The black sun hangs high

Chapter 356 Dark Dome
As the invited man stared in disbelief at the strange sight in the square, other residents who had also observed the sky and gazed directly at the black sun were equally stunned.

As they looked up to observe the strange phenomenon in the sky, these residents, like the man, witnessed an incredibly wondrous scene.

They were either beautiful women, polite gentlemen or noblemen, or even illusions that were indistinguishable between men and women... In short, although they could not see the faces of these inviters clearly, they were all drawn to the same palace—a vast palace that had no boundaries, could not be understood by common sense, yet was extremely magnificent.

Just as they venture into the deepest part of the palace and are about to step into a private room with the alluring inviter, they are jolted back to reality for various reasons.

The difference between before and after is quite significant.

However, when these lost and bewildered people arrived at the square with trepidation, the emotions that had not yet dissipated in their hearts were awakened once again—they actually saw a scene in the real world that was extremely similar to that in the illusion.

Although the familiar, meticulously arranged square before him was far less captivating than the palace he had seen before, the black humanoid figures walking among it, performing the duties of servants, were exactly the same as those he had seen before.

The tension, panic, and anxiety vanished without a trace at that moment.

Instead, they experienced a sense of anticipation and excitement that even they themselves could not fully comprehend.

When these humanoid servants, existing between reality and illusion, approached them and respectfully extended an invitation, the impulses and desires hidden deep within their hearts were further stimulated.

The Black Sun Society members, who usually instilled fear in people, seemed to become more approachable at this moment. Today, they did not carry any weapons or instruments of torture that would make people feel nervous. Although they were still wearing clothing with the society's insignia, it looked more exquisite and luxurious.

They even put on a very natural smile when they looked at the banquet participants.

Although it was still bright daylight, the mysterious attendants had already lit the enormous candles set on the magnificent candlesticks.

The candles had a very peculiar color; they looked as flawless and crystal clear as the legendary black jade. When they were lit, they emitted a soft, pale blue light, and the air was filled with an intoxicating sweet fragrance, as if someone had spilled some precious fruit wine between the tables and chairs.

The peculiar atmosphere spread with the faint light and sweet scent. Soon, under their influence, even the guests who had not witnessed the "magical sight" calmed down. Guided by the "waiters," they took their seats, and soon sweet wine, fruit, and some delicate snacks were served.

Among the guests at the banquet were quite a few with "broad horizons," and they quickly recognized that the food and drinks served to the guests by the Black Sun Society were of considerable value. The exquisite and expensive sweet wine known as "Saint-St. Brew" had become the appetizer for this banquet!
Although the origins of this large-scale banquet involving several important cities remain shrouded in mystery, the irresistible atmosphere of the banquet quickly made people let down their guard and immerse themselves in the feast.

Before the banquet officially began, guests were free to move around and chat, and the Black Sun Society obviously had no intention of stopping them. As if guided by some unseen force, those who had previously been in a daze and confused state unconsciously gathered together.

Intentionally or unintentionally, they talked about the sights they had seen when they looked up at the sun.

Just as the guests' discussion reached its climax, the enormous Black Sun Rift, standing in the center of the square, suddenly emitted a buzzing sound, and an invisible force immediately spread out in all directions.

In an instant, these forces were transmitted along the streets and through the pre-set circuits to other nearby secret rituals, and a new round of changes began in these cities.

The residents of St. Steel, gathered in the banquet square, were astonished to find that the enormous cryptic sculpture, which had been filled with blasphemous connotations, had changed at this moment. A faint black shadow slowly drifted down from the sky, as if the black sun hanging in the sky had personally cast down a thin garment.

This thin veil pierced through the dark, magical dome above the city, drifting gently between the buildings and splitting into fragments of varying sizes. Then, each fragment chose its own target, arriving above the mystical sculptures and gently enveloping them.

The moment these colors fell, people were astonished to find that the sculpture, which had blasphemed almost all the gods of Brahma, had changed its appearance. Its figurative body and features disappeared at this moment, and the head that could not close its eyes, the flowing blood, and the broken limbs also slowly dissipated under this veil.

A group of Black Sun Society members appeared around these cryptic ritual objects.

They were all spellcasters within the society, their black robes adorned with the shape of a black sun outlined in fine gold thread. Along the long, flowing hems of their robes were even more strange patterns depicted in fine silver thread. Some guests who were closer to them couldn't help but glance at these patterns, but after only a couple of glances, they were unable to look away.

These patterns are distorted yet exquisite. When guests try to focus their attention to decipher them, they feel as if the patterns come to life. The thin silver lines are like slender snakes that have been given life, constantly twisting and moving against the black background. As they move, one specific image after another enters the eyes and minds of the guests.

The spellcasters of the society displayed unprecedented solemnity and piety, surrounding the changing mystical rituals, while magical symbols appeared one after another where they stood.

And so, under the cover of that enormous black sky, a massive magical ritual, organized on a city-by-city basis, began to operate.

