Biological Supercomputer System

Erik and June approached the outpost. It was much bigger and better defended than they thought.

That wasn't the only surprising thing, though, because the outpost looked ancient but had modern technology mounted in various parts.

<Well... That is something I never expected to find.>

The place was basically a castle, and it had tall and old stone walls, with watchtowers all around. A barrier and many alloy parts covered the whole place and closed the breaches that had been made by the passage of time, or by the thaids that had used this place as home.

<The problem is, to understand whether the barrier is kept up by people or by Etrium's technology,> Erik said to himself, forgetting that he and June were connected.

<The place is small enough for just a couple of barrier masters to shield the entire area, master.>

<Ah... ehm... Yes, I know that; it's just that if it results from technology, I can do something with the biological supercomputer about it.>

The two kept walking through the forest, circling the fortress and studying it at the same time. The problem was that the area was not small by any means, was swarmed with people. Erik had two main concerns about the people guarding the place. First, he noticed that the patrol guards were much stronger than the average soldier. The system was never wrong about that.

The second was that they were loaded with brain crystal tools, weapons, and armor and, thanks to them, they had many brain crystal powers available for use.

They already had, on average, around 150 strength points, and some of them, albeit few, almost reached the 200 strength point mark.

It was something new. Humanity hardly reached this kind of power in the past. That could only mean one thing, and Erik was sure of it. The technique he taught to his men and women back in Etrium, when his guild was still standing, had been leaked to his enemies.

It was new, but not surprising; many people abandoned his guild when Erik got chased by the blackguards, and it was only logical for these people to sell the secret to them, or whoever paid the most.

Hin, and most likely the blackguards, must have had the technique for a while, and they used this time to power up their troops. The only question was, why didn't they employ these soldiers on Frant's battlefield? Or maybe they did, but Erik never stumbled upon them. <Who knows?>

There was something else, though, something pertaining to the multiple brain crystal tools they had. By reading the patrols' minds, he learned that each patrol had someone with a device that could spot lies and see through any disguise. They called it Veritas Lenses.

It was a brain crystal tool, a ring, which allowed the wearer to see through shapeshifters. Erik and June heavily relied on that kind of power, but with the brain crystal ring in the enemy's possession, neither he nor June would be able to sneak their way into the outpost by taking someone's place.

That meant not being able to ask questions, which would hinder his ability to get information out of his targets' thoughts.

There were a lot of people with these special rings. Erik and June had seen hundreds of patrols, and each patrol had someone wearing one of these rings. If all the other outposts were like this, it made Erik wonder if Hin, Etrium, and the blackguards had hunted down all the thaids with this brain crystal power.

Erik's mind-reading powers allowed him to find out this tool's presence, but the Instability brain crystal power wasn't perfect, nor that easy to use.

He couldn't simply browse through the soldiers' minds at will. It was more like listening to a radio broadcast, and he had to listen to it, regardless of what song he wanted to hear. The only way to get information was to talk to the target, if it was possible.

<System> Erik thought, <Do you have any solution for this?>

The reply didn't come late. <Well, they for sure are bent on capturing you, uh? These tools are a problem, yes, but they are not without limitations. Based on what we have seen, they allow to only detect what the user can perceive.>

Erik's brow furrowed. <Are you saying...?>

<The devices allow them to see through deception, but they cannot see what isn't there at all, or better, what they do not see. Shapeshifters can be seen through since the user can actually see them, but what if they can't see them at all? The ring wouldn't work.> the system said. <Invisibility should be undetectable to these devices, at least theoretically.>

A spark of hope ignited in Erik's mind. <My Phantom Veil brain crystal power... it should work?>

<Correct,> the system said. <The Phantom Veil brain crystal power would render you completely undetectable to both normal vision and these truth-discerning devices. Not because the device itself doesn't work on it, but because it is based on the user's sight.> That was a problem for June. <So I have to go in alone...>

<That is the most prudent course of action based on our current capabilities,> the system said.

<However, this approach is not without risks. While you would be invisible, you would still be physically present. Any physical interaction with the environment might alert the guards.>

Erik nodded.

<Be aware that while the devices cannot detect you directly, they may still be able to sense anomalies or disturbances in the environment caused by your presence. >

Erik took a deep breath, processing all this information. <Thank you, system.>

<No worries,> the system said. <Do you need any further analysis or strategic planning help?> Erik paused. <Not at the moment. I need to discuss this with June first. I don't think he will be happy about me having to go in alone.>

<All right. I will remain on standby for further consultation.>

Erik finished talking with the system and opened his eyes. He turned to look at June. Erik knew he had to do something difficult now-he needed to convince the clone to let him go into the outpost alone.

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