The black sun hangs high

Chapter 406 "A Big Scene"

"There have been new developments in the direction of Watchtower City; there's been a lot of activity."

At the Dawnblade’s temporary outpost on the banks of the Isa River, Darthwell placed a report, still smelling strongly of ink, in front of Mayer.

Upon hearing this, Meyer immediately put down his cup, touched the top of his head, picked up the report, and began to read it by squinting under the indoor light.

Bright light shone evenly on Meyer, making him seem like the professor who once again stayed in the medical school checking students' assignments and papers. However, compared to the past, Meyer's appearance had changed significantly.

His hair ultimately couldn't hold out until that moment.

The sparse hair on his head that Sally had joked about so many times was finally gone—Meyer himself found the loose hair very annoying, so he simply had Sally get a razor and shave it all off.

Therefore, now, whenever Meyer isn't wearing a hat, his rather large head becomes particularly noticeable.

Especially indoors with lights.

However, Meyer never cared about such things. He rubbed his bald head as he immersed himself in the report, his expression as solemn as one of those statues in the academy used to create a serious atmosphere and deter mischievous students.

The reports provided by Dawnblade were always very concise, and this time was no exception, so Mayer quickly finished reading them.

He put down the report, leaned back slowly in his chair, and then asked, "No more news? I mean, intelligence from behind Watchtower."

"They're all integrated into this."

Darthwell sighed gravely, tapping the table with his fingers, and said, "The intelligence from behind Watchtower is very limited, clearly sent in haste, but the content it mentions largely matches the conclusions drawn from other outposts..."

"So, the Black Sun Society originally planned to launch a surprise attack on our positions at night, and the main force of the attack was not the Saint Steel army, but these terrible monsters they summoned through magic?"

Darthwell shrugged: "Or rather, some kind of enormous bird or raptor, and judging from the information we've received, they are likely much larger than we can imagine for ordinary magical creatures."

"Have our positions responded?"

"Yes, an emergency mobilization was carried out... The dwarven craftsmen in the team came up with an idea and temporarily modified some of the 'Far-Seeing Guns' and other small crystal cannons, which allows our soldiers to fire into the sky. The quantity and variety of ammunition are sufficient, and the ability to cope with the impact should still be there."

At this point, Daswell lowered his voice: "However, many people from the Kingdom of Water are now in a state of panic... This is related to their past beliefs."

"Yes, the highland giant eagle, which is regarded as a spiritual symbol by the Water people, is indeed very powerless in the face of these ancient and terrifying birds of prey."

Mayer nodded in agreement, and then said, "Since the expected raid did not happen, it means that the Black Sun Society must have changed its plans at the last minute... Look, there has been unrest in Watchtower and its surrounding area, and there has even been continuous shelling. This shows that someone is trying to interfere with and delay the Black Sun Society's original plans for us."

Darthwell nodded, a troubled look flashing in his eyes: "Our comrades are probably in a very, very dangerous situation right now, which also shows that the actual situation around Watchtower is far more complicated than we imagined. Otherwise, given our friend's personality, he would never have taken such a risk to disrupt the original infiltration plan... This could very well make all their previous efforts go to waste, or even put them in a desperate situation."

"Ah, I understand."

Meyer glanced at the report, then turned his gaze to the magic sand table placed to the side. After staring at it silently for a few minutes, Meyer turned to look at his student who was standing in the corner of the room, his face filled with worry and unease.

“Sally, could you please invite General Buck from the Kingdom of Walter? His meeting should have just ended... Oh, and please invite Felix as well; I have something to discuss with him.”

Sally nodded and quickly left the room, while Darth Vader went straight to Meyer's side, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

He looked at his old friend and asked seriously, "It seems you want to launch an attack ahead of schedule?"

"No, of course not."

Mayer decisively shook his head in denial: "These major strategies and plans are the result of discussions among many people. Under such circumstances, acting rashly will only create a series of troubles and loopholes."

He picked up the slender wooden stick that was placed next to the magic sand table and tapped it twice at Watchtower City and its surrounding areas: "But now, a clear sign has appeared before us. The Black Sun Society's preparations and the mobilization of those Saint Steel troops are basically complete. Only under these circumstances will they be determined to launch a surprise attack on us."

"But now, our brave comrades are trying to create chaos and distract them... This is a very valuable opportunity. Under these circumstances, the Black Sun Society's army will certainly not risk launching an attack. They must hold their line and be wary of any possible attacks from the rear."

Mayer gently pushed several symbols representing "infiltration operations" forward with a stick until they reached the mountainous area near the Black Sun Society's defensive line, then lightly swiped the stick twice on the magic sand table.

As this action was taken, the magic sandbox responded, with several slender red arrows, representing "bombardment," extending from the positions along the Isa River towards the outer defenses of Watchtower.

Just then, the door to the room opened, and two figures walked in one after the other. The one in front was a middle-aged man wearing a black cloak and a classic Walter military uniform, while behind him was Felix, whose face looked somewhat haggard, but whose eyes still shone brightly.

As a person dispatched by the Kingdom of Votel specifically to liaise and cooperate with the Dawnblade and the vanguard, General Buck's personal abilities and habits are naturally no less than those of other members of the Votel army system.

