Dominate the Treacherous Realm

Therefore, while waiting for the dense fog to produce further qualitative changes, they divided the creatures named "Crawlers in the Fog", and investigated the power nature of the fogged monsters through some methods that the Orthodox Church could not analyze. , Roughly divide them into three categories.

PS: Of course this kind of action will not lose. It is said that the Orthodox Church mobilized the most elite troops in Nolan to wait for the end. If before the end, even an illegal organization without the support of Cthulhu will not be too shameful. ?

Chapter 1701 The first thousand six hundred and seventy-four

The simple classification of 　　Scent Appreciation Committee is only divided from the appearance, but in fact their power forms are very similar. Born from the fog, after being killed, the power returns to the fog, and as the fog area around Nolan continues to spread, this kind of continuously born monsters will become more and more.

　　 [Scent Appreciation Committee] even directly asserted in the report that they believe that at least next month, before the arrival of [The Hermit and Thunder Moon], Nolan’s fog area will accumulate enough power to produce a second qualitative change. After this, the thick fog will "evolve" faster and faster, until it completely engulfed the entire city of Nolan.

　　 But cigarette dealers believe that, before the dense fog engulfed the city, due to its birth nature, it would resonate with the fog in other dense fog areas in the material world, thus connecting the fog areas scattered around the world.

　　 At that time, thick fog covers the sun, and people will never see the sun, moon, and stars anymore. The gray sky will be the main tone of the material world, and the resulting natural changes will be enough to end this world.

　　 "This is a terrible speculation, but it seems to be true."

　　 Jenkins put down the report and looked out the window. Although it is a summer afternoon, the sun is not venomous, because the dense fog shields the city from the sun. There is a gray mist everywhere outside, and Jenkins believes that if this continues, the cigarette dealers’ speculation will come true.

"There are many people who have read this report, and most of them know that the authenticity of this report is very high. To be safe, we have asked the believers of [Hovering Fog] who are active on the east coast of the mainland to help interpret it. Report. In the last few days, there may be meetings to discuss this matter. Nolan’s fog is now a big worry~"

　　 "Meeting?"

　　 Jenkins questioned while touching the cat:

"Is there any need for a meeting? Although I know it is difficult, this matter may have something to do with the cataclysm at the end of the era. It is not the most straightforward to shut down all the factories and small workshops that emit exhaust gas around Nolan. Is it an effective method? A meeting? Is it possible that this matter will be delayed until the Three Kings talks and will be resolved at the joint meeting of the Twelve Orthodox Churches?"

　　 Rarely, Jenkins questioned Miss Bevanna, but the latter seemed to guess his reaction:

"I also know that what you said is the best way to do it, but is it useful to shut down Nolan's factory? Now the problem is not just Nolan. Similar situations have appeared around cities with steam industries all over the world. It’s just not as serious as Nolan. Even if all of Nolan’s factories are shut down, the fog that escapes from nearby cities will cover Nolan sooner or later.

　　To solve this problem, the most thorough means is to let secular mortals sign a treaty, and through restrictions and reforms, gradually weaken all sources of dense fog in the world. "

　　 "I know that reform will not happen overnight, but I am worried that if this continues, Nolan will be in big trouble until next month."

　　 Jenkins said worriedly, even his hand stroking the cat slowed down. This made Chocolate a bit dissatisfied. It patted Jenkins's hand with its small paw. Jenkins thought it was afraid of heat and didn't want to be touched, so he withdrew his hand, and the self-defeating cat could only sulk himself on Jenkins's lap.

　　Although there are still many follow-up questions, at least the [Scent Appreciation Committee] has been successfully encircled and suppressed so that everyone can face the next challenge with confidence. This is a good start.

The church intends to follow the trail of the people in the tree house based on the existing clues, find the true use of the abnormal tobacco, and pursue the secrets of the underground gear craftsman society, while the battle team is reorganized according to the power characteristics of the "creep in the mist" For the patrol plan, the church delegation re-drafted the terms of the next negotiation, hoping to start the meeting as soon as possible after the three kings talks.

　　 Even Jenkins has his own things to do. In the evening, after he told his father what he had learned today in the old antique shop, he thought it was necessary for Jenkins to learn targeted abilities against the characteristics of dense fog.

