Agatha was unable to ascertain if it was a natural phenomenon induced by the nuclear test or just a coincidence.

The violent explosion above the water surface lifted an extremely magnificent water spout that could be seen even from 15 kilometers away. In contrast to the ash blue background, the water spout appeared to be pure white, as though it did not come from the sea. The water spout gradually surged upwards as though it had become weightless. The entire process lasted for tens of seconds, but it was a sight that transcended common sense for the majority of the spectators.

In the end, the water spout turned into rain that returned to the sea, replaced with a twisted white mist that was even expansive and higher than the water spout. At this point in time, the spectators were able to see the peculiar cloud of smoke.

The sailboats that had gathered at the location of the explosion had disappeared without a trace.

That was when the rain started pouring down.

It had been her biggest regret to miss out on the first nuclear test back on Snow Mountain, and now, she had resolved that regret by attending this trial.

Agatha could not help but recall the words between His Majesty Roland and Phyllis two years ago during winter. I was after the artillery demonstration in Neverwinter.

Exothermic reactions between chemicals were merely the simplest results of an explosion.

He was pursuing the recreation of the Glory of the Sun.

Aside from the ridiculous talk regarding the 'Resplendent Radiation,' His Majesty has always appeared reliable.

But what surprised her this time was that the spectators did not produce any applause.

The n.o.bles invited for the viewing sat blankly in their seats, apparently even forgetting to whisper to each other. Many of them had complicated expressions, so much so that hints of fear had flashed past their eyes. As the representative of Graycastle, Agatha had originally written a pa.s.sionate speech as requested by Roland, but after seeing the expressions of the spectators, she immediately stood up and vacated her seat.

She was able to guess their thoughts.

There were times when silence revealed everything.

Regardless, King Roland had honored his promise. The n.o.bles from the Kingdom of Dawn who had partic.i.p.ated in the meeting had witnessed first hand humankind's capabilities.

The subsequent gathering of data was naturally conducted by the members of the Ministry of Industry who specialized in it.

In less than half an hour, the preliminary verdict was sent to her: the test had attained its expected results.

Agatha wrote "Everything went smoothly without a hitch" on a piece of paper,tied it to the carrier pigeon, and sent it flying.

The carrier pigeon flapped its wings and disappeared into the horizon.

Hopefully, the air operation on the other side went smoothly as well, she thought to herself.

…

Within the walls of the City of Glow, the General Staff sorted out all new information related to the air raid operation.

The outcome of the attack was ideal, the Demons never expected for the humans to launch a new attack right after the loss in the Impa.s.sable Mountain Range. Compounded with the Aerial Knight's agile maneuverability in the air, the fleet was able to draw in close to the Deity of G.o.ds before the enemy reacted.

This meant that although the demons had the ability to lift the floating island which spanned tens of kilometers, they did not have the ability to monitor its surrounding completely. Not only did this provide the superiors of the First Army with hope, it gave the Seagull the opportunity to record all the positions of the devilbeasts. Although they were unlike the biplanes that required a large and flat clearing to take off, they had to be reared to be integrated for war. Thus, all the devilbeasts were found to be located at larger Blackstone towers and were undoubtedly important targets.

And the most crucial information was the magic power barrier that protected the Red Mist lake.

Not only did the Aerial Knights discover its existence, they verified that the barrier could be weakened through consecutive bombings. Although the principle was unclear, it held the same traits as the barriers used by Senior Demons, except that it had a wider scope.

The General Staff believed that once they found the connection between the two was established, they would be able to speculate and figure out the necessary firepower required to break the barrier.

Losing four Fire of Heaven planes was considered the smallest price to pay for all the information.

"Manfeld Castein…" Roland placed the report down and sighed emotionally. "He truly deserves an award."

It wasn't difficult to be determined.

The difficulty lies in having both the determination and ability to realize the decision.

His charging into the demon city and diving down to unleash the bomb just by relying on his own understanding and finally leading his comrades to safety could only be attributed to talent which could only be described as extraordinary.

"I will pa.s.s on this honorary prize to him." Tilly shrugged her shoulders, then followed on with a murmur, "But why haven't I seen…"

"What?"

"No, nothing. I have other things to do, I'll make a move first." Tilly turned and headed towards the door.

Roland heard a chuckle from behind.

"Eh… did you hear what she said?"

"No." Nightingale smirked. "But I can guess."

"Really? Spit it out."

She raised five fingers.

"That many?" Roland was shocked.

"Who asked her to have the ident.i.ty of a princess. That's already a discounted price."

"Alright, it's a deal."

Nightingale licked her lips. "That Aerial Knight truly has talent, but your praise for him was over the top. Out of all the Aerial Knights, isn't it obvious who is the most talented and outstanding? You seem to be treating people who have the ability to accomplish things as a norm, but not so much for this matter." At this point, Nightingale paused. "After all, talent isn't something we get to choose, right?"

…

That's right, being capable is sort of a talent as well…

Roland sat by the window in Rose Café and watched blankly at the pedestrians walking along the road.

Although having talent puts someone at a higher starting point, but to completely exhibit that talent requires a large amount of effort. I seem to have overlooked this recently.

"Hey, what're you dazing out for?"

Roland retracted his gaze and saw Valkries holding onto two cups of coffee as she sat opposite him.

"I'm thinking about how to reach the Bottomless Land as soon as possible." He threw out the complicated thoughts in his mind and went through the air raid on the Deity of G.o.ds once. "Is this magic barrier capable of covering the entire region related to the ability of some Senior Demon? Or is it a newly researched technique?"

"If I'm you, I'll stop using the label of demons on us." Valkries retorted, "My race's specific abilities depends on what magic stone we receive, selecting a barrier magic stone just depends on the right compatibility and having a high attainment in using it. It doesn't really relate to our ability of wielding it. For example, I did not merge with such a magic stone. Aside from that, it is impossible for a magic stone to encompa.s.s the entire Birth Tower, it should be the result of Mask's research."

"What's that?"

Valkries drank a mouthful of coffee. "By using a core apparatus to simulate the cyclone structure of the magic stone and amplify its result substantially. This idea came about a long time ago, but there were many restrictions on it. I never imagined that Mask would succeed."

This means that the barrier on the Deity of G.o.ds and the magic barrier on their bodies are essentially the same. Roland silently noted. At least it proves that the a.s.sumption proposed by the General Staff is feasible.

"Is the development of Symbiotic Demons also from Mask?"

"Yes, in some sense, he is very similar to Transformer Heathtalese. He has never utilized any offensive type magic stones." Valkries nodded. "Considering that the Symbiotic Demons aren't ideal at dealing with the Sky-sea Realm, it is only logical that the King sent them here."

After chatting about the situation, Nightmare Lord stood up and left.

After sending her to the door, Roland suddenly voiced out. "Thanks."

She stopped abruptly.

"Hackzord hasn't appeared in the two battles. I think that he believes in the content written in the letter. If he was present, I'm afraid that the First Army would had suffered more losses. Just for this, I should be thanking you."

"Don't forget that I'm not helping you, but my race." Valkries turned back and replied. "The best repayment will be the honoring of your promise. I don't need any grat.i.tude aside from that."

She left and disappeared into the crowd.

Roland returned to the cafe when his phone suddenly rang.

It was a message mentioning a delivery.

This puzzled him—he had not purchased anything online recently.

Even so, he returned to the apartment and opened the delivery box to retrieve the package sent to him.

The package was half an arm broad and felt weightless, completely inconsistent with the paper box's size.

After inspecting and verifying that the package was for him, he brought it into his bedroom and opened up the package.

The moment the box was opened, he froze.

Inside the package was a frozen astrolabe.