The black sun hangs high

Chapter 169 Traces of Infiltration
The shelling lasted for a very long time.

Hugh didn't calculate the exact time; he only knew that when he emerged from the depths of the trench, the sun was already setting.

When Hughes looked down from the horizon, he saw the Black Forest Town, which had changed completely.

In this town, he could no longer see many intact buildings. The continuous bombardment all day had created thick magical mists that permeated the dilapidated town. At this point, there was no need for magical silence, because the flow of magic in this entire area had been completely disrupted. Even if magic were used, the traces it created would be obscured by the mist.

A misty haze slowly rose from between the broken buildings, forming strange totems, while the setting sun shone through these scenes, casting its meager warmth upon the shattered land.

Hugh didn't have much time to admire the spectacle of this massive magical barrage, because he had to hurry up and "dig the dirt."

As the shelling was about to end, a shell struck the trench, and the violent explosion destroyed part of the solidified ritual attached to the trench. The chain reaction caused a bunker located deep in the trench to collapse, burying as many as thirty or forty soldiers of the Jaeger Regiment inside.

The urgency of time brought many problems and hidden dangers to the construction of the trenches. For the soldiers of the Hunter Corps, it was the first time they had used this new type of position and fortification. Even the accompanying mages, who had studied the relevant content in advance, were unable to do it perfectly.

While the Delan artillerymen rested, they had to quickly make up for the mistakes and omissions they had made when building the trenches.

As one spell after another was cast, the soil was continuously transported out, and before long, the collapsed room was cleared out. Because it hadn't been too long, most of the soldiers survived, but a few unlucky ones were buried under the collapsed soil and probably suffocated to death.

This method of dying is enough to make anyone despair just thinking about it.

"Reinforce, keep reinforcing... Don't hold back your magic in these areas."

Master Klaus relayed the order: "We also need to construct a temporary field hospital and ammunition depot in the third trench. There can be no mistakes in these areas. If you don't want to be held accountable, make sure every ceremony is perfect!"

For the mages accompanying the Fifth Hunter Regiment, this was undoubtedly a sleepless night.

Fortunately, as spellcasters, their energy is much greater than that of ordinary soldiers. Thanks to the magic replenishment provided by high-quality magic crystals and the potions offered by alchemists, they can remain excited and clear-headed for a short period of time.

Hughes, of course, had no need for these things. With the vitality brought by the "Walking Forest," his physical strength and spirit were very abundant, so his work efficiency far surpassed that of ordinary military mages.

However, the members of the Fifth Regiment had all gotten used to his appearance, including the spies and veterans planted by the Ernst family.

They originally thought that Hugh, as a prominent young member of the Ernst family, was just here to gain experience and seniority. However, Hugh's performance along the way was outstanding, and his abilities in some aspects even made some soldiers feel inferior. This led many people to believe that after this operation, this young nobleman named Hugh Ernst was very likely to become one of the next batch of officers that the Kingdom of Wotel would focus on cultivating and promoting.

The sight of a large group of mages working with shovels and other tools was truly awe-inspiring.

Amidst the swirling magical light and shadow and the continuous clanging of metal and earth, Hugh lit a cigarette. Since there was no one else around, he simply unleashed the Touch of Calron, pushing his work efficiency to its limit.

Standing alone in the dim light, listening to the voices coming from other places, Hugh felt a special kind of tranquility.

He leaned against the trench wall, smoking as he watched his Mage Hand and Calron's Touch work.

The winter night sky was exceptionally clean and clear, and the starlight appeared unusually bright. Hugh looked up and gazed at the night sky. He had never been particularly interested in astronomy, so he couldn't discern any specific difference between Vaan's starry sky and the night sky in his past world. He felt that he was simply seeking a sense of familiarity and peace from that pristine scene.

Footsteps came from the other end of the trench, so Hugh immediately withdrew his Karljun Touch and looked in the direction of the sound, cigarette dangling from his lips.

Soon, the light from a lantern illuminated Vera's figure.

She walked over quietly and stood beside Hugh, her gaze lingering briefly on the cigarette between his fingers for two seconds.

But then she said, "There are temporary orders; we need to go to Black Forest Fortress tonight."

"Black Forest Fortress?"

Hugh asked, somewhat puzzled, "What are we going there for?"

"During the search of Black Forest Fortress, our people discovered some weapons reserves left behind by the Delan Legion, including about a dozen crystal cannons. Although they are all old models, they are exactly what we are lacking now."

Weilin said slowly, "Major Alfred believes that the Delan army will likely begin to advance after one or two rounds of artillery bombardment tomorrow. At that time, they will discover the exact location of our positions and launch a formal attack. If our positions can receive artillery support at that time, everything will be much easier."

As she spoke, she tilted her head and said, "We should set off now. We are currently facing a severe shortage of transportation, so we may even need to use horses. In short, time is of the essence, so let's go."

Upon hearing this, Hugh had no choice but to dispel his magic and hand over the tools to several hunter soldiers who had come to relieve him.

Soon, a group of soldiers quietly left the Fifth Regiment's position and headed towards Black Forest Fortress.

This journey was not entirely safe. Although the road between the Fifth Guard Regiment's position and Black Forest Fortress had been cleared several times before, under the current circumstances, no one could say for sure whether the Delan would send small groups to outflank them in this sensitive area. After all, everyone knew that the outcome of the Fifth Guard Regiment's operations in the Black Forest region would determine the subsequent operational plans of the Kingdom of Wotel in this area. Both sides were racing against time. The Fifth Guard Regiment needed to secure the transport routes for reinforcements and supplies, and maintain control of the roads along the Black Forest River, while the Delan army needed to find a way to regain control of the important roads and bridges before more Wotel troops arrived.

