Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 1217: Chapter 1216: Records of the Grand Library

The red velvet room at the top of the Dim Court fell silent, with Prince Nash and Benadette in the mirror both seeming to ponder their own matters. After an unknown amount of time, Prince Nash, shrouded in a black robe, tall and lean, broke the silence first: ”It’s just the two of us here, so honestly—do you think I’m a qualified manager?”

”You shouldn’t ask me this—You know, I was programmed to be eternally loyal and trusting of Violet’s management from the moment of my creation. I will not question your decisions, nor will I wonder about the workings of Violet Kingdom,” Benadette’s expression became serious. She stood gracefully in the mirror, answering Nash Narte’s questions meticulously as she did on the day she first awoke, ”This is the foundation of my existence.”

”Being programmed with a lifetime goal from the moment of creation... in this regard, we’re quite similar,” Prince Nash listened to the mirror’s answer and suddenly displayed a self-mocking smile, ”We were born into this world, and from the start, our identities and responsibilities were set—farmer, merchant, craftsman, scholar, aristocrat, warrior... and then me as this ’Mystics Prince.’ You’ve got a point; there’s no need for us to wonder about Violet’s operations. It’s a meticulously crafted machine, with its operational rules set from the very beginning, and as parts within this machine, we merely rotate in our designated spots.”

Today, Prince Nash seemed more melancholic than usual; Benadette in the mirror merely looked at him quietly, her gaze devoid of surprise. This was quite normal, as today was ”Prayer Day,” and the sleeping master releases His breath from dreams, listening to and responding to the voices of the people. During this day, when the master is closest to the real world, those ”Chosen Ones” closest to the master inevitably feel influenced, becoming either melancholic or suspicious, perhaps even hearing or seeing things not of this world. Compared to those who remain in a daze for several days, Prince Nash’s reaction was relatively mild.

She quietly awaited Prince Nash to return to normalcy, then saw him walk towards the desk with a curved surface. He picked up an already opened letter from the desk, studying its contents with a serious and contemplative expression, which triggered Benadette’s curiosity: ”A letter? You’ve been looking at that letter for quite a while now, which isn’t usual... Where’s it from?”

”From the Cecil Empire,” Prince Nash raised the letter in his hand, ”a giant within the alliance.”

”Is it a letter from a diplomat? It’s not the first time,” Benadette blinked, ”You haven’t seemed this attentive to ones before.”

”Because this time the letter was personally written by Gawain Cecil,” Prince Nash’s expression turned solemn; he spoke while slowly placing the letter back on the desk, ”It seems... that energetic and far-sighted human ruler finally has time to focus more on us, and he’s curious about our closed national gates.”

Benadette finally showed surprise, attempting to peer into the letter’s contents—a failure, of course, so she could only ask, ”What did that resurrected human pioneer write?”

”Apart from formal greetings and topics about inviting us to join the surrounding continent routes, he also mentioned... the issue of Loren Continent mages traveling in Violet Kingdom,” Prince Nash said with a peculiar expression, ”Initially, I thought he was referring to those mages apprenticing in the City of Thousand Towers, but it seems that’s not the case. He means ordinary travelers; he’s inquiring whether Violet Kingdom is open to allowing these wandering mages into the City of Thousand Towers... It’s odd to me.”

”...Why does he suddenly care about this?” Benadette furrowed her brow. ”And speaking of traveling mages... Violet Kingdom’s heartland has always been closed to outsiders; it’s no secret. As a sovereign ruler, why would he personally inquire about this?”

”He did not express it explicitly in the letter, but it reminded me of the messages our spies sent back recently from Northport and Bitter Winter County,” Prince Nash stated calmly, ”The spies reported that the Wilder Clan in Loren North suddenly started investigating some very ancient records. In certain more public information, they saw the name ’Modir Wilde’...”

Benadette slightly furrowed her brow: ”Modir Wilde... Seems familiar? Wait... Let me check the library.”

