Before the current crisis could be resolved, another thorny issue emerged, causing Aglaea to sigh inwardly. She first explained to Perseus the information she had gathered during her investigation: the origins of the pollution and methods to resist it.
Perseus said, "So, as long as our soldiers maintain proper defenses and avoid direct contact with these monsters, they should be safe. With careful measures, that should be manageable. However, prohibiting Wizards from using Summon Magic..."
He paused, his expression troubled. We know our own people best, he thought. A complete ban is utterly impossible; this order would never be enforced in this nation.
Yet now that they understood the cause of the pollution but lacked the means to prevent it, Perseus felt even more helpless. Are we doomed to stand by and watch the pollution erupt randomly across the All Nations Alliance like some twisted lottery?
After a moment's contemplation, Aglaea offered, "If you don't mind, I could help monitor the entire Alliance's movements. I can spread my Golden Threads across every corner of this nation, allowing me to detect pollution outbreaks instantly."
In truth, this was an unprecedented and daunting task for Aglaea. Before this, she had only ever extended her Golden Thread to cover a single city, such as Okhema. But the All Nations Alliance spanned an area over a hundred times larger than Okhema, making this an absolutely monumental undertaking.
Yet it was perhaps the best available solution. The moment pollution emerged anywhere, Aglaea could immediately alert the Alliance's high command, allowing them to react swiftly and contain the threat in its earliest stages.
Perseus paused for a moment, then declared firmly, "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures! I'm confident the other Councilors will approve this decision. Even if they don't, I'll do everything in my power to persuade them!"
With those words, Perseus immediately departed to contact the other Councilors, while Aglaea remained in place, silently gazing at the distant city. Soon, she spotted a golden figure flying rapidly back—Lucas, who had clearly finished investigating the other location.
However, since the source of the pollution lay on Aglaea's side, Lucas would inevitably return empty-handed.
Lucas had just begun to say, "Sorry—" when Aglaea cut him off. "The investigation mission is over. Your commission is complete."
Lucas froze. "Huh?"
While it might seem like Lucas had done nothing on this mission, he had actually contributed something: he had pieced together a bulletin board from the minced flesh, which was how Aglaea had uncovered the truth.
But just for that one act, the investigation was over, and he was getting double the reward? Lucas was completely bewildered. This is way too easy, isn't it?
He quickly lowered his head and said, "Is there anything else I can help you with, Lady Aglaea? If you need anything, I, Lucas, will not hesitate to assist!"
In fact, Lucas planned to donate his entire reward to the "Goddess of Romance" as soon as he received it. He didn't mention it now because he considered it a minor detail, not worth bringing up.
But how to make the offering was a problem. Aglaea didn't seem to have a Church or Priests. Should I seek out that Okhema place?
As Lucas pondered this, he awaited Aglaea's reply. After a moment's thought, she said, "For now, just follow me."
After all, this Master Hand, a Rogue's Divine Artifact capable of doing almost anything, was truly remarkable. Perhaps it would prove useful later on.
Perseus soon returned and announced, "The other Councilors have approved your proposal."
Aglaea nodded slowly, then closed her eyes and began weaving a massive network of Golden Threads.
Due to the immense scale of the network, the number of Golden Threads allocated to each city, town, and village inevitably decreased. Moreover, as Aglaea wove her web, Okhema's World Wide Web began to lag noticeably.
However, in return, a complete 'vision' of the All Nations Alliance gradually materialized in her mind: smiling faces, troubled faces, good people, bad people—every minute detail of the nation. Yet these weren't Aglaea's primary focus. She swiftly shifted her gaze south, pinpointing the fallen city the soldiers had just reported.
At such a great distance, the Golden Threads could neither attack nor defend; they served merely as her "eyes." Yet this alone was sufficient. Sometimes, having full map vision was an incredibly powerful advantage.
Aglaea began discussing the Alliance's future offensive plans with Perseus.
-
The perspective shifted to the Dragon Ember Empire. Since Tribios had never been to this country before, the Century Gate had opened in the empire's capital.
Stepping through the golden portal, Mydei gazed upon a vast expanse of golden wheat fields and fell into a brief silence.
Hmm, as mentioned earlier, Tribios hadn't been here before, so the Century Gate seems to have made a slight miscalculation.
Just as Mydei was contemplating his next move, he looked up and saw a large formation of wyverns soaring directly overhead. Each wyvern carried a soldier on its back—one of the empire's elite units and a rare aerial force in this world.
The Wyvern Riders.
The unit appeared fresh and spirited, showing no signs of recent combat. This likely meant they had just set out. Mydei glanced in the direction they had come from, reasoning that the nearest city must lie that way.
While pondering this, Mydei immediately set off in that direction. Regardless, I need to find a city, find some people, and ask about the situation.
Crimson divine power flared across his skin like crimson lightning, propelling him forward in a ground-hugging flight. This wasn't just a figure of speech—he could actually fly.