　　 "Although there are lie believers on your way to become a savior, I think you need to think now, if you really defeat the lie believers, what should you do next?"

　　 Dad has confidence in Jenkins, and he has a long-term view. It's just that Jenkins is now at level six in name, and the remaining bubbles in the church's cognition are reserved for [Book's Blessing], so there is no spare time to learn new abilities.

　　 Good news always appears at the same time, as if bad luck often overlaps. On the day when the Scenting Appreciation Committee was encircled and suppressed, the Three Kings talks finally achieved significant results.

In front-line warfare, Queen Isabella made a major concession. She promised that if Cheslan agreed to surrender, then Fedictelli would not let the other party cede territory or even a copper penny in war compensation in return, but The arrogant Takov must personally submit his credentials and declare his surrender in Fidiktli.

　　 Although the purpose of this trip is for peace, but it is also for the political capital to win a decisive victory in the subsequent struggle with the civil war faction. He surrendered on behalf of the entire kingdom. Of course, it was extremely shameful, and even a scandal that was recorded in history books, but if the surrender did not need to pay any price, then the scandal was not necessarily a bad thing.

　　 After all, the scale of victory in the war has been skewed since the Fidickettley Navy entered the war in full. Armistice now is not necessarily the best option, but at least it is better than having to surrender at the end.

It’s not that the proud people of the South have no confidence in their own country’s army. It’s just that, for some reason, Sarhi II, who originally maintained a neutral attitude, has recently shown signs of supporting Fidiktelli and even proposed to let the two royal family members marry. His Majesty Takov had to make up his mind to sign.

　　 Jenkins has been busy in the church all day, so the news that the war might be stopped within a few days was heard from Britney at night. The current situation is sensitive. Jenkins should not meet in public with the Marquis Mikhail and Earl Hesha, who have command of the army, so some information will be told to Jenkins through the girls.

　　 "This is really a good thing."

　　 The good news one after another has improved Jenkins' mood. He has been busy with various things recently, and he has almost no chance to stop during the day. Now that the war is about to end, Nolan’s illegal organization has been removed, and he believes everything will be fine.

　　 Early the next morning, Jenkins received a letter sent by Queen Isabella, instructing Jenkins to attend the afternoon meeting that day, as a member of the royal family, to witness the occurrence of an important historical event. Jenkins then understood that the news that the arrogant intends to no longer be arrogant, but to bow his head and surrender is true, and it is very likely that the final negotiation will be passed this afternoon.

　　 Jenkins is of course happy to be a witness to history. After coincidentally erasing the [Scent Appreciation Committee], the church temporarily did not arrange another task for him, so Jenkins returned to the boring meeting after a long absence, looking forward to witnessing the end of the war with his own eyes.

　　 The afternoon meeting started at 1:30. Because it was a closed-door meeting, there were fewer than 30 people in the third small meeting room, including those who did not have the right to speak.

But among these 30 people, there were three kings, seven real dukes, and five princes. Everyone on the scene knew that something would happen this afternoon, but because the proud people repeatedly struggled with the way and place of surrender, the meeting was It was delayed until about three o'clock before the final meeting memorandum was finally signed.

　　 When those papers were sealed up by the three parties, the desktop was restored to be tidy, which means that the negotiation on whether the war will continue has finally come to an end. Although the following three kingdoms will have more and more complicated details to be discussed one by one, this first step to success still makes people extraordinarily excited.

　　 Everyone stood up and applauded, even the gloomy Tuckwen clapped their hands symbolically. With white hair, Isabella, who stood up to be supported by someone, seemed to be ten years younger. She was completely relieved from the poisoning incident last week. She squinted and laughed while clapping her hands, looking from the left of the small meeting room. Sweep sideways to the right.

Here are her friends, her enemies, her relatives, and her heirs. There is no scene like this that makes her more happy. This step can be done before leaving this world, which makes this The face of an old man who was more than fifty years flushed flushed.

　　Because of the excessive excitement, she even felt a little untenable, and she felt that she couldn't help shaking. But she soon discovered that it was not because of her lack of physical strength, because everything in front of her, whether it was a table, a bench, a chandeliers or people, was shaking violently.

