The black sun hangs high

Chapter 261 Dawn
Thunder is rare in Vain during the winter.

But tonight in Tsui Tsing Harbour, the moment the meeting ended, loud applause erupted in the ship repair workshop.

Although the applause was ultimately silenced by magic to ensure the safety of the meeting, for the entire Vaan, this meeting was like a rare thunderclap in the cold winter. Although it was not enough to shake the whole world at the moment, all the attendees, as well as the members who officially joined the "Dawn Society", were full of confidence and determination for what they were going to do next.

Following this important meeting, these people from all over Vaan, of different races and identities, will return to their respective regions and territories to begin their work according to the predetermined plan and arrangements. Expanding the ranks and building the society are only part of the process. At present, the most urgent task is to monitor and confront the Black Sun Society and the forces behind it.

Darthwell, an important comrade of Mayer and a core member of the Dawn Society, didn't even have time to say a few words to Mayer. The disheveled man with a unique temperament rushed to the next location immediately after the meeting, like a machine that never felt tired.

Sally looked at her equally radiant teacher and asked softly, "Where is Mr. Darswell going?"

"The military camp, the military camp outside Cuiqing Port."

"what?"

"Don't be too surprised, it's not the army of the Kingdom of Walter, or to be more precise, it's an 'unofficial army'."

Sally considerately took the documents from her teacher and then handed her a glass of warm water that she had prepared beforehand. After Mayer took a couple of sips and calmed down a bit, she asked, "An unofficial legion? Could it be a mercenary group of highland ogres or mountain elves? Are they also willing to join the Dawn Order?"

"Ha, of course not."

Meyer smiled and shook his head: "Although we are indeed trying to win the support of other races such as goblins and elves, this work is not easy. They are smart and not so easily persuaded with a few words. We have to present some evidence and strength before we can really talk to them."

Mayer put down his water glass, nodded to some familiar faces who were leaving, and after they were gone, he continued to explain to his students: "The one Darthville is going to visit is a legion that is not very important to the Waters, or rather, a foreign miners legion."

Meyer took out his pocket watch and glanced at it. Then he stood up and said, "Let's talk as we walk. There's one more place we need to go..."

"It's getting late, aren't you going to rest?"

"Time is of the essence, so let's work hard for a few days first!"

Meyer put on his coat and then walked out of the venue with Sally. As Meyer stepped out of the workshop, several armed guards immediately followed. They were members of the Dawn Order left behind by Darth Vader to protect Meyer, including the elven mage from before. However, the elf had changed his clothes and covered his pointed ears with a hood. Seeing Sally observing him curiously, he nodded in a friendly manner.

The group walked along the road next to the repair workshop, and Mayer continued the previous topic: "My homeland, Saint Steel, has some of the best mineral resources in Vaan, and it also has some of the best miners in Vaan... In the past few hundred years, these workers, like the minerals, have been a valuable resource and property of Saint Steel, and Saint Steel has indeed used them to gain many benefits."

The night was cold, and every word Mayer spoke created a faint white mist in the night sky: "The mining of crystal mines in the Kingdom of Water has never been particularly smooth, especially in terms of miners. Therefore, more than a hundred years ago, the Saint Steel royal family signed a treaty with a neighboring country called 'Crystal Mine Trade and Miner Leasing.' In essence, Saint Steel leased a considerable number of miners from the neighboring country and charged a high fee for it."

"If they are miners... why would they become a legion?"

Mayer sighed: "Initially, the treaty was indeed strictly observed, and the miners sent to other countries received fairly good wages from the Saint Steel royal family. But gradually, the Saint Steel royal family began to adjust the composition of these miners—they intentionally forcibly transferred and sent away those miners who opposed the royal family's rule or were opposed to the Saint Steel government, and when the dispatch period ended, Saint Steel refused to let these people return."

"Isn't this just exile?"

"It's worse than exile because these people are actually sent out as miners. According to the agreement, their wages should be provided by Saint-St., and the country that receives them should guarantee their normal life. Once it's time for them to return home, this supply relationship will stop."

Mayer explained, “The miners who were sent to the Kingdom of Water are in a relatively better situation. As you know, soldiers have a fairly good status here. Therefore, those miners who could not return to their homeland simply established such a legion with the help of the Water military and some nobles. This has become a tradition, so that miners sent here in the future who cannot return home will have a place to go.”

"So, does this mean we're basically poaching people directly from the Votel military?"

"It hasn't come to that point yet."

Meyer shook his head with a wry smile: "You know very well how proud the Water people are. The concept of nationhood is deeply rooted in their hearts. Even though this so-called 'Miner's Corps' has a considerable number of people and combat power, they disdain to use it on the front lines. Instead, they treat it as something like mercenaries... We have been communicating with them for several years. When things get difficult, Markm, Darthwell, and others will try their best to provide them with some support. We have already reached an agreement. Now it depends on the communication."

Sally's eyes widened: "So, the Dawn Society can have an army?"

"Yes, and there are quite a lot of them."

Mayer slowed his pace. By now, the group had arrived at a huge shipyard. This shipyard was connected to the previous ship repair workshop, and a waterway for transporting large parts had even been built in between. Now, Sally could gradually smell the unique odor of heavy military equipment.

That was the pungent smell left over from the large-scale consumption of steel, alchemical potions, and magical crystals.

Of course, because this is a harbor, it also has the distinctive salty smell of seawater.

