Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 624 Nebrius's Praise
"I'll postpone seeing him for now." Dark shook his head, seemingly preoccupied. After a few seconds, he slowly replied:
"Actually, I didn't have much contact with Adaloni. It was Wolfya who rescued him from Sener Prison, and he was also the one who shot and killed 'Yinmin'. Adaloni was actually a pawn that Vasily arranged to cooperate with the 'Order Society' in cleaning up its own house and to incite 'Red Wave'."

“We know all this, but after all, Vasily is dead, and Wolfya has also been killed in action. The people who plotted and arranged Adaloni’s fate are either dead or missing. Only the one who calls himself ‘Silver-haired Death’, ‘Vobin,’ is still wandering around Shaneva.”

"Your 'Dark Night Investigation Team,' and... Commander Nebrius, have information on 'Frozen's' movements?" Dark's eyes suddenly lit up as he looked at Hoshino Shota and asked urgently.

"I only encountered him a few days ago during a routine patrol and reconnaissance mission in the mountains. As you know, he possesses the power bestowed upon him by the Lord of the Night. Since wearing the 'Mask of Krasen' and meeting the missing princess of the old empire, 'Fubing' seems to have made some contact with the Lord of the Night."

"Commander Nabrius means that we should not contact him for the time being, but observe him secretly. According to the record 'KM-106' left by the old empire at the 'Yaoguang Evolution Platform', the [Core of Khitanria] contains a part of the dark power that the Lord of the Night fears, which is the part of the primordial power left by the Creator."

"Primordial power, what is that?" Dark asked curiously. He hadn't expected to hear so many new terms about mysticism in Belogersk, a desolate region surrounded by mountains.

"You understand the seven time dimensions, right?" Hoshino Shota continued his explanation after seeing Dark nod.

"After the end of the epochal period, the Creator created five fundamental properties in the primordial universe, setting the tone for the entire cosmos. Metals symbolize all metallic elements, the ultimate product of a series of reactions resulting from the increasingly dense condensation of protons and neutrons. They represent the future of the universe, and the future of life."

"Plants symbolize immovable life and are the earliest form of life capable of self-reproduction. Compared to lower single-celled organisms like paramecia, plants possess their own 'wisdom' and can begin to autonomously choose their own lives."

"There are three other types, right?" Dark asked tentatively, recalling the five most basic types of magical energy.

“That’s right. They are the most basic elements, the most fundamental units for building mysticism,” Hoshino Shota explained.

"The only thing left behind by the Creator, the legendary ordinal demon 'The First Words of Revelation,' states that there are five primordial sources of demonic power, and there will always be only five. From the beginning of the universe to its end, even Depthor, Hades, Cthulhu, and the gods of darkness and light cannot shake it. This is an existence that transcends 'reason,' it is everything, the supreme supreme being."

"Water is a given. Physicists and astronomers have concluded that only planets with liquid water have the potential to give rise to life. Water contains the most delicate remnants of the Creator's energy, while ice is too cold and hard to extract the life force. Only water can nourish all things."

“Well then, Hoshino Shota, I’m not interested in fire and earth, at most they’re related to life and the development of the universe. I’m just curious, why would the dark power within the primordial power left behind by the Creator be feared by the Lord of the Night?” Dark interrupted Hoshino Shota, voicing his own question.

Shota Hoshino clearly wanted to continue, but only his lips moved without uttering a sound. After several seconds, he finally answered with a regretful tone, mimicking the shrugs of the Putoa people from hundreds of years ago:

"The Lord of the Night considers himself the master of dark power, claiming to be the creator who bestowed all darkness, including the darkness of the so-called underworld ruled by Hades, upon him. But in reality, wherever the Lord of the Night goes, due to his divine body and his status as the 'ruler of dark power,' all dark magical energy will indeed unconsciously flow into his body."

"Isn't this great? As long as you come into contact with darkness, you can passively absorb power and become stronger. This is something that countless magicians, immortals, and even all users of magical energy dream of." Dark looked at Hoshino Shota with a puzzled expression, seemingly unable to connect the characteristics of the Lord of the Night with the dark power that fears the [Core].

