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Ashes of Empires
Chapter 129 - Some Gains

Chapter 129 - Some Gains

What was at the end of the path was, without a better word for it, a bubble. There was a circular area, old, but man made floor, built most likely by the ancients. There were no walls. If there had been any, the bubble of existence was small enough that walls were not included within it. Right at the middle there was one of those machines he had seen before. An interface.

In other words, it was an empty room with still somehow functioning interface machine right in the middle. It was likely that the interface was also the source of whatever was keeping the bubble existing within the void considering it was right there at the center of everything. Otherwise there were no other signs of oddness.

"Unless this is what you elves were looking for, I think whatever you wanted no longer exists", Kaden said to Emina with only slight amount of mocking tone.

Emina nodded and went to activate the interface. There was nothing else to do so everyone else did so too.

"This might prove even more useful", Emina told Kaden. "Unlike the previous one, this one is connected much wider range."

"Is it connected to the dungeon in Murika?" Kaden asked curiously. This was what the church was interested in. He wanted it. If he couldn't use it, then he would destroy it, but he wanted it.

Kaden made mental note to learn language of the ancients better and how to use these devices. He didn't want to place his trust on Emina, but right then there was no other choice.

"This...", Emina said with a bit of shock. "Its seems to be the main connection. It looks like this one was the main relay point between the remnant in Murika and the others."

"Which would explain the mana and why it has been able to be here in the void", Kaden replied. "One of the Four Great. Surely you understand how much mana is in those remnants. Anything connected to one of them is likely affected somehow."

Kaden looked around.

"Hmph, unfortunately that enormous mana isn't leaking here in large enoug quantities that it would have created something useful here, such as extremely high grade mana crystals or transformed objects or anything worthwhile", Kaden pointed out with some disapointment.

"Or was, but when Sacronan blew it up, the void consumed everything", Emina added. "Also very little of what I can get through the connection makes any sense. Mana must have corrupted most of it."

This was bad. There could have been something major, but it was likely all gone.

"Some emergency codes?" Emina continued her exploration. "These places were shelters. It seems ancients made sure, if any did happen to fall, others could generate access codes in case they were ever able to provide aid or simply explore what happened at later time. This is useful."

"Make a copy for me", Kaden told Emina. He wasn't going to accept a decline and his voice made sure Emina understood that.

Emina frowned, but decided not to start messing with Kaden right then. Had Emina tried anything, Kaden had already prepared a quick plan to kill the two helpers and then deal with Emina.

"Well, considering the church, I expect them to already be putting together attack force for the remnant", Emina said as she handed a copy to Kaden. "Previous times they threw as many people at it as they could. I'll get there with mercenary connections. Hope the saints are going to get you there. Otherwise those codes are useless to you. Hah, or perhaps try to sell it. Hope that church will be happy about it."

"I'll hande things on my own", Kaden replied. He didn't mind Emina and her mocking. Then he concentrated back to the interface. "Surely this contraption has more than just a link to the remant? This is a communications relay? Are any of the smaller remnants there? Whether or not we get to the large scale remnant, it might be useful to explore smaller ones here."

Emina started searching.

"There are some", Emina replied. "I think I can put up a map."

A map suddenly appeared in midair. It was clearly old and was missing some changes to more recent maps that Kaden knew. There were some red blinking dots on the map.

"It seems these are offline", Emina pointed out. "The one we found the robot at is also included."

"All of them are red?" Kaden said as he observed the map.

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"Most likely all of them have been searched by the church by now", Emina pointed out. "These are the old ones and the ones that have appeared for this opening. If there exists more, they arent visible."

Kaden cursed in his mind, but then he noticed something. There happened to be a red dot not that far from where Dashire had been. That is near where the frontlines had been. Could it be that the war had started when these remnants had appeared? Both churches wanted to get to the remnants first and were willing to start war due to them.

Kaden shook his head. It could be a coincidence too. These were just red dots and no way to tell anything else but the location.

"Emina, is it possible to tell when exactly these appeared or connection was lost?" Kaden decided to ask.

Emina fiddled with the inferface for a moment and then small bars containing numbers appeared on the map next to each dot.

"These are the times when the connections were lost", Emina said.

