I Pioneered Scientific Magic

As the group pondered the secrets concealed within the oil, a continuous stream of divine cavalry reported the information gathered within the city.

Just as the captain of the guards had mentioned, there were no more enemies in the entire town. All the wizards had evacuated, and the defense was now handled by a hastily assembled guard.

Each person was said to be under an evil curse; disobedience would result in their bodies festering and decaying!

The so-called tight defense and heavy military presence were all illusions!

The wizards relied on an empty city to deter any pursuit. They even built sturdy walls only on the side facing the oil, leaving the other three sides merely for show.

"No wonder..." Joshua said with a cold tone. He had suspected that reinforcing all four sides of the city walls in just a few hours was impossible.

Clearly, they had been deceived!

"Wait a minute, if all those wizards have evacuated, then what is the magical energy I sense?" Lucia paused, suddenly realizing this.

Before entering the city, she had sensed a strong magical fluctuation within, leading her to believe that the wizards were still gathered in the town.

"Now, immediately, recall everyone heading towards the estate!" A sense of warning emerged in Lucia's heart. Without waiting for the bishops to act, she closed her eyes and used divine arts to communicate.

Unfortunately, it was too late. As the words fell, a violent explosion echoed from the direction of the estate, and flames erupted.

It was the gift Lynn had left for them before leaving—an abundance of gunpowder!

The estate had a magical detection system that would trigger an explosion three minutes after detecting a large number of people entering!

Judging from the intensity of the explosion, the elite soldiers heading to the estate for a search were likely in dire straits!

Joshua's expression turned extremely grim, and Lucia's face was as cold as ice.

"They've only been gone for a little over ten minutes, and they need to bring more than eight thousand people and heavy cannons. They can't maintain full speed. We might still catch up..." Riedel quietly reminded.

And since oil was crucial for the empire, there were still plenty of personnel guarding the extraction site. They should be able to delay for some time.

Seeing Riedel suggesting departure, the captain of the guards burst into tears, pleading desperately, "Lord Judge, under the crown of the Holy Lady, I am the most devout believer. I attend the church every week to listen to teachings. Please, I beg you, save me!"

Joshua approached, placed his hand on the captain's head, and after a few seconds, his expression became even more unpleasant. "Fool, there's no curse on you at all!"

The guard captain was dumbfounded. He had witnessed a colleague violating the wizards' orders, and that person had melted into a pool of blood amid screams of agony.

"That was just an illusion, a trick by the wizards to scare you," Joshua explained, then turned to Lucia, urging her to pursue immediately and eliminate these deceitful wizards.

Once they obtained the oil, new troubles might arise. They needed to prevent any further complications.

"Riedel, you act as the vanguard. Intercept those airships. No need for a strong attack, just slow them down!" Lucia suppressed her anger and instructed sternly.

"I understand, Holy Lady. I won't let those wizards take away the empire's weapon," Riedel responded firmly, kneeling down.

A massive lava fire dragon descended from the sky, crushing the sturdy bricks beneath its heavy body. Its fiery red eyes stared hatefully at the bishops in front, filled with resentment, but its body and consciousness were still firmly bound by divine arts.

After applying a protective divine spell on himself, Riedel leaped onto the dragon's back, controlling its body to soar into the sky.

Behind him, hundreds of griffin knights followed!

...

Meanwhile, outside the city, Lynn and others in hiding witnessed the giant dragon taking off.

"Tsk tsk, what kind of monster is that, so huge?" Ham exclaimed in amazement.

"It should be a dragon?" Riedel uncertainly replied. Although they had never seen a dragon, it was a common subject in operas and bardic tales, known for its fierceness and strength.

"It seems Lord Lynn was right. These people indeed went after them!" Riedel watched as they entered the city, then swiftly emerged, heading north for the expeditionary force.

It was exactly as Lynn had predicted!

"Shall we act now?" Ham rubbed his hands excitedly.

"No, wait a little longer," Riedel shook his head, cautious. "Let them move a bit farther. We should at least send a message first!"

"Sorry for the trouble, Lord Anthony!" Riedel turned to Anthony beside him.

The latter nodded, closing his eyes and manipulating the surrounding electromagnetic field to send out electromagnetic signals!

As the airships had only been in motion for about twenty minutes from departure, and the distance was not far, they didn't even need a relay station. Their speed was extremely fast.

The moment after Anthony cast his spell, Lynn and others on the airship received the message.

"Good, since they've caught up, we will decide the battlefield from now on!" Beside him, Harof smirked.

Previously, they had been brainstorming how to deliberately lure the other side out, providing a suitable place for casting the new magic they developed.

However, Lynn proposed a different approach: attacking the place the enemy would undoubtedly defend! The oil was the best target!

Once they showed strong interest in it, the Holy See could not let them have it and would surely follow! This was a genuine strategic plan!

Moreover, they left a "small gift" in the city. If things went smoothly, the opponents should be furious and perhaps lose their rationality.

Being fooled repeatedly, who wouldn't be desperate?

"Unfortunately, it's a bit too fast. We didn't have time to make more arrangements; otherwise, it should have been foolproof!" Lynn sighed with a hint of regret.

According to his earlier estimate, the Holy See had just suffered thousands of casualties. Even if they were anxious, they would need half a day for recovery before launching an attack tomorrow morning. However, the opponent's actions were much faster than he expected...