Chapter 409: The Astrologist's Platform
Chapter 409: The Astrologist's Platform
In the grand hall of the Rhine Province, Tide Bay, a tall figure stood with his back to the door, gazing out towards the sea. It was none other than the Tide Sword Saint, Leon.
He stared at the dark clouds gathering over the ocean, deep in thought.
As one of the few guardians of the entire empire who rarely stayed in the Imperial Capital Tamriel, Leon was stationed in the southern Rhine Province. His responsibilities included deterring the Sea God Cult and guarding a secret realm known as the 'Tide Whirlpool', a task of great importance.
Suddenly, Sword Saint Leon spoke up, "Lambert, is that you? Come in."
A muscular, burly swordsman with a two-meter-long greatsword slung over his shoulder entered the room and approached Leon, stopping about ten meters away. He bowed and said, "Master, I'd like to go to the Imperial Capital."
"Oh? Did the Dram Family summon you?"
"It's not just about the favor I owe the Dram Family. I heard that Karl also lost to them, and I feel that if I were to fight them, it might help me break through my current limits."
"So, I hope you'll grant me permission to go." As he spoke, Lambert knelt on one knee.
"Hmm, are you sure about this?"
"I am!"
"How many shadows can you create with your Shadow Clone Slash?"
"Eight shadows!"
"Good! I approve of your request." Sword Saint Leon nodded in agreement.
"Thank you, Master," Lambert said, his face filled with joy. He stood up and bowed again.
In the study of Raine Manor in the Imperial Capital Tamriel, Claire approached Raine with a slightly solemn expression. "Raine, I've gathered some information about the Dragon Scale Brotherhood," she said.
"Oh? So soon, and you didn't expose yourself?" Raine immediately stood up from behind his desk and gestured for Claire to sit with him on the long sofa.
Two days ago, Raine and Claire had met.
Raine had asked Claire to gather information about the Dragon Scale Brotherhood and the conservative noble faction. Although Raine, as a Platinum Swordmaster, had access to the intelligence within the Imperial Swordmaster System, his duties limited most of the information to external affairs.
The Dragon Scale Brotherhood, a secret organization led by the Second Prince, was a sensitive topic to inquire about through the Swordmaster's intelligence system.
While there might be some information about the Dragon Scale Brotherhood within the Swordmaster ranks, Raine didn't want to expose his investigation.
So, when Raine met Claire, an idea came to his mind.
He decided to have Claire use her connections within the Imperial Academy to gather the necessary information.
The Imperial Academy was not to be underestimated. It was a melting pot of various circles, including the children of progressive and conservative nobles, royalty, high nobles, and even a few exceptionally talented lower nobles and commoners.
These circles often overlapped, making Claire, as the daughter of an hereditary count, well-connected and informed.
"No, I've been asking around discreetly. I brought it up casually during parties and salons with some old friends," Claire explained.
"This method is safe, but the information I get is quite general," she added, sitting next to Raine and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"It's enough," Raine assured her.
"I found out that several students from the Imperial Academy have joined the Dragon Scale Brotherhood. When I asked a friend to look into it, I learned that these students' strengths have been increasing at an incredible rate after joining the brotherhood."
"Their growth is almost on par with yours," she said, looking at Raine with her beautiful eyes.
"Is it just their strength that's improving?" Raine asked.
"Yes, and there's something strange that I heard about one of them. A student with the Blue Dragon Heritage recently underwent a transformation in his bloodline during a random battle. His dragonkin form, which initially had a light blue hue, has now turned blue-black."
"What's even more peculiar is that his close combat abilities seem to have increased significantly, but his control over the frost power of the Blue Dragon Heritage doesn't seem to have improved much."
"This is indeed an odd situation."
"At least, in common sense, this is unlikely to happen."
"Generally, the offspring of the Blue Dragon Bloodline will have deeper and deeper scales when they transform after enhancing their strength. Usually, it goes from light blue to blue and then to deep blue."
