The black sun hangs high

Chapter 439 Discoveries and Progress

The conjecture that the Ratman Prophet is actually the "mad poet" Aziv is not something that arose from the beginning.

When Hugh first heard the prophecy about "fire" and "light" from the old priest, he simply assumed that the so-called ratman prophet had likely seen Aziv or was one of Aziv's students of magic.

This is a very reasonable conjecture, after all, Aziv had traveled in the Abyss for a very long time, and in "The Poem of the Night", he also recorded a lot of his encounters and contacts with the creations and races in the Abyss.

However, after extensive conversations with the old priest, Hugh developed deep doubts about the identity of this so-called ratman prophet.

Hughes remembered clearly that at the height of the Earth Mother Goddess worship and the Skaven civilization, the Skaven were fully capable of confronting the kin of the Ocean Lord, Calron. At that time, they and other kin were considered "superior inhabitants" of Vaan, while races like humans were labeled as inferior and useless.

Based on this understanding, rodents are destined to view humans with contempt and even disdain, and this attitude and viewpoint have been deeply engraved in their blood, becoming an instinct that is difficult to change.

This is in stark contrast to the attitude shown by the members of the Skaven hunting party when they encountered Hugh.

Not only did they not show any disdain or hostility, they even showed some goodwill towards Hugh, a situation that can only be described as abnormal.

Moreover, Hughes discovered that these ratmen clearly knew some of the Common Language; at least they knew many of its words and used them frequently. This seriously contradicted the timeline the old priest described when the ratman army mistakenly entered the Dark Abyss Wasteland.

"All indications suggest that someone brought knowledge and vocabulary from a time different from their own to these rat-people tribes trapped in the wasteland, changing their inherent beliefs and habits..."

Hugh slowly stated his deduction, looking at the ratman prophet before him: "The only one capable of bringing about this level of change is the prophet in the ratman's mouth... Only an individual who truly conforms to their beliefs and can represent the Earth Mother Goddess in the Abyss can truly change their inherent way of thinking."

The rat-man prophet nodded, looking at Hugh: "Besides that, is there anything else?"

So Hugh pointed to the magic tablets piled up in the corner of the room, then to the other furnishings in the room, and finally to the ratman prophet in front of him: "The magic and rituals you have studied, your lifestyle, the common language you use, and the question you asked at the first moment... are all strong clues to support my deduction."

At this point, Hugh laughed generously: "Of course, none of them are actually conclusive evidence... I was just asking casually. Even if I guess wrong, there's nothing to lose, right?"

Upon hearing this, the Ratman Prophet grinned and laughed. The laughter was unpleasant, but it was filled with joy and happiness.

After a long while, the old rat finally stopped laughing. It took off its glasses and wiped its eyes with its fingers: "I thought I would just rot away in this world like this... I never thought that two sentences I casually uttered before would actually come true. This is really, really..."

Hughes noticed that the ratman prophet's mouth trembled slightly, but he was unable to utter the word.

Hugh successfully deciphered the other person's lip movements.

What it means is "Mel is on top".

However, within the Dark Abyss, the name of the goddess Mel is a taboo that cannot be easily uttered. Therefore, the soul hidden within the body of the Rat Man can only express its true beliefs in this way.

“Yes, young man, I am Azivo, the Azivo who has gone mad.”

The hoarse voice continued: "You've really given me endless surprises... I knew that anyone who could read 'The Poems of the Night' couldn't be that bored."

"It's an honor to meet you."

Seeing that the other party had finally admitted his true identity, Hugh changed his attitude accordingly. He put away his smile and asked seriously, "I never thought I would have the opportunity to meet you again, let alone in this way."

"You didn't expect me to look like this, did you?"

Azifu chuckled twice: "Not only did I return to this terrible world as a ratman, but I've also survived until now. To be honest, I don't quite believe it myself."

"So, what happened?"

Hughes spread his hands: "At the end of the manuscript of 'The Poem of the Night,' you were cornered by the hounds of the Dark Abyss. How did you escape under those circumstances?"

Hugh's question left Aziv somewhat dazed. He tried hard to think and recall, and after going through his accumulated memories, he finally touched upon the turning point of his own destiny once again.

"Yes... I should have been torn to pieces back then. We tried every kind of magic, but we could never get rid of those mad dogs' pursuit."

Aziv slowly said, "At that time, I was terrified. Every breath I took exuded my fear and panic, which satisfied them... So they were in no hurry to kill me, but continued to surround and torment me, so as to continue to draw nourishment from me."

"With no other way out, I had no choice but to use 'Disorderly Wandering' to escape once again."

"It's like a joke. This magic has transported me to a ruin I once visited... a ruin belonging to the worship of the Earth Mother Goddess, where a chosen priest who received the Earth Mother Goddess's grace and blessings is buried..."

Hughes saw tears streaming down Aziv's face; clearly, the memory was causing him immense pain.

However, he did not stop; instead, his speech became faster and faster.

“I was out of my mind. I could already hear the hounds. They crawled out from the corners and crevices of the ruins and pinned me to the stone slab in the center of the ruins with their claws. They tore my flesh apart, pulled out my internal organs and blood and flesh... and smeared me all over the ground.”

