Chapter 537: The Pig-Farming Mage

A few nights later.

In a mixed forest of beech and pine near the edge of the urban area on the outskirts of Dresden, Morin led the veterans of the instruction unit's 1st Company and Klaus's Thunder Warrior squad along a pre-planned route, arriving at the designated location.

Besides them, the team also included two mages from the Imperial Magitech Research Institute.

The time was just past 10:00 PM.

The moonlight was decent, but visibility inside the forest was still limited. Fortunately, the 1st Company veterans were old hands at night marches.

The entire unit moved with virtually no extraneous noise. Everything proceeded normally, except for the two mages, who were clearly unaccustomed to field marches and had to continuously consume pre-prepared 【Expeditious Retreat】 spells to keep up.

Morin moved to the middle of the column to verify the route with 1st Company Commander Kane.

"Commander, the target is to the southeast, five kilometers straight-line distance."

Kane held a simple map marked with several key coordinates.

"According to the information acquired before the operation, their designated alert perimeter begins at the three-kilometer mark."

"Three kilometers is the alert perimeter?" Morin looked up toward the southeast.

"Yes, sir. The Imperial Magitech Research Institute confidently claimed that we would likely be detected once we breach the three-kilometer mark, especially since magical fluctuations are easily picked up. So they're worried we might be 'annihilated' before we even do anything~"

Kane's expression was quite subtle as he relayed this message, and a few 1st Company veterans couldn't help exchanging glances.

Morin scoffed upon hearing this.

"So high and mighty~"

Just then, the two mages hurried up from the rear of the column.

Both men looked to be in their thirties. They wore the standard casual casting robes of Imperial Mages, covered by military camouflage cloaks that were clearly issued temporarily—

This equipment, popularized by the instruction unit, was generally issued to units executing reconnaissance missions.

"Co... Colonel Morin."

The bespectacled mage in the lead lowered his voice, asking somewhat nervously.

"What is the arrangement next? Do you need the two of us to use 【Fly】 to scout ahead?"

Morin shook his head.

"No rush."

He turned around, examining the two mages.

"Gentlemen, how much do you know about this test project?"

The bespectacled mage exchanged a glance with his companion, then replied with some regret.

"Colonel, we aren't usually involved in military technology development. We were pulled in at the last minute... primarily to act as 'enemy high-circle mages'."

The slightly stockier mage added, "Yes, Colonel Morin... We were only told the basic rules of the exercise. We don't know the specific parameters or internal structure of that defense tower either."

Morin sighed.

To be honest, when he learned these two 3rd-circle mages were supposed to simulate enemy mages of the 7th circle or higher, Morin almost laughed out loud.

Our Saxon Empire is just too 'down-to-earth'...

Of course, this was primarily because the few Saxon mages above the 7th circle were buried in their respective research projects all day and simply couldn't spare the time for such tests.

And 5th or 6th-circle mages like Master Haber and Master Röntgen, besides their research, also had to handle a few field assignments and couldn't spare the time either.

Ultimately, they had to grab two 3rd-circle mages from the bottom just to make up the numbers. But upon brief reflection, Morin found the reasoning somewhat sound.

Currently, the primary mobility spell for mages, 【Fly】, was a 3rd-circle spell. More advanced teleportation spells might not even work against the "anti-magic fields" around the capital, Dresden.

Moreover, the most direct and effective decapitation spell, the 7th-circle 【Teleport】, possessed numerous restrictions.

Accurately teleporting to a specific city required the caster to have physically been there before, and preferably frequently.

If they had only visited a few times, the teleportation carried a risk of deviation.

Therefore, under actual combat conditions, the 【Teleport】 spell was far less omnipotent than it seemed.

There were even historical records of a spellcaster intending to return to their own laboratory, only to teleport into another mage's laboratory because the described layouts were too similar, nearly getting themselves killed by magical traps.

"By the way, what kind of research do you two usually do?" Morin asked casually.

The bespectacled mage replied, "Colonel, I am a student of Master Haber. I usually work on developing magical fertilizers... I was in his team when he developed the Haber-Bosch process for synthesizing ammonia... Besides that, I also research methods to increase crop yields."

The stockier mage scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "Colonel Morin, I am in charge of magitech breeding techniques... The goal is to increase the yield and quality of traditional livestock like pigs, cows, chickens, and sheep."

"Oh?"

