The black sun hangs high

Chapter 379 "Is it alright?"

Hughes felt the intense enthusiasm of the young officer before him very keenly.

During their previous encounters, he had already used his magic and the abilities of the Roots of Fate to thoroughly confirm his mental state and specific thoughts.

After careful consideration, he extended an invitation on behalf of the Dawn Society and brought them into the current plan.

However, this does not mean that Hugh would completely trust the other party.

Although the task assigned to this young officer was not particularly difficult, in the current high-pressure environment, having a firm will and strong enthusiasm alone is not enough. While these two can greatly enhance a person's motivation when carrying out a mission, sometimes they may also have some negative effects or even cause fatal oversights.

Therefore, when Hugh handed over the Dawn Society badge to the other party, several hidden swarms of magical rats immediately began their surveillance and protection duties.

Preparing backup plans in advance, and providing an additional contingency plan for each backup plan... This kind of nested thinking has become an instinctive habit of Hughes. Fortunately, Hughes can completely "delegate" these extra tedious tasks to his helpers, and the Ernst family members are usually quite idle, so they are very happy to participate in such activities.

With sufficient safeguards in place, even if this new member of the Dawn Society does make a mistake, Hugh can find a way to rectify it.

Although this young officer named Stepan has not yet shown many particularly commendable qualities, in today's Saint Steel, his ability to remain steadfast in his original beliefs under the heavy pressure and surveillance of the Black Sun Society is enough to impress Hughes.

The miners who returned to the mine confirmed Hugh's assessment.

According to them, even in the past, Stepan was very mild-mannered and friendly towards the miners. On some occasions, he would even risk speaking up for the miners and exonerating them in front of the association members.

It is ironic that this kindness, which was not particularly outstanding in the past, has now become an unforgettable virtue.

Hugh stood by the window, silently watching the officer walk quickly into the distance.

"If he knew that you were actually using him as bait, he would probably be very disappointed, right?"

Vera's voice came from a corner of the room.

At this moment, she was not using the disguise of the head maid, but was sitting behind the desk in her true appearance. She had naturally seen the entire conversation between Hugh and the young officer Stepan.

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

Hugh turned his head and looked at Vera with some confusion.

She looked up, her eyebrows behind her glasses twitching slightly. "You must be very worried about those 'Sharp-beaked Owls,' right? I noticed that from the moment they appeared, you've consistently placed a portion of your magic around them. This shows that you desperately want to keep a close watch on them... You suspect that there are spies from the Society among them?"

"Ah."

Faced with Verin's question, Hughes made no attempt to hide anything and nodded directly: "In fact, I don't just suspect, I think the Black Sun Society would never let go of any opportunity to monitor its members... especially someone like Fiorlando who has certain leadership skills, he is their key target."

He controlled the mage's hand and handed a document to Vilin: "I checked it before and found that there were some discrepancies before and after 'Sharp-beaked Owl's' resupply and rest in Watchtower. The member list should have been modified, as there are residual magical traces on it. Moreover, the distribution of supplies does not correspond to the specific number of people. This indicates that the composition of the private army changed during this process."

Vera took the document in her hand and quickly examined it. She found that there were indeed traces of magic left behind, very subtle, which an ordinary mage might not be able to detect at all. So she asked, "So, the Society's people infiltrated at this time?"

"They didn't even sneak in; they entered openly and legitimately through personnel replenishment or replacement. In fact, the officers in charge of this were already members of the society."

"Tsk, your subordinates are certainly very loyal."

“I didn’t treat them as subordinates.”

Hughes smiled and shook his head: "Actually, I don't want to get rid of these monitors. The informants that have been exposed can't really be considered informants. I just need to know who they might be... And now, I need them to pass on some important information for me."

"for example?"

"For example, Baron Feorlando is diligent and conscientious, and forever loyal to the Black Sun Society. He not only completes all the tasks and targets assigned by the Society, but also obeys all its instructions. He is even very much looking forward to and enthusiastic about the upcoming gathering..."

Seeing Baron Fiorento's face contorted in ecstasy under Hugh's control, Vera's brows furrowed: "How disgusting."

"That's what makes it disgusting."

Hugh shrugged: "The more disgusted you find it, the more they like it... Maybe after the gathering starts, some old acquaintances will even let me go on stage to receive an award. When I come back with the Black Sun Society's reward, I'll let you all see it. This kind of thing is rare."

Upon hearing this, Wei Lin's expression immediately darkened.

She gently pushed the magic sand table in front of her aside and turned her gaze to Hugh: "The Allied Forces' offensive posture and intentions are no secret at all. The troops within Saint Steel are also being moved to these key defensive lines. This so-called association meeting is very likely a mobilization meeting before the outbreak of war again... People who can attend such a meeting are not simple."

Her gaze was incredibly sharp, almost piercing through the disguise covering Hugh's soul: "Besides, there was just a commotion near Watchtower City. Even if you've cleared your name now, you still can't escape the attention of others..."

