The black sun hangs high

Chapter 252 Countdown

After learning enough information from the mage in front of her, Vilin spent a lot of time reading through all the contents that the other party had sent, including the "Torchbearer's Report".

Even though she had already read the original manuscript of the article, she was still moved when she saw the words in the newspaper.

Suddenly, the mage's voice came from the other side: "I envy you, Ms. Verin."

"what?"

Vera looked up in surprise, only to see a hint of emotion flash in the other's eyes: "You haven't been able to contact the outside world for a while, so you probably can't imagine that, apart from the magic and weapons we are familiar with, there are other things in the world that can unleash such amazing power."

"You mean the Torch Relay?"

Vera realized what was happening, and seeing the other person nod, she quickly asked, "Did it cause a... big reaction?"

She truly knew nothing of these matters. Ever since being taken away from the Fifth Hunter Regiment by the council mages, Vilin had never had any contact with the outside world. She had even applied to the soldiers who imprisoned her for permission to read regular newspapers, but these applications were ultimately ignored.

"It's big, very big."

The council monks answered very honestly: "Madam, you may not know, but Professor Mayer and his friends have been preparing for this day for a very long time, especially the monk George Markm, who has invested almost all his savings and income into these things, which is why he has always lived such a poor life."

Vera blinked in surprise: "Could you explain in more detail?"

The forty-year-old mage nodded, coughed lightly, and then said, "The founders of this newspaper are more professional and better at doing these things than any other newspaper I've ever seen. They're like the huge magical machines in an alchemy workshop. When they pull the lever of this machine, all the chains and magic start to work... In just two days, the news spread throughout the towns and villages."

"How did they do it?"

“The mage George Markm is very influential in the big cities, and almost every newspaper is eager to get submissions from this scholar and writer.”

Vera frowned: "But as far as I know, the kingdom should have very strict control over these newspapers during wartime, right?"

"But that article exploited a loophole."

The monk helplessly spread his hands: "It did not attack our kingdom, nor did it belittle our army, officials, or people, nor did it even directly oppose the ongoing war, but it has directly presented a more serious problem to everyone... In addition to the printed Fireworks newspaper, they have made other preparations. Here, madam, you can open that newspaper and take a look."

Curious, Vera unfolded the folded Fireworks newspaper and found some scraps of paper, scraps of paper, and notes tucked inside. Most of these contained excerpts related to Mayer's article, including important paragraphs, thought-provoking sentences, and highly summarized outlines. Some were pre-printed, while others were handwritten.

"In addition, they mobilized a lot of people, including some young people, some students and teachers from colleges, and even literate miners. With the help of these people, even the longest articles can be spread to the people."

Vera couldn't help but blink: "That's...surprising."

"That's not all, madam. In addition, they have also directly targeted the royal family of Saint Steel, which has a great impact on the ongoing war... Even ordinary peasant women in remote villages would never agree to their country allying with a nation that may be controlled by a strange society and sect, not to mention that their sons or husbands may very well be on the battlefield!"

Hearing this, Weilin nodded: "When I first saw that article, I was simply amazed by the words, the truth they revealed, and their courage in the face of potential risks. But now it seems I underestimated what they were trying to do."

"Of course it's not simple, ma'am."

The mage smiled and said, "The council has almost finished investigating what Professor Mayer and Mage Markm are doing. The reason they are doing these things can be traced back to many years ago. Exposing the existence of the Black Sun Society is only one aspect. As people of Saint Steel, they may want to free their homeland from the control of the society."

His words were clearly spoken from the perspective of a citizen of Walter, which Verin did not entirely agree with. From Mayer's consistent behavior and the article he wrote, Verin could sense a grander goal than "saving Saint Steel," but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Perhaps he can explain it clearly?"

The thought flashed through Weilin's mind, so she put down the materials in her hand, adjusted her glasses, and asked, "By the way, I want to ask about someone."

"Ok?"

"Huge Ernst, have you heard of that name?"

The mage hesitated slightly, but he nodded nonetheless: "Mr. Ernst is now a key target of the council's attention; he's on an important list within the council."

Vera frowned: "A wanted poster?"

"Of course not, of course not..."

The mage quickly denied it: "To be precise, it was a protection list for important people. Many of Walter's important ministers, nobles, scholars and artisans were on it, and of course, our royal family was included as well."

Having worked within the Legal Committee and the Review Council, Vera immediately grasped the true nature of the so-called list, and tentatively asked, "Is it a surveillance list?"

"cough!"

The monk coughed in response.

He then continued, "I'm not very familiar with Mr. Ernst, but his name is appearing frequently at the meetings of the Seren City Emergency Committee. Although the committee doesn't have concrete evidence yet, we're pretty sure that Mr. Ernst is in Seren City right now. Ms. Verin, you should know about this, right?"

Weilin just frowned and didn't say anything.

The mage opposite her didn't seem to care much about Verine's answer. He continued, "The news about Mr. Ernst was given to you with the permission of Butler Finn. He believes that as Mr. Ernst's magic teacher and friend, you, Ms. Verine, would greatly need information about him. Only by telling you these things can you feel at ease helping us with our upcoming mission." His tone and expression subtly changed when he used the words "magic teacher" and "friend," as if he wanted to extract additional information by teasing Verine. However, Verine remained remarkably calm in the face of this probing. She pondered for two seconds, then asked, "He... is he safe?"

