The black sun hangs high

Chapter 462 The City of Corlo
Hughes originally thought that the ratmen would need to have a careful discussion and consultation before giving him a clear answer, since the problems and choices they were facing now were truly related to the continuation of this last remaining ratman race.

As he said, once the ratmen choose to embrace the knowledge and power that once fiercely fought against the Dark Abyss Court, they will inevitably become a key target for elimination by the Dark Abyss Court.

As a cold world controlled by the same chaotic will, the Dark Abyss could never tolerate such a threat growing within its "body".

Although this remnant of a past civilization can provide considerable cover and concealment for the ratman tribe, it is clearly not 100% safe. If the ratmen inadvertently expose any traces outside their base, the ruthless hunt from the Dark Abyss court will immediately begin.

however……

The rats, however, gave Hugh a definite response in a very, very short time.

There was no need for Aziv to mobilize or persuade them; the rat-man priests and warriors present quickly reached a consensus in an indescribable frenzy, and Aziv, as the de facto leader of the rat-man tribe, also cast his vote in favor.

Aziv's thinking was naturally different from that of ordinary rat people.

Those rat people who were deeply devoted to the worship of the Earth Mother Goddess now completely believed in Hugh's identity as a "messenger," and they were overjoyed at the "miracles" that had been buried for who knows how long. In their eyes, everything that appeared before them was clearly an important message from their object of faith, a mission and guidance given to the entire rat people.

Although it sounds somewhat blind and crazy, this is indeed the idea of ​​the rat people themselves.

As for Aziv, his performance was much as Hugh had expected.

Upon hearing Hugh's question, the poet and wise man, with his rich experience and wisdom, fell into a long silence. His gaze wandered among the surrounding lights, lingering between Hugh and the bright light behind him. He did not ask Hugh a question, but quietly waited for the reaction of his "kind".

When Aziv received a unified response from the other ratmen, he calmly nodded to Hugh.

In this strange atmosphere, a mixture of silence and commotion, Hugh gave the order to all the ratmen present not to act or touch anything without permission. Then he led the group toward the gate, where many restrictions had been lifted.

In an instant, an invisible magical barrier was erected by Hugh. He walked beside Aziv and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Aziv, you've accepted my proposal so easily? Don't you think it's a bit hasty?"

"It was they, not me, who accepted the proposal."

Compared to before, Aziv's tone and attitude did not change much. He answered truthfully: "After I possessed this body and became their 'prophet' by various coincidences, I became part of the entire tribe... Although I have been trying to influence and transform them from various levels, some things are ultimately impossible to change easily."

Azifu glanced at the ratmen who were following cautiously behind, carefully observing their surroundings as they moved forward, and sighed, "Their faith in Mother Earth is the cornerstone that allows them to persevere in this world. Any external force that shakes this cornerstone is fatal, and the resilience and vitality that springs from it are equally powerful."

"This is their indelible characteristic, and it is also their most important reliance for surviving in this dark abyss until now."

At this point, Aziv turned to look at Hugh: "As for myself, I'd be more than happy to accept your offer... Heh, don't forget, in Vain I'm known as the 'Mad Poet.' As a 'madman,' the situation and secrets I'm in here are more than enough for me to pay any price for!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Aziv looked up and his gaze was drawn to the beacon of continuity deep within the spacious hall. He knew that was the source of the light within this "sacred mountain," and he was now eager to get more explanations and answers from Hugh.

He wanted to know how this building came to be, and what kind of being created everything here...

Of course, Hugh couldn't tell these secrets to the ratmen behind him, but he didn't mind revealing a little to Aziv. With his powerful ability to "make things up," Hugh quickly reorganized everything he knew into a "condensed version" and told the story to Aziv.

Although Hugh had removed much information about himself, Mel, Theseus, and Vaan from this altered and abbreviated story, the tale of a magnificent civilization's struggle against the corruption of the Abyss still made Aziv tremble.

Aziv also noticed some doubts and oversights. For example, he was very curious about why Hugh was able to read those words and how he knew how to operate these complex machines and instruments. However, he ultimately did not raise these questions. Reason told Aziv that these questions were too subtle and might even bring unnecessary conflicts and dangers.

After successfully detaching himself from the story of the continued base, Aziv sighed deeply. He raised his rodent-like claws and pointed at the corpses that remained in different states.

"How should they be... um, settled?"

Although Aziv was completely unfamiliar with these dead, perhaps because of the scene before him, or perhaps because the dead had a physique and appearance that made Aziv feel familiar, the former mad poet ultimately showed his cautious attitude and the highest respect. He did not even use the word "dispose of".

"Have your people gather all the dead together, but don't touch their belongings yet..."

Hughes whispered, “Although they have been dead for a very long time, I think they deserve a proper funeral.”

After he finished speaking, a large amount of magic gathered around Hugh and quickly formed a swarm of Ernst family rats eager to fight. Then Hugh bent down and skillfully pulled out General Bernhardt and Countess Alexandra, who were the leaders of the family's will, and placed them on either side of Aziv's shoulders.