However, Hoshino Shota quickly gave him the answer.

“The leader. The problem of the leader and the follower.” Hoshino Shota explained in as much detail as possible:

"Before the forces of darkness, the Lord of the Night is the dominant one, but before the primordial dark forces of the Creator, the power within the Lord of the Night is merely a follower. Once the Lord of the Night passively absorbs the dark forces within the [Core of Khitanria], it will quickly transform into primordial power because of its subservience."

"That portion of primordial dark power will force the Lord of the Night to completely submit to the sleeping Creator, thus temporarily shedding his godhood and leaping into the temple where the Creator was born, becoming His servant and fulfilling the agreement made by the Creator with the seven first-order gods when creating them."

"'Agreement'? What is it?" Dark unconsciously recalled Light Socrates and the agreement he made with him in the Gray Dream.

Perhaps this is fate, the fate set by the Creator when He created the gods.

"The Creator controls this world not through power, nor through magical energy or extraordinary strength that we cannot comprehend, nor by disrupting or controlling the thoughts and spirits of any human or deity to achieve complete dominance. Rather, it is through destiny—or, as our ancestors in the Eastern Province of Khitanris, we are more accustomed to calling it 'fate.'" Hoshino Shota seemed to be answering a completely unrelated point, but in reality, he explained most of Dark's doubts:
"The Creator binds all the gods with destiny, and all His emanations set up endless destinies to manage all sentient beings. Thus, in the darkness, He controls this universe that He has carefully created, relying on all seemingly coincidental events."

“It’s like Wright’s fate is that of an ‘Orderer,’ while my fate is intertwined with his, destined to be a ‘Disruptor’ who helps him restore order. In fact, our fates were written from the moment we were born. Whether we are omniscient or ignorant, strong or weak, we cannot change the overall trend. Otherwise, disaster would befall us, wouldn’t it?” Dark thought of himself and murmured, as if asking Hoshino Shota, but also questioning himself.

“Of course.” Hoshino Shota said with a double meaning: “When the brilliant explosion first subsided, the Creator created seven gods with different personalities, appearances, powers, and destinies, based on his own image as accurately as possible, hoping that they would help manage the universe and create different planets.”

"In order to limit their power and prevent independent personalities from creating genes of disloyalty, the Creator stipulated that the seven first-order deities must serve the Creator once in each 'God's Era.' Each time only needs to last for one human era, and the condition for triggering it is contact with the primordial power."

"Due to human exploitation of nature during the Third Era, the primordial power of all metals, plants, water, and fire within the region stretching from the Endless Ice Ocean in the west to the Black Min Islands in the east has been exhausted by human machinery. Only in the seas inhabited by the 'ancient gods,' where human technology and ships cannot reach, remains a large amount of untapped primordial dark magic power."

"I think I understand what you and Commander Nebrius mean, Shota Hoshino." Dark rested his chin on his hand, mimicking the mannerisms of a detective in an old novel beginning his deductions, and analyzed:
"The Old Empire, perhaps when Ivan XXII first forged the [Core of Khitanria], may have used materials from the 'Ancient Gods' Realm' or somehow imbued the materials with primordial dark power to forge this core."

"And you have confirmed through certain channels that 'Fubing' has reached some kind of agreement with the Lord of the Night, or has submitted to Him. The Lord of the Night's goal is to use 'Fubing' to destroy the [Core of Khitania], which happens to coincide with yours. Therefore, you hope to secretly observe 'Fubing's' movements, hoping... or rather, to let him return to Belogersk after obtaining the power of the Lord of the Night, to find the [Core] hidden in the dark space for you, and to destroy it."

“I… and Commander Nebrius, I hope you will continue, Dark.” Hoshino Shota subconsciously adjusted his ear and urged.

