireballs, seemingly competing to see whose was bigger. The mage closest to them had his nose in the air and his back to the warlock. However, the witches seemed to get along well with the warlocks; several witches and sorceresses were painting each other's nails.
The light shifted again, and I saw everyone stand up, each pointing forward with different spells. After flashes of light of various colors, everything vanished into time.
Only one line of text remained at the very front of the hall:
"I will wait patiently for dawn in the darkness."
I heard my companions gasp in unison.
Goliath even knelt down on one knee before the words and bowed solemnly.
He said to the words, "Dawn has come, it's daytime."
This underground fortress dates back approximately two thousand years, to the beginning of the Age of No Light. The first to suffer were spellcasters. As the power of technology became widely recognized, mages and warlocks, who were once revered, were suppressed. Druids, who could transform themselves into animals, were even denounced by the farmers they used to care for as sorcerers who cursed the fields to reduce yields. After all, with large-scale lawnmowers and drones spraying pesticides, druids who loved to deliver cows seemed more like psychopaths.
I've read about this in history books. In fact, anyone who's gone to elementary school has been tested on these topics and been overwhelmed by the intricate names and timelines. So we all know that later these spellcasters tried to unite to resist the onslaught of technological advancements and strive to preserve their inherited knowledge, which is why magic is still effective today and the way of chivalry has never been broken.
This is the renowned Glorious Radiant Fortress held during the Dark Ages.
Chapter 81
After realizing this, I felt very angry, and Mel's reaction was a bit more exaggerated than mine; he—
"Aaaaaah! I'm going to kill someone!"
Our attention was drawn to Anna's shouting, our ears ringing, and even the unstable magical pressure emanating from Mel suddenly tightened. We saw Moli and Anna gritting their teeth, looking extremely angry.
"Any Machine Zealots who dares to hide here and do bad things, I'll chop him to pieces!" Moli's back teeth were grinding together...
But seeing Moli and Anna like this, Mel and I suddenly stopped being angry; our anger dissipated incredibly quickly.
What does it matter?
Even if modern Machine Zealots were to seize the Radiant Fortress of yesteryear and turn it into their machine shop, it wouldn't matter at all, because nothing that our forefathers hoped we would inherit has been lost—just look at the young people.
Mel touched the children's hair. The two girls pouted, put away their unladylike expressions and postures, and stood up properly.
But I really didn't expect that druids from two thousand years ago would make food so terrifying? Modern druids... Ms. Crow said that the Archdruid Milk I saw on TV was just the tip of the iceberg. They are very accomplished in processing fresh agricultural products and also run the "Miss Tree" brand cake chain, which has a daily limit and is extremely popular.
I can't believe it, the mage predecessors of yesteryear preferred to eat magical bread rolls rather than the food made by druids.
Reynold said, "According to Federation historical records, various countries have launched numerous attacks on Radiant Fortress, but organizations that protected spellcasters under the banner of Radiant Fortress remained active until the end of the Age of No Light. However, historians speculate that the original Radiant Fortress bunker probably did not last until the end."
"But we still need to be careful. Didn't they say that professional archaeological teams have come many times but haven't been able to get in smoothly?" Goliath said, standing up, bowing to the inscription again, before returning to our side.
Fortunately, the night has passed.
During the most oppressive period of the Dark Ages, records show that the Temple of Light was reduced to a single priest, a truly pitiful state. Now, even if we crash a dragon boat, we might encounter a paladin commander riding a white dragon. Perhaps our ancestors could rest easy now.
After leaving the hall, the corridor became more organized but the routes became more complex. We began to discover some remaining mechanisms and spells, but they no longer posed a threat. Some magic circles inscribed on the walls or floors were weathered and incomplete; I was worried they might short-circuit and explode if I put in even a little Magic Power. Many more magical runes were like ancient decorative paintings, serving no other purpose besides being pretty, which I found very regrettable because they were so badly damaged that even if I copied them down, I wouldn't be able to know what they did.
Some skeletons were scattered in the corridor, and it was generally clear that they belonged to spellcasters. Although their robes were mostly rotten, many of their hand bones still had rings on them.
In addition to the remains of our ancestors, we are also beginning to find traces of machinery.
Reynold picked up a severed mechanical hand, examined it for a long time, and then threw it away the moment he recognized it. Goliath caught it without hesitation. Reynold's chest heaved, as if he had experienced some major shock. However, because Reynold had been prone to overreacting lately, and given his rather tragic past, we all thought he was being too sensitive.
Then Reynold exclaimed in surprise, "The Annihilator! This is the Exterminator Prototype!"
Hmm... that sounds like a rather sophisticated term. I recalled that the term "Annihilator" seems to have been glossed over in publicly available official history, so we immediately surrounded him and waited for his explanation.
Reynold's face flushed almost imperceptibly.
"Well, it's recorded in the Federation archives that in the early stages of the campaign against the spellcasters, the archmage's towers were heavily guarded. The Silverheart Fortress, known as the 'Arcane Orb,' relied on its four mage towers to become an impenetrable barrier against the spellcasters. The army suffered heavy casualties. To reduce casualties, the now-disbanded 'International Society of Engineers' developed a machine that could track Magic Power fluctuations. After it went into mass production, the mechanical army quickly achieved successive victories, and many archmage towers could not withstand the mechanical army."
Yes, I've read that history too. I even took a test about it when I was in school. The Monastery of True Knowledge I attended was a branch of the Sanctuary of Truth, which was famous in the legendary era. It was located in the southern fortress of the Osland Federation — the Silverheart, a city known as the City of Mages. However... just like Reynold mentioned, the four iconic mage towers in the city were demolished. I also visited the modern Silverheart Fortress once during a school internship. Those four towers were reconstructed, just empty shells.
No wonder the mages were beaten so badly in the Dark Ages; it turns out their opponents used purely mechanical combat units!
This worries me a bit. Unlike cyborgs, if these machines have no biological components at all, the effects of many spells will be greatly reduced, and even Soul Magic and mental spells will be completely unusable.
"Producing this Exterminator Prototype is extremely resource-intensive and energy-consuming. After the first batch of prototypes was scrapped, countries basically didn't have enough resources to produce a second batch of improved models. Otherwise, the spellcasters might have been in an even worse situation," Reynold continued.
So the spellcasters survived for several hundred years before the knights suffered. Warriors and archers had good hiding places, and bards turned to idol singers, so the losses weren't particularly great.
As he was speaking, a sudden rumbling sound came from the wall, and the thing we thought was a relief sculpture in the corner shook off the dust and came to life.
"Wow!" Moli and Anna exclaimed, immediately grabbing Reynold and hiding behind him.
--Saying it came back to life is not very scientific; it should be said that it started up.
"The Exterminator Prototype?" Reynold exclaimed in shock. "Can this thing stay on standby for that long?"
Yes! Could mechanical technology from two thousand years ago have lasted this long?
"What kind of energy system is this?!" Moli exclaimed. "My game console only lasts eight hours on a single charge!"