The black sun hangs high

Chapter 398 Dark clouds over the city
If any members of the Black Sun Society were to come here, they would probably be so angry at the sight before them that they would die of rage.

The extent to which these infiltrators from outside the territory of Saint Steel have modified this underground space is extremely exaggerated.

This place is not only a hidden meeting room and work site, but also serves as a temporary dormitory, weapons depot, intelligence processing center and a series of other functions. In the room that serves as a warehouse, there are now many weapons and equipment "stolen" from the Sharp-Beaked Owl Camp and the Black Sun Society.

When Hugh entered the central hall, many figures were gathered there. Two mages from the Highland Council, who were extremely familiar with the military, were giving a report in front of several wooden crates filled with various weapons.

Upon seeing Hugh's arrival, they paused briefly, but Hugh immediately raised his hand, signaling the two to continue. He then slowly walked over to the wooden crates and glanced inside.

The Saint Steele army possessed a wide variety of weapons and equipment. Among them, Hugh could find both the new revolver rifles that Saint Steele had obtained from Walter before the last war, and crude self-defense weapons modified from old crystal guns that had been sawed down.

Although the types and quantities of armaments stockpiled here are far different from those in the Ernst Manor exhibition hall, these "active equipment" of the Saint Steel army are enough to reveal an important fact: the Saint Steel army system is in a "somewhat terrible state of disorder".

The highly experienced mages of the Waterl explained it this way: "Before the war broke out, the Saint Steeles placed a large order with our workshops, the main content of which was new revolvers to be issued to ordinary soldiers and officers... But currently, the distribution of these new weapons in their army is in a very bad state."

There are several possibilities that could cause this situation.

"Firstly, during the transportation and distribution of equipment, a classic situation arose that everyone was 'well aware of': a considerable portion of the weapons and supplies were resold by some 'clever and resourceful individuals.' However, considering the performance of the Saint Steel army during the war, we believe that the possibility of such a thing happening is low, and even if it does, it is destined to be a very small minority."

"Secondly, there is the soldiers' spontaneous reselling behavior... This is not uncommon in Saint Steel. After all, the treatment of these Northern soldiers is incomparable to ours. It is common for them to use crystal bullets for hunting, robbery, and private fights. In order to exchange for other supplies, they often sell bullets and even weapons directly to civilians."

"Thirdly, the Saint Steel army was mobilized and expanded too quickly, and they were not prepared with weapons and supplies to match the number of personnel. That's why we have the opportunity to see so many 'old things' that should only be in museums and exhibition halls now."

The council's mage said, "Now we can basically conclude that the main reasons for this situation are the second and third points. We have talked to those miners and refugees several times, and many of them have bought some firearms from those fleeing soldiers through various means, especially those pistols that are easy to carry, hide and transport... And those soldiers who fled the army will also consciously or unconsciously get rid of these things that might cause trouble as soon as possible."

"As for the expansion of Saint Steel's army, we won't go into details here... After all, everyone should be able to clearly see the extent of Saint Steel's army's expansion."

After listening to these words, Hugh nodded slightly. He raised his hand and tapped the wooden box in front of him twice, asking, "Can we further analyze the situation of the Saint Steel army through these weapon samples? Our people will need this information very much."

The mage beside him nodded: "It's not a difficult task, but the weapons we have now are basically taken from the equipment that Saint Steel supplies to those reserve forces. We have no way of analyzing the situation of the troops that are actually deployed on the front line."

"Well, I'll try to figure something out for you here. First, let's organize the information you just mentioned... The battle will begin soon, and the intelligence on the reserve forces is equally important."

Hughes nodded and gave his judgment.

He then turned to Verine, who was standing to the side, and gestured for her to gather the rest of the busy people together. Soon, the spies and agents who had been in other rooms and were in charge of various tasks left their posts and joined the meeting. Although it was somewhat rushed, everyone could sense a hint of tension in Hugh's serious expression.

"Comrades, I'm sorry to have interrupted your work all of a sudden."

Hugh took a step forward and stepped onto a slightly raised platform. It was a simple lectern that the mages had casually created with magic when they were leveling the ground. Standing on it, Hugh could easily see the expressions and demeanor of everyone.

He said, "I have just finished meeting with the members of the Black Sun Society and brought back some bad news. The Black Sun Society is planning an attack against us, possibly targeting multiple legions including Merlinle, the Plains Kingdom, and the Dawn Society, as well as our camps and strongholds established after crossing the Isa River."

Upon hearing this, a slight commotion immediately arose among the crowd.

The people present were all true elites. They were determined, clear-headed, and had incredibly strong mental fortitude. Therefore, they were not flustered by the news brought by Hugh; on the contrary, they were somewhat puzzled.

According to current information, the fighting capacity of the Saint Steer army is very worrying.

The main body of the Saint Steel army that had previously successfully crossed the Isa River and even attempted to penetrate into the plains was still composed of officers and soldiers loyal to the royal family and the Kingdom of Saint Steel. These people had a very sharp attitude towards the Black Sun Society, and even though the Black Sun Society was now using the name of the Saint Steel royal family, it had no way to truly mobilize them.

To this end, the Black Sun Society resorted to various means, such as magical rituals and violent suppression, to maintain control over the army. However, these measures led to a continuous decline in the army's morale and combat effectiveness, and the management became chaotic.

Under such circumstances, anyone with basic military knowledge would not use such an army for offensive operations; such an act would be tantamount to digging one's own grave.