Morin looked the latter up and down. After asking a few more questions, he learned that the "magical rapid-growth pigs" currently being promoted were developed by this mage's team.

A farming mage and a pig-farming mage...

Morin suddenly felt these two might have chosen the wrong profession. Weren't they more suited to be Druids?

At the same time, he had to admit that compared to the combat mages of the Holy Britannia Empire's Highland Mage Council, the mages of the Saxon Empire were a bit too down-to-earth.

"Alright, go rest at the back of the column for now," Morin patted their shoulders. "Don't be nervous. We probably won't be fighting tonight."

"Huh? We're not fighting?" the two asked in unison.

"Nope~"

Morin turned to face Kane and Klaus, who had just walked over.

"Halt the advance. Find a suitable spot to set up camp and rest."

Kane and Klaus both froze.

They had been in combat mode since receiving the exercise orders, and everyone was prepped for a night raid.

Klaus's Thunder Warriors had even preheated their spell units, just waiting for the order to charge.

Yet Morin suddenly said they weren't fighting...

"Commander..." Kane ventured, "do you mean we'll wait for daylight tomorrow?"

"Exactly."

Morin looked into the distance, though the forest obscured his vision, and continued, "We know practically nothing about this target. What detection methods does it have? How is its defensive firepower deployed? What is its internal structure? How many defenders are there? ...It's all question marks."

"Charging in blindly before figuring these things out is just throwing our lives away. We can't be that reckless, even in an exercise."

Klaus nodded but quickly frowned. "But Commander, won't the organizers of the exercise push us?"

"Push? The exercise documents issued by high command don't stipulate when we must attack, nor is there a deadline by which we must finish the exercise."

Morin smiled suddenly, as if he had thought of something amusing.

"Since that's the case, we can take our time to figure out the situation before making a move... There's no rush. Let them wait."

Kane and Klaus exchanged a glance, realization dawning on them.

True... No one said we had to fight tonight.

Then Kane thought of another issue: "Commander, if we plan to reconnoiter, wouldn't it be better to use the cover of night to get closer?"

"It's almost midnight. Even if we get closer, we won't see clearly in the dark."

Morin shook his head, offering a smile that both men found somewhat meaningful.

"Let's rest well, gather our strength, and reevaluate at dawn."

As the orders were passed down, the unit quickly established a concealed camp in the woods.

The 1st Company veterans efficiently dug simple fighting positions on the perimeter, set up guard posts, and began resting in shifts.

The Thunder Warriors also switched their armor into "rest mode" and began rotating guard duty. In this mode, the power consumption of the built-in magitech core dropped to an absolute minimum.

Upon learning they wouldn't have to fight tonight, the two mages lost most of their tension. Huddled in a tent set up specifically for them, they soon fell into deep, even breathing.

Morin leaned against the trunk of a thick oak tree, staring blankly at the moon overhead.

Since receiving this mission, his system's 【Intelligence】 interface had sequentially unlocked specific information regarding "verifying a new magitech defense facility."

In summary, this was a major project the Saxon Empire's high command had rushed into production after experiencing a "sense of crisis." Its specific name was the "Anti-Magic Surveillance and Defense Tower," intended to provide supplementary anti-magic defense for designated areas.

As for the source of this "sense of crisis"...

That could be attributed to the "black op" Morin pulled off in Budapest, as well as the Thunder Warriors' successful raid on the Malta naval port, which rang a massive alarm bell for the Empire's high command, including Emperor Albert II.

The Emperor and his inner circle finally began to seriously consider a question: What if a hostile nation tries the same thing on us?

In Budapest, Morin had taken a small force and flawlessly abducted key targets without alerting any enemies.

And recently at the Malta Port, six Thunder Warriors had turned the Britannian Empire's core Mediterranean Fleet port upside down, allowing the combined fleet to easily capture the military stronghold.

So, putting themselves in the enemy's shoes, what if someone pulled a similar stunt in Dresden...? It might not have happened before, but as the war escalated and both sides grew increasingly desperate, there were no guarantees.

When that time came, would the existing defense systems truly be enough?

The Magitech Research Institute's task force was formed against this backdrop, specifically tasked with developing new magitech defense facilities aimed at adding another layer of security to the capital's defenses.

And now, the first experimental defense tower was complete.

To test its performance, the General Staff specifically requested Morin and the instruction unit to act as the "attacking force."

