Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 342 - 341: Revival Month

Watching Kamel disassemble and display the key magic symbol structures within the coronet in mid-air, Gawain showed a rather interested expression: "With this thing, can we unlock the mysteries of communication technology?"

"At the very least, it can bring us quite close, and if we don’t delve into the deeper secrets, it’s enough to create a practical communication device," Kamel replied cheerfully. "This coronet includes all the necessary arrays — structures for converting information into Magic Shock, emitting that Magic Shock outward, and receiving incoming information, among others. However, we still have some problems to solve... The cost of this coronet is very high, and its structure is extremely complex. The human mind involves an incredibly vast amount of information, and to transmit it steadily, this coronet is imbued with middle-ranked mental spells... I think we don’t need to go that far."

Gawain understood what Kamel meant, and it’s something he often emphasized himself: industrial products should adhere to the principles of practicality and sufficiency, especially mass-produced goods distributed to ordinary soldiers, workers, etc. As long as they meet the usage requirements, they’re considered qualified products. Does the communication device being developed by the Cecil Clan need to transmit human consciousness in its entirety?

At least for now, it’s not necessary. Gawain’s requirement was just the most basic communication platform; as long as it could transmit voice, or even just Morse code, it would be acceptable.

Therefore, a lot of the complex structures in this coronet could be omitted.

"The mass production of communication devices and the project to unlock the mind network’s mysteries should proceed simultaneously—one aimed at practical low-end use and the other as cutting-edge research," Gawain concluded. "Additionally, have you discovered anything recently regarding the relationship between the natural magic-pervasive environment and the magical power field produced by the Obelisk?"

"That’s exactly what I was preparing to report to you," Kamel’s tone became serious immediately. "After discovering that oscillating magic can propagate through a magical power field, I connected it to the process of communication spells transmitting information in the natural environment. I share your opinion that the ’primitive magic environment’ in nature is likely a kind of magical power field—a field that appears disordered, chaotic, and randomly oscillating. Based on this hypothesis, I conducted an experiment a few days ago..."

Gawain nodded: "Go on."

"I set up an array at the highest point in the Dark Mountain Range—there, it’s far above the ground, allowing us to avoid interference from surface organisms and magical devices to the greatest extent. After that, I placed numerous symbols around the array for shielding and filtering, to filter out various noise waves from the natural environment as well. During the observation over the following days, I discovered a very brief but regular tremor..."

"Regular tremor?" Gawain’s curiosity was piqued, and he immediately inquired further.

"Yes, it lasted less than a second, and it was observed only once," Kamel nodded. "I can’t draw any conclusions at the moment, but I believe our logic is sound... The ’primitive magic environment’ in nature should indeed be an immensely vast magical power field, enveloping our entire world and constantly oscillating. However, the way this magical power field oscillates is extremely complex, and it contains a lot of interference—all things in the world have magic. Even the magic materials used to create the observation array are sources of interference, so it’s almost impossible to determine the complete patterns of the magical power field in nature. But in that less-than-one-second regular tremor, we can still boldly hypothesize the existence of this magical power field..."

"Interference..." Gawain muttered, repeating the most significant word from Kamel’s statement.

The discoveries so far matched what he had suspected—magic possessed a wave-like nature, and the "primitive magic environment" in nature was an immensely vast magical power field. So-called magic is likely various energy transfer phenomena produced by oscillating magic in this field...

This is an extremely tentative model, a hypothesis severely lacking empirical evidence. From a scientifically reasonable perspective, it cannot yet be regarded as a "scientific viewpoint." Nevertheless, it is, to date, the explanation Gawain finds most plausible regarding the magic of this world.

Gawain knew that the process of proving a hypothesis must be exceedingly rigorous; without sufficient data and empirical evidence, no matter how flawless a hypothesis appeared, it couldn’t be regarded as "fact." Kamel knew this too, which is why the ancient Master Mage repeatedly used terms like "bold hypothesis" when discussing his experimental conclusions. However, obtaining further experimental results... given current conditions, is obviously difficult to achieve.

The interference from the experimental observation device itself, the ubiquitous interference in nature—how could these be resolved?

Gawain was momentarily lost in thought, but soon noticed out of the corner of his eye that Pittman had left Patty’s side, prompting him to set aside his many concerns for the moment and nod to the old Druid: "How is everything?"

"If you’re hoping for her limbs to grow back and restore her health, I’m afraid that’s impossible," Pittman stated frankly and bluntly. "The child’s limbs have been gone for many years, and she has no magical talent of her own. Blood and flesh regeneration spells can’t make her regrow her hands and feet—unless you’re considering using the Oblivion Association’s kind of sorcery that relies on devouring others’ flesh to remold the body, which might offer a sliver of possibility. That’s beyond my capability. If you’re interested, you could consider finding an evil cult follower..."