Hughes slightly raised his hand, interrupting the discussion. He then placed his palm on the magic crystal beside him and said, "What we know, the Black Sun Society naturally knows as well. Of course, they wouldn't send those unstable troops to carry out such an offensive mission... Please look here, everyone. I will show you what I have seen with my own eyes."

As the words fell, magic was infused into the magic crystal. With Hugh's mental focus, a slightly blurry magical image appeared before everyone. When the experienced spies and agents saw the enormous figure of Artemis Moonchild, they involuntarily held their breath. Virin, standing next to Hugh, stared wide-eyed, scrutinizing the three ancient beings' bodies with disbelief.

The images of the Atmir Eagles were shown on repeat several times. After making sure everyone had seen the details, Hugh withdrew his hand and said to everyone, "Just as we suspected long ago, the Black Sun Society is destined to use every means at its disposal to fight against us, and these threats from ancient times are their greatest asset."

“What that woman said is true; these monsters did indeed appear on our border.”

The mage Wotel, who had previously explained the situation of the Saint Steel army, said in a somewhat hoarse voice, "More than once... our soldiers have witnessed them on the border more than once. These monsters even chase after the highland giant eagles and try to prey on them!"

A mage from the Legal Committee frowned and said, “As far as I know, our army has brought some heavy weapons across the Isa River, including those long-range guns that should have been mounted on warships… These weapons should be effective against threats from the sky.”

"What about crystal cannons? If these monsters have the ability to resist magic, then perhaps we should use the machine guns that the Voltel have, or simply rely on airships to fight them?"

"cough!"

Hugh coughed heavily, interrupting the discussion, and then said, "Gentlemen, we all know that these monsters are not enemies that can be easily dealt with. However, the ones who may have to directly confront them next are not us, but our soldiers who are preparing for war. Therefore, our most important task now is to accurately transmit this important intelligence."

He looked around and said seriously, "I can tell you all clearly that our actions will very likely deal a devastating blow to our stronghold in St. Steel... If nothing unexpected happens, the Black Sun Society will likely keep a close watch on all communication devices around Watch City for some time to come. Any attempt to send out messages may attract their attention and lead to their attack."

At this point, Hughes let out a heavy sigh: "Comrades, this will be a severe test of our patience and determination, a test of the decisions and preparations we have made... I hope that everyone here is prepared to give their all in the face of the changes and challenges to come."

……

By the afternoon, Hugh's guess had been confirmed.

Under a series of measures by the Black Sun Society, Watchtower City and its surrounding vast area simultaneously entered a state of communication silence. Under this state, the power of the Black Sun Ritual increased dramatically. Even the newly erected ritual sculpture in the Rock Lake Mine underwent a series of shocking changes under a series of commands.

People saw that the black flowers on the cryptic sculpture began to grow as if they had been infused with endless nutrients. They became mysterious and gorgeous, with huge black petals facing the sky, as if they were chasing the traces of the black sun.

Above the towns and strongholds, many exceptionally strong and enormous Yasaru birds appeared, flapping their wings incessantly and circling and soaring in the air with chaotic trajectories that had no discernible pattern.

On the ground, numerous "dog trainers" newly recruited by the Black Sun Society began patrolling with a large number of dark hounds. Under the influence of the Black Sun Ritual, these already infamous and bizarre beasts seemed to have become even larger and uglier. Their noses seemed to have grown larger, allowing them to detect faint magical fluctuations in the air, and their rat tails trailing behind them had become thicker, looking like writhing worms.

The scattered Ernst family rats were the first to be affected. Commanders such as Bernhardt and Alexandra discovered that the ever-spreading Black Sun Ritual power seemed to have begun to possess a strange and dangerous "exclusionary" characteristic. Even though the family rats also possessed similar magic, their living space was now being constantly squeezed.

"Damn it, I have a feeling these guys can recognize us... We have to shrink our surveillance network. If we continue with the current coverage, we'll probably be caught very soon."

Are we at risk of exposure now?

In response to Hugh's question, Bernhardt offered his opinion: "Not yet... I think their actions are most likely aimed at a potential threat. They obviously know that you and the Black Sun Society control the same source of power, so now they are trying to identify and classify these powers more deeply."

The experienced old general warned, "Son, be careful with that cane. You'll probably have to use it cautiously from now on, as it might become a burden and a threat to you."

"I see."

Hugh readily accepted the advice given by the family's will. He immediately obtained the Black Sun Scepter and applied multiple layers of isolation magic to its wooden outer shell, and then attached an additional layer of illusions to the outermost layer to hinder cognition and judgment.

With the collective decision, a significant number of the spies and agents hidden within the Rock Lake Mine base left via the mine tunnels. They would carry important documents and secret instruments to other concealed locations that served as backup hideouts. In the event of an accident at the Rock Lake Mine base, they would immediately proceed to the heart of the Kingdom of Saint Steel as planned and re-establish their base in a safer area.

In the afternoon, a member of the Black Sun Society arrived at the mine riding the giant bird Yasaru, and handed Hugh a command signed with Kzlov's name.

The order requires Baron Feorlando to immediately lead the Sharp-Beaked Owls to Watchtower. Tonight, the Artmirs will appear in the skies above Watchtower, and in front of all the soldiers and civilians of Watchtower, they will launch an irresistible attack on the distant target.

(End of this chapter)