BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

"Yes, Erik. I'm saying they knew about it already. Think about it: a force that acts as the defenders of humanity, a group that creates a country at the doors of the Mur continent, and that strengthens his position in that place and slowly finds a way to get deeper and deeper into that cursed place. In my opinion, the blackguards acted just to find the biological supercomputer. It is why they went to such lengths to find skilled and powerful people around the world. They couldn't go on Mur without powerful fighters."

Amber and Emily approached the two as they talked. They too wondered what the biological supercomputer that gave Erik all his powers was. They wondered about its origins and how the blackguards got information about it.

"I wouldn't be so sure about the fact they didn't have precise information," Amber said. Everyone turned to look at her, even the Chimaeric Demons she was riding on.

"Why so?"

"Because we simply don't know what's on the Mur continent." She turned to look at Erik. "You said that your father talked about a company named Silver Line Corporation, saying that it was them who made the biological supercomputer."

"Yes, I did."

"Exactly. Now, I know this might sound weird, but the level of technology in the ancient times, while not as good as ours, wasn't bad at all. It was primitive, certainly, but they could send data across the world easily, even more easily than we can. However, while we mostly use no-cable connections, they did most of that with underwater sea cables. They were pretty fast in sending and receiving data."

"So, you are suggesting they actually sent some of this information to the Mannard continent before Mur fell?"

"Well... I mean... You just come up with something that even today is ground-breaking. Not sending words about it would be pretty stupid. The only question is, If they did, why didn't they send the entire creation process?"

"Maybe they didn't have the time, or maybe, whatever place they sent this information to get destroyed by the thaids," Emily said.

"Indeed. This makes me think," Amber added. "If the blackguards knew about the biological supercomputer, it might mean they were strictly related to the Silver Line corporation. Maybe..."

"Maybe they are the Silver Line corporation," Erik said.

"Yes."

But that would be an incredible thing. Basically, no organizations survived the advent of the thaids. Countries were destroyed, armies decimated. At that time, Thaids were simply unstoppable; even a Densoph was hard to kill for humans back then.

"It makes sense," Erik said. "But..."

"But what?" Mira asked. "I can't follow you two at all."

"There is something else," Amber said. "If the blackguards are the Silver Line Corporation and they survived until now, it means they knew how to do so, meaning they knew about thaids before they even came up and had a way to protect their compounds, their research, and their people."

"Are you saying?"

"Amber is saying that maybe the blackguards and the Silver Line Corporation have something to do with the thaids. They were working and succeeded in creating an AI that basically allows complete control over mana, a device that can turn a man or a woman into a god," Erik said.

"Maybe the thaids are a by-product of that research."

There was silence for a short while, although it wasn't for just a couple of seconds.

"Anyway, going back to the previous topic, what about Hin?" Amber asked.

"What are you asking for, exactly?"

"You said you want to change their leaders, but won't their army resist the stance change? Even if we place some of our on at the top of the food chain here, Hin has been loyal to the blackguards for long... I doubt they will agree with anything we decide that goes against the blackguards or the war against Frant, even if it comes from their own government."

Erik nodded. "You're right. Hin is a special case. While replacing leadership in other nations would be relatively straightforward," Erik said, "Hin's army might resist the change. They've been indoctrinated for generations, much more than in Frant, where Becker, dad, Richard, and your father did whatever they could to prevent their influence from spreading."

Emily frowned. "So, even you are not sure they will refuse to turn their backs on the blackguards?"

Erik nodded. "Yes. The army, the foot soldiers, the officers, might resist not helping the blackguards. I actually think they will rather try to send help when we launch our attack."

"That's troubling," Mira said, her brow furrowed.

"It indeed is. For sure, we need to be prepared for potential resistance. That's granted," Erik said, his voice grave. "The Hin army's loyalty runs deep, and we can't underestimate their devotion to the blackguards. We might face internal struggles even after we've nominally taken control."

Amber leaned forward. "This is a little generic."

Erik took a deep breath. "Yes. Sorry. During these two months, the Chimaeric Demons I've already created will physically conquer Hin's outposts. We need to place a powerful presence in the country. Slowly replace their officers, and even foot soldiers if needed. We won't be able to replace everyone, but at least the key figures."

The young man paused. "Hin isn't just another country we need to control. It's our gateway to the Mur continent, our safe place in case we need to retreat, and the first place where we have to go when we come back."

"So, you want to replace the entire army?"

"Why are you so surprised, Mira?"

"We would need a ton of Chimaeric Demons to do that, and because of the Veritas Lenses, we might also need to replace their holders, just to avoid them finding out their officers had been replaced. We are talking about millions of people here."

"I know."

Another long silence stretched.

"What about Frant?" Emily had his mother and father in mind. "Will we be able to withdraw the enemy forces from Frant once we have control of Hin?"