Chapter 33: Sneaking In (Part 2)

After the big door, there was a gentle slope going up. Behind the mages waiting to enter, there was a long line of magic cannon vehicles ready to move.

There were about 20-30 magic cannons, all loaded onto Empire transport vehicles. Each cannon had a torch on it. They were slowly starting to move forward on orders.

We saw these magic cannons once in the battle at Parristol. Only the Ilandra Dominion Empire has them, and they're very powerful! Of course, they're big, heavy, and not very accurate. They're hard to move on dirt roads, so usually they're only used on flying ships or for defending cities.

But now the tunnel wasn't muddy anymore. The smooth, hard ground could easily carry these magic cannon units quickly! If they get these 10-plus cannons to the other end of the tunnel, the Republic soldiers won't stand a chance, no matter how many there are.

"Huh? I felt like something came in through the door just now. Was I imagining it?" After we ran far away, an Empire soldier dressed as a mage looked back, talking to himself unsurely.

"No way! His Majesty ordered this tunnel closed earlier to make room for expanding it and prevent accidents," another mage nearby laughed, patting his shoulder.

"They say paving the road might be dangerous. Many people saw those scary magic bugs summoned by witchcraft. Some even died from their poison spray. Nobody could survive coming here!" Another colleague joined in. "Plus, our comrades are guarding the other end. If they let enemies in so fast, they'd all be dead and we wouldn't need to go help. So let's hurry!"

I finally relaxed as I watched the mages get on a transport vehicle and disappear into the dark underground door.

"This place... looks like a warehouse?" Now that we couldn't see any mages, we finally reached a safer spot. We leaned against the wall and looked around.

It was a huge round room. Many boxes and military supplies were piled around the edges. It was very messy. The center was completely empty - that's where we came in. About half the vehicles in line had left. As long as we stayed invisible, normal humans couldn't find us.

Of course, we got in easily not just because of the two flares, but mainly because there was more light element inside the base than outside. This wasn't too strange. We all knew the base had a shield outside blocking all elements. So the elements inside couldn't escape and just kept building up. As long as we didn't get too close to the light mages, they shouldn't be able to find us easily if we just passed by.

"This warehouse looks big, but it's just a corner of the whole military base. We probably won't learn anything useful here. We should try to leave quickly!" Adrian's voice came from beside me. He still had that leaf stuck to his foot, so I could find him easily.

"Isn't that the warehouse door over there? I see people coming this way!" Cyra's voice came softly from behind me. After almost getting sprayed in the face by those machine bugs in the tunnel, she had become much more careful. She'd been sticking close behind me and not causing trouble. That was a relief.

She was pointing to the end of the magic cannon line. There was a big door there just like the underground tunnel. People kept going in and out. It was easy to spot.

"Remember, don't do anything on your own!" I warned Cyra sternly again. I agreed to bring her mainly because I thought these humans wouldn't be strong enough to hurt us much. Plus, I hadn't heard of any fighting experts guarding this base.

But those magic cannons were no joke. Even angels could be in danger if we're not careful. Plus, we're sneaking in. I really don't want to end up having to fight our way out.

"Angels would be easy to spot if they showed their wings. Can you sense them?" Adrian whispered to me, asking about Reed and Mia. But if I could sense them, the light mages here could definitely sense them easily too. So unless they were caught, the answer was obvious.

"No..." I shook my head. Since entering the base, I hadn't felt any strange light element energy. Even if Reed and Mia were here, they must be hiding their wings like us. Neither side could easily find the other.

Of course, we might have been wrong from the start. Maybe they're not here at all. But I don't think that's likely. Only this base fits the condition of not being able to contact the outside. If they were outside, there's no reason they'd do that, unless they were dead...

To be honest, my goal wasn't just to find them anymore after coming in. This military base was too mysterious. I really wanted to figure out what was going on!

The Empire army had such advanced machine bugs for paving roads, but they were still using much less advanced magic cannons and transport vehicles. These magic devices were leading technology on the continent, but at most they were like World War 1 tech on Earth. This uneven development didn't make sense. There might be monsters secretly causing trouble.

I suddenly remembered Michelle often made some very advanced high-tech equipment too. I got a bit nervous about maybe running into her in this military base. We just saw her yesterday in Sifur City, so it's quite possible.

Luckily, Adrian's invisibility spell made me feel confident. We didn't stay any longer and quickly left that place.

"Wow, it's so spacious outside!" As expected of an expanded Empire military base, the first thing we saw coming out of the warehouse was a huge parade ground. There were all kinds of new and old soldiers training hard. Various carriages and magic vehicles moved along the edges between different doors around the parade ground. It looked very busy. A huge magic light hung from the round ceiling, lighting up everything inside brightly.

"But where should we go next? This place is so big, I have no idea!" After exclaiming in wonder, Cyra couldn't help asking again.

"How about we go check over there?" Adrian said, throwing a small stone towards the opposite side of the parade ground. Since we all had to stay invisible, he had to use this way to point directions.

The building in that direction did look different. The doors around the parade ground were mostly the same size as the warehouse behind us. But that iron door on the opposite side was especially tall and big, at least 20-30 meters high. It really stood out from far away.

There seemed to be a pretty big platform on top of the door with an Empire military flag. You could look down at the whole parade ground from up there. It looked like a reviewing stand for leaders to inspect troops.

"What's such a big door for? Don't tell me the Empire army is hiding some giant race?" I guessed curiously. Of course, it might just be for parking airships. Maybe it's not as mysterious as I imagined.

"Who knows? Let's go see and find out!" Cyra replied, not sure what to think. Adrian's suggestion was clearly accepted by everyone. We slowly walked along the edge of the parade ground towards our target.

Since we were invisible, we didn't worry about being easily found by the Empire army. Nothing special happened, except we had to be extra careful of vehicles and people suddenly rushing by...

"We can't see anything inside the door!" Unfortunately, things didn't go smoothly. That huge door was tightly closed now, with no light inside at all. We peeked hard through the small crack for a long time, until a light mage patrolled over and we had to give up.

"It looks like that place up there is for high-ranking officers. Should we go check it out?" Adrian didn't give up. He was clearly interested in the great view from that "reviewing stand" too, just like me.

To get up to the "reviewing stand", we had to climb stairs on the side. There were several guards at the bottom of the stairs. People couldn't go in and out freely. Of course, we ignored them completely.