“This is a ‘using a borrowed knife to kill’ conspiracy. It seems Commander Nebrius has a deep understanding of the philosophy of the Khitanris.” Dark smiled subtly, glancing at the Nebusk guards training in the distance outside the window, before turning to Hoshino Shota and continuing:
"As I just analyzed, Shaneva's goodwill in temporarily delaying the attack is nothing more than a tactic to lull you into a false sense of security. The hundreds of thousands of federal troops invading the Outer Naboa Mountains are like a giant sword of Damocles, as sharp as the 'Mount Near the Gods' of Khitanris."

"It hangs high above, yet you are powerless against the 'Core' shrouded in darkness. The state of 'Ice' has given you a way to destroy the 'Core' while simultaneously shifting the risk elsewhere. After all, Shaneva's enthusiasm for the 'Universal Energy Evolution Platform' project is no less than that of her predecessor, Vasily."

"Once the [Core] is destroyed by 'Frozen Ice', Shaneva, having lost her mind, will turn her anger towards the Western Lost Ones organization, led by the remnants of the 'Order Society', and will naturally have no time to look eastward. Once Shaneva and the Lost Ones have fought to the death, Nabrius can play the role of the fisherman and reap the two exquisite prey, the snipe and the clam."

After listening to Dark's analysis, Hoshino Shota showed a hint of admiration on his face.

However, a sudden, noisy electrical sound emanated from his body, seemingly mixed with a low, whispering voice, much like the voice of a demon.

A burnt, pungent, and strange smell emanated from Hoshino Shota's brain. Then, as if controlled, he suddenly nodded towards the void in front of him, seemingly receiving some kind of command.

After finishing his strange behavior, Hoshino Shota turned around, tapped his ear, and said seriously to Dark:
"Commander Nebrius is on the parade ground in the camp right now, and he wants to see you."

……

About fifteen minutes later, Dark and Hoshino Shota appeared in the "training ground" below the "fortress layer" of Belogersk.

This "training ground" isn't large, but it occupies a significant proportion of the city. It was originally designed by Nebrius during his involvement in the construction of Belogersk to provide soldiers with a place for daily training and to maintain their combat effectiveness.

It was put into use immediately upon re-entering the "city".

“Dark Tirith, you are indeed a talent valued by two... no, three administrators of the Federal Council. Your analysis just now, from the prediction of the war situation and the movement of the Federal army, to the speculation on Operation 'Frozen Ice', although I do not agree with a few parts, has impressed me overall.” Nebrius, wearing a heavy, oversized military cotton coat and a handsome military green cloak, came to Dark.

Immediately afterwards, he extended his right hand, clad in a pristine white decorative glove, patted Dak on the shoulder, and praised him:

"With your talent, within my authority, I am more than qualified to grant you the power of the deputy governor of the Nebusk City Council. If you are willing to give up your journey to Khitanris, I will not hesitate to provide all the resources to satisfy your growing ambition."

"Please forgive my bluntness, Commander Nebrius," Dark said directly and without reservation in front of Nebrius.
"Given the current situation, regardless of whether you or Shaneva emerge victorious and gain supreme power in the Federal Council, it will lead the Crusted Federation down a path of irreversible destruction. Whether or not the 'Evolution Platform' project goes into war, the Crusted Federation will have no chance to rebuild human civilization here."

“I will not, and cannot, waste time on a sinking ship. Only Khitanris can provide me with the resources that match my current ambitions. However… I am curious, Commander Nebrius, you have been training the guards at the ‘training ground’ the whole time, how could you have heard my conversation with Hoshino Shota so clearly? Hoshino Shota… has been by my side the whole time, he couldn’t have told you everything so quickly.”

Upon hearing this, Nebrius pulled a small, round mechanical device from his ear, handed it to Dark, and explained:
"These are called earphones. They are still usable technological artifacts discovered at the bottom of the 'Yaoguang Evolution Platform' of the old empire. Two earphones make up a pair, and each earphone contains a chip that current human technology cannot produce, used to achieve short-range wireless communication."

"A pair of earphones that enable wireless communication and calls constitute a concealed 'wireless communication device'."