The black sun hangs high

Chapter 289 Flag
The questions Darswell raised were clearly not ones that could be resolved by the mere four people present.

As participants in this impromptu meeting, all we can do is use these topics to provide direction and reference for the Dawn Society's next action strategy—this direction doesn't need to be very specific or detailed; it's actually a vague outline.

Such discussions can provide some inspiration for the problems and dilemmas that the Dawn Society and its members are facing, and allow them to expand their horizons based on this.

As Darth Vader said, the situation of the Dawn Society was not as optimistic as it seemed.

As a newly formed society during a turbulent period, the Dawn Society faced pressure not only from the Black Sun Society, which had clearly taken an opposing stance, but also from the Kingdom of Saint Steel.

In the eyes of other countries and organizations, and even within the overall international environment, the existence of the Akatsuki Society appears extremely delicate.

At first glance, this new association seems similar to the gatherings miners used in the past to rally together and protest against the state and government, but this time, their organizers, methods of organization, scale, and power have exceeded everyone's expectations.

Although the mining legion never received special attention while it was within the Kingdom of Votel, its importance was only truly realized after it left Votel's military system and came under the jurisdiction of the Dawn Society.

Armored ships that have been carefully maintained and modified, as well as many more escort fleets converted from other types of vessels.

A fully armed legion composed primarily of Saint Steeles.

And the organizers, comprised of key figures from various regions and fields within Vain.

This was unprecedented in the history of Vanne. Although the Dawn Society appeared to be of limited size, it actually possessed the power to threaten some smaller duchies, which was a major reason why Grand Duke Bult decided to show goodwill to the Dawn Society.

After some discussion, Hugh spoke up: "In their eyes, we might be more like a mercenary group whose specific objectives and modus operandi haven't been figured out yet, like those pirates who used the name of a society but actually engaged in smuggling and plundering..."

"Hmm, pirates...yes, that's definitely the feeling."

Mayer nodded in agreement: “Although the name is very unpleasant and unappealing, it does give us a greater sense of security than names like ‘miners’ gathering.’ At least we don’t have to worry about our comrades being dragged away by soldiers who suddenly appear while they are sleeping.”

“We should certainly frighten them, and that’s not enough; the Miners’ Legion is just the beginning.”

Darthwell reached up and ran his hand through his disheveled hair. He said, "I've been discussing this with Felix these past few days. We both believe that the refugees from Seren who have lost their homes and are not accepted by other countries have significant meaning and value."

"Yes, we hope to keep these people. They are the most direct victims of the Black Sun Society's actions and the outcasts rejected by other countries... Compared to others, they are more likely to accept the Akatsuki Society's ideology and better understand the Akatsuki Society's plans and ideas."

At this point, Felix paused slightly, then sighed: "Moreover, I think our help to them shouldn't stop here, otherwise we'll become no different from the previous emergency committee in Seren City."

Darthwell laughed and patted the young man on the shoulder: "Don't worry, Felix, of course we'll do that. One step at a time, no rush."

After saying that, he turned to Hugh: "Mr. Ernst hasn't finished speaking yet, please continue!"

So Hugh continued, “Under the current circumstances, the Scions should further clarify the identity of the enemy, and this conclusion should not only exist within the Scions but also become a clear conclusion to the outside world, and this conclusion needs to be one that others can trust.”

He looked at Darth Vader: "I know that when the Dawn Society was first established, it had many goals it wanted to achieve. The Black Sun Society and the Black Sun are just the most urgent and important tasks at present... And now, we need to use this most important task to dispel the hostility of other forces and people towards the Dawn Society in the current environment."

"We need to find a way to make more people understand what the gods behind the Black Sun Society really mean—they are definitely not a suitable partner for cooperation or compromise. In contrast, the Hourglass Society, which is their enemy, is more trustworthy. On this basis, the Hourglass Society will face less resistance and may even gain more support from other kingdoms."

Felix frowned. "Sounds like an alternative alliance?"

"No, it's not an alliance."

Meyer clearly understood Hugh's thoughts. He shook his head and said, "Right now, most of those who are willing to give us some convenience and help are just making overtures and tentatively betting some chips on us. This behavior stems from their political instincts and intuition, and does not mean that they have become trustworthy and qualified allies."

Mayer's gaze drifted to the map beside him: "For the Dawn Society to form an alliance or cooperate with a force, the prerequisite is that they are truly aware of the enormous threat represented by the Black Sun Society and are genuinely willing to confront it... Therefore, we should perhaps prioritize the duchies that are already in conflict with Saint Steel, as well as the residents and believers who are suffering from the persecution of the Black Sun Society as our first priority targets."

As Mayer's old partner, Daswell immediately came to the map. The middle-aged man's eyes quickly scanned the map twice, and then he poked his finger hard on it: "The Duchy of Imep and the Duchy of Black River, they are close to the northern border and were previously on the front line against Saint Steel's army. This place will probably become an important target for the Black Sun Society madmen next."

After saying that, he couldn't help but sigh again: "Of course, there's also our hometown and our motherland..."

“I have heard that there have been many gatherings of varying sizes in St. Steel, and many people are trying to rebel against the rule of the royal family. There seem to be riots and uprisings in some places.”

"They are all brave people, but the Black Sun Society is determined not to let these situations escalate further. You know, the methods they possess are so troublesome that even Merlinle and the mages find them extremely difficult to deal with..."

