The black sun hangs high

Chapter 336 Inside and Outside

The good news is that the Legislative Council did not send those rigid, etiquette-obsessed officials to greet these important guests who arrived aboard the Windless.

The bad news is that they sent a sword-wielding hermit.

There were quite a few of them, enough for two small teams.

Unlike the other sword-wielding hermits that Hugh had encountered before, these sword-wielding hermits, who were stationed in Merlinle and directly loyal to the headquarters of the Legal Committee, appeared to be exceptionally elite.

At first glance, these sword-wielding hermits are dressed much like their colleagues, but upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that their armor is not as heavy as one might imagine, and their weapons are more refined.

Besides the standard Demon-Slaying Silver Greatsword, these sword-wielding hermits also carried enchanted crossbows and revolvers clearly made in the Kingdom of Walter. Of course, pendulums for finding traces of magic and personal arcane instruments were also indispensable.

Upon boarding the Windless, the sword-wielding hermits immediately conducted an extremely thorough inspection of the entire cruise ship and its passengers. At the same time, a mage from the Law Committee, whose face was not very expressive, arrived before the group of Shug and his companions under the protection of several sword-wielding hermits, demanding that all spellcasters on the Windless immediately register their magic.

The inspection of the Windless was completed in about half an hour.

Naturally, the sword-wielding hermits found no suspicious traces related to the Black Sun Society, and the spellcasters, including Hugh, passed the Legal Committee's inspection without incident. The only things that were taken into custody were the samples in the laboratory and the chamber that had previously been contaminated with the deformed crayfish.

In fact, these matters had already been reported to the Legislative Affairs Commission much earlier; what they are doing now is merely a routine matter.

The scholar, Leger, valued these samples and his preliminary research findings highly. He was unwilling to leave the "skin worm" samples for even a second. After some communication, the Legal Committee agreed to Leger's request and put him and the samples on the vehicle that came to transport the important items.

As for the others, they finally received the treatment they deserved as guests.

As the official motorcade of the Legislative Affairs Commission arrived, officials from the Legislative Affairs Commission, who were specifically responsible for receiving foreign guests, appeared before everyone. There was no special welcoming ceremony, nor any dazzling magical spectacle.

The law commission official simply conveyed to everyone the importance the law commission attached to this meeting and extended a welcome to all the guests on behalf of the law commission. He then immediately arranged for everyone to travel by car to the inner city of Merlinle.

Only after officially setting foot on the docks of Merlinle did Hughes truly grasp the exaggerated scale of this magical city.

The port where the Windless finally docked was probably several times larger than the Blue Algae Port of the Principality of Bult. Moreover, the classification and management of ships here was much more thorough, with ships of different sizes arranged in an orderly manner according to their functions, responsibilities, and affiliations.

Hugh noticed that there were many magical golems on the dock responsible for transferring goods and heavy supplies.

These enormous magical artifacts only move within the ritual area marked with magical patterns. They tread on the stone spots engraved with intricate magical designs, and with each action, they accurately move the designated goods to the designated location or successfully deliver various important supplies to the target ship.

Their heavy, clumsy steps clearly demonstrate the meticulous attitude characteristic of Merlinler.

However, among these orderly magical puppets, one can also see a large number of busy people—their coats are very worn and barely keep them warm, so while they are working, these people will find various reasons to stay at the storage area of ​​the goods.

The reason is simple: many of these goods require specific transportation and storage conditions. Therefore, in these warehouses and goods gathering places, the merchant guilds often take the initiative to find the mages of Merlinlehe and request them to set up permanent magical rituals in these places to ensure that the condition of some goods will not be damaged due to the low temperature of Merlinlehe.

Vera stared at the port she knew very well and asked in confusion, "The port is indeed busier now than it used to be, but it still doesn't need so many people... and they look like refugees?"

"I think so."

Hugh nodded slightly: "These workers who seem a bit redundant are probably refugees from Saint Steel... The person in charge of this port has done a decent job; at least this gives them temporary work, and these refugees can stay put."

If he could, Hugh would like to find a refugee from Saint Steel to learn about what has happened in the North, but the driver in charge of driving will not listen to Hugh's opinion. He follows the convoy ahead and carries Hugh and the others all the way.

This route was clearly planned. After leaving the port, Hugh found that he did not see any more refugees. On both sides of the wide street, he saw towering magic stone walls, various shops belonging to different merchant guilds, and stone statues that clearly contained complex magical rituals.

Even today, the goddess Mel remains the most important and irreplaceable faith in Merlinler. Here, Hugh can always see sculptures and symbols belonging to the goddess of magic. At a crossroads where a beautiful statue of the goddess Mel is enshrined, Hugh even saw a prayer procession composed of Merlinlers and residents of different races.

They knelt devoutly beneath the statue of the goddess Mel, silently chanting prayers as the clock tower in the outer city chimed. Upon seeing these worshippers, Hugh noticed that Verine had also unconsciously clutched the Mel pendant she carried with her and gently closed her eyes.

While the rise of the Black Sun and the actions of the Black Sun Society may shake the faith of many, they also deepen the importance and status of faith in the minds of some. This is quite common in Merlinle, where the goddess Merlinle is a steadfast believer.

Night fell almost instantly in Merlinle.

Just a moment ago, the sky wasn't too dark, but the next second, darkness descended upon everyone like a light veil. Almost simultaneously, the crystal lamps erected on both sides of the street emitted bright light under the unified command of the magical ritual, and the outlines of the streets and sculptures were marked by a faint magical glow.

