NOVEL NEXT Chapter 579: Secret Project - Second Half
"Prime, is everything ready?" Daniel asks the A.I. while looking at the screen displaying statistics about the project's readiness.
[Yes, we are 98.9% ready. We just need another round of underground scanning to check if there are any ongoing underground construction projects.] Nexus Prime replied, and the data on the screen changed once again as the progress of readiness stopped at 99.8%.
[According to Murphy's Law, I've adjusted the readiness number. This number reflects the possibility of an unexpected accident or event.] Nexus Prime explained.
"You do know that I hate Murphy's Law, right? Mentioning it just before we're about to officially implement this project is like asking for Murphy's Law to f*ck us up," Daniel said with a tired sigh.
[This is not a jinx, but a careful calculation, Master. Please be at ease; I have 1,324 contingency plans to handle any unexpected outcomes.] Replied the A.I.
"Yeah… just… begin already… talking with you is giving me a headache." Daniel massaged his temple. This A.I. seemed to be becoming more and more human; it was starting to know how to troll him. Wait… isn't this guy's main avatar… that old butler with Envy to take care of the situation in South America!? Did she teach this guy how to troll people!? Oh no….
While Daniel was still lost in thought, the island trembled as if it were moving. This tremor was felt by everyone within New Atlantis, regardless of their location—whether underground, in high-rise buildings, or on flat ground.
The trembling intensified but remained within safe limits. However, the strange thing about this earthquake was that none of the sturdy buildings were affected. Only abandoned or severely dilapidated buildings showed any signs of damage.
Outside, the sea surrounding New Atlantis churned as countless air bubbles began to rise to the surface, as if something was moving underwater. No, it was the island itself that was moving.
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"What is this!?"
"An earthquake!?"
People were startled. They quickly evacuated their buildings and tried to find a safe place but soon realized it wasn't necessary.
Slowly and steadily, the shaking and trembling began to subside, and the churning sea calmed down, eventually returning to normal. People on the island felt that it was floating on the water, but it wasn't like a boat or pontoon affected by waves and wind.
It was unbelievably stable, as if something unnatural was stabilizing it. At this moment, the island detached from the bridge connecting it to the mainland, now part of the state of Tessia Kingdom.
"It's… it's floating! It's floating!"
"It's not even shaking! Is this… new technology from Astral Corp?"
The people were startled and started discussing the situation as the island floated away from the mainland before finally stopping.
Then, the clouds in the sky began to gather, providing shade and softening the hot afternoon sun. A cool wind started to blow, as if someone was controlling it.
At this time, the public news speakers blared.
"Good afternoon, citizens of New Atlantis. This is Mayor Kuroda speaking. We have established the island stabilization and weather control system, transforming our beloved island into a semi-artificial island.
We apologize for not announcing this sooner, but the nature of our weather control system and island transformation project was highly sensitive. We feared that declaring it in advance might increase security risks beyond our capacity to manage.
For any inconvenience we may have caused, we sincerely apologize. Even though we have installed gravity stabilization to prevent damage to buildings and properties, if there is any damage to your property, please take photos and register the damage in your citizen app so we can compensate you accordingly," said Mayor Kuroda.
After hearing this, people quickly returned to their homes to check for any damage so they could claim compensation.
A few hours passed, and news about the island's transformation into a floating island spread around the globe through the internet and various media. On one international forum, people from around the world were discussing New Atlantis.
Many video clips were posted on the forum, showing New Atlantis transforming from a normal island into a semi-artificial one floating on the water like a boat, without any ground support. Despite the overwhelming weight of the entire island, New Atlantis remained afloat without any disruption from sea waves or wind.
The weather on the island was even better than that of the nearby landmass, which was affected by a storm, despite New Atlantis being just 20 kilometers away.
MovieAddict: "These days, Astral Corp's technology is getting crazier and crazier. They've created a weather control system and a gravity control system. These are things we've only seen in sci-fi movies!"
QingEmpireForever_1127: "It's just a scam, people! Wake up! They did this just to garner your admiration. They're asking for your attention so they can seek sympathy when their country merges into the Qing Empire."
NiceGuy447: "Nah, I was there when they started the program. The island was shaking like crazy, but I swear to God, they have a lot of skyscrapers, and those buildings weren't even affected. Even some old houses weren't damaged. Only some really neglected buildings were affected."
MovieAddict: "Hey @NiceGuy447, is it just me, or are those bots from the Qing Empire increasing lately?"
NiceGuy447: "Of course, they are increasing. According to their logic, they are losing face right now because their country's technology can't even catch up to a small country like New Atlantis."
MovieAddict: lol
TechBro47: "But seriously, how much energy do these two systems consume!? I heard from my friends who work there that New Atlantis is floating on the water solely powered by the gravity control system.
I don't know how they manage it, but the daily energy consumption just to keep the island afloat must be insane."
MovieAddict: "That's why before Astral Corp existed, we could only see this in sci-fi movies, bro."
While netizens were talking and debating, the mages were also discussing this. Being knowledgeable about many secrets, their primary curiosity was how Daniel managed to control gravity 24/7 and even implement a weather control system.
Was it from an artifact? Or some kind of magical ritual? It couldn't be a ritual since that would cause a significant mana drain, which they would notice. But this? The mana surrounding the island was undisturbed, as if nothing had happened and no one had used magic.
"So… are we going to sneak into Emberweave's secret base? I think I have its exact location and a rough estimate of the people inside," one mage said to his friend during a secret meeting in one of New Atlantis's establishments.
"If you find your life too boring and want some deadly excitement, go ahead. I won't join you. I'll wait for your organs to be sold at the black market auction," his friend replied with a sneer.
"Don't jinx me. Who knows what we'll find in that base? Think about it: that base has a lot of special technology exclusive to Daniel Emberweave. Imagine how many powerful magic and artifact blueprints are hidden there," the first mage said, trying to entice his friend.
"Who knows what we'll find? But I do know we'll get a serious lead injection if we're discovered. I'll have you know, we are just master rank mages. Even grand master rank mages wouldn't dare to intrude into Daniel's base. That's no different than suicide!" his friend warned.
"Fine, have it your way. I'll go find someone else." The first mage lost his patience, left the establishment, and went on his way to find a team to infiltrate the Atlanteus base.
Three days later, many master rank mage organs were on sale in the black market, and mages of lesser strength eagerly sought to transplant the organs of stronger mages into themselves, so that their strength would improve by leap and bound
With the island's transformation complete, the event that mages from around the globe have been waiting for has arrived. Daniel specifically chose the day after the island transformed into a semi-artificial island so he could better defend New Atlantis. Now, the island was no different from a floating fortress on the sea.
The New Atlantis project that Daniel had prepared includes both defensive and offensive capabilities. Its mana shield could withstand a direct hit from a nuclear bomb, and it features numerous weapon platforms to defend against bombers and naval attacks. It could be said that he prepared for the worst.
With the Order of Ember founding ceremony around the corner, many new faces were pouring into New Atlantis. However, spies and malicious individuals were being rooted out even faster. Entry to New Atlantis was controlled by either boat or plane, and these two channels were already under Albert's control.
There was no way for spies and malicious people to get onto the island and cause trouble without their knowledge.
Deep in the night, at the most luxurious hotel in New Atlantis, which serves as the venue for receiving guests from around the world, the hotel was protected by a bounded field. As a result, the guests appearing at this hotel and the people coming and going near it were all mages.