When I heard that Angel City could only produce two thousand new Angels in a week, I found this speed incredible—not because it was too fast, but because it was too slow, slow enough to make one question whether it’s even an Empire facility.

A facility as large as Angel City, taking seven days to train two thousand soldiers, might already be a considerable production speed for an ordinary civilization. But for the Xyrin Empire, reducing troop production speed to "thousands" is simply unacceptable.

Especially since what we urgently need now is an entire legion...

After I shared my thoughts, Bellavilla appeared dismissive. She glanced at me, shook her head, and said, "You’re limited by your preconceived notions. The Mysterious side and the Technology side are different, drastically different. These are two complete systems with their own technological frameworks; it’s not just the energies used that differ. If you simply think swapping a heavy cannon for an Arcane Missile, replacing Single Soldier Fighter Jets with Magic Flying Carpets, and substituting ion beams for Eye Beams between two armies is how they are distinguished, don’t you find that too simplistic?"

I had to admit, embarrassedly, that that was indeed my initial thought...

"Sigh—" Bellavilla sighed helplessly, as if at a loss with my overly simplistic logic, "Well, I can’t blame you. Since your contact with the Empire, you haven’t really learned much about the Mysterious system, and what you know has only been unlocked in the past couple of days. Let me teach you: The Mysterious system’s military force and the Technology system’s largest difference lies in that we never produce the most basic units from a factory. Do you understand? The most basic unit that comes off the Mysterious system’s ’production line’ is the Intermediate Apostle. The Xyrin Angels, Ravens, and the soon-to-appear Arcane Law Enforcement Officers, Magic Energy Vanguards, and other Mysterious system units you know of, are all Intermediate or higher units. Therefore, you see, Angel City’s production efficiency seems so low because it’s essentially not a soldier production site!"

I listened intently to Bellavilla’s words and realized there’s a significant difference between the Mysterious system’s power and what I had always imagined. Naturally, this difference wasn’t unexpected, given that you can understand the vast differences in the developmental paths of two different technological systems as they each grew more complete. The means and approaches that the Mysterious system and the Technology system use in exploring the truths of the world are so different that the branches they spread must manifest in different forms, just like the divergent paths in human civilization history. Every stage of human civilization has spawned drastically different world views, creating everyday habits, production tools, religious beliefs, and even national forms that are often incomprehensible to one another. If such vastly different civilization stages can appear on the small Earth, it’s no wonder the massive Xyrin Empire simultaneously gave birth to two almost completely conflicting technological paths.

"So, you’re saying the Mysterious side’s power is more of an elite route?" I thought for a moment and offered my understanding, "The Mysterious side consists entirely of Intermediate Apostles, aren’t there any lower-level members? Don’t you have soldiers? The difference with the Technology side is too big."

"Of course not," Bellavilla shook her head decisively, "Any complete technologic system’s tech tree must have basic units. A soldier class, large enough to perform all basic tasks, is essential. However, for us, soldiers don’t come from production lines but rather... like this."

As Bellavilla spoke, she extended her hand into the air, and visible Arcane Radiance and unknown material fragments appeared in the air. Their emergence immediately reminded me of the Xyrin Host’s use of information regeneration technology to build various Empire facilities—could these be convergent technologies? The radiant little things Bellavilla summoned quickly gathered, forming an inorganic skeletal structure and body with astonishing precision. When the final glowing fragment of unknown composition settled into the gap on its back, what stood before us was a being nearly identical in appearance and stature to Bellavilla... or Raven 001. However, entirely crystalline and transparent, this newborn humanoid creature gazed around in confusion for a moment before standing expressionlessly behind Bellavilla like a loyal guard.

"I’ve heard about your experiences in that world. The Thought Body Avatars of those Angels in the Sky Tower must have left a profound impression," Bellavilla smiled at me, "This is the basic soldier of our Mysterious system Apostles. We don’t manufacture these in factories because we don’t need to. The Mysterious system’s unique transformation of the world allows us, with ease, to achieve precise control over energy and material, as well as manipulation of our spirit and even soul on an individual level. Hence, we have advanced puppet and avatar techniques. Various Elemental Beings, Thought Body Avatars, Arcane Constructs, and Spiritual Beings form the basic soldiers of the Mysterious system. The one before you is a Construct, driven by my Arcane Power, with a body composed of materials directly ’plundered’ from the world’s information. By suitably rewriting this information, it transforms into a ’material’ not less robust than the Imperial Soldiers’ steel and bones. This should be familiar to you, as it’s exactly how the Xyrin Host operates."

My previous suspicion was confirmed, marking a significant reason why the Xyrin Host is classified as a Hybrid Xyrin Apostle.