　　 The rumbling sound came from a distance, like a giant beast tumbling on the ground. This is another earthquake, and it is stronger than the earthquake on the day when the Three Kings talks opened.

　　 The violent tremor even made people unable to stand up a bit, but it was not the first time to experience this kind of thing. After the panic, people also trusted the quality of the building very much, so they left in an orderly manner according to their previous experience.

　　The talks were not only held in one conference room. The kings discussed important matters, while other nobles and officials negotiated elsewhere.

　　 In the end, nearly two hundred people were evacuated from the city hall. This is only counting the people participating in the meeting, not the servants and guards. When people walked outside and looked at the source of the loud noise just now, they found that the Nolan Clock Tower, which was supposed to stand a block away, has now changed its appearance.

　　 "Is the Nolan Clock Tower black before?"

　　 Queen Isabella, who was supporting Jenkins, asked him. The old man's hand gripped Jenkins tightly like pliers, and put all the weight of his body on his arm. Although Jenkins won't be overwhelmed, but in such hot weather, he especially dislikes being so close to characters other than cats or girls.

Chapter 1702 The first thousand six hundred and seventy-five chapters of the black tower

　　 "The Nolan Clock Tower is definitely not black, and the outer paint does not have such a metallic texture."

　　 Among the bustling crowd outside Nolan City Hall, the local Jenkins spoke first, Miss Windsor said.

The people who escaped from the building all raised their heads and looked forward at this moment. At the place of the original white Nolan Clock Tower, there was a tall tower made of pure black metal, standing in the surrounding gray. In the fog, the vague and weird appearance makes everyone who see it feel cold.

　　 It is thinner than the original white clock tower, but it is also taller, almost twice the size of the clock tower. No windows or openings can be seen from the outer surface, and each layer is in the perfect shape of a regular hexagon.

　　 There is no pattern on the outside of the metal tower, and the surface is completely smooth, but the traces of the ancient years can be seen only from the texture of the metal. This is a special feeling that only time can leave. It stands in front of people's eyes, as if shuttled from the past of ancient time and space, incompatible with this steam-industrialized city.

　　 "Eye of Reality!"

　　 Jenkins muttered silently in his heart, and then in the blink of an eye, the black aura almost burst from the metal tower. While his eyes were in contact with those black auras, a unique clicking sound made by one tooth of a gear was heard in his heart. The soul immediately felt the strangeness, and at the same time, an inexplicable cold feeling spread from the position of the heart to the whole body.

　　 Jenkins snorted suddenly, feeling that part of his heart had turned into a gear structure. But under the inducement of the powerful soul and driven by the spirit of life, this abnormality was reversed abruptly.

　　 He hurriedly closed the real eye, and when he observed the tower with the naked eye, there was no vision. The black metal tower standing in the gray fog is quiet and weird. It stands there, standing in everyone's eyes, and reflecting in everyone's heart.

　　 "Oh, this is really bad..."

　　 This is Jenkins's only idea at the moment.

　　 It is difficult to tell whether there is any connection between the earthquake just now and the appearance of the metal tower that destroyed the clock tower. But today’s meeting is definitely not going to go on. Fortunately, the most important topic has ended, so just ending today’s matter is acceptable to everyone.

　　 In order to appease the people who were frightened by the earthquake, Queen Isabella decided to hold a cocktail party. The purpose of this cocktail party is also to disclose the news of the end of the war reached at the meeting by gentle and reasonable means. This is probably one of the few good news during this period.

　　 Although today’s earthquake has a very weird and relatively small range, the tremor near the epicenter is very strong. Disaster relief is also in full swing. Fortunately, Nolan's recent earthquakes have been frequent, so it did not cause too many casualties.

　　 agreed to Queen Isabella’s invitation to the evening reception. Jenkins made an excuse to go home and change clothes. In fact, he hurried to the church and then met with Miss Bevana under the black tower.

　　 Although you can't see anything unusual about this tower with the naked eye, everyone knows that this thing is absolutely abnormal. Before Jenkins arrived, the church had sealed off the nearby Civic Square, dispersing the crowds watching the excitement. Fortunately, the whole city has been foggy recently. As long as people stay away from the square, they can't see the situation under the tower even if they stand on the roof.

