The black sun hangs high

Chapter 338 Do the Water people like this?
"The coast of the Kingdom of Hein?"

"Yes, it's an unremarkable fishing village... called 'Norles,' located north of 'Veller Port,' an important port in the Kingdom of Hein. The villagers are mostly fishermen, and there's nothing particularly special about it."

Sophia had clearly memorized all this important intelligence and information. She slowly said, "Our spies have followed Hein's detectives and searched the entire fishing village, but apart from the special blood I mentioned earlier, they have found nothing else."

Hugh looked at Princess Walter carefully, narrowed his eyes, and then asked, "Is that all?"

"What, Mr. Hugh? Don't you trust me, or don't you trust Walter's spies?"

Faced with Hugh's questioning, Sophia remained calm and smiled, saying, "In the village of Knowles, we have indeed found only this many important clues. However, it is also possible that our spies are not powerful spellcasters like you, Mr. Hugh, so they may have missed some."

Hughes didn't take Sophia's subtle teasing and hints too seriously. He shook his head and replied, "You've misunderstood Your Highness. I have complete trust in the abilities of the Waters agents. There may indeed be some strange traces at the scene that are difficult for ordinary people to detect, but these oversights can often be made up for by other sources of information."

Sofia's expression remained calm, giving her an "I don't know what you're talking about" look: "Make amends? Mr. Hughes means..."

"I imagine Your Highness's spies have already investigated Port Verre."

Hugh smiled broadly, looking quite pleased: "These small fishing villages in the Kingdom of Hein basically need to cooperate with the Fisheries Association to transport and sell their catch... So, before the attack on Norls Village and its villagers, the nearest port, Verey, should have left relevant records of visits or sales, right?"

Sophia paused for two seconds, then nodded: "That's a correct guess. The royal spies did indeed conduct some investigations in Port Verre, and we've made some guesses based on those findings... I'd like to hear what you think of these findings, Mr. Hugh."

Seeing that Hughes nodded in agreement, Sophia continued on the previous topic: "Besides the Fisheries Association, as well as friends and relatives, the villagers of Knowles fishing village also have a group of regular guests in Port Verre."

"Guests? What type of guests?"

"The fishing village of Knowles is located near the fjord, where many large, ferocious sea fish gather every winter. A group of wealthy residents of Port Verre are very enthusiastic about catching these fish."

Hughes nodded: "Yes, just like the nobles of the highlands like to hire elven guides to hunt in the forest, the Hein people like to hire fishermen to take them out to sea... It's a very reasonable choice."

"Yes, and the person our spies found was a wealthy businessman from Port Vale."

Sofia continued, "The businessman revealed that a few days before the incident, a villager from Knowles, whom he knew, came to Port Verre to purchase supplies. The villager mentioned that since the Black Sun rose, the village's catch had become very abundant, and some people had even caught exceptionally large sea fish, almost twice the size of common sea fish of the same kind."

Upon hearing this, Hugh already had a general idea in his mind.

Based on these recent developments, all unusual changes in the ocean, whether it be the growth or disappearance of fish schools or fish with mutated shapes, must be linked to the existence of the "color of life" and the "oceanic community".

Moreover, the Kingdom of Hein is not too far from Saint Steel, and the Black Sun Society could easily infiltrate or sabotage the Kingdom of Hein.

Sophia closely observed Hugh's expression, and seeing that he had finished his brief contemplation, she took the initiative to ask, "Are these things related to the Black Sun Society?"

"It is related to, and not limited to, the Black Sun Society."

Faced with the heir of the Kingdom of Walter who was using a forceful attitude to deal with the Black Sun Society, Hugh did not intend to hide too much. He said directly, "Your Highness, I can tell you clearly that in the ocean of Vaan, some extremely ancient and dangerous creation is rapidly reviving. In this process, the role played by the Black Sun Society is most likely just 'guiding'."

Could you elaborate?

“My understanding of them is also limited, but as it stands, they are a kind of creature with vigorous vitality that was once widespread throughout the ocean. They call themselves ‘communities’ or ‘groups’, possess amazing intelligence and potential, and are able to influence almost everything in the ocean, triggering a series of changes.”

Upon hearing Hugh's words, Sophia's smile vanished completely. She squinted at Hugh to make sure he wasn't joking, and then asked, "What you've described sounds exactly like the 'master' of the ocean."

"Indeed, at least in the distant past, they have always occupied this position... and unfortunately, the ancient sea god they followed and worshipped was most likely the first target to be banished by the goddess Mel."

As he spoke these words, Hughes clearly saw the changes in Princess Sophia's expression.

If the royal butler Finn were here, he would certainly point out Sophia's problem without reservation—as a noble heir to the throne, her facial expressions seemed to be slightly out of control.

Despite having witnessed the rise of the black sun, the transformation of the rugged hills, and the destruction of the city of Seren, Sophia believed that the stories of gods, their kin, and the struggles between them should be found in literature or mythology.

Compared to these indescribable and intangible things, Sofia felt that the real battlefield and artillery fire were more real and more "lovable".

“I’m not joking, nor am I exaggerating. I’m just stating what I know.”

Hugh picked up the kettle and refilled Sophia's cup with tea: "Your Highness, you should know very well that what happened before, and the shadow hanging in the sky now, are not the result of a series of events, but just a new beginning. The same applies to the topic we just discussed."