The "Crystal Man" just manufactured by Bellavilla gave me a familiar feeling, which after pondering for a while, I recalled was similar to the Elemental Beings created by Audemus I saw in the Northern Ice Plain. Of course, Bellavilla’s Crystal Man was clearly more powerful and refined than those Gudel Elemental Beings. At least "she" didn’t leave bits behind while walking. Perhaps this was because the Gudel Elemental Beings gradually lost their primal power through prolonged self-breeding.

The fact that Mysterious system Apostles rely on such a method to generate basic soldiers was beyond my imagination, arousing greater curiosity: "If that’s the case, why haven’t I seen other Ravens creating this... Elemental Soldier?"

While I couldn’t determine this Elemental Being’s combat potential, if every Raven could create their own Construct Avatar as Bellavilla does, their accumulated numbers would constitute a considerable force, yet I’ve never seen the Ravens’ Elemental creations on the battlefield. They always fight alone, like orthodox Spellcasters, relying on their magic power. Otherwise, I should have realized sooner this fascinating characteristic of the Mysterious system.

"Because ordinary Ravens are not proficient at creating Constructs," Bellavilla tapped the forehead of the crystalline "Crystal Girl" beside her, which promptly disintegrated into numerous tiny fragments swiftly orbiting her, "Not every unit within the Mysterious system is designated to create soldiers. Usually, the Magic Energy Vanguards and Xyrin Angels handle this aspect—you’ve already witnessed the avatars they produce. As for the Ravens, we act as conventional artillery. We wield the most potent long-range attack capabilities and auxiliary skills, and as a kind of Hero unit, Ravens are typically tasked with specialized operations—and creating little figures isn’t one of those."

Thus, I understood the significant difference in troop composition between the Technology system and the Mysterious system: The former assembles rank-and-file soldiers from production lines with consistent production efficiency, whereas the latter uses large facilities to produce Intermediate and High-level Apostles who, in turn, create artificial life forms. The downside is that, initially, their production efficiency for basic soldiers may seem low because the place is fundamentally not for producing soldiers! However, given time, these basic soldiers can proliferate explosively. For every new Mysterious system Apostle manufactured, the naive soldier production rate becomes extraordinarily high. From what I learned from Audemus, once created, the Elemental Beings he fabricated can proliferate—with time and energy, a Mysterious system Apostle can produce an unlimited number of basic soldiers—of course, they wouldn’t actually do that, or they’d be eliminated for idling away to make little people at home.

There are many factors leading to this distinction. But the most critical reason is just as Bellavilla stated: the Mysterious system excels in spirit and soul manipulation, which spawns this self-producing soldier practice to sustain the military force. Therein lies a notable distinction: while Technology system maintains a steady supply of soldiers via a conventional production line, the Mysterious system multiplies its troops exponentially over time. Any Mysterious system Xyrin Apostle, with adequate time and energy, could theoretically produce an infinite quantity of basic soldiers—although they would never actually create an infinite number, lest they be dismissed for dallying with little humans at home.

"""

As for why the Ravens aren’t good at manufacturing soldiers while Bellavilla can, the reason is actually quite simple—

"Bored." Sandora summarized succinctly.

"Can you manufacture basic soldiers with intelligence?" I asked curiously, "The common soldiers have self-awareness, but the one you made here... an ice sculpture... oh, now it’s turned into a hail, looks like it has no brains."

"That’s one of the differences between the Mysterious system and the Technology system," Bellavilla showed a bit of regret on her face, "Although we can individually create our own small armies, the Puppet beings generally have very little intelligence. We can’t directly infuse will and soul into the Arcane Core just like the factories on the Technology side do. We can only program them with the most basic behavior protocols, so generally speaking, the combat power of basic soldiers from the Mysterious system is significantly weaker than the Imperial Soldiers, and can only be balanced by quantity and their master behind them. Of course, this doesn’t mean we’re completely incapable of creating things with a soul; it’s just much harder—it’s completely impossible to produce quickly as just seen. Sometimes, it even takes several days to create a Puppet being with thoughts. In general, these intelligent Puppet beings are utilized as squad Commanders to lead other Puppet Corps. A Mysterious System Apostle with a small troop, and a few meticulously manufactured assistants form the basic unit of a Mysterious System army. In the stage of solo combat, Puppet beings advance or maintain positions, with their creators providing firepower and support from the rear, this is our most common tactic. Of course, there are many other ways to fight which I probably can’t explain thoroughly in one sitting."

Sandora nudged my arm, mentioning something: "Still remember those Gudel Elementals in the Northern Ice Plain? They have no concept of individuality and claim the entire species is called ’Gudel,’ possibly because they have only one consciousness for the entire tribe."