"At the same time, their control over the Frost Power also becomes stronger and stronger." Claire continued.
"Oh? Could it be a random mutation?" Ren's face showed contemplation.
After all, he himself was in this situation, and the system also displayed it as a 'Mutated Dragon Bloodline'.
"It's probably not a coincidence, because I also learned about the other two, and they have similar mutations. So, I guess there's a problem with this Dragon Scale Brotherhood." Claire shook her head and said.
"I see." Ren nodded.
The probability of all three having mutations was too high, and there was definitely something wrong.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning crossed Ren's mind.
Could it be because of the potion?
It seemed that the 'Dragon Vein Evolution Potion' Buchanan gave him last time was indeed problematic.
"Ren, if the Second Prince asks you to join, you should find a reason to refuse." At this point, Claire's pretty face turned solemn, and she said earnestly.
"Yeah, I've already declined." Ren nodded.
"That's good."
Suddenly, Claire smiled and said, "Ren, it's been a long time since we last sparred in Meister. How about we have a match?"
Hmm?
Upon hearing Claire's words, Ren was slightly taken aback, and then he laughed and said, "Of course."
Ever since Claire's bloodline awakened, her strength had been increasing rapidly. However, she had also heard about Ren's outstanding performance in the Imperial City, and she secretly wanted to witness it for herself.
The two of them quickly arrived at the training room.
"Ren, I'm ready to begin."
"Okay."
Claire drew the two-handed greatsword from behind her back and held it diagonally in her hands.
From the starting stance, Ren noticed that Claire was still using Arcadia Swordsmanship.
"Whoosh!"
As Claire's long and elastic legs pushed off the ground, her entire body shot forward like an arrow, rushing towards Ren. The greatsword slashed through a silver light, cutting diagonally from top to bottom at a forty-five-degree angle.
"Slap!"
Facing Claire's swift strike, Ren simply raised his hand and casually clapped, deflecting the greatsword's blade to the side.
Instantly, a look of surprise flashed through Claire's beautiful eyes.
She had thought Ren might dodge, retreat, or cast a magic defense, but she hadn't expected that Ren would so effortlessly neutralize her strike, which was at seventy percent of her full strength.
However, Claire's follow-up reaction was also swift.
Since the greatsword's blade had been deflected, she quickly adjusted her steps, regained her momentum, and transformed her strike into a sweep, aiming for Ren's waist.
And this time, the result was even more astonishing to Claire!
Ren's right hand was like a venomous snake spitting its fangs, and he quickly grabbed Claire's greatsword blade, entering the blade with his bare hand.
Of course, facing Claire, Ren naturally held back and didn't use his metal deformation spell to destroy the weapon.
"Claire, your strength has improved, good job."
"But you didn't use your full strength, did you?" Ren said as he released his hand.
"Your strength..." Claire's eyes widened, and she was momentarily dazed.
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Although she had heard that Ren's strength seemed to have greatly improved, hearing and seeing it for herself were two different things.
After their actual confrontation, Claire could better understand Ren's terror.
She remembered that back in Shiny Gold Town, she only needed to exert two or three percent of her strength to easily defeat Ren, who had just learned the Breath Technique.
But in the county city, she was no longer Ren's match.
However, at that time, it could still be considered an even match, at least when it came to a duel between two-handed greatswords.
But now?
Ren could effortlessly defeat her with just his bare hands, and what's more, with just one hand!
Moreover, the crucial point was that Claire's strength wasn't stagnant; it had also skyrocketed after her bloodline awakened. Yet, the gap between them seemed to be widening.
However, Claire also had her pride. Even if she couldn't defeat Ren with her bare hands, she couldn't let him defeat her with just one hand, could she?
"Ren, I'm going to use my bloodline talent." Claire's eyes turned stern as she spoke.
"Okay."
Ren immediately sensed that his previous victory with just one hand seemed to be hard for Claire to accept.
