Ch.314The Luster of Black Shadow. Crater Mountain Range (2)

“Finally. Crater Mountain.”

October 25, 1203.

The Solar Army led by Victor finally arrived at the Crater foothills.

What came into view was the night scenery gradually obscured by the rising sun, countless people climbing the ridges, and hotels and restaurants built on massive supports driven into the mountainside.

“Human greed!”

Victor exclaimed at the bizarre sight that resembled a snake made of buildings coiling around the mountain. He didn’t particularly mean to criticize, but wasn’t the appearance truly strange?

“This time, I’d like to climb the mountain with the soldiers. Prepare to disembark them.”

“Understood. How many do you plan to take?”

“All of them. The Sky Warden will operate unmanned.”

“Yes. I’ll prepare accordingly.”

Some might consider it reckless, but this Sky Warden had been retrofitted with a fairly advanced artificial intelligence.

Besides, this vessel was the Solar flagship. Few would dare commit the grave sin of sacrilege, so leaving the Sky Warden unattended wouldn’t cause any particular problems.

What could anyone do when its owner was a god?

“Ah, and prepare food for the adventurers and pilgrims. Load plenty of strong spices with powerful aromas and flavors and bring them down.”

“Are you saying we should feed others besides ourselves?”

“Yes. You know how tight adventurers’ wallets are. It would be a shame for them to worry about affording a single meal in such a nice place.”

“If that is the Sun’s will, it shall be done.”

The sun shines equally on everyone.

If one doesn’t concern oneself with the meals of those who aren’t soldiers, then one isn’t qualified to be a god.

They had thoroughly gathered supplies from the previous city, so there wouldn’t be any shortage of food.

-All troops prepare to descend! Load the supplies!-

-This is civilian support! Priests, supervise the soldiers thoroughly!-

-One hour until descent! Everyone to positions!-

At the booming announcements over the speakers, the soldiers hurriedly began their preparations.

With what was essentially their first civilian support mission, the soldiers created a chaotic atmosphere, but the non-commissioned officers and priests soothed them and pushed them into the shuttles. Thus, a day’s worth of food for a large city was loaded onto 1,000 shuttles, preparing to feed the hikers climbing the mountain.

*

Crater Mountain had no government.

That is to say, it lacked the rigid divisions of executive, legislative, and judicial branches that people typically think of. This didn’t mean there was no governing authority at all.

Because of the extremely high floating population, merchants who resided permanently to make money from visitors naturally banded together to protect their interests. The Crater Merchants’ Association effectively functioned as the government.

Think of it as a downgraded corporate state, a minor version of Turianic Industries, for easier understanding.

And now Victor and the Solar Army had arrived, parking their massive warship at the foot of the mountain and sending down 1,000 shuttles.

The sight of hundreds of thousands of troops descending in shuttles successfully astonished the adventurers and pilgrims who had struggled to reach Crater Mountain. They stood with mouths agape, watching the 200,000 combat troops disembarking from the Sky Warden.

“Holy… that’s the Solar Army!”

“Look at that warship… it’s glowing even though it’s blocking the sky!”

“You fool! That’s the Sun’s flagship! Of course it glows!”

Normally, blocking the sun creates shadows, but the Sky Warden was, as someone said, the Sun’s flagship. Since its owner was the living Sun himself, it was only natural that the vessel carrying him would share in the sun’s grace.

Of course, when the Sun disembarked, the ship’s light quickly faded, but it nevertheless stood as living proof of the Sun’s divinity, having temporarily bestowed a soul upon an inanimate object. The adventurers forgot their steps and simply gazed at the Sun’s descent.

Though it no longer glowed, all darkness retreated before it. Though no words were spoken, majesty radiated from it.

Before the divine form that transcended human understanding, mere mortals could barely stand their ground.

“Go ahead and order the merchants of this land to prepare meals and lodging for 200,000 people. We will wait here until preparations are complete.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The scouts on mountain motorcycles bowed as they answered, and the adventurers immediately sensed that all these soldiers would be climbing the mountain.

How much money would it take to feed and house a massive group of 200,000 people? Moreover, being a military group composed of healthy adult males, they would eat several times more than average people. While lodging could be provided in existing structures, it was clear that food couldn’t be prepared in such a short time.

“They must be swimming in money…”

“Watch your mouth, you idiot. How dare you speak like that before a god? All the offerings from every Solar Order believer go to him.”

“He looks like an ordinary man… Hard to believe the continent turned into a battlefield for him.”

“I’m telling you, he’s not a man but a god!”

While the adventurers bickered among themselves, Victor and the Solar Army began setting up camp with practiced efficiency.

They pitched tents, dug drainage ditches, built field kitchens, and dispersed into platoons and companies to establish guard rotations.

“Add more spices, generously! Enough for wild animals to smell it from afar!”

“Is… is it really okay to waste spices like this?”

“Of course. It’s the Sun’s order.”

And in the field kitchens, meals of unbelievable quality for military fare began to be prepared.

Even a rotten croaker is still a croaker—the Solar Army, with its inexhaustible finances, possessed cooking equipment incorporating all manner of advanced technology, allowing them to produce high-quality dishes in a short time.

“That… delicious smell… should I ask for a little?”

And this was precisely the strategy.

By wafting food aromas toward the numerous adventurers and pilgrims who had gathered to see the night view, the stomachs of those who had been subsisting on tasteless hardtack and jerky began to cry out, “Just one bite!”

“Excuse me… if it’s not too much trouble, could I have just one meal?”

“Of course. Just say you believe in the Sun, and we’ll gladly provide.”

“Um… praise the Sun?”

“Here’s a bowl of soup!”

Human psychology is peculiar—no matter how absurd a statement might be, once uttered, people begin to rationalize it somehow.

Even without faith, even without sincerity, the moment one makes a religious statement for a meal, self-justification begins: “Actually, I’ve always been favorable toward the Sun.”

And that self-justification gradually leads to faith, and further to joining the order. Religious organizations don’t provide free meals for nothing.

A few kind words, a few verses from scripture—once you start reciting these, you’ve already stepped deep into the sea of faith.

“Praise the Sun! I am a pilgrim who came with my family! What greater honor than to meet the Sun’s incarnation in this land?”

“Here are ten bowls of soup!”

And once the water began to overflow, the dam collapsed in an instant.

Honestly, Victor and his followers had followed the insane tech tree of Solar Knight -> Solar Apostle -> Literally the Sun, and Victor had been conditioned from childhood to 240 hours of hard labor per week, making him suspiciously good at work, so they never faced financial difficulties. But the lives of actual adventurers were extremely impoverished.

While they could find work in cities, the areas between villages and towns, between cities and cities, were lawless zones overflowing with monsters and devoid of support. To traverse these areas, adventurers had to carry as many weapons as possible and as few necessities and provisions as they could manage.

Naturally, the longer they stayed in the wild, the more their appearance deteriorated to about 2-3 minutes before complete dehumanization. When they finally earned money, they often squandered it on steaks, fried eggs, alcohol, and prostitution.

And this was the result. Everyone chanting the Sun’s name, reaching out to fill their hungry stomachs.

Since the beginning and end of all faith ultimately lies in filling the believers’ stomachs, this was a scene perfectly suited to the Sun, who was both beginning and end.

The campsite quickly transformed into a soup kitchen distributing meals to those chanting the Sun’s name. The soldiers felt exhilaration and superiority as they tirelessly ladled soup for the adventurers and pilgrims kneeling before their god.

It was summer.