The black sun hangs high

Chapter 159 Black Forest

In fact, the discussion about the aesthetics of people living on plateaus and plains has always been a strange cycle.

In the eyes of the Delans, the aesthetics of the Water people are monotonous and terrible. They always prefer deep, somber colors. If you look at any street, you will see black trench coats and top hats. Even the buildings and roads are always the same color.

A classic joke about the Waterman circulates widely on the plains.

The story is about a wealthy man from Walter who got lost and was found by the police. The officer very politely asked him where he lived, who his family was, and if there were any bodyguards or carriages nearby...

The wealthy man replied, “I live in a villa with a pointed roof, on a straight gray street, with bodyguards in trench coats standing guard next to a black carriage.”

The policeman became angry: "You're not a spy who's infiltrated here, are you? These things you're talking about are completely unidentifiable; they're everywhere!"

The rich man got angry: "Why don't you guess why I got lost?"

This joke is, of course, biased, because the Water people do not only use colors such as black and gray, but they believe from the bottom of their hearts that these deep colors are sacred and can express the resilience and indomitable character of their people.

The Water people also had many complaints about the residents of Deland.

They believed that the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Delan had a very superficial love for art and beauty—they simply loved colorful things, but did not have much real artistic literacy, especially in literature and naming.

Indeed, the Telanders are somewhat lazy when it comes to naming things.

In response to the jokes made up by the Delans, the Waters also created some proverbs.

“There is a man living in the town of River Valley, which is located beside the river valley. His ancestors came from River Valley City, and his wife came from River Valley Village.”

The gist is that the Tran people tend to name things after nearby landmarks, and they love to overuse them, which often leads to some funny situations.

Hughes largely agreed with this point.

The map in front of him clearly showed several landmarks with the name "Black Forest," which gave him a headache.

One officer complained, “Black Forest Fortress, Black Forest Town, Black Forest Village… Damn it, I’m almost forgetting what ‘Black Forest’ means!”

"Ha, I think it's pretty good. I really like the word 'Black Forest'; it makes people want to explore and explore."

In fact, whenever "serious" figures like Mage Klaus and ladies like Verine were absent, officers like Alfred would inexplicably utter a few strange, lewd remarks during their private conversations.

As for Hugh's existence, they didn't care at all.

After Alfred's "hints," the officers all knew that this young military mage was the family descendant valued by Marshal Zeke, the Three-Clawed Falcon. In addition, Hugh had done a very good job in all his work during this period, and he himself possessed a certain special "aura," so the officers of the Fifth Juggernaut Regiment did not deliberately hide anything from Hugh.

Alfred lit a cigarette and said, “These locations are essentially the same; they are very close together and are essentially one entity… So if we are to attack the town, we must take down this whole ‘Black Forest’.”

This is clearly not an easy task.

But the members of the mercenary group all seemed very calm, and some of them even had their eyes shining – as professional soldiers of Walter, they had been cooped up in Brownhill Town for too long and were now quite impatient.

Meanwhile, Hugh stood silently to the side, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Although he was also staring at the map, he was busy having a mental conversation with several seasoned veterans.

"A good choice. Judging from the map, this is indeed an ideal entry point."

General Bernhardt offered his perspective: "Controlling the town would cut off the supply of several nearby roads, the fortress on the nearby hills would provide a strategic position for shelling the surrounding area, and the village is very close to the forest, from which one could retreat in case of emergency."

"It does look quite good?"

"It just looks like it."

Another, more composed soul cautioned, "Although this place is quite a distance from the Delan's main defensive line, its location is too delicate. If the Delan had any sense, they would definitely have set up defenses and defenses in these areas. I guarantee that if you continue in the current direction, you will probably run into the Delan head-on before long... Their specialty is building a large frontal defensive line and extending it."

At this very moment, Alfred and other officers began discussing the relevant matters.

"The main road is out of the question. Our only option is this Black Forest... Only by crossing the forest can we bypass the defenses set up by the Delans on the front and launch an attack from the northwest of the town."

"What about the fortress? There might be people from the Legal Committee there."

"There are two options: one is to attack the town while attacking Black Forest Fortress, and the other is to deal with Black Forest Fortress first and then use its advantages to help us attack the town... Merlinle has already declared war on us, so we don't need to care about their spellcaster status."

Alfred lightly traced on the map with his finger: "These things are all on paper. As for how to do it specifically, we'll have to wait for news from Mr. Klaus. The council's secret shrine should be set up by now. Let's hear Borden's opinion."

Just then, Hugh asked, "So, we launched a probing attack?"

"Well, you could say that, it's an attempt."

Alfred nodded: "If we can control Black Forest Town for more than five days, then the follow-up legions can follow up. In this way, we will have torn a wound in the Delan people's main defense line and be able to bleed them dry."

A military officer in his thirties, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, asked, "Mr. Hugh, you must be worried about the pressure we face on defense, right?"

“Yes.” Hugh nodded directly: “We lack heavy crystal cannons. Although we are at full strength, we are far fewer than the Delan Legion that forms the front line of defense. Once we have taken control of Black Forest Town, the pressure on defense will probably be extremely high.”

“You’re right, but that’s the very reason why the Hunter Corps exists.”