Vera sighed softly: "I know you're very confident in your abilities, but what if the person standing in front of you is that mysterious Black Sun Society leader, or a deep-sea mage like Yetvich who betrayed Vaan? Do you really have a way to hide it? What if they plan to do something dangerous to you? Do you want to force your way out like last time?" As she said this, she raised her hand, pointed forcefully at Hughes, then at her feet, and then pointed twice towards the mine.

Clearly, from a personal perspective, Violet absolutely disagrees with Hugh's next plan and ideas, even though under the current circumstances, it is obviously a decision that can further expand the situation and gains, and completely establish a foothold in the enemy's territory.

However, this decision is also destined to bring extremely high risks. If an accident occurs, not only will Hugh himself be in dire straits, but the Rock Lake Mine, which has already taken the shape of a stronghold, and everyone in it will inevitably face the reckoning and pursuit of the Black Sun Society.

However, they have now come this far.

Over the past few nights, Veraine and the other agents have been working diligently to prepare the backup plans.

These plans encompass a wide range of aspects and possibilities, including plans to further expand their advantage and influence after the Black Sun Society's gatherings have concluded, as well as methods for the evacuation and concealment of personnel in the mines after Hugh's exposure and the subsequent accident.

One solution was missing.

If Hugh Ernst is unfortunately exposed and falls into the hands of the Black Sun Society, how should people rescue him?

Such an important contingency plan should have been prepared in advance, but those plans were rejected by Hugh himself in the early stages of their proposal. According to him, if he were exposed in that situation, the remaining people should think about how to protect their own safety and advance the subsequent mission as much as possible, rather than focusing on any rescue.

Hugh looked at Vera and calmly replied, "You've made ample preparations. If anything unexpected happens, just execute the plans—break into smaller units and disperse them throughout Saint Steel..."

"Snapped!"

Vera slammed her hand on the table. Her usually expressionless face twitched violently. She was silent for a few seconds before squeezing out the words through her teeth: "You know that's not what I wanted to say at all!"

She placed her palm on her spellbook: "Last time... last time you managed to escape from them, you ultimately used a spell that I reconstructed from the 'Poem of the Night,' which is very unstable and has no way to be tested."

"This time, I've prepared it for you as well, on the last three pages of this book."

She pursed her lips tightly, forcibly controlling her emotions that were about to explode with magic. Her voice became softer and her tone gentler again. However, this change made her next words sound like a plea, or even a pleas.

“I dislike things that are not planned, and I abhor anything that is unstable and uncontrollable, including magic and risky behavior… I have seen your experiences, which are indeed legendary, and your past adventures have certainly brought you many successes, but they should not be your only choice and means.”

As she spoke, the young female mage gently pushed the brand-new spellbook forward: "I won't stop you. Just like you said, proceed according to plan. But this time, please don't take so long to return the book, okay?"

……

"Baron Fiorentino is already preparing for the rally. He's very serious about it, perhaps more so than most of us."

In the evening, in a study, Tatiana, dressed in a black society robe and standing ramrod straight, was giving an important report.

Tatiana remained head down, and continued, "It's certain that he's preparing according to the habits of Northern soldiers, and in the past two days, he's also consciously increased the output of crystal ore from the Rock Lake Mine. It seems he's preparing to make up for his previous mistakes in this way."

The person listening to the report slowly turned around. It was none other than Krzyslov, a core member of the society who had once met Hugh.

On the surface, although Kizlov was not a core leader of the Black Sun Society, few could compare with his status and influence within the society. Even the number two leader, Herbert Galton, could not directly give Kizlov any instructions.

Especially after that disastrous meeting, Kezlov's position within the society had even subtly surpassed that of the second-in-command.

Herbert was very smart. He was well aware of how foolish his previous oversights had been. Therefore, after admitting his mistakes and accepting the punishment, he consciously gave up his original position.

Herbert is now focused on cooperating with the "Society of Poseidon," while the association's affairs and powers that he was originally in charge of have been directly transferred to Kozlov by the head of the organization.

Upon receiving the corresponding mission, this core member of the society, who possessed astonishing strength and extremely rich experience, transformed from a scholar who had helped the society excavate lost ruins and divine artifacts into a strict, ruthless, and meticulous manager.

Upon learning of the serious unrest near Watchtower, he immediately arrived and took charge of all matters in the area.

"Hmm... to make amends for the mistake."

Kuzlov slowly repeated what Tatiana had said, then shook his head: "You are my student, and in my memory, you always do a good job with those tasks, but you always have one flaw—you like to make judgments based on your own false assumptions before you have reached a conclusion."

Tatiana kept her head down, not daring to utter a single word.

Then she heard her teacher say, "I saw the so-called killing scene... Indeed, an ordinary spellcaster could never do this. The killer who slaughtered our entire stronghold was very special. The power he used, his thoughts, and his plans were all very special. Moreover, it seems that he also possessed a particularly interesting method that could deceive our secret ritual and change his appearance."

“Tatiana, tell me, when do you think that infiltrator... when exactly did he enter our ranks and begin his activities?”

(End of this chapter)