Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 623 Dark's Analysis of the Situation
"New Era 04: The Seven Dimensions are the control that the Creator exerted on the universe when it was created. Only after experiencing the 'Praise of Fire,' 'The Long Ice Age,' 'The Sprouting of Lava,' 'The Formation of the Universe,' 'The Proliferation of Stars,' 'The Call of Life,' and 'The Graceful Closing,' can the universe be born as the great and infinitely wise Creator foresaw. Just as all life will eventually go from birth to death, the death of the universe is also inevitable."

In the vast and boundless universe, human life is but a drop in the ocean, as dazzling as a shooting star. Humanity possesses the primordial wisdom of the Creator, proving that through the exploration of the universe, we can find the Creator, control His power, and use it to maintain the perpetuity of the universe. Therefore, the Wasteland Era is punishment, and the Stellar Era is the beginning. — *The Dark Book*

February 25th, 558th year of the new calendar.

Crusd Federation, Far Northeast District, Outer Naboa (Group) Mountains, Belogersk (Core Fortress), "Residential Layer" three stories above ground, Room "307".

The memory of Nebrius's conversation with him about the fusion of mysticism and science still echoed in Dak's mind, in that strange room with an almost infinitely vast space in the "Industrial Layer" and "Underground End".

It was the day after that conversation that Dark learned that the "underground end" was originally just a factory that wasn't very big, only about half the size of a football field, which was usually used to store unusable weapons excavated from experimental sites all over the old empire.

This place also serves as a "bridge," with an underground passage leading to the "Earthline," the "Core Realm," and the "White Night Laboratory," all built by the dwarven ancestors and goblins.

However, after the [Core of Khitanria] was routinely placed inside, the residual magical energy ore in several nearby "underground mines" and the rich "sorrow" from the earth's core, combined with the power left over from the weapons of the old empire, activated his second form.

The core of the Khitania has not only transformed this place into a boundless cosmic space, but also concealed its true form within it. For the past month, Nebrius and "Blood Wolf" have exhausted every method they could think of, but aside from wasting manpower, they have yet to find the exact location of the core.

In the past two days, as the Federation Council's offensive has gradually eased, Nebrius has transported some supplies to Belogersk through secret passages, and industrial production here has resumed somewhat, giving Dak a rare period of leisure.

Sitting in an old wooden chair with a strong Cruz countryside style, Dak recalled the new scenes he had seen in the "Gray Dream" these past few days, took out a piece of white paper, and started sketching on it with a pencil.

"After Wright returned to this world, the Gray Dream was empty again. I remember Wright telling me last time that he met Ivan of the 'Lone Wolf Society,' who played the 'Young Wolf,' and Ivan, the crown prince of the Germans, who played the emperor. As for the others..." Dark muttered to himself as he drew with surprisingly exquisite skill:

"This place seems to have been abandoned since the beginning of the Third Age. People devote themselves to the worship of steam, while neglecting nature and magic. Extreme worship of anything is the beginning of disaster, while reflection on extremes is the end of disaster."

"Now there is no one there anymore, and the towering tree is gone. Only the stone pillars stand alone at the edge of the altar, as if supporting a magnificent palace that does not exist. Perhaps in that palace there are high-backed chairs, a mottled and expensive wooden table, and upper-class professionals who are always ready to 'hold meetings' there."

After muttering to himself for a while, Dak drew the scene from his dream onto a piece of paper. After pondering for a moment, he wrote the words "Star Exploration Society" on it. Then, he hurriedly activated the slightly abundant water-based magical energy within his body and applied a layer of ice to the paper.

Immediately afterwards, with a slight thought, all the ice shattered, and the paper melted and disappeared on the spot along with the broken ice.

A few seconds later, a familiar knocking sound came from behind him.

dong dong dong.

“Who?” Dark asked succinctly.

"It's me, Shota Hoshino."

"Please come in."

After a few brief words, Hoshino Shota pushed open the door and entered. Dark looked Hoshino Shota up and down and noticed that today he was not wearing his usual cyberpunk-style gray and yellow worker clothes, but instead wearing an old-fashioned Crusad officer uniform with a predominantly tan color.