Seeing the old prophet's bewildered expression, Hugh smiled and said, "Alright, they are my advisors. In theory, they can answer most of your questions. I need to take care of some things first. You can take your time to get to know this place... Be careful when moving and organizing things. Leave anything you're unsure about for now. You can move the empty boxes and scrapped machinery aside for now."

After saying that, Hugh turned and walked towards the archives.

Bringing the ratmen to the continuation base and making them potential successors was the first part of the agreement between Hugh and Theseus. Hugh believed that, under the constraints of Aziv and the watchful eyes of the Ernst family rats, these cautious ratmen would be able to complete the current groundwork properly.

Now that the first simple goal had been achieved, Hugh prepared to accept Theseus's guidance and establish an initial connection with Vaan through the beacon of continuity. At this moment, Hugh seemed slightly impatient.

Although he didn't feel like he'd been away from Vann for very long, the emotions burning within him had been burning uncontrollably ever since he learned he had a chance to contact some people.

……

In the Kingdom of Saint Steel, a heavy black sky hangs over the banks of the Nepovár River, and the cold, black sun is enough to send chills down the spine of any normal person who glances at the sky inadvertently.

Although the majority of Saint Steel's residents had become accustomed to the presence of the black sun and its dark dome thanks to the previous Black Sun Society rituals, reverence did not equate to closeness.

Aside from a few residents who are determined to join the Black Sun Society or have already joined, most people don't like looking up at the sky. The feeling of "staring" at an indescribable behemoth is really not good.

The city located under the dome is the city of Corlo.

Unlike other cities that had also undergone rituals performed by the Black Sun Society, the city of Corlos appeared more lively and relaxed.

For a very long time, this city, situated beside the Nepovár River, was a symbol of entertainment and art in the Kingdom of Saint Stil. The architects and craftsmen who built the city deliberately used a lot of Heinrich and Derain elements, which gave the large urban area of ​​Collo a variety of strong contrasting colors.

Although the architecture of Collo still follows the northern characteristics of St. Steel in terms of style, the special use of color has weakened the tragic and melancholic style unique to the North.

In the current tense situation, this characteristic of the city of Corlos is particularly valuable.

As the offensive of the armies of Merlinle and Dawn Society slowed down, the army serving the Black Sun Society and the Saint Steel royal family finally ushered in a valuable rotation. Unlike the soldiers who had no hope of returning home and could only wait in the barracks, a group of mages, officers and Saint Steel nobles who were rotated from the front line gathered in the city of Collo.

They all hoped to relax here.

Relaxation on various levels of meaning.

However, the effects of war could not be so easily eliminated. Even though Corlos City had a rich entertainment industry and many famous courtesans in the North, a large amount of important intelligence and information was still transmitted and relayed here every day. Corlos City’s geographical location gave it this function, and the intelligence outposts established by the Black Sun Society here served this purpose.

On the second floor of what appears to be an ordinary alchemy supply store, a pair of bright eyes are peering through the window at the other side of the street.

The secret magical ritual was set up inside the room. Unlike conventional magical rituals, this ritual used a new structure developed by the Vaan Magic Academy. Although this special magical structure severely limited the effectiveness and scale of the ritual, it could, to some extent, evade the tracking of those ancient creations and the detection of the Black Sun Ritual.

A slight buzzing sound came, and the eyes that had been observing the street closed slightly. The owner of the eyes carefully felt the tremor of magic. After a moment, she opened her eyes, turned around and went to the desk to take out an account book.

As the pen moved, five more items were added to the "Snowflake Crystal Lighting" category.

Just then, a rhythmic knocking sound came from the door. The young woman in the room immediately stuffed the ledger in her hand into the other paper documents next to her. Her fingers quickly swept across the table, and the subtle magical fluctuations that had been shrouding the room disappeared completely.

After finishing all this, she picked up a pair of glasses that looked particularly crude and bulky, put them on, and then slowly walked over and opened the door.

The moment the door opened, a face flushed slightly from drinking came into her view.

“Oh… Miss Caroline, I thought you were taking a nap. Oh… really, hiccup, sorry.”

The distinctive pungent aroma of Saint Steel wafted over, and the young woman known as Caroline instinctively took a step back, while the uninvited guest outside staggered into her room.

The man was nearly forty years old and wore the uniform of Saint Steel, with the rank of captain. He also had a metal pin on his chest, which indicated that he came from a prominent noble family in the city of Collo.

According to the Dawn Society's investigation records, at least four members of this family are currently serving the current Saint Steel royal family, with two of them undertaking important liaison work between the royal family and the Black Sun Society.

On the list of important targets compiled by the Dawnblade headquarters, this guy reeking of alcohol was one of the key individuals they needed to make contact with. However, Vilin never expected that he would inexplicably deliver himself to her doorstep so soon after she arrived in Corlos City.

During what should have been a very simple transaction of alchemical supplies, the nearly forty-year-old "noble young master" pointed at Veraine, who was disguised as the shop owner, and sighed.

"Oh, madam, you look exactly like my first love!"

Yes, it was that brutal and direct, coupled with the persistent strong smell of alcohol emanating from him, that made Violet feel an urge to use her spiritual intelligence to interrogate him during their first meeting.

And now, this guy has actually come knocking on our door again.

It's really confusing.

(End of this chapter)