Gou is a dark elf in Warhammer

"What island raiding?"

After Renn finished recounting the mundane affairs of the Dragon Islands, Darkus couldn't help but make a comment. But as soon as he finished speaking, he seemed to remember something and looked up to ask a follow-up question.

Did you ask him?

Renn nodded first, then lowered his head and quickly and skillfully turned the pages. The paper rustled between his fingers, and soon he found the page with the relevant information, stopped, and handed the book to Darkus.

Darkus took it, glanced at it, then raised his hand, pointed to his temple, and gestured to Renn. Seeing Renn nod in confirmation, the tension on his face relaxed, revealing a relieved expression.

No wonder.

He pointed to his temple to confirm with Renn whether all this originated from a telepathic connection with Master Huynh; Renn's nod was in response. The drawing on that page was not a physical survey, but rather an image transmitted to Renn by Lord Huynh Aitkenqui through telepathy, first appearing in Renn's mind, and then recorded by him from memory.

The illustration on this page is very large, almost filling the entire sheet of paper.

Not only the Dragon Islands, but also the outlines and vague markings of other regions.

A Y-shaped line covers the Dragon Islands, and the intersection of the three lines is located in the sea area between the three islands of the Dragon Islands. However, the angle of this Y-shaped line appears somewhat crooked on the map.

The southern route runs through Asylum Island, crosses the Sea of ​​Terror, and finally reaches the Tower of the Sun.

"The task is arduous and the road ahead is long."

Upon seeing this line, Darkus couldn't help but sigh, his voice low.

He remembered one thing.

Every ten years, the court of the Eternal Queen embarks on a sea pilgrimage to the Tower of the Sun. The procession battles strange beastmen in the island's jungles, traversing vines and ruins, finally arriving at a massive rock covered in dense vines. There, a mysterious ritual, incomprehensible to outsiders, is performed, during which the Eternal Queen sacrifices her own essence to ensure Morsrib remains untouched for the next ten years.

He had indeed considered whether he could use this incident to his advantage.

However... there was no pilgrimage at sea.

The Eternal Queen rarely appears outside of Ulthuan, and even within the Kingdom of Avalon, she seldom leaves.

Darkus was certain that his memory was flawed. That left only one explanation—this event occurred at a certain time, likely after Elariri became the eleventh Eternal Queen.

And then combine this line...

Clearly, there's a story behind the Tower of the Sun.

The so-called "megalith" is likely some kind of ancient artifact; while the so-called "mystical ritual" refers to the method of its maintenance. This method might have been discovered by Asur on the island—did they find the stone tablet? Or perhaps Aisha simply told Ellaeri directly?

Otherwise, why would the Eternal Queen risk being blocked by the Duruch fleet by setting off from Ulthuan, crossing the vast ocean, and entering the Sea of ​​Terror?

As for what the Ancient Sacred Device is actually used for...

do not know.

Dakos didn't know.

All he knew was that the Tower of the Sun was very important, one of the key ley lines in the Sea of ​​Fear, its importance no less than that of Aldorf. And this line, after reaching the Tower of the Sun, did not end, but began to branch outwards.

There are six in total.

One line leads to Tal Elason, and then branches into three lines, one leading to Dawn Fortress, the other to the Southern Jungle, and the other to the Southern Wasteland. Another line leads to the Tower of Stars, and here it also branches into three lines, but the directions are more concentrated, all pointing to the Southern Jungle.

The other lines either connect to Indiana, to Kuresh, or extend to the Southern Wastes and the Gates of Kalis, each with its own direction, but all revolve around the same sea area.

In other words, the Tower of the Sun is the true central ley line node of the Sea of ​​Dread. It is referred to as "one of" because the Dragon Islands are also located in the Sea of ​​Dread, but clearly, the Dragon Islands are not the central ley line node of the Sea of ​​Dread.

Taking the other two lines of the Y-shaped line covering the Dragon Islands as separate examples, one of them leads to the heart of the Darklands. Darkus quickly deduced in his mind that it didn't point to Zal Nagrund, but rather… the burial grounds of the dragons.