According to the General Staff and the Magitech Research Institute, any enemy force capable of penetrating deep into the Empire's heartland would inevitably be limited.

The hypothetical enemy couldn't possibly transport Armored Knights and artillery to the vicinity of Dresden... Therefore, the combination of Morin, elite infantry, Thunder Warriors, and mages already represented the highest level of threat they could simulate.

Having processed these thoughts, Morin closed his eyes and began to rest.

In the distant woods, the sentries on duty were methodically changing shifts, their low whispers scattered by the night breeze.

Meanwhile, five kilometers away, inside the newly completed black tower, some people were waiting anxiously.

The core control room of the "Experimental Anti-Magic Surveillance and Defense Tower" was located in the upper-middle section of the tower. The hexagonal room occupied nearly the entire floor, its walls embedded with numerous instrument panels and communication relay equipment reminiscent of a warship.

At this moment, almost all the core personnel involved in the project were present.

Several technicians from the task force manned their respective instrument panels. Master Röntgen stood by the map table in the center of the room. Patricia, also a member of the task force, stood in a corner, head bowed as she reviewed a stack of recorded documents.

The Army Ministry had also sent a representative. After all, this defense tower was essentially a component of the capital's defense system; the Army Ministry couldn't be absent.

The Director of the Military Economy and Weapons Testing Department, General of the Infantry Heinrich von Lüttwitz Rheinbaben.

This general had recently gained considerable fame within the military for dispatching Thunder Warriors to support the Navy's operation at Malta Port.

Since arriving at the control room, he had sat rigidly in a chair specially prepared for him, waiting to see how the illustrious Colonel Morin would launch his attack.

General Rheinbaben glanced at the clock on the control room wall. The hands had long past midnight, currently reading 12:50 AM.

By this point, drowsiness had begun to creep into everyone's minds.

The Infantry General finally couldn't help but speak up, "So when exactly does the exercise begin? We've waited this long without any activity..."

An Army lieutenant colonel responsible for coordinating the overall exercise stood up, looking somewhat embarrassed, and cleared his throat.

"Reporting, General... the exercise has actually been officially underway for some time..."

"What?" General Rheinbaben was stunned. "It's already started? Then where is the 'attacking force'?"

The lieutenant colonel hesitated before answering, "According to the last information we received, Colonel Morin's unit should have arrived at a staging area five kilometers away... but there has been no activity since."

A brief silence fell over the control room.

The technicians at the instrument panels reviewed their data, then shook their heads, indicating no anomalous signals had been captured.

The magic fluctuation detection equipment on top of the tower—the same model used on armored airships—was operating normally. All was quiet within the three-kilometer alert perimeter.

"Perhaps they are waiting for the right moment?" a young researcher from the task force ventured tentatively.

Master Röntgen, who had been quiet, finally spoke up.

"Based on my interactions with Colonel Morin... he is a man who never plays by his opponent's expectations."

The mage took a sip of coffee, his expression placid.

"So he is highly likely planning some special operation right now. I advise everyone to prepare for a long wait."

General Rheinbaben's expression turned quite colorful. He opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.

It wouldn't look good for him to leave first. He was a General of the Infantry in the Imperial Army; leaving before the exercise concluded was inappropriate...

Furthermore, the opponent was Colonel Morin, the highly anticipated "Hero of the Empire" and a favorite of the Emperor and Crown Prince. He couldn't exactly say, "I can't wait anymore, I'm leaving"...

"Get some coffee," General Rheinbaben instructed his adjutant with resignation.

"Yes, sir!"

2:00 AM. No activity.

3:30 AM. Still no activity.

By shortly after 4:00 AM, General Rheinbaben had dozed off several times while leaning back in his chair.

The surrounding technicians were also looking sluggish, yawning occasionally. Because the tower wasn't officially commissioned and this was merely a test, everyone assumed it would be over quickly, so no relief shifts were scheduled.

Only Master Röntgen maintained a certain composure, though his coffee cup had been refilled four times.

Patricia was also propping her head up. Several sheets of scratch paper filled with calculation formulas were stacked on the table before her.

Since she was idle anyway, she decided to use the waiting time to recalculate the data for a sub-project she was working on.

The time reached 6:00 AM.

Morning light filtered through the gaps in the control room's small side windows, drawing a thin line of light across the floor.

Everyone in the control room was dispirited, and two coffee pots had been emptied.

