Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

“Don’t go crazy here.” Thesolius turned and glared at his brother.

"By the time you find that damn thing, Christina will be beyond saving! You're just making things worse and causing trouble for everyone."

"So what should we do? Are we just going to stand here like idiots?!"

Natamus slammed his hand on the railing, snapping the wooden carvings in two. The paint on the railing peeled off cleanly, as if it had been brushed with a steel brush.

The entire wooden attic trembled at his anger, and the servants below, trembling with fear, quickened their pace.

"At this point, I'm afraid only..."

"It seems something serious must have happened here to cause my two best generals such distress."

Before the words were finished, a clear and melodious voice rang out from the side. The emperor, dressed in a purple robe and wearing a short yellow silk cloak, walked up to the second floor. His hair, which was as white as silver threads, was held in place by hairpins inlaid with gold and jade, leaving only a few strands at his temples and the back of his head.

Empress Claudia of the Empire appeared here without any announcement or ceremonial procession. The single-handed blade hanging at her waist was inlaid with gemstones, gold, and ebony. At first glance, it seemed somewhat understated, but a closer look revealed its extravagance.

Tersolius paused for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief:

"You've come at the right time, Your Majesty..."

………………

The bookshelves in the Imperial Library are unlike those in ordinary homes, which hold dozens of books. These precious parchment books are all well-maintained. Every day, someone comes to sweep away the dust, spray insecticide, and keep the place dry and cool to prevent some precious books from being destroyed here.

Scholars from many other countries flock here, drawn by its reputation, just to see the precious historical materials and learn things that are not allowed to be known elsewhere.

Here, even someone who is simply cleaning dust with a soft brush might be a scholar. Countless ideas converge and collide here, and this place gathers the most learned people in the entire empire.

Today, their work will not only involve cleaning and maintaining those precious books...

Chapter 201 Heirs (3)

Amidst the rustling of pages turning, even footsteps on the polished marble floor sounded distant and soft. Everyone tried to slow their movements to avoid creating any noise in this sacred place.

Bright light streamed in through the tall, narrow windows. The builder's ingenious layout allowed this massive, towering building to receive maximum light, leaving very few dark places. Every window was adorned with exquisite carvings, and every so often, someone would clean off the dust, keeping the place spotless and gleaming.

A series of hurried footsteps echoed in the spacious hall, the sound of iron armor scraping against each other particularly prominent. The emperor's guards, clad in heavy golden armor and helmets decorated with red feathers, strode in with their heads held high and walked without hesitation toward a simple gray wooden bookshelf.

The clerks and staff around didn't seem surprised. It was clear that it wasn't uncommon for the emperor's guards to appear here. They would suddenly appear from time to time and then walk towards the gray wooden bookshelves.

The emperor's guards stood outside the bookshelf, not taking a step inside, and respectfully bowed their heads.

"Miss Perilla, His Majesty requests your presence."

Did His Majesty say what he wanted to see me about?

A soft female voice rang out from the bookshelf. A gray-haired woman dressed in a white robe looked at the glittering golden figure with a hint of doubt. She was reading a long parchment scroll that was half-open.

"Please forgive me, I am not qualified to know, but this matter is extremely urgent, please come with me immediately!"

"Okay, I'll grab some of my usual things."

"Everything has already been delivered to its destination, so you don't need to worry."

Without much hesitation, the gray-haired woman rolled up the long parchment scroll in her hand, put it back on the bookshelf, and immediately followed the guards out of the library. Her thick leather-soled horn-embroidered lace-up shoes made a crisp sound as she walked away into the distance.

…………

Tersolius knew he had to give this impatient guy next to him something to do, otherwise, even if he didn't actually tear the house down, he would only make the atmosphere more agitated.

By this point, the anxiety was already immense, especially the groans that occasionally emanated from the room, which only added to the agonizing wait.

The two of them and the emperor had just gone in to check on Christina. She was in so much pain that she couldn't speak, only able to make small, intermittent sounds. Her face was pale, and her hair was stuck to her face with sweat. The bed sheet had been torn open with a large hole. Meanwhile, Talina was using all her strength to relieve her symptoms with medicine and magic.

Seeing his wife's miserable state, Nathamus was so agitated that he lost his composure and couldn't even maintain the so-called etiquette in front of the emperor. He paced around like a headless fly.

Thesolius reached out and grabbed his shoulder, then pulled him back forcefully, forcing his brother to regain his footing.

"Go check on how the servants are preparing, hurry up, my good brother! Stop making a mess here, you're blinding me."