Given this context, it's hard to say whether the Tran people will take any unusual actions.

However, compared to staying in the trenches and facing the bombardment and charges of the Delans, the mission that Hugh had been given was much safer. In this team, Hugh even saw veterans who were specifically there to protect him. Clearly, this mission was a small "preferential treatment" provided by Major Alfred and Mage Klaus within reasonable limits.

Accompanying the group to Black Forest Fortress were some alchemists and soldiers wounded in today's shelling. These soldiers were unable to fight for the time being and would be placed in the relatively safe Black Forest Fortress for treatment, with the readiness to be transferred at any time.

Numerous details suggest that Alfred and other officers were not so optimistic about the battles the Fifth Jaeger Regiment was about to face. The Jaeger Regiment was not an expert in defense, and the weapons they brought were insufficient for them to support a complete defensive position. However, in the current strategic plan of the Kingdom of Walter, the Fifth Jaeger Regiment had to temporarily change its combat style and rely on defensive positions to meet an enemy several times its size.

Under the cover of night, Hugh, who was riding his horse forward, could see the silhouette of Black Forest Castle on the distant hills.

He squinted, carefully examining the enormous castle that exuded an aristocratic air and a magical aura.

It should have been perfectly fitting with the hills and forests, but when Hugh turned his head to look at the dilapidated town shrouded in magical mist in the distance, and the river that had witnessed the roar of heavy machine guns a few days earlier, he felt that the castle was...

It doesn't match.

It looks like a road sign erected at the crossroads of time, both striking and subtle.

The nearby plains should have been a vast expanse of farmland. The soil on the Goddess Plains is excellent and very suitable for agriculture. Even though these farmlands have been turned white by the snowfall, in places where the snow layer is not too thick, Hugh can still occasionally see the black fertile soil secretly extending from under the snow.

Seeing such soil, Hugh could somewhat understand the obsession in the hearts of the people of Saint Steel.

Although Saint Steel's territory is vast, most of it consists of the frozen soil of the northern snowfields. While such places are rich in magical crystal minerals, mining them is both time-consuming and laborious, and sometimes even fatal. Among the three great kingdoms of the highlands, only the Saint Steel royal family has participated in this war with the risk of national annihilation... In Hugh's mind, there was even a conjecture that if the Kingdom of Saint Steel were to fall into a true crisis, the first to attack it might not be the plains kingdoms and Merlinle.

Rather, it is its current allies on the plateau.

"If these farmlands were bombarded by crystallizing cannonballs, wouldn't the amount of magic stored in the soil go out of control?"

"um, yes."

Vera nodded: "If high-powered crystal shells are used, their magical explosions could even completely change the soil here."

"What a wonderful piece of land, it would be such a waste if it were like that."

Hughes murmured a sigh, but his words drew a surprised look from Vera.

She certainly agreed with Hugh's statement, but what she found strange was that, given Hugh's status, he shouldn't have made such a remark... Even if he was an illegitimate son of the Ernst family, he shouldn't have had any special feelings for agriculture in the past.

But considering that her friend and student already had enough quirks, Vera was too lazy to delve into and argue about them one by one.

After leaving the surveillance range of the Fifth Hunter Regiment's position, the accompanying mages, including Virin, deliberately summoned their magical creatures. Soon, these magical creatures ran or flew in different directions. Their purpose was to detect magical traces in the vicinity of the road.

Hugh summoned the Ernst family rats, who had been cooped up inside the metal disc for a long time. These magical rats, possessing human will and intelligence, quickly disappeared into the darkness. These souls, who had been trapped underground for a hundred years, greatly enjoyed this "breathing out" activity, and they were also happy to help their family and country gain more benefits and honor.

As for the running rats...

Although it kept clamoring in Hugh's mental world to come out and explore, Hugh didn't do so. After all, this guy's size was far beyond the specifications of ordinary magical creatures. Once it started running wild, the commotion would be too great. It was estimated that even ordinary steam vehicles would not be able to match it.

Soon, a great deal of information from a considerable area was relayed by the Ernst family's magical rat swarm. As the rats explored the area more thoroughly, Hugh's expression began to change. The rats discovered many unusual traces very close to the road, and in a snowdrift, they even found a discarded magical crystal.

Shug was very familiar with this stuff; it was the waste left after spellcasters had completely absorbed the magic from it. Moreover, the person who discarded it had done some kind of cover-up, which meant that the users of these crystals were deliberately concealing their tracks.

Hugh immediately grabbed Veraine and asked, "Do we have any mages operating alone in this area?"

Vera quickly shook her head: "We only set up reconnaissance posts on the outskirts of these areas. No army mage will act alone here; that would be against military regulations... Is something amiss?"

Hugh immediately informed Vera of his discovery, and at the same time, he ordered the rats to bring back the abandoned magic crystal.

Weilin held the crystal in her hand, and after quickly observing and sensing it, her expression immediately became serious.

"The magic concentration is very high. It is a high-quality crystal produced in the Northern Snowfield. Even if it is abandoned, there is still a lot of magic residue inside. This is an extremely luxurious way of using it... I am sure that this is not something that we mages would do."

(End of this chapter)