From Prisoner to Si Chen..

Chapter 415 War begins

The "Philosopher's Stone" transformed into an amorphous form and merged into Gilan's body with pure, scarlet, perfect energy, intertwining with his spirituality.

Gillan raised his hands.

He looked down at his palm.

The pair of intricate alchemical marks were glowing a faint scarlet light, flickering as if they could breathe.

"Teacher, I feel it..."

Ji Lan spoke in a deep voice.

"The immense power of the Philosopher's Stone surges within me, ready for me to call upon at any time."

"This is the beauty of the 'Secret Mark of the Sage'."

Pala smiled.

"You could also say that the 'Secret Mark of the Sage' was designed by me specifically for the 'Philosopher's Stone'. The two complement each other and neither is indispensable."

Gillan nodded, secretly admiring.

Originally, in this world, neither the "Philosopher's Stone" nor the "Sage's Secret Mark" existed.

However, Para Celsus, relying on his profound knowledge and experience, gradually transformed both from theory and fantasy into reality.

This move can be regarded as a feat for the entire alchemy world... no, it should be said that it is a feat for the entire mysterious field.

But in today's era, few people know about it.

Perhaps in the outside world's perception, Para Celsus is the most outstanding master of mysticism and alchemist of the last century, or even of the present time.

But no one would have imagined that his true abilities and research results would far exceed people's imagination.

"Gillen."

At this time, Pala said again.

But his voice lowered a little and became more serious.

"The war has begun..."

"Huh?" Ji Lan was startled.

He realized something and frowned.

"Have Bremen and Owena officially started fighting?"

"Yes." Pala nodded and leaned back in the chair.

He held the cup in both hands, looking far away at the bright and beautiful sky. The clouds in the Chessboard Manor were white and drifting leisurely. A breeze blew past, rustling the grass around the master and apprentice.

"The first wave of battles began yesterday morning... The Federation sent out nine legions, totaling more than 100,000 troops, to attack the northeastern and southeastern borders in two directions."

"The 'steel wall fortress' built under the leadership of General Reggie Mesa finally played a role, hindering the enemy's actions and forcing them to divert."

"The Empire has also made strategic deployments and blocked the Federation at the border..."

Pala said, shaking her head.

"But this is just the beginning. Both sides are still in the exploratory stage."

"Aircraft, artillery, tanks and other new equipment will be sent to the battlefield, gradually intensifying the intensity... Fortunately, with the help of the 'Mechanics Union', the Empire's weapons are no longer inferior to those of the Federation, and may even be superior."

Jilan listened silently and felt that the impact of this unprecedented battle might be greater than he had imagined.

The two overlords are serious about this and will never give up until a winner is determined.

"The fight between the Bu'ao countries is actually the confrontation between the Sichens, a manifestation in the material world..."

Pala shook her head and sighed.

"There's only one thing we can do, and that's win!"

Immediately, he whispered to Jilan:
"Jilan, the Führer has given you a new mission."

"Teacher, please speak."

"The war has begun. The Empire needs you to serve as Foreign Minister again and go on a diplomatic mission to other countries."

Paradao.

Hearing this, Jilan was not too surprised, because looking at the situation, he was mentally prepared.

Owena is a great enemy.

If Bremen wants to win this war, its own strength is one aspect, but on the other hand, if it can win over allies, its chances of winning will naturally be greater.

"Do you need me to go to Stuttgart?"

Gillan thought for a moment and asked.

Pala nodded and said bluntly:
"That's right. Among the three overlords, only the Stuttgart Empire, which is still neutral, has enough power to be the biggest weight on the scale."

"Even if we can't win them over, at least we can't let them stand on the side of the Federation."

"I understand, teacher."

Jilan looked thoughtful and nodded.

"When to set off?"

"Just in the next few days," Pala said. "I have sent a document to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asking them to prepare."

"Also, this mission to Stuttgart is different from Fosaka. After all, the national strength of the two countries is completely on a different level... You need to be careful."

Pala looked solemn.

"It just so happens that the war between Austria and China has begun. The Stuttgart royal family must be aware of the purpose of your mission."

"The storm is coming, and the undercurrent is surging. There is no guarantee that there won't be a third party intervening and interfering."

