The black sun hangs high

Chapter 150 Declaration of War and the Military Camp

The discussion between Hugh and his companion about the lost deity and its retinue continued for a long time.

By reading documents from different eras and countries, Vilin came to a preliminary conclusion that the definition of deities in that unknown, distant past was very different from that of the modern Brahman gods.

Because of the production and development activities of various intelligent beings such as humans, goblins, and elves, the gods of Brahma today have been given many different functions, and there are even infinitely subdivided situations in specific fields.

The most classic of these are the deities associated with "agriculture".

Initially, agriculture and planting were under the jurisdiction of the god of life. However, with the passage of time and the changes in civilization, different agricultural gods began to emerge among different races and ethnic groups. These gods offered different blessings, protections, and favors. Some regions hoped for healthier crops, while others hoped for faster growth. In some arid regions, due to severe water shortages, the local residents even placed agriculture under the jurisdiction of the goddess of magic, Mel, hoping that Mel would increase rainfall so that crops could grow normally.

In other words, all intelligent beings hope that the deity they believe in can take meticulous care of every aspect and area of ​​their lives.

Even the goddess Mel, who could truly bring about the miracle of magic, was not immune to this.

Vera's judgment was based primarily on what she had personally witnessed in the underground of Ernst Manor, as well as the information she had gleaned from those books and documents.

Therefore, she believes that the deities active in that ancient period were in a more primitive and pure state. From the perspective of human cognition, deities like the Earth Mother Goddess seem to be closer to a concrete being with amazing power that can directly cause certain natural phenomena.

In response, she even put forward a very bold hypothesis—that the ancient gods might have been some kind of unique magical creature, powerful enough to have a lifespan of almost endlessness, but not immortal...

This hypothesis does have a certain degree of originality and constructiveness, but Hughes is not willing to readily agree with it.

Although he trusts Vera now, he still holds back in this regard.

He naturally couldn't reveal the matter of Theseus and the Dream Sanctuary. In fact, the existence of Theseus was the most powerful rebuttal to Vilin's point of view. After all, that guy was full of too many characteristics similar to humans and other intelligent beings. He not only possessed intelligence, but also mastered a lot of strange and wonderful knowledge.

Judging from the strange and unusual titles Theseus possessed, this guy must also be closely related to "conspiracy".

Not to mention, in that era, there was also such a strange existence as the "Dark Abyss Court." Hugh didn't believe that such a world would be ruled by purely magical creatures.

The other thing concerns the human female figure he saw in the rats' dream.

The figure who joined the sea monsters in attacking the Earth Mother Goddess's kin, and helped the sea side gain the upper hand...

Although it was only for a brief moment, Hugh was certain that the other party was using magic, or at least a power of the same origin as magic.

All of this reminded him of the goddess of magic.

Especially when he felt that terrifying force sweeping across his body in his dream, he was reminded of the power he felt when he first flipped through the magic textbook and saw the image of the goddess Mel—a terrifying suggestion that was directly applied to the spiritual level and seemed to guide others to worship this great goddess.

The difference is that the image of the goddess Mel on the title page of the magic book has very weak power, and anyone with a slightly stronger will can ignore it. But in the rats' dream, Hugh felt its terrifying power.

That was an astonishing magic capable of directly altering the will of living beings, even stripping and isolating them from the faith in the Earth Mother Goddess.

At this stage, Hugh felt he couldn't tell others about these discoveries. After all, even a eccentric scholar like Verine, who was extremely interested in lost gods and magic, was essentially a loyal follower of the goddess of magic, Mel. If he were to reveal such things, it might not only bring him a crisis of trust, but also trigger a crisis of faith in Verine herself.

That would be a huge problem.

However, Veraine's discoveries also opened up a new path for her. She told Hugh that she planned to use these new findings as a reference to conduct a new round of interpretation of "The Poem of the Night," and at the same time, she planned to look for traces of the mad poet Aziv in those previously blocked documents. Veraine believed that if she could find some other poems or written works by Aziv, then the interpretation of "The Poem of the Night" might be easier...

Of course, no matter what plans Vera made, all her tasks had to be completed in the military camp.

Because just three days after the Winter Solstice, after Hugh had gone to the Council headquarters to complete the long-overdue Stream-level Mage certification, the King of Wotel gave a grand public speech.

Just as Hugh had predicted, amidst the public outcry and an unstoppable trend, Walter declared war on Delan.

At the same time the news was made public, the Kingdom of Hein, as a signatory to the Highland Alliance agreement, also declared war on Delan, and the plains kingdoms, with the Kingdom of Delan at their core, also abided by the treaty and joined the war.

In the region near the northern snowfields, after notifying the three major deep-sea scholar towers of Cedar, Black Nest, and Flower Sea, Merlinle and the Legal Committee also issued a declaration of war against the northern kingdom of Saint Steel. This declaration immediately drew the roar of Saint Steel's snowfield cannons.

Now, these Northern soldiers, driven mad by the internal strife of their nation, will begin their advance regardless of the costs and consequences. They crave tangible results more than any other nation in the world—only by seizing enough benefits from this war can their country and monarchy avoid collapse.

Compared to the apprehension of the inhabitants and soldiers of the plains, the Votel people, who were fully enjoying the convenience brought by steam technology, were full of confidence in the war.

Soldiers on leave have mostly returned to their barracks, and reserve troops have begun to be gradually deployed to several key areas where they will undergo further training and be ready to join the battlefield at any time.

Veterans who had retired and participated in the war against the cannibals on the plateau had voluntarily gathered at various recruitment points.