As the Tower Spirit of the Dim Court and the librarian of the ”Great Library,” Benadette holds most of Violet Kingdom’s ”memory.” She knows what the mages traveling outside know and understands the history and endless secrets within this country. Almost as soon as she finished speaking, this powerful artificial soul already found the name Modir Wilde in the Great Library.

”Found... A person from six hundred years ago, once the master of the Wilder Clan—but more than a human aristocrat, he seemed more enthusiastic about adventuring and traveling,” within the mirror, the space behind Benadette transformed into a vast library stacked densely with countless bookshelves and ancient volumes. She manifested a large book (decorative) in her hands, pretending to read the text while nodding, ”Records show he even tried to find Gawain Cecil’s secret routes and seek the origin of the silver elves... Let me see what’s written at the end of the records, ah, here—

”This Great Adventurer disappeared during his last adventure, records show he briefly appeared in the north of Moss Woods during his final journey and continued heading north. That was the last trace he left in the world... His disappearance caused quite a stir in Anzu, with the Wilder Clan and Anzu’s royal family mobilizing half the country to find their Duke, a search that nearly covered the entire Northern Continent... Of course, they found nothing. And the ambitious scale of that operation drew the attention of spies as well, with related data sent back to Violet Kingdom.”

Benadette finished speaking, closed the book, and the Great Library behind her returned to its original room form. She nodded to Prince Nash before the mirror: ”That’s all the data. Looks like the Cecil Clan suspects that their long-missing Great Adventurer ’traveled’ to our side.”

Prince Nash’s brow remained furrowed, becoming even tighter, his expression increasingly confused: ”Then I understand even less—a person who disappeared six hundred years ago, why does the Cecil Clan suddenly decide to search for his clues now? And shift their search target to us?”

Benadette pondered carefully and replied seriously: ”Because they’re slow to react?”

Prince Nash: ”...I’m not joking.”

Seeing Nash’s solemn and serious expression, Benadette in the mirror set aside her joking tone. After brief contemplation, she broke the silence: ”It seems the matter didn’t end with the disappearance of Great Adventurer Modir—today, something new might have occurred, significant enough to prompt direct inquiry from the Cecil Empire’s ruler...”

”Something new... another resurrection?” Prince Nash spoke with a flat, casual tone; however, his gaze was more serious than before. After momentary hesitation, he couldn’t resist confirming with the mirror, ”Search your library—did the human Mage named Modir actually visit Violet? The Cecil Clan values this matter significantly; they wouldn’t make hasty decisions on such an issue...”

”When I was ’joking’ with you earlier, I’d already checked, Nash,” Benadette shook her head and said somewhat regretfully, ”Unfortunately, that Great Adventurer never came here back then—you should know, no one can hide from my eyes when approaching the depths of the Violet Kingdom. Under the gaze of the ’Eye of the Night,’ everything in the City of Thousand Towers and its surrounding area is recorded in the myriad scrolls of the Great Library.”

”No one can hide from the gaze of the Eye of the Night...” Prince Nash mumbled softly, then took a step from the desk to the bay window at the end of the room. Through the pure crystal glass, he gazed down at the City of Thousand Towers, and then beyond the ancient and layered city below, over the high walls of the City of Thousand Towers, toward the seemingly endless and lush forest outside.

In the depths of the Violet Kingdom, there are no roads connecting cities, and the City of Thousand Towers is surrounded by dense forest without a single gap. Each area is filled with forests and fog that are impossible to traverse or pass through. For outsiders who haven’t been invited, even if they have some sort of ability to discern a path through the forest and mist, they could never cross those barriers to reach the City of Thousand Towers.

Because the ”path” simply doesn’t exist—within the real ”visual field,” those spaces between cities are filled with enormous voids that cannot be crossed from the real world; the so-called forests and fog are merely curtains generated to cover those voids, like scenic backdrops and barriers on a theatrical stage, concealing the rotating gears and mechanisms below.

How could any ”human traveling mage” possibly pass through those forests and mists, and become lost inside the City of Thousand Towers?