After shoving and pushing the wandering fellow downstairs, Tersolius let out a long sigh and sat down in a chair without saying a word. The emperor, sitting in another chair, was also calmly thinking, occasionally giving an order to the attendants around him, and someone would immediately set off to do it.

Until all the attendants had been sent out, only the two of them remained in the corridor. The servants were working frantically, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

"Don't worry too much, my general."

Clautina remained calm and composed, unlike Natamus who showed signs of panic. However, Tersolius clearly saw that her fingernails had already scratched several marks on the hard mahogany tabletop, and these marks were getting more numerous and deeper. Clearly, she was not as composed as she appeared.

"The Imperial Academy and Library are full of knowledgeable scholars who have collected most of the knowledge in this land. There must be someone who knows about this curse. I don't believe that our country can't find a talent who can do such a thing."

“I just sent a servant to invite her… You may not know, but a new master has appeared in our library. She is the daughter of the library manager and has already demonstrated her abilities and extensive knowledge to me some time ago. She should be able to come in handy.”

Tersolius smiled and shook his head:

“I am not particularly worried, Your Majesty… After all, I also have an excellent doctor here, and I believe the situation will not get to the worst… But if more intelligent people and scholars come to help, I think the chances of things being resolved smoothly will be much greater.”

"...Intelligent people also come in different types."

The emperor suddenly relaxed, the serious and tense expression on his face vanished, and he leaned back, desperately pulling at his waist and neck.

“I consider myself a smart man, and no one in this country can deny your wisdom, but right now our intelligence is useless… Just like a knife used for cutting vegetables can never be used on the battlefield, no matter how capable we are in ordinary times, we are helpless in this kind of situation and can only wait for the right smart people.”

"This is just a matter of course."

Thesolius stood up, turned and leaned his arm over the railing, ignoring the painful groans coming from the back of his head, and plucked a green apple from the huge, leafy apple tree.

In this day and age, the quality of fruit is hard to guarantee. Without the help of pesticides, any insect can freely enjoy this delicious, sugary fruit, leaving behind black wormholes and rotten patches.

But this time he was lucky. The apple was smooth and round, emitting a faint fragrance. With a slight twist of his wrist, the crisp flesh was broken in two, and he handed the larger half to the emperor beside him.

"The swords that can cut through armor and flesh on the battlefield would definitely not be good for cutting vegetables, and the axes used to chop wood would suffer greatly in hand-to-hand combat. Everyone has something they are born to do, and such talent is often unmatched by others."

"If talented people can give full play to their talents and capable people can make use of their abilities, then our country can rest easy and there will be no more enemies that can hinder us."

The apples here are sweet with little sourness, thin-skinned and crisp, clearly a specially cultivated variety. As the crisp, juicy flesh was squeezed out with their teeth, the two fell silent again, but they ate the apples in their hands very quickly. Every now and then, only half a core remained, which they casually tossed into the tree pit one after the other, waiting to rot on the soil.

As the wooden door behind them was gently opened, the two were relieved to hear that the heart-wrenching screams had completely subsided. Although Christina on the bed was still covered in sweat, her expression had calmed, and she had fallen into a deep sleep. The lady-in-waiting, Dolores, began to wipe away her sweat.

Tarina, kneading the soft gauze in her hands, approached them and respectfully bowed to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, until I obtain more information, this is all I can do for now... I have used some sedatives and painkillers, combined with the effects of magic, which should allow the lady to sleep until tonight... At least in the process, she will no longer have to endure the torment of excruciating pain and will be able to recover some strength."

“You have done very well, Dr. Talina… I guess you prefer to hear that title. If you wish, all the libraries and colleges in the capital will be open to you. You can come and go as you please and look at whatever interests you. This is the Emperor’s permission, and no one has the right to stop you.”

A worried Tarina forced a smile, clearly still concerned for her patient's safety.

"Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty. This is exactly what I have been hoping for! ... But a terrible problem awaits us—although the lady is asleep, the fetus in her womb is still restless. If this continues, problems will inevitably arise sooner or later. I dare not use medicine on the fragile fetus and can only use magic to soothe it temporarily."

"This child may have changed under the influence of the curse; we must prepare ourselves mentally in advance..."

“We are prepared, Talina.”

Thesolius spoke expressionlessly, his voice filled with unwavering resolve and determination, a sentiment echoed by the emperor:

“If things really get to the point where it’s beyond repair, we need you to do everything you can to save Christina’s life, even if it means the child dies… Don’t worry, Natamus knows that if this is a poisonous fruit, no matter how reluctant we are, we can’t keep it, especially since it’s threatening a loved one and friend who is very important to all of us.”

“I have gathered the country’s best scholars and doctors, and they will all assist you. In any case, we must be careful with this matter.”

