Chapter 573 - 557: Incognito Visit
"Zoom in. Let me get a good look."
Allen’s deep blue eyes reflected the shifting, eerie light of the sandbox as the light and shadows shifted rapidly, revealing astonishing details of the continent’s hinterland.
Jarvis explained from the side, "Commander, according to the surface analysis transmitted back by the Celestial Net, the resource richness of this continent slightly exceeds the expectations of the exploration report."
"That’s the first piece of good news I’ve heard. Highlight all discovered shallow veins and surface resources," Allen commanded.
Dense clusters of light points instantly lit up on the holographic Star Map.
Red Magic Stone Ore Veins, blue Secret Silver Ore Deposits, and various associated metal resources sparkled like crushed diamonds scattered across black velvet. The reserves indeed looked substantial.
Allen noticed the outline of the continent. "The topography of this landmass looks very interesting."
Jarvis immediately hid the mineral resource icons and displayed more exploration data.
Allen pointed to the northern and southern ends of the sandbox.
"To the north is the Extreme Cold Icefield where we currently are, and to the south is the vast Scorching Desert.
𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
"The temperature difference between the two poles exceeds a hundred degrees. The temperate zone truly suitable for mortals to multiply and thrive is only this central landmass of about twelve million square kilometers.
"What is the population distribution like?"
"Aggregating heat signatures and vital signs data now."
Jarvis’s information processing speed was extremely fast. On the map, thousands of light spots of varying sizes suddenly flared up in the central and southern parts of the continent, far from the extreme northern icefield. They looked like bonfires ignited in the dark night.
[Three large human kingdoms exist in the center of the continent, occupying the east, west, and south to form a triangular stance. Initial population estimate: six hundred and twenty million.]
"Three human kingdoms exist in the habitable zone, occupying the east, west, and south in a triangular stance. The total population is estimated to be around six hundred and twenty million," Jarvis reported. "Additionally, outside the borders of the human kingdoms, there are scattered settlements of non-human intelligent races."
[Furthermore, demi-human settlements resembling Dwarves, Elves, and Beastmen are sparsely distributed outside the borders, with a total population not exceeding five million.]
Allen pondered as he carefully studied the map.
With a total population of six hundred and twenty million, humans held an absolute advantage over the demi-human numbers. This was an extraordinarily massive wealth of labor, enough to leverage an industrial revolution.
"What’s the situation with that area in the middle?" he asked. He had noticed that the territories of the Three Great Kingdoms did not completely border one another. In the very center of the continent, a small but flat and fertile plain was left unoccupied.
"That appears to be an independent political entity," Jarvis replied. "Judging from the architectural style and population flow trajectories, it looks more like a religious center."
Jarvis magnified the central area, revealing a large number of magnificent buildings with towering spires on the screen.
"Based on personnel activities and architectural styles, the system has named it the Pope’s Kingdom. The Celestial Net has captured the trajectories of merchant caravans and pilgrims from the Three Great Kingdoms, which converge toward this center like spokes on a wheel. All political and economic centers of gravity radiate toward it."
Allen stared at the dense cluster of religious buildings. "Are there any traces of Extraordinary Power?"
"Yes."
Jarvis pulled up several charts mapping energy fluctuations.
"Faint energy signatures have been detected among the armies and noble classes of the three kingdoms, with energy levels generally hovering around the apprentice stage. However, in the core region of the Pope’s Kingdom, both the density and intensity of the energy reactions show a significant increase. The energy levels of certain individuals have already reached the standard of an Official Wizard."
Based on current observations, this Plane did not possess much resistance.
If it was just for those few ore veins, he could easily unleash the Golem Legion, use steel and artillery to eradicate all opposing forces within three months, and begin crude, aggressive extraction.
But that was too low-class.
Violence was the cheapest method and the investment with the lowest rate of return. Stripping the land bare was the behavior of locusts. He, however, was here to be a Lord.
"What about the Crimson Hand and the unknown contamination? Have they not been found yet?" Allen’s gaze swept across the entire continent, his brow furrowing slightly. A question instantly came to mind: if the Extraordinary Level here was so low, why hadn’t it been conquered yet? One had to know that this place was already considered a lawless land.
