The Heavens: A Qing, the Yue Girl at the beginning

Not long ago, the unstoppable advance was still fresh in my mind.

During the eighty-hour march, the Papacy's resistance never ceased for a moment, after all, it was known as the "Iron Pope" for his iron fist.

Even on the bumpy train during the hasty westward retreat, Lon Borgia never abandoned his signature toughness, digging out the remnants of his forces, conscripting more men, and sending wave after wave of troops to the front lines.

The first significant resistance occurred at the St. Gotthard Pass on the eastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains.

The Papacy's engineering corps demonstrated astonishing efficiency, utilizing the treacherous terrain to construct three triangular defensive fortifications overnight using hardwood, barbed wire, and split boulders, guarding the winding ancient mountain road.

The newly formed "Guardians of Faith" infantry division was cleverly hidden in the caves on the reverse slope after being scattered, with only the dark barrels of the twin-mounted muskets visible. The Dragon Roar heavy artillery group was deployed in stages at pre-arranged positions at higher elevations, with a wide field of fire that could cover the entire valley, just waiting for the Xia army to walk into the trap.

The remnants of the Crusader Guard were mixed with temporarily recruited noble private soldiers, who held their positions in the trenches, their bayonets forming a forest.

The commander was a veteran known for his tenacious defense, who confidently declared in his report that he would "hold out for at least seventy-two hours."

The result? Xia Mi merely stood in front of the formation and looked around, seemingly somewhat dissatisfied with the terrain, and lightly stomped her foot. Word of Power: Listening Analysis of Structure; Word of Power: Earth-Shaking Micro-Adjustment of Stress Points.

Then, the entire canyon, along with the fortifications, artillery positions, and hidden troop caves above it, slid down the hillside gracefully, slowly, yet unstoppably, like a sandcastle kicked by a naughty child, turning into a pile of ruins mixed with screams and dust, reminiscent of postmodern art.

What happened to the promised 72 hours? It didn't even last 72 seconds.

When the old general was finally pulled out of the rubble, he was still clutching the parchment full of defensive plans in his hand, his expression frozen in great confusion that "this is not in accordance with military strategy".

When His Holiness the Pope received the battle report on his special train, he simply crushed yet another glass cup, and then enthusiastically planted small flags representing reinforcements on the map, as if he were playing an extremely immersive sand table game, only that his opponents never played by the rules.

The second instance was the combined land and water defense system built on the edge of the fertile Lombardy plain, relying on Lake Como.

This time, the Vatican learned its lesson and stopped relying on fixed fortifications. Instead, it made full use of its inside mobility advantage, mixing the remaining Skybreaker Cavalry and Stein Heavy Machine Brigade into several rapid strike groups, equipped with the expensive "Thunder Fang"—a high-speed heavy machine gun—as well as the latest model of the "Explosive Flame" exploding cannon.

In addition, the Southern Crusaders' gunboats patrolled the lake, providing crossfire, making it a masterpiece of three-dimensional defense.

The plan was brilliant: to use highly mobile units to constantly harass and cut through the Xia army's lines from the flanks, unleash the impact of the Blazing Iron Cavalry, and launch a brilliant, flexible counterattack.

Ideals are lofty, but reality is harsh and unpleasant.

A light drizzle began to fall from the sky.

The water droplets were reshaped by Zhao Qing's will a hundred meters above the ground, freezing into billions of tiny ice crystals, which fell vertically with a shrill whistle, turning into a saturation attack targeting precision machinery and covering an area of ​​tens of kilometers.

An hour later, the scene on the lakeside was a lament for industrial civilization: the joints of the blazing iron cavalry were jammed by ice needles, turning them into expensive steel sculptures; the steam pipes of the Stein heavy machine were riddled with holes, wailing as it exhaled its last breath of white steam.
The barrels of the "Thunder Fang" guns were covered in frost, and the triggers were frozen harder than the hearts of penitents. The gunboats on the lake fared even worse; their decks had become ice rinks, and the sailors huddled on the masts, shivering in the cold wind, watching helplessly as the Xia army's vanguard trod across the ice as if it were flat ground, and casually disarmed them.

When the Pope received this report of "victory on both land and sea," he reportedly silently drank an entire bottle of his sacred wine, and then began to draw crosses on the map with a red pen, crossing out the numbers of the reinforcements that had just been sent out and were still on their way.

The movements are so skillful that it makes people feel distressed.

The third and final attempt was at the Ponte Sant'Angelo, the last gateway to Florence.

This is the core of a fortress complex that the Papal States have been building for a century. It is dotted with bridgeheads, has walls that are over twenty meters thick, and has a complex network of underground tunnels, which have stockpiled enough supplies and ammunition to last for a year.