Prince Nash shook his head with a smile, pacing back to the desk. In the mirror, Benadette asked curiously, ”What are you up to?”

”Basic etiquette and respect are necessary, I must first write a reply letter,” Prince Nash said casually as he reached for the paper and pen next to him. He hesitated for a moment, then added, ”Besides, I’ve decided to accept part of that ’alliance’s’ invitation and let the outer cities of the Violet Kingdom join the continent-spanning trade route as ’autonomous trade cities.’”

Benadette’s face immediately showed a hint of surprise: ”Haven’t you never been interested in that continental trade route?”

”Who said I’m not?” Nash raised an eyebrow, ”I’m just not interested in their so-called ’trade,’ but I’ve always been very interested in the changes in the Loren Continent’s situation. Moreover, our master just ordered us to maintain involvement with the Loren Continent; at this moment, allowing part of the outer cities to join the continent-traversing route evidently has ample reason.”

...

The twilight sunlight slanted into the study lined with a blue velvet carpet; the sunshine sparked bright highlights on a metal ornament at the desk’s edge. Gawain paused from reviewing documents, looked up at Amber standing opposite him: ”Judging by the time, Victoria should be nearing the Eternal Storm Region by now, right?”

”Probably, since she flew directly there; much faster than by ship,” Amber said casually, her eyes darting as a mischievous expression crossed her face, ”Hey, hey, what do you think that ice-cold face will show when she sees her ancestor? Assuming that Modir is really Modir Vealt from six hundred years ago...”

”I wouldn’t know, and I’m not interested in guessing. All I know is that Victoria is a calm person, she wouldn’t go around knocking on ancient sarcophagi like you do,” Gawain glanced at the half-elf, then changed the subject, ”Any updates on the ’door’ project?”

”Everything is proceeding in an orderly fashion, progress is swift,” Amber replied immediately, ”The energy part we’re responsible for employs mature technology, and with Kamel personally supervising, it basically just requires systematic completion of facility construction. As for the Typhon Empire’s side... their ’door opening’ technology seems quite mature too; many portal components are prefabricated products already assembled domestically, just shipped to Winterhold Castle for installation. According to Kamel, the Typhon Empire appears highly confident about this, and they’ve presented ample sincerity and work enthusiasm...”

”Their technology should already be advanced,” Gawain chuckled, nodded, ”After all, the Augustus Clan gained direct knowledge from the Eye of God, probably even snatched up the blueprints too. If it weren’t for the fundamental energy part being impractical to bypass, they probably wouldn’t even need our help to open the door themselves.”

”That’s true, given they have ready-made...” Amber nodded but was interrupted with a look of astonishment at the study’s window, ”Ah, why are they here?”

Before she finished speaking, Gawain already sensed a presence, turning his head towards the large bay window. The two figures, similar in size to puppies, clumsily flew in from the direction of the embassy street—two blue hatchling dragons with beautiful fine scales and bright eyes. After an awkward deceleration process, they crashed toward the small platform outside the window, Gawain only managed a startled ”Ah!” before hearing two consecutive ”bangs,” one hatchling hit the window frame, the other onto the platform.

If it were humans, they’d be at least second-degree disabled.

However, the two hatchlings quickly recovered from their brief dizziness, tumbling and crawling upright, shuffled before the glass, first staring at Amber and Gawain inside the room with wide eyes, then simultaneously raised their heads to begin banging the window panes with their hard noses.

”Ah, how did these little ones come again... and just in a few days, they managed to fly all the way from the embassy?” Gawain murmured in surprise, immediately realizing the fragile window wouldn’t withstand the hatchlings’ mischief, rushed to open the window, ”Ah, stop, stop, stop hitting, stop hitting, let me open the window for you...”

Amber watched with wide eyes, suddenly reacting: ”Hey! When it comes to using the window like us, why are you treating them differently than me! And didn’t you set a barrier for all the windows before? Why is it gone?”