The black sun hangs high

Chapter 274 The Great Rout

Would a group of people really risk their lives to go to a dangerous place that everyone fears in the face of an unknown and terrifying disaster, and extend a helping hand to a group of complete strangers?

Few people would believe such a thing; it sounds far too psychedelic and absurd.

However, now, faced with the dark clouds hanging over the entire Varian region and the terrifying changes taking place around the world, people find it easier to accept such things.

In front of a huge curtain with sufficiently deep colors, even the faintest flame would appear dazzling.

Faced with such a force, the Grand Duke of the Duchy of Burt made an unprecedented choice.

After careful consideration, this close relative of the Delan royal family conveyed his stance to the Aurora ship, which was en route, through a secret ceremony.

He stated that the Principality of Burt was very willing to support such a courageous and benevolent act. In addition to providing a portion of its navy for escort, the Principality of Burt was also willing to open a coastal commercial port as a temporary docking point for the Dawn Society fleet. Furthermore, they would also try to mobilize some vehicles and volunteers within the principality to help and rescue the survivors in the direction of Seren City.

In the past, such a decision by the Duchy of Bourt would have certainly drawn the ire of the Kingdom of Deland.

After all, allowing a fleet that did not belong to the Plains Kingdoms to dock at a port was an extremely risky act, and could even be characterized as an offense against the interests and status of the Plains Kingdoms. But this time, those politicians who liked to gossip about these matters all remained silent.

Especially those who are familiar with the decisions of the emergency committee, or even those who are personally involved in them.

Faced with Grand Duke Bourth's decision, many people expressed their doubts and dissatisfaction, but that was all—they certainly wouldn't participate in this so-called rescue operation. Faced with the impending crisis, they had much more to do, including but not limited to stockpiling food and weapons, withdrawing their savings from the national bank and converting them into more necessities, or trying to find ways to migrate to safer places further away from the rugged hills…

Of course, some are indifferent, some are escaping, and naturally, some will respond positively.

The Duchy of Bult is not far from the city of Seren. In fact, many residents of the duchy have distant relatives and friends trapped in Seren. These residents responded extremely quickly to the appeals issued by the Dawn Society and the Duke of Bult. Before the Dawn Goddess even arrived at the port, a large number of idle vehicles had already begun to gather in the border areas of Bult.

The sea breeze is refreshing.

After reading the documents he had on the internal situation of the Duchy of Bult, Frey Meyer's tense face relaxed considerably. He checked the time, looked at the sea in front of him, and then reached out and touched the top of his head.

Perhaps due to being too busy and overworking his brain during this period, he felt that his hair was falling out quite a bit.

"Professor, please stop touching your head. You'll lose all your hair if you keep doing that."

Sally staggered in from outside the cabin carrying two books and a pile of documents. As she spoke, she put down what she was carrying and, seeing that Mayer's cup was already empty, skillfully poured her mentor a cup of tea.

"Ha, Darthwell once said that I should bald so that I would be more persuasive when I give speeches."

"But you're only in your thirties!"

Sally retorted, "My uncle has more hair than you!"

Hearing this, Meyer couldn't help but smile. He turned his head away, no longer continuing the topic of hair, and instead asked, "How are you doing with the two books I assigned to you?"

"I've read half of the first book. As you suggested, I took notes after reading... There are some parts I don't quite understand, so I wrote them down and put them in the book. I'll ask you about them when you have time."

Meyer glanced at the two books Sally had put down and, seeing that one of them was indeed much thicker, nodded in satisfaction: "It's alright, Sally. You can pick any two questions, and I might be able to answer them right now."

Hearing her mentor say this, and seeing that he was indeed not busy, Sally thought for two seconds and then asked a question: "In the book 'Mine, Workers and the Origin of Crystallization Profits,' there is a chapter that records a series of protests and strikes launched by miners in various parts of Vaan. While reading this chapter, I noticed some notes you had left in the past."

"Yes, I did take some notes at the time. Which of them are you confused about?"

“I noticed that you made annotations next to the two major events, the St. Steel strike sixty years ago and the Hein strike fifty-eight years ago, believing that the conclusions drawn in the book about these two events were too hasty and even somewhat vulgar... At the same time, you also believed that the miners’ organizations that brought about these two events did a very bad job.”

As Sally recalled the events, she said, "So, what are your thoughts on these two incidents?"

After listening to his student's question, Frey Meyer nodded slightly. He picked up his teacup, took two sips, and then replied, "The entire Vaan is inseparable from the mining and refining of crystal ore, and the production of magic crystals is forever inseparable from miners... In this respect, they are irreplaceable. Of course, miners have made all sorts of attempts over the past thousands of years, the main ones being strikes and demonstrations."

"The St. Steel strike sixty years ago and the Hein strike fifty-eight years ago were actually very similar in nature and ultimately had similar results."

Sally nodded quickly: "Yes, they all failed, and... the miners were also suppressed by the army and guards."

So Meyer put down his teacup and gently patted the metal wall of the cabin: “The miners’ actions are spontaneous and simple. They protest and strike to gain meager benefits, hoping that their country and government will grant or relinquish a portion of their profits. This behavior has been repeated countless times… Of course, they have succeeded, but every time they achieve their goal, this temporary alliance dissolves, and as time goes by, everything they have gained is gradually taken away, thus starting a new cycle.”