　　 At this time, the Twelve Orthodox Churches all sent a small team to check the situation, and the leaders were all demigods. Jenkins stepped on the stone bricks and beams of the bell tower, greeted acquaintances and walked quickly to Miss Bevana under the tower. The team of the Church of the Sage was scattered around the tower at this time, and teamed up with the teams of other churches to fight nearby. Collect the air, the remains of the clock tower, and the mud, and use rituals like [Evil Force Dispelling] [Malicious Detection] to prevent things from rushing out of the tower.

"What's the situation now?"

　　 finally came under the high tower, the metal black tower in this position brings people a stronger sense of oppression. Observing from under the tower, it is easy to find that this tower protrudes from the ground, like a spear, directly smashing the original clock tower.

　　 Looking under the tower, I still can't find any windows, but I can see a plain black iron door. Because of the similar color, it almost blends with the tower.

The door is now closed tightly. Mr. Smith, the keeper of the Church of the Sages, is talking in front of the door with two other old people whom Jenkins does not know. Those two occultists who are not sage believers but are heretics. .

　　 "It's hard to say what the situation is now."

Miss Bevanna replied that she was standing at the end of a tall wooden beam holding her big book as usual, but for some reason she wore a short purple gauze cloak on her shoulders today. I don’t know if it’s decoration or to prevent catching cold at night.

　　 "The Church of the Earth told us that the source of the earthquake was under this tower. More accurately, it was precisely because the tower protruded from under the tower like a javelin that triggered the earthquake."

　　 "How much is there in the underground part of this tower?"

　　 Jenkins frowned and asked, he dare not easily confirm with the real eye now.

　　 "How do you know there is still underground?"

　　 "In fact, if you look closely, you can see that the layer that is now on the surface is not complete."

　　 Jenkins explained, but in fact guessed based on the routines of most of the stories I have read.

　　 "There is a lot of underground area. In fact, the Church of the Earth tells us that the part that is currently exposed to the ground is like the tip of a lightning rod in a tower."

　　 The answer given by Miss Bevanna was very accurate, and Jenkins had a sense of the picture. He touched the cat with some fried hair on his shoulder for some reason, and then asked hesitantly:

　　 "For this tower... is it related to the gear craftsman?"

　　 "I don't know yet. The Mechanical Church is trying to test the structure and composition of this tower, but the current progress is not optimistic."

It is difficult for the church not to associate this tower with the gear craftsmen hidden deep in the Nolan underground. In fact, almost everyone is sure of the recent frequent earthquakes and the A-12- which was dug out the mine a few days ago. 2-0322 [The Stone of the Eyeless] and this tower were both made by the actions of the cultists in the depths of the earth.

　　Because of vaguely knowing that the horrible things sealed in the depths of Nolan’s underground, it must be related to the cataclysm at the end of the era. Therefore, the church has given considerable attention to the black metal tower that appeared after the earthquake.

　　 It is not difficult to see the attitude of the church just by looking at the quantity and quality of the first batch of personnel sent to lock down the scene and investigate.

Chapter 1703 The first thousand six hundred and seventy-six Cocktail party

　　 Jenkins was going to attend an important cocktail party in the evening, so he couldn't study the black tower under the Civic Square all night. The illusion seen with the real eye made Jenkins very alert to this thing. He didn't know what the black tower was, but he was quite sure that it must be related to the difference engine.

　　Because he didn't know the specific size and image of the ancient omnic, Jenkins couldn't guess the connection between the tower and the difference engine, and what specific role it had.

　　 But no matter what, it should not be left on the ground. Therefore, after understanding the general situation with Miss Bevana, Jenkins proposed to destroy the black tower directly on the ground and the shallow part of the surface.

　　 This is a rather reckless decision. For such a huge object that does not know its specific size and function, destroying a part of it may not have any effect, but it may also trigger an unexpected chain reaction.

　　 But since Jenkins proposed it, Miss Bevanna still reacted to the church, and by the way discussed the feasibility of this approach with the other demigods present.