General Rheinbaben's complexion was quite poor right now. He wasn't angry; rather, the dual assault of sleepiness and hunger had drained the color from his lips.

They still hadn't seen Colonel Morin's attack; it was as if he had forgotten about the whole thing.

When the morning sun spilled through the gaps in the trees, Morin was already up.

Up even earlier were the 1st Company veterans who had been on watch. They had completed their shift changes and started preparing a simple breakfast.

The cooks set up small field stoves, and the aroma of a pot of meat stew began to waft through the woods.

Morin took a bowl of hot soup from his orderly, took two gulps, and was just stuffing a piece of bread into his mouth when the messenger sent back by the forward scouts arrived.

"Commander!"

The arrival was a corporal in his early twenties. Dew and grass clung to his face, indicating he had been crawling on his belly for most of the night.

Morin nodded, gesturing for him to speak.

"We sneaked to a position about 1.5 kilometers from the target before dawn."

Morin: "Without being detected?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Then it seems the detection capabilities of this defense tower are primarily geared toward magical fluctuations or supernatural units... Its detection capabilities against conventional units aren't that strong~"

Morin pondered, rubbing his chin. The detection capabilities of this defense tower weren't as formidable as he had imagined.

But on second thought, it wasn't surprising. After all, even if it was equipped with a spell like 【Detect Life】, it probably couldn't distinguish friend from foe.

The corporal crouched down, pulled out a map used for the exercise, and began pointing at it.

"The target is a gray tower building. It's quite thick overall, occupying a substantial footprint. We estimate its height to be over 30 meters."

"Something is rotating at the very top... probably some kind of magitech equipment, but we couldn't see exactly what it is."

"There are noticeable protruding structures on the exterior of the tower, resembling gun emplacements. We didn't get any closer, so we're not sure what's mounted inside."

Morin listened while constructing an image in his mind.

"What about the situation around the tower?"

"The tower isn't an isolated structure. A ring of earth-and-wood fortifications extends from its base in a roughly circular pattern. An additional trench connects all the way to the side of a main road leading into the urban area... A checkpoint is set up on that road. We observed for about forty minutes. Even this early, soldiers are inspecting passing pedestrians and vehicles."

"What's your estimate on the size of the garrison?"

"From our position, we could only faintly see figures moving within the fortifications... At least a platoon-sized force or more? But the situation inside the tower is unclear."

Morin processed this information, then asked, "What about the surrounding terrain? Is there any cover we can utilize?"

"There's a depression to the north of the tower. We could advance from the edge of the woods to about eight hundred meters from the tower using the terrain for cover... But the eight hundred meters between there and the tower is an open plain with absolutely no cover except for a few haystacks."

"And the south?"

"To the south is that main road, flanked by buildings that look like warehouses. If we could sneak in there, we could get as close as five hundred meters."

"Good... Anything else?"

The corporal hesitated before adding, "Commander, we sent two men to conduct 'disguised reconnaissance.' They plan to dress as local farmers, approach from the main road, and gather intelligence from a closer distance."

"Excellent," Morin nodded in satisfaction. "Go get some food and rest. Then take some hot food and bread back for the others~"

"Yes, sir!"

The corporal ran off to find the cooks.

After the scout left, Morin set down his bowl, leaned against the tree trunk, and closed his eyes.

His system map and 【Intelligence】 interface had refreshed based on the newly acquired information.

More details about this "Anti-Magic Surveillance and Defense Tower" emerged.

Regarding internal armaments, aside from the magic detection equipment and a knock-off anti-air magitech device installed on the roof, there were several new large-caliber autocannons equipped with "magitech proximity fuse" ammunition.

The defensive positions extending below the tower were also equipped with 88mm and 105mm long-barrel guns dedicated to anti-aircraft fire, similarly utilizing "magitech proximity fuse" ammunition.

This combination of anti-aircraft weapons made Morin raise an eyebrow.

Functionally, this defense tower somewhat resembled the "Flak Towers" of Berlin from the world before his transmigration.

However, there was still a considerable gap in terms of armament scale and overall design.

"They've got the right idea... but it's not enough." Morin made his preliminary judgment.

According to the plans of the Military Economy and Weapons Testing Department, they intended to build more than one of these defense towers, ultimately forming a defensive network.

The concept was sound, but the problem was that the Empire's investment in this area clearly wasn't high enough.