Claire's hands gripped her double-handed greatsword, emitting a dense white Force light. Simultaneously, deep cyan air currents swirled around her long, slender legs.
"Swoosh!"
Claire slightly bent her knees, tapped her toes, and vanished from her original position, reappearing before Ren in the next instant.
Ren, on the other hand, continued to fight with one hand, but this time, his right hand was covered in a layer of hardened essence.
"Clang! Clang! Ding!"
Ren stood his ground, parrying Claire's slashes, chops, and sweeps from various angles with a single hand. Sparks flew everywhere! However, a hint of surprise still flashed in Ren's eyes.
Claire's speed had increased by fifty percent, and in her current state, she was already approaching the strength of a Quasi-Legendary.
Seeing this, it was evident that Claire's strength was improving at a remarkable pace.
"Blade Storm!" Claire shouted, unleashing the advanced secret technique of Arcadia Swordsmanship with all her might.
In an instant, several whirlwinds appeared in the arena, and Claire spun like a top, her greatsword sending waves of force in all directions.
Ren paused for a moment, then smiled and cast a Second Level Defensive Spell on himself.
"Iron Armor Spell!"
As Ren's body was enveloped in a dark silver metallic film, a series of clanging sounds of metal striking metal rang out, resembling the intense forging in a blacksmith's workshop.
Claire's greatsword blade slashed against the shield emitting a rich metallic luster, causing no damage but instead numbing Claire's wrist with the rebound.
This caused Claire to halt her Blade Storm, her beautiful eyes widening in shock as she stared at Ren, saying:
"This... is a Second Level Metal Spell?"
"You're already a Second Rank Liquid Wizard?"
Claire was well aware of Ren's growth trajectory.
In just over a year, starting from scratch, he had become a Second Rank Liquid Wizard in a little over a year?
Not even the bards would dare to write such a tale!
"Indeed, but Claire, your strength has also improved rapidly. You're already approaching the Quasi-Legendary level," Ren smiled and nodded.
He intended to gradually reveal his prowess as a wizard.
If he were to suddenly display the power of a Tier 3 Crystal Mage, it might be too overwhelming.
"Compared to you, I feel like my strength has regressed," Claire shook her head.
"By the way, Ren, who is this Anna you mentioned?"
For a moment, Ren was taken aback.
"Er..."
At the same time, in the Swordmaster Headquarters, in General Augustus' office.
"What's the current situation with the various cult organizations?" General Augustus asked solemnly.
"They're very active, but we believe this is just a front to draw the Empire's powerful individuals away from the Imperial City," Major Tatiya replied crisply.
"We've noticed that many of the cult's Legendary Powerhouses have disappeared from multiple provinces. We suspect they might have already arrived near Tamriel in the Imperial City."
"That aligns with our predictions. Their target is likely the Dragon Valley Secret Realm as well," General Augustus nodded.
"Enhance the screening process. After the preliminary results, conduct a second background check on the candidates."
Although these candidates had already undergone two background checks before the trial, General Augustus remained unconvinced.
The damage caused by an insider could sometimes far exceed that of an external enemy.
"Yes, sir."
"How are the preparations at the Astrologist's Platform coming along?" General Augustus asked again.
"Everything is in order, sir. We've reinforced the platform with four defensive spell arrays. For aerial defense, the Royal Griffin Guard will deploy two entire squadrons to protect the platform."
"Additionally, the military has also dispatched an airship squadron for assistance."
"As for ground defense, it's heavily fortified with the military elite, the Imperial Guard, and us Swordmasters, forming three lines of defense."
"By then, the Astrologist's Platform will have a defense second only to the Imperial Palace," Major Tatiya reported.
"Excellent," General Augustus nodded.
As the command center for this operation, the defense of the Astrologist's Platform was of utmost importance, especially with Marshal Alfred leading the mission.
(End of Chapter)
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