　　 There are not many people who support Jenkins, and according to the Mechanical Church, the composition of the black tower is pure metal, and it is pure metal with high strength and unknown composition. At present, with normal methods, it is impossible to even leave traces on those metal surfaces.

　　 The proposal to destroy the black tower was temporarily shelved, but the investigation of the tower cannot be interrupted. After completing the peripheral exploration and confirming that there was no discovery of the tower itself, Miss Audrey of the Destiny Church performed a simple fortune-telling.

　　 Because she was worried that this was a special trick that would not have an impact on the external environment, Miss Audrey did not go directly to the result of divination, but used the ancient "water occupation" ritual to try to find its source. But the results of divination were also very unsatisfactory. The past of this black tower seemed to be shrouded in a layer of gray mist. Miss Audrey was able to perform divination, but could not identify what the divination results actually represented.

　　At this point, apart from cleaning the remains of the original clock tower, the church can do almost everything. The Church of the Sages looked up the information and couldn't find a record similar to the tower, so the survey of the tower can be regarded as a complete failure.

　　 "So we plan to go inside to check the situation."

　　 As the evening approached, Jenkins got the next plan from Miss Bevanna.

　　 "This is too risky."

　　 Jenkins is naturally opposed.

　　 "But now that there is nothing we can do, we can't just let this tower stand here. And..."

　　Miss Bevanna lowered her voice:

"You also know that, according to the Destiny Church, the sealed objects that the gear craftsmen would search for underground may be related to the disaster at the end of the era. We must find out whether this tower is related to that. This is related to For the future of the material world, the main combat forces of the Twelve Churches are assembled in Nolan. Isn’t it also for this purpose?"

　　 Miss Bevanna made sense, but Jenkins still thought it too risky. He knew that he could not be allowed to join the expedition team, so he planned to stay here and wait for the expedition team to depart and return.

　　 But Miss Bevanna and Mr. Gilbert strongly suggested that Jenkins go to the reception of Queen Isabella.

　　 "It's totally meaningless for you to wait here, and even if something really happens, what's the use of having you alone?"

　　 At this time, the number of gifters gathered around the citizen square under the tower has exceeded one hundred. In order to prevent accidents, the church has even decided to permanently block this street and square during the existence of the black tower.

　　 There are more than ten demigods gathered here, and the Son is not Jenkins alone. Therefore, on the surface, it does not make much sense for Jenkins to stay.

"The exploration of that tower can't be finished in tens of minutes. You see it is so high, even if you walk back and forth on the ground part, I am afraid it will take an hour. Go ahead, if you really need you, we I will send someone to find you."

　　 Miss Bevanna persuaded again that Jenkins could only agree to leave here temporarily after seeing the situation.

　　 It was getting late. He borrowed a carriage from the church and went home to pick up the girls first. This was his female companion. But when the carriage drove out of this street, Jenkins looked back from the window to see the silhouette of the black tower in the thick fog, still a little worried about what happened next.

　　 The whole night Jenkins was worried about the black tower. At the reception, he just stood with Hathaway and Britney with a glass of pear water and talked to the unknown people and the people he knew who kept coming forward to talk.

　　 It's not difficult to find his absent-mindedness, so Dolores, who was also invited to the reception, was still a little curious about what happened. Ms. Windsor guessed that it was related to the black tower that appeared after the earthquake this afternoon, but seeing that Jenkins was reluctant to say more, she didn't ask much.

　　 "So how will the newspapers of tomorrow explain this tower? Today's evening papers don't mention anything about it."

　　 Britney asked with interest.

"This matter cannot be concealed. As long as there is no eye disease, the citizens of Nolan can find that the original clock tower has changed its shape and color. I think the newspaper will probably find some university geology professors to change the shape and color of the tower. The color change is attributable to the geological changes caused by the earthquake, or directly pushes this change to Nolan’s bad air."

　　 "This kind of reason is hard to believe, right?"

"What the city hall and church need is not to convince people of such rhetoric. What they need is to give a demonstrable rhetoric. For example, the continuous'underground steam pipe explosion' that occurred in the first half of this year and the second half of last year, really How much do you believe every time? The rhetoric is not important, but the rhetoric is important."