The black sun hangs high

Chapter 472: Tracks
A foul, pungent odor permeated the air.

The smell was so strong that it even overpowered the unpleasant odors inside the trenches and fortifications.

The most serious problem was at the artillerymen's encampment. Due to the large-scale storage and use of crystal shells, the smell there had become so strong that the artillerymen had to wear protective gear. To solve this problem, the mages accompanying Wotel even set up a large-scale magical ritual in the encampment to use artificial winds to clean and unclog the area.

Ordinary crystal shells could not possibly produce this smell. Its creation is thanks to the two crystal cannons recently deployed by the Kingdom of Votel's army, and the shells that come with them.

The rate at which the rugged hilly terrain deteriorated exceeded everyone's expectations.

Initially, the Fifth Juggernaut Regiment stationed in Brownhill was able to fight off these threats with the quality of its soldiers, its weapons, and its strong defenses. At times, these brave soldiers were even able to build fortifications and outposts in the buffer zone during the gaps after large-scale artillery bombardments. However, as the number of battles increased, the pressure on the Fifth Juggernaut Regiment began to rise rapidly.

One evening, a reconnaissance squad of the 5th Regiment was conducting a routine patrol and surveillance of the artillery buffer zone when they were attacked by a considerable number of enemies. The squad suffered heavy losses, but thanks to their superior firepower, they managed to withdraw from the area. However, just as they reunited with their support team and were preparing to return to their position, the previously repelled twisted monsters reappeared and launched an even larger attack.

During this attack, the Fifth Jaeger Regiment witnessed for the first time a gigantic entity comparable in size to a house.

This giant "living crystal" looks just like a dark crystal ore the size of a house. However, inside this translucent ore, countless twisted figures always emerge, and chaotic patterns continue to appear in the process. At the bottom of this "ore", countless irregular protrusions emerge.

These protrusions are actually sharp limbs made of dense mist. They sway at an extremely high frequency, supporting the huge crystal above as it moves forward. When it successfully locks onto its target, it begins to attack in all sorts of unimaginable ways. Sometimes they are dark spikes that break off from the ore body, sometimes they are tentacles that sway like shadows, and sometimes they are simply debris and dense mist that gushed out from inside the crystal.

Either way, it would be fatal for the soldiers.

This attack, which exceeded the Fifth Guard Regiment's expectations, dealt a significant blow to the defensive line set up on the edge of the rugged hills. Although the council mages in the position ultimately perished by detonating crystal cannonballs and taking down the moving giant ore, the incident still severely impacted the morale of the Guard Regiment.

It was against this backdrop that Votel’s military system began to actively seek “more efficient” ways of dealing with the situation.

While more artillery corps were being deployed to the rugged hills, the workshop reforms, which had been stalled for various reasons, were finally completed.

With the disappearance of some die-hard nobles within the kingdom, several large workshops that had previously been in competition and confrontation were integrated. The Ernst family, which had previously relinquished a considerable portion of its noble rights, transformed itself into the spokesperson for the Walter royal family in the fields of military industry and alchemy. Under the strong leadership of the Ernst family, a large-scale joint factory bearing the royal name officially appeared on the plateau.

The first major product launched after the birth of the "Waltel Royal Alchemy Factory" was a new type of artillery shell developed and produced under the new system.

More powerful explosions, higher output, lower production costs, and magical disruption properties specifically designed to target magical creations... all these advantages immediately made it the preferred choice for the army stationed in the rugged hills under the current circumstances!
Of course, behind these advantages, there are also a considerable number of hidden dangers and drawbacks. The pungent smell that permeates the air is one of them, which is the result of the unstable crystalline minerals failing to react fully.

Yes, in order to make up for the shortage of domestic crystal ore and further increase production, the Highland Mage Council broke the standards for the use of magical ore set by Merlinle and others. While increasing the mining efforts in domestic mines, the Royal Alchemy Factory also included those ores that "did not meet the standards" in its scope of use.

Watching the vehicles carrying the new shells arrive, Alfred, who was at the artillery barracks, remained silent for two seconds before walking into a makeshift tent nearby.

A steam diffuser inlaid with magical crystals was operating inside the tent. Alfred removed his mask and then took two deep breaths.

"This can't go on. The accident rate of the crystal cannons has been increasing these days. If this continues, we'll probably end up sending more artillerymen to the hospital than the assault team."

Alfred slammed the mask on the table and looked worriedly at his old partner who was examining the blueprints for the defensive line ceremony.

The mage Klaus paused for a moment, then straightened up and turned his head.

If Hugh, Verin, and the others were here, they would be astonished by the current appearance of the mage Klaus—his face was ruined, as if lava or strong acid had rolled across half of his face; his skin was rotten and twisted with scars, and he had lost one eye, now only able to wear an alchemical mask or eye patch.

Beneath these scars and flesh, faint, dark magical light and shadow drifted out. These remaining magical powers were difficult to completely remove; they were deeply intertwined with Klaus's flesh and blood. These chaotic and disordered forces severely interfered with the effectiveness of healing magic, which is why these hideous scars were perfectly preserved on Klaus's face.

These injuries were inflicted by the enemy that the Fifth Jaeger Regiment is currently facing.

The intensity of the battle was so astonishing, and the opponents so exceptional, that even an experienced high-ranking military mage like Klaus could not completely avoid the dangers and losses.

“Alfred, you need to understand that this is already an absolute ‘preferential treatment’.”

