Inside the bronze mirror, above the boundless sea of clouds.
Suleiman and Coppelia stood upon the surface of the flowing clouds, surrounded by a silently hovering array of Primal Constructs. Their metal shells occasionally reflected the golden light of the constant sun on the horizon.
"Wait until we arrive and the operation begins," Suleiman spoke up. "Miss Coppelia, do not approach the core area of the experimental base. Let these autonomous machines handle the pathfinding and the frontal assault."
Coppelia looked at him. "Are you worried that if I rush in, they might take action against the Eternal Moon Essence, or conversely, try to use it?"
"Correct," Suleiman nodded. "You do not need to use the power of the Moon Essence to participate in the battle. And there is no need to worry about the combat capabilities of these machines. They are sufficient to complete the breakthrough mission."
Coppelia's gaze swept over the densely packed Primal Constructs on the sea of clouds. These things could turn completely invisible before—even her Elemental Sight couldn't detect them—so their concealment was beyond question. With such a massive quantity, their power certainly wouldn't be weak either.
"Alright," she said. "I'll stay far away from the base and support you guys."
She paused, a trace of doubt appearing between her brows. "However, I still have one worry. Will they use Columbina herself to threaten us? Using her safety as a bargaining chip?"
"You can threaten them too," Suleiman said. "The Eternal Moon is in your hands. That is one of the indispensable pillars of their experiment."
"But I can't actually destroy this thing." Coppelia touched the spot on her abdomen where the Moon Essence was stored. "Can these machines do it?"
"You aren't sure if they can destroy the Eternal Moon Essence," Suleiman looked at her. "The Khaenri'ahns won't be sure either. That is enough."
He paused, then changed the subject. "Besides, think carefully. Why is Miss Columbina still alive right now?"
Coppelia froze for a moment, subconsciously looking at her abdomen, feeling the steady torrent of energy within.
She recalled the words spoken by that Columbina from the distant future, deep in her memories.
"The Eternal Moon Essence is the remains of the Goddess of the Eternal Moon," she whispered.
Suleiman continued, "The most thorough way for the Khaenri'ahns to utilize a Moon God's power most conveniently would be to process her into a state similar to the Moon Essence."
"But they haven't done that," Coppelia raised her eyes.
"Correct," Suleiman affirmed. "At least, not yet."
Coppelia fell silent for a few seconds. "I think I understand."
The two then discussed some specific plans: how to utilize the advantages of the machine array to quickly destroy or suppress the enemy's defenses, how to identify and destroy the key nodes of the giant formation channeling the Power of the Three Moons, as well as several strategies the enemy might adopt and the corresponding countermeasures.
Once the discussion concluded, Coppelia summoned the three Moon Spirits drifting in the distance of the cloud sea.
She first spoke to one of them: "Wait for the battle to start, then take advantage of the chaos to carefully infiltrate the interior of the base. There is only one objective: find the exact location where Columbina is being held. It doesn't need to be too precise, just finding a general area will do. There will definitely be many guards around her; it's too dangerous for you, so don't get too close."
She then turned to the other two Moon Spirits. "You two, do me a favor."
She walked aside and picked up Amos's Bow, which was resting on the cloud wisps. As soon as the bow was in her hand, she felt something different.
The bowstring was no longer purple; it glowed with a solid white light. The golden patterns at the tips of the bow, which had originally been inconspicuous, were now much clearer, as if they had been re-outlined by some power.
Does this count as... a successful upgrade? The last time she used it, the power of the light arrow was enough to blast a rock wall several meters thick into powder. Perhaps the change had already happened then.
She didn't dwell on when this change had occurred but simply handed the bow to the Moon Spirit.
The two Moon Spirits dexterously wrapped their long, soft braids around both ends of the bow. It seemed to have some weight; they adjusted their posture slightly before steadily dragging the bow into suspension.
"You two carry this bow and follow around me, keeping a certain distance," Coppelia instructed. "When I need it, I'll call you, and you must deliver the bow immediately."
The Moon Spirit responsible for leading the way shuttled through the complex, maze-like rock strata underground for a long time. Finally, it found a spacious underground cavern a considerable distance from the experimental base. This place was large enough to accommodate the formation of over a thousand Primal Constructs.
It first released all the Primal Constructs from the bronze mirror. Dense clusters of blue core light points lit up silently in the darkness, their metal bodies almost blending into the environment.
Next, it released Seth, Suleiman, and Coppelia, as well as the other three Moon Spirits in sequence.
As soon as Seth and Suleiman appeared, they habitually began to observe the surrounding environment and assess the terrain. But within seconds, both of them sensed something was wrong almost simultaneously.
"Where is Coppelia?" Suleiman asked, his gaze sweeping the area beside him. There was only Seth and the three floating Moon Spirits.
The Moon Spirit that had been holding the bronze mirror now appeared extremely anxious. The small wings on its head drooped listlessly, and its body jumped up and down rapidly in the air. It swung its braids, aiming the face of the bronze mirror at the empty ground, but Coppelia's figure did not appear.
A Moon Spirit carrying nothing immediately drilled into the bronze mirror. It came out a moment later, its wings equally drooping—it hadn't found Coppelia inside either.
Suleiman's expression didn't change much, though his gaze darkened. "It seems Khaenri'ah has made a move ahead of time. No matter. Let them make their move; we will make ours."
He looked at the Moon Spirit still holding the bronze mirror, which was still restless with anxiety. "Take us to the experimental base."
The Moon Spirit calmed down, ceasing its meaningless jumping. It turned and began to float in a specific direction. Suleiman strode forward, jogging to keep up.
Behind him came a dense, faint rustling sound—the noise of countless metal parts adjusting in the air. Seth had already silently appeared at the very front of the Primal Construct array. All mechanical units entered a state of complete invisibility, vanishing into the dim underground light like a faded ink painting. Seth himself followed behind Suleiman, his steps light and agile.
The other three Moon Spirits also took action. One flew quietly toward the general direction of the experimental base to execute the mission of finding Columbina. The other two, carrying a long bow, searched for traces of Coppelia within the complex tunnels.
*
A flash of white light before her eyes, and Coppelia's feet once again touched solid ground.
She appeared in an underground space filled with yellow sand and soil.
But as soon as she focused her eyes to look ahead, her body froze instantly.
A stranger stood before her. An elder wearing deep-colored robes, with golden hair, blue eyes, and a refined appearance. She did not recognize this person.
What is going on? Did the Moon Spirit find the wrong path and teleport to the wrong location? She immediately entered a state of high alert, her gaze scanning the surroundings rapidly.
No Suleiman, no Seth, no Moon Spirits, and certainly no massive mechanical array!
Only she and this strange elder existed in this underground space.
I see... The moment I left the bronze mirror space, I was transferred here alone. A teleportation ability? Have they already completely controlled Columbina and can use her Spatial Authority at will? But why transfer only me? Where are the others?
At this moment, a smile appeared on the face of the golden-haired, blue-eyed elder. The smile looked extremely gentle.
"Shall we talk?" he said.
____
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