The black sun hangs high

Chapter 473 Opportunity
Finn, the royal steward, quietly observed the officers and accompanying mages before him, much like an old nobleman sizing up a young, inexperienced member of his family.

Alfred and Klaus were certainly not young anymore, but Finn, being a mountain elf, had a long lifespan and an incredibly rich experience, which made ordinary humans seem somewhat naive or even innocent in his eyes.

Of course, Finn also had to admit that the human race did indeed possess amazing potential, a conclusion he drew based on his own observations and experience.

Throughout his long life, Finn witnessed the rise of the House of Walter and the changing landscape of the Lowe Plateau. He also saw the impact of new theories, technologies, and powers on the old order.

Perhaps because of the brevity of life, the human race always chooses to unleash its greatest potential within a limited time, whether for development or destruction.

Finn witnessed firsthand how his former mountain elf tribe had gradually fallen from being the potential masters of the mountains and plateaus to becoming vassals of the human kingdoms, and eventually one of these behemoths.

Finn deeply regretted this.

He knew very well that the mountain elves had a real chance in the past to seize actual control of the highlands from the Kingdom of Walter, and might even have been able to establish their own kingdom on the plateau. But in the end, these precious opportunities were wasted due to the elves' own procrastination and choices.

Elves are often learned, confident, and proud, while humans tend to inadvertently reveal their timidity, cowardice, and fear.

The two men standing in front of Finn are a perfect example.

Finn could clearly sense the unease and fear emanating from Alfred and Klaus—which was normal, given that they were now facing an incalculable number of enemies who defied conventional military theory, coupled with a potential Black Sun Society leader. Whatever mission the Fifth Juggernaut was to undertake, they were likely to suffer unprecedented losses.

However, fear does not equate to rejection or retreat.

Finn stared calmly ahead, having no doubt that even Alfred, known as a playboy in aristocratic circles, would respond to the terrible order he had brought with him as quickly as possible.

After a moment of silence, Alfred ended his eye contact with the mage Klaus and turned to Butler Finn, giving him a standard military salute as always.

"Sir, the Fifth Jaeger Regiment needs accurate intelligence and orders."

As he spoke these words, Alfred's expression was as solemn as a stone unearthed from the Love Plateau, and the mage standing beside him, Klaus, also had a somber face, reminiscent of dark, accumulating rain clouds.

Upon seeing this, the loyal royal steward smiled. He nodded, and with a gentle wave of his hand, magical lines wove together in the air, forming a sturdy and reliable temporary structure. Then, an invisible and gentle pressure was applied to the shoulders of the two young soldiers, causing them to sit down.

Subsequently, a neatly packaged document, with royal carvings and highland eagle patterns on its surface, was delivered to the mage Klaus.

After a quick and rigorous check, the document's correctness and completeness were verified, and as Alfred and his companion began to read it, Butler Finn calmly began to explain.

“A significant portion of the intelligence comes from the northern frontier. You can see the emblems of the Dawn and Merlinle... You can also apply to verify some related records.”

Finn said slowly, "From now on, the advance on the Northern Front will probably not be as smooth as before. The Saint Steel royal family has signed an order to expand the scope of mobilization—those areas they have selected have already been affected and transformed to the greatest extent by the Black Sun Society."

Alfred read quickly, almost immediately finding the section corresponding to Butler Finn's statement. After a swift double scan, his brow furrowed: "Using rituals and magic to directly interfere with the minds of ordinary people, making them 'voluntarily' form a new army with the summoned monsters..."

"If they do do that, it will probably be very disadvantageous to the Northerners who are on the side of the Allied Forces."

As he flipped through the pages, the mage Klaus added in a cold voice, "The people of the North value kinship and regional ties. There are many St. Steeles within the Dawn Society... It seems that the situation on the northern front is not optimistic, and we may even face a counterattack."

"That's not necessarily the case."

As the actual commander of the Fifth Regiment, Alfred was thinking further ahead: "Simply expanding the number of soldiers won't change anything in a short time... Even if these Saint Steelers controlled by magic go to the battlefield, their training and equipment problems can't be solved in a short time."

Butler Finn nodded in satisfaction: "Yes, continue."

Alfred thought about it carefully for a while, and then said, "Judging from the situation at sea and the recent performance of the Kingdom of Hein, the Black Sun Society probably doesn't have a clear idea about organizing a large-scale counterattack. Their actions of disturbing the rear of the plains and sending people to contact the Hein nobles also show that what they really want to do is delay."

"Yes, procrastination."

Finn nodded in affirmation of the officer's deduction: "The Black Sun Society has not concealed its intentions. According to the information that Dawn Sword has obtained from the heart of St. Steel, they have even clearly defined this goal within themselves... to do everything possible to delay the advance of the front line and create as much chaos as possible, even at the cost of destroying those 'spies' planted behind our lines."

"They want to change the focus of the operation?"

The mage's expression grew increasingly grim: "They want to open a new battlefield? Here?"

"exactly."

The elven butler sighed: "They are not ordinary people after all. The power they can wield is different from what is commonly known. What supports their actions has never been any government or military entity, but rather the shadows that once entrenched Vaan."

"Novi, the name that has always been hidden behind the traitor Yetvich and the Cedar Scholar Tower... He has entered the rugged hills and is now hiding in a crevice of some cliff."