"I understand, teacher," said Gilan.

...

...

As Bu-Ao officially declared war and the war got serious, all major media outlets in the empire rushed to report on it.

The latest war developments were published on the headlines of almost every newspaper for several days in a row.

"…The situation on the border suddenly changed. The Alliance tried to break through the defense line and attack alone, but was met with a fierce counterattack from the Empire! Heavy casualties!"

"On the evening of March 1927, 3, the Allied Forces launched an unprecedented offensive and successfully broke through the first line of defense in Kawozhou. The situation in the southeast took a sharp turn for the worse. Fortunately, the Imperial Army was well prepared and had learned from the lessons of the last bombing raid. They set a trap in advance, catching the Allied Forces off guard."

"According to frontline reporters, the Allied Forces used a new tactic to bypass the defense line with a rapid assault by armored divisions and mobile infantry. However, these were just traps pretending to be strong walls. In fact, a large number of minefields had already been set up."

"In the Great Forest, the Alliance's airships penetrated the 'Steel Wall' like no one was there, trying to recreate the bombing. The Imperial Army, under the leadership of General Reggie Mesa, had already deployed 'air nets' and 'floating torpedoes', causing great damage to the Alliance's airships."

"Under the Imperial Army's superior position and artillery support, the Allied Forces suffered repeated setbacks..."

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Sifang Palace has made speeches one after another, calling on the entire empire to unite and fight against the eastern invaders. At the same time, other allies, including Fosaka, have also expressed their willingness to provide necessary military assistance to support the empire in defeating the alliance."

"As the war spreads, the lives of the people of the Empire will be severely affected. Many border towns have been severely damaged, and thousands of residents have been forced to leave their homes and seek safety."

"This is a warning, but also a blood feud!"

"This newspaper will continue to follow the development of the war and provide the public with the latest information in a timely manner. At this difficult time, let us pray for the soldiers on the front line and hope that peace will come soon."

Wow.

Gillan closed his copy of the Valerian Times.

He rubbed his temple gently.

Bang bang, bang bang...

The rhythmic sound of the train running came to his ears. The warm wind blew in from the open window, lifting his long hair.

Three days have passed since the "Philosopher's Stone" was created.

Gillan has led a delegation on a mission to Stuttgart.

Currently, everyone was taking a special outbound train to the western region's central commercial town, Bickburg. As this was his second time leading a delegation, Jilan already had experience, and the journey was very smooth.

It is worth mentioning that there are many familiar faces among the members of the envoy group. Among them, the female secretary Lanis and the assistant Moody are still accompanying Gillan.

Because of his last successful visit, Moody was promoted after returning home and is currently the Chief Counselor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a position second only to the Deputy Minister.

But in front of Jilan, his attitude was still humble and respectful. In addition, this person was able to read people's expressions and was very efficient in doing things, so Jilan was willing to continue to lead him.

"Lenise." Gilan turned her head and called.

With brisk footsteps, the woman in black stockings and uniform and glasses quickly crossed the aisle and came to his seat from the back.

"Sir, what do you want me to do for you?" Lanis said with her head down.

"Give me the relevant documents of the Stuttgart Empire."

Gillan picked up the coffee cup and took a sip.

"Yes, sir." Lanis replied quickly and turned to leave.

Soon, she brought three thick cowhide briefcases and gently placed them in front of Jilan.

Jilan nodded and asked him to sit aside.

Immediately, he opened the document bag and started reading it.

He knew that the Stuttgart Empire was founded by Tessell Eugene... and he had personally experienced it in the secret history recorded on real film.

But today's Stuttgart has changed a lot compared to a thousand years ago.

The document contains some intelligence information in detail.

Contemporary Stuttgart is ruled by the "Iron Court", similar to the "Quarterly Palace" in Bremen.

There are two supreme leaders.

Russell Eugene, the "Sky King", and Amur Eugene, the "Ocean King", are known as the "Twin Kings of the West".

As descendants of Twissell, these two kings inherited their ancestors' brave and fearless blood and spirit and managed Stuttgart in an orderly manner.

Stuttgart practices an aristocratic oligarchy, with power concentrated in the royal family and the nobility. At the top of the power pyramid are the two kings, and below them are the aristocratic forces, who divide up the power flowing from the two kings.