Upon closer inspection, the outfit fit Hoshino Shota exceptionally well. If it wasn't hastily made by Nebrius for him, a core member of the "Night Investigation Team," in the last few days, it must have been made for him when he joined Nebrius's team years ago.

However, on his chest, like those of the Nebusk guards and the soldiers who assisted Nebrius in carrying out combat missions, he wore an "Ice Lotus" badge.

"What is that, that flower?" Dark asked, pointing to the "Ice Lotus" badge.

"What, you mean this?" Hoshino Shota paused for a second, then answered in detail:

"This is the emblem of the city of Nebusk, called the 'Ice Lotus,' which, like the 'Sun and Ashes' emblem of Novayask, symbolizes the city's culture. Just like... well, before the New Era, the families in various places ruled by the Crusad Empire all had their own emblems."

"The 'Ice Lotus' actually follows Nebusk's earlier design. It was originally just a snow lotus, but after the Federation was established, Nebusk's first administrator, Nova Nebrinov, preferred a minimalist style. In addition, after the collapse of [Order], the industrial capacity of various parts of Crusad dropped sharply, so everything needed to be simplified." "I see. So, what is the meaning of 'Ice Lotus'?" Dark asked curiously, stroking the badge on Hoshino Shota's chest and examining it carefully.

"The 'Ice Lotus' is simply an intersecting series of lines, one symbolizing the history of Nebusk. Since the mid-Third Era, this city has been a frontline for communication with the Khitanris. The Khitanris admire the lotus's purity and pride; they aspire to possess the lotus's noble virtues and flawless morality, hence their deep affection for the lotus," Hoshino Shota explained with a hint of pride.
"In the early decades of trade, goods from the Khitans were printed with lotus patterns on their packaging, perhaps as a family emblem or a company emblem. In any case, Nebusk chose the lotus, and since the area north of Nebusk is mostly ice fields and polar regions, the combination became the 'ice lotus'."

"If, and I mean if, the Flame Empire were to gather enough power to recolonize the Eventlay no-man's-land and assist us Crusaders in expelling all the 'Heartless Ones' and ending the 'New Era Crisis,' would Nebusk still have a chance to become a leading trading hub?" Dark asked suddenly.

"If that day ever comes," Hoshino Shota chuckled to himself.

"Not to mention Nabusk, perhaps even Krusd will have to become a protectorate or even a vassal state of the Khitans."

"By the way, the situation has stabilized a lot these past few days. It seems that after the yellow sand subsided a bit, Shaneva also lost the motivation to attack. I see that the Federation army has withdrawn from two 'military outposts' that were in short supply, and on other roads, the Federation army is abandoning its controlled areas and retreating to the vicinity of the 'Former 08' military outpost."

“That’s good news. Now Nabrius can focus his energy on studying the Core of the Kingdom of Khitania. I heard you found a way to destroy it yesterday?” Dark asked, crossing his arms and looking at Hoshino Shota.

“Yes, the materials and personnel are ready, but the specific methods are a military secret. Only Nebrius and the two supreme leaders of humanity and the Lost Ones, ‘Blood Wolf,’ know the details. Everyone else is only responsible for a small part and doesn’t know the whole story,” Hoshino Shota answered honestly.
"We speculate that perhaps the 'heartless wave' in the west has revived, and Shaneva had to divert some of Novayask's resources to aid the Ice-bound province, thus having to temporarily suspend the offensive."

“I’m not so sure,” Darke said, analyzing from the perspective of a federal officer.

"The situation in the west is completely ruined. After the collapse of the 'Gnaj Line,' the Federation has no military force left in the west. In other words, at this point, it is enough to just abandon the factories, survivors, and territory here. There is no need to take them back immediately."

"Kuka and Shaneva will most likely reach a reconciliation, so that the defense of the west can be handed over to the former governor's secretary. And I speculate that what Shaneva wants to do is what those emperors who rose to power in the old city of Novayask and controlled the highest power in Krusd from east to west after the fall of the capital did."

