477: Chapter 458 That was definitely an unknown empire

While Domit was speculating why the Kingdom's High-tier Professionals had collectively disappeared, Brando was also wondering where Lake's confidence in not fearing High-tier Professionals came from.

The battle reports from the first round of engagement between the two sides were compiled into a volume and presented on Brando's desk.

After reading it immediately, Brando was astonished by the power of the sniper rifle.

An ordinary person who was tending to wheat in the fields just a few days ago could take a Professional down with them after a bit of targeted training and specialized tactics. Brando wanted to say this was simply impossible, but the report stating "our forces deployed in this area have been completely wiped out" was an ironclad fact.

Beyond doubt.

In fact, Brando didn't know that the cost of training a sniper was also very expensive.

The selection criteria for sniper trainees were exceptionally harsh; simply having excellent eyesight and a strong physique didn't necessarily mean one could become an elite sniper. The primary assessment was the compatibility between the person and the firearm.

Some people might appear clumsy and frail on the surface, with a slower-than-average learning speed, but as soon as they picked up a sniper rifle, their entire being would radiate a dazzling brilliance.

This kind of talent was mysterious, with no systematic method to detect it. The only feasible and reliable way was to let the trainee fire a shot at the shooting range.

Therefore, the number of snipers in Lake always remained within a small range.

Of course, compared to the fact that a two-person Sniper Squad could assassinate a High-tier Professional, the cost of training a sniper was still considered cheap.

The former could basically master sniping techniques and tactics in at most half a year, then be deployed into actual combat to be tempered through killing; as for the latter, even those with the most outstanding talent would take decades to promote to a High-tier Professional; the growth period was too long.

Brando was wary of snipers, but his attention quickly shifted to other information in the battle report.

[According to long-range reconnaissance by the Saint-level master, groups of unfamiliar Flying Magical Beasts have been circling over the battlefield. They are miniature in size, and their purpose is unknown.]

This line was handwritten. The four characters for "Flying Magical Beast" had several black dots where the pen tip had paused, fully exposing the compiler's hesitation in judging the unfamiliar objects as Flying Magical Beasts.

Sure enough, it continued.

[Preliminary speculation suggests their role is to monitor our legion's movements, and they possess no killing capability. Also, Lord Brando, please take note: the Saint-level master emphasized that these Flying Magical Beasts emit no mana fluctuations and no life aura was sensed. They seem, seem, seem like ordinary knight swords forged by a blacksmith.]

The compiler clearly had no concept of "tools" in their mind, so they used a slightly cumbersome but sufficiently clear phrasing to express their thoughts.

Brando looked up at the Legion Commanders gathered in the office and handed out the battle report. Everyone immediately took it and passed it around.

"What are your thoughts on these unfamiliar Flying Magical Beasts?"

One Legion Commander hesitated for a moment and said, "Monitoring us?

According to the report, these Flying Magical Beasts are only the size of a palm. No one can stand on them, so how can they monitor us?"

"Could they be Flying Magical Beasts that can communicate with humans?"

"Nonsense. Don't you know how difficult it is to breed top-tier Flying Magical Beasts? Lake raised hundreds of them in just a few years?"

The other Legion Commanders nodded in agreement.

Brando curled his index finger and tapped the desk. "These are not Flying Magical Beasts.

When the allied forces attacked Lake, they captured a few. I happened to be present when the blacksmiths were studying them and heard its name: it's called a drone."

"drone?" Everyone looked bewildered. Someone asked, "What is that?"

"Just as the report says, they monitor our legion."

"But..."

Brando waved his hand. "It's not a top-tier magical beast, and it can't carry people, but it can indeed record the scenes it observes through some means. Since Lake created it, they must have a way to extract and transmit those memories."

"Lord Brando, can it release magic or fire arrows?"

"No, it has no other means of attack."

"Then there's no need to worry about it. Our Flying Magical Beasts are much stronger."

"That's not the point." Brando sighed deeply at his subordinates' dullness. "Don't you find it strange? Lake's Soldiers are clearly all ordinary people with perception far weaker than Professionals, yet in battle, why are Lake's Soldiers always able to discover our Professionals first?"

Without waiting for the Legion Commanders to think, he frowned. "I've always been curious. The range of Lake's Magic Crystal Cannons exceeds visual range. Before the two legions even see each other, what do they rely on to lock onto the target's position?

After learning about the drones, I solved the mystery, and then I felt fear."

"Fe... Fear?" The Legion Commanders were baffled.

Brando didn't seem to be explaining to them, but rather talking to himself. Lowering his head, he said, "All the weapons Lake uses do not exist independently; they are a... a..."

The Saul Continent had no word for "system." Scouring every corner of his mind, he barely managed to find an appropriate word: "Whole.

Their individual weapons are just links in a whole. By cooperating with each other, they can exert power far exceeding their own limits."

"This means..." The speculation approaching the truth made Brando's breath almost stop. "This means that behind Lake and Zhang Mu, there stands an empire hidden in the shadows, completely different in form from the nations of the Saul Continent.

They do not believe in gods, nor are they obsessed with magic. They rely on their own wisdom to clear the obstacles encountered on the path of the empire's development."

Brando's right index finger trembled as he pointed at the battle report. "Look, they invented the long-range Magic Crystal Cannons, then created drones to solve the problem of being unable to aim because their eyes couldn't see enemies at such a great distance.

They were delighted that drones could help them eliminate enemies beyond their field of vision, which was very convenient, so they researched other weapons around this point.

For example, the special firearms used by the Lake Soldiers we are currently fighting can kill enemies from over a thousand meters away."

Brando's reasoning deviated from the actual history of weapon development on Blue Star, but one thing was correct—beyond-visual-range combat.

The development of modern weapons on Blue Star basically focuses on beyond-visual-range.

From using a combination of Scopes and sniper rifles to kill targets beyond the limit of vision, to competing in the detection range of radars that replace human eyes, it's all about discovering the enemy before they discover you; discovery means destruction.

The Saul Continent is vast, so it's not surprising that an unknown empire stands somewhere. The Legion Commanders focused on other aspects: "Since drones are so useful, we'll just ask the Saint-level master to destroy them."

Brando looked at him with a somber gaze. "drones are very useful. If it were you, wouldn't you go to great lengths to improve their functions and make them stronger?

So strong that even a Saint-level cannot destroy them."

"You mean Lake has even more powerful drones?"

"Perhaps they aren't called drones." After all, one cannot retreat from war, and negativity is not an emotion a commander-in-chief should have—at least, it shouldn't be shown. Brando pulled himself together. "Let's put that aside for now.

Contact the Professionals sent to Lake's Eastern Border and ask if the Kingdom's Legion there has set out."

"I'll see to it immediately."