The black sun hangs high

Chapter 389 The Attitude of Negotiation
In the eyes of these people busy arguing, the status of the Dawn Society and Mayer is still relatively limited.

Despite the remarkable vitality and potential this emerging organization has demonstrated over the past period, and even the establishment of its own legion, in the eyes of veteran politicians, the so-called Dawn Society is nothing more than a pawn chosen and supported by the Legal Committee to balance the situation.

Many even believe that the Dawn Society was just a bunch of unlucky guys being used by the Legal Committee, clinging to unrealistic ideas of restoring Saint Steel.

Therefore, when they put forward the idea of ​​"handing over Hugh Ernst", they did not even show much respect to the Akatsuki representatives present. Even when they spoke, they would look at the representatives of the Legal Committee first, as if the attitude of these mages was equivalent to the attitude of the Akatsuki.

Therefore, even after Meyer coughed heavily twice, very few people were willing to pay attention to him. Seeing this, Meyer silently shook his head, then sighed, suddenly reached out and took a thick stack of books and documents from his assistant, raised his arm sharply and then brought it down hard.

Then, a very solid "thud" instantly interrupted almost everyone's conversation.

Meyer used so much force that a small portion of the pile of documents even slipped out of his control and flew into the air or further away.

The officials who had been arguing fiercely with Darthavel and other members of the Dawn Society glared at Meyer. However, before they could even speak, the "extremely impolite" Dawn Society leader said to old Vika, who was not far away, "Professor Vika, if these gentlemen from Hein and Deland want to accuse me of being rude and uncouth, then I would like to ask for your permission in advance—so that I may slap these documents directly in their faces."

As soon as these words were spoken, the remaining jumbled noises disappeared.

It wasn't because the people present were actually giving Meyer face, but because Meyer's tone and wording were indeed very unfriendly, and his hand was on the pile of documents that had just been slammed onto the table, as if he would take immediate action if Vika nodded in agreement.

No one wants to have a real conflict with someone at this time and in this place, as it is a very "face-saving" thing.

Old Vika waved his hand helplessly, slowly rose from his seat, and scanned the entire hall with his eyes. A helpless and bitter smile appeared on his face: "Everyone here should have heard what the messenger of that group said... I am increasingly convinced that what he said is correct, because we are indeed very good at arguing."

He chuckled twice, and seeing that Mayer had returned to his seat for the Dawn Society members, he continued, "Alright, those who actually spoke with those 'Deep Sea Visitors' have come before us. Tell me, what are your opinions?"

As he spoke, Vika's gaze drifted to the scholars of the Vaan Magic Society standing to the side.

Leger's large nose is now very red, a sign of his nervousness and lack of confidence.

If it were an academic discussion, he would be confident enough to stand before these people and speak eloquently. However, the question posed to him now was rather thorny.

Because the messages conveyed by the deep-sea community messengers did not primarily affect the plans and arrangements that the various forces might implement next, but rather directly involved a fundamental issue of cognition.

That is, the definition of the goddess Mel and the current world of Vain.

It's unlikely anyone would have the courage to discuss such a topic directly in front of so many loyal members of the Legislative Affairs Commission; it's simply too delicate and dangerous.

“Mr. Leger, there’s no need to worry about those issues… What we’re discussing now is the relationship between these deep-sea guests and the Black Sun Society and that black sun, as well as the strategies we might employ.”

When old Vika uttered these words, his gaze also fell upon the spellcasters in the hall who were exceptionally devout in their faith in the goddess of magic—an invisible hint and warning.

Now, if any idiot were to suddenly jump out, there's a good chance he'd drag the conversation into that dangerous and pointless quagmire.

Scholar Leger took two deep breaths before speaking: "Professor Vika, and everyone here... Just now, the Vain Magic Society has reached a preliminary conclusion. Combining our research findings and intelligence, we believe that these ancient creatures in the deep sea are indeed very likely to stand in opposition to the Black Sun and the Black Sun Society."

As soon as these words were spoken, a commotion broke out in the hall. A considerable number of people had no goodwill whatsoever towards these ocean tribes who worshipped the so-called sea god Carron and directly slandered and attacked the goddess Mel. There was no basis for any trust between them. Therefore, they immediately became resistant to the judgment of scholars such as Leger.

Leger ignored this.

He gritted his teeth and continued, "Our judgment is based on clear evidence... We have studied a large number of samples taken from the Windless Fleet, as well as from the Kingdom of Hein and the Duchy of Burt, and made detailed comparisons with the ancient magic we have learned that originated from the Black Sun Society."

“We are convinced that the power from the deep sea is purer and closer to the magic we discuss in normal circumstances. Moreover, within these samples, we have found many magical lines and models that are common to healing magic and rituals... At least in terms of the power they possess, they are not lying. They are indeed very ‘pure’ and have no connection with so-called ‘evil magic’!”

Upon hearing this, some of the skeptical people quieted down for the time being, but an official from the Principality of the Coast stood up and asked in a cold voice, "Then, Mr. Leger, how do you think we should explain the attacks on the Windless Fleet and those coastal villages by these 'pure' monsters? Is it because we are too filthy and deserve to be cleansed by these 'pure' things?"

