The black sun hangs high

Chapter 164 Preparation before the war
The giant spider, forcibly dragged back to the ground from the air by the running rat, had basically lost the ability to struggle and resist. Corrosive venom was being injected into its body through its three barbed tails, restricting its further movement. Meanwhile, the running rat stepped directly onto the giant spider and began to tear and gnaw at it without restraint.

Hugh knew that although he had already shown some of his magical abilities to these soldiers, it was obviously inappropriate for them to watch him "deal with" the Dark Abyss Spawn. So he immediately gave orders for the hunters to collect the remains and weapons of their fallen comrades, leaving him the space to deal with this terrifying magical creature.

Although Hugh knew that the Dark Abyss offspring, which had mutated into a walking spider, possessed the ability to communicate with him, he did not want to waste any more words. After confirming that no one else was observing or spying on him, Hugh approached the giant spider.

At this point, the wild beast was basically unable to move.

Under the corrosive magic continuously injected by the running rat, it was even unable to maintain its spider-like form and began to slowly "melt" back into the original form of the Dark Abyss offspring.

The familiar Dark Abyss offspring organs began to grow from the depths of these writhing, black pus, but Hugh did not give them a chance to speak to him.

Having learned from his previous experience, he knew that talking to these guys was pointless. If he wanted to know their specific experiences and circumstances, he would rather choose a more direct approach.

Then, a large amount of Mirror Messenger mist exploded on Hugh's body. Sensing a fatal threat, the Dark Abyss Spawn let out a miserable screech. The pus tried to spread outwards, but the mist from the Dark Abyss Palace was two steps faster. It swiftly enveloped everything in front of it, and all the power in the Dark Abyss Spawn's body was immediately and ruthlessly extracted and plundered. Soon, its desperate screech was completely swallowed up by the thick fog.

This time, Hugh had already prepared himself to deal with the massive amount of unfamiliar memories.

Since it wasn't the right time to immediately start processing and digesting these memories, Hugh simply created a space in his mental world where he concentrated these memories, trying his best to prevent them from interfering with his thoughts and state of mind.

The running rat clearly understood the significance of Hugh's actions. It felt that the food it had been waiting for was gone, so it squealed twice in dissatisfaction. Taking advantage of the moment when the Mirror Messenger's mist had not completely plundered the power of the Dark Abyss Offspring, it secretly lowered its head and tore two more bites off its target.

This is its "appearance tip" for this occasion.

A moment later, Hugh finished his devouring operation. He raised his hand and rubbed his temples to dispel the dizziness in his head, then turned and walked towards where the members of the Hunter Corps were.

……

Admiring the strong and heroes has always been a tradition among the soldiers of Walter.

Therefore, when Hugh and the others successfully rejoined the marching column, they were immediately greeted with a warm but silent welcome.

There was nothing that could be done about it, since the Jaeger Corps was still on the march. The two "teething sticks" of candy handed over and the flask of highland sweet wine that Alfred had secretly left for him were enough to celebrate Hugh's feat.

Although the form was very simple, Hugh was able to feel the eager and excited gazes in the eyes of others.

The captured Delan hunters even managed to stammer out a few words.

From Meyer, Hugh learned that these Delan hunters, who followed traditional customs, seemed to regard themselves as "chosen messengers of the hunter god".

In their simple understanding, only the will and power of the god of hunting could drive away or kill the ferocious beasts that should not exist in this world. If they were not still captives, these hunters would almost all willingly become followers of Hugh.

After the hidden danger was successfully resolved, the mercenary group resumed its initial march, and multiple reconnaissance squads became active again, while the overall speed of the group also began to increase.

As the column continued to advance, the hunter prisoners from Black Forest Town gradually grew fearful and angry. They finally realized that these soldiers from the Highland Kingdom were marching towards their homeland.

So the hunters began to clamor and struggle, trying to persuade or stop the soldiers' actions—but this was obviously impossible. With just a few simple tricks, the hunters were completely silenced. They could only make slight murmurs now, unable to make any loud noises at all.

Hugh glanced at the hunters, then sighed softly, "Professor, to them, we are already invaders."

"I know."

Mayer's expression became more somber than before, but he remained calm: "These people didn't think the war would reach their homes so quickly... They thought this war would be like the past, with nations clashing head-on on the front lines, the victor advancing and the vanquished retreating, until a winner was decided."

Vilin, who had been walking quietly beside him, suddenly spoke in a low voice: "The changes on the front lines are happening too fast... In Brownhill Town, I chatted with a mage who was injured in the Silver Corridor. He said that it's now the era of 'defense'."

"Yes, changes in weaponry forced changes in magic, and changes in magic usage strategies directly led to modifications of the original tactical system."

Hughes nodded and added, "In this situation, any attack or assault on the front line is not worthwhile, so everyone will try to open up new fronts to break the deadlock, just like we are now."

"The pressure from this standoff is immense."

Mayer stepped over a dead tree and said, "The situation in the Kingdom of Water and the Kingdom of Hein is relatively good. With sufficient supplies, the front lines and morale can be maintained. But the situation in Saint Steel is not so optimistic."

He raised his hand and wiped a piece of ice crystal off the bark of a tree next to him: "The temperature there is much harsher than here. If the war drags on, there will be great problems with the replenishment of personnel and supplies. If other external forces interfere at this time, the Kingdom of Saint Steel is very likely to fall into a decline. This could cause the whole war to change in ways that no one expects."