Of course, this is on the premise that the drawing by Renn is accurate enough.

The other line leads to the direction where the large stomach is located.

In this way, the role of the Dragon Islands becomes clear—it plays the role of a bridge and relay.

After looking at it for a moment, Darkus stopped thinking about it and pointed to the sea in the middle of the Dragon Islands, which was the real intersection of the Y-shaped lines. His fingertip hovered above the page and paused for a moment.

Is there anything here?

"No, I've checked."

Dakos nodded.

Why are there ten temple cities scattered across the Dragon Islands, despite their small size? The answer is obvious: these ten temple cities are small nodes that collectively support the stability of the larger Dragon Islands.

What are the necessary conditions for an incubation pool?

After sorting things out at this crucial point, Dakota finally asked the question he was truly concerned about, his tone unconsciously tightening.

"Emerald Pool?"

Ryan's answer was uncertain.

Darkus did not respond, but simply looked up at Renn.

“Should be?” Renn frowned and shrugged. “In the known information, I can’t find a second place that fits the criteria.”

Darkus made an outward gesture, indicating that Renn should continue.

The Emerald Pools, located north of Itaza, consist of dozens of tranquil, scattered ponds. The water shimmers with an emerald glow, light and shadow flowing gently across the surface, as if alive. Wisps of steam rise from the pools, merging into the perpetually thick clouds of Ruscia.

This place is especially sacred to the Slan, who make pilgrimages here approximately every century. No lizardmen other than the Slan are allowed to enter the Emerald Pool. Spirit lizards, lizardmen, and monitor lizards must remain on the perimeter under strict instructions, quietly awaiting the Slan's return from the Emerald Pool.

The Slams would spend many days in the pool, where the sacred water nourished their bodies and perhaps also silently cleansed their ancient and long-lived souls.

No intruders have ever entered the jungle surrounding the Emerald Pools. Even during the most turbulent and chaotic years of war with snakes and rats, this area maintained a certain inviolable tranquility. The only known people of the wild nature who knew of the Emerald Pools' existence were the Amazons who roamed this jungle, but they too held the pools in awe.

When Darkus first set foot on the continent of Lustria, he passed through there. On that occasion, he deliberately avoided the Emerald Pool and did not choose to enter rashly, but at that moment, he felt an indescribable feeling—that place was crucial.

Incubation pond?
"Has Lord Whiniatanqui ever drunk the water of the Emerald Pool?"

This was the question he asked the lizard priest who served Master Hui when he first met Master Hui.

"The stone tablet mentioned... the record of its use, but..." The lizard priest shook his head in disappointment, "it didn't work."

When Ryan finished speaking, the room fell silent for a brief moment.

Dakos slowly let out a long breath.

He found the answer, but he hated the process.

The necessary conditions for the formation of the hatching pool are indeed related to the water in the emerald pool.

The stone slabs associated with the hatching pools depict the manufacturing processes of two ancient devices. One of these devices transforms the pool water into a primordial slurry. This crucial step contains the core secrets of ancient technology; without it, even pouring water from the emerald pool directly into the hatching pools will not result in anything.

The other device relates to the method of manufacturing the incubation pool itself.

Itaza is situated in an open area surrounded by jungle and bordered by swamps. The road to the city crosses the swamp via stone causeways. These areas were indeed swamps initially, later transformed into hatching pools, becoming sacred breeding grounds. After the emergence of the Lizardman civilization, the Lizardmen were born here according to the cycle set by the Ancients, continuing until the Great Invasion.

These hatcheries were abandoned during the Great Invasion.

More accurately, it was breached and forced to abandon the territory.

After the Great Invasion, the Hatching Pools gradually degenerated back into swamps. Some areas were re-enclosed with stone dikes, forming regular rectangular sacred pools teeming with piranhas. These fortifications were subsequently incorporated into the city's defense system to deter adventurous enemies attempting to cross the jungle and bypass the dike guards.