The artisan teams, composed of giant-eared goblins and dwarves, had already set off. With the help of the council mages, they were laying special railways for war purposes at an astonishing speed. Many workshops that were previously controlled by old nobles had now been returned to the Wotel government. They were forcibly divided, reorganized, and formed into large factories. Large steam-powered machinery and magical equipment were gathered together and began to undergo unified testing by the academy's artisans.

Next, these will form the vital lifeline for Votel's support for the subsequent development of the war.

……

Even just walking down the street, Hugh could hear the deafening roar of the massive machine called the nation in operation.

At the logistics window outside the Fifth Jaeger Regiment's base, Hugh finally received his assigned equipment and uniform. The equipment was rather simple, consisting of only a few items.

They are a dagger made of Demon Silver.

The new revolver is equipped with one bag each of standard ammunition and crystal ammunition.

A magic book pre-printed with various battlefield magics and rituals.

Several high-quality magic crystals used to temporarily replenish magic power.

And the Magic Pendulum for battlefield use specially made by the Council.

There was nothing else besides that. The council mage distributing supplies noticed that Hugh was clearly a mage entering the military camp for the first time, so he specifically reminded him that ammunition could be drawn at any time, and if the Demon-Slaying Silver Dagger and pistol were lost, they could be re-obtained as long as the report was completed. However, spellbooks and high-quality crystals were scarce resources at the moment, and if they were lost, they would definitely not be able to be replenished in the short term, and they would also be subject to the regulations and penalties.

Looking at the dense list of rules and regulations on the wall next to him, Hugh nodded seriously.

As a military mage accompanying the army, his uniform differed from that of ordinary soldiers.

In addition to the standard clothing, spellcasters were also issued a special trench coat, which was obviously designed with the help of the Mage Council, as it had many details specifically designed to meet the needs of spellcasters.

The entire military uniform is predominantly black, and it does not come with a military cap; instead, it features a detachable hood.

The mages' uniforms do not have ranks, but they have insignia on their chests to indicate their rank. Normally, these insignia are unremarkable, but when passing through checkpoints, they can be infused with magic to make them glow and prove their identity.

The belt is specially designed to secure the issued standard equipment. In addition, it provides two extra pockets for securing spellbooks, since each spellcaster will certainly not use only one spellbook.

Hugh changed his clothes in the adjacent wooden cabin, and packed up his equipment, including the Demon-Slaying Silver Dagger, revolver, and spellbook. Then, with his luggage, he officially stepped into the Fifth Hunter Regiment's base.

Duden, the guard who had always been by Hugh's side, has now returned to his original unit. After entering the military camp, the safety of the accompanying mages will no longer be the responsibility of ordinary soldiers.

As one of the elite legions of the Kingdom of Walter, the Fifth Hunter Regiment is very strict in its selection of personnel. Even new recruits must go through a series of screenings. Therefore, most of the young people who can come here are very excited. At this time, the new orders have not yet been issued, so they have time to gather together to exchange ideas, discuss and study the new firearms in their hands. Some of them even took out Dragon Fang cards and started a card game.

Compared to the new recruits who found everything fascinating, Hugh, who had already "inherited" many soldiers' memories and received guidance from General Bernhardt, appeared unusually calm and composed. He didn't linger at all, and like the arrogant spellcasters everyone knew, he walked on his own toward the huge house reserved for the council's mages.

The moment the door was pushed open, a warm aura from a magical ritual immediately washed over them. The magical energy pulsed throughout the room, which was far from quiet, as joining a war was a first for most spellcasters.

Many of those gathered here were either Raindrop-level mages or mage apprentices who had not yet received a formal rating. Touched by the magical ritual set up at the entrance, the Stream-level mage insignia on Shug's chest glowed on its own, attracting the attention of many.

The interior of the house was much larger than it appeared from the outside, clearly a result of the solidification of the "Extension Ritual." Before Hugh could observe the other people in the house further, the door behind him was opened again, and then, accompanied by the hum of magic, a blinding light shone, immediately attracting the attention of almost everyone.

Vera stood at the door with a cold face. She glanced at the lake-level mage insignia on her chest, forcibly suppressed the obstructive light with magic, and then walked in with her luggage.

She carried quite a lot of things, mostly books.

Beside her, two mages each held a stack of papers, and she herself was holding another stack. They didn't look like they were about to go to war, but rather like they were going to the library to finish a paper.

Vera's gaze drifted over, so Hugh sighed and had no choice but to reach out and take a stack of books from his magic teacher.

"follow me."

Weilin said softly, then straightened her trench coat and turned to walk towards the stairs on one side.

She had also changed into the clothes of a military mage, which changed her entire demeanor.

The trench coat that Virin wore was a bit too big, which concealed her body curves well. Half of her face was wrapped in a standard scarf of the Fifth Hunter Regiment, and her exposed eyes were filled with displeasure and coldness. Combined with the oppressive aura of a lake-level magic scholar and her unique temperament, she looked like an exquisite black ice sculpture.

And so, Hugh followed Vera to the second floor and stopped in front of the second room in the left corridor.

She took out a key, opened the door, and then led Hugh inside.

This is clearly an office that must have been used not long ago, as there are even newspapers from more than ten days ago on the desk.

“Miss Weilin, it’s like you’re moving house.”

Hugh put down his book and casually made a sarcastic remark.

Vera glanced at him, then put down what she was holding. She said, "Time is too tight. I have to sift out the truly valuable documents before the army sets off. The rest of the books will have to be stored here for now... Once we're on the battlefield, life and death are uncertain."

She took off her scarf and hung it on the chair: "Mr. Hugh, I brought you here to remind you which books you need to return while I am unable to return from the battlefield."

...

I have a cold and fever, and I feel incredibly groggy.
The map I promised wasn't finished (it's still a little short).
The double update will be released first.
Numb
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(End of this chapter)