The black sun hangs high

Chapter 347 It begins
Compared to the windless passengers who had endured many hardships, the attendees who arrived just as the conference was about to begin were in much better condition. Among them were mages from Merlinle and across the bay, as well as many officials and nobles from the Kingdom of Delan and other plain duchies.

Of course, there was also a mixed delegation of scholars composed of several different dwarf and elven clans, as well as a group of outstanding representatives trained by various goblin merchant guilds.

Hughes even saw two representatives of the sea creatures.

For the vast majority of land dwellers, the concept of sea creatures was as distant and absurd as a black sun suddenly appearing in the sky.

Although these sparsely populated races possess humanoid forms and intelligence comparable to other races, they also have a physical structure closely related to the ocean and a whole set of living habits and customs. They often live in seclusion in dangerous bays with few people or remote islands far from the mainland, and try to stay as far away from those dangerous land dwellers as possible.

Thanks to their unique racial characteristics and extremely cautious, even conservative, foreign policy, the sea creatures have successfully survived in the fiercely competitive city of Vaan.

However, the cost of this continuation is also very obvious.

The population of the sea tribe is extremely limited, and the development of their settlements is restricted by various factors. The vast majority of sea tribe residents have very little understanding of the concept of a "city".

But they didn't complain much about it.

In order to ensure the continuation of the tribe and to preserve as much freedom as possible, the Hai people have incorporated the philosophy of seclusion into all aspects of their lives and development.

However, the rising of the black sun and the terrifying surge of the "color of life" brewing in the ocean have clearly posed a serious threat to this special civilization that depends on the ocean for survival.

Faced with the imminent threat of annihilation, the sea people have once again made their choice.

Looking at the strange figure hidden under the wide cloak, Hugh, who had already sat down in his seat in the hall, suddenly let out a long sigh.

"Sea people... well, that's actually a general term. They're similar to elves and dwarves, and they're divided into various clans. It's said that their divisions aren't based on faith, but rather on the characteristics and strengths of different groups."

Vera's eyes lit up slightly. As a well-informed magic scholar, her understanding of these special coastal residents was also very limited. Being able to have such an opportunity to observe them up close was extremely rare.

Vera originally intended to say these words to Hugh, as it was a habit of hers, or rather, a habit she had as a "teacher."

Previously, whenever she began to introduce this knowledge, Hugh would immediately begin to concentrate. However, this time, Veraine found that her student seemed somewhat absent-minded.

There was even a clear sense of loss and melancholy on his face.

So Vera asked softly, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing..."

Hugh gave a stiff, forced grin.

He had a deep impression of the sea people because, in his memory, this race was one of the settings he casually wrote down when he was building that vast world view.

They were originally supposed to be a playable race for players, but the "big shots" in the project team all thought that this race would definitely not be popular, and there was no need to increase the workload of the concept art and modeling, so they decided to delete it.

At the time, Hugh didn't care about this matter.

After receiving notification from the project team, he casually dragged the sea creature-related documents into the branch of the background world view and wrote a rough ending for this special race.

"In that dark and gloomy era, this special race ultimately failed to survive until the sun rose. Like ordinary people facing a tsunami, they disappeared silently into the chaotic waves."

Hughes snapped out of his hazy memories and watched quietly as the two sea creature representatives walked toward their designated seats, guided by members of the Legal Committee.

After the two sea creatures sat down, he turned around and asked, "Do you think... these sea creatures can hold out?"

The question seemed a bit nonsensical, but Virin, who had witnessed the "Color of Life" and those strange sea creatures firsthand, quickly understood what Hugh meant.

She glanced at the two sea creature representatives in the distance. They were clearly uneasy about their surroundings, observing their surroundings with extreme vigilance, as if some deep-sea beast was lurking among them.

After a moment, Vera finished thinking and gave her answer.

"If... if the sea people continue to adhere to their current traditions and ways of life, they will probably face a very difficult situation ahead."

Vera revealed her true thoughts: "They may be able to hide their settlements and evade the Black Sun Society's search, but they will ultimately be unable to escape those ancient beings hidden in the ocean."

She paused, then continued, "They are too close to the ocean, and those hidden in the ocean are not mindless beasts. They may be able to deceive you for a while, but as long as they make any moves, they will definitely leave traces that can be detected... And they probably don't have the ability to confront those monsters head-on."

Hughes nodded.

He completely agreed with Vilin's assessment. Although all indications suggested that the present-day Vaan might not develop into the world he imagined two hundred years later, these problems were very real for the sea creatures.

If they fail to make the right decisions and find ways to deal with those troubles and disasters, they will inevitably embark on that desperate path to destruction.

That concludes the discussion. Hugh quickly composed himself and then opened the meeting outline in front of him.

The meeting will last for several days, with new topics to be discussed and voted on each day.

In essence, this will also be a test for all participants—a test of both mind and body.

As the attendees gradually took their seats, the noisy venue finally quieted down.

Night falls.

The enormous, exquisitely crafted clock above the venue chimed rhythmically. Then, three moons, carved from flawless crystals, slowly moved, and with the sound of metal gears turning, the three originally independent and separate moon shadows finally merged completely.

In the legend of Vaan, the goddess of March, who is pure, beautiful and has the ability to foresee the future, often appears before her believers in three completely different forms. When these three forms are combined into one, she will transform into the purest, brightest, and most serene moonlight.

