NOVPUBChapter 1107: 350. Disguised Seller
Whatever made Morster have a hard time was bound to involve Death Magic.
Noland Lee took the second file bag and poured out the reports from it, seeing a dozen or so scene images recorded in black-and-white photographs.
In these images appeared magical runes composed of Undead language, which in turn formed a three-dimensional magic array on the walls, floor, and ceiling.
These magic arrays were dim and colorless, resembling dried ink, evidently having lost their extraordinary effects.
They were found in the hidden chamber where the defectors had stayed. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
By the time Division Intelligence Unit Two discovered these magic arrays, the defectors had already fled to the territory of the Undead Cult.
...
Generally speaking, when wizards create magic arrays that they plan to reuse, they choose to engrave the magical runes onto a Magic Chain.
Doing so not only facilitates portability but also allows for the continuous recharging of the magic array.
Like the ones in the photograph that are directly inscribed onto the wall, these are disposable magic arrays that would be discarded after their use.
That is to say, investigators can’t simply recharge the magic array to figure out its specific effect.
This undoubtedly added a great deal of burden to the investigation work of Division Intelligence Unit Two.
But within the Empire, there are entities other than Division Intelligence Unit Two and Three.
“What does the Earth Vein Pillar think of these magic arrays?” Noland Lee asked.
Morster waved his hand dismissively:
“Ah, let’s not even start. The Earth Vein Pillar has no interest in getting involved with anything related to the Emperor. They know it’s a quagmire and have always steered clear. After I showed them these photographs, only my current mentor responded.”
Morster flicked off some ash from his cigarette:
“He said, the language of the Undead on the magic arrays differs from what they found inside the Grave Vault. If the language within the Grave Vault can be seen as characters the ordinary Undead can listen to, speak, read, and write, then the characters related to the defectors are advanced characters within the language of the Undead.”
“Advanced characters…”
Noland Lee looked at the Undead language on the photos.
Both the deconstruction result of the Deconstruction Technique and his own understanding of ‘Undead Language Studies’ were telling him that he couldn’t understand the characters on the photos.
The conjecture of Morster’s mentor was likely credible.
“This is the official language of ‘Ghost City of the Dead World,’ Mortal Language.”
The Assassin Angel spoke in Noland Lee’s mind:
“‘Ghost City of the Dead World’ is an alien undead force wielding firearms. Behind it is the Plane Core called ‘Death Steel.’ It seems that the Tatis region’s Undead Cult has already made contact with the ‘Ghost City of the Dead World’ from Outer Space.”
“Then what’s the function of these magic arrays?”
Noland Lee asked.
The Assassin Angel replied:
“They are used to communicate with ‘Ghost City of the Dead World.’
Noland Lee nodded to himself silently, now he knew what was going on:
“If the Undead Cult wants to make the Emperor’s children willingly defect to them, they have to show them prospects much broader than the Empire. Therefore, the Undead Cult provided these magic arrays that could contact ‘Ghost City of the Dead World’ to the defectors, allowing them to witness the strength of the alien Undead forces. Is that correct?”
“Correct answer.” The Assassin Angel said.
Noland Lee snapped back to reality and asked Morster:
“Have the professors from the Hottams Death Academy looked through these photos yet?”
Morster spread his hands:
“They have. But, they are also clueless. To crack an unknown language, cooperation from a speaker of that language is indispensable. Before we catch an Undead competent in this advanced Undead language, it’s unlikely we will decipher it.”
“Have you sought help from any sorcerer with ‘Language Proficiency’?” Noland Lee continued to inquire.
Morster nodded and with a hint of regret said:
“We have, but the results were not quite satisfactory. The language masters of the Ulnas Circle, having reviewed it, said the magic arrays were severely damaged and the texts were indecipherable.”
Noland Lee stroked his chin thoughtfully.
It seemed he and the Assassin Angel were among the very few who could understand the purpose of the magic array.
Working through Division Intelligence Unit Two to investigate the opening location of the “Steel Forest of the Dead World” pollution zone might not have as significant an effect as Noland Lee had thought.
To really understand the condition of this pollution zone, one would have to enter the territories of the Undead Cult.
“How is the battle situation at the front line lately?” Noland Lee asked.
Morster used the [Mage’s Hand] to push a sand table from the corner of the wall, remotely using a pointer to indicate flags on the table:
“After the Earth Vein Pillar were posted within the Empire, we’ve pushed the front westward by more than 150 kilometers. The current battle zone is to the west of the former Land of Suffering, which is the Wormwood Forest. It’s a hill area with very complicated terrain, and while there are fewer tombs, each one is deeply hidden.”
The pointer swept over the sand table and came to rest deep in the western hill area, pointing to a region riddled with ravines.
Morster continued:
“The main camp of the Undead Cult is located deep inside the Wormwood Forest. It’s known as the Vortex Mountains. You should be familiar with that name. The royal court of the Ancient Tatis Dynasty was located there.”
Upon saying this, Morster sighed:
“You must have noticed as well. The living space of the Undead Cult has actually been greatly reduced. If the sorcerers of the Earth Vein Pillar make an extra effort, we could totally eradicate the Undead from this land. Unfortunately, due to the Chief Sorcerers of the Wizard Council needing to research the Undead Cult for an extended period, we won’t be seeing the hope of eradicating the Undead Cult anytime soon.”
