The black sun hangs high

Chapter 165 "Made of Metal"

Because of the city of Seren, the town of Black Forest and Black Forest Castle do not have a very high profile in this region.

Despite the town and the nearby fortress having a very long history, the population here has always been very limited over the years.

Hunting, farming, becoming militiamen in the Kingdom of Delan, and then being hired by the surrounding mines as bodyguards and thugs after their service—this is a microcosm of life for the residents of Black Forest Town.

The fortress, located on a hill near the town, had long been assigned to the Legal Committee.

Merlinle and his mages transformed this small fortress into a headquarters for the Law Council, and took on the important task of acquiring specific magical alchemical materials from the hunters of Black Forest Town.

After the upheaval in Seren, the armies of the Kingdom of Delan and the surrounding duchies began to move frequently. The constant flow of convoys and crowds made this inconspicuous town suddenly crowded. In order to accommodate more temporary residents, the mayor had to hire a considerable number of residents as workers to create a temporary residential area around the town for the kingdom. In just half a month, this area was transformed into a new "market".

Because the war broke out in winter, the large-scale mobilization of the army began to bear extra pressure. Whether it was the construction of camps or the supply of materials, the local residents needed to help. This gave the residents of Black Forest Town a lot of extra income. With the Kingdom of Delan in a state of large-scale mobilization, even some obscure alchemical materials that the residents usually stored in warehouses waiting to get moldy could now be easily sold.

The alchemists and craftsmen in the army always managed to make these things work for them.

Some of the better-equipped warehouses were directly leased by the Delan Army to better store important ammunition and supplies.

It snowed today, and the sky was covered with thick clouds, so there was almost no sunlight and it got dark earlier than usual.

Compared to the Delan soldiers who had reached the front lines and even engaged in several rounds of fighting with Votel's army, the Black Forest Infantry Regiment stationed here was fortunate; they had already heard about the dire situation at the front.

They were filled with both anger and fear upon hearing that Walter's army was using a new and terrifying weapon to indiscriminately claim the lives of their fellow countrymen.

This situation was extremely common in the army of the Kingdom of Delan.

Faced with this sudden war, many of them were not prepared. In fact, before the upheaval in Seren, almost no one in the Kingdom of Deland believed that war would break out. Even after the death of Prince Havid of Walter, the Deland people still believed that the highland inhabitants would choose to resolve the conflicts and problems at the negotiating table.

After all, Merlinle had always favored the Kingdom of Delan, not only because the inhabitants of the Goddess Plains revered magic more, but also because this fertile plains possessed everything spellcasters needed.

Among a significant portion of the inhabitants of the Goddess Plains, a subtle self-designation circulates—"the one favored by magic."

This title refers not only to the abundant resources on the Goddess Plains that exist thanks to the favor of the Goddess Mel, but also to the fact that Mellinle and the Legal Council will forever favor the Kingdom of Delan.

Their thinking only changed with the advent of the "Silver Hell".

Fortunately, recent developments have been very favorable to the plains kingdoms. The northern Isa River defense line has finally gained a foothold, while the two fronts near Seren and Black Forest have entered a strange stalemate. Under these circumstances, the soldiers who were feeling confused and fearful about their future breathed a sigh of relief.

In their minds, a standoff under the protection of cover was always easier than going directly to the battlefield and being mowed down by enemy bullets.

For the current members of the Black Forest Infantry Regiment, all they need to do is stay in the town, do their defense work, and wait for the next order. Although the conditions are harsh and they live in fear every day, at least they don't have to face the fierce and savage Walter mad dogs.

It was dinnertime again. In the tradition of the Kingdom of Delan, dinner was always the most important and sumptuous meal. Therefore, this was the most anticipated moment for the soldiers who braved the cold wind to guard the river defense line.

A young soldier called out to his comrades approaching from the direction of town, "By the goddess Mel, what shall we eat today?"

"Eat fish!"

"Why fish again?"

The young soldier was in some distress. He had been transferred from the army of the Principality of Black River. People born in the Principality of Black River could be said to have eaten fish from childhood to adulthood, eating river fish in the west and sea fish in the east. This was the norm.

He had thought that coming here would give him a change of pace, but unexpectedly, due to the outbreak of war and the arrival of winter, food choices became scarce once again. Under these circumstances, fish from nearby rivers and lakes became an important food option.

However, although he seemed somewhat reluctant, he didn't really resist it—the cold-water fish here tasted excellent. They were said to be close relatives of some kind of magical fish, possessing some magical power within them. Therefore, they had a very mild fishy smell and firm flesh. When paired with some local spices from Black Forest Town, they could be considered a delicacy.

"At least I'm luckier than those on the front lines who are eating dry rations."

This is what the young soldiers are thinking right now.

The uniforms of the Delan army are predominantly dark blue, one of the most understated and discreet colors among the plains dwellers. And now, he saw two figures in blue coats pushing a cart carrying everyone's dinner behind his comrades. He could already smell the fish soup in the wind.

As dinner approached, the soldiers on the defensive line gradually relaxed. They took out their mess kits and utensils and leaned against the bunkers and fortifications. The mage on the defensive line was very clean. He specially made a ball of water and washed his hands and face.

Soon, the aroma of food filled the air above the riverbank.

The legal committee monk yawned, then followed the officer's call and walked toward a nearby bunker.

