The black sun hangs high

Chapter 397 The Transformation of the Mine

Having accepted the "new orders," Hugh left the temporary habitat of these Artemis Moonlings. As he departed, one of the Artemis turned its head slightly and glanced in his direction. Although it was only for a brief moment, and there was a veil between them set up by the Black Sun Ritual, Hugh clearly sensed a strange probing in that gaze that was distinctly different from the desire to kill.

It was as if Artmir had become curious about him.

Fortunately, Hugh left the scene quickly, but as he boarded the vehicle returning to the Rock Lake Mine base, the strange feeling and unease in his heart still lingered.

With his current strength and the series of arrangements he has made, Hugh is confident that he can confront most of the members of the Black Sun Society head-on. Even when facing the top leaders of the society, he can ensure his absolute self-preservation in a short period of time through his own means.

But this time, when the three Atmirs simultaneously let out a shriek, he felt a rare sense of fear.

The feedback from the metal disc and the results from their own magical perception were consistent: these direct descendants of the ancient deity Moonhawks indeed possessed terrifying power capable of absolutely crushing almost all Vaan spellcasters. Just as the court hounds could dominate most of the Dark Abyss creations with their own power, they could also look down upon all living beings in Vaan.

"Are you confident you can take on those three big birds one-on-one?"

Hugh asked the guests inside the metal disc with curiosity.

As soon as the question was raised, the sprinting rat, which had finally poked its head out again, shrank back down. The Mirror Messenger, who was "reading" with its legs propped up on the table, took the opportunity to raise its hand and cover its face with the wordless book, putting on a show of pretending to be asleep. The Touch of Karl, as always, was honest and gave a clear negative answer with a slight shake.

As the "top fighter," the court hound behaved very cautiously. Its red eyes on both sides of its head flickered slightly, as if it were thinking carefully. Then it gently shook its head, and the sharp limbs extending from its body closed and opened, flapping lightly like wings.

Hugh quickly understood what it meant.

In one-on-one ground combat, the Royal Hounds might not be afraid of a single Artemis, but the opponent truly controls the sky. As long as the Artemis are unwilling to land, even if the Royal Hounds are incredibly powerful, they can only passively take hits and cannot truly capture them.

Ultimately, the Roots of Destiny, with their rich historical knowledge and collective wisdom, provided a summary for Hugh.

"If the ocean belongs to Carron, then the Moon Eagle has always controlled the sky... Almost all species that rely on the sky for survival are followers and kin of the Moon Eagle. This position has never been challenged in the past, nor has any other deity ever challenged it."

The representative from the Root Clan explained: "In fact, even among the followers of the Earth Mother Goddess, there have been many clans that both worship and follow the Moon Eagle. They are either clans that have inherited a portion of the Moon Eagle's bloodline but cannot stay in the air for long, or they hope to avoid being hunted down at any time by worshipping the Moon Eagle."

"So, His status among those ancient gods must have been very high? But it seems that the traces He left behind are very limited."

"The Moon Eagle is indeed a deity in the sky, but He has never truly manifested in this world... According to the memories we obtained from our prey, when the followers and believers of the Moon Eagle are chosen, the Moon Eagle's messengers will descend and carry them to the Moon Eagle's kingdom, where they can truly become the offspring of the deity and accompany the Moon Eagle forever."

Hugh's brow furrowed slightly.

These ancient deities indeed differed in form and existence. Apart from the Earth Mother Goddess, a relatively easy-to-understand terrestrial deity, and the sea god Karron, who embodied infinite vitality and will, there was also a special deity form called the Moon Eagle.

If the explanations of the Roots of Fate are correct, then the so-called Moon Eagle seems more like a special ruler who exists outside the world of Vaan, far from this battlefield of conflict, and "stays at home" in his own country.

Or perhaps, direct descendants of the Moonhawk like Artmir seem to be more inclined to play the role of predator in Vaan, treating all beings in Vaan equally, including their own believers and followers, with a special sense of nature.

"According to you, these Artmirs should just be ancient beings who have received some of the Moon Eagle's favor. They may indeed be powerful, but they don't have the ability to communicate directly with their gods?"

"Although there is no direct evidence, we believe it is probably so... In the past, we have never witnessed the descent of the Moon Eagle, not even when the ocean was about to completely submerge the land and devour the last of the Moon Eagle's offspring, this Lord of the Sky never appeared."

The roots of fate slowly said, "Perhaps, He doesn't care about what's happening here?"

"hope so."

Hugh turned his head slightly and glanced back through the car window.

Even though the vehicle had already driven some distance, he could still feel that terrifying sense of oppression, as if Artmir's gaze could penetrate the obstruction of those buildings and precisely lock onto him.

"They are absolutely dangerous beings. Whether facing a traditional spellcaster team or a new mixed army, they probably wouldn't be able to directly deal with a frontal attack launched by these monsters."

Hugh quickly replayed the scenes he had seen in his mind: "Their howls are enough to cause a mental shock, and can even directly cause magical chaos. Judging from their behavior when they were hunting Asharu, this howl should be their usual tactic."

"Their feathers, or rather their outer skin, are extremely tough, capable of not only resisting direct impacts but also mitigating the effects of magic to some extent... The magical explosions caused by high-powered crystal bullets and cannonballs probably wouldn't be able to truly kill them, but the direct impact from these projectiles might be effective?"

"Or perhaps, this problem can be solved simply by increasing its power?"

"No... no, it's not just the abilities they've displayed that we need to worry about. What I've seen and the information I've obtained is far too limited. Even if we were to transmit the information that an attack is about to happen, its actual effect would probably be extremely limited."

