The black sun hangs high

Chapter 477 Dark Clouds
Plans never keep up with changes.

This principle applies to everyone, whether it is the Kingdom of Saint Steel or the Dawn Society.

Whether they were nobles who remained loyal to the Saint Steel royal family or officers who joined the Black Sun Society for various reasons, they all lacked a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the strange and mysterious power wielded by the Black Sun Society.

They never imagined that the city of Corlos, which had always been filled with a romantic atmosphere and the scent of perfume, would become an important recruitment center overnight. They also never imagined that the Black Sun Society could actually "create" a military force capable of launching a large-scale counterattack in such a short period of time.

Although the officers of St. Steel did not have much trust in the magical creations summoned by the Black Sun Society, they had now largely lost the ability and right to voice their objections, and most of the time, all they could do was obey.

For the members of the Dawn Society, the impact of this change is more subtle.

In fact, as early as the beginning of this storm, Vilin and others had received clear notifications and warnings from the direction of the Dawn Sword. After that, all the intelligence personnel hidden in the heart of the Kingdom of Saint Steel began to consciously control their activity frequency. The strongholds and liaison stations set up in tense areas were quietly withdrawn, and some personnel who had successfully infiltrated the military began to adopt a more conservative activity strategy.

Under the command of Virin and others, the intelligence network that had spread across the northern lands gradually disappeared. Before it went into hiding, much of the intelligence obtained from within Saint Steel regarding the Black Sun Society and the royal family had already been transmitted through various channels. Even if the Dawn Sword might be unable to fulfill its duties for some time to come, this intelligence could still provide considerable guidance for the Dawn Society's decision-making.

The only unexpected event occurred in the city of Corlo.

It fell on Virin herself.

In the original plan, the "alchemy supplies shop" that had obtained a lot of intelligence for the Dawn Sword would close down due to the turmoil of the war and some reasons of the shop owner himself. During this process, the disguised identity used by Verine would completely disappear, and she herself would, like other spies, use a safe new identity to blend into the scattered refugees or caravans, or enter the wilderness far from the town with the help of other contact stations, and then leave Saint Steel.

However, the Black Sun Society's order came too suddenly. Virin and the other members of the liaison stations only had time to send out some important intelligence before they were requisitioned along with their belongings.

During this process, the noble officer who was infatuated with Weilin's false identity provided a lot of help.

He couldn't let go of his "beloved," but he also couldn't disobey the orders of the Black Sun Society. Therefore, he did his best to secure better conditions for "Miss Caroline," who ran an alchemy supply shop. Given "Miss Caroline's" knowledge of alchemical items and some healing medicines, she was included in the list of important reserve logistics personnel.

Although the benefits and privileges provided by this list are now very limited within the current St. Steel military system, it can at least guarantee Miss Caroline's personal safety to some extent, and even provide her with valuable personal privacy and military status.

Although the aristocratic officer, who was fond of drinking, was generally unreliable, he had served in the army and therefore understood the importance of such treatment.

Vera accepted these arrangements very naturally, and she didn't even experience any psychological barriers throughout the process.

When she said goodbye to the officer, she even expressed her heartfelt gratitude, not for herself, but for the Dawn Society members who also did not have time to evacuate.

Under the cover of these identities, Vera was able to ensure the safety of each of her comrades as much as possible, and use her magic to lead everyone to successfully bypass surveillance, escape this chaotic hell, and return to their organization.

As for that "single-minded" noble officer... he was immersed in the hazy illusion constructed by layers of magic from beginning to end, and had no idea what kind of ideals and plans were hidden beneath the mask he kept thinking about.

The old crystal lamp flickered slightly twice, a sign that the magic power in the car's magic circuits was fluctuating.

Vera closed the book and slowly rose from the cargo box that served as her seat. The next second, a loud and long whistle sounded, and the steam train began to slow down slowly. According to the itinerary, the train would stop for maintenance near the town of Vaast ahead, which had now been converted into a temporary station.

Amid the train's shuddering, a Dawn Society spy disguised as an alchemist's apprentice slowly approached Verin's side.

"The train will stay in Vaast Town tonight. They have arranged for a group of soldiers to board here. Like those in Corlo City, they are all temporarily conscripted. At the same time, there is also a batch of crystallized ammunition that needs to be loaded onto the train."

The Dawn Society spy reported in a low voice: "We suspected before that the Black Sun Society had moved several large arms workshops to the vicinity of Vaast Town, and now it seems to be true... There are several large mines nearby, and with the railway and station, they can deliver a large amount of supplies to the front line in a short time."

Vera frowned: "I looked through their records in Corlo City. The town of Vaast is small and its population is mainly miners. If they want to maintain the mining of crystal ore and the production of cannonballs, they cannot use all those miners as soldiers."

"That was originally the case, but now it seems that the Black Sun Society is probably replacing the miners here."

"Replacement? What do you mean?"

“I just learned about this myself. Some of the soldiers on the bus have relatives in the town of Vyast. According to them, the demand for miners in Vyast has become unusually high in recent months. Officials in St. Steel had previously issued several notices to recruit miners, offering better pay and rations than other places, which attracted many refugees.”

Upon hearing this, Weilin immediately pulled out a simple map from the book and began to study it carefully by the light of the lamp beside her.

