The black sun hangs high

Chapter 228 Moving forward
Since the mages of the highland kingdoms broke away from the Dharma Council and re-established a Dharma Council to oppose Merlinle, the connection between the mages of the Northern Snowfield and the highland mages has become extremely delicate.

Although both are composed of monks, their positions and interests have diverged significantly.

The Highland Mage Council is essentially a mage organization that is allied with the Highland Kingdoms. They not only represent the position of the Highland mages, but also share risks and benefits with the Highland Kingdoms.

Merlinle, on the other hand, is more like a huge reef standing in the midst of this raging tide of the times. Although it is constantly being battered by the waves, it still stands firm thanks to its size and stable position.

After the outbreak of war, the relationship between the Council and the Law Committee plummeted to a freezing point. The two almost completely severed all necessary communication and contact. In order to ensure that Merlinle would not interfere with or infiltrate their magical communications, the Highland Mage Council even made large-scale adjustments and modifications to all the Eye of Mel arcane instruments set up in the highland towns.

This makes communication between the two sides even more difficult.

Therefore, when the old monk Vika heard from the female monk about the visit of the council ambassador, he was also surprised. This was quite different from the highland monks he remembered. He knew that the character of these people on the plateau was like a big rock in a swamp, smelly and hard. Even if the council took the initiative to soften its stance and make overtures, they never paid any attention to it.

The fact that they are now able to take the initiative to visit is already a huge breakthrough.

What brings them here?

"It's because of that newspaper, of course, Mr. Vickers."

Seeing that Old Vika's attitude had changed, the female mage finally smiled again: "'The Torch Report' and that article from 'The Ghost of Seren' spread faster in the highland countries than in the plains... Neither the Kingdom of Water nor the Kingdom of Hein were able to stop their spread, but the Kingdom of Saint Steel took some drastic measures."

“Saint Steel, heh.”

Vika shook his head, then put away his pipe, his face becoming solemn: "I need recent battle reports on the Saint Steel army, as well as their frontline movements... Let our men prepare, it might come in handy."

"Rest assured, Mr. Vika, we are ready... I believe the council's ambassadors are also very interested in this, as they are not so trusting of their ally these days."

Hearing this, Vika's forehead wrinkles smoothed out: "Okay, then let's go to the general affairs office now. Oh, and get me two more copies of the 'Torchbearer Report,' I'll need them later."

……

If the upheaval in Seren was the trigger for this massive war...

This hastily printed newspaper, which began to circulate widely thanks to George Markm's arrangements and accumulated connections, became another important milestone in this period.

An article by the sorcerer George Markham, published on another page of the Firelight newspaper, reveals the truth behind the assassination of the St. Steel royal family and the important role played by the Black Sun Society in the case, using extremely direct language.

This article had a profound impact on the people of Saint Steel. They could not imagine that a society or sect that worshipped a strange deity could become the actual ruler of their country. Based on this understanding, people immediately linked the many abnormal phenomena over the years, as well as the bizarre decisions that directly harmed the country and its people, to the Black Sun Society.

The government of the Kingdom of Saint Steel had no choice but to sever all communication channels between the civilians and the front-line army. A considerable number of police stations began to be directly intervened and managed by the royal family. Prisons across the country were already overcrowded, and anyone who attempted to harbor or spread the Fire of the Gods would be subject to the most severe arrest warrants and judgments.

As for the previous arrest warrants for Frey Meyer and George Markham, they have also been reinstated...

However, under such circumstances, the harsh measures taken within the Kingdom of Saint Steel only further reinforced the veracity of those claims.

Even the allied kingdoms of Hein and Walter have become more vigilant as a result.

Within the military system of Wotel, Princess Sophia, who had begun to consolidate her power, initiated an emergency mobilization order against the northern ally, the Kingdom of Saint Steel, with the tacit approval of her teacher, "Three-Clawed Falcon." The Ymir Legion, directly under the royal family, and several other legions began to secretly move north of Wotel, while some new military equipment and steam train resources that were originally supposed to be delivered to Saint Steel were temporarily shelved for various reasons.

Meanwhile, almost everyone involved in the creation of the Torchbearer's content began to receive attention from various parties. Mage George Markm and painter Gerasimov had applied for special protection from the Highland Mage Council, while Professor Frey Mayer, who was originally in the Fifth Juggernaut Regiment, left the Fifth Juggernaut Regiment's base with the help of Major Alfred and Weillyn Ernst and began to secretly travel to Brownhill.

Just a few hours after Mayer left the Fifth Regiment, Virin, who had used her authority to help Mayer deliver messages, was greeted by more than a dozen soldiers from the Ymir Legion carrying a royal decree, as well as council mages who were ordered to accompany her.

Faced with this expected arrest warrant, Vera remained remarkably calm.

She had already packed the books and magical documents she would need, and after being inspected by the soldiers of the Ymir Legion, she boarded the vehicle that would take her somewhere unknown.

Veraine wasn't too afraid of what might happen next. She was as calm as if she were just going to an academic conference. When she was put in the Demon-Suppressing Silver Shackles, she even held a few slips of paper and calculated some kind of magic formula.

The people inside Seren were naturally unaware of these events unfolding.

But in the past few days, these survivors, who had become numb, clearly felt the changes in the power structure within Seren City, as if an invisible hand was constantly trying to knead the clay scattered throughout the city.

The strange individual who was the only one to return to the city after the upheaval in Seren City seemed to bring a breath of fresh air to this lifeless, disaster-stricken city.