The moment the middle-aged man stepped into the room, his gaze immediately focused on the magic sand table.

After looking at it carefully for a while, General Buck went to the other side of the table and naturally pulled out a chair to sit down.

General Buck was already very familiar with Mayer and the other members of the Dawn Order.

Through previous exchanges between the two sides, this professional Votel soldier has confirmed that the core members of the Dawn Society are very different from those noisy officials who like to point and gesticulate on the sand table and derive pleasure from it.

Although fundamentally, there was still a gap between Mayer and others and true professional officers, in military matters, these Dawn Society leaders, who came from diverse backgrounds such as scholars, doctors, professors, and even businessmen, displayed extreme focus and humility.

In particular, several core leaders, including Mayer, were able to march alongside the Akatsuki army in order to better understand the state of their troops and thus improve their relationship with those soldiers. Managing logistical supplies such as medical equipment and weapons was not a major problem for them. They were also actively learning about battlefield situation assessment and strategy formulation.

Furthermore, Meyer's previous leadership of the medical affairs of the Fifth Juggernaut Corps of Walter made communication between Buck and him much smoother.

General Buck removed his black military cap and said to Meyer, "I've heard about those reports from Felix... Professor Meyer, you want to launch an artillery barrage towards Watchtower? Is it to support those spies who have infiltrated St. Steel's territory?"

"To be precise, they are no longer secret agents, but a small but highly lethal infiltration force."

Meyer sighed, then turned to Felix: "Come on, I know you should have some additional information... Felix, do you know which targets near Watchtower have been shelled?"

Felix nodded, then stepped forward, quickly picked up several red flag markers from the side, and stuck them on the sand table. At the same time, he explained, "There were only two rounds of shelling against Watchtower itself. The number of shells was not large, but the targets were very clear and concentrated. After that, the targets shifted to warehouses, outposts, and barracks."

"Based on the intelligence that was sent back earlier, the targets that were shelled were all of the highest priority, and the entire shelling process was not concealed by any magic... We have reason to believe that this was an attack with no way out. The person who made the decision probably did not intend to preserve the artillery positions and strongholds at all, but only wanted to expand the strike area to the widest possible within a limited time."

General Buck nodded in agreement: "The signs certainly indicate that. They only carried out two rounds of precise artillery bombardment on Watchtower, which was their primary target. This means that the artillery position was under very clear and distinct magical guidance—they knew from the beginning what they were going to destroy, and it was indeed a desperate gamble."

Darthwell's hand, still somewhat injured, was a little clumsy. As he slowly moved his forearm, he said, "In any case, they have achieved their primary objective... The Black Sun Society's planned operation has been forced to be canceled, and the relevant intelligence has been successfully transmitted to us. Now, it's time to make a response and a decision."

General Buck shook his head somewhat helplessly: "I know what you're all thinking, but at the moment, large-scale shelling is not allowed... and you should ask someone else for this kind of thing, not me."

"Oh no, no, we don't need a large-scale bombardment."

Mayer quickly waved his hand in denial, pointing to the markings on the magic sand table: "These locations were all relayed back by our comrades at great risk. According to their observations, these locations should be places where the Black Sun Society sets up and hides their rituals... and the weak points in their current defense line mostly rely on the ritual fields formed by these rituals."

"According to the research of the Vain Magic Academy, these rituals can be interconnected on a magical level and support each other, which makes their ritual fields form a huge whole. It is this large-scale magical ritual that greatly hinders our attacks and infiltration. Once they suffer a precise strike and fall into a brief collapse, we can quickly break through this barrier and send a large number of soldiers or infiltrators into it, which also helps to relieve the pressure on our comrades."

As he spoke, Mayer shook the long wooden stick in his hand, pointing it towards the southern part of the Watchtower City area, where the border between the Kingdom of Water and the Kingdom of Saint Steel was clearly visible.

“General Buck, it was not the army that was originally planning to attack us, but the ancient creatures summoned by the Black Sun Society through a magical ritual... You must have heard of the legends of those terrifying giant eagles. Their appearance is destined to be devastating for a people who revere the giant eagles of the highlands.”

The slender wooden stick landed on the border defense line, and the wooden sculptures symbolizing the new steam crystal cannons of the Kingdom of Walter slowly lit up.

"Time is of the essence, General Buck. You might want to ask others for their opinions on this matter... such as your bold and noble princess, or... the wise 'Three-Clawed Falcon'?"

General Buck didn't say much. He quickly went to the communications crypt at the Dawnblade base, accompanied by Sally.

After an emergency conversation lasting about thirty minutes, a special temporary order was sent directly to the border command post north of the Kingdom of Votel.

The order was initiated by Zeke Ernst, the "Three-Clawed Falcon," passed Prime Minister Walter's review, and was stamped with the Highland Falcon emblem, a symbol of the royal family.

Then, a heavy steam-powered armored train that had been hidden in the magical ritual site began to spew out thick smoke, revealing its massive size. It moved forward along the tracks and eventually arrived near the border defense line.

As countless magic circuits were activated, the train's heavy outer shell slowly cracked open from the middle, and then, under the control of the operators, one after another, menacing giant cannons pointed towards the distant night sky.

On this night, the heavy weaponry crafted by the elite mages and artisans of Votel once again roared across the plateau.

(End of this chapter)