"How do you understand it? I'd like to hear your opinion." Hoshino Shota sat on the worn-out sofa opposite Dark, his hands resting on his knees, looking like a student respectfully listening to a professor's lecture.

Seeing this, Darke then expressed his opinion without reservation:
"Since the situation in the west is chaotic, we can leave some forces to keep the west in chaos. As long as no force, including the Lost Ones or independent armed groups, shows any signs of growing stronger, Shaneva will not be able to devote her energy to the west."

"In reality, there are almost no human survivors left in the west now, and retaking it will yield no resources. We can only wait ten or fifteen years before sending adventurer and explorer teams to develop and rebuild. So, what Shaneva faces is to completely control the east."

"Completely control the East?" Hoshino Shota asked doubtfully, looking at Dark.

“Now that Eventre has become a no-man's land, the various strongholds and cities from Novayask to Nebusk, and then to Nashidegrad, must become the Federation's most secure rear bases.” Dak stood beneath the “Latest Situation Map of the Crusad Federation” that Nebrius had given him a few days ago, gesturing with a pencil as he explained:
"Currently, Novayask is Shaneva's stronghold, and she is absolutely loyal to it. To the west, only Kasdagrad has sworn allegiance to Shaneva, while other cities are temporarily under the control of Kuka, nominally only tasked with assisting in the defense against the 'heartless wave'."

"In the east, apart from Hoptov, where the Federation army forcibly occupied and was successfully taken over, the governors of the Far East Central District official trading post that manages the entire eastern trade, North and South Uhatta City, Foothill City, and the City of Heavenly Punishment have all declared neutrality, waiting for the outcome of the war between the two sides before swearing allegiance."

“What about the outposts between these cities?” Hoshino Shota asked.

“Most support Nabrius, after all, he's been operating in the East for longer. But now, more outposts are leaning towards the Federation. After all, the ‘heartless wave’ here is far less than in the West. If it weren't for the sparse population, underdevelopment, and the vast wasteland, the connections between outposts here would be much closer.” Dark took a sip of clean water from his steel cup and continued his analysis:

"The cities of Nashidegrad and Nezhnesk have formed an alliance with Nebsk, as you should know. They seem to be close to capturing the City of Heavenly Punishment. If we hold out for a few more months, they will be able to send reinforcements to threaten Shaneva's army from the outside."

"As for Far East City and Torii Town, most of the people here are wanderers who migrated from Khitanris in earlier years, just like you. Nebrius has long been kind to them, especially in terms of food aid, so they have long since joined forces with the army of Nebusk."

"So, what's the conclusion?" Hoshino Shota tapped his head. After all, he was passionate about the occult and carrying out specific spy missions. On a macro level, he was far weaker than Dark. Dark's analysis quickly put his brain into a semi-static state.

“Time is precious for Shaneva. Currently, the number of troops on both sides is roughly equal, but the Federation has more advanced weaponry and controls more resources. Therefore, what Shaneva needs is not a quick victory, but rather to continuously besiege us, causing us to lower our guard and lose our fighting spirit, before finding the right opportunity to launch a decisive battle and wipe out the resistance forces of Nebusk in one fell swoop.” Dak stood up, patted Hoshino Shota on the shoulder, and smiled:
"I hope you can persuade Nabrius not to be misled by the Federation's outward actions. Right now, we seem to be able to maintain our supply lines, but once the Federation takes advantage of our lapse in vigilance and cuts off the supply routes, the situation will deteriorate rapidly to an unimaginable degree."

Hoshino Shota didn't immediately respond to Dark after hearing this. After a long silence, he looked at Dark with envy and amazement, and said admiringly:

"Commander Nebrius is right, Dak Tiris, you are a first-rate talent that Vasily has long valued and cultivated. If your goal is not to go to the East, but to stay here, perhaps after the war is won, he can give you a position close to Shaneva."

"By the way, we brought back the dragon boy Adaloni from near the former '04' military fortress. You already know him, would you like to go and meet him?"