Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 596 Bastion Castle (1)

after a while.

"Uh, what's all this gibberish? Is the treatment over?"

"Right... Don't rush to get up yet. I'm going to enter your biometric information to prevent your "visitor" privileges from expiring and being detected by the sentry system in my base."

"Okay, but why don't I see those sentry systems?"

"Hidden."

"Oh."

After completing the treatment, Han Zu logged Christina's biometric information into the base's identification system. He also implanted a secondary contractor device in her body. This secondary contractor device had no active functions and was undetectable to Christina. Its purpose was monitoring and surveillance, as well as a mandatory anchor point. Monitoring and surveillance are self-explanatory. The mandatory anchor point is essentially a teleportation device primarily under Han Zu's control, with limited access to the base's systems. If Han Zu desired to locate Christina, he could use his contractor device to activate the mandatory anchor point. As long as Christina was within range of a contractor technology or a contractor teleportation anchor point, once the mandatory anchor point was activated, she would be instantly teleported back to the base, regardless of her location.

The base system has two areas of authority. The first is emergency recall. If Christina is in serious danger and Han Zu doesn't have time to respond, the system will assess the situation and decide whether to teleport her back. Furthermore, if the base is invaded and no longer safe, the system will reroute the teleport to the Contractor Tower, a remote guard facility. Despite its remote location, it houses highly advanced contractor combat units. If anyone were to pursue them there, they would be annihilated in an instant by the contractor's weapons. Even Han Zu wouldn't be able to escape unscathed. Therefore, for now, the Contractor Tower is an absolutely safe place.

The second aspect is simpler: a shielding module that can block all other technological equipment except the contractor's technology, as well as most energy tracking, to ensure confidentiality.

"I've implanted a life-saving device in your body. If that situation really happens, you'll be mentally prepared."

"You're not going to make nanorobots..."

"It's not the same thing, and there's no need for me to do that. It's just a teleportation device. If you're seriously injured, it will pull you back to the base and directly connect you to this medical device. As long as you're not burned to ashes, you can be saved."

"Okay, whatever you say is what it is. So is it over now?"

"It's done. Here you go."

Han Zu took out a set of protective coveralls often seen inside contractor facilities from the manufacturing machine next to him and threw it to Christina.

"What material is this dress made of?"

"I don't know, it seems to be some kind of synthetic material."

"It's quite comfortable to wear. Okay, let's get down to business."

"I thought you wanted to rest for a while."

"I also need to earn my own trust as quickly as possible, don't I?"

"That's true."

"Then I won't waste any more time. How much do you know about the current situation of the Feidenan family?"

"Not much. I just know that they're involved with Infinity Company now. But based on what you said last time, it seems that this is just a superficial situation. Do you have any other information?"

"Yes. In recent months, the Ferdinand family has shown signs of splitting. One faction, led by Sebastian and his main branch, is the Griffin Clan, known for its radical and ruthless tactics. The other, led by one-third of the lesser branches, is the Deer Clan, known for its steady approach and preference for communication over fistfights. The Griffin Clan is currently maintaining a public friendly relationship with the Infinite Company while secretly considering ways to replace it. Meanwhile, the Deer Clan is attempting to contact some of the Infinite Company's core personnel in an effort to break free from the Griffin Clan's control."

"Griffin, deer? The crests of the family trunk and branches?"

"Well, technically speaking, I'm actually a member of the Deer Clan, but because of my status, my family still treats me as a henchman of the Griffin Clan. Fortunately, you tricked me, and now I can completely sever ties with them. I have to thank you for that, of course, if I hadn't been almost killed."

"Life is full of ups and downs."

"..screw you."

"Look, your quality needs to be improved."

"Never mind, let me continue. Do you remember the research institute I told you about last time?"

"I remember, but now they seem to no longer study experimental targets like you. They seem to have switched to producing something using the same method."

"Well, that thing is a special extract. It's a mixture of local plants, fungi, and biological fluids from a certain place controlled by the family. It's the product of human fusion. If this thing can successfully fuse with the human body, it will create someone like me. Although the abilities gained are completely uncertain, it is still a successful product. If you kill these people before they fully recover, you can extract a brand new thing from their bodies in time. This thing can have no side effects and allow anyone to have powerful abilities in a short period of time. The most important thing is that this newly generated thing can be mixed with the blood of the successful experimental target to achieve the effect of customized abilities."

"So, the research institute has actually shifted its focus to researching this kind of creature? But isn't that a waste? A person with permanent abilities is definitely more useful than a bunch of temporary enhancements, right?"

"The Griffins don't care about that. What they want is absolute control, which means loyalty. While the Griffins are powerful, apart from Sebastian and his lackeys, they're mostly ordinary people who don't even have any abilities. So I think you understand what I'm trying to say."

"Those without ability will naturally be wary of those with ability and will always keep an eye on them. If any of them develop undue ambitions, then these incompetent people in power will likely face consequences."

"That's right. Not only that, even Sebastian himself is very concerned about this matter. So it was he who suggested changing the research direction. Because even though he is very powerful, he can't guarantee that if he continues this experiment and research, someone who can fight against him will suddenly appear."

"The one who fought against him? You mean, Sebastian is actually one of the experimental targets of the research, not a true member of the Ferdinand family. Does he have any abilities developed by the research institute?"