Aziv blinked: "I thought I was dead, but I woke up again, in this broken, old body... Then, I saw my original body, which had been torn to pieces, and I saw the thick fog left behind by the hunting dogs after they died... and the cracks they left behind."

He sighed: "There must be some kind of incomplete sacrificial ritual inscribed in those ruins. The way I was killed by the hounds may have fulfilled the conditions for the ritual to be activated... Anyway, that's it."

"So you ultimately chose to go through those cracks? Why not choose to stay in Vaan?"

Aziv shook his head dryly: "Facts tell me that staying in Vaan wouldn't save me from the hounds. I've glimpsed far too many secrets of the Abyss, and countless conspicuous traces remain in my soul. If I choose to remain in the pristine Vaan, I'll only become a target for the hounds once again… The chaotic and disorderly wasteland is the best place for me to hide." After saying this, Aziv sighed heavily, slowly wiping his reading glasses before putting them back on: "That's my past. You probably already know what happened afterward… In short, with that magic and this body, becoming the de facto ruler of a weak rat-man tribe wasn't difficult. What took me a lot of effort was changing their mindset and habits."

"Alright, alright, we've finished talking about my business. Young man... it's time to talk to you."

After the painful and agonizing memory was over, Aziv instantly perked up. He looked at Hugh eagerly and said, "Come on, tell me about yourself, and also about Vaan now! You used my magic in the wasteland before, so are there so many people in Vaan now reading 'The Poem of the Night'?"

Hugh replied, “Although for a long time Vaan has called you the ‘mad poet,’ now more and more people are paying attention to the secrets you have hidden in the ‘Poems of the Night,’ and I am just one of them.”

"This is not a good thing."

Aziv shook his head: "Only when things get out of control will people turn to those absurd knowledges that they have rejected in the past... Come on, let's start from the beginning. I'm really old now, so as a young person, you have to help me sort out my thoughts. Anyway, once you get here, the one thing you shouldn't lack is time."

As he spoke, Azifu beckoned to the corner of the room, and a stone slab immediately floated over. He picked up a carving knife made of dark green crystal, looking as if he was about to begin a lengthy record.

Seeing this, Hugh had no other choice. He breathed a sigh of relief, adjusted his posture, quickly organized his thoughts, and slowly began to narrate based on his understanding of Vaan's current situation.

……

"Bang! Boom!"

Sporadic gunshots rang out in the night sky.

In the past, such a sound would have been enough to alarm half the city and cause people to worry.

However, for Watchtower, which is already in ruins, this level of noise is no longer enough to warrant much attention.

A rumbling sound came from afar.

That was the sound of artillery fire, the clumsy dance of death, blindfolded, across the vast northern frontier.

This "dance" has been going on for two weeks. Every moment, every second, those shells with strange trajectories are streaking across the sky and striking any possible location.

In such an environment, the occasional shooting seems rather insignificant.

In an ordinary house on the edge of Watchtower, Meyer glanced twice in the direction of the sound before leaving the window and returning to the slightly shaky desk.

After nearly a month of fighting, the allied forces finally broke through two important defensive lines set up by the Kingdom of St. Steel in front of Watchtower City, and the Dawn Society finally seized the opportunity and achieved the primary objective of the operation through several successful large-scale attacks and advances.

Now, this border hub city, which was once highly valued by the Kingdom of Saint Steel, is under the control of the Dawn Society. With the arrival of the Miner Legion and the Dawn Sword, the search and elimination of the remaining threats in the city has begun.

The gunshots just now were actually a signal that a new round of purges was about to begin.

"This letter is addressed to everyone who is following the developments on the front lines."

"Thanks to the sacrifices of our great comrades, in this large-scale offensive against Watchtower, we successfully avoided many of the devastating losses that would have occurred and successfully struck our enemy, achieving our expected objectives."

“Here, I should express my respect and gratitude to many specific people, but unfortunately, the war has just begun and our enemies are very active, so I cannot mention their names. I can only refer to them as heroes in general—heroes of the Dawn, heroes of the people of the North, heroes of Vaan.”

“As I write these words, the battle is still ongoing. Our valiant ‘crawler’ warriors are doing everything they can to sabotage the enemy’s supply lines. The artillery bombardment led by the Wotel allies is relentless, and those Black Sun scourges lurking in the corners of the North are constantly trying to infiltrate and wreak havoc on us.”

"However, I am writing this not to tell everyone how difficult it is on the front lines, but to convey our determination to everyone..."

"Tap! Tap tap!"

A rapid, rhythmic knocking interrupted Meyer's thoughts. He looked up and called out, "Come in!"

The door opened, and Felix entered the study, accompanied by a Dawn Elf mage.

Felix looked noticeably different today; he wasn't wearing a coat, and his clothes were covered in mud and blood.

"Felix, you're...you're not hurt, are you?"

"Thank you for your concern, sir."

Felix thanked him, then moved closer to the desk, waving his hands in front of the warm glowing magic lamp, and said, "Just now, we caught several Black Sun Society members trying to escape in the city."

"Oh? That's good. Are any of our men injured?"

"There are two minor injuries, but they are both fine and are being treated."

Felix warmed his hands as he spoke, "These guys are no pushovers. The leader is a female mage of the Valley level, but our sniper is even better..."

What are these people planning to do while hiding in the city?

"The investigation is still ongoing, but we found something... important in their hands."

(End of this chapter)