The black sun hangs high

Chapter 361 The First Step of Unity

The two points that the monk Edmund made greatly deepened the speculation that Hugh had already made.

At the outset of the war, news of the mysterious attack on the Cedar Scholars' Tower complex caused a sensation for a short time. However, this important news was ultimately overshadowed by the intense changes in the situation that followed.

After all, for ordinary people, no matter how high the status of the Cedar Scholars' Tower complex is in Vann, its practical significance cannot compare with their own real life.

When they themselves or their family and friends are affected by the war, the news about the Cedar Scholars' Tower Group becomes worthless.

Of course, this news still had a considerable impact among spellcasters who knew some of the inside story. After all, in Vaan, there were very few means to easily destroy the Deep Sea Mage Tower and cause it significant damage, and even fewer people had the courage to openly launch an attack.

In the very short time following the incident, the Legislative Affairs Commission conducted a detailed investigation and questioning of those who had the ability and opportunity to do this, but the conclusions reached left everyone puzzled.

No one is a suspect.

There was no army carrying heavy weaponry and attempting to bombard the Scholars' Tower complex!

"At that time, I didn't know that Yetvich was already serving the Black Sun Society... Given our private relationship, I asked him about the details behind the so-called 'attack,' and he very generously showed me a fragment of a cryptic record from inside the Cedar Scholars' Tower complex."

Edmund stated, “In that fragmented image, I saw a similar scene—a black arc of light that I couldn’t analyze with conventional magical knowledge. It burst forth from nothingness and shattered all the defenses on the Scholar’s ​​Tower complex in the most direct way. The collision lasted only a moment, but the resulting magical explosion was astonishing. I even saw that after destroying all the defenses, the arc of light swept across the top of the tower, leaving huge gaps in the massive stone bricks that were a mixture of countless precious materials.”

At this point, Edmund sighed, "We have repeatedly demonstrated and calculated that it is absolutely not something that can be done by human power. At least in the existing magic and alchemy system, we cannot find a corresponding solution or any possibility that matches it... even in theory."

The deep-sea mage's tone carried a hint of disappointment, yet at the same time, he was extremely confident. This was a distinctive characteristic of mages whose foundation was rigor and logic; although they might be troubled by difficult problems, they were also full of confidence in the meticulous calculations they made.

Edmund's words were, in effect, a form of indirect evidence to support Hugh's conjecture.

Since it's not human power, then it must be so-called "divine power".

Or perhaps it was a terrifying method that current spellcasters could hardly comprehend.

Hugh narrowed his eyes, his memories surging rapidly. In just a few breaths, his immense mental power helped him successfully find the corresponding image in his mountain of memories.

He remembered that on the day the Cedar Scholars' Tower complex was attacked, a faceless god of conspiracy had disappeared from the Dream Sanctuary for quite some time, and when he reappeared, his clothes were noticeably torn, almost as if...

"It's like they ran out of an explosion site."

Although there was no further evidence, Hugh already had the answer in his mind. He recalled the amazing and terrifying black arc he had seen in the crystal ball, and he was even more certain of the answer.

Without a second thought, they sneaked into enemy territory and launched a fierce attack on some important targets...

This unpredictable and chaotic style is indeed consistent with the character displayed by Theseus.

"But why would He do that?"

Just as Hugh began to ponder this question, the elven mages simultaneously began to mobilize their magic, and a huge and clear magical map appeared before them. Within seconds of seeing this map, Hugh's confusion was resolved.

As Edmund had said before, the only city whose Dark Dome had been unsealed had a very special geographical location.

The city of St. Steel has a long name. In Common Tongue, it is called "Alenbaru Strsk Bertal," which translates to "City of the Strait, Courage and Watch" in the Northern dialect. It is also commonly known as "Watch City."

Even from the name "Watchtower City," you can see its special nature.

The North Bay near this city is an extension of Mellinle and the bay. Watchtower itself is not used as a major port, but it is the most powerful protector and transportation hub of the nearby seaports. The nearby mountains can shield it from extreme storms, and the wide road built between the mountains allows people, goods and supplies to enter and leave with great efficiency.

In addition, this place is also the intersection of several important routes on the border of St. Steel. Therefore, in the past, Watchtower has witnessed countless battles and struggles, and it has been rebuilt many times due to the intensity of the wars.

"I'm sure if we showed this map and that previous footage to the soldiers on the plateau, they would immediately get excited..."

The obese elven mage said in a low voice, "I remember the soldiers of Voltel seem to have always been very interested in this city?"

Hughes nodded and said, “The students and trainee officers in the military academy easily get into arguments about the defense of this city, and it seems that there are sand table exercises based on this every year... Unfortunately, I have never witnessed it firsthand.”

Lady Delalie smiled and said, "Let the Legal Committee handle these matters. There are military personnel from various countries in Merlinle right now. As long as they're not fools, they'll definitely see the importance of this matter. Even if they're slow to react, Princess Sophia will surely make a move."

Then she winked at Hughes: "Mr. Ernst, am I right?"

"?"

Hugh's mood became somewhat complicated, but he still nodded in agreement. He could confirm that he had not been followed or monitored during his time in Merlinle and during the operation, but such news, which was particularly prone to causing scandals, always spread extremely quickly.