Downstairs, Natamus stood silently in front of a large tree, stretching out a hand to scratch the bark, tearing off the thick, tough bark piece by piece like peeling off a spider web. The servants beside him did not dare to approach, but kept their heads down and busy with their own affairs, even trying to slow down and soften their breathing.

Tarina hesitated for a moment, her expression complex, before finally gritting her teeth and revealing a resolute look:

"...I understand, Your Majesty, my lord. If it really comes to that, I will know what to do..."

A sudden burst of rapid hoofbeats echoed from the street outside, and the horses pulling the carriages, drenched in sweat, came to a halt. One carriage after another pulled up outside the mansion. Various doctors and scholars dismounted and filed in under the watchful eyes of the guards.

"Alright, the people are here. Tell them not to waste any time and to get started immediately!"

Claudia seemed slightly relieved, especially after seeing the striking gray-haired woman in the crowd, which gave her a strange boost of confidence.

………………

After a brief discussion, the empire’s brightest minds quickly came up with a solution. Especially under the emperor’s watchful eye, they all put in their utmost effort, no longer engaging in the usual detailed discussions and lengthy reasoning.

The woman named Perilaya looked very mature, with a dignified and beautiful face like a noblewoman, but she always had a gentle smile on her face that made people feel like they were basking in a spring breeze, without any of the arrogance of a typical nobleman.

Even though she only learned the details of what happened after she got on the carriage, the woman did not panic or back down. Instead, a burning desire ignited in her eyes, and she couldn't wait to throw herself into this difficult task.

All their notes and materials had been sent here beforehand, and each person's box was placed in a specific location to prevent them from getting mixed up, allowing them to start working immediately.

The relevant records in precious historical documents were all dug out, carefully sorted out, and analyzed... At least at this moment, no one wanted to make any mistakes—if they couldn't save the chief elder's daughter and the emperor's friend, it would definitely not be a good thing for them.

In a very short time, they completed a series of complicated procedures and did their best to ensure that the method was feasible before finally bringing the parchment to the door.

…………

"You mean: that so-called cursed object can be calculated using a formula?"

Tersolius asked with some surprise, he really hadn't expected these scholars to find such a method... and even more unexpected that they had reached such a level—that they could find such mysterious things by relying on pure calculation.

But now that things have come to this, they have no better option than to trust the brightest minds in the empire, so they can only agree to let them give it a try.

Next, the scholars took over command of the mansion. Servants and soldiers moved all sorts of things under their command, and carefully measured the building with various instruments. They even confirmed the location of Christina before they officially began their work.

Large sheets of parchment, each requiring half a lamb's hide to make. With fine, soft, and durable edges, it was the best writing material of the time, and incredibly expensive, especially when it was a whole sheet.

The carefully selected scholars are writing furiously on parchment, writing all sorts of formulas, discussing strange variables and changes, and leaving one mark after another on the soft leather with black ink.

Their leader and coordinator was none other than Perilla, who enjoyed the emperor's deep trust...

Chapter 202 Heirs (4)

"Move a little distance to the left... Okay, that's enough! Leave this place with minimal movement."

"Remove all the clutter here, and yes, remove the carpet too. Don't leave any unnecessary disturbance."

"Korna, the angle of the lens should be increased by three and a quarter of a second. Just listen to me!"

"There is a slight numerical error here; correct it immediately."

Two or three hundred people were serving the scholars, doing all sorts of seemingly inexplicable things under their direction—moving a stone, shifting a patient's bed, moving a flowerpot a little to the right... These things seemed completely meaningless, like children playing house, but no one dared to be negligent.

Sheets of soft, sturdy parchment were covered with black incantations. Everywhere, scholars were carefully manipulating these exquisite mechanical tools, their complex and intricate structures never idle.

The sun was slowly moving across the pure blue sky, and the drifting clouds cast small patches of shadow that vanished in an instant, leaving no lingering shade.

Although it wasn't too hot in the cool, well-ventilated attic, many of those waiting there were still sweating profusely, tormented by their inner anxiety, watching the scholars carry out their work in an orderly and methodical manner.

This is a troublesome situation that can only be handled by the most knowledgeable group of people in the entire empire working together. Anyone who wants to get involved needs to have equally extensive knowledge. Others, even the emperor and the invincible general, can only wait and can't do much more.

As the parchment was filled with writing, the scholars grew increasingly nervous, sweat beading on their faces, and servants immediately rushed forward to wipe it away.

These brilliant minds are working at full capacity, with no more free time than the tools in their hands that never stop. Some are already exhausted, dizzy, and have expended a lot of energy in the intense thinking.