The first time I went to Dakota, the smell... was intoxicating!
how to say?

Typical experimental products?
This was the original incubation pool. Only after the ancient saints completed their experiments or realized the hidden insecurity did they place the true incubation pools in the safest and most inaccessible areas of each temple city.

The key to creating a hatching pool isn't simply pouring water from an emerald pool into it. The core is that the pool water must first be transformed into a native slurry. But this step is far more complex than simply dumping liquid into an empty pool and expecting a completely new hatching pool to appear out of thin air.

It also requires supporting incubation tank equipment to maintain the stability of the original slurry over a millennium scale. At the same time, it must also have a corresponding cubic groove structure to fit into and work together with it.

Lucky?

Or is it just bad luck?
Dakos couldn't quite describe the feeling for a moment.

The Lizardmen couldn't create new hatcheries, but they preserved the Emerald Pool. If the hatcheries were keys, then the Emerald Pool was the lock and the door that came with them.

or……

Is there any information about the Emerald Pool on the stone slab?

"no!"

“This is not at all like Zongqi.” After making a sarcastic remark, Darkus looked at Rein. “You have a long way to go, and your task is very difficult.”

"Should I go now?"

At first, Renn didn't react, but after the words left his mouth, he realized what he meant, stood up, and his expression became serious. This is a general model; the incubation system is not a 'pool,' but a production chain. The complete chain is: source—conversion—stabilization—incubation—control.

The emerald pool is the energy source and raw material; the ancient sage conversion device is the core of the process; the incubation pool structure and equipment are the long-term stability and feeding system; the cubic groove and template structure are additional parameters. A gift.

This is a complete ancient bio-industrial system.

At that moment, he suddenly realized the seriousness of the problem: where did the water in the Emerald Pool come from? As he re-examined the concept of the 'Emerald Pool' in his mind, he realized for the first time that the key to the problem was never the 'water' itself.

That is not a simple water source.

The emerald pool is only a facade.

If it's just water, then where does it come from?
Rainfall?

The idea had barely surfaced when he dismissed it. Rainfall might be involved, but it could never be the answer itself. Even the most abundant rainfall could not explain why the pool water maintained that stable property—it could be transformed, it could be contained, yet it could not be replicated.

This made Renn realize a long-overlooked problem: water was not the cause, but the result.

The real key may be hidden beneath the pool.

Thinking this through, he was almost certain that at the bottom of the emerald pool, there existed some kind of folded space. It wasn't a simple underground cavity, but a spatial structure established by the ancient saints to isolate, buffer, and support something far beyond the current world. Within that space, there must be an ancient saint's creation, a still-functioning, stable device.

Whether this device directly transforms rainwater into pool water is something Rein cannot say for sure. It may not only accept rainwater, but also the infiltration of groundwater and the energy input from the spiritual veins. But what is certain is that it is this device that reconstructs and transforms the external input, ultimately generating a medium capable of carrying the parameters of the ancient saints.

The pool water thus exists.

The luster of emeralds is not an attribute, but a leakage; the rising mist is not evaporation, but diffusion. Those phenomena regarded as miracles are essentially traces left by higher-dimensional energy that cannot be fully contained in a lower-dimensional world.

This also explains why the Emerald Pool is irreplaceable.

It is not a water source that can be dug, diverted, or transplanted, but a node. A condensation port connecting the 'outside' and the 'inside'. It is both an inlet and a valve, and also serves the functions of pressure stabilization and restriction. Without the support of the underlying system, any attempt to replicate the pool water will ultimately only result in ordinary water.

Upon realizing this, Ryan felt for the first time the weight of the matter suddenly increase.

If the emerald pool is not naturally formed, but depends on some ancient device that is still in operation, then confirming the existence, operation, and whether it is prone to decay or failure is no longer an academic issue, but a fundamental issue concerning the survival of the entire incubation system.

