The black sun hangs high

Chapter 399 Witnessing a Miracle
In some respects, the Black Sun Society's decision-making ability is commendable.

Of course, they remained as confident as ever in their plans and in the magic and power they possessed.

In fact, the Black Sun Society's action plan and logic this time are not complicated. As a direct participant, Hugh can clearly see and understand how this plan works.

The Black Sun Society's upcoming actions are, in fact, a well-intentioned move.

To the greatest extent possible, restrict the operation of communication devices within the area, block any attempt to transmit messages by "mixing in" ordinary magical fluctuations, expose the deadly attack plan, and force those hidden infiltrators to make a choice in a very short time.

In such a pressing situation, the options available to infiltrators are inevitably extremely limited.

They had two choices: either expose themselves to spread the word about the impending deadly attack, or remain silent and watch their own troops suffer heavy losses.

What's even more chilling is that even if these spies and agents manage to successfully transmit the message at the cost of their own lives, the warning effect they can provide is negligible. The three Atmir Moonbringers possess absolute power that is enough to crush all living beings in Vaan, and the way this power is manifested has already exceeded the scope of conventional understanding.

As for the giant Asharu birds that constituted the main force of the attacking army, they were regarded by the Society as "cheap expendables." Judging from Tatiana's attitude, the Black Sun Society did not care about the significant losses that these Asharu birds might face. In theory, as long as the magical rituals within the Society could continue to operate, the believers of the Moon Eagle could continuously summon these hideous giant birds from the realm of the gods.

Upon receiving the Black Sun Society's order, Hugh immediately carried it out. Apart from a very small number of soldiers who remained at the Rock Lake Mine, the vast majority of the Sharp-Beaked Owls went to Watchtower City under his command.

When Hugh arrived at Watchtower, he found the surrounding magic incredibly thin, and as a spellcaster, Hugh even felt a sense of thirst.

This is a common occurrence after a large-scale implementation of magical and arcane silence. However, the Black Sun Society is clearly doing more than just magical silence. According to Hugh's assessment, these guys are constantly using their Black Sun Arcane to extract magic power from the entire area.

In this situation, not to mention communication secrets, even the use of the most basic simple tricks would leave clear traces, which is another important reason why the Ernst family rats had to adopt a shrinking strategy.

Tatiana, who was also involved in the plan, was already waiting by the roadside. So Hugh got out of the car and smiled at his "partner": "What a wonderful plan... I can't wait to see the results it brings."

"Oh? Which aspect of the victory are you more looking forward to?"

Tatiana asked with great interest, "Was it the successful elimination of those lured-out infiltrators? Or was it a glorious victory brought about by the great Moon Heirs?"

"Of course it's the latter."

Seeing Tatiana looking at him with some surprise, Hugh replied without hesitation, "Don't forget, Tatiana, I am, after all, a soldier... I am very much looking forward to seeing those fools who rely on their weapons to be torn apart. Unfortunately, I cannot be on the front lines right now."

As a loyal follower of the Moonhawk, Tatiana was very satisfied with Hugh's attitude. She grinned and said, "Don't worry, we'll have plenty of opportunities in the future. After all, this attack is just the beginning of the war. Those fools never lack the courage to die. They will definitely launch an attack. When that time comes, the entire area around Watchtower will become the hunting grounds of the Artmirs."

As she spoke these words, Tatiana appeared somewhat overly excited. Her pale face even showed a sickly blush. Clearly, compared to Hugh, who was in "performance" mode, Tatiana was truly obsessed with the impending killing plan.

Looking at Tatiana in this state, Hugh frowned.

Tatiana usually appears cold and calm, but beneath this mask lies a twisted and manic tendency, just like other core members of the Black Sun Society. Hugh is certain that in her mind, ordinary soldiers and residents are no different from the giant birds of Azhar that are casually fed to Atmir; both are essentially expendable commodities that can be deployed at will.

"You need to calm down, Tatiana!"

Hughes rebuked him mercilessly, then narrowed his eyes and asked, "Where are the follow-up orders? My soldiers will be here soon, and I need to know exactly what they're supposed to do..."

Before Hugh could finish speaking, Tatiana's face darkened, and she threw a metal plaque engraved with a black sun pattern at him: "Mr. Krzlov's order is that from now on, your soldiers will take over the security work in all areas of Watchtower City, including the central square, the supply warehouse, the main roads... and of course, our communications base."

"Communication secrets? I thought the Society had completely stopped using them."

"You dare call yourself a 'soldier'?"

Tatiana said dismissively, "What, do you want us to rely entirely on manpower to transmit our orders? Even if Yasharu flies as fast as he can, there's no way to transmit instructions to the rear and the front lines in a short time... Moreover, Mr. Kezlov believes that we must leave some 'room for maneuver' for our targets."

Hughes frowned, then sighed. "Alright, I'll have my men set up a tight encirclement here... but you should know that these soldiers alone won't be enough to catch any prey that gets caught in the snare."

Tatiana waved her hand casually: "You don't need to worry about the rest. Mr. Kerzlov will take care of it."

Hearing this, Hugh nodded. He was about to turn and leave, but then stopped and asked, "In Watchtower City, there are many areas that are under the jurisdiction of specific societies. How is the management of these areas divided?"

"All societies within Watchtower must now obey Mr. Kzlov's supreme orders."

