The black sun hangs high

Chapter 427 Where to Begin?
The signs of the ice and snow melting are already very obvious.

Vast stretches of the northern plains are rapidly transforming in a frightening way. Any experienced local knows that in just a short while, these areas, once covered in cold ice and snow, will soon become a nightmare for marching and transport.

Before the war broke out in Saint Steel, these vast tracts of fertile land were often tended to by dedicated spellcasters from the Church of Life. These special mages, skilled in life force and healing magic, could use large-scale, gentle magical rituals to quickly restore the troublesome mud to its optimal state within ten days, thus enabling local farmers to cultivate the land.

In fact, this is also an important reason why the belief in the God of Life has always been deeply rooted and difficult to shake in the North.

Compared to other parts of Vaan, conditions in the North are far from ideal, even considered harsh. It is precisely for this reason that the inhabitants of the North have been focusing on "practicality" for a very long time.

Methods, theories, tools and weapons, even magic and beliefs...

Tangible and intangible, material and spiritual—everything has taken root in the realities of life and circumstances on this vast land and in its unpredictable and harsh climate. And now, they have transformed into terrible obstacles standing between the two sides in the war.

For the Akatsuki army, which was advancing slowly, the thawing snow and muddy soil were the first difficulties they had to overcome, as the previous major battle had already exposed many problems.

The outdated military system could no longer withstand the pressure of the current battlefield. Neither side could possibly expect ordinary infantrymen armed with guns and carrying alchemical bombs to cross the vast plains on foot, enduring enemy artillery fire and magical bombardment.

To strengthen their defenses, the Black Sun Society repeatedly employed dangerous lost magic, summoning the figures of ancient, supposedly extinct, beings to Vaan. These terrifying creatures, under the control of the Society's mages, were combined with ordinary troops, giving the defending Saint Steel's army a strong grip on the defensive line in a short period of time.

On the other hand, flexible new vehicles have become the preferred choice for the Akatsuki army.

After a period of intensive preparation, a batch of light war chariots modified by dwarven war craftsmen have been tested and commissioned.

They are a very representative product of the previous war.

The dwarven craftsmen have never shown any favoritism when it comes to steam machinery and magical circuits. They boldly completed a deep integration and modification of the two, and in accordance with the requirements of the Dawn Order's front lines, they removed some unnecessary parts and magical artifacts, and added weapons and equipment that could more effectively cope with the battlefield environment.

Of course, the most important of all was the dwarves' bold attempt.

To ensure that these chariots could move normally on muddy ground, the craftsmen adapted a structure previously used in agricultural vehicles to the chariots. These incredibly wide ring chains brought unexpected breakthroughs to the chariots.

Ravines, mud, swamps, and even man-made traps designed to counter vehicles all lose their original function in the face of this special chain.

Of course, this is all done in secret.

While continuously advancing its intelligence work, the Dawn Society also concealed the vast majority of its operations under layers of illusion and disguise.

All of this was achieved through the sacrifice and disappearance of countless members of the Dawnblade.

As the plans and schemes for the attack became clearer, Mayer, Darswell, and others did not, like other army leaders, isolate these messages from ordinary soldiers.

In contrast, within the Dawn Society, it had become the norm to inform everyone of the sacrifices and disappearances of comrades, and the simple public commemorations were routine activities. Apart from a very few deaths that required strict secrecy, the rest were all within the scope of being made public.

Sometimes, the deceased appearing at memorial events are not only members of the Akatsuki Society.

The artisans and scholars who died while researching the accident, the sword-wielding hermits who fought to the last moment against the enemy, and the officers from other countries and organizations who died in the operation against the Black Sun Society...

Anything that can be made public will be widely communicated to everyone by the Akatsuki Society.

This included not only the military forces of the Akatsuki, but also the civilian and logistical personnel, scholars, and skilled craftsmen stationed in the rear, and even ordinary people working in mines, villages, and towns...

“We, especially our soldiers, must understand that they are not taking boring rests in bunkers and trenches, but conserving their strength... Every moment, sacrifices are happening. Their comrades who share the same goals and ideals, or other warriors who persist in fighting against the Black Sun Believers, are constantly consuming their blood and lives.”

"We need to understand that what we are waiting for is not a specific order, but an important signal obtained by our comrades through many sacrifices. Once the signal appears, we should complete the task before us with the most determined and courageous attitude."

This suggestion was put forward by Mayer himself during an internal meeting of the Dawn Society. It was approved and endorsed by everyone and began to be implemented rapidly in various places.

After this measure was officially implemented, Mayer personally added the note "missing" after the name "Shug Ernst".

This is already an open secret.

The many astonishing events that occurred that night in Watchtower, and the significant progress the Dawn Society made afterward, all require clear explanations, and the name "Shug Ernst" once again becomes a vessel for mystery and legend.

However, while people were amazed, they also felt angry and sad. After all, according to the news released by the Black Sun Society and Saint Steel, the legendary "Shug Ernst" was controlled by the Black Sun Society because of the exposure of the "conspiracy" and would soon face trial and execution.

This is obviously fake news.

Meyer and the others were well aware of Hugh's importance to the Black Sun Society. If they had truly captured such an important target, they would never treat him like an ordinary prisoner or captive.

Not long ago, Mayer and the others also received secret letters from Verin. Although she repeatedly emphasized in the letters that Hugh was still alive and had only disappeared due to the influence of some teleportation magic or ritual, she ultimately could not provide more accurate evidence.

However, compared to the Black Sun Society, whose purpose was clear, the members of the Dawn Society naturally believed Vera's statement more.

