The black sun hangs high

Chapter 370 Dead End
Unlike other mines in Vaan, the relationship between a significant number of miners and mine managers at the Rock Lake Mine is very harmonious, which is related to the local traditions of St. Steel and Watchtower City.

The people of St. Steel place great importance on kinship, especially in areas near the plains and the Isa River. Family and blood ties serve as an important bond connecting local residents with their settlements.

Scholars in Vanne generally believe that this custom of the Saint-St. is closely related to the harsh local climate.

Long before the concept of kingdoms existed, these inhabitants of the North often lived in family groups, and even formed tribes based on these families. To survive in this cold and harsh environment, they had to choose to trust and be close to their tribes. Within these tribes, people who were related by blood were closer to each other.

This is a very natural and reasonable choice.

In the eyes of some scholars who specialize in studying the social structure of Saint-St., the Saint-St. royal family was established on the basis of such a social structure. In fact, a considerable number of people believe that the reason why the Saint-St. royal family has been so "long-lived" and stable among the ruling class is fundamentally due to this repeatedly emphasized kinship.

The Watchtower City, located on the border of the Kingdom of Saint Steel and adjacent to the plains, places even greater importance on such kinship ties.

In Watchtower, there's even a classic joke circulating about it.

When a criminal is arrested and taken to Watchtower prison, he always has a smile on his face because he feels like he's coming home—his distant cousin arrested him, his father guarded him, and his aunt interrogated him… When he is released, no one comes to take him away; he just needs to take the form to his relatives to sign.

Although the joke may seem exaggerated, it is indeed a true reflection of the kinship relationships among the residents of Watchtower.

Hadra, a former member of a large chamber of commerce, was certainly not a kind and generous philanthropist, but he had extremely real and profound feelings for the wars that had taken place in the past, for the land beneath his feet, and for the relatives who lived on this land.

Hadera was filled with love for his homeland and for Saint Steel, and he was incredibly devout to the flame of life he believed in. Yet, he was also filled with longing for his stable and peaceful past.

If it weren't for this war, if it weren't for that black shadow in the sky, if it weren't for that damned Black Sun Society...

Such thoughts would always flash through Hadra's mind, but he knew that in the current environment, these thoughts were nothing but illusory fantasies. What he was really facing was no longer the wonderful life he could look forward to, but those terrifying beings shrouded in the light and shadow of despair.

Those overseers and soldiers carrying deadly weapons were among them.

The Black Sun Society mage who used vicious magic to kill the miners' leader was one of them.

That damned baron who had just taken over the camp and wanted to take action against these miners to establish his authority was one of them!

Especially this baron.

Hadra had managed to maintain basic composure when facing the ruthless sorcerer from the previous society, but when that young face appeared before him, Hadra felt an unprecedented fear—he felt as if his memories had been dug out, and all his secrets, whether emotions, experiences, or fleeting thoughts, seemed to be seen through by the other party. This made him lose his last bit of security and all confidence in the current situation.

These naive young men were gleeful at the fact that the overseers were being assigned to work, but Hadra, with his wealth of experience and understanding of the mindset of those "big shots," was terrified.

He didn't see it as a meager act of goodwill from Baron Fiorlando towards the miners, nor did he believe it was a sign of the baron looking down on them. In this signal, Hadra sensed only an overwhelming sense of threat.

Although the grain stored in the warehouse was of poor quality, it was still a very important resource. The fact that the baron chose to discard it so casually showed that he did not care about the future or the fate of these miners. All he cared about was the empty rooms and warehouses that could be used by his private army, and the fortifications that could be used as a battlefield defense line later. That was all!

Hadra told the miners about the details he had observed and his conjectures without reservation, which silenced everyone in the room. Then, the old supervisor looked at the tall, thin middle-aged man.

He became the new leader of the miners' group after the previous leader died from the vicious spell of the sorcerer.

However, the middle-aged man did not have much prestige in the mine. The main reason was that he was not a local of Watchtower City. People only knew that he was a soldier who had retired from the front lines, possibly a soldier or even an officer.

He was the deputy to the previous leader and his important advisor, but within the miners' group, few people knew his background or even his real name; they simply referred to him as 'the veteran'.

“Uncle Hadera, if things are really as you suspect, then you might be in danger too… especially since you’ve come all this way to see us.”

Although the veteran was not a local and had no blood relation with these miners, he still used this rather affectionate title for the mine manager.

To this, the old supervisor simply shook his head: "Didn't you hear what they said? War is about to break out again soon, and this time the situation will be even more dangerous. I don't know how many countries' armies might attack Watchtower. At that time, everywhere will be a battlefield... Our home will be destroyed soon, which is no different from killing me."

He sighed. "I can sense that the baron is serious. He really wants to do something with that list, so you absolutely have to leave..."

At this point, Hadra lowered his voice: "Didn't you dig out an abandoned tunnel left over from the old mine when you were excavating Mine No. 6? Just go out from there! Barça mentioned this to me secretly two days before he died. He said you had already secretly explored this tunnel, right?"

"That's right, it can indeed move, and it's quite stable. There's even wind inside... but we have no idea where it leads."