He quickly dismissed these irrelevant concerns and said, “Once this conversation ends, I will immediately inform the Dawn Society. Many people are eager to take new measures and try new approaches against the Black Sun Society… This will be a great opportunity for those soldiers whose hometown is in St. Steel.”

“I will remind some people in the Legislative Council of this situation. We need Saint Steeles now, the more the better.”

Edmund nodded, then stood up and pointed to Watchtower City on the magic map. He said to Hugh, "Regardless of whether the parties can reach an agreement on the alliance, we hope to launch an operation targeting Watchtower City and the surrounding area, and this operation greatly needs your participation, Mr. Ernst."

"I?"

"Yes, I can live without anyone else, but I must have you."

……

This night was much calmer than the last one.

Despite the lingering fear and dread caused by the previous horrific attacks, for some reason, the eerie beasts that could have leaped out of the shadows at any moment did not reappear.

However, those who had previously looked directly at the black sun and survived the first wave of attacks did not feel relieved.

They felt as if they had been marked by the most terrifying hunter; strange, indistinct voices constantly echoed in their minds, reminding them that the hunt was imminent, regardless of time or place, day or night…

While these survivors were mired in that long and agonizing ordeal, the mages responsible for studying the Dark Abyss Hounds had already completed the initial verification of the suggestions given by Hugh.

They initially confirmed that these terrifying predators from a distant world, who harbored a general sense of dread towards the beings of Vaan, were actually a very special kind of magical beast.

"They are purely magical creatures, or even 'magical creatures,' because these hounds do not need a physical form, or the so-called physical form is just a non-essential structure for them to contain magic."

“We can use the magic we have to hurt or even destroy them, and when their power is exhausted, the remains left behind will be even more astonishing.”

“After the few of the stronger hounds were successfully killed, they left behind a peculiar set of remains—we initially thought they were their bones, but we soon discovered that they were actually some oddly shaped minerals.”

"Furthermore, we also observed that a considerable number of the captured hounds appeared exceptionally weak. Their strength was slowly dwindling, and once their strength was exhausted, they would perish on their own. These weak hounds left no trace. It seems that their nature is similar to that of summoned creatures in our understanding, a pure aggregate of power."

"..."

After the meeting ended, Vivian returned to the rest area without even changing her clothes. She quickly read the report that the Legal Committee had urgently sent, and at the end of the document, she saw something that would truly interest her.

They were two very clear magical images, engraved with the patterns left on the ore after the hounds had perished.

The familiar pattern appeared before Weilin's eyes once again.

Although most of them were unfamiliar, relying on her previous experience, Vera immediately recognized the meaning of several patterns. She looked up in surprise, instinctively wanting to grab someone to share her discovery. However, she then realized that the person who had the ability and authority to listen to these sharing sessions hadn't returned yet...

Weilin raised her eyebrows helplessly, and was about to sit down at the table to continue looking at the documents in her hand when she caught a slightly tired face peeking in from the doorway out of the corner of her eye.

"Well, I guess I haven't rested yet... Richard told me the meeting just ended a little while ago, so I guess I got back in time."

When Hughes noticed Vera staring at him, he shrugged. "To be honest, those 'old guys' aren't as legendary as I imagined. Well... at least they're definitely more alive and well than the legends say..."

"Come here quickly."

Veraine's demeanor immediately returned to normal. She interrupted Hugh's pleasantries, her voice seemingly brimming with boundless energy. With a wave of her hand, the Mage Hand immediately moved an empty chair over for her, then floated to the side and fetched two clean water glasses.

She pointed to the distorted patterns on the paper in front of her: "I've seen them several times, in 'The Poem of the Night,' and in the rugged hills... These patterns are very important. Is the Legal Committee willing to show these things to us because you convinced those... 'old guys'?"

For Vilin, being able to use such terms to refer to those legendary mages was already a rare display of indulgence and humor.

“Theoretically, that’s true, but I think their overtures are just a pretext for their upcoming plans… Tell me your findings first, and let me see if they’re worth it.”

Hugh took a sip from his water glass; sure enough, it was another sugary energy drink.

I don't know how Weilin can sleep normally when she drinks these things all day.

Veraine was quite curious about what Hugh said about "worth the price", but she remained restrained and instead pointed to the patterns in front of her and said, "I recognized five in total, and they are these."

She stretched out her finger and nimbly traced a few lines on the paper, and bright, magical lines immediately circled the target pattern she was referring to.

Then, Vera explained, “I figured out their meanings through the Poems of the Night and the ‘victims’ of the rugged hills. They mean ‘chase or hunt,’ ‘great,’ ‘shadow,’ ‘clearing or courtyard,’ and ‘end.’”

"You mean, these patterns are actually characters?"

"That's one way to understand it, but they are more likely to be a special carrier that combines magical patterns and text, which can be used to transmit messages and also to carry power. In short, I don't recommend treating them like ordinary text."

Vera tapped her fingers rapidly on the table twice: "If we could get more samples to compare, maybe we'd make some additional discoveries... Why do you look so strange?"

"Because your wish will probably come true very soon."

(End of this chapter)