Such radiance is enough to reveal the course of destiny to confused believers and help them make the right choice. It is because of such legends that sculptures and decorations with similar symbolic meanings often appear in meeting places of all sizes.

Clear, bright light shone into the vast venue.

Bathed in this light, the attendees bowed their heads in prayer during the final moments before the meeting officially began.

……

The night seemed particularly gloomy.

Perhaps because the black sun had undergone further changes, the already oppressive night sky seemed even heavier.

All the sighs uttered by people bowing their heads in fear seemed to become thick oil paint, splashed onto the sky by a malicious painter.

The warning issued directly by the Legal Committee has spread throughout the entire Vann in the shortest possible time. Except for those remote and inaccessible areas that even the Legal Committee cannot easily reach, and a few areas that are still in a state of chaos, all the residents of Vann have learned about the news of the Black Sun mutation.

Initially, not everyone believed these messages.

The emergence of the Black Sun and the open activity of the Black Sun Society have significantly impacted the authority of the Legal Affairs Commission. Although so far, no one has dared to directly question the Legal Affairs Commission in public, many rumors have emerged privately.

Some people who had long been dissatisfied with the Legislative Affairs Commission did not take the warnings seriously. They even deliberately looked up at the sky in front of others and "bravely" stared at the huge shadow.

Initially, these people did not show any unusual behavior, and this astonishing act made them "well-known figures" in their own small circles.

Luther, a young farmer living in a village in the Kingdom of Delan, was one of them.

His residence was very close to a Dharma Council member, so in the past he always acted obsequiously, trying his best to please the Dharma Council member, and never dared to show any disrespect to the Dharma Council.

This led to him being secretly referred to as a "stupid dog" kept by the Legislative Affairs Commission.

This situation changed after the war began. The mage went to the front with the army and never returned. The village where Luther was located was not an important place, so no other members of the Law Committee were sent to replace him.

After the war came to an abrupt end, Luther changed his attitude towards life; he no longer wanted to be called a "stupid dog" by the other villagers.

So he transformed himself into a leader who attacked and insulted the Legal Affairs Committee in the countryside.

Today, after the elderly village chief announced the warning from the Legal Committee, Luther firmly adopted a strategy of confrontation. As a farmer, he always had to observe the weather, and he had seen the dark shadows in the sky countless times in recent days, so he didn't care about the warning.

In the village tavern after nightfall, Luther, who had already been given the title of "brave man," stood on the table amidst the cheers of the other young people. Holding a huge beer mug, he shouted to the villagers around him who were already somewhat drunk.

"Those mages are all cowards and liars! Just watch, this so-called warning might just be a new tax or fee, and they might get fined the moment they look up!"

"Luther! If you keep saying that, someone might tell on you!"

"Inform on me? Inform me of what?"

Luther laughed heartily, fueled by alcohol: "They can't really care about places like ours. Look, where are the new mages being sent? What Black Sun, Black Sun Society, are they bothering us while we're farming?"

The people gathered in the tavern were all acquaintances, so naturally no spoilsport would come out. Everyone chimed in, and then there was another round of clinking glasses. Although the cheap ale wasn't very good, it was enough to get them excited.

Luther was about to burp when he noticed Jessie, a girl from the village who was just as young as him, staring at him from another table. She had also drunk two glasses of ale and was now flushed, which was quite suggestive.

So Luther stopped his hiccuping urge, turned slightly as if dancing, and said to the people around him, "Hey! Hey! Listen to me, is there anyone here who hasn't looked directly at the sun?"

Someone chimed in, "I think there probably aren't any left; the people here are very brave!"

"No...uh, I, I haven't yet."

A young man with a rather simple and honest appearance raised his hand somewhat timidly: "Of course, I don't really believe what the Legislative Affairs Commission said, but what if?"

"What if? What if?"

Luther bent down, glaring at the young man: "Are you saying I should be in trouble? Or that I should get into some kind of trouble for looking directly at the sun? Hmm?"

"No, no, no... I didn't mean that, I really didn't."

The young man was clearly not very good with words, and he could only shake his head awkwardly in the face of Luther's questioning and probing.

So Luther laughed and said, "Alright then, come to the windmill tomorrow morning. Anyone else who doesn't want to be a coward, come on over! I'll show you the sky again, there won't be a single problem!"

Alcohol gave people more reason to be unrestrained, and so they celebrated their courageous actions during the day until late at night. After a hearty meal and a belly full of ale, they helped each other out of the tavern and returned to their homes in the village.

As soon as Luther got home, he casually tore off his shirt and lay naked on the bed.

The intoxication made him a little dizzy, his mind filled with the flushed face of the young girl Jessie in the tavern earlier. He had never had any real close contact with a girl before, and now, just thinking about her gaze made his body burn, and a strange impulse surged in his chest.

His heart was beating a little too fast, so he straightened up and prepared to get up and drink two glasses of water.

But at that moment, Luther caught a glimpse of something unusual out of the corner of his eye. He was startled and quickly turned his head to look at the other end of the house, where he saw a strange shadow that seemed to be slowly shrinking into a corner.

The shape of that shadow looked like some kind of wild beast?
A kind of slender beast.

(End of this chapter)