"That's not the case. He is indeed a true descendant of the Ferdinand family, and he does possess powerful abilities. However, the source of his abilities is not the research institute, but Bastinburg."

"Bastinburg? Is that the place you just mentioned where the research institute gets its raw materials?"

"Yes, that place is... a castle built in the Middle Ages, located in the center of a family territory. With Bastinburg as the center, it is about the size of an old city structure. There grow all kinds of plants and fungi that have no records of modern human botany, as well as a large number of creatures that should not appear in this world. These things are the source of raw materials for the research institute. According to the information I have learned, the Ferdinand family sends a group of descendants to Bastinburg every 150 years. Most of them have never been heard from since they went to Bastinburg, but since Bastinburg, The status of a child who returned from the monastery would rise dramatically within the family, and even the head of the family would show some respect, unless the head of the family was one of the children who returned from Bastinburg. Sebastian was the only descendant of the Ferdinand family to return from Bastinburg this time. In fact, according to the Ferdinand family annals, since the late Middle Ages, when the second-generation patriarch of the Ferdinand family left his will, Bastinburg was one of the most important factors in the selection of the head of the Ferdinand family. However, at that time, the Ferdinand family was not called that name, and the number of people and influence in the family were not as large as they are today.

"In other words, every descendant of the Ferdinand family who survived Bastinburg will live to be at least 150 years old?"

"That's right. According to the records of the Feidenan family, the oldest person in the family lived to be 471 years old. There are also some old stories and legends passed down in the family that the fifth-generation patriarch of the Feidenan family is likely still alive. However, no one knows his whereabouts. He was the patriarch for only two years before he mysteriously disappeared. Some say he was assassinated by his brothers, while others say he left the Feidenan family and lived in hiding."

"This place sounds a bit evil!"

"Evil nature? What does that mean?"

"Uh, bizarre, that's all you need to understand. By the way, why did you tell me about Bastinburg?"

Christina nodded. As expected, Han Zu had already caught onto her indirect hints. Since her thoughts had been seen through, she simply stopped beating around the bush.

"For the Ferdinand family, the existence of radicals and conservatives has been a long history, and friction between the two factions has always been constant. This is particularly true for the Griffin Faction, which strictly adheres to this family rule. Although the Deer Faction is much more successful in the family business than the Griffin Faction, the majority of the family's funds actually come from the Deer Faction. So you can guess that the Deer Faction has long wanted to seize control of the family from the Griffin Faction. However, because the Griffin Faction's leaders are mostly survivors of Bastinburg, the Deer Faction has always been suppressed by the Griffin Faction in terms of military power, unable to rise up. Even if the Deer Faction wanted to avoid the Griffin Faction's control, they were powerless. This has been the case since ancient times. No matter who they cooperated with or how much force they gathered, they could never compete with the Griffin Faction and were forced to be at their mercy. Even if they successfully killed the Griffin Faction's leader, as long as Bastinburg remained, they could always fight back. The existence of Bastinburg was the most important reason why the Deer Faction could not grow stronger."

"This Bastinburg is a secret within the Griffin Clan. I believe that from a very early stage, the Griffin Clan should have started to prevent the Deer Clan from going to Bastinburg, right?"

"That's right. After hundreds of years of efforts by the Griffin Faction, almost no one in the Deer Faction knows where Bastinburg is. Even among the younger generation of the Deer Faction, there are quite a few who are completely unaware of Bastinburg. Although the Deer Faction believes that the Infinite Company may be a way for them to fight against the Griffin Faction without Bastinburg, firstly, under Sebastian's operation, the cooperation with the Infinite Company has caused many Deer Faction forces to lose confidence in the Infinite Company. Secondly, they don't really believe that the Infinite Company will help them. After all, cooperating with the Griffin Faction does bring more benefits than cooperating with the Deer Faction. And most importantly, in the eyes of the Deer Faction, if Bastinburg is still under the control of the Griffin Faction, then all their efforts will be in vain."

"So what you're saying is that you want me to find this Bastion Castle and try to understand its secrets? But according to you, this place is not easy to find at all. Based on my experience, that Bastion Castle is very likely not even in our dimension. You want me to find a place that is very likely not in our dimension. Needless to say, you should also know that the probability of finding Bastion Castle is not..."

"I don't need you to look for it. I know where Bastion Fort is... Or at least, I can get you to the area around Bastion Fort."

"Have you been to Bastion?"

"Been there once."

"In that case, I have to ask you some questions. Since Bastinburg is the secret of secrets in the Ferdinand family, how did you, as an outsider, get into that place? Based on your previous description, I don't think Sebastian is a careless guy."

"You are indeed right. Sebastian was not aware that I had been to Bastinburg."

"But if that's the case, how can you be sure that you're really going to Bastionburg, and not a place they've deliberately tricked you into thinking is Bastionburg?"

"energy."

"Energy? What does that mean?"

"Do you know how my teleportation ability works?"

"Build a short-term teleportation anchor point and then travel over there?"

"No, that's not the reason at all. I remember you have the ability to sense energy, right?"

"Yes, this is not a secret. Anyone who has come into contact with me or fought with me will know this. Why are you asking this?"

"Well, I'll use my teleportation ability to teleport from the far left of this floor to the far right. You stand in the middle and use your perception. You'll understand how my teleportation ability works. Once you understand this, it will be easier for you to understand how I confirmed that I was going to the real Bastinburg."

"alright."