Kaden frowned as he looked at that one specific red dot near his original home. It was marked in calendar the ancients used, but Kaden knew how to convert it to current times. As far as he could tell, that one dot became red only some months after the battle where Dashire had been conscripted to fight at. Kaden had looked at military records and knew the exact dates for those.

"Could it be", Kaden thought to himself. Some amount of anger was building up. "It might just be that these remnants and the actions of the church and military is all because of this... prophecy?"

"Is something the matter?" Emina asked. "Did you discover some connection between the remnants?"

"Its a personal matter", Kaden replied while calming down the rage. "It seems certain matter that involve me may have been inadvertently been caused due to appearance of one of these remnants. That does not concern you, but I have found yet another reason to tear apart some people. Not that I didn't intend to do so already. There are people who have no right to live and must die."

Emina frowned for a moment, but then ignored him. Kaden didn't really care what kind of opinion Emina had of him.

Kaden now just had some extra reasons to hate the churches. Perhaps somewhere in the future he could arrange their destruction too. He imagined the temples in flames. Then he sighed. Even an Archmagus likely wouldn't be able to do it. Church had more than a few Archmagi and that is just the known ones. Perhaps they had some old monsters hiding somewhere. Not to mention gods probably wouldn't like it. Would they send down their minions too? That had happened in the past a few times.

Well, no harm in dreaming.

"Can you find anything else that could be useful?" Kaden pushed aside his thoughts and asked Emina. "We did kind of just walk here so we didn't have to put in much effort, but surely there is something more to be gained?"

"Well, there are logs of ancient communications that seems to have eventually ceased thousands of years ago", Emina pointed out. "There are logs of some corrupted communications that might be just due to mana affecting the systems, but these messages contain nothing. Not much else here. Even if mana preserved the systems, it also corrupted most of it. As for anything else, remember I said, it seems this remnant acted as a communcations relay." The Emina pointed around. "Everything else has disapeared into the void."

Kaden was feeling this was likely the truth. Emina would have acted otherwise, if she was lying. There was also the matter of time. Kaden did not wish to be inside, if Sacronan got the mana creatures in control and blocked the exit path. He could also not tell when saints were coming. Considering how interested churches were, they wouldn't simply ignore the place. Kaden was far more surprised that Sacronan had managed to find the place first and managed to hide it from saints. That is until they blew it up.

Kaden reminded Emina of these matters. If he wasn't going to gain anything more, he would prefer none else would have the time to do so either. Besides, both the elves and Kaden did have the codes that could perhaps be used at the remnant in Murika, one of the Great Four remnants. That was already very significant gain. There was no need to spread those gains to anyone else.

"Once we are out, we should destroy the entrace", Kaden said. "I would prefer that we are the only parties who have the codes from here. Optimally make sure it looks like Sacronan did it. Having the both sides killing each other for nothing would be good."

He wasn't sure, if trying to destroy the actual interface was a good idea. It did somehow survive the remnant being consumed by the void. It was also apparently connected in some way to an enormous source of mana, a great remnant. What would happen, if that connection was suddenly broken? Kaden wasn't going to play around with matters he could not understand.

"I doubt we can hide this forever", Emina said. "But yes, I agree, the longer this place remains undiscovered the better. At any rate, we should leave. Unless you disagree, Kaden?"

"I don't", Kaden said and shook his head. "Despite some setbacks and limited gains, what we did gain is valuable. It may give us extra chances should we be able to get to Murika and the remnant. We should leave. This place is dangerous. I'd rather be outside looting Sacronan's crystal storages."

No one wanted to tarry within the void. Just how the path and the bubble in the middle was going to behave long term was something no one could say. They had found useful things and it was time to leave for safer locations.

Kaden considered anything regarding one of the Great Four a good haul. Even if it was just some codes for the doors. Considering the sort of place the remnant was, there was likely some place that was accessible with them and otherwise would be difficult.

Hopefully one of the Great Four would yield him something tanglible. The remnant with the robot had been information only and this current one was also basically information.

On that part Kaden was feeling he had been unlucky. As he was on the path through the void once more, he was hoping it would turn around. Kaden wanted something he could use directly against his enemies. While churches were interested, none of the knowledge he had gained so far could be used directly against them. No weapons or artifacts recovered.

The elves at least were hoping to gain exactly that sort of things. Kaden was happy he had decided not to murder them.