Alfred exhaled a puff of smoke, then tossed the cigarette butt into a snowdrift by the roadside: "Ambush, infiltration... tearing through enemy lines and gaining a foothold, isn't that what a mountain hunter deep in the forest should do?"

……

Upon entering the plains, the Fifth Hunter Regiment entered a state of magical silence.

Under the cover and support of the front-line legions, the entire Jaeger Regiment began to advance in a roundabout manner towards Black Forest Fortress.

During this process, Hughes finally witnessed firsthand what real concentrated artillery fire was like.

The artillery fire continued unabated. Due to the advantage brought by the new weaponry, the artillery fire from the Votel army was more frequent and intense. According to the officers of the Juggernaut Corps, this was likely a deliberate attempt to deplete the Delan army's protective resources.

Exchanging relatively cheap shells for the magical resources that the Delan people and the Law Council were so proud of was certainly a very worthwhile deal for the Voltel army. However, as time went on and both sides continued to build and improve their fortifications, the effectiveness of shelling the positions continued to decrease.

When Hughes looked up, he could see the marks left in the sky—the marks looked like they were made of varying depths on a huge wall with a knife.

Vera told Hugh that those were magical marks left behind by a large number of cannonballs passing through the air.

“There is also magic in the sky. Although this magic is thin, it is a huge whole. And the shells used by both sides contain magic crystals. Therefore, the flight of the shells is much like the roots of plants moving through the soil, always leaving traces.”

After a period of military service, Wei Lin's temperament changed slightly. To make it easier to move around, she cut her hair a little shorter. Although she still exuded a strong scholarly air because of her glasses, she was still much more capable than before.

During this precious break in the march, Vera suddenly asked, "The Black Sun Society seems to have been quiet lately?"

"It could also be because we are far from those political centers, and the situation on the battlefield changes too quickly, so even if they do make any moves, we have no way of sensing them."

"Hmm...that makes sense."

Vera nodded, but her gaze drifted to the Kalvan heavy machine guns placed to the side. She suddenly sighed softly and said, "I never imagined that the world we know would become like this... Magic seems to become less important in the face of these weapons."

Hugh thought Vera was frustrated about it, but when he looked at her, he found a strange look on her face.

She remained silent for a while before asking, "Do you think that if the members of the Black Sun Society saw what was happening in this war, their original ideas would change?"

"Idea? What idea?"

"Faith...or something else?"

Vera sat down on a rock in the woods: “I had previously skimmed through the council’s documents, and I found some commonalities in the travelogues of those travelers and explorers—those people or primitive tribes who mentioned in their records who maintained faith in ancient gods were actually worshipping the power of those gods.”

Hugh laughed: "So they think the power of the gods is too great, and therefore humans are as insignificant as ants in front of them and their kin... But in fact, the powers that the Black Sun Society reveres and trusts may also be just as fragile in the face of the inventions of the new era of mankind."

Vera nodded: "The monsters we encountered in Seren City, and the rats we met in the underground of Ernst Manor... they can all be harmed or even killed by our power. Even if they may just be flawed imitations of those ancient artifacts, this at least shows that those beings born from lost power are not without weaknesses."

The conversation between the two did not last long, and soon the march resumed.

Meanwhile, magical messages from Borden were finally transmitted to the Fifth Regiment via a secret ritual. Just as Alfred and the others had predicted, Borden issued orders, hoping that the Fifth Regiment could make an infiltration attempt to find an opportunity for the main battlefront.

In fact, quite a few units received similar orders.

At the vast border between the plateau and the plains, whether it be the Water people, the Delan people, or the scattered armies of the duchy, they have all begun a new round of strategic probing.

The Black Forest and its surrounding areas are merely a microcosm of this massive war.

After leaving the vehicle transport, the Hunter Corps' marching method immediately changed. A large number of horses borrowed from the front-line camps became the main means of transport, and they were needed to help the Hunter Corps transport heavy military equipment. Meanwhile, the infantry members, including all the accompanying mages, quickly changed their equipment.

Because of the snowfall, everyone changed out of their coats and into standard waterproof cloaks and capes. Essential equipment such as skis, goggles, and ropes were also distributed to individuals. At this time, the heavy military boots of the Jaeger Corps would come in handy – the soles of these boots were studded with nails, which made it easier for people to move through complex terrain.

Several small teams, mainly composed of volunteers, have emerged.

During their journey through the Black Forest, these volunteer assault teams will serve as the sharpest arrows of the Hunter Corps. They will act as scouts, obstacle clearers, and, if necessary, suicide squads. Several familiar mages will also be among them. They have clearly received special training in the past, and their equipment is very similar to that of the Sword-wielding Hermits of the Law Council.

With over a dozen different protective and enhancement rituals, the Demon-Slaying Silver Armor capable of withstanding conventional magic and crystal ammunition, and the Magic Pendulum for capturing the most subtle traces of magic... supported by these equipment, they will become the most important core of the assault team.

It started snowing again.

Amidst the drifting, fine white snowflakes, the soldiers from the high mountains transformed into silent hunters and murmuring streams, swiftly advancing into the depths of this dark forest.

The battle had not yet begun, but the stench of blood was already stirring in people's nostrils.

(End of this chapter)