The mage nodded and said, "At present, it should be so. The committee suspects that Mr. Ernst may have become the de facto ruler of Seren, and the ordinary residents, soldiers and even mages left in the city are all under his command."

Wei Lin's expression began to betray her barely concealed emotions.

This didn't sound like something Hugh would do, but upon closer inspection, it seemed very much in line with his style. So Vera questioned, "Since you don't have any concrete evidence, how can you draw such a conclusion?"

"Although the members of the Legal Committee are willing to follow his orders, they are equally loyal to the goddess Mel."

At this point, the council mage seemed unwilling to continue the topic. He took a small notebook from the pocket of his robe and handed it to Vera: "It will be a long time before we reach our destination. In the meantime, you can take a look at these things..."

Weilin reached out and took the notebook, while looking at the other person with a questioning gaze.

The monk said, “This is what you will have to face next: some… meaningless lines. At least in my eyes, they have no pattern or meaning whatsoever.”

Upon hearing this, Weilin reached out and opened the notebook. In the light of the car, she saw many distorted marks directly copied into the notebook with ink. Just as the sorcerer had said, these marks looked extremely messy and distorted, as if they had been randomly drawn by a drunkard with ink-stained hands.

However, after flipping through a few pages, Vera's mood had changed.

She couldn't help but ask, "Where did these lines come from?"

The monk's expression shifted slightly: "They were the second batch of volunteers who entered the rift, and they were the ones who 'brought' them back."

"Bring it back? You mean copy it?"

"No, it's not copying... it's scars."

As if recalling some horrific scene, the Valley-level mage trembled slightly as he uttered these words: "The mages and soldiers who successfully returned to camp were all covered in these wounds."

Vera's mouth opened slightly, and her gaze returned to the notebook in her hands.

Although she couldn't directly discern the true meaning of these strange marks, as one of the few magic scholars who had conducted in-depth research on the manuscript of "The Poem of the Night," she was certain that the style and strokes of these marks were extremely similar to the peculiar handwriting used by the mad poet Aziv in "The Poem of the Night."

……

After daybreak, Hugh visited Iris Street once again.

This time, as the escort and convoy of some important supplies, he received an unprecedented welcome.

For a moment, as Hugh looked at the survivors who were leaving his hideout and smiling on both sides of the road, he thought he had accidentally traveled through time and returned to the past city of Seren.

In the crowd, Hughes spotted a few familiar faces: Rudolf, a member of the Seren Mutual Aid Society, and the lively girls.

The girls have found new jobs. They no longer dress up as "nightingales" as before, but wear worn but still neat clothes. It seems that they are now in charge of inventorying and organizing supplies.

Hughes didn't need to worry much about the handover and inspection of the weapons; General Butts had arranged these matters very well, so Hughes was quickly extricated from the affairs.

At a moment when no one was watching, Hugh used the deductive ability granted by the Root of Fate on this relatively densely populated area. Despite consuming a large amount of magic power, Hugh successfully glimpsed the fate of a considerable number of the survivors of Iris Street. Their situation was similar to that of the ordinary people in the Legal Committee's headquarters. Apart from a few who died, the vast majority of survivors were ultimately able to survive the catastrophe in Seren City.

This discovery cheered Hughes up considerably.

He withdrew his power and then looked up at the sky—where the sun, which he knew so well, still hung. The weather had been excellent these past few days. In Iris Street, the crowds gathered and the warm sunlight streaming down from the sky dispelled the gloom that had been hanging over people's hearts. They now saw hope.

Under the "protection" of several soldiers, Hughes walked through the crowd of onlookers, laughing as he shook off several enthusiastic girls who wanted to kiss him, before heading towards the former Delan Embassy.

Inside the embassy, ​​Hughes saw Felix, whom he hadn't seen for some time.

After joining Iris Street, Felix changed a lot. He tidied his messy hair and became more energetic. Now, he is in charge of the deployment, command and allocation of personnel within Iris Street. As the former head of the Mutual Aid Association, Felix handles these matters in an orderly manner. His ability in this regard has even been recognized by General Boots.

Felix was delighted by Hugh's arrival. The two shook hands warmly, and then Felix invited Hugh to sit down at the makeshift desk. On his desk were simply two hard pieces of black bread, which seemed to be his only ration for the day.

"The number of people on Iris Street is still increasing, but the rate has slowed down considerably... In a few more days, we will be able to count the final number."

Felix pointed to a table on the table and sighed with regret: "It's still much fewer than I initially estimated. Many people in this city couldn't hold on, or they simply didn't believe us and thought we were going to take away the supplies they depended on for survival."

"There's nothing we can do about it, so let's just do our best."

Felix nodded, paused for two seconds, and then asked very directly, "You didn't come here to visit me, did you? Tell me the truth, how much time do we have left? I want to make arrangements for as many people as possible."

So Hughes raised his hand and made a gesture towards Felix.

(End of this chapter)