As he said this, the official even glanced in Meyer's direction.

He knew that the Dawn Society's base had also been attacked, but because the Dawn Society had set up defenses in advance, they had turned this dangerous sneak attack into a brilliant defensive battle.

"I think I can answer your question on behalf of Mr. Leger."

Meyer slowly rose to his feet, his face calm and his demeanor impeccable, as if he were not the one who had acted so "rudely" earlier.

The official of the principality swallowed hard. For some reason, he was always somewhat afraid of this gentle-looking, middle-aged scholar with thinning hair.

Meyer smiled at the official and then said, “The Dawn Society has had contact and dialogue with these deep-sea ‘guests’ more than once. Fortunately, I have personally participated in several of them.” “When we first came into contact with them, their will to engage with us was arrogant, confident, and full of hostility. As you said, at that time they truly regarded us as inferior beings and tried to use their power to threaten and annihilate us… This attitude is likely related to their past experiences and the Black Sun Society, which was the first to contact them.”

"The second time, Mr. Hugh Ernst, who was representing our Dawn Society to visit Merlinler and the Windless Fleet, encountered them again. I think you are all very clear about what happened. They were still arrogant and ruthless, trying to completely annihilate the entire fleet on the sea."

"As we all know, although we may not be able to directly confront them in terms of pure magic and life force, as long as we deal with them properly, we can use all kinds of weapons, ships and magic to break through their encirclement and severely damage them."

Meyer looked at the others: "This matter is actually very important, because those who fought with us were not just beasts that only knew how to kill. They possessed both strength and intelligence, and were capable of making meticulous plans and rational judgments. They realized the changes in Vaan and perceived the many threats we might pose to them, which led to the series of attacks that followed. Those were their tests."

"Or perhaps we should call this process 'observation'... Just like our research on them, they are clearly actively learning about the situation in this strange world, and it is these foundations that have led to this meeting."

Old Vickers looked intently at Meyer, nodded slightly, and then suddenly asked, "So, Mr. Meyer, as someone who has interacted with them so many times, what attitude do you think we should take towards this potential negotiation?"

With this question raised, Vekka, representing the Legal Affairs Commission, has already stated his position.

This also opened up enough space for Mayer to speak next.

"All indications suggest that the relationship between us so-called 'landers' and them is by no means one of superiority and inferiority. If we want to have real negotiations and to secure as many favorable conditions as possible for the future, then we must recognize our own 'position'."

“From that ancient time, they have been at odds with other ancient deities and the black sun, which means that the Black Sun Society may have chosen the wrong allies—the strategies adopted by the group after those attacks and the ongoing talks are the strongest evidence of that.”

"As for the idea of ​​'meeting the other party's conditions' in exchange for peace or alliance, in my opinion, this is absolutely not a choice that should appear in an equal negotiation. It is more like the groveling of a defeated or surrendering party."

Mayer glanced sideways at the Hein officials beside him and said, “Of course, if you really have this idea, you can try to betray Mr. Ernst’s information or simply send someone to bring him back.”

At this point, a hint of sarcasm flashed across his calm face: "My personal suggestion is that before making these decisions, you might as well ask other passengers who have traveled on the Windless and the survivors of Seren City to find out what kind of person Mr. Ernst really is."

……

"Um……"

Hugh, who had just become the "young core of the Society" and the "rising star of Watchtower," left the gathering site down the long staircase.

The night breeze made his nose itch.

The "Sharp-Beaked Owl" officers who had followed him to the rally were walking around in a daze. They too had been subjected to numerous suggestions from the Black Sun Ritual at the rally, and for these ordinary people, these suggestions inevitably caused a considerable degree of mental shock.

They will need some time to fully recover from these shocks.

Of course, beneath this fragile shell of worshipping ancient gods and loyalty to the Black Sun Society lie the thoughts and beliefs that Hugh has buried. If Hugh so desires, he can bring these officers back to their senses at any time.

What happened that night gave Hughes a completely new understanding of Theseus's ability to scheme behind the scenes. He truly deserved his titles; in the use of these conspiracies and plans, he was simply... too "excellent".

Or one could say that Theseus has been fond of such dangerous plans that teeter on the brink of extinction since that ancient time, as evidenced by Mel's "expulsion" of Charon.

In comparison, his approach of encouraging Hughes to alter the ritual and use it to 'brainwash' the officers seemed far too easy.

It even seemed a bit like they were just playing around.

However, Hughes did not overlook the exhaustion Theseus displayed during the process. Clearly, after violently destroying the massive dome erected by the Black Sun Society in Watchtower, the strange deity had likely experienced a series of troubles.

Hugh was very curious about these things, but he couldn't immediately return to his residence and ask Theseus for further information through his dream, because right below these steps stood a voluptuous figure waiting for him.

"..."

Hugh stared at the figure for two seconds, frowned, and then turned to the few dazed officers following behind him and said, "Go, all of you go back to the mine camp... Tell the others that I will be back later, I have important business to attend to."

Upon hearing these words, the dizzy officers instinctively looked up at the figure by the steps not far away, then at the baron in front of them, nodded thoughtfully, and left.

Although they weren't quite lucid, they understood that the Baron was likely to be quite "busy" tonight.

(End of this chapter)