At this moment, he finally understood that the reason why the Emerald Pool was regarded as an untouchable sacred place by the Shirans was not entirely out of taboo, but rather out of an almost instinctive caution. They may not understand the principle, but they vaguely sensed that once this point was deviated from, the consequences would be irreversible.

And this is precisely the most irreplaceable and crucial core of the entire Gusheng Bio-industrial System, the one that cannot afford to have any problems.

Otherwise, a very awkward, or even disastrous, situation will arise: the technology to convert water into virgin slurry is available, and the method for manufacturing incubation tanks is also available, but problems arise in the upstream process.

This means that even if the stone slabs are found, the new hatching ponds cannot be laid on a large scale.

Is there anything more upsetting than this?

In his opinion, no.

"There's no rush yet."

Darkus raised his hand and waved, gesturing for Renn to sit down.

“There’s always more to do than one thing at a time. Don’t rush.” His tone was calm, yet brooked no argument. “After I learned that you had found the stone tablet, I sent Chupakoko back to Chapeyuto. It’s been a month and a half. Judging by the time, Lord Mazdamudi should be arriving soon.”

“Survey Ausuan?” Raine asked.

Upon returning to Lorthorn, he immediately went to report to Darkus after landing. He hadn't even settled into his chair yet, and the intelligence hadn't been fully updated. But he actually knew what was going on, because Darkus had mentioned this direction to him back when they were still in Nagaros, and had also vaguely pointed out the real reason for Master Ma's trip.

“Yes, the top priority now is surveying Ulthuan! This requires your help.” Darkus nodded, his tone resolute. “Making the device will take time, but the pool water is sufficient for now, isn’t it?”

Regarding the safety of the emerald pool...

Ultraman Tiga and a fourth-generation Slan were stationed there, heavily armed. It wasn't just symbolic guarding; it was a real blockade and protection, the kind of level where even air movement had to be taken into account in the contingency plan.

“But this feeling is really not… nice, like tripping over your own feet.” Darkus sighed and raised his hand to rub his temples.

The phrase "stumbling over one's own foot" isn't a medical condition, but rather a phenomenon he repeatedly mentions. It's like using credit cards: initially it's just for short-term cash flow, but it gets deeper and deeper, and by the time you realize it, all your actions are interconnected, one link leading to another, making things increasingly difficult.

There are only two solutions: either external force is needed to forcibly separate the situation from the outside, or you have to do it yourself and break the entanglement apart piece by piece.

Alternatively, both methods can be used simultaneously.

It's like falling into a huge pit. People outside have to pass you a rope, but that's not enough. People inside the pit also have to step firmly, climb, and use their own strength. Otherwise, even the strongest rope will be useless.

“At least it’s been broken apart.” Ryan knew this theory; he spread his hands, his tone carrying a cautious confirmation.

“Yes, it was broken open.” Darkus nodded in response, then smoothly changed the subject, “Any other discoveries?”

While the overall situation remains somewhat complicated, it is not without solutions. The problems are clear, and the paths forward exist. Hope remains, and the future is still bright.

What he, Raine, and the Lizardmen need to do now is not hesitate, but stand firm in their beliefs and move things forward one step at a time.

Then, Raine began to recount his discoveries on the Dragon Islands: the stone tablets concerning the training grounds, and their associated usage, activation logic, and limitations. The content wasn't fragmented; rather, it resembled a disassembled instruction manual, only lacking a complete theoretical explanation.

"Spatial folding technology," Darkus murmured after hearing this.

Whether it's a sanctuary or a secret chamber, in his view, they are essentially different applications of spatial folding technology. The ancient sages not only mastered this technology, but also used it with great sophistication and efficiency.

Since the ancient sages were able to travel through interstellar space, what difficulty could this level of spatial manipulation possibly pose?
In his view, the discovery of these stone slabs related to the training ground was perfectly timed, almost hitting the nail on the head regarding practical needs. He had previously seriously considered whether to build a new settlement near the Isthmus of Lustia to provide supplies and rotation space for the warriors training at the Temple of Khunjerab.

Now it seems that it's no longer necessary.

