Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 798 - 797: Poor Mental State

After disconnecting from the mind network, Gawain felt quite regretful.

Even though he had secretly stayed in the conference hall earlier, hoping to eavesdrop on the discussions of the Eternal Sleepers, things didn’t go as planned—

The Eternal Sleepers unexpectedly announced the adjournment of the meeting, and then logged off one by one.

But upon reflection, he could only express understanding—such a significant decision requires anyone to calm down and think clearly before making up their mind. Besides, he had just startled everyone in the meeting as a "Wanderer from Outer Realm." Even if the Archbishops of the Eternal Sleepers were psychologically resilient, continuing the discussion in the same venue would inevitably leave some psychological shadow. Temporarily adjourning to stabilize emotions, adjust states, and check venue safety (though this last one might not have much effect) were all normal.

Additionally, Gawain suspected the impact of Archbishop Magnan’s vigorous mental storm was not minor—the returning Archbishops after the adjournment probably have about a third going off to recuperate, and Archbishop Yuri definitely needs to rest and recover since he seemed not in great spirits during the latter half of the meeting...

The brief dizziness soon faded, and Gawain exhaled deeply, letting the familiar ceiling and room decor clear up in his vision.

It was already late night.

A layer of tranquil night enveloped the room, with gentle starlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows indoors. The brass ornament lampstand nearby, the desk, and the wood grid on the wall bathed in starlight seemed hazy in the dim ambiance, everything appearing quiet and peaceful.

Only faint breathing sounds came from a corner of the room.

The power of the shadows gathered in that corner as though swallowing the starlight, forming a still darkness. Gawain glanced over there, vaguely seeing Amber reclining comfortably in an armchair, sleeping serenely under the shadow magic layers.

"Claiming to be the Chosen of the Night..." Gawain couldn’t help murmuring softly, "Sometimes I really suspect if this ’chosen one’ is true... But where is the ’divine’ aura in this guy’s presence?"

He murmured softly and yet startled the "sharply perceptive" Amber, with the dark corner instantly cleared of shadows, a petite figure appearing in the once-empty chair, with a pair of amber eyes glancing over in the dusk: "Hey! You’re awake now? Thought you’d sleep the whole night!"

"Ended sooner than expected," Gawain nodded, "What time is it now... never mind asking you wouldn’t know, you slept more soundly than me."

"Just past midnight—I have a sharp sense of time," Amber casually remarked while rising to switch on the magic crystal lamps, their radiant yet not dazzling light from several small wall lamps quickly dispelling the room’s dim calm and breaking the quiet starlight, "How’re things ’over there’?"

Gawain pondered, smiling subtly with a shake of his head: "...Many things happened, I’ll explain slowly."

Upon hearing this, Amber waved and strode toward the door: "Then explain slowly—I’ll first find the night attendant to get something from the kitchen, you haven’t had dinner yet. Saying this, I’m hungry too... Whew, slept half a day, truly tiring..."

Gawain: "..."

The night attendant soon brought some light snacks, and Gawain recounted his experiences in the mind network to Amber.

Of course, he deliberately downplayed some of his rather "mischievous" maneuvers—not that he worried those actions would impact his image in Amber’s eyes since hardly anyone in her view had a normal image, mainly he knew Amber well enough that once those maneuvers were revealed, her attention would surely be grabbed instantly, making it hard to bring the conversation back on track for at least half an hour...

After hearing Gawain’s account, Amber was stunned for several seconds.

"That group of Eternal Sleepers... really stirred things up..." the half-elf lady widened her eyes, "Did they actually let part of that thing seep from Sandbox One? This is truly..."

While speaking, she couldn’t help but lament: "If you had stepped in sooner, maybe the situation wouldn’t be so bad, since you always come up with some weird ways to solve problems. But now it’s too late to say this."