With the adjustments made to the actions and decisions of organizations and groups such as Iris Street, the Legal Committee's headquarters, and the Tricolor Brotherhood, the survivors in Seren finally glimpsed a faint ray of light amidst their despair, like a sliver of sunlight breaking through endless, dense clouds. Under Hugh's impetus, General Boots, the ruler of Iris Street, finally met with the Hermit Gent, the temporary administrator of the Legal Committee's branch. Although both sides maintained a considerable degree of caution, they ultimately reached a consensus on the major objectives.

Subsequently, some of the Iris Street soldiers entered the Legal Committee's headquarters. Just as Hugh had arranged, these soldiers became the visible sentries of the Legal Committee's headquarters, and even the walls of the headquarters were adorned with Iris Street's logo and flags.

As the only remaining alchemy talent in the city of Seren, Gerard, who has ogre blood, finally received the treatment he deserved. He was freed from his daily work of watching the warehouse and maintaining weapons in Iris Street and was able to enter the laboratory at the Law Council's residence, joining the research team led by the mage Justina.

Their task was arduous; in the extremely limited time that followed, they needed to verify the hypothesis proposed by the mage Justina and further confirm the magical nature of the Dark Abyss offspring.

Felix, along with the children and other scattered survivors, finally gained acceptance in Iris Street. At Hugh's recommendation, Felix, who had previously been the head of the Seren Aid Association, took on the management and screening of the survivors in Iris Street.

Initially, Felix didn't understand why Hughes emphasized the so-called "screening" when accepting those refugees. However, after successfully using certain rhetoric related to the "Black Sun Society" to probe a few suspicious people, he finally understood the purpose behind it.

Everyone is busy.

Hughes was extremely busy.

While Iris Street and the Legal Committee branch were trying to gather the scattered survivors, Hugh was doing similar work, except that he was using the identity of the leader of the Brotherhood of Three Colors. His target was not those scattered and pitiful ordinary survivors, but the bandit dens that had gathered in groups in Seren City and occupied a considerable amount of supplies and hiding places.

Although the city of Seren is not large, it is large enough to breed a considerable number of maggots.

"Leader, the people of Iris Street have clashed with our people. They seem to have quite a few mages... As per your previous orders, we have abandoned that street. Everyone has been evacuated, and we have abandoned any supplies and alchemical equipment that we couldn't take with us."

A member of the Black Sun Society was giving a serious report to "Shug" in the meeting room of the Brotherhood of Three Colors headquarters.

In the eyes of these Black Sun Society members, the young leader seemed to have become much colder since he completed the "cleanup" of the Legal Committee's headquarters. Now, a dense black light and shadow would occasionally appear on his body, which made all the society members even more awe-inspiring.

Meanwhile, the mage "Berva," sitting directly opposite "Shug," was conducting some experiments with his hideously ugly face. According to him, this was a task given to him by the leader, and no one else was allowed to interfere.

"Shug" nodded, opened his mouth, and a faint black mist drifted out. He then said, "Just proceed according to plan. Abandoning control of the southern region of Seren City is an agreement I reached with Iris Street... We will focus on the north."

"Yes, we are doing that, but the sewers in the northern part of the city are more densely packed, and there are more 'Children of the Abyss' there, so the losses will be greater."

"It doesn't matter, they're just a bunch of fools, so what if they die?"

"Shug" sneered, his tone becoming strange and even colder: "Don't forget, gather together those who disagree with our decisions. If they don't accept our methods and are unwilling to obey our orders, then I will be the one to bring them to their appropriate end..."

The members of the society nodded repeatedly: "That's right, leader! This morning, our men arrested some people in a building in the north. They were said to have been members of the Seren Mutual Aid Society. They were supposed to be dealt with on the spot, but you gave the order, so they were brought back and are being held in the basement. You can go see them anytime."

“Well done, get back to your work... Tell those fools to be careful not to kill our prisoners.”

Although it was just a very simple compliment, the Black Sun Society member who received the "leader's" approval was extremely excited. He bowed to Hugh and then respectfully left the meeting room.

After the door closed, "Shug," who was sitting in the soft chair, slumped down and let out a heavy breath, from which a thick cloud of magical mist immediately drifted out.

Seeing this, "Berva," sitting opposite him, shook his head. He silently picked up two clean glass jars, stuffed two clumps of incomplete offspring larvae, which had just been catalyzed by the Black Sun Society's incomplete drugs, into them, and arranged them in a row.

After that, "Berva" stood up, locked the conference room door, and then waved his hand gently.

As the magic fluctuated, "Shug Ernst," which had been maintained for most of the day, immediately turned into a cloud of mist and disappeared from the spot. Then, "Berva" stretched out his palm to his face. As soon as his palm touched it, the extremely ugly face immediately twisted violently and, in the blink of an eye, turned into a pitch-black mask.

The crystal clock on the wall is ticking away little by little.

Hugh picked up his glass, which contained a cold, unpalatable energy drink. It tasted terrible, but it was a luxury in Seren City these days, since many people couldn't even get their hands on hot water.

This is a rare moment of rest for him.

Maintaining the Mirror Messenger Stand for extended periods, and wearing the black mask that allows him to acquire the appearance, memories, and thoughts of others, would place an extremely heavy burden on Hugh's magic and mental well-being. If it were merely a matter of magic consumption, it wouldn't be so bad, but wearing the mask for a long time would cause Hugh to experience a sense of disorder.

If he could, he really didn't want to experience or pry into those memories from Balva.

This feeling made him feel extremely disgusted.

(End of this chapter)