"Under the current scanning precision, we have still not discovered any areas matching the characteristics of Dark Witchcraft energy residue or large-scale anomalous contamination."
None? How could that be possible?
Allen leaned back in his chair. They must have assimilated into this world using another, much more ingenious method.
His gaze eventually landed on the center of the map—the Pope’s Kingdom, implicitly guarded by the Three Great Kingdoms. All of the kingdoms’ political centers and major commercial routes pointed there like spokes. On the Celestial Net’s energy sensory layer, faint but stable spiritual fluctuations, converging from hundreds of millions of living beings, flowed steadily into that place.
"I’m guessing the answer to the riddle lies right there." Allen stood up. "Go prepare a set of traveler’s clothes that matches the style of the local commoners."
Jarvis immediately began executing the order. "Do you plan to investigate in person?"
"Of course.
"Data on paper is dead, after all. I need to personally feel the temperature of this world, observe their level of productivity, and see exactly what that Pope’s Kingdom is up to."
Half a day later.
At the border of the Eastern Kingdom, Alden, in a small town named Falling Leaves Town.
A handsome young traveler with black hair and blue eyes walked into the market. Dressed in a local-style gray linen robe and carrying an ordinary-looking knapsack, he blended inconspicuously into the crowd of farmers and peddlers entering the city.
The smell of dirt mixed with livestock manure flooded his nostrils. On both sides of the street, the hawking of peddlers, the clanging from the blacksmith shop, and the drunken laughter and cursing drifting from the tavern wove together into a bustling, slightly noisy tableau of everyday life.
A few soldiers in crude leather armor, wearing lethargic expressions, leaned against the city gate, turning a blind eye to the crowds moving in and out.
Allen paced himself neither too fast nor too slow, looking like an ordinary, newly arrived traveler. However, his deep blue eyes acted like a precision scanner, rapidly categorizing and analyzing a massive amount of data.
The building materials, the residents’ clothing, the variety of goods, the guards’ equipment... the productivity level of this civilization roughly corresponded to the early Middle Ages of Earth in his previous life.
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.
Directly in front of him, a church built of white stone stood in the center of the town. Compared to the low, dilapidated residential houses around it, it appeared exceptionally magnificent and clean.
A group of commoners—men and women, young and old—were quietly waiting in a long line in the square outside the church.
At the very front of the line, a Priest dressed in a pristine white robe and bearing a solemn expression was holding an instrument resembling a hollow silver needle, drawing blood from them one by one.
SHNK.
The silver needle pierced an old woman’s vein without mercy. Dark red blood flowed steadily along the needle, gurgling into the exquisite, transparent Crystal Bottle below.
Was there actually a faith that required blood-drawing?
Allen immediately searched the database for common belief systems but found no similar Church for comparison. He visually estimated that an adult was having at least two hundred milliliters of blood drawn.
After the blood was drawn, the Priest would dab a drop of clear water on the commoner’s forehead.
"May the Holy Spirit bless you," the Priest’s voice was solemn and divine.
"Praise the Holy Spirit."
The old woman swayed slightly from the excessive blood loss, her face as pale as paper. Yet, on that aged face, as wrinkled as an orange peel, a fanatical expression bloomed. It was as if what had just been drained was not her life force, but rather the fulfillment of a supreme honor.
The next person was a frail teenage boy. He extended his skin-and-bones arm with equal fearlessness, staring at his own blood flowing into the Crystal Bottle. He swallowed hard, his eyes filled with anticipation.
The entire process was quiet and solemn.
Bizarre.
Extremely bizarre.
Whether it was the commoners having their blood drawn or the Priest executing the ritual, their faces all bore a heartfelt expression that mixed devotion with sheer bliss.
Allen stood quietly at the corner of the street, like a lifeless statue, watching this absurd scene.
[Warning: Unknown spiritual calling Force Field detected. Intensity is weak. Possesses memetic propagation characteristics.]
The faint blue warning box popping up on his retina confirmed his suspicions.
A hint of understanding flashed deep in Allen’s eyes.
The "irreversible contamination"... So, this was the form it took?