Lady Ropeney’s face changed colors on the spot, but Gawain interrupted the little old man before he could finish: "No more impractical suggestions; let’s talk feasible options."

"A feasible option is that I can at least control the decay of her organs and the necrosis of her tissues," Pittman said with a smug lift of his lips. "The child’s wounds have never healed; some parts of her flesh keep undergoing necrosis and regeneration, mainly because her life force has been disrupted, and harmful magic has infiltrated her central nervous system. I have a way to isolate this harmful magic."

Lady Ropeney had remained quietly to the side while Gawain and Kamel discussed matters, but when the conversation turned to her daughter’s situation, she could no longer stay silent: "To what extent can she improve?"

"You won’t need to worry about her condition worsening due to infection. Her external wounds can heal, and her physical strength will improve—afterward, she can at least dress normally," Pittman replied.

"That’s already far better than I imagined," Ropeney showed a trace of joy on her face. Wearing a heartfelt smile, she bowed to Pittman, "Thank you immensely for your help, esteemed master."

Pittman immediately beamed with a smile, stroking his beard as he presented a modest yet graceful smile: "Completing the mission assigned by the leader is the most basic duty of an adviser—of course, I wouldn’t mind if you praised me a bit more..."

Luo Peini: "?"

"Ahem," Gawain, upon seeing this old man starting to get carried away again, quickly coughed twice to interrupt him, "How long will the treatment take?"

"Hmm... This might be quite a prolonged process," Pittman glanced at Gawain’s arm, which was thicker than Pittman’s thigh, quickly adjusting his expression back to seriousness, "The child’s body can’t withstand too much magical stimulation, and the dosage of the Magic Potion also needs to be controlled—I can perform an elemental purification ritual on her periodically, and once the situation stabilizes, I can have my apprentice administer the medication."

As he spoke, he looked toward Gawain—such a matter requiring frequent travel between the two territories evidently needed the leader’s consent.

Gawain pondered slightly: The Gran Territory would be an ally to Cecil, and Patty herself was an important stepping stone for him to understand and probe the Eternal Sleepers. Both sentiment and reason dictated that they should help, but Pittman was not only a Druid but also the highest authority on alchemical industry and agricultural adviser on the territory. With winter coming to an end and matters of spring planting on the horizon after the Revival Month, and the territory’s Alchemy Factory also considering expansion... Could Pittman afford to leave at this time?

However, after brief consideration, he nodded: "You can go—but arrange the matters of spring plowing and factory expansion properly."

"Certainly," Pittman smiled, "That isn’t too big of a problem for me."

After Lady Ropeney went to check on Patty’s condition and there were no others around, Gawain looked at Pittman with a playful smile: "Your ritual magic certainly works well, huh."

The little old man chuckled: "Ritual magic is, after all, my specialty."

"However, elemental purification and filtering harmful magic... doesn’t seem like a technique a low-ranked Druid would master," Gawain said indifferently, "Could it be that you’ve also happened to dabble in shamanic spells?"

"At this age, it’s normal to learn a few more crafts." Pittman said casually.

"...What’s the point of mentioning age in front of me?" Gawain waved his hand slightly, ending the topic nonchalantly, with no further inquiry.

Pittman merely watched silently as Gawain turned and left. After a long while, the old Druid shook his head lightly, with a hint of a smile on his face.

Three days later, Gawain and others left the ancient castle of the Gran Family, returning to Cecil.

This was the last day of this winter.

The cold northern wind no longer carried the piercing chill; high in the night sky, the "Reef Star" and "Trident Throne" subtly shifted positions. The change in wind and stars heralded the arrival of the Revival Month.

And as the Revival Month arrived, a message began to spread across the eastern region of Anzu and the Plains of the Holy Spirits. Initially, only the itinerant merchants and adventurers were spreading some ominous and unfounded rumors, but soon, more accurate and reliable information began to emerge from the mouths of the aristocratic grooms and chefs—

The magic communication towers on the border between Anzu and Typhon had been reactivated.

The King was preparing for peace talks with the Typhon Emperor.

But for Gawain, more than this news, which he had anticipated all along, another event made him want to celebrate.

On this still chilly spring day, a baby was born on the land of Cecil Clan.

From the time the first wooden stake was driven into this developing new region, from the time the survivors lit the first campfire here, nearly a year’s time had passed. Over ten thousand people had moved into this land, not counting the recently incorporated Kant’s Domain. This was the first newborn to be born on this land.