After agreeing with Sylvan, Elara thought about the strange puppet soldiers that had appeared from the frozen forbidden zone in the far north. That place had experienced something incredibly bizarre just after she had finished dealing with Salvia Kingdom.
Three large counties had vanished without a trace, as if swallowed by something into the earth. Only a giant pit that seemed bottomless like an abyss was left behind.
Elara considered the matter and decided to strengthen surveillance in the Northern Frontier. She sent a puppet black hawk to Francis with a letter and a remote communicator.
She instructed the Northern Frontier command to closely monitor the conditions of all counties in the area. Especially those bordering the three vanished counties.
If there were any abnormalities or activity within the sinkhole, they were to report to her immediately using the communicator.
Next, Elara also had the military assign General Qi to reinforce defense arrangements across all Plumera Kingdom's border territories.
Over the past few months, Octavian, a genius from the Celestial Crafts Pavilion sent by Lucian, had completely adapted to life in Plumera Kingdom. He had grown increasingly obsessed with researching all aspects of mechanical engineering and inventions there.
Octavian was someone obsessed with craftsmanship and indifferent to his own status or identity. His entire focus was on mechanical devices.
When he discovered that Plumera Kingdom possessed the kind of innovative technologies and philosophies he had always been seeking, he became entirely immersed in them.
Elara believed that if Lucian had not occasionally written to him, he might have forgotten he belonged to the Celestial Crafts Pavilion.
Deeply obsessed with mechanical craftsmanship, Octavian never hesitated to share his knowledge and inventions. Not only did he openly teach all the mechanical techniques he knew to Plumera's technical officials working alongside him in the Ministry of Works, he also regularly involved them in discussions of new ideas.
They researched how to create even more powerful, effective, and practical machinery. As a result, in the past few months, Plumera Kingdom's Ministry of Works made rapid progress in the field of mechanical engineering.
They were now capable of creating offense and defense machines on par with the Celestial Crafts Pavilion. They also upgraded and improved many existing systems using Elara's technical manuals.
This included increasing the power and firing capacity of various powerful crossbows. In short, Plumera Kingdom's military forces had not only grown larger and stronger.
The weapons and personal devices they used had also become increasingly refined and advanced.
Due to the sharp rise in mechanical production capabilities and quantities, all of the Kingdom's major cities and strategic passes were now equipped with refined and powerful defensive machinery.
After reading the joint report from the Ministry of War and Ministry of Works, Elara's frown relaxed slightly. She instructed the Ministry of Works to continue developing and updating various types of mechanical equipment.
All machinery should be made using the latest steel materials. Weapons used by the army should be replaced with steel versions wherever possible.
This was to ensure that both the Kingdom's military and its cities had the strongest defense capabilities. At the same time, the military units were to continue intensive training.
Each major county and key pass was now required to station at least fifty thousand soldiers.
Ever since learning from Sylvan that Petunia Kingdom had been plagued by puppet soldiers for years, Elara had felt uneasy. So before setting out this time, she planned to make sure all of Plumera Kingdom's defenses were fully arranged.
After giving instructions to the Ministries of Works and War, Elara issued assignments for the other departments as well. She outlined their duties for the coming months.
Then she stationed seventy thousand puppet soldiers within Plumera Kingdom and personally led the Wei clan, three thousand elite cavalry, thirty thousand hidden puppet troops, and ten thousand special medicine pills made by the medical department.
Three days later, she set out for Petunia Kingdom with Sylvan. Petunia Kingdom was located farther north in the central continent.
It lay even beyond where Elara had previously traveled to Bluestar City to assist Prince Leland in battle.
However, since the merchants of Lianyi Pavilion had thoroughly mapped and traveled the continent, the route from Petunia to the southwest borders of the continent was already well-established.
With Sylvan personally guiding and escorting her, their journey remained relatively smooth. The only issue was that Elara began to sense more frequently the faint yet malicious stares from the puppet egg-spawn.