The garrison was a newly reorganized Holy See Guard, well-equipped, steadfast in its faith, and sworn to live and die with the bridge.

From Piacenza to Rimini, hastily requisitioned train guns were lined up along the railway line; on the opposite bank, countless landmines, said to be so powerful that even a dragon would be skinned alive if it stepped on them, were buried on the beach.

The Cardinals will bring out their trump card: the Prometheus III prototype, which the Original Sin Organization is secretly developing. It uses a neural circuit system similar to that of the Seraph, and its combat power on paper is more than three times that of the original. Only five prototypes have been built, and they will bring them all up.

Tests have shown that a single Prometheus could easily destroy an army equipped with chariots and heavy artillery.

To boost morale, the Pope even put his second son, Juan Borgia, who was only fifteen years old, in the spotlight, making him one of the knights of "Gronnos" to proclaim the unwavering resolve of "the Holy See with its people."

In addition, the "Hercules Armor," a work by the legendary mechanic Silver Kruze, the former chief of the Minerva Agency, the personal weapon of the former commander of the Seraphim Knights, and the "Dragon Slayer Saint George," whose mental backlash is ten times that of ordinary armor, were also deployed to the battlefield.

The knights who ride them are strange beings who were previously completely nameless and suddenly appeared without any trace of their past. Yet such outstanding knights should have stood out long ago!

Only the cardinals knew what role "Golgotha" had secretly played: the knights' cabins might have been empty to begin with, driven only by ancient, imprisoned echoes.

For nearly a century, the armor piled up in the abandoned warehouses of the Minerva Agency has been put back into service.

Most of them were prototypes used to verify technology. They were unique in the world. If the performance was unsatisfactory or a suitable driver could not be found, they were abandoned and the power core was removed and displayed on an iron frame.

Even now, there are still no skilled knights to ride these armors. The situation of having more people than equipment has never changed. They can only stuff experienced but old and frail retired soldiers, and even some experimental subjects such as gorillas and bears, into them, exchanging their lives and madness for a few minutes of chaotic firepower.

It sounds a bit far-fetched, but with neural connection technology, boiling animalistic instincts and aggressive desires are sometimes an "advantage" in controlling these imperfect killing weapons, compared to a calm mind and wisdom.

The staff repeatedly assured that this place would become a replica of Thermopylae, and that it could definitely hold out for a week, enough for envoys from various countries to spread the news that "the Papacy is still fighting a bloody battle" throughout the West, thus igniting a new wave of enthusiasm for the Crusades.

Instead of Wenquan Pass, they got "hot springs" first.

Literally.

When the Xia army's vanguard arrived at the Bridge of Saint Angels, it was dusk.

The setting sun, like blood, made the thousand-year-old stone bridge look like a red-hot iron lying across the Tiber River.

Across the bridge, the flag of the Papal States still fluttered in the wind, the gold-embroidered cross on its surface gleaming brightly, as if flaunting its power to the approaching enemy.

Behold, the glory of our Lord has not yet been extinguished!
Then, the light truly went out.

— It was extinguished by a "hot spring".

No one saw how the hot spring came to be.

All I remember is that a bulge suddenly appeared on the ground, like someone burped underground, and then with a "poof," the scalding spring tore through the asphalt road and gushed out a water column more than ten meters high.

The water jet also smelled of sulfur, like a hot-tempered god sneezing while taking a bath.

The first spring was just the beginning.

Then came the second bite, the third bite...

In just a few minutes, the defensive perimeter in front of the Ponte Sant'Angelo was transformed into a bubbling open-air bath.

The landmines were soaked into the mud like dumplings, and the steel wheels of the train guns were stuck in the mud, looking like a group of old rhinoceroses dancing ballet in the swamp.

The prototype armors, just dragged out of the warehouse, had hot water filling their joint gaps, and the steam valves emitted a seductive groan, like a group of aging gladiators taking a group sauna.

The worst off was "Gronnos".

Just as young Master Juan loaded the cannonball into the breech and gripped the giant blade in his hand, before he could even shout "For the Holy Throne!", the entire machine collapsed to its knees with a "thud".

It wasn't a case of spring water overflowing; Prometheus's sealing was reliable, and its size was sufficient to safely protect the steam core from being submerged in "chowder."

However, it still suffered severe damage.

Unbeknownst to many, Caesar's Seraphim had penetrated deep into the heart of the fortress complex, its sword flashing and crackling as it harvested the cables of armored figures, its mocking voice echoing:

"Three years later, I have returned to Florence, back to this place where beasts gather!" He said with a sorrowful smile.