The Black Sun Society shamans, who were performing the ritual, each took a palm-sized stone slab from their waists. In the pale blue light emitted by the black candles, strange and twisted patterns appeared on the stone slabs. Then, the shamans holding the stone slabs closed their eyes, opened their mouths slightly, and began to slowly chant in a deep yet rhythmic voice.

……

"Crench."

The wooden window slats were gently pushed open, and the old, unlubricated window hinges emitted a somewhat grating groan.

A somewhat weathered face nervously glanced at the magical protective runes engraved on the windowsill. These runes were now slowly emitting a dangerous glow, yet the protective magic itself was having no effect. As a mage spy planted by the Legal Committee within the Kingdom of Saint Steel, the man had successfully evaded several rounds of pursuit and searches by the Black Sun Society. To avoid attracting attention as much as possible, he had had to proactively remove most of the protective magic from his hideout and destroy the magical circuits in many magical tools.

He even resorted to self-harm, turning himself into a somewhat disheveled, lame painter.

All these efforts were worthwhile.

Until now, he has not attracted the attention of the Black Sun Society. Even those strange magical creatures that are extremely sensitive to magic and can accurately hunt down mages have not been able to successfully capture him. He has also been using his pre-hidden communication device to transmit information about the situation in Saint Steel to the Legal Committee.

However, even a seasoned spy as deep as him, who had penetrated the Black Sun Society's territory, never imagined that the Black Sun Society would conduct a magical ritual of this scale in such a peculiar way.

The black canopy that enveloped the entire city not only affected visibility but also severely interfered with the communication device he was using. After several attempts, he was fairly certain that the magical letter explaining the changes within Saint Steel had not been delivered in time.

"These damn lunatics... what are they planning to do this time?"

The old spy cautiously glanced out the window, and after confirming that there was nothing unusual around him, he quickly looked up and scanned the black dome above the city.

He was then surprised to find that as the strange ritual proceeded, new changes appeared on the huge dome—all sorts of twisted patterns appeared on the dome, constantly floating and flashing at a steady speed.

As a member of the Legislative Affairs Commission with ample experience and qualifications, he recognized some of the patterns almost immediately!

"The Poem of the Night? No, not just The Poem of the Night, but also the fissures in the rugged hills..."

His thoughts raced, and he immediately went back inside to retrieve the drawing paper, oil paints, and ink pens he needed for his disguise. He gritted his teeth to calm his racing heart and emotions, looked up at the sky again, and began to sketch the strange patterns on the paper as quickly as possible.

The old spy moved quickly, and before long, many patterns appeared on the flat drawing paper. Naturally, many of them were repeated, but he couldn't care less about that under the circumstances. He could only control the mage's hand to continue the copying work.

However, his gaze inevitably swept over the black sun hidden behind the dark dome, and at that moment, his originally clear and stable thinking was severely disturbed. His vision became unclear, and his consciousness began to waver.

A strange sight appeared.

Similar to what the guests at the banquet had witnessed, the Legal Committee's agent saw a slender female figure gracefully approaching him. As she elegantly extended her palm, everything around her suddenly vanished, and the agent was astonished to find himself in a spacious courtyard.

Here are bizarrely shaped fountains, from which a misty black liquid continuously gushes forth from sculptures whose shapes are difficult to discern. The liquid falls into the wide pool, tumbling and rolling, and in the process, it displays a dazzling light like stars.

The woman draped in a thin veil seemed very interested in him. She wanted to lead the spy forward, but just as she reached out and touched the spy, she suddenly let out a sharp screech.

Her gloved hand was "burned" by some force. The spy saw that the graceful figure was pushed back as if she had been hit hard, and half of her arm was gone, with only faint black threads still floating out from the broken end.

The black veil that had been covering her face disappeared.

Then, an extremely bizarre and distorted terrifying face appeared before the spy's eyes. He was horrified to discover that on this "woman's" face, a series of organs, such as eyes and mouth, were arranged in an abnormal pattern. They were combined in a disorderly and chaotic way.

She was clearly hurt, so she raised her other arm and pointed in the direction of the spy, while letting out an even more piercing scream.

The hallucination vanished at that moment.

The old spy regained his senses. He looked back and saw that the mage's hand that had been helping him copy the patterns inside the room had collapsed and disappeared. On the street below the building, several Black Sun Society guards leading "dark dogs" appeared.

Not only that, he also saw two huge figures flying towards his direction. They were two enormous "Asharu", and on their backs rode Black Sun Society mages wielding weapons.

"I've been exposed!"

He cursed under his breath, then immediately left the window and stuffed the sheets of paper with the dome pattern copied onto them, along with his usual communication notebook, into a package.

Just then, a fierce wind howled outside the window. The spy dared not linger. He picked up the important package, activated the only remaining magical ritual in the room, and rushed to the kitchen, then turned and crawled into a dirty and dark pipe.

Seconds later, a hidden magical flame spread rapidly along the magic circuits embedded in the building. As these flames touched the pre-set alchemical bombs, a violent explosion occurred. The shockwave, mixed with smoke and flames, rushed out of the window and blew "Asaru," which was hovering by the window, out on the spot.

(End of this chapter)