“Sally, you might think it’s a bit odd that I’m having you read this kind of book at this time, but it’s actually in line with what the Dawn Society is trying to do.” With that, Mayer led Sally out of the cabin. The two quickly arrived at the corridor, and through the porthole, Mayer pointed to an old armored ship sailing alongside the Dawn Goddess. It had also undergone some renovations. Although there was some distance between them, Sally could still vaguely see the new crystal cannons installed on the armored ship.

"The failure of those two protests was actually because the methods of resistance chosen by the miners were completely outdated... The group they were fighting against had already made corresponding changes and preparations. Faced with an increasingly large population and increasingly intense conflicts, they gathered their strength, organized themselves, and formed more extreme and cruel means of defense, which the workers had never expected. Therefore, they failed and bled for it."

Mayer said slowly, “The enemies we are facing now are no longer just a country or government that exerts oppression and tries to enslave the lower classes. They are more extreme and more terrifying. We can hardly even fathom the threats and damage they may cause.”

Hearing this, Sally seemed to realize something and quickly asked, "So, in your previous articles, you mentioned that the steam technology initiated by the countries of the Lovi Plateau would bring about some new changes... The changes you were referring to include..."

"It's not just about new technological developments, but also about a change in the form of resistance."

Mayer gazed at the armored ship in the distance: "I have participated in several battles with the Fifth Regiment, and I have witnessed the power of these new weapons on battlefields dominated by magic and sorcery for thousands of years... They are different from those weapons that heavily rely on magical crystals. We can assemble truly combat-ready teams at a lower cost and in a faster time."

"I believe this change is enough to terrify the Black Sun Society, because it means that the world is completely different from that lost and distant era. Even the most humble and weakest beings in their eyes are now capable of effectively resisting the coming threats, and our struggle will completely break free from the narrow confines of the past."

“We need to arm ourselves, we need an army… and what we are doing now is that first step of verification.”

……

A long line of flames stretched across the street, these fire barriers, made from alchemical potions, spell pages, and various flammable materials, added a touch of warmth to the end of winter.

A strange odor spread with the heatwave; it was the smell of the slime of the Dark Abyss offspring being scorched by flames.

The Tricolor Brotherhood's defenses are in grave danger.

These bandits, who had been forcibly gathered together by Hugh and members of the Black Sun Society using force, were originally a disorganized bunch. In the past, they did live quite comfortably thanks to the various weapons possessed by the Brotherhood, and many important supply points in the central city were under their control. But now, they must pay the price for their "superior" location.

In just half a day, all the outposts set up by the Tricolor Brotherhood outside had been destroyed, and the members stationed inside the outposts were immediately swallowed up by the advancing waves of Dark Abyss Spawns. After receiving numerous alarms, the members of the Black Sun Society, who were in charge of leading the Brotherhood, immediately took action. Relying on their understanding of Dark Abyss magic and the defenses that Hugh had previously set up, they began to actively resist.

As time passed and the descendants of the Dark Abyss continued to advance, some doubts about Bourwa and Hugh began to arise in their hearts.

"Where is our leader? Where has he gone?"

Their initial excitement over the magical anomaly and the impending arrival of the black sun began to cool rapidly. At such a crucial moment, the young leader, to whom they had placed their boundless vision and loyalty, had vanished without a trace, inevitably causing some thoughts to arise in their minds.

However, the relentless advance of the Dark Abyss Spawn army gave them no time to question or think. The defenses that had been effective against the death tide of the Spawns now seemed useless. No one could have imagined that these mud-like monsters could use such a variety of sharp and effective methods to attack the defenses. Whether it was barricades or obstacles, they could always find a new way to break through.

Those twisted figures, each with a distinct role, shape, and abilities and inclinations, are enough to make even the most arrogant and daring thugs flee in terror.

When a member of the Brotherhood who possessed considerable magical abilities had his head torn off on the spot by a progeny that possessed both the structure of a beast and an insect, the morale of the Brotherhood members was on the verge of collapse.

"We need to evacuate! Our only option now is to head south!"

"But that's the territory of the Legislative Council and Iris Street!"

“Where else can we go? Besides, aren’t our leader and Mage Burva there? They must have a way to protect us. Staying here is just waiting to die; the flames won’t last long!”

Behind the precarious defensive line, members of the Black Sun Society were arguing fiercely. In fact, they were no longer able to stop the Brotherhood members from fleeing. Faced with the endless hordes of Dark Abyss offspring, these bandits, lacking discipline and fighting spirit, had long since begun to retreat. Even though the overseers killed several deserters on the spot, they could not stop this trend.

"Then let's take our weapons and retreat. If those mages and soldiers try to stop us, we'll wipe them all out... We definitely have more weapons than they do!"

As the breach opened, chaos, defeat, and retreat began. But soon, as the fire defense line was torn apart by the advancing Dark Abyss Spawns with their bodies and magic, the retreating Brotherhood forces were forced to split up. Those with fewer members and weaker resistance couldn't even stop the predation of the ordinary Spawns. As for those strange, army-like formations, they could easily advance despite the firepower of crystal guns and alchemical bombs.

It seemed that these thugs were about to be completely wiped out in despair.

But at this moment, the advancing Dark Abyss offspring suddenly fell into chaos. Then, behind the wall of fire that had already developed several huge gaps, a shadow of extreme speed broke through. It was a three-tailed giant rat running wildly. On the back of the giant rat, a gloomy-faced youth was riding. Behind him, a dense shadow continued to spread, and a large number of pitch-black tentacles swept rapidly, crushing those menacing and twisted figures on the spot.

"The leader is here! The leader has come to save us!"

The fleeing members of the society were overjoyed and couldn't help but shout.

(End of this chapter)