The black sun hangs high

Chapter 381 Talks with the Ocean
The atmosphere in Watchtower and its surrounding area has become more serious and oppressive.

Although the dark domes that shroud other towns of St. Steel dome do not exist in the sky above this area, the ever-growing St. Steel army and the rapidly increasing number of Black Sun Society members still bring extremely exaggerated pressure to the residents of this place.

Besides them, the local residents also have to contend with the black sun that always hangs overhead and the strange creatures that appear from time to time in the gloomy light.

Yes, as the Black Sun Society erected new rituals on this land, those strange figures that once existed only in ancient times gradually reappeared in the present-day Vaan. And at this time, people realized that the dark hounds with long, narrow rat tails and the strange giant bird Asharu soaring in the sky were just the beginning.

In a village by a river, the villagers stumbled upon a giant lizard roaming the waterway. Its body was covered in fine, dark red scales and was much larger than the boats the villagers usually used.

The villagers discovered that these lizards seemed to possess incomprehensible and terrifyingly high temperatures inside their bodies. When they lay on the riverbank, the surrounding silt would dry out and the dry grass would ignite. When they stepped into the water, large amounts of foam and steam would rise in the river water near their bodies. If several lizards moved in the water at the same time, the entire river would begin to boil.

At the border between the two countries of Water and Saint Steel, many Water soldiers on night duty spotted strange shadows in the night sky, which were not the giant birds that the members of the Black Sun Society usually rode.

The soldiers described to their officers what they saw: a giant eagle taking flight from the valley, its body several times larger than those large steel tanks, and when it spread its wings fully, its size was comparable to the giant airships flying over Poulden, the capital of Walter.

Compared to it, the giant eagle of the plateau, which has always been regarded as a spiritual totem by the people of the plateau, appears insignificant.

Almost everyone who saw it believed they had glimpsed the origin and ancestor of all the highland eagles in the legend of Wotel—the eagle god who once ruled the highland with his wings.

Not only in these places, but also in the Isa River basin, many strange phenomena that are difficult for ordinary people to understand have appeared as those ancient forces continue to expand and spread.

The local residents were horrified to discover that at night, black humanoid figures accompanied by strange beasts would always appear. They would appear inexplicably and disappear without a trace, and anyone who encountered them would vanish from the world without exception, whether civilian, soldier, or mage.

In Merlinle, the mages and scholars who had gone mad from observing the anomalies of the black sun and researching evil magic also began to show new symptoms in the past few days.

Although they never left their ward, they seemed to sense something and would always instinctively want to move or worship in the direction of the Kingdom of Saint Steel. Anyone who tried to stop them would be chased and bitten.

In the coastal areas of Merlinle and Saint-St., many residents, fishermen, and marine predators have reported seeing unusual rainbow colors on the sea. They say that the colors seem to have life and consciousness, and that they drift away or dissipate at an extremely fast speed when they try to approach them in their boats. Some people also say that they have seen many large, exaggerated fish in these strange rainbow currents.

However, unlike other strange phenomena that are obviously dangerous, these bizarre sea creatures that appear with a psychedelic aura do not attack any people or ships. They behave like other timid and cautious marine creatures, always doing their best to stay away from the activity areas of all land life.

It is worth mentioning that Mellinle, the Legal Commission, and representatives from other countries temporarily passed a resolution that temporarily banned fishing and hunting activities in Mellinle and all coastal residents near the bay, and ordered everyone to stay away from the waters dominated by psychedelic colors.

Only a very, very small number of people knew that this was the prelude to an extremely special meeting.

The appearance of this strange color signifies that the vast communities hidden in the deep sea have accepted the invitation they extended. Next, representatives from the Vaan Magic Academy, the Dawn Society, and the sea creatures will have direct contact with these unfamiliar and intelligent beings.

To ensure the smooth conduct of this unprecedented meeting, the Legal Committee transformed a very special large venue at the second largest port pier in Merlinle and the bay—half of it was built on the pier and the other half was connected to the sea. The two areas were separated by extremely sturdy alchemical glass and magical rituals, which ensured that the two sides could communicate face-to-face without physical contact.

Time slipped away little by little in this subtle atmosphere.

Finally, on the seventh day after the marine community accepted the invitation to the meeting, dazzling and brilliant colors emerged from the deepest part of the bay. They swept across the sea directly in broad daylight, completely covering the entire sea area outside the dock. Strange shadows of all sizes gathered under the cover of these colors. They successfully touched the edge of the special venue and entered the interior of the venue through the wide waterway that had been reserved.

On the other side, separated by thick alchemical glass and multiple magical rituals, several representatives dressed in solemn attire silently awaited the arrival of this important moment.

Led by Scholar Leger, the members of the Vaan Magic Society stared intently ahead, each summoning their own mage hand, ready to begin recording at any moment. Leger himself, however, appeared extremely excited; his nose, already red, became even redder, which, combined with his extremely solemn face, made him look rather comical.

Beside them, Mayer, the representative of the Dawn Order, sat upright in his seat. Beside him were two relatively young members of the Dawnblade. Compared to Mayer himself, they seemed much more nervous. Their eyes kept involuntarily sweeping over the huge glass in front of them. Although they knew that this transparent barrier, which had been treated by many mages, was even strong enough to withstand a powerful artillery attack head-on, they still felt uneasy.