After all, they knew very well that there was a subtle, unspoken relationship between Vera and Hugh. Whether as a teacher, an ambiguous lover, or a comrade-in-arms, she would never lie about this matter.

……

It was another new night, and Mayer was sitting in his makeshift office as usual. However, today he was not busy processing documents, but staring at the map on the wall and lost in thought.

There was a gentle knock on the door, and after receiving Mayer's permission, a figure pushed the door open and silently walked in.

Sally has come over several times tonight.

Although she is still nominally Meyer's student, under Meyer's guidance, she is participating more in the internal affairs and work of the Dawn Society. While her role in these tasks is currently more like that of a secretary, the sheer volume of learning, meeting minutes, on-site supervision, and document drafting and processing keeps her busy enough. Sally placed two documents on Meyer's desk: one was a concise and organized summary of important information, and the other was in a plain envelope sealed with a magical emblem.

The emblem's design was intentionally crafted, resembling a sword piercing through the black sun from above, with a faint, warm glow emanating from its blade—the glow of the rising sun, a light that the inhabitants of Vaan have yet to forget.

This is the symbol of the Dawn Sword.

Although it still looks somewhat rudimentary due to limitations of time and resources, it is enough to demonstrate the ideals and goals of its members.

Mayer finally looked up from the map. He glanced at the letters on the table, then at Sally, who looked exhausted and sleepy. He smiled, waved for her to sit down, and placed his palm on the magic emblem on the envelope.

A soft light flickered, and the magic specifically designed to seal and destroy letters successfully dissipated, allowing Mayer to remove the paper from the envelope.

The letter paper was special; one sheet was stained and folded oil paper, while the other was clean, ordinary letter paper.

Meyer held the oiled paper to his nose, smelled it, nodded in satisfaction, and then began to read it by the light of the lamp.

Sally sat opposite her teacher, quietly waiting for him to finish reading the letter. The light shone on Mayer's head, creating a slight reflection that made him look incredibly wise, but also a little comical.

She saw Meyer's expression shift from calm to stern, but then the sternness faded, replaced by a smile, and a new sparkle appeared in his deep eyes.

A moment later, Mayer had finished reading both letters. He closed his eyes and pondered for a while, then let out a long sigh of relief, his smile becoming even more pronounced.

"Sally, did Felix also send this letter to other people?"

"Yes, Professor, Mr. Darswell and the others were in a meeting discussing something at the time, so they read the letter together... When I left, I heard people laughing in the meeting room, so it seems like this should be considered good news?"

Sally curled the corners of her mouth into a smile, though on her tired face, the smile seemed somewhat forced and contrived.

It's hard to see any trace of the little bartender from Seren in her anymore.

Carefree, innocent, and so on... these qualities are actually very precious consumables.

With the continuous growth of her knowledge and experience, the enrichment of her life experiences, and the intake of all kinds of knowledge, the bright colors that Sally once had seemed to fade away as these processes progressed.

Although youth and vitality are still the main characteristics of Sally, she gives people a completely different feeling now than before.

As a meeting secretary, she always needs to be present at every important meeting, and as the meeting recorder, she must learn to thoroughly understand the background and main topics of the meeting before it officially begins.

While she was organizing the meeting minutes, Meyer, as her mentor, would often ask Sally to interpret and express her views on the meeting content itself, and he would provide detailed comments on them.

After these events, Sally would often go to the places mentioned in the meeting, sometimes the trenches, sometimes the workshops, and sometimes even specific outposts...

In conclusion, Sally was growing every moment during this intensive learning and practice process.

As Sally's mentor, Mayer knew that it wasn't these tight and demanding tasks that were tiring for her students.

He smiled and said, "Miss Weilin and our other comrades have made a very clear judgment... We will launch a new round of attacks soon, either tomorrow or the day after!"

"This is good news!"

"This is certainly good news."

Mayer pushed the letter written on oiled paper in front of his student: "This letter not only brings us an important opportunity to break through the Black Sun Society's defenses, but also delivers an unexpected surprise."

Sally was somewhat surprised, then she lowered her head and carefully read the letter in front of her, but she couldn't quite grasp its meaning.

When she looked up again, she found that her teacher had taken a thick notebook from somewhere.

“Miss Sally, I remember you and Mr. Hugh have been friends for a long, long time, haven’t you?”

Upon hearing this, Sally's expression finally changed noticeably. She instinctively lowered her head, concealing her trembling gaze in the shadows of the light.

"Well... he had only been in Seren for a short time then, and later he would often go to the beer hall to write."

"Ha, yes, I've heard him say that."

Meyer tapped the notebook in front of him with his finger: "So, have you read the articles he wrote?"

Her face flushed instantly, and at that moment, she seemed to transform back into that ordinary sommelier: "Articles? Uh, no... Uncle used to forbid me from reading these things... Well, I've actually read a little bit, just a tiny bit."

"Don't be nervous, Miss Sally."

Mayer nodded gently and placed the notebook in front of Sally: "Our good friend went to a rather remote place where it's very easy to get lost due to some magical mishap. With his abilities, returning should not be a problem, but no one knows how long it will take. It could be a few days or a few years. In any case, you don't need to worry too much about him."

Sally blushed, her mouth slightly open, unable to speak for a moment. She realized that some of her little thoughts had probably never escaped her mentor's eyes.

Mayer's voice came slowly: "So, before he finds his way back here, we need to take care of everything... Here, this is his unfinished manuscript. You can take a good look at it. After we overcome the current difficulties, I plan to help him publish it, and I'd like to hear your advice then."

"If you want to understand someone better, you can't go wrong by reading what they write, right?"

(End of this chapter)