Two days after the activation of the Continent Jammer...
A battalion of Gyrfalcons and Pegasus soared in the sky, flying in V Formation.
After traveling for two days, they were finally able to see Casimir City in the distance.
Leading the formation was Cristopher, who was riding a Roc Bird, the strongest flying avatar in the group.
When they neared the city, they headed in the direction of the Headquarters of the Central Government first, thinking that Zion would be there.
And just as they expected, a group was already waiting for their arrival.
The members of the 69th Battalion and the Valkyries were amazed by the entourage sent to welcome them—every single one was a great beauty.
This was especially true for Princess Aracelle, whose beauty was otherworldly.
However, when their gazes landed on the young lady with long black hair and green eyes that captivated those who held her gaze, they couldn’t help but be charmed by her existence.
The only ones unaffected were Cristopher and Colbert, who already knew what Zia looked like.
They had kept this from their other subordinates for the sake of confidentiality.
"It’s good to see that you’re doing well Sir—err, Miss." Cristopher saluted Zia, and the latter smiled and returned his salute.
"Thank you for coming, Cristopher," Zia replied. "I knew I can count on you and Colbert."
The young lady then turned into his left-hand man, who had also given her a salute.
After returning Colbert’s salute, the members of the 69th Battalion started to stir.
"It can’t be... right?"
"Wait, look at Vincent and Penny. Both of those bastards are grinning, while looking at us."
"Damn... could she possibly be...."
"I’m glad I joined the 69th Battalion!"
"Can I take a picture with her?"
"... Wait, that sounds like a good idea."
"Yes, the Commander is a good person. Surely, he—errr, she will approve of it, right?"
Viola, Sharon, and Louise, who could sense a familiar feeling from Zia also came to the same conclusion.
So, after a bit of hesitation, the three walked toward Zia and gave the young lady a hug.
Princes Aracelle and Princess Xynalia, who weren’t familiar with the three women, thought that they were Zion’s concubines or something.
"I missed you, Zion," Viola said.
"Me too," Louise commented.
"Me three," Sharon stated.
Zia, who had been hugged from all sides, didn’t resist and allowed the girls to hug, squish, and kiss his cheeks. According to Vincent’s notebook, girls often act to their girl friends.
Since he was technically a girl right now, this greeting was perfectly normal—at least according to common sense.
However, there were two ladies who didn’t think so.
Of course, this was none other than the two Majin Princesses who looked at the three ladies as if they were their love rivals.
Only Sherry was unaffected since she already knew Viola, Sharon, and Louise.
They were the ladies who had helped Zion raid Evuvug’s lair as a way to atone for their past mistakes.
And now, they were also his strongest supporters in whatever he wished to do.
A light cough brought Viola, Sharon, and Louise to their senses as their Commander, Marion, had finally come to talk to Zion.
"You’re looking more beautiful since the last time I saw you, Zion," Commander Marion said in a teasing tone. "What kind of juice are you drinking? I want some of that too."
Viola, Sharon, and Louise smirked at the same time. Unlike their Commander, they had already tasted a certain juice in the past, which transformed them into superhumans.
"It’s good to see you, too, Commander Marion," Zia said with a smile. "Please, tell everyone to rest first. I’m sure that you guys had a long journey."
The young lady then shifted his attention to the leader of the E4 Mafia, whom the 69th Battalion had treated as their fourth commanding officer when Zion, Cristopher, and Colbert were not around.
This, of course, was none other than Alcapone, who was as shocked as the other members upon seeing that their commander had turned into a beautiful lady.
"Alcapone, tell everyone to return to their respective quarters and rest," Zia ordered. "We will all meet again at dinner time. Of course, it will be a candlelight dinner, and you guys will be in charge of the cooking.
"I have trained you guys to cook in the wild, so you already know what to do, right? If the ladies are not impressed with your cooking, prepare to be punished by me."
After saying those words, the members of the 69th Battalion, including Vincent and Penny, only smiled.
They were very good cooks, so for them, this would be easy!
"Cristopher, Colbert, and Commander Marion, let’s talk first. I want to hear your opinion about what you think happened in the Cygni Continent," Zia added.
"Understood," Commander Marion replied. "Viola, Louise, Sharon, you take care of your sisters, okay?"
After leaving the rest to their subordinates, Thirteen took Cristopher, Colbert, and Commander Marion to his temporary office, where the windows were all open to let the air in.
"Okay, let’s start," Zia said. "I want to know what the higher-ups think first."
Commander Marion nodded and gave her reply. "The first time we noticed that something went wrong was during the conference with the Artemians. We were finalizing the details of the alliance when the connection was cut off.
"At first, we thought that it was mechanical failure, so we tried to reconnect using fail-safe procedures repeatedly. Still, the connection remained disconnected. We then tried to call you through your communicator, but you were not responding.
"We then contacted Sherry, but the same thing happened. In order to get to the bottom of this, we sent a fighter jet to head here in Casimir City to see if something was wrong. However, when it passed over land, the pilot suddenly lost power in the craft.
"He forcefully ejected himself from the cockpit and headed to the beach area. He activated his signal flare, and the troops at sea were immediately alarmed of the emergency. They arrived promptly and lent assistance."
"But on their way to take him back, they realized that their equipment stopped working completely. We believe that something like a jammer is responsible for the equipment malfunction."
Thirteen nodded because one of his theories aligned with Commander Marion’s explanation.
"Do the Jinns have the means to do something ?" Commander Marion asked.
"The possibility exists," Zia replied. "They might have used a 7th or 8th Circle Spell to isolate the entire continent, preventing any type of technological equipment or weapons from working.
"Artemians and Wanderers are the ones in the losing end in this kind of situation, so it’s understandable why many would think the Jinns as the culprit. However, I believe this is not magic but technology coming from the side of the Artemians."
Commander Marion frowned. "But we are just about to form a temporary alliance with them. Could they really be the ones who did it?"
"The ones you talked to might not be the ones responsible and could also be a victim of this incident," Zia explained. "The only possibility I can think of is that a faction among the Artemians might be against this alliance. Of course, I can be wrong as well, and there could be another reason.
"However, I strongly believe that this incident is caused by Artemian Technology rather than the Magic of the Jinns."
Commander Marion became silent for a moment before looking at the young lady with a solemn gaze.
"So, what do we do now?" Commander Marion. "Without confirmation, can we really treat the Artemians as our temporary allies or not?"
Zia thought for a while before shaking her head. "I believe that the Artemians wished to ally with us for the sake of convenience, which also benefits us. But until we understand the situation, we cannot be absolutely certain of their intentions.
"What I do know is that we have entered a condition similar to Solterra. This means that if we have to fight in this war, we will be fighting as Wanderers—using our skills and other abilities. That is the only way to proceed with our current situation."
A war without technological weapons against a race that had always relied on their strength and abilities like the Jinns was a daunting task.
But if the Wanderers really wanted to end this war, they would have no choice but to take the risk and fight the invaders using the powers that were granted to them by the God of Wanderers, who was observing the events in the Cygni Continent with a critical gaze.