Amidst their casual conversation, the hunters finally reached the edge of the forest.

The group rested on the spot, while a new reconnaissance team began to explore the direction of Black Forest Town and Black Forest Fortress—they needed to verify the information they had received from the Delan hunters.

Alfred and the other officers unfolded a map in the woods. This map was drawn on the spot based on the information obtained by the scouts. It mainly showed the terrain around Black Forest Town. Although it looked crude, with the help of the mages, some important landmarks and passages were shown in great detail.

Between the town and the forest lies a sizable river, spanned by six bridges of varying sizes. These bridges, facing the Black Forest, serve as vital passageways connecting the town to the outside world. The river is now beginning to freeze, but no experienced officer would make the decision to "cross the river directly on the ice" in the presence of enemy mages.

"There are six bridges in total... If we want to set up defenses with supplies and weapons after we take the town, we must control all these bridges, especially this one."

Alfred tapped the map twice with his finger: "This metal bridge will be our primary target... Once we can control it, we will have a vital passage in this direction."

One officer expressed his concern: "The Terrens aren't stupid; they know the importance of this bridge. I'm worried they might choose to blow it up."

Alfred immediately turned to look at Vieline, who silently calculated for a few seconds before shaking her head and saying, "Unlikely... If the markings on the map are correct, then this is a metal bridge, and according to the habits of the mages of the Kingdom of Delan, such an important building would definitely be accompanied by some kind of permanent ritual."

Vera said softly, "Unless they can set up a large number of powerful alchemical bombs and destructive magical rituals in a short period of time, there is absolutely no way they can achieve this goal."

The assessment from the professionals brought smiles of satisfaction to the faces of the officers, but then Mage Klaus poured cold water on their enthusiasm: "Don't get too excited. This possibility cannot be completely ruled out... If the Delan people knew we were heading in this direction beforehand, they are very likely to have made preparations in advance."

He stepped forward, his finger landing on the sign for Black Forest Fortress nearby: "What are your plans for this direction?"

Major Alfred was already used to his partner's "negotiation style," so he picked up his canteen, took a sip, and tentatively asked, "Three companies, is that enough?"

Klaus didn't say anything, he just stared at him.

"Tsk."

Alfred's expression changed: "Add two more Karvan heavy machine gun squads?"

"It's still not enough."

This time, it wasn't Klaus who spoke, but Weilyn, who rarely commented on military deployments.

A meticulous scholar always commands respect when she speaks, so when everyone looked at her, Vera said, "Based on the usual practices within the Waterl army, I believe we need to add at least one or two more assault teams, equipped with a full set of crystal ammunition and weapons..."

Alfred raised an eyebrow: "Ms. Verin means there might be a fully-fledged squad of sword-wielding hermits?"

"Both reorganization and integration are possible. After all, the Legal Committee had already transferred them here before and after the changes in Seren City. The location of Black Forest Fortress is very delicate and may become their stronghold."

Vera explained, "Moreover... based on my past experience in the Legal Committee, in these special times, these sword-wielders of Merlin and are very likely to recruit qualified Delan troops as their reserve members."

"You mean the Teland's Iris Guard?"

"Yes."

Vera nodded: "I've reviewed some battlefield reports from the 'Silver Corridor,' and they mention that the loss of the first defensive position was related to the Iris Guard... They received a lot of support from Merlinler in terms of potions, equipment, and magic, so I think we must be on guard."

The scholar's proposal was immediately approved by the officers.

In fact, after the new weapons began to be widely used, many soldiers who had witnessed or even experienced the power of magic in the past began to have a psychological backlash—they began to instinctively trust the weapons in their hands and developed a slight contempt for the supernatural powers that had once been able to easily harm them and the users of those powers.

This is a very normal psychological phenomenon.

It is especially likely to occur in soldiers who are skilled in shooting or who are trained to operate heavy machine guns and new crystal cannons.

However, the officers present remained calm and clear-headed.

They all knew that if a force received full support and "upgrades" from Merlinler, it would be very likely to become a major threat in small-scale battles. After all, while the firepower of the new weapons could break through traditional magical barriers head-on, it would still be insufficient against the magical protection measures imposed on small groups regardless of the cost.

"Okay, I understand."

Alfred put down his water bottle and stared at the map, saying, "It seems we also need to make corresponding preparations for a frontal assault on the town... Let our 'Kalfan lads' be equipped with special ammunition, and give the Swordsmen or the Iris Guard the highest level of treatment once they appear!"

“Mr. Klaus, inform our mage rifle squad that it’s time to prove their worth. Also, instruct our Stream-class mages to take good care of all the heavy machine guns and our logistics. No one is allowed to slack off… Ms. Verin, I’ll leave the setup and inspection of the pre-attack magical rituals to you.”

At this moment, Alfred was no longer his usual humor and affability; his gaze was icy, like a hungry wolf that had come down from the highlands.

At this point, he took out the crystal watch he carried with him and checked the current time.

"Alright, gentlemen! Go back to your positions and let our soldiers fill their stomachs ahead of time... Dinner time is in an hour and a half, so let's serve these Delans a Walter dessert!"

(End of this chapter)