Then, he shook the blood and engine oil off the sword.

Like shaking off an old dream.

Behind him, a large hole was torn in Guronus's breastplate, and his heavy metal heart shattered into pieces.

The corpses of noblemen and wild beasts lay strewn on the ground, mingled with the shattered beryllium bronze gears, like a pot of overcooked alloy stew, steaming and emitting the burnt smell of faith.

The number of dead and injured is difficult to quantify.

—At this point, the Vatican's "delay operation" had completely turned into a "delayed operation": it was bombarded, watered, and thwarted, ending up with its mouth full of mud.

What devastated the defenders the most was the descent of the "Messiah of Light" from the doctrine. The divine messenger, shrouded in infinite radiance, wielded a burning holy sword and slashed out, plunging the world into a raging sea of ​​fire, cleansing away the sins accumulated over a hundred years.

The Holy See Guard and the Cardinals' private army were wiped out in an instant.

The Pope's train fell completely silent upon receiving this final battle report. Archbishop Cicero, who was traveling with him, sighed, "It seems that God is on the side of the East tonight."

After this battle, the Vatican's leadership abandoned its tragic and ineffective "oil-filling" tactics and focused entirely on...escaping.

Incidentally, after being welcomed into the city on a red carpet, Caesar found several letters that had been deliberately left behind at Canterbury Castle.

……

From a strategic perspective, His Holiness the Pope's response was a textbook example of delaying tactics—if he could successfully delay the Xia army's advance by even three to five days, it might have bought valuable time for Florence to reorganize its defenses, instill confidence in neighboring countries such as Charlemagne and Yenisei who were watching from the sidelines, or even for direct military intervention.

Even though every step was calculated precisely, unfortunately... he was not facing an ordinary army, but a group of walking natural disasters.

The gap between the two sides is like that between an ant and a scorching iron hoof, or between a candle flame and the blazing sun—it is insurmountable!

Thus, the ingenious strategy of layered defenses and step-by-step advance turned into a farcical armed parade on the way to Florence, with massive "military supplies" provided along the way.

The Iron Pope's stubborn resistance failed to stop the enemy in the slightest. Instead, he became a helpful "transportation captain," handing over the Papacy's accumulated wealth bit by bit. Each time he organized resistance, it only made the suppression work more thorough and smoother.

No wonder Zhao Qing wasn't in a hurry to hunt him down; keeping this "generous" pope around would actually save a lot of trouble.

After all, no one knew better than him how to gather the scattered remnants of the army together and deliver them to him in an orderly fashion, thus saving him the trouble of searching.

There is no need to worry that the cardinals will choose to dismiss him and interrupt this stubborn resistance, simply because the Papacy has no suitable replacement and no one wants to be nailed to the pillar of historical shame.

……

120 meters underground.

Minerva's territory, before the Wall of Sighs.

A huge six-winged owl is etched on the black mechanical door.

Beyond this formidable barrier separating heaven and hell lies the sacred place that every mechanic in the world longs to visit: "Eagle's Nest".

A faint smell of burning permeated the air, the accumulated odor of long-term, large-scale burning of high-combustible coal, but more prevalent were the pungent smells of gunpowder smoke and lingering acidic cleaning agents, mixed with the acrid odor of certain metallic substances volatilizing from overheating. No matter how "generous" the delivery of goods, the Pope would never leave this treasure trove of Florence's highest technology and industrial heartland intact to these "heretics" of the East.

The order for utter and devastating destruction had already been issued.

Everywhere you look, there is a scene of utter devastation.

Countless thick steam pipes were violently severed, like decapitated giant pythons, still spewing out their last breaths of high temperature; the giant overhead crane tracks suspended above the dome were twisted and deformed.

Some workshops and warehouses showed obvious signs of explosions and burning, with charred remains telling tales of the madness of their departure.

Several large engineering robotic arms responsible for maintenance were found with their bases blown off, some hanging precariously; others collapsed under their own weight, lying in the cooled, solidified molten metal slag.

It resembles the skeleton of a prehistoric behemoth.

But no one anticipated that the victory would advance far faster than even the most pessimistic estimates from the Vatican, given how tight the timeframe was.

Many massive, foundation-built super furnaces, 10,000-ton hydraulic presses, and alloy forging platforms cannot be completely destroyed in a short time. They are simply forcibly shut down, falling into silence, awaiting their new owners to decide their fate.

In fact, a number of people, including the powerful families entrenched in the shadow of Florence and those with keen senses of power, had already sensed the shift in the wind and extended olive branches through secret channels, harboring the idea of ​​changing sides.