At this moment, countless magical circuits hidden inside the building awakened. They were the blood vessels of this magical city, and the magic flowing and operating according to the circuits was Merlinle's blood.

When the convoy passed the huge clock tower in the outer city, Hughes discovered that the outer wall of the clock tower actually served a special function.

On the surface of those huge stone bricks, intricate magical lines outlined and combined one word and phrase after another. Under the cover of night, those words shone brightly because of the magic, allowing the residents of Merlinle to see the important notices that the Legal Committee wanted to convey to them even at night.

Despite only glancing at it briefly, Hughes managed to memorize the text on one of the clock tower's walls thanks to his amazing memory.

“Our faith will not waver.” “Merlinler will be your strongest fortress.”

"Do not stare at the sky for extended periods, including spellcasters."

"If you encounter any incomprehensible special circumstances, please seek help from the nearest member of the Legislative Affairs Commission as soon as possible."

"If you witness any suspicious persons, please report them to the Legislative Affairs Commission immediately. Those who conceal such sightings will be treated as accomplices."

Although it is only a part, these concise and direct words are enough to reflect the current state of Merlinle and others. It is unknown whether these measures can really calm down the residents of this huge city.

Even after venturing deeper into the outer city, Hugh could still hear the sound of the sea.

The reason for this is that, in order to deeply integrate water power, transportation, and magical energy, the inner and outer city districts underwent a very important transformation more than 600 years ago. The mages mobilized a large number of magical puppets and hired countless workers from the outer city districts to successfully extend a wide canal from the Merlinle Bay and connect it directly to the inner city districts.

"Our current route avoids artificial canals, and seeing the shadows of large ships moving between buildings during the day is quite a rare sight."

As a "local" of Merlinle, Verin was happy to answer Hugh's questions. She pointed out the window: "The canal is over there. Deep inside the inner city, there is a large dock specifically for transporting important supplies that need to be sent into the inner city. Of course, those chambers of commerce also like to set up their headquarters by the canal, which is very convenient."

Hugh was certainly aware of the existence of this canal.

However, from his perspective, the reason why Merlinle had an extra canal running through the inner and outer city was mainly because when he had just finished designing this magical city and reported it to the project team leaders, one of them frowned and said something.

"I feel that this city is still lacking in magic; it's not magical enough and too conservative."

So Hughes added two arcs to the design drawing to represent the giant canal.

The big shot was very satisfied, and so the setting was finalized.

However, compared to the absurd versions he knew, Hugh preferred the explanation given by Veraine; at least it sounded more real and concrete, and more in line with the facts of Merlinle and the others.

As the convoy continued its journey, Hugh and his companions finally passed through the magnificent gates located on both sides of the artificial canal and officially entered the heavily guarded inner city, which was the headquarters of the Legal Committee.

Compared to the vibrant outer city, brimming with magical elements and teeming with magical golems, the inner city, so strict and orderly it bordered on tedious, was rather unpleasant.

The cold winds of the northern snowfields couldn't penetrate here at all. Under that huge, semi-transparent spherical barrier, the inner city was extremely quiet. For a moment, Hugh felt like a turtle that had retreated into its shell.

The only thing worth mentioning about the inner city is the design of the tall stone buildings and the giant statues erected on their exteriors. Hugh has never been particularly interested in this kind of art form, but when he saw a goddess sculpture that seemed to have a real life and could constantly exert a magical influence on its surroundings, soothing the hearts of others, he couldn't help but marvel at the skill of these sculptors.

Unlike other countries, the Dawn Society, as a newly established organization, had not yet gained a firm foothold in Merlinle and within the organization. However, the Legal Committee made very meticulous arrangements. The wealthy mages directly allocated a section from several spare areas and made temporary modifications, so Hugh and others directly owned three elegant villas and a matching Northern Garden.

It is worth mentioning that the Dawn Society's temporary headquarters was right next to the embassy district of the Kingdom of Walter. When Hugh entered his temporary residence with his luggage, he could even see the bright lights in the Walter embassy district.

It was at this moment that Hugh remembered something.

Along the way, the passengers of the Windless were mostly from the Goddess Plains; he didn't even see a single visitor from the highlands.

"If the upcoming conferences do not include the countries of the plateau, their significance will be limited."

Hugh muttered to himself as he put down his luggage, tidied up his room, and then opened the window. By the light, he could see a faint mist drifting out of the window next door, mixed with the smell of a stimulating drink.

Not only that, Hugh also heard a soft humming, a folk tune from the North, which sounded ethereal and distant, but unfortunately the sound was too soft for Hugh to hear clearly.

Perhaps it was because she had returned to her "hometown" that Vera was in a pretty good mood. As far as Hugh remembered, this was the first time he had ever heard her hum this little tune.

Just as Hugh was about to peek out the window and make a joke at his "neighbor," a shadow suddenly rushed into his senses. He quickly looked up, his right hand, which was resting on the table, was slightly raised, and dense magic quickly climbed up his fingers, ready to burst forth at any moment and transform into the deadly Touch of Calron or the ethereal Dark Abyss Mist.

However, the figure that appeared in his field of vision surprised Hugh.

It was an exceptionally large bird.

Or perhaps, the blue-winged raven.

It rushed rashly to the windowsill in front of Hugh, flapped its wings a couple of times, and then stood firmly on its own, turning its body slightly to the side and constantly looking Hugh in the eye.

This scene looks all too familiar.

(End of this chapter)