Sofia's mental fortitude was ultimately excellent; she recovered completely in the blink of an eye, though she was clearly not as relaxed as she had been when she first visited.

After picking up her teacup again, Sophia remained silent for a while. After carefully considering what Hugh had said, Sophia sighed softly: "Mr. Hugh means that we will soon be opening up a new battlefield, right?"

"exactly."

Hughes nodded. “However, I must remind Your Highness that this time, the initiative to open up the battlefield may not lie with us, but with them… with those ‘communities’ that we still don’t understand enough and that are hidden deep within the ocean.” “If Your Highness wishes to understand the details in depth, please send the council and the royal mages, preferably scholars related to the field of magical creatures. I assure you, once they see the samples we collected from the Windless and the experimental reports we compiled, they will quickly realize the seriousness of the matter.”

……

This time, Hugh and Princess Sophia's conversation lasted a very long time. By the time they finished talking, it was already late at night, and the tea they had drunk earlier had long been finished during their conversation.

The latter part of the conversation undoubtedly focused on the cooperation between the Kingdom of Walter and the Dawn Society.

Sofia showed great sincerity in this matter.

Her understanding of the Scions of the Dawn far exceeded Hugh's imagination. The current predicaments facing the Scions of the Dawn, as well as the decisions that need to be made, all seemed to be within the scope of this heir's knowledge. Sophia was even able to give a lot of important advice on the selection of the Scions of the Dawn's next long-term headquarters.

Sophia was well aware that Hugh could not represent the entire Dawn Society, but she also understood Hugh's influence within this emerging organization. Therefore, she did not mind exposing her own, or rather the Kingdom of Walter's, thoughts to Hugh.

“We desperately need allies, but we don’t need large countries like Hein or Delan, nor organizations like the Council or the Legal Committee… They are excellent partners, but as long as they cannot solve the problem of the Black Sun Society’s infiltration, Votel cannot maintain absolute trust in them, let alone form an alliance.”

When Sophia said those words, she became like a beautiful stone statue standing in the light, which made Hugh realize that she was indeed representing the Kingdom of Walter to extend an "invitation" to him and the Dawn Society.

“I believe that the Legal Committee shares our views on this point, which is why those monks have given you so many preferential treatments and favorable conditions.”

Sophia's voice was steady, but it was clearly filled with a strong allure: "What I want to say is that the conditions offered by the mages can also be provided by the High Wish Eagle, and we can provide more effective guarantees in terms of personnel, especially in the training of spies and soldiers... As for military supplies, hehe, I think Mr. Hugh should be very familiar with them as well."

"As you said, what we are facing now is just the beginning of a new era and a new war, and I also hope that our conversation tonight can be the beginning of an important cooperation."

After saying this series of words, Princess Sophia boldly pushed open Hugh's door and walked out of his room.

Throughout the entire process, Sophia did not avoid anyone in the house. She gave the panicked servants a stern look, nodded to the Dawn Society members who were discussing matters, and greeted Verine, who happened to be walking out of the room, with great friendliness.

After completing this series of actions, she left the Dawn Society's villa and met up with several Ymir Legion soldiers who had been waiting outside for an unknown amount of time. In this way, she walked leisurely towards the direction of the Waterl Embassy.

"..."

Hugh stood at the top of the stairs with a frown, and coughed heavily twice as he faced the strange gazes coming from all directions.

After chasing away the clueless onlookers, he returned to his doorstep dejectedly. There he saw Vivian staring at him with an amused expression from a couple of steps away. She had probably just taken a bath, as her hair was loose and still a little damp.

“You two have been chatting for quite a while. I was originally going to ask you if you wanted to go to a restaurant in the embassy district for dinner.”

Verine raised her hand and gently touched the wall. As the two different magical powers collided, translucent magical ripples spread from her fingertips. Seeing this, Hugh waved his hand and canceled the rituals he had used to create a conversational environment.

“I didn’t expect Princess Walter to have a habit of turning into a raven and flying in through the window, but the things she wanted to talk about were indeed very important. I guess she might personally visit the Dawn Society’s headquarters after things are over here.”

As he spoke, Hugh gently touched his stomach, which was full of tea, making a gurgling sound as he walked.

To ease the barely perceptible awkwardness in the air, Hugh tentatively asked, "I remember you said that many restaurants in the inner city don't close, so why don't we go for a walk now?"

"Of course. The food made by those magical puppets is just average, but their desserts are quite good."

The faint smile on Vera's face remained, but she readily accepted Hugh's invitation. Her mage hand quickly appeared, delivering a hair tie, a spellbook, and a long coat.

After the two left the villa, the Dawn Society members who had been silent for a long time finally got a chance to speak.

"Did you see that? That looks like Princess Walter."

“I see her, it’s her, there’s no mistake! So, she came out of Mr. Ernst’s room? When did she arrive? I’ve been in the hall the whole time.”

That's not the point!

A member of the Dawn Society whispered a reminder: "The important thing is, why has Princess Sophia been in Mr. Ernst's room for... uh, so long? A whole night? Do the Water people like this?"

After some discussion, everyone turned to look at Richard, who was also a Walter and should know more about the princess.

However, Richard was now sitting blankly in his seat.

As someone who isn't quite a pure-blooded Voltel, his brain is starting to malfunction.

(End of this chapter)