Wasteland Echoer.

February 20th, 558th year of the new calendar.

Crusde Federation, Far Northeast Region, Outer Naboa (Group) Mountains, "Former Military Outpost No. 08", Command Center for the Final Battle of Atlas, "Shallow Modified Cave Layer".

After resting for two days, Wright finally shook off the fatigue from traveling between Novayask and various parts of the Transnabuya Mountains.

In order to win over this young man who could influence the dragons and help them restore their power, perhaps out of fear of the "red magic power," but more so out of consideration for interests, Shaneva carefully prepared a relatively luxurious room for Wright to live in, located above the "hub office."

Shaneva tried her best to meet all of Wright's needs, including supplies, weapons, food, and so on. She even reluctantly complied with his request to send the semi-mad "Rayet" back to Novayask to find her the best doctor in the federal city for treatment.

After all, "Thunder Page," the lost one who raised the "young dragon" Seye, has gone mad and is unable to use any magical power in the short term. His consciousness is also fluctuating and he is not clear-headed.

Meanwhile, the dragon boy Adaloni, released from the Senel prison, was "captured" by Nebrius and temporarily placed on the opposing side. Shaneva's only remaining support was Wright; in other words, as long as the war continued, Wright could make any request of Shaneva that didn't cross her bottom line.

But once the "Final Battle of Atlas" is over, Wright will have to find a way to immediately break free from Shaneva's control and go to Nebsk to meet up with Dak.

Looking at the tidy room, the expensive wooden furniture, the clear bulletproof glass windows, and the several brand-new, heavy military cotton coats beside him, Wright couldn't help but think of Socrates when he first woke up in this world.

The room rented by Wright's former owner was not only cramped, chaotic, and filthy, but also reeked of a nauseating stench and the acidic smell of garbage, a stark contrast to this place.

Wright got up, drew back the curtains, and felt the long-awaited sunlight. Opening the window, he inhaled the familiar fresh air. After all, this was one of the most vegetated areas in the Nabuan Mountains.

"It seems the persistent sandstorm has paused again. Mikhail told me yesterday that the Yongchi volcano is still erupting, and it's unlikely we'll see consecutive sunny days anytime soon. But then again..." Wright fiddled with the antique metal gas lamp shaped like a double-headed eagle on his bedside table, stroking the winding metal pipes faintly visible behind the tan wallpaper. Looking at the neatly stacked mahogany table with its office supplies and the thick glass covering it, Wright couldn't help but sigh:
"Even in the wasteland, where resources are so scarce, some people are enjoying themselves. Naturally, many others are suffering. I'm afraid that even if the wasteland era ends, this situation will be hard to change. Forget it, I won't think about it too much. Since Shaneva is treating me so well, she must need something from me."

"Shaneva seems even more foolish than Vasily, the former governor described by Dak, and more likely to lead Cruz to disaster. I have to prepare for both possibilities: either Shaneva keeps her promise and lets me leave with the supplies, but that possibility is getting lower and lower."

Wright looked at the breakfast that Mikhail had personally delivered half an hour earlier, carefully examining the exquisitely prepared steak, the Khitan Ris tea, the milk, and even the finely made bread spread with various expensive oils. These exquisite meals had been delivered for several days in a row, with different dishes every day, but it was clear that they were made by the best chefs available at the time.

This is no longer the relatively peaceful period in the East a few months ago; now it's wartime, especially since resources are being consumed at the front lines. The food factories that Shaneva controls are squeezing out production capacity to supply the front lines... Shaneva values ​​him highly for being able to do all this.

"So, we still need to find an opportunity, at least after the war restarts and the situation becomes chaotic, to figure out a way to escape. Since the underground facilities of the military stronghold are quite sophisticated, we need to figure out the routes out from here first. It's just a pity..." Wright touched his empty waist and said helplessly:

"The 'Mad Bear' brand pistol has been confiscated, and there are clearly many superhumans around Shaneva. If we rely solely on the red magic source power, we might not be able to escape unscathed. Now, the only option is to satisfy Shaneva's demands as much as possible and take action when she lowers her guard."