After a long pause, she looked up again and said in a deep voice, "The large-scale recruitment of miners indicates that the mines are in dire need of manpower and require the transfer of personnel, which means that they have indeed 'recruited' enough temporary soldiers... Has this been the case recently?"

"I'm not sure, I need to ask again."

So Vera instructed, "Try not to look for those soldiers again, so as not to arouse their suspicion... Focus your attention on the people boarding the train next, and try to get on their good side."

“Understood.” The agent nodded, then added, “According to previous intelligence, some comrades tried to infiltrate the town of Vaast, but it’s too remote, and their communication with the liaison station has long been cut off. I’m wondering if it’s possible for them to blend into the ranks of soldiers waiting to be transferred?”

“It is very likely, but you must be careful when you test and contact them. Do not rely solely on passwords and codes to confirm their identities. Everything depends on the reaction of the secret instrument. If you discover anything or there is any situation, notify me immediately.”

When the Dawn Society spies left the carriage with their orders, the train had already slowed down considerably. Virin walked to the side of the carriage under the dim light and looked out through the peephole that had been left in the carriage.

The sky outside was incredibly dark. In the veil woven from dim light, a desolate town was faintly visible. Above the town, thick, dark clouds floated, their color so deep that Virin could hardly discern the exact boundary between them and the dark dome.

Or perhaps, the two are originally one.

In Saint Steel today, the dense shadows of the abyss and the torrential rain seem perfectly matched.

The fierce fighting on the front lines brought with it a restless heatwave. A furnace of flesh and blood and wailing was relentlessly scorching the northern lands. In wave after wave of homeland destruction, faith shattering, and land withering, souls were steaming like boiling water. The unease emanating from them transformed into dancers, dancing wildly under the gaze of the black sun. The hem of their skirts, lifted up, drove the last trace of chill that transcended time to the more distant snowfields.

"It's going to rain tonight."

"I'm talking to myself," Vera said softly, then left the peephole.

Before boarding this train, she had already heard about the commotion happening in the rear. The novel that accompanied her was proof of this commotion. Similar things were not uncommon in Vaan's past history. Whether it was humans, dwarves, elves, or even those highland ogres who retained their primitive traditions, they always created similar dramas.

Fortunately, the core leaders of the Dawn Society have great respect for history, and they had already devised several different contingency plans to address this potential predicament.

This novel, written by "The Ghost of Seren," is a rather subtle part of the whole.

Now, whenever Vera picks up this novel, she not only thinks of the person who wrote these words, but also of the speech Professor Meyer gave at a certain conference.

"Ah, as everyone knows, writing is a tool and a weapon. It has power, great power... That's why we can find newspapers and magazines in any country, town, or even tribal settlement in Vaan. In this respect, even the ogre tribe has something in common with us, except that ogres often do not use writing, but rather tribal songs and war dances."

"Everyone can see that whether it is the hostile Merlinler or the seemingly more friendly Kingdom of Walter, they all hold this special tool and weapon firmly in their hands. In fact, based on their own experience, everyone can roughly recount how these countries and organizations turn words into wrenches and crystal guns."

"So now the question is in front of us, in front of the Dawn Society and everyone under its ideology."

"Should we also try to control these weapons and tools as tightly as they do?"

"I think everyone already knows the answer in their hearts."

Professor Meyer had actually drunk quite a bit of alcohol when he said those last words, which made his words somewhat emotional and indistinct, but Veraine still remembered them very clearly.

"Of course, just like every discussion we've had in the past... let's get back to that important question! How should the Akatsuki Society, or rather, how should we, as members of the Akatsuki Society, think about these issues?"

"Or rather, if we possess such a weapon, should we use it?"

“In today’s environment, debates and arguments about right and wrong are often meaningless and inefficient, because in today’s Vanne, it is difficult for us to truly enable those who are trapped by war, famine and displacement to think and judge rationally enough.”

"Therefore, when dealing with the masses, that is, the vast majority and the most common inhabitants of Vanne, what we hope for is to let thoughts and ideas enter their world like water seeping into the soil. What they accept can be stories, short parables, or even idioms that make everyone smile!"

"If we understand this, then we should realize that a popular work that is relevant to the times and can be widely recognized and understood by people can truly have a lasting impact. Comrades, this is actually a kind of magic, an extremely special kind of magic."

"It is not about self-interest and greed, nor is it about the pursuit of power and control, nor is it a disease that arises from boredom... It is the most simple and unadorned human heart, the ideal we are pursuing, and the embrace and compassion that the Dawn Society has for every ordinary resident of Vane, starting from the most fundamental point!"

Vera arrived at the entrance of the carriage and placed her palm on the door. The magical vibrations and the shaking of the carriage were transmitted to her. In these vibrations, she could clearly feel the panic, pain and unease flowing from the other carriages.

There are far too many people struggling here.

The refugees from all over Saint-St. were crammed together in those enclosed carriages, breathing in the stale air of others, listening to the cries coming from other parts of the carriages, and even having to slump on their companions' vomit. Yet they did not fight against the disaster they were experiencing—the gloom of the Black Sun Ritual and the dark dome not only clouded their eyes but also polluted their minds.

Vera's hand rested on the door.

When the rain stopped, the car came to a stop.

(End of this chapter)