Moreover, these training grounds cover a wide range, encompassing almost everything from the stealth and ambush of lurkers to the focus and control of spellcasters, perfectly meeting the dual needs of elves and lizardmen to train and level up in daily life, rather than waiting for a real disaster to strike...

Not all warriors and spellcasters have had the experience of frequently encountering powerful demons or colossal creatures, repeatedly teetering on the brink of death. Many more, before even truly facing such a challenge, don't even know what it means.

As far as he knew, it was on the day of the Battle of Lorthorn that Aislin first faced the demons and the great demons.

it's time.

It's time to put these warriors and spellcasters to a real challenge and establish a clear, brutal, and fair rating system for them!
If there's any regret, it's that the elves and lizardmen still don't fully understand the underlying principles.

They can use, execute, and reproduce the process, but they cannot truly understand the underlying mechanism.

They only know what happened, but not why it happened.

Like Salames guarding the Time Pancake, in Darkus's view, the so-called Time Sentinel was nothing more than a black box radar with completely unknown principles. Everyone knew it could work, and everyone had witnessed its effects firsthand; it could indeed use a unique waveform for surveying, positioning, and early warning.

But once unfolded, how exactly is the waveform generated? How is it captured, amplified, analyzed, and ultimately transformed into usable information...?

Salames attempted to uncover the secrets of the Time Sentinel, but unfortunately, the gap wasn't simply a matter of intelligence or effort. It felt more like the Time Sentinel was a sophisticated creation from the 30th century, while Salames's understanding of waveforms remained stuck in the 19th century.

What lies between them is not just a technological gap, but also a leap in cognitive paradigms spanning more than a dozen generations.

The tools are there, but the way we understand the world hasn't caught up.

The topic of the training grounds was temporarily put aside, and Raine began to elaborate on another key discovery he made on the Dragon Islands—the Sky Network and the Echo Network.

He solemnly handed Dakos his conceptual diagram, which combined the three systems into one, to Dakos.

As the explanation progressed, Dakota's gaze gradually changed. At first, it was focused, then understanding, and then, an almost undisguised excitement slowly shone in his eyes.

Skylight Network, isn't this just an alternate world version of superconducting power transmission technology?

Based on the spiritual vein nodes, a lossless, near-instantaneous energy transmission system is constructed. Energy no longer relies on traditional relays and storage, but is precisely delivered point-to-point along calibrated paths. An invisible and intangible, yet invisible energy highway spanning the continent.

The Echo Network is the communication wave carried on this highway.

Information is no longer transmitted in the form of runes, messengers, or spell projections, but is carried within energy harmonics. Encoding and decoding are accomplished through resonance and echo, automatically filtering noise, dynamically selecting paths, and ultimately constructing a stable, adaptive, and nearly intelligent neural transmission network.

The ancient sages once again walked ahead of all civilizations, and so far that later generations can only stand in place and look up at the footprints they left behind. But they did not merely leave behind mysteries; it is as if they deliberately slowed their pace before turning away, leaving the key by the door.

Without a doubt, the discovery of the Sky Network and the Echo Network precisely addresses Darkus's most pressing and core dilemma.

His fingers unconsciously caressed the drawing, his fingertips tracing the intersecting, extending, and interlocking lines, as if he could feel the ancient wisdom and untapped potential flowing within them.

The technological bottlenecks, resource allocation problems, and the natural limits of his dominance that had been troubling him were all cleaved open by a sharp axe at this moment, revealing a gap that connected the front and back.

The gifts from the ancient sages were never just weapons, nor just divine artifacts.

What they truly left behind was the underlying code that governs how the world operates.

What Ryan brought back were the most crucial and dangerous lines.

After the discussion between the Sky Network and the Echo Network came to an end, Renn took a deep breath, his expression becoming noticeably more serious. He stood up, took a step to the side, and then took a few steps back until he was a sufficient distance from Darkus.

Then, he took the Blade of Reality off his belt.

"Another major discovery was made when the stone slabs for the hatching pool were found!" (End of Chapter)