“However, the ‘Burning Black Vision’ ability that ‘Future’ left me these past two days seems to have evolved along with the increase in my magic power level. Now, I can use it to sense the activity traces of specific objects that have been in contact with me within a ten-kilometer radius. I can confirm that Dark is still alive, and that he is active in Belogersk.”

Wright subconsciously tapped the table with his fingertips, feeling the black "threads" that the "Burning Black Vision" brought by him passing by his eyes. A trace of relief flashed in his bright black eyes. "In that case, Dark should have also made contact with the commander over there, Nebrius. I suppose someone will come to contact me in a few days."

"If Shaneva doesn't let me leave, I don't mind using these tentacles to fight her to the death."

Just then, a steady and polite knock came from behind Wright.

"Please come in!"

Looking up, Wright saw that it was Mikhail who had entered, along with three fully armed guards in silver-white armor behind him.

As soon as he entered, Mikhail, with a smile, got straight to the point:

“Wright, please come down with us. Commander Shaneva needs your help. The young dragon, Seye, has been successfully modified. Now all that’s left is for you to awaken it. With this dragon, the war will end soon, and you will be able to see your ‘destined one,’ Captain Dark Tiris, as soon as possible, won’t you?”

"Can Shaneva keep her promise?" Wright looked at Mikhail, and although he chuckled dismissively, he didn't stop putting on the brand-new military cotton-padded uniform.

A few seconds later, he was fully dressed. Mikhail pinned a badge representing Novayask, the "Ash of the Sun," on his head and praised him:

"As expected of the 'savior' chosen by the people of the Zhrine, the one chosen by the red magical energy. Wearing this outfit, you look more handsome, powerful, and dignified than any other officer in the Federation."

“I’ve said it before, I will not serve the Crusad Federation for long. My goal is the East, is Khitanris, is the Flame Empire. I… will not, and cannot, defy fate,” Wright said solemnly.

Wright could clearly see that Mikhail's lips twitched upon hearing his statement, and his expression even darkened considerably.

However, this guy, worthy of being the second-in-command of the Federal Council, changed his demeanor in the blink of an eye. He stepped forward, patted Wright on the shoulder with a slightly obsequious air, and advised, "Since we can fight together, we are comrades-in-arms, brothers. Commander Shaneva values ​​you highly. When you faced 'Blood Wolf' head-on, you not only held your own but also slightly suppressed him. This made Commander Shaneva both excited and fearful."

"After all, 'Blood Wolf' is currently the strongest leader in the Eastern Lost Organization, and few can gain the upper hand in individual combat. If you wish, Commander Shaneva can grant you the highest position in the Federation Strategic Regiment. Furthermore, after the war, she can give you one or two legions. You can command at least 20,000 men to carry out any strategic plan you desire."

A plan? Wright thought to himself with a sneer. Everyone knew that Shaneva only controlled half of Crusde, and there was also a host of opposition figures, including Nebrius. Moreover, the west had suffered several crushing defeats in the fight against the "Heartless Wave," even losing the capital. It was clear to everyone that Shaneva not only had no one to rely on, but the collapse of the Federation was only a matter of a few more wars.

Serving a dying federation, even at the cost of one's life, is absolutely not worth it. Shaneva is continuing Vasily's "Evolution Platform" plan; regardless of the success or failure of the war, a major catastrophe is certain to erupt in the federation.

Within Crusad, there is absolutely no power to end the Wasteland Era. The only way to find a way to revive human civilization is to head east to the Flame Empire. Moreover, there is still one secret about my journey to this world that remains unsolved: the power of the order god "The Chooser." His power or information may be the key to my return to my original world.

At least... it's also the way to unlock all the power of the "Red Magic Source." Dark told me that the "Chosen One" is a god of Khitanris, and to truly become the "Echo" who ends the wasteland, one must go east.

Seeing Wright looking a bit dazed and deep in thought, Mikhail mistakenly assumed that Wright was considering a very tempting offer. After secretly chuckling to himself, he prepared to press Wright to make a decision now.