With Bellavilla’s explanation, many things that I didn’t understand before became clear one by one. Apart from the strange Gudel Elementals, I also learned about the coordination issues faced by the Caster Corps and the Imperial Six Legions: not only do the Imperial Soldiers need to adapt to suddenly having a group of Spellcasters as strong or stronger than themselves by their side, they must also get accustomed to charging alongside large numbers of Puppets without intelligence doing squad-level combat. When well-coordinated, these Puppets are excellent shields and companions, but coordination failures might lead to mutual hindrance, and this is just the initial problem during joint operations. More situations... who knows how many there are.

Though the current mixed nature has various puzzling issues, Bellavilla indeed began her work in earnest as she promised, assisting us in establishing a well-rounded Caster Corps that fits the current situation of the New Empire. She has already contacted Orelia, broadly understanding the characteristics of Mysterious side forces during the Fifteenth Day Zone era and drafted a reconstruction plan using the original main force type, the Angel Army, mixed with Arcane Spellcasters and various auxiliary units. She integrated a portion of the Ravens into the newly forming army not just for manpower supplementation, but also because the Ravens have been active in the New Empire’s corps for a long time, knowing the New Empire’s military well. Regarding the new army’s positioning, Bellavilla shared her view:

"Auxiliary combat, at least initially, should be positioned as auxiliary combat. The Mysterious side lacks too many foundational infrastructures, and due to limited time, large and super units can’t be manufactured. To have the forming Caster Corps independently combat under such circumstances is too reluctant. I suggest you not rush to organize the Seventh Legion; it’s better to mix them into your First, Second, and Sixth Legions. The first two legions are the Empire’s Ace Army, and the Sixth Legion is a special force dedicated to combating the Fallen Apostles, these three legions are most likely to engage in tough battles."

"No independent formation, huh," Sandora pondered for a moment, "In the short term, it’s certainly feasible, but the Seventh Legion is bound to be established sooner or later; they can’t remain mixed indefinitely. Furthermore, the maintenance and logistics between Mysterious and Technology side units differ greatly, Mysterious System Apostles can’t use the Imperial Soldiers’ weapon chain and energy module, which would significantly challenge the logistical work of the mixed army."

"That’s a matter for later; at least when the scale of the Caster Corps isn’t large, this difficulty can still be overcome." Bellavilla waved her hand, "More importantly, I have even better news for you—Orelia found some technical data on Space Weapons, including the Radiant Ring. She originally planned to report it to you tomorrow, but I’m giving you an early heads-up..."

"Are you sure? Can it be manufactured now?" Sandora immediately showed a look of surprise, apparently knowing what Bellavilla was referring to, while I listened in confusion: "Radiant Ring? What is that thing?"

"What do you think our Mysterious system’s army relies on to fight space wars?" Bellavilla shrugged at me, "A bunch of Mages with Shields charging into space, punching fighter jets and kicking missiles? Using personal strength to duel the fleet’s Main Cannon?"

Bellavilla’s depiction was so vivid that I instantly played the unfeasible scene in my mind twice, quickly shaking my head: "Sounds pretty epic, but it really doesn’t sound reliable."

"The Radiant Ring is a Space Weapon created by the Mysterious System technology." Bellavilla snapped her fingers, and a giant holographic projection appeared in the air, with the background being a brilliant starry sky, in which a mysterious golden ring surrounded by light mist hovered. Perhaps this is the so-called Radiant Ring; interestingly, it appears to have no physical form—it is simply a Halo completely composed of flickering light!

"Individually or a soldier, even if one’s single-person strength is exceptionally strong, facing a group of equal strength people who create war machines using collective intellect would be terribly feeble. In large-scale space battles and higher-level cross-realm warfare, the power of large-scale weaponry and armies created by collective wisdom is mainstream. Just like the Technology side possesses dazzling fleets, the Mysterious side too has its Space Weapons. However...what we create may look somewhat incomprehensible to you. They are quite different from spaceships in terms of principle, appearance, and combat method, making it difficult to relate them to ships."

"This is a Halo composed of Holy Light and Rune Binding Technology. Inside is highly active Holy Light; the concentration of this Tai Chu Energy is so high that it completely excludes all universal constants within the Radiant Ring and generates an independent operational platform that can transcend the current worldview. Once fully charged, it looks like this..."

As Bellavilla spoke, the holographic projection in the air suddenly changed—a large fleet of black and red-painted Fallen Apostle Battleship appeared opposite the Radiant Ring.

"Let me tell you how terrifying secret technique weapons destroy enemies." (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommended tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is the greatest motivation for me.)