When a tree falls, its monkeys scatter; when a wall collapses, everyone pushes it down.

Under the nest, how can there be a complete egg?
Rather than perishing with that doomed ship, offering this "most precious legacy" as a tribute might secure a place in the new order.

They swiftly detained the die-hards who carried out the order for complete destruction and prepared a detailed inventory of assets and a roster of key technical personnel, ready to serve as a "pledge of allegiance" to their new master.

Similar to the Minerva Agency, the Original Sin Agency was also offered up in the same way, but with a shallower foundation, so it was temporarily put aside.

……

Inside the office, the remaining lights flickered, illuminating some timid figures dressed in white robes.

They were technicians, scholars, and craftsmen who had failed to evacuate with the higher-ups or who had chosen to stay. At this moment, they gathered in the relatively intact central hall, their faces a mixture of fear, bewilderment, and a faint glimmer of hope for the unknown future.

The fear stemmed from uncertainty about the intentions of the Eastern conquerors and anxiety about their own fate.

They were once the architects of the Papal States' glory, but now they are lambs to the slaughter, or rather, assets waiting to be sold.

Concerns are more complex.

They worried whether the knowledge they possessed still held value, how the new rulers would treat them, the "remnants of the previous dynasty," and even more so, what the future held for this institution, this fortress of wisdom, which had embodied countless efforts—would it be plundered, dismantled, or... reborn?
"Interesting." Zhao Qing didn't bother to observe the people's predicament closely, nor did he bother to ask them to do any work.

She simply followed the narrow passageway, gradually entering the inner area of ​​the Eagle's Nest, browsing from the First Silent Zone to the Central Sanctuary, the most sacred experimental site of the Minerva Agency, where Seraphim from the end of the "Age of Discovery" to the later Seraphim Type I to Type IV were all created.

This is a huge, dark space, with layers of steel platforms high up, and hundreds of meters long steel cables suspending elevators. Various sounds echo in the well, some clearly the noise of machinery, and others like the roar of monsters.

All sorts of brass instruments and plotters are gathered here, with tens of thousands of indicator lights flashing incessantly.

Even today, Professor Franco, the chief of the Minerva Agency, a leading technical authority in the Western world and a member of the Cardinals, still strolls among the dashboards, drinking heavily, and conducting some kind of test and calculation.

Alcohol was like a stimulant to him; the more he drank, the brighter his eyes became, and the faster he operated.

It seems that for Franco, the upheavals outside and the change of power were perhaps just a change of "sponsor" who provided research resources and set boundary conditions.

"Are you calculating the Seraph's contribution?"

Zhao Qing saw right through the other man's doubts and knew that he didn't really care who won the war.

But the fact that the armor of Caesar, Rundstedt, and others was suddenly strengthened many times over, far exceeding anything previously known, was the real mystery that stirred the soul of this researcher.

"Contribute effort? No, it's not just about contributing effort!"

Franco's voice was hoarse, reeking of alcohol and the excitement of long-term sleeplessness: "The limit of resonance rate has been broken! Existing models can't explain it! That kid Caesar... and Rundstedt, their armor, the data is wrong, completely wrong! It exceeds the design limit by three times, no, five times! Even more!"

“That’s impossible! Unless… what drives them is no longer mercury vapor, but something else.”

He raised his head, and beneath his disheveled hair, a pair of sharp eyes fixed on Zhao Qing, filled with scrutiny and undisguised curiosity:
"Who are you? The new inspector sent by the Cardinals?"

"No... they don't have time for this right now. From the east? How did you manage that with your technology?"

"Because 'Seraphim' are living beings."

Zhao Qing didn't want to answer more; she was more concerned about the geological structure here. In Florence in the normal world line, there was no such huge underground cavity. Of course, it was not carved out by humans, but it was not a purely natural erosion landform either.

The real reason can be traced back to why the pioneers of the Order chose this place to build their city and capital after returning from Avalon Island.

If nothing unexpected happens, there are clues about the distribution of some prehistoric civilization relics in Avalon. Florence was built on some ancient and huge "thing". The Minerva Agency's "Eagle's Nest" went deep underground, originally to get close to and study its remains.

The pioneers of the Age of Discovery utilized the cavity left by the decaying remains and the information it released to create a large number of techniques that were lost and difficult to restore a century later.

"Living life?" Franco was stunned.

Many supernatural rumors flashed through his mind, including the door that sealed the Heart of Lava with the Holy Symbol and molten steel.

"Skull Ground".

Zhao Qing said calmly, "You should have heard that the Skull Grounds contain countless armor fragments that can move on their own."

