Chapter 547 Operation “Melting Point”
Agatha looked somewhat agitated, pacing back and forth in front of the mahogany table. “So, according to you, the Divine Will Imprint can penetrate the God's Punishment Stone because its magical power is stronger? And the Chaos Beast's modification of the God's Stone is essentially reducing its magical power, thereby turning it into a specific magic stone?”
“That's what I think.”
“No, that's not right…” She suddenly stopped. “If the Void of Lightless was really caused by excessively high magical power, then why doesn't this happen to witches?”
“Witches?” Roland asked, puzzled.
“Anna!” Agatha pondered. “The magical power in her body can activate the Divine Will Imprint twice. Logically, its intensity should be higher than that of the God's Punishment Stone. But Blackfire cannot penetrate the interference of the God's Stone, and there is no magic-forbidden area around her. This doesn't make sense…”
“Uh…” He was speechless for a moment. This question was indeed unexplainable. Even the lowest quality God's Punishment Stone could easily interrupt the effectiveness of a witch's ability, even Anna's Blackfire. Moreover, in the Misty World, Anna's magical power was like a cube condensed from metal, almost tangible, which seemed far removed from the Void of Lightless.
“There's another question: why do magic stones need to be charged with magical power to take effect?” Agatha continued. “Even if their magical power has been reduced, they should still contain a lot of magical power. But in reality, mortals can't manipulate them at all. Magic stones also can't be used as a source of magical power through the witch's special transfer ability. The Exploration Society has already verified this.” She paused. “The instructor believes that only life can accommodate magical power. Lifeless matter will be ruthlessly abandoned by magical power. Witches and demon's blood are proof of this. Most researchers agree with this view. Although I don't mind overturning this conclusion, magic stones are no different from ordinary gems before they are injected with magical power or form an imprint.”
Roland fell silent. It seemed that the hypothesis about magical power intensity was indeed not very appropriate. However, magical power lightning like Blackfire was too similar to the God's Stone. There should be some kind of connection between them… What exactly was he still overlooking?
Unfortunately, this era simply lacked reliable observation and analysis methods. The perception and recording of magical power had to rely on the abilities of witches or the Balanced Magic Stone. The magical power characteristics obtained were only the most general expressions, making it difficult to conduct further research.
After thinking for a long time without any results, he had no choice but to put the matter aside for now, hoping to find an answer in the subsequent imprint creation.
……
Three days later, Operation “Melting Point” completed a series of preparations. Roland personally saw off the departing personnel in the dock area.
This was the first large-scale mixed military operation led by witches. There were a total of two ships, carrying only the most elite veterans of the First Army, with Brian as their captain—they had accompanied Roland on the city walls, fought against evil beasts, and had a deep respect and trust for the lord. During the screening, they were repeatedly told that they might face an extremely ferocious alien, even stronger than hybrid evil beasts. Anyone who didn't want to participate in the mission could speak up, but no one retreated. Their answers also passed Nightingale's review.
Even so, letting these hundred men face the enemy was still a last resort. Although their will was reliable, Roland would never dare to overestimate the fear of gods and demons from the bottom of the hearts of people in this era. He had experienced the bombardment of all kinds of film and television works, and he wouldn't find it rare to see even the most hideous and terrifying monsters. However, for these ordinary people, it would probably be an unforgettable nightmare.
Therefore, the carefully selected soldiers would set up defenses on the riverbank two or three kilometers away from the action site, and would not directly participate in the hunt. Unless an accident occurred and the witches had to retreat, they would be responsible for the blocking task.
The members of the witch team were Anna, Nightingale, Wendy, Leaf, Agatha, Sylvie, Iffi, Lightning, and Maggie. It could be said that they were the most powerful lineup in Neverwinter City at present. According to Agatha, even if a Hell Lord came, they might not be able to escape alive.
“Protect yourselves, safety is the most important thing,” Roland said solemnly. “Even if the mission is not completed, it doesn't matter. I will be waiting for you to come back in the castle.”
Anna stepped forward and hugged him. “Don't worry, I'm here.”
“Me too, Your Majesty.”
“Goo!”
The little girl and the pigeon also snuggled up to him.
Finally, everyone except Agatha and Iffi hugged Roland.
The former snorted disdainfully and muttered, “It's just a simple hunt, not a farewell to life and death. If Taqila dawdled like this every time they went on an expedition, the demons would have built outposts to the city gates long ago.”
The latter was shocked. This was the first time she had seen such a “casual” order—it didn't matter if the mission wasn't completed, as long as they came back safe? His Majesty's requirements for witches were too relaxed, wasn't that encouraging them to shrink back? She knew that in Bloodfang Association, she had faced every attack with the determination to fight to the death, and indeed several combat witches had unfortunately died at the hands of the enemy over the years. After all, those who failed to complete the tasks assigned by their masters would be severely punished, and even regarded as worthless waste by everyone. But from the mouth of Roland Wimbledon, she heard a completely different story.
Neither beasts nor lambs, this… is this the choice of “people”?
……
The paddle steamer sounded its whistle, and thick smoke billowed from the chimney. The ship slowly left the dock and sailed towards the center of the river.
Suddenly, Roland felt a pair of invisible hands holding his face—the touch was cold and soft.
“When I'm not around, remember to protect yourself and don't leave the castle casually,” a familiar whisper sounded in his ear. “I'll be back soon.”
Then, he felt a gentle touch on his lips.
Slightly sweet, and a little moist, completely opposite to the feeling on his face—it was warm.
This touch came and went quickly, as if it were his own illusion. Roland came back to his senses and stretched out his hand to explore forward, but there was nothing around him.
*******************
The speed of a steamship was much slower than that of a balloon flight. It took nearly two days to reach the end of the Scarletwater River.
Looking at the towering, cloud-piercing snow-capped mountains, the group couldn't help but be attracted by the magnificent scene before them. The melting speed of snow in the mountains was much slower than in the forest. The snow that had accumulated for several months poured down from the peaks and was divided into several streams by protruding rocks. From a distance, they looked like silver threads, slender and fragile, but when you got closer, you would find that each silver thread was as wide as the river surface, making a dull thunderous sound as it fell into the lake at the foot of the mountain.
Obviously, the Scarletwater River was just one outlet of this lake. Otherwise, such a surging amount of water would be enough to make the river surface swell and flood.
After resting for a night, the hydrogen balloon was quickly inflated and lifted off, and the fleet retreated three kilometers as planned to build a interception defense line along the river.
Operation “Melting Point” officially began.