l
The storm caused by the Senate's envoy temporarily subsided, but the atmosphere in the camp did not lighten much.
The "Divine King," which had yet to reveal its tracks, hung over them like the Sword of Damocles, the shadow of its existence growing heavier by the day.
Inside the command tent, Rover and Augusta dismissed their attendants to hold a crucial conversation that would determine their next course of action.
The flickering candlelight stretched their silhouettes, casting them upon the hanging military map.
Augusta's finger traced across the large, blurred area on the map where the Hunters' Camp bordered the Black Tide. Her brows furrowed tightly: "Rover, we don't have much time."
"According to reports from scout posts everywhere, the Black Tide's activity across the Hunting Grounds is climbing sharply. The level of frequency disorder is far beyond anything we've seen before. That 'Divine King'... it is frantically devouring the Black Tide's frequencies, accelerating its growth."
She looked up at Rover, her crimson eyes filled with gravity. "Our original plan was to use the 'Directional Anchor' arrays scattered across the Hunting Grounds, casting a net to capture and analyze the unique frequencies leaking into the environment that belong to the Divine King's main body. It's like identifying a one-of-a-kind 'scent'."
"But this process is too slow, and it's like finding a needle in a haystack."
She picked up a peculiarly shaped device from the desk, resembling multiple nested metal rings—the base unit of a Directional Anchor.
"By the time we collect enough clear frequencies to pinpoint its exact location, it will likely have already devoured enough Black Tide power to drown the entirety of the Seven Hills, maturing into its complete form."
Augusta's voice lowered. "By then... everything will be too late. That is why we previously had to consider Yuno's plan: using the Spine-Corroding Dragon, the 'Tyrant,' as a potent bait to stimulate it into revealing itself prematurely, even if the price was tremendous."
Rover listened in silence, his gaze falling upon the intricate Directional Anchor.
He could understand Augusta's anxiety. That sense of powerlessness—knowing a disaster was imminent yet not knowing where to strike—was like throwing a long-charged punch into cotton.
"The efficiency is too low..." he pondered. "Black Shores' technology should be able to speed up this process."
Just then, the tent flap was lifted, and a small flying projector belonging to Bu Ling floated inside.
"Boss, major discovery!" Bu Ling's image appeared from the projector. Her voice carried a trace of fatigue, but mostly excitement. "Using the wide-area Resonance monitoring equipment I brought from the Black Shores, I filtered out over ninety-five percent of the environmental interference noise!"
"Although we still can't pinpoint it exactly, the directional signal source where the Divine King's core frequency is the thickest... has been roughly locked down!"
Everyone's gazes instantly focused on her.
"Where is it?" Augusta asked urgently.
Bu Ling's projector shot out a beam of light, circling an area on the map: "The vicinity of the Town of Murmurs, maybe even further east. The signal strength in that area far exceeds anywhere else. Although it's still blurred, the direction isn't wrong!"
The Town of Murmurs—this name caused Augusta and the several veteran gladiator squad captains in the tent to slightly change their expressions.
That place, formerly known as Fabiana, was a holy land that had birthed multiple generations of Hero Kings.
But now, it was a ruin severely eroded by the Black Tide, teeming with dangerous Tacet Discords and unpredictable spatial distortions.
"The Town of Murmurs..." Augusta's face was somewhat gloomy as she muttered, her eyes turning sharper. "Is it really nesting in a place like that?"
"The good news is that the search radius has been greatly reduced," Rover spoke up, lifting the somewhat depressed atmosphere inside the tent. "Bu Ling, if we can reach the Town of Murmurs and collect the frequency at close range, how long will it take to finalize the 'Divine King's' exact location?"
Bu Ling calculated rapidly: "If we can reach the core area of the signal source, we wouldn't even need to fully enter the most dangerous zone. As long as I can collect just a little bit more... even just one or two purer samples, I can combine them with the existing data to complete a triangulation and yank it right out of the Black Tide!"
Hope reignited. Although the Town of Murmurs was fraught with danger, at least they had a clear operational objective.
Augusta immediately made a decision: "Without further ado, I will instantly organize an elite vanguard squad and personally lead them to the Town of Murmurs to execute the frequency collection mission."
She looked at Rover: "Rover, I need your strength, as well as the Black Shores' technical assistance."
"Duty-bound." Rover nodded.
The two quickly finalized the squad's roster, consisting mainly of Augusta's most trusted gladiators and guides familiar with the terrain.
When Augusta informed Yuno of the plan and requested she stay behind to hold the camp, maintain stability in the rear, and coordinate any unexpected situations, Yuno listened quietly, her face betraying little emotion.
She nodded lightly: "I understand. The Hunters' Camp needs someone to hold the fort. I will ensure this place is absolutely secure. Augusta, Rover... you two must be careful."
Her gaze lingered on Rover for a moment. In the depths of her azure eyes, a highly complex and indiscernible light flashed.
Within it was trust, and concern, but it seemed to also hide an almost imperceptible trace of resolve.
She didn't tell anyone that, deep within the Moon Bow she carried with her, a Moon Arrow capable of transforming her into a lunar phase lay quietly inside, emitting a cool, clear radiance.
Of course, Yuno believed with absolute certainty that Rover and Augusta could succeed.
But, as an Oracle who had once glimpsed the worst possible future, she had to prepare for the worst.
If... if all their efforts ultimately failed to locate the Divine King in time, if they could only watch helplessly as it grew into an invincible, complete entity...
Then, before her "existence" completely dissipated, she would still, at any cost, shoot that final arrow, forcibly dragging the Divine King into reality to buy the Seven Hills that final sliver of a chance for a decisive battle.
This was her duty as an Oracle, and also the final insurance she had chosen for herself.
The elite squad was quickly assembled.
Besides Augusta and Rover, it included over a dozen elite operatives from the Black Shores, dozens of experienced gladiators, and several veteran scouts who were extremely familiar with the terrain of the Town of Murmurs.
The group boarded modified off-road vehicles equipped with certain anti-corrosion and impact-resistant features, leaving the relatively safe bounds of the camp and driving toward the ominously shrouded land.
The closer they got to the Town of Murmurs, the more bizarre the environment became.
The sky seemed to be forever cloaked in a layer of dim, purple dusk. The air was thick with the smell of rusting metal and a foul, putrid stench that made one want to retch.
All around them, twisted black crystal clusters could be seen growing out of the cracked earth everywhere. The bodies of countless long-dead people had been eroded into twisted black or white shapes.
From within them, low, murmuring sounds resembling countless people sleep-talking seemed to emit continuously—and this was precisely how the Town of Murmurs earned its name.
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