So he quickly walked behind Wright, leaned close to his ear, and whispered:

"Do you know what fear means to the supreme leader of the Federation?"

"What?" Wright asked instinctively, snapping out of his daze.

Mikhail's eyes were slightly closed, his tone slow but carrying a strong sense of threat as he whispered:

“Fear means threat, and when faced with a threat, if cooperation is impossible, then destruction is the only option. For a leader, it is common sense to destroy what cannot be obtained. As far as I know, Commander Shaneva would absolutely not allow the seeds of a threat to exist around her.”

“Oh,” Wright said, feigning nonchalance.

"Then Commander Shaneva should learn to overcome fear, or at least not show it. How can a leader lead the Federation if he can't even overcome fear?"

……

About fifteen minutes later, Wright, guided by Mikhail, took the temporarily repaired elevator to the "shallow cave level".

Today, Shaneva deliberately changed into a temporarily altered uniform for the Federation leader. Of course, there was no uniform for the Federation leader, and no one dared to make such a request. Shaneva simply removed most of the medals from Vasily's medal-laden men's "marshal's uniform," added a few gold-threaded patterns of "ashes of the sun" and "double-headed eagles" to the collar and other edges, and modified it to fit her body shape.

After all, when facing dragons, especially Wright who possesses the "Crimson Dragon Roar" skill and can awaken dragons, she needs to maintain the dignity that belongs to a leader.

"You're here, Wright?" Shaneva asked seemingly casually, but in reality, she was carefully observing Wright's expression.

Of course, one cannot be as direct with Shaneva as one is with Mikhail. After a few days of contact, it is clear that this rare female administrator in the history of the Crusad Federation places more emphasis on her status, power, and authority.

“Yes, Commander Shaneva. Mikhail said that the young dragon named Seye has not yet awakened?” Wright went straight to the point.

After all, Shaneva needed a solution, and Wright came straight to the point, allowing for better communication with the head of the Federal Council.

This way, she can be temporarily paralyzed, either awakening her conscience to fulfill her promise or gaining more freedom to move around and leave once she has acquired enough supplies.

“You should know that none of Crusad’s past leaders, including the emperor and governors, have ever believed in pure dragons or pure extraordinary power. Crusad has been an undisputed industrial superpower since the Third Era; our steam and mechanical age is recorded in history. So…” Shaneva pointed ahead to a strange body, a mixture of machinery and flesh, in the center of a dimly lit, damp, and vast space, and said:
“We mechanically modified Seye, damaging part of his brain. We hoped that the dragons would be as devoid of independent consciousness as possible, so that they could be used or controlled by us. However, it seems that there were some problems with the modification process, and Seye has not yet awakened.”

"Is it an infection? Or did your machinery damage a vital part of his brain, causing him to lose control of his body?" Wright asked, slowly stepping forward to approach Seye.

“No, our doctors, along with professors from Icefall City who are experts in mechanical and flesh-and-blood modification, conducted a comprehensive and detailed examination of Seye. They were able to determine that Seye has simply fallen into a deep sleep; his body and nervous system have not been damaged.” Shaneva stood behind Wright and said with a hint of urgency:
"'Thunder Page' told me that you once entered the alternate dimension created by the Khitans under her guidance and met their ancestor 'Flame Lord'. That ancestor, who may have existed as a soul or a god, taught you the skill to awaken the power of the dragon race. I hope you will give it a try."

“I… can give it a try.” Wright nodded, approached the modified Seyer, and observed her carefully.

This black young dragon was about 10 meters long and two or three meters tall, and it was indeed much thinner than the dragons in legends. However, the black scales on its body were very clear, and they shone slightly under the weak sunlight that penetrated, showing a clear and distinct "feel" like the moon.

The jet-black scales displayed an incredibly bizarre superimposed state of light and darkness, extending all the way to the pair of "powerful" wings welded with silver steel plates and black electrical wires. (End of Chapter)