The letter also mentioned that Tilly was trying to translate these texts and wanted to see if the Mutual Aid Society had any clues.
Roland decided to inform her about the demons and the Holy City of Taqila in his reply. He also sent the scene photos restored by Soraya, hoping it would help her translation. This kind of information should not be kept secret. The sooner they figure out what happened more than four hundred years ago, the sooner they can prepare for it, and maybe even discover the Church's weaknesses. If they were unscrupulous, there would be no need to bury the entire history in the ground.
Obviously, there were some things they were desperately trying to prevent people from knowing.
In addition, it's best to send someone to check out the stone tower in the Misty Forest. The ruins of the Eastern Territory’s Sea Breeze County were sealed off by the Church, and the stone island in the fjord was soaked in seawater all year round, leaving almost nothing except a pile of books in the secret room. The depths of the Misty Forest are sparsely populated, and even the Church cannot easily reach it, so perhaps some useful clues can be found.
However, the demons reported by Lightning also made him very wary. This kind of action cannot be done without witches, but Roland could not accept the loss of any witch who was sent out. After considering it again and again, he decided to wait until the army was equipped with a new generation of firearms before heading to the forest with a team of witches to deal with any demons that might appear.
Roland suppressed the anxiety in his heart and forced a smile, "I understand about Tilly, I will reply to her and explain it carefully. Next, let's complete the ability tests first."
After all, it is right to take advantage of peacetime to develop and strengthen one's own strength as soon as possible. When unavoidable wars come, he can at least have the power to fight.
...
The test site was chosen outside the town walls. To prevent refugees from accidentally entering the test site, Roland also mobilized the First Army to isolate the surrounding area.
The first to be tested was Lian.
She was about the same age as Nightingale, with short, curly black hair, and her features were delicate and charming. She was not tall, only about 1.5 meters, and thin. Compared to the tall Nightingale, she looked like a little girl who had not yet fully developed, giving people a sense of fragility. However, her ability was anything but weak. Within a five-meter radius, she could easily change the terrain under her feet.
The description in the letter was far less shocking than seeing it in person. During the test, Lian made the land next to her rise vertically, like a towering "earth pillar," until it was about to reach seven meters, when the towering "earth pillar" collapsed due to structural instability.
According to her, the looser the ground, the less magic power it takes to transform it. But similarly, if the geology is too poor, the strength of the houses and walls built will also be very low. If the main component of the ground is gravel, it is difficult to create anything decent. Obviously, she can only change the terrain, but not the material of the earth. Of course, this problem can be solved by expanding the range and thickness.
Roland also had her demonstrate building a house, but the soil in the Western Territory was obviously not as firm as that on Sleeping Island. The mud house rising from the ground collapsed several times when leaving window and door openings, and finally had to increase the wall thickness to about half a meter. The completed house was as simple as a cave dwelling, only providing the most basic living functions, and was much worse than the well-laid-out and compact brick houses.
But then again, even the worst cave dwelling is better than a wooden shed that leaks wind everywhere. At least in winter, a brazier plus an earthen bed can make the house warm. If there is not enough time to build enough brick houses before the Months of the Demons arrive, this kind of house can be used as a temporary measure.
The final step was a comprehensive test. Lian's ability is a typical summoning type, with no branch abilities. Shaping the terrain can take effect within a five-meter radius of herself, and it is easily affected by the God's Stone, but the already formed land will no longer recede.
"What is her magic level?" Roland asked.
"A swirling brown vortex, very dense in the center, considered very good among witches," Nightingale thought for a moment, "Close to Leaf."
"What about the consumption rate?"
"It's okay to raise the muddy ground," she looked at a raised stone wall at the foot of the North Slope, "Transforming rocks consumes magic very quickly. I'm afraid it can only last for an hour or two."
Roland nodded. Leaf's magic ranks third in the Witch Union, second only to Anna and Soraya, and enough magic is a prerequisite for continuous use of abilities. Of course, there are also low-consumption abilities like Nightingale and Lightning, which can be maintained all day long without any difficulty.
After recording this information in his notebook, he began testing the second witch.
"Who wants to come next?"
"Me, me, me!" Honey raised her hand.
Roland curled the corners of his mouth, "Then show me your ability first."
The girl called Honey was also not tall, even shorter than Lian, and had just turned adult last winter. She looked very lively. Her fluffy short brown hair was curled like braids, her skin was slightly darker, and she wore necklaces made of animal teeth around her neck, wrists, and ankles.
Her main ability is animal speech, which can affect animals within the range of effect. Various animals tamed by magic will carry out the instructions she gives. The scope of the instructions must not exceed the animal's ability. After the task is completed, the tame is released, or she actively releases it.
In addition, Honey has a very interesting branch ability: animal messenger. She can pass taming instructions to the target animal through the messenger animal, for example, summoning a bird to find a more powerful animal to serve her. Perhaps it is an old cat, or perhaps it is a fierce eagle. This process is completely uncontrollable, and the final result is full of uncertainty.
However, both the main ability and the branch ability are affected by the God's Stone, especially the animal messenger, which can directly have the instructions erased by the God's Stone, allowing the animal to regain its freedom. In addition, the larger the size of the tamed animal, the more magic it consumes. In her own words, dozens of birds can be recruited at the same time, but if the target is changed to a cow, only two or three can be controlled.
The third to be tested was Evelyn, who was about twenty-five or six years old, and her accent was standard King's City, which sounded particularly cordial.
The list Tilly sent said that she could turn inferior ale into other wines with completely different styles and tastes, as long as she had tasted them. Roland's initial goal for this witch was very clear, which was to purify alcohol. Since she can turn watered-down ale into delicious wine or fruit wine, liquor should be no problem, right?
For this reason, Roland carefully prepared several bottles of packaged wine, with concentrations ranging from 50% to 95%. It was a bit spicy, but it was not a big problem if you only drank a sip or two. The key is to get her to recognize that these throat-burning clear liquids are indeed a kind of wine.
However, the scorching sun of the wild is not a good place to taste wine. Without delicious side dishes, ice cubes, and crystal wine glasses, taking out the pungent liquor directly might make people mistake it for poison. He planned to carry out subtle influence at dinner, so he simply asked Evelyn a few questions and then jumped directly to the next witch.
(。、，Your support is my biggest motivation.)(Just Love Net)