Her words seemed to carry blind trust in Gawain, having no solid evidence yet already assuming that Gawain’s early intervention could solve the crisis in Sandbox One. Gawain didn’t point this out, just shook his head: "On the other hand, it was precisely because circumstances developed to this extent that the Eternal Sleepers had no choice but to consider seeking my help, opting for this near self-abandonment plan, which provided me the chance to integrate them."

Upon hearing this, Amber suddenly showed a skeptical expression, giving Gawain a strange glance: "...Speaking of which, did you deliberately wait for the situation to worsen like this, intentionally letting the circumstances become unavoidable? Just to create such a chance to absorb the Eternal Sleepers?"

The more Amber thought about it, the more likely she found it—she knew Gawain too well. Though known as the "Lord of Knights," his skills in the "scheming" domain were more terrifying, to shape and seize opportunities, using momentum to determine major agendas, these were his forte. He used similar methods to dismantle Lu An City from within, and similarly completed the transition from Anzu Kingdom to Cecil Empire. If he wished... how difficult can it be to overturn an Eternal Sleepers’ cult?

However, she quickly shook her head, denying before Gawain replied: "No, it doesn’t align with your principles, there’re potential irrelevant sacrifices and risks beyond control."

Gawain watched Amber for a long while, then smiled.

"This situation is indeed worth leveraging for me, but it’s not something I actively pushed forward," he said, "Ultimately, seeking risk seems the traditional art of the dark sects, impossible to stop."

Thinking of the Three Great Dark Sects, Amber felt a bit regretful: "On second thought, it’s unfortunate. Their starting point was good yet they veered off the wrong path, striving for seven hundred years only to meet this ending..."

Gawain slightly shook his head: "But their efforts were not meaningless, at least they tried a path and accumulated valuable technical records. At least from a technical accomplishment perspective, what they worked hard to gather will not be buried."

After a few seconds of silence, Amber suddenly broke it: "How do you plan to deal with Sandbox One?"

"A specific plan awaits until I personally explore Sandbox One and contact the Supreme Narrator’s powers, but now we can prepare some groundwork," Gawain thought slowly saying, "Tomorrow, go fetch Tiel for me, I have something for her to assist with...

"Besides, we can only wait for the Eternal Sleepers to send news. Regardless of my planned strategies, the prerequisite is their willingness to cooperate. If I estimate correctly, it shouldn’t take long—since they’re more eager than us."

...

Yuri Charlvin had rested in the underground palace’s room for a long time before slightly recovering. He emerged from the array marked with numerous mysterious magic symbols, possessing calming mental, correcting mindset, and filtering thought pollution extraordinary effects, noticing Selena Gerfen’s figure already standing not far away.

"How’s your condition?" the woman holding the portable lamp spoke faintly.

"...Recovered seventy to eighty percent, to recover this much in a short time is already good," Archbishop Yuri smiled wryly, "Magnan guy... I reminded him earlier, engraving mental storm as emergency protective spell within subconscious is utterly absurd, it’s bound to cause trouble. Now he finally learns the lesson..."

Selena’s tone was calm: "A mental storm crashing onto others, he won’t be the one to learn the lesson."

"..." Yuri went silent for a moment, then helplessly shook his head, "Fair point. So, Archbishop Selena, are you here to preemptively disclose something to me?"

"Establishing cooperation with Wanderers from Outer Realm is the only option."

Archbishop Yuri paused silently: "...Already decided?"

"Already decided."

"Including the conditions proposed by the Wanderers from Outer Realm?"

"Including them."

"... I’m afraid some people won’t agree," Yuri said in a low voice after a moment of contemplation, "The cult has developed to this point, it’s become more complicated and inflated than ever before. Even among bishops, not everyone is focused on scholarship and research..."

Selena looked into Yuri’s eyes and slowly said, "They are followers of the Supreme Narrator."

Yuri’s eyes widened, but he only heard her repeat again:

"They are followers of the Supreme Narrator."

After a few seconds of astonishment and swirling thoughts, the archbishop, who hailed from a Typhon aristocratic family and had witnessed many power reshuffles and disturbances in Aldernon from a young age, suddenly realized something.