These bunkers were all created directly by mages using magic, and were imbued with many magical rituals, making them extremely sturdy and durable. However, now these bunkers have also become temporary dining halls and shelters for officers and mages. It is obviously impossible to expect the mages and soldiers of the Legal Committee to stand guard in the open at night.

The young soldier had heard a little about the meals of the officers and mages. His friend who worked in the kitchen had mentioned that these guys usually ate the same breakfasts and lunches as ordinary soldiers, which was supposed to "get closer to the soldiers," but their dinners were very lavish, and the kitchen would even prepare some desserts for them. The bread and fish soup presented to him pulled the young soldier's wandering thoughts back to reality. He quickly took two pieces of bread from the front, filled his lunchbox with fish and hot soup, and then soaked the bread in the fish soup, intending to wait for it to soften a little before eating. There was one particularly annoying thing about the bread supplied by the Delan army—although it was easy to preserve, it would become as hard as a rock after a while. There had been cases in the camp where people had fought with bread and almost died.

Taking advantage of the break, he asked his companion, "Hey, I heard some people went hunting in the forest south of the river? How was it? Did they have any success?"

"How would I know?"

The soldier who was asked the question was a local. He shrugged and said, "Besides, even if they do make a profit, it's none of our business."

"What I mean is, shouldn't we try to catch a couple of rabbits? Even if it's just a couple, it's better than eating fish, right?"

"It also requires approval from above... and even if we do manage to hunt something, the higher-ups will probably take the lion's share!"

As he spoke, the local soldier looked around and said, "And don't blame me for not warning you... hunting with crystal bullets is against military regulations. Although the enforcement isn't strict, we're at war right now, so don't do anything reckless if you don't want to be punished."

The young man laughed: "I've heard that the plateau people have started using metal bullets now? Those things are much cheaper than crystal bullets, wouldn't they be perfect for hunting?"

His companion, however, was full of disdain: "Metal bullets? I don't believe it. Damn it, how could metal bullets penetrate magical defenses? Maybe it's some new trick those highlanders came up with to demoralize us... Anyway, unless our army is issued that kind of weapon, I won't believe it."

Neither of them could convince the other for a moment. Seeing that the bread had softened, they both picked up forks or spoons and began to eat slowly. Everyone tacitly agreed to prolong the dinner so that they could rest longer.

The fish soup wasn't prepared well today; it was too salty, almost killing the young soldier's appetite. He poked at the soggy bread with his fork while idly glancing to the other side.

There, food distribution was still underway, but the person in charge of distributing dinner seemed to be arguing with several soldiers. It sounded like they felt they were being cheated because when it came to them there was only fish soup and no meat.

“We argue about this kind of stupid thing every day.”

The person next to him yawned and said impatiently, "With so many opinions, why not just use a crystal gun and blow them up..."

Upon hearing this, the young soldier couldn't help but widen his eyes, because he actually saw the figure responsible for serving fish soup fall down as if struck by something. His body hit the soup bucket, and the remaining hot soup immediately spilled out, scattering all over the ground.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, but the next instant, the soldier saw that the other people standing there had also experienced a similar situation. In the dim light of the day, he saw that a blinding cloud of blood mist suddenly burst from the chests or heads of those people, and then they followed suit.

"Enemy attack!"

Finally, someone reacted, but before he could finish speaking, a bullet flying from the direction of the forest cut him off.

The young soldier reacted extremely quickly. He immediately dropped his dinner, slid down, and hid behind the bunker made of sandbags and logs.

While dodging, he also pulled his companion aside, causing the other to slide down and lean against him.

His mind nearly stopped, his heart began to race, and the instincts honed by past training enabled the young soldier to make the right response at this moment. After successfully dodging a barrage of bullets coming from the direction of the forest, he immediately raised the crystal gun in his hand, aimed at the dark forest, and pulled the trigger.

Almost simultaneously, the deafening roar of crystal guns echoed along the riverbanks. Although many soldiers retaliated, they had no time to check the enemy's numbers or their own results, because the enemy's firing rate was terrifyingly high. Before the previous wave of bullets had even ended, subsequent bullets were already rushing towards the defensive line.

No one could hear the enemy firing—they were obviously using some kind of magic—but everyone could hear the dense barrage of bullets hitting the cover, like hail falling from the sky, giving a terrifying feeling that there was nowhere to hide.

Something hit the rocks behind the bunker, bounced back, and landed next to the young soldier.

The soldier, who had retreated back into cover, looked down and discovered that it was a deformed metal bullet. He quickly nudged his comrade next to him and said, "Look, it's made of metal!"

No one answered him.

The young man turned his head, only to see two lifeless eyes and blood flowing continuously from between them.

Similar scenarios are unfolding along the defensive line of Black Forest Town, with attackers from the forest launching surprise attacks when the defenders are most relaxed.

As the pages of the magic book dissipated, several orbs of magical light of varying sizes formed above the defensive line along the riverbank. They slowly drifted down, illuminating all the Black Forest Infantry soldiers who had not yet taken cover or hidden. These soldiers immediately paid a heavy price for their slow reaction.

In the illumination magic, they became the most helpless targets.

Faced with the attack of an unknown enemy, the mages of the Law Committee refused to back down. They used magic to shoot down the enemy's light orbs while activating protective rituals on the defensive line and simultaneously splashing similar light magic toward the opposite bank of the river.

The entire river was then illuminated by the light.

People saw many figures approaching from the edge of the Black Forest on the opposite bank of the river.

Those were the sharp claws of a giant eagle on the plateau reaching out towards the Goddess Plain.

(End of this chapter)