"That's enough! Even if it leads to the sea, you must go in!"

The old man adopted a certain air of authority, raising his hand as if to slam it on the table to emphasize his words, but then quickly withdrew it, fearing it would cause too much of a commotion. He licked his dry lips and said, "I kept a batch of the leftover rations from today, and added a few dried fish and two bottles of sweet wine... Don't look at me like that, that stuff tastes awful, I don't even like drinking it!"

He stared at the middle-aged man and said, "Soldier, you have to take responsibility. Lead them away, at least the vast majority of them, through that tunnel... Even if you hide in there for a few days, you can find a way to escape..."

Before he could finish speaking, the middle-aged man stepped forward, bent down, and gave the old man in front of him a big hug.

After a brief embrace, the veteran released his supervisor and whispered, "Uncle Hadera, you have to come with us... If that baron is really as you say, a ruthless killer, then there's no point in you staying. If all the miners leave, he won't need you, the mine supervisor, for anything." Old Hadera's lips trembled; he wanted to argue, but before he could speak, the young man who had opened the door for him hurriedly chimed in, "Yes, Uncle, you have to come with us... The veteran can't control the others; they trust you more."

Having said all that, it wasn't up to Hadra to decide whether to agree or not. So the miners in the room immediately sprang into action. They quickly slipped out of the house and made their way toward the sheds and houses where the other miners were gathered. Meanwhile, the veteran and a few others dug up a pile of soft soil in the corner of the room and pulled out a wooden box from it.

After opening the box, a collection of weapons of various kinds appeared before everyone's eyes.

Short knives and swords made from discarded shovels and picks are naturally indispensable. In addition, there are some handy tools that miners often use when working in the mine, such as small hammers for striking rocks and small shovels with their edges already sharpened.

Beneath these things were several actual weapons.

"A rotary crystal gun, the old design, which I modified using methods from the military... It may not be very effective, but it should be able to fire."

As the veteran spoke, he quickly checked the condition of the makeshift firearms. After confirming that they should all be functioning properly, he distributed the weapons to several veterans who followed him. Then he went to the corner of his bed, pried open a wooden board, and took out a cloth bag hidden under the board.

"There are only so many crystal bullets, ten for each person, not one more and not one less."

And so, these former soldiers and miners silently completed their final preparations. They loaded bullets into the magazines of the crystal guns and armed themselves with the rudimentary weapons that had been distributed to them.

“Uncle Hadera, you have to help us clear a path… It’s still a distance to the mine, and there’s a sentry post along the way. We have to find a way to take them down…”

Then, the veteran turned to the soldiers and warned them fiercely, "Remember, everyone, we cannot fire a shot until everyone has retreated into the mine, under no circumstances!"

Hadera, his hand trembling, grabbed the veteran's: "Soldier, are you planning to save everyone?"

"Of course not possible."

The veteran shook his head firmly: "Those who have already joined the society, or who intend to join, could become traitors. We... we cannot afford that risk. We will not notify these people or their locations."

Upon hearing this, the old manager gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, let's go now!"

……

These soldiers, who had witnessed the brutality of the battlefield firsthand, had been preparing for this moment for a long time.

The previous mining leader, Barça, strongly disagreed with this preparation. He always believed that the mines and miners were very important, both now and in the future, and no one would destroy such an important facility—they always need laborers, right?
The veterans have always been strongly opposed to Barcelona's somewhat naive ideas, but a few people alone cannot persuade Barcelona.

Perhaps, as he slowly suffocates under the malevolent magic cast by the sorcerer, he will regret his past thoughts?

Warm blood splashed onto the veteran's lips, and the familiar smell of blood returned to his world once again.

The veteran's figure was hidden in the darkness behind the crystal spotlight. He forcefully covered the sentry's mouth, and the short knife that had just grazed his neck was quickly twirled in his hand before being plunged into the sentry's chest.

Once, twice...

Soon, the body he had bound stopped moving.

The veteran took a deep breath and pushed the body aside into the darkness. He noticed a faint light flickering on the other watchtower, indicating that the other sentry post had also been cleared out.

This was a very, very good start, but the veterans weren't exactly happy.

His cautious nature and keen intuition have saved him many times.

This was true on the battlefield, and even more so after fleeing the front lines.

And now, what is happening before his eyes is making him uneasy once again.

Although they had no way out now, the situation inside the mine seemed to be somewhat different from what he had imagined. Although in the past, there weren't many soldiers and guards stationed inside the Rock Lake Mine at night, at least the magical rituals should have been in operation, not to mention the terrifying dark hounds left near the outposts. The veteran had long been prepared to fight these strange beasts.

However, neither the magical alarm nor the attack of those terrifying dark hounds has occurred.

The security level at the mine seems a bit... a bit too low.

The veteran glanced at the corner of the watchtower in confusion, and then he noticed that the metal augury that was supposed to maintain the operation of the magical ritual had some pits and cracks on it, and it was these cracks that made the augury completely ineffective...

"It was sabotaged beforehand? Who did it? It couldn't have been a rat, could it?"

(End of this chapter)