“Moreover, Tatiana mentioned earlier that a special army would launch an attack… Since it’s called an ‘army,’ it shouldn’t just be these three Artmirs involved in the attack. The Black Sun Society might send a dangerous team composed of even more ancient creations. Perhaps many Azar will follow Artmirs.” Hugh imagined a large number of giant Azar birds following Artmirs towards the Dawn Society’s position and felt the situation was very pessimistic. So he raised his hand and knocked twice on the car window, urging, “Hurry up, I have to go back quickly. There’s still a lot to do!”

……

In the afternoon, Baron Fiorlando finally returned to his loyal stronghold.

After this period of continuous "operation," the Rock Lake Mine has completely changed its appearance. Now it looks more like a small military fortress than a mine, with towering watchtowers, layers of protective barriers, wide and well-organized roads, and all kinds of vehicles and weapons ready for deployment...

The Sharp-Beaked Owls, who had always been known for their mercenary culture, are finally facing their "hard times."

Because Baron Fiorlando has gained the Society's favor, he has become increasingly strict and self-disciplined. The soldiers and officers of the Sharp-Beaked Owl Battalion have to face all sorts of work, training, and dangerous missions. Although their treatment has also improved, in this environment, let alone leaving the Rock Lake Mine to go to the city for shopping, even normal leisure has become a luxury.

However, compared to the miners trapped in the mines, these mercenaries, riddled with vices, felt somewhat lucky.

Because at least they don't have to directly confront Baron Fiolando's increasingly violent temper and deadly rage. You see, the miners in the mines now not only have to drill through the mine shafts every day, but they also have to undergo training just like them.

According to the Baron himself, he had no intention of wasting any of the rations. Since these miners were "enjoying" the food provided by the Society every day, they should play a greater role. They should take over a batch of obsolete weapons and be trained like the militia in other parts of St. Steel so that they could play a greater role in the upcoming battles.

"To realize greater value!"

Yes, that's what the Baron said. Although it seemed that these miners would devour a considerable portion of the resources, the members of the Sharp-Beaked Owls were delighted by it. They knew their superiors well and of course knew what this so-called "making a difference" meant.

It's nothing more than training a batch of cannon fodder who are somewhat useful.

The thought that these miners could be dragged to the battlefield by the Baron at any time to deplete the enemy's artillery fire filled them with immense relief—no matter how harsh the Baron appeared, he ultimately cared about his private soldiers.

Looking at this group of unfortunate cannon fodder who were "forced" to undergo training and could be squandered at will, the members of the Sharp-Beaked Owls even felt a bit of joy, and they also felt a bit more sympathy and pity for Baron Fiorento, who always had a stern face.

Yes, pitiful.

According to the "secret information" from the young officer who was close to the Baron, the pressure had been almost overwhelming him. The most direct proof of this was that the Baron, who had strict requirements and aesthetic standards when it came to women, had now begun to get close to the crazy and unattractive head maid!

You see, ever since she was driven mad by what happened before, the head maid has become increasingly gloomy. In addition, no one takes care of her hair, which makes her look like a crazy woman who has escaped from the hospital. Even so, people can always see the baron with a stern face by her side, and the scene is really eerie and frightening.

"It's probably some kind of lost, mysterious ritual again? That poor head maid is probably going to be used as a sacrifice!"

Aside from the horrific story unfolding between the Baron and his mad head maid, the soldiers of the Sharp-Beaked Owl Camp would also talk in their spare time about the guards and servants who kept disappearing from the Baron's side. Needless to say, these unlucky souls, cheaply acquired from Watchtower City, had been used by the Baron as materials or sacrifices for magical rituals, and the pitiful howls that occasionally echoed through the night were the most compelling proof of this.

And so, amidst the gazes that mixed fear, horror, and adoration, Hugh returned to his residence. He went to his study on the second floor, looked around, but did not see Vera Lin. He only saw a half-finished cup of hot tea on the desk.

"They went underground?"

Hughes raised an eyebrow, picked up the teacup and took a sip, then quickly walked to the side of the room, used a magical ritual to open a hidden compartment, and stepped onto the simple elevator platform powered by magical crystals.

An invisible magical force, like a hand, silently lowered the wooden platform, and soon, Hugh arrived in a spacious underground space.

With the magical knowledge and skills of the team's professionals, these spies, who have made Rock Lake Mine their base, have successfully "dug" a hidden and sturdy place underground in the mine. It is connected to the mine tunnels in the distance, and the walls are covered with permanent magic. Although they are somewhat rough, they are sturdy and strong enough that even if an accident occurs, the people working here can quickly enter the intricate mine tunnels and break up into smaller groups.

"coming?"

A tall, imposing spy, wielding a Demon-Slaying Silver Sword and carrying an exceptionally large crystal gun, smiled and nodded at Hugh. If officers from the Sharp-Beaked Owl Camp were here, they would surely recognize that this man's build was almost identical to that of one of the previously missing guards.

Hugh nodded, casually removing the disguise from his face. He sighed in relief and asked, "Is everyone here?"

"Most of them are here. Miss Weilin is organizing and compiling intelligence..."

As he spoke, the spy winked at Hugh and said in a low voice, "She seems to be in a very good mood today!"

Hugh grimaced helplessly, gave the guy a light punch on the shoulder, and then quickly walked forward along the passage.

He knew very well that if he wanted to handle the troubles ahead, this intelligence machine hidden under the nose of the Black Sun Society had to start operating at full capacity.

(End of this chapter)