Klaus looked calmly at his comrade. Although his half-face was distorted and terrifying, it was filled with indifference and calmness: "Just the pressure at home from increasing the production of artillery shells and maintaining the supply is already terrible."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed upwards: "The black sun has a huge impact on the crystal ore. The council has reached the theoretical limit to this extent, you know? Mining is now a dangerous industry. Even if these crystal mines do not explode, they will slowly kill people who get close to them... Many miners and workers in the alchemy plants have developed new symptoms. If this continues, it will be impossible to control."

Hearing this, Alfred turned his head away helplessly, avoiding Klaus's gaze.

He was certainly aware of this information, after all, his family was an important arms dealer in the Kingdom of Walter, and his family was included in the previous consolidation.

“I’ve heard all that you’ve said, but you should also know that our field hospitals are almost full… and the vast majority of these wounded will never be able to return to the battlefield!”

"It was their good fortune to be sent back to the rear at this time."

Klaus looked at the blueprints in front of him again: "At least they don't have to lie in piles of shells and wait to die like my unfortunate students."

Alfred's lips twitched. The mage who had personally detonated the alchemical bomb was someone Klaus had trained himself, and this incident had deeply hurt the usually stern mage. The two men in the tent fell silent. After a few seconds, Klaus seemed to have made up his mind. He sighed softly, then reached out and flipped open the blueprints, taking out a letter from underneath and handing it to Alfred.

"This is?"

"A letter from the Dawn Society... Miss Virin and the Vaan Magic Society gave us some suggestions that might be helpful. You can take a look."

Upon hearing this, Alfred no longer cared about pursuing the matter of Klaus's private correspondence; he quickly unfolded the letter and began to read it carefully.

After a long while, he solemnly put down the letter in his hand. Seeing this, Klaus fiddled with the magic crystal on the table, and a soundproofing ritual quickly enveloped the tent.

"Do they mean that there might be someone directing these monsters?"

"To be precise, it's Miss Weilin's opinion."

Klaus corrected, “That’s an interesting and valuable point of view… After all, Miss Verin spent some time in the rugged hills before the fall of Seren, so she must know more about those fissures than we do.”

Alfred frowned and pondered for two seconds before speaking: "We can now confirm that those monsters are not simply wild beasts; they are intelligent, similar to the helpers summoned by the Black Sun Society on the Northern Front... But their source is the cracks in the hills, and their power is even more astonishing. Is there really someone who can command them?"

Mage Klaus responded in a low voice, "Well, I don't think the average Black Sun Society member is capable of doing that either."

"Wait, you said 'average'?"

“Yes, we’ve captured quite a few Black Sun Society mages before, but in my opinion, these guys aren’t much smarter than the Highland Ogres… They’re completely excluded from the Society’s core circle, so their abilities are naturally not much better.”

Klaus said, "But it's hard to say about those spellcasters on the wanted list. We don't know much about the ancient rituals that the Black Sun Society possesses, and perhaps there are indeed people within them who can do it."

"..."

Alfred held the letter in his hand, rereading its contents before asking uncertainly, "Mr. Klaus, do you think I could... well, I mean, let the royal family know a little about this? Mage Finn is in Brownhill right now."

Before he could finish speaking, a hand suddenly lifted the tent flap, and he effortlessly passed through the magical barrier set up by Klaus, arriving in front of the two of them.

As before, Finn, the mountain elf who represented the Waltel royal family and the princess, was dressed in a sharp black suit. However, this time, he had a conspicuous emblem of a giant eagle of the highlands on his chest, which represented his temporary command authority.

“I’m not in Brownhill, I’m right here.”

Mountain elves have lifespans as long as their relatives. Finn's appearance is not much different from before, except that he looks a little travel-worn due to exhaustion.

The royal butler brought over a chair and sat down properly.

Without Finn making any move, the letter in Alfred's hand was snatched away by a force. Finn caught it, glanced at it quickly, and then smiled, "Mr. Klaus, private correspondence during wartime is a clear violation of regulations... but it is obvious that you are loyal to the Kingdom, so I will not deal with this matter."

After saying that, Finn looked at Alfred: "Alfred, you haven't disgraced your family, but you should be careful. Even the closest comrades can't completely rule out the possibility of betrayal. You can be more cautious in these matters."

Alfred had been somewhat uneasy about Finn's sudden visit, but after hearing these words, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"What? Aren't you worried anymore?"

"Since you're not here to deal with us, then you must have brought new orders."

Alfred's smile faded, and he gave a standard Walter salute before reporting earnestly, "The officers, accompanying mages, and all subordinate members of the Fifth Juggernaut Regiment are all ready for transfer!"

Finn waved his hand: "I just came from your field hospital. There are quite a few wounded there. There's no need for you to tell me these things."

He paused, then added, "However, I do bring new instructions, and they are related to what was mentioned in this letter... After careful consideration, we suspect that there is a very important 'high-value target' hidden inside the rugged hills. He is likely very high on the Black Sun Society's list, and his status should not be lower than that of the Deep Sea Mage Yetvich and the deceased Kzlov."

"what do you mean?"

Finn's expression was quite grave: "The actual leader of the Black Sun Society completely disappeared from our sight a month ago. His last appearance was at the northern port of Saint Steel..."

"A month is probably not enough time to travel such a long distance..."

Finn raised his hand, interrupting Alfred's speculation: "For a spellcaster like Novi, distance is by no means an effective constraint."

(End of this chapter)