In Sally's memory, the soldiers of the Fifth Regiment, including Hugh, were particularly fond of this scent. She didn't quite understand why, but this time, she actually felt a sense of anticipation as well.

After verifying her identity, the soldiers guarding the dock made way. Sally noticed that these soldiers seemed to be from Saint Steel. Although they were wearing the standard military uniforms of the Kingdom of Water, their coat badges featured a somewhat unique pickaxe pattern. Clearly, they were members of the "Miner's Legion" that Mayer had mentioned.

Upon entering the dock, Sally's gaze was immediately drawn to the enormous structure before her.

She suddenly realized that everything her teacher had said on the steam train was actually true.

She saw a warship.

Or, to put it another way, an armored cruiser that is a slightly older model but is very well maintained.

Mayer admired the enormous vessel before him, then exclaimed, "She's so beautiful!" The elven mage who had been accompanying him explained, "She retired from the Kingdom of Hein a few years ago. At that time, the Kingdom of Hein's navy tried almost every possible method to equip themselves with new ships, which is why they gave us this opportunity."

"You mean the 'warship auction'?"

"Yes, it sounds absurd, but it has indeed solved a lot of problems for the Hein people. At least their fleet is now invincible, and they don't have to spend too much effort maintaining these old ships... It's just that it doesn't sound good in the international community."

The elven mage shrugged: "But this one ship has emptied the savings of quite a few people. Fortunately, it seems she was absolutely worth the price."

Sally asked curiously, "What...what's the name of her cruiser?"

Then the elven mage gave a meaningful smile: "Coincidentally, her former name was 'Goddess of Dawn,' and Mr. Darthwell thought it was a wonderful name and there was no need to change it."

"'Goddess of Dawn,' I like this name, let's call her that from now on!"

……

The darkness receded once again.

Hugh opened his eyes slightly and saw that the faint morning light was already drifting in on the horizon. Before long, the warm sun would rise.

He gazed longingly at the light on the horizon, wishing he could etch it into his memory forever.

The still-vibrating magical lines in the sky constantly reminded Hugh that before long, that warm sunlight would become a precious memory that everyone longed for but could not obtain.

After a whole night of running around, the magical rat swarm controlled by the will of the Ernst family suffered serious casualties. Although these casualties did not endanger the consciousness and souls themselves, they were enough to prove how ferocious the Dark Abyss offspring in this area were during the night just now.

"Their hunting instincts were too strong, and their numbers were too concentrated. They were even found in the cracks in the walls and pipes... I almost didn't make it back."

One of the Ernst family souls inside the metal disc sighed weakly: "But at least it means they haven't really left this area."

"vomit."

Countess Alexandra and the family spirits of another woman were retching uncontrollably; they were also in poor condition.

"Ah... by the goddess Mel, this is my first time crawling into a sewer pipe, it's so... so dirty."

“Oh Alexandra, you’ve already done that.”

General Bernhardt didn't mince words with the Countess, quipping, "It's just been so long that you've forgotten. I remember you vomited for a long time after that last time you came back."

"That's enough."

It was clear that these old guys were trying to appear relaxed and humorous, with some of them even trying to tell Hugh a couple of dirty jokes. Obviously, in the eyes of these "elders," Hugh's mental state was in a really bad state.

Hugh smiled and said to them, "Thank you all for your hard work. Please get some rest... There's still some power essence left, so feel free to distribute it among yourselves."

After transferring a large amount of Dark Abyss power essence into the cave where the family's wills resided, Hugh slowly got up and put on his coat.

Once outside the sheltered area, the cold wind instantly dispelled all of Hugh's drowsiness. He reached the edge of the building and carefully peered down, only to find that the thick, black shadows were still writhing in many places.

Compared to the previous night, the distribution of these Dark Abyss offspring has become more concentrated—they have abandoned the empty streets and moved into the interiors of all the surrounding buildings. This is clearly not a choice made on instinct, but rather a judgment based on subjective will.

"They have focused their search on these buildings and are consciously moving towards the upper floors... In this situation, the methods that the city's survivors used to deal with the Dark Abyss Spawns are probably no longer effective. Their current behavior is more threatening than the so-called 'death tide' of the past."

Hugh sensed the murky magic in the vicinity caused by the activity of the Dark Abyss Spawns, then turned around and snapped his fingers towards the area behind him.

As he did this, a cluster of roots of destiny that had been hiding its form immediately appeared. At the same time, the illusion that had been covering the top of the building began to slowly dissipate. Then, the leader of the cluster of roots immediately began to report his discovery to Hugh.

“Master, these defective products… they can indeed be deceived. Just last night, they searched the place where you were several times, but they still couldn’t find your trace. As you instructed, we conducted several… experiments on them.”

At this point, the Root of Fate paused slightly: "I'm sorry, Master, this word is very interesting, and the members of the clan all like it."

They then went on to say, "In these defective products, we found that although they are indeed trying to improve themselves, in the process they have abandoned many of their original instincts."

"Tell me more specifically."

"As per your previous orders, the race deliberately left some oversights in the illusion they created. These oversights are very obvious and can be easily detected by their senses."

Hughes raised an eyebrow: "Yet they ultimately overlooked..."

"Yes, it seems that these defective products now prefer to use sight, hearing and smell... We believe that they should see this preference as a sign of their growth."

(End of this chapter)