After browsing around and scanning a lot of materials, she roughly understood that the Seraph's parts were transported back from Avalon, but the Omega was excavated from the Skull Grounds, where the ultimate secret of the Messianic Church was hidden:

A liquid metal heart that has survived for tens of thousands of years, still beating and releasing tremendous heat, an organ left behind by "God".

Who is this half-dead "god"?

Zhao Qing guessed that it might be the eagle under Odin's command, Vidfolnir, standing on the tree branch of the World Tree, who was also the giant who once lived by devouring corpses, Herasvalgar.

After all, this place is called "Eagle's Nest".

Regardless of whether that's the name or not, this guy was probably quite powerful in the past, his body was equipped with countless alchemical machines, which transformed him into an alternative life form and condensed the prototype of the "fire seed".

Thousands of souls, bound to the bones of knights, merge into one here, gradually sublimating, with existence and non-existence arising from each other, and the heart embracing all things.

"The value of this 'comprehension' isn't very high," she said dismissively.

Although even a part of these remains could enable the Papal States to rise rapidly, judging from their enormous size, they must have been at the level of a first-generation super-evolved being in life. However, since we have already glimpsed the principles behind the Tower of Babel and the Fruit of Life, a deeper analysis of them will have to wait.

Speaking of which, during the recent leisurely days of military campaigns, besides using battles to test and collect data, Zhao Qing also deduced two plans involving fate.

At first glance, Nidhogg the Black King seems unmatched in this respect, with an extremely strong foundation that is difficult to shake.

However, due to the difference in systems, she is also able to bring out several relative advantages, using nothing to penetrate something.

The wise man walks without moving forward, without needing to clash head-on with the "front end" of fate, which would be pointless even if he ended up battered and bruised.

To deal with an oncoming armored train, while direct artillery bombardment is effective, dismantling the rails and breaking the hooks are also good methods.

Because this exists, that exists; because this arises, that arises.

"...The evacuation before the war must not be forgotten."

Having gained some confidence in fighting beyond his level, Zhao Qing, following the four strategies of Weak Water, Burning Wind, Earth Splitting, and Flame Extinguishing, devised a new plan, intending to "make the best use of everyone's talents and resources," allowing the Minerva Agency and Franco to shine one last time:

"Interested in designing a gaseous armor? To revive and popularize neural connections! This is its concept image."

With a flick of her finger, she summoned several thin brass plates, which were engraved with textual explanations and diagrams of the cyclical flow of Qi.

"Gaseous motor armor? Gaseous metal?"

Franco, unusually, showed a look of utter bewilderment, as if to say, "Are you kidding me?" He was genuinely confused: "The basic form of matter determines the stability of the structure. How can gas support the armor and transmit power? Without a physical structure, how can it support the power core?"

Have you ever heard of internal energy cultivation or the unity of spirit and qi?

……

Simply put, the essence of the "Seraph's" Knight's Bone is a combination of spiritual-grade metal and a spiritual imprint. These two elements, along with the electrode plates that connect to the nerves, form the foundation for resonance and synchronization.

So, what if we replace the spiritual material-grade metal with a spiritual material-grade gas, that is, high-level innate true qi?

After testing, it was found that this is a completely equivalent substitute.

Essentially, this type of technology is a reverse refining branch of the "natal artifact" system in the Sword Dynasty world.

The practitioner is guided to approach a certain natal object and the residual natal energy imprint on it, allowing their divine thoughts to resonate and merge.

However, because it makes deeper use of the characteristics of the nervous system and does not pursue its own independence, the threshold is much lower.

Even ordinary people can adapt well and receive its benefits.

As early as when he first created the "Selfless and Formless Qian Yuan Sword Pill Array", Zhao Qing had already perfected the method of integrating liquid metal sword pills into the bodies of mortals who had just embarked on the path of cultivation, providing assistance.

Subsequently, she added sword scripture programs, new spiritual seeds, and connected to the network, creating a large number of cultivation systems.

In comparison, it is in no way inferior to "Seraph".

Moreover, from the perspective of sustainable development, it is several levels ahead.

The most crucial thing Zhao Qing learned here was actually the secret of "soul uploading," which included multiple steps such as storage and forging.

Unmanned Seraph Armor can be activated and exhibit self-awareness, and the latter is not derived from the mark of the Corpse Guardian, but rather from the lingering echoes of the souls of the knights who "devoured" them.

It's somewhat like a spontaneously created spirit, or a relic that seals off reincarnation; a more accurate description would be "mechanical ascension."

Although the technology is largely a black box and there are still imperfections, and it is highly dependent on a rich and vibrant environment, it does indeed fit the relevant definition.

...(End of chapter)