These sensations were brief and light, disappearing in less than a second. But Elara was sure they were real.
She quietly ordered the nearby puppet soldiers traveling in the shadows to investigate. But as before when she had assisted Prince Leland months ago in the central continent, nothing was found.
No one else in the group noticed anything unusual. Not even Sylvan. Along the way, Sylvan told her many things about the puppet soldiers.
A few years ago, when Petunia Kingdom first encountered the puppet soldier problem, we initially thought it was a new kind of disease.
It wasn't until we summoned the Azure Hall Master from the Temple of Divine Servants that we learned it was something far worse and more complex than a plague.
Something that had already appeared in various places across the continent. Elara was riding at the front of the group with him.
She turned to glance at him and asked, "It had already appeared elsewhere?" Sylvan nodded.
"Yes, Your Majesty. And not just in recent years. These things have existed on the continent for hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of years. They resurface from time to time."
"For example, that group called the Shadow Hall. I believe Your Majesty has heard of them. A few hundred years ago, they nearly destroyed the entire continent by themselves. The histories and folk tales of many nations recall that event. The Temple of Divine Servants nearly wiped out the Shadow Hall, bringing an end to that global crisis."
"But actually, the reason Dark Sky Palace was almost able to destroy the entire continent by themselves wasn't just because they looted and misused divine relics. A more important reason was that strange weapon."
"As far as I know, in the past, aside from the Divine Attendants' Palace, which clearly had the ability to eliminate and resolve the strange weapons, the only other force that could control or even spread them was Dark Sky Palace. That's why most of the major powers on the continent feared them so much."
Dark Sky Palace was involved with those strange weapons too?! Those eerie parasitic eggs that could only be suppressed or removed by spiritual power, they were actually able to control and spread them?!
Elara frowned as she recalled her battle with the man in the wheelchair and the one with the mechanical arm in the Central Continent. She hadn't sensed the presence of the strange weapons in them at the time… could it be that those two didn't hold high enough positions in the palace? Not core members? …But the divine artifacts they held, whether it was the [Tower of Eternity] or the [Meteor Cannon], were all top-tier.
Sylvan continued, "Now many believe that the Hall of Yellow Springs is actually a new force rebuilt from the remnants of the destroyed Dark Sky Palace. However, our Lian Yi Pavilion has had contact with them, and on the surface at least, the people of the Hall of Yellow Springs seem much better than those described in historical records about Dark Sky Palace. At the very least, they still look like people… Hmm, if Your Majesty wants to know more, you can ask the Crown Prince personally once you reach Petunia Kingdom."
As Elara listened, she was also thinking, "So over the past few years, all the strange weapons that occasionally appeared across the continent… how were they dealt with? Was it all done by the Divine Attendants' Palace?"
Sylvan nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty. Before you appeared, the Divine Attendants' Palace was the only known force capable of handling the strange weapons. Their methods were rather violent, often eliminating infected people along with the weapons, but it did effectively stop their spread. Even now, many countries and powers on the continent still don't know those eerie things exist."
Elara listened while her fingers gently rubbed the reins, "What kind of organization is the Divine Attendants' Palace really?"
"That I don't know very well, Your Majesty," Sylvan replied while recalling what he knew. "I only know the Divine Attendants' Palace seems to be the oldest force in this world. Before any other countries or powers had formed, they already stood tall in this world. Their mission was to search for, recover, and serve the relics of the 'gods'—the divine blessings scattered across the continent. Their power is immeasurable and deeply mysterious."
"In addition, a few years ago I also learned a bit about their history and legends from the Crown Prince. The name 'Divine Attendants' Palace' doesn't only reflect their beliefs. According to their internal records and legends, the five original palace masters were actual attendants who served directly beside the 'gods.' Like the divine artifacts, they came directly from the true lineage of the gods."
"As for more detailed information, I don't know much. Once Your Majesty reaches Petunia Kingdom, if you're still curious, you can ask the Crown Prince. He will tell you."