Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 386: The Speed of Spread of Rumors
"What? Lucas Duncan contacted you again out of the blue?"

"Son of Fire" Phil Holden sat cross-legged on the camp bed and asked "Storm Walker" Matthews Willy with a surprised expression.

When they were investigating the Andes Valley unsolved case for each other, they acted rashly and accidentally killed Tyrion White, a high-ranking priest involved in the case, resulting in the complete loss of the only clue. Afterwards, Matthews used a magic messenger to tell Duncan the whole story, but never received a reply from the other party.

"The Church nearly turned Black Rock City upside down because of this incident. Even a fool wouldn't believe that damned pedophile was just an ordinary priest." The Son of Flame curled his lips and chuckled. "Your friend probably worried about being linked to someone else and being implicated in the assassination of the priest, so he cut off contact with you."

Stormrunner rolled his eyes and whispered defensively, "Duncan is no coward. He had more important things to do at the time...even more urgent than investigating that cold case."

He paused, his expression somewhat complicated as he continued, "And... you probably can't imagine how he contacted me directly this time..."

"How else can we contact you? We've already penetrated deep into the demon-controlled territory north of the Evil Moon Mountains. Besides exchanging magic patterns and using spell messengers, could he possibly bribe the Federation's reinforcement mages to send you a physical message?"

Stormrunner didn't answer immediately. Instead, he twirled the storage ring on his finger and pulled out the ingenious magic brain device. He placed it in front of the Son of Fire and said gravely, "He's using the forum's instant messaging! Elementals be damned! Duncan actually joined the Spellcaster Forum!"

Flame Heart's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? There aren't any new members available these days. How did he get in?"

Did a reputable original forum member vouch for him? These veteran members are increasingly unscrupulous in their attempts to form cliques and exploit their group behavior for personal gain...

"Hmph, I guess he's one of those [Semi-Authorized] who doesn't even have the qualifications to participate in the exchange meeting. Why did he contact you alone? Like the other non-Union members, is he also trying to inquire about the manufacturing technology of the Annihilation Spear?"

Son of Flame froze in his tracks, then asked solemnly, "Wait! How did he know you were on the forum? And how did he guess your codename and true identity so accurately? There's a traitor on the forum!"

The hot-tempered fire mage stood up, raised his hand, and summoned his magical brain device. With a serious expression, he said, "Your brain is really rusty. This matter should be reported to the administrator Mr. Turing immediately! At the very least, Mr. Kel'Thuzad should be informed... Through him, he can warn other members. With the forum's capabilities, it won't be difficult to catch the person who leaked the member's identity."

Stormrunner quickly stood up and held down the Son of Fire, explaining repeatedly, "Don't be impulsive! Duncan was introduced by Mr. Kel'Thuzad! My identity was also exchanged with Duncan's after Mr. Agent coordinated."

It had long been an open secret that the Spellcasters' Union held powerful magical instruments of unknown origin. The news that some of its core members were deeply involved in a secret spellcaster organization had also been circulating in the magic world of the southern countries for a long time.

The Son of Fire opened his mouth and stammered, "Why? Why would Mr. Kel'Thuzad recommend him? He was expelled from the Union for his involvement in the Church attack, and has been hiding his identity for years. His whereabouts and intentions are mysterious!"

"Duncan stumbled upon an ancient mage's relic..." Stormrunner pondered for a moment before carefully explaining, "And the items found within these relics touch upon an ancient history that predates even the Age of Dragons... I believe this is how he gained the forum's favor and was granted membership."

The Son of Flame curled his lips and said disdainfully, "What's so special about ancient mage ruins? Mr. Kel'Thuzad and I once explored the dragon's lair in the leyline space!"

Stormrunner said sternly, "I trust you as a friend with my life. I hope you will keep the ancient secrets that Duncan revealed to me a secret for me after you learn about them?" "Yes, yes! I always keep secrets!"

"Among the wizard ruins Duncan discovered, there are some ancient historical documents. They clearly mention... further north in the Northern Wastes, deep in the frozen earth where no one has ever set foot... That is the origin of the human race, known as the 'Center of the Continent'."

"What? Didn't humanity originate from this land beneath our feet, divided north and south by the Divine Spine Mountains? Isn't this too far-fetched?"

"This has been verified by those two powerful figures on the forum, as well as Mr. Kel'Thuzad himself! It's absolutely true!"

The Son of Flame was stunned for a moment, then suddenly beamed with joy. He roared with laughter, "Hahaha! Damn it! Doesn't this completely and utterly disprove the despicable hoax that those idiots of the Church of Light claimed... that the God of Light created all things and transformed them into the towering Divine Spine Mountains to block alien invasions?"

He paced back and forth in the military tent, saying happily, "If we can produce tangible relics and documents as evidence, the Federation will be able to deal a fatal blow to the foundation of the Church's faith! Those cowardly secular nobles will no longer favor them like they do now!"

Stormrunner quickly warned, "Duncan told me that the ruins are still being explored and surveyed. If the church were to learn of this in advance, who knows how much damage it would suffer. Those demon slayers and high-ranking priests hiding in the holy city of Goris would probably come out in full force and bury the truth of history at all costs."

The Son of Flame nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes! This is indeed a matter of great importance and requires strict confidentiality. However, if Mr. Kel'Thuzad takes over, I have no worries at all. Behind him stands... the entire Spellcaster Forum!"

……

Nearing midnight, the Earth-loving One who had just emerged from a meditative state opened his eyes and immediately noticed a beeping one-way communication prompt coming from the magic brain device that he almost never left.

[Eye of Illusion: Dear Mr. Earth-Follower, I recently accompanied several high-level spellcasters whose identities cannot be disclosed to explore an ancient mage's ruins... We discovered horrifying ancient historical secrets within the ruins. I don't have many friends I can trust on the forum, so please keep this a secret...]

……

Almost at the same time, the "Mirror Man" Quinn brothers, who had just finished their alchemy experiment, also noticed the message prompt from the magic brain instrument.

Mithril Unicorn: Dear Mr. Man in the Mirror, are your recent experiments going smoothly? Forgive me for asking for your help... Recently, during a chance exploration, my companions and I stumbled upon an ancient mage's relic... This involves such a shocking historical truth. If it were ever leaked, it would be fatal to me and my companions. In this forum, I have no one but you two to trust... Please keep this secret for me!

Not long after, the original members of the forum, such as Hand of Elements, Frost Giant, Heart of the Forest and Ghost Captain, also received messages from other close forum members.

A secret historical truth concerning the origins of the human race spread rapidly and "quietly" on the spellcaster forum...

(End of this chapter)