Time passed slowly amidst the heated discussion.

Initially, only four people, including Hugh, participated in the meeting. However, as time went on, more and more people were called here by Darth Vader and Mayer. Hugh was surprised to find that not only outstanding talents among the refugees, such as Felix, were recruited into the Dawn Society, but also many members who originally belonged to the Legal Committee and the Emergency Committee.

Looking bewildered, with some alchemical potion still on her hands, Verin was dragged over because Darthville needed a professional magic advisor to provide advice.

Sally, who was counting the number of people at the refugee resettlement site, was "brought in" because Mayer needed a diligent student to act as a clerk to compile the meeting's conclusions. Afterwards, Hughes saw more familiar faces, including Gene, the sword-wielding hermit who used to belong to the Legal Committee branch. This strong, burly swordsman with a solemn face now looked a little depressed and somewhat dejected.

Judging from Genet's expression, Hughes guessed that the reason he chose to join the Dawn Society was likely due to some new developments within Merlinler and the Legal Committee.

Thus, this seemingly impromptu meeting was quickly brought to a climax by everyone, and it finally ended around noon, when the number of participants had grown to more than a dozen.

Those who had been called in at the last minute left one after another, most of them having important command responsibilities and not being able to leave their posts for too long.

Hugh and the others who initially participated in the discussion, as well as Vera and Sally who were called in later, were all left behind.

Just then, Meyer came to the desk, took a cloth bag from a drawer, and then pulled out a thick stack of manuscript paper.

"This is?"

"It is our flag."

Meyer placed the manuscript in front of Hugh, then vigorously shook his shoulders and back, which were stiff from sitting for a long time: "Haven't you noticed yet? We still don't have an official flag, and the emblem we use is a temporary design that we put together. These are submissions we launched for the official members of the Dawn Society."

Hughes looked at the manuscript papers in his hand and laughed, "But I'm an expert in novels, not paintings."

“I’ve said that before.”

Vera sat to the side, carefully cleaning the traces of alchemical potion from her hands as she said, "However, the professor insists on hearing your opinion, believing that talents in certain fields are interconnected."

After saying that, she rolled up her sleeves, casually summoned a magical water sphere, and then inserted both of her hands directly into it.

However, Veraine's gaze did not completely leave her; she clearly wanted to hear Hugh's opinion on the flag designs.

Seeing that everyone was waiting, Hugh had no choice but to obediently start looking through the manuscripts.

They had clearly already gone through a round of selection, but the remaining submissions were still very diverse, probably because the contributors came from all walks of life. The fields and styles of these flag designs were extremely wide-ranging. In addition to various representative animals and plants from different regions, Hughes could also see emblems from a wide range of beliefs, or symbols that could represent different groups of people.

After silently flipping through them for a while, Hugh picked out some of them and placed them on the table.

Everyone crowded around, and they soon discovered that the items Hugh had selected were mostly classic symbolic objects.

“Although our association is named after Dawn, the so-called ‘dawn’ and ‘morning’ are actually the ultimate goal and ideal of our struggle… Therefore, I think that colors and patterns related to the sun should be used as the background color and bottom pattern of the flag.”

Seeing that what Hugh said seemed quite professional, Darth Vader, who was flipping through the meeting minutes, also came over. At the same time, he instinctively took out a cigarette, lit it, and even handed one to Mayer and Felix.

Hughes had intended to reach out and take it, but a strange chill came from the side, so he quickly adjusted his movements, pointed his finger at the manuscript on the table, and continued, "I believe that our banner should first and foremost have sufficiently broad representation. I mean, it needs to be able to represent everyone in the Akatsuki... at least the vast majority of them."

"Interesting idea, great!"

"So you mean to combine and piece together these symbols?"

"more or less."

Hughes gave examples: “To represent miners, we can use a pickaxe; to represent workshop workers, we can use a metal gear as the border of the emblem… Of course, symbols for soldiers, mages, and scholars should also exist, and they should come together as a whole, just like the Dawn Society we envision.”

As Hughes spoke, Mayer had already picked up his pen and meticulously recorded every word. Then, laughing, he patted Hughes on the shoulder and said, "I've said it before, these things are universal, and Mr. Hughes's opinion is very important... Alright, I'll inform Mikhail right away; he'll definitely be interested in designing an official flag for us!"

After saying that, Mayer strode out. Sally, Mayer's student and secretary, had no choice but to quickly pack her things. After sticking her tongue out at Hugh and Veraine, she hurriedly followed after him.

Seeing that his mission seemed to be completed, Hugh prepared to get up and leave, but at that moment, Darthwell stopped him and Vereen.

"Please wait a moment, both of you. I have a few questions I'd like to ask you about the conclusions of today's meeting."

As he spoke, Darthwell dragged a chair over, then closed the door to the room and said to the two men in a rather low voice, "We need some people to go to the North, or rather, to St. Steel."

Vera frowned immediately: "Mr. Darthville, you know very well that area is already under the control of the Black Sun Society."

"Yes, I am very clear about that, so I need to ask for your opinions."

Darthwell's style of conversation was always so direct. He made no attempt to hide anything or be polite, and said bluntly, "I have already learned about what you two have been through recently. Among spellcasters, there are very few people like you who are familiar with the Black Sun Society and understand those strange powers... Only people like you two can truly move freely in the Northern Territory today."

(End of this chapter)