"... Some people should have been on the list long ago, right?"

"Earlier than you think."

Looking at the lady in front of him, who always wore a gentle and serene expression and seemed harmless, Yuri couldn’t help but laugh: "It’s really like the Wanderers from Outer Realm said... They have actually brought us an opportunity."

"Yuri, this is internal purification, not for the sake of His Holiness the Pope’s personal desires, nor for anyone’s status, but for the future of all of us," Selena said quietly, "I hope you understand this."

"Yes," Yuri nodded slowly, "Internal purification... is just purification. But is this really the right time? We are facing the threat of the Supreme Narrator..."

"If what we are facing is a god, then the last thing we need is ’more people’."

"... I understand."

Selena nodded, "It’s good that you understand."

After two seconds of silence in the air, Yuri asked, "How is Archbishop Wendy’s condition?"

"The mental contamination has been contained, but she is still a devout follower of the Supreme Narrator. It’s uncertain when she will completely free herself from this state. You can visit her, but don’t stay too long."

As soon as the words fell, Selena’s figure dissolved into the air like a dream.

Yuri stood in place for a while, then stepped out of the room.

He walked through the deep, long corridor, down the sloped path blocked by layers of restrictions, and reached the lowest floor of this underground palace, arriving at the independent area housing the Psychic Choir.

With two assistant priests accompanying him, he entered the separate room of Spirit Singer Wendy.

The beautiful and haggard lady was sitting quietly in the room, leaning against a pillar in the corner, staring blankly at the wall opposite her.

Yuri’s arrival caught her attention, and the psychic singer turned her head, showing a faint smile, "Good day, Archbishop Yuri."

"Can you think freely now?"

"Sometimes I can regain clarity, sometimes, and it feels awful," Wendy said slowly, then suddenly noticed Yuri’s expression, "Hmm? Yuri, your mental state doesn’t look very good, what happened?"

"... Many things have happened, but it’s not suitable to tell you right now," Yuri sighed, "Perhaps once you’ve rid yourself of the contamination from the Supreme Narrator, you’ll be shocked by the new situation."

"Oh? Are you also interested in the Supreme Narrator?" Wendy’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she smiled, "Then, sir, allow me to take up a bit of your time to introduce you to our all-knowing and omnipotent Lord, in the world..."

Yuri’s mouth twitched, and he stepped back half a step, signaling to his assistant beside him with a hand gesture: "Say no more, inject."

...

As the brilliant sunshine once again illuminated the rooftops and wide streets of Cecil Castle, the city quickly awoke from its peaceful slumber.

Gawain hadn’t slept enough last night, yet still appeared full of energy.

According to the scheduled itinerary, he arrived at the Autumn Palace to meet with envoys from Typhon, including Princess Matilda.

Upon seeing the black-haired, black-skirted Matilda, he immediately noticed something unusual about her —

She seemed somewhat fatigued, a hint of daze in her expression. Although cleverly concealed with delicate makeup, traces of bloodshot eyes and even faint dark circles were still apparent.

This caught Gawain by surprise.

"Not adjusting to the environment here?" he asked with some paternal concern, "You don’t look in good spirits..."

"I apologize for showing you an unseemly side," Matilda tried her best to smile, endeavoring to dispel the symbols and numbers swirling in her mind like mental pollution, "I was reading last night... Perhaps for too long, I lost track of time."

"Liking to read is a good thing, but you must still take care of your health," Gawain chuckled, "Well? Will it affect today’s schedule?"

"Don’t worry, I am somewhat a powerful swordsman, a slight adjustment will be fine, today’s schedule won’t be affected," Matilda replied, "Everything is as you arranged."

"That’s good, then according to the plan, I will personally take you all to visit our Imperial Academy — this is the most important part of preparing for the student exchange program.

"We will start with the Mathematics Department of the School of Magic Guide Technology, which is the foundation of many advanced technologies..."