"Okay, I see."

Baron Fiolando's furrowed brows finally relaxed. He returned to his car, and with a command, the driver headed towards the central square of Watchtower City.

On the way, Hugh paid special attention to the changes in the Sea God Society. He soon discovered that the once bustling society now only had a handful of guardians and occult mages left; the rest of the society's members seemed to have left. Hugh wasn't surprised by this change. He had previously received information from Baron's "old flame," Chiara, that the plan led by Professor Herbert, the society's second-in-command, to "ally" with the Ocean Cluster seemed to have encountered serious obstacles. During this period, the powerful and theoretically omnipresent Ocean Cluster not only failed to cooperate with the society as planned but had even directly severed ties with it.

Left with no other choice, the second-in-command had to urgently mobilize members of the Sea God Society in Watchtower City and demand that these loyal believers of Calron do everything possible to "plug the loopholes".

As a core member of the Sea God Society, Chiara believed this was a crucial opportunity to remove Professor Herbert from the relevant power structure. Before setting off, she did not give up on recruiting Hugh. Chiara believed that while the core members of the Sea God Society were away from Watchtower, it would be best if other people "devoted" to Calron could watch over and assist the Sea God Society.

Hugh was the "best choice" she had in mind.

Although at first glance, Baron Fiorlando may not be entirely trustworthy, he is currently facing a serious survival crisis, and his own massive faith cannot provide him with any form of support. In addition, there is his marginalized status as a distant relative of the royal family, the “terrible enemy” he is facing, and the delicate relationship with Chiara.

This makes Fiorento the best option for the Poseidon Society in the current situation.

Even Hugh himself had to admit the decisiveness shown by Chiara and the others in the face of this turbulent and delicate situation. Of course, the correct foundation for these judgments and choices never existed from the beginning. He was never the damned Baron Fiorlando, but a human alchemical bomb wandering inside the foundation of the Black Sun Society.

As Hughes watched the continuously operating Karljung Sea Mystic Instrument, he secretly asked the Ernst family's will, who possessed a wealth of intelligence, "I remember you already investigated the Sea God Society before? Is there anything here that I can use?"

Bernhardt's aged voice emerged: "I guess what you want to ask about isn't those documents and weapons... Well, there is indeed a communication device in this mansion. According to our observations, members of the Sea God Society often use it to transmit internal messages."

Hugh nodded slightly and did not ask any further questions.

As a seasoned general, Bernhardt almost immediately guessed Hugh's thoughts, and said, "Child, I don't know much about magic, but the style of that ritual is very old. Under these circumstances, once it's activated, there's absolutely no way to hide its presence..."

“I understand that this can only be considered a ‘backup plan’ in the end.”

Hugh responded softly in his heart, turning his gaze away from the mansion and glancing slightly at the dark clouds hanging over Watchtower: "I just suddenly feel that if we really can only choose between the two options as the Black Sun Society has predicted, it's like falling into their trap in advance... My thinking is being constrained."

"You want to inflict damage on those three 'big birds' in the city beforehand? I think that might be a bit too difficult; they don't look like they're easy to mess with."

"Hmm... let me take another look, let me take another look."

Hughes turned his gaze away from the sky, then looked down at his empty palms.

……

Baron Fiorentino's performance in Watchtower is as good as ever.

Under his orders, the important areas and passages inside Watchtower were quickly taken over by the Sharp-Beaked Owl soldiers who had arrived in Watchtower. After Hugh's strict "training" during this period, these mercenaries, who used to be carefree and unprofessional, actually showed some of the qualities of professional soldiers. At least when they took over the management of these areas from the city guards, not one of them dared to voice any objections.

Krzlov himself appeared in the central square of Watchtower City. This member of the Society, who held a very high position, stood before the Black Sun Ritual in the city center and began to preside over a special ancient magical ritual.

As the magical ritual proceeded, the magical state of the area surrounding Watchtower City changed once again.

The magical environment, which had been nearly depleted, began to be replenished with magic again. However, this magic was entirely controlled by the Black Sun Ritual, and it was so pure that any traces of other magic mixed in with it would be exposed.

This means that there is still no opportunity to use communication ciphers or other magical rituals in this area.

In the increasingly dark sky, the image of the former Lord of the Sky, the Moon Eagle, was gradually outlined. It was reflected under the rolling dark clouds and trembled gently with the movement of the clouds. Anyone who tried to look up and peek at it could not help but tremble—the giant eagle looked as if it had truly descended here.

A chilling shriek came from afar.

That was the voice of the Artmirs. The Moonbringers had already left their habitat. They sensed the presence above Watchtower and were heading this way.

In Watchtower, after several days of getting used to and "adjusting" to the situation, the local residents are no longer as afraid and resistant to the Black Sun Society's actions as they were at the beginning.

After receiving the notification that they could "witness miracles," the residents, who had more or less benefited from the Black Sun Society, came out of their homes and cast their curious gazes at the sky.

Then, they witnessed another "miracle".

Under the dim light of the sky, and shrouded in the image of a six-winged giant eagle exuding a sacred aura, a strange gate was slowly opening.

Cold, tranquil, and gentle moonlight shone through the enormous crevice, and then, a continuous expanse of dark clouds followed the light and fell upon Watchtower City.

That was a flock of birds, a flock of countless giant Yasaru birds.

(End of this chapter)