Finn rubbed his fingers together, the magical threads and temporary structures squeezing and deforming between them: "After arriving here, I discovered that even magic is accusing me of his arrival. Ha, leader of the Black Sun Society, Vaan's ailment, traitor to magic."

Finn looked up at Alfred: "The specific plans of the Black Sun Society aren't really important. The giant eagles on the plateau will never allow them to use our rear as a breach point in this way... Since they're coming, we'll respond in the way of Walter." Alfred knew the real orders were about to come, so he put down the documents and slowly stood up.

"His Majesty's order is to fill every crevice and crack in these rugged hills with cannon fire and flames, so that whether it be Saint Steel, Merlinle, Delan, or even newly formed groups like the Dawn Society, they should all clearly hear the roar of this place!"

……

Before officially leaving the rat people's settlement, Hugh made several more attempts, but unfortunately, whether due to changes in the magical environment inside the settlement or external interference, Hugh was ultimately unable to establish an effective mental link with Felix or Verin as before.

Of all these attempts, the only one who truly had a brief connection with Hugh was Justine, who was his "daughter."

This also confirms some of Hugh's conjectures about the same source of magic—the connection between the spellcaster and the "summoned creature" is always more resilient and stable than other forms, and the cold magic that exists in both Hugh and Justina's bodies, similar in nature to the Dark Abyss, is also more adaptable to the current terrible environment.

For a few moments, relying on his now extremely strong and keen senses, Hugh successfully captured fragments of sound and image from the mental fluctuations transmitted by Justina.

He heard intermittent conversations, saw the slightly unfamiliar figure, and even sensed a faint magical fluctuation emanating from it.

Even though the vast distance between the Dark Abyss and Vaan blurred his thoughts and senses, Hugh could still perceive that familiar and intimate tremor.

The chaotic environment had no effect on the essence of those magical structures.

They remain rigorous, orderly, and methodical, exuding a beauty called order.

This made Hugh feel comforted and warmed.

He believed that whether Weilin was his teacher, comrade-in-arms, or "lover," she was able to maintain a considerable degree of calm when facing external challenges and interference, and the stable magic she exuded was the most powerful proof of that.

This gave Hughes more courage to push forward with his next plan.

The former mad poet Aziv, now the leader of the rat-man tribe, is leading a massive swarm of rats to see Hugh off.

Aziv's emotions were calm, but his rat-man face revealed a hint of helplessness and sadness.

As a devout follower of the goddess of magic, Mel, Aziv knew that once Hugh left, he would return to his previous state—in the Abyss, in the settlement of the ratmen, Aziv was destined never to find another collaborator like Hugh who could discuss Vaan and exchange secrets with him.

The ratmen's prophet is destined to be alone. He must push this peculiar race forward according to the established plan. He needs to lead this intelligent race, which is inherently paranoid and mad, into a new stage of development. From now on, the ratmen will no longer be limited to the continuation and survival of the race. In addition to magic and rituals, they must do everything possible to learn and make use of the secrets buried deep in the Dark Abyss.

“After you leave, things here may become very difficult... In the face of that knowledge, even I am no different from an innocent child.”

Aziv's voice came slowly from behind, so Hugh, who had already walked to the side of the huge elevator, stopped. He turned around and looked at the hunched ratman prophet, as well as the dense array of eyes behind the ratman prophet.

The rat people's feelings for Hugh were even purer. They truly regarded Hugh as a messenger sent by their god, and the departure of the messenger meant that the guidance of the Earth Mother Goddess was about to end.

Therefore, when Hugh turned to look at them, these incredibly devout believers all showed their sorrow, and some of the ratman warriors or priests who had been in close contact with Hugh even began to shed tears and sob.

"This is the only way."

In response to Aziv's words, Hugh smiled and gently flicked his fingers, instantly creating a transparent soundproof barrier of icy dark abyssal magic around him. He said, "From the moment the ancient gods of Vaan and the black sun in the sky were banished, it was destined that no civilization or race could survive long by relying on the blessings of the gods... The only ones who can truly guide you are yourselves."

Aziv sighed, then raised his hand and cradled General Bernhardt, who was leaning on his shoulder, in his palm. As Aziv pushed his hands forward, General Bernhardt's familiar voice echoed in Hugh's mind.

"Child, please forgive me for using this form of address again."

Compared to the past, this well-traveled veteran seems to have suffered a tremendous mental shock, and his voice sounds somewhat dejected.

“From the moment I learned that you were preparing to leave, Aziv and I went through the records and logs left behind by the victims in the ‘Continuation Base’.”

"Their civilization was incredibly powerful, their knowledge was so profound, and their will was unimaginably strong... However, as we have seen, even such a brilliant civilization eventually perished. If it weren't for your arrival, even the efforts and struggles of this last group of rebels would probably have been completely drowned in the despair inflicted by the Dark Abyss Palace."

"Do we, so weak and frail, really have a chance to surpass those who came before us and break through the barrier of the Dark Abyss?"

This was a question both for General Bernhardt and for Aziv himself.

"In the face of those vanished civilizations, the ratmen and the inhabitants of Vaan are actually the same; both are incredibly weak, even to the point of being described as foolish and ignorant."

Hugh said slowly, “However, compared to our predecessors, we now have some valuable advantages that they did not have… We have received the gifts they left behind, we have obtained the methods to combine the intangible and the tangible, and more importantly, we are not completely ignorant of the enemy we are about to face.”

"This is our opportunity, an opportunity that pioneers have never had."

(End of this chapter)