Therefore, in the "Iron Blood Royal Court", except for the two kings, the 28 elders and 10 chief prosecutors all represent the major aristocratic forces and hold real power.

Jilan was flipping through the documents and soon his eyes froze.

Because he found out that the church as the state religion was called "Scar Church". This reminded him of the Doro Kingdom a thousand years ago, whose state religion was called "Scar Cathedral".

Apparently, belief in the old god "Scarffather" has never died out in the West and still continues to this day.

Moreover, what surprised Gillan was that the creed of the "Church of Scars" actually included the "Seven Commandments".

That is the core doctrine within the "Ascetic sect".

This made Jilan look strange, and he had a strange idea...

He didn't believe that "Scar Father" and "Mrs. Ya" had no connection at all.

However, there has been no record or statement to prove that these two gods have a close relationship.

"Or, maybe no one would dare to make up a dirty rumor about these two..."

Anyone who dares to do this is probably tired of living.

However, Gillan had a guess.

'Perhaps the birthplace of the "Tian Nie Cult" and the "Ascetic Cult" is in the west... in Stuttgart.'

Looking through the documents, Gillan was thinking about how to convince the "Iron Court" to get closer to Bremen after arriving.

Time passed quietly.

After half a day's journey.

The train arrived in Bückeburg.

But this time, the envoys did not get off the bus because their destination, Stuttgart, was further west.

The train will take another four days to reach its border.

After a short stop of more than 20 minutes, a bell rang outside the train. It was the train attendant's signal to remind passengers that the train was about to depart.

But at this moment.

Swish.

The wooden door of the VIP compartment was opened from the outside.

All the members of the envoy group who were sitting upright turned their heads to look.

A young woman wearing a lavender dress, a wide-brimmed straw hat, and carrying a leather handbag slowly walked in.

"Sorry, miss."

Moody quickly stood up and walked over.

"The VIP carriage was booked by us long before we set off. You must have gone to the wrong place."

"Wrong way?" The woman looked surprised.

She quickly picked up the ticket stub she had checked and cut, and looked at it, then tilted her head and said, "That's not right... I clearly bought a seat in the VIP carriage, and the time and flight also match."

Seeing this, Moody frowned.

This kind of thing is clearly the fault of the train company. It is highly likely that there was an oversight in their work, which led to the continued sale of tickets for the VIP carriages even though they were fully booked.

"Sir." Moody turned around and looked at his superior Gillan, asking for his advice with his eyes.

Without looking up, Gillan continued to look at the document and gestured.

Lanis, the secretary sitting next to him, observed his expression, nodded, and stood up.

"Miss, please sit over there."

Lanis walked up to Moody and smiled at the woman in the purple dress. As she spoke, she stretched out her hand behind her.

"Thank you." The woman smiled and thanked him, then walked straight into the aisle with her handbag.

However, when she passed by Jilan, she stopped and sat down on the leather seat opposite him.

"Hey, Miss, you're sitting in the wrong seat!"

Both Lanise and Moody were shocked.

They were afraid that this ignorant strange woman would disturb their superior's thinking and work, so they spoke up quickly.

At the same time, several bodyguards stood up and put their hands on the bulges on their waists, ready to draw their guns and shoot the woman at any time.

At this moment, Gilan withdrew his thoughts.

He raised his hand to signal everyone not to overreact.

Then he looked up at the woman in front of him.

Under the wide-brimmed straw hat, her black hair was scattered randomly, with the ends slightly curled up. She had fair skin, long eyebrows, and a pair of purple eyes that flickered slightly and seemed to be able to speak.

Looking at this beautiful face, Jilan was stunned.

Soon, he frowned.

"Miss, have we met somewhere before?"

"Is this a flirtation, sir?"

The woman smiled, took off her straw hat, and put it beside her along with her handbag.

Gillan shook his head but didn't ask any more questions.

It was just that extremely familiar sense of déjà vu that still lingered in his mind, and there was an indescribable weirdness to it.

"Menis." The woman stretched out her fair and smooth hand, handed it to Gilan, and said with an elegant smile, "A mystery lover and traveler."

(End of this chapter)