"Ah... I guess you two can't swim either, just like Darth Vader?"

Meyer always had a knack for pinpointing the emotional nuances of the young people around him, so he said with a smile, “It was supposed to be Darthville who came, but for this reason, it was me instead, haha… Back when I was still in St. Steel, I used to go swimming even in the winter, but I guess I can’t do that anymore.”

Faced with such a joke, the two young members of Dawnblade kept a straight face; they simply couldn't manage a laugh.

Those who were even less able to laugh were the two sea creature representatives on the other side of the venue.

The conference held in Merlinle and this special journey had a profound impact on their understanding and thinking. For these sea people who had always adhered to a philosophy of seclusion, the world today seemed far too strange and cruel. As the "elites" chosen to represent their people at the conference, they had to take on more responsibility. And as the group most intimately connected with the ocean today, they are now under unprecedented pressure.

Through the research conducted by the Vaan Magic Society during this period, the two sea creature representatives have learned that what is about to appear before them is very likely a special being that once completely dominated the boundless ocean in ancient times.

The two sea creatures stared intently at the transparent barrier before them. Illuminated by the pre-installed crystal lamps, the waters in the center of the venue appeared extremely mysterious—the seawater should have been clear and transparent, but now, a very special color was seeping in little by little.

"They've arrived!"

A monk from the Legal Affairs Committee entered the venue and conveyed this important notice to everyone.

Before the words were finished, the people in the hall saw a somewhat blurry shadow in the water in front of them.

Within seconds, the shadowy mass was in front of everyone—a large group of fish that seemed unremarkable at first glance. But as they approached the glass, people discovered that they were actually a strange group of creatures modified by the power of "life".

Infused with immense vitality, these fish acquired numerous features not originally their own: heads of varying sizes, exaggerated sharp teeth, or body structures derived from other marine creatures... Such anomalies were intricately piled upon their bodies, forming a spectacular and distorted astonishing picture.

As if formally announcing their arrival, the school of fish quickly moved away after sweeping across the glass wall. Then, further out in the water, a huge shadow slowly emerged.

It was an exceptionally large shark. Unlike other fish affected by the power of the color of life, its body did not undergo exaggerated twisting and distortion. Instead, its size increased significantly. Its enormous head and slender body made it exude explosive power. On its back rode a humanoid figure covered in scales.

Upon seeing the shark and the humanoid figure, the two sea creature representatives couldn't help but tremble. Overwhelmed by their emotions, they stood up from their seats—to their astonishment, they discovered that the shadow approaching them was strikingly similar to the image of the "Messenger of the Sea God" from the ancient legends of the sea creatures.

Meyer also stood up, but the reason he stood up was because the figure in front of him now was strikingly similar to the "humanoid monster" that had left a deep impression on countless people on the night the Dawn Society's headquarters was attacked.

Leger and other scholars were equally excited.

As pure researchers, they have recently drawn a number of bizarre conclusions based on existing intelligence and samples that even they themselves dare not believe. And what is happening now is adding the most powerful stroke to their speculations and conjectures.

As the "representative" of the ocean community approached, the pre-arranged ritual site and the surfaces of numerous esoteric devices began to glow faintly with magical light. Within the extremely expensive and intricate magical patterns, a reassuring magical light began to flow. Some of this magic traveled along these patterns to the side of the glass barrier and activated the special magic embedded within it.

At that moment, the sound from both ends of the venue circulated completely. The strange humanoid riding the giant shark paused noticeably for a moment, but then it returned to normal and continued to urge its mount closer.

Finally, it reached the spotlight and revealed itself completely to everyone.

Its slightly bulging eyes began to move, and its cold yet intelligent gaze pierced through the transparent barrier, landing on the many attendees.

Compared to the scholars like Leger, this "messenger" was clearly more concerned about the three of them. It first carefully examined the two sea creature representatives who were in a state of excitement, and then turned its gaze to Mayer on the other side, and stared at him for a long time.

Finally, the scholars couldn't hold back any longer, but just as they were about to speak, the figure covered in scales suddenly raised its arm and pressed its webbed hand against the glass wall.

A mesmerizing array of life colors suddenly appeared behind it. The spread of these strange powers severely interfered with the operation of the secret rituals in the venue. Many crystal lamps installed in the water were also quickly extinguished under its influence. Moreover, people were horrified to discover that these strange colors had actually "flowed" into the interior of the glass wall and were rapidly extending along the original magical patterns.

In just a few seconds, it successfully penetrated the barrier and, like a tangible tentacle, meandered toward the crowd.

Just as everyone was looking at each other in bewilderment, one of the sea creature representatives seemed to be summoned by an invisible force.

He suddenly took two steps forward, then quickened his pace, and stood straight in front of the glass wall.

Then, the tentacles of the color of life gently reached forward and softly touched the sea creature representative. The next moment, mesmerizing colors climbed into the sea creature representative's pupils and filled the gaps between the tiny scales on his cheeks.

The sea creature slowly turned around, ignoring his own people, as well as the wary scholars and mages, and looked directly at Mayer, who was protected by two members of the Dawnblade.

"I remember you... Last time, that traitor was standing next to you. Where is he now?"

(End of this chapter)