The black sun hangs high

Chapter 100 Ever-changing
Hughes now has some very bold and immature conjectures about the Ernst family and this manor hotel.

Let's assume that these obviously abnormal rats are under the control of a collective will.

Assuming that Zek Ernst's account of "family will" is not exaggerated.

Let's assume that the hidden floor he discovered beneath the manor hotel was set up specifically for the selection of heirs.

Let's further assume that the unusual behaviors exhibited by the rat swarms that coalesced into human shapes were indeed due to inherent habits of "humans"...

If these bold conjectures can be verified, then what happened at the Ernst Manor Hotel seems to have a very bizarre and horrifying answer. The reason why the underground floors of the manor hotel are mirrored to resemble the other floors is probably because there are indeed "guests" in those rooms.

It is precisely because of the presence of guests that there are waiters serving "them" in these underground floors.

So, who will be living in the rooms on the basement level?

The ancestors of the Ernst family?
Or are they those unfortunate souls who perished in the succession struggles of the past?
Thinking of this, Hugh took out the Dragon Tooth Token that Nils had given him when he returned to the hotel from his coat pocket.

Under the lights, the bard, whose name is "Hain's Lucky One," on the card appears even happier.

Hugh remembered a scene from that fairy tale—the bard, protected by the god of joy, always traveled happily, often unwittingly stumbling into dangerous situations, but always managing to escape unscathed.

Therefore, in Hugh's eyes, the meaning of this Dragon Tooth card may not only be "luck," but also symbolize the approach of danger.

Just like the Ernst family is currently facing, not only is the Walter royal group eyeing old noble families like them, but the Black Sun Society's interference and control over the entire family is also constantly increasing.

"But even now, this hotel is actually full of guys who are honestly planning to compete for the position of heir. Just thinking about that makes me annoyed..."

Hughes was annoyed by the mouse spinning around in the bottle, so he reached out and gently tapped the glass jar with his finger.

The slight tremor did not interrupt the rat's movements, so Hugh picked up the jar and shook it vigorously twice. The violent shaking caused the rat in the jar to tumble several times. Before it could get up, the mist of the Mirror Messenger further intensified its suppression of the rat.

This time, it finally quieted down.

Under the current circumstances, Hugh no longer believes that investigating the manor hotel in a step-by-step manner would be a good option.

Based on his understanding and habits, once the general goals and direction have been confirmed, he should take more direct and bold actions.

“A magnifying glass is something detectives like to carry, but I hold a hammer and a knife.”

Hugh looked at the black mouse trembling under the power of the Mirror Messenger and couldn't help but smile. Then his gaze shifted to the spellbook on his desk and the gleaming Council Mage Badge.

"It's a pity it's just a Stream-level certificate... Although it should be enough, everything would have been much smoother if my dear teacher could have shown up."

Thinking of this, Hugh opened his spellbook once again. What had happened in room 519 had proven the practicality of this kind of magic tool. Just as the textbook said, the spellbook was the spellcaster's third hand.

"Whatever is hidden beneath this manor, they should have already noticed my presence. They shouldn't make any further moves tonight... So I still have a whole night to prepare."

Hugh looked at the thick spellbook in front of him and the magic ink pen placed to the side, and couldn't help but sigh.

The night is still long, but there's a lot to prepare.

He now very much hopes that the "firepower superiority doctrine," which was very popular in his past world, will also be applicable in the current environment.

……

What happened at the Ernst Manor Hotel will never be made public.

Even the council mages, who knew there was something fishy going on, didn't have time to deal with the strange magical case that had occurred in an old family. In fact, the council of mages had essentially entered a state of war.

A large number of documents, data and archives were sorted out, the personnel roster needed to be recounted, the alchemical and magical resources in the country needed to be recalculated and allocated, many policies for recruiting wild mages were promulgated and implemented, and even the criminals who had been imprisoned in the mage prison were also facing release and recruitment assessment.

At such times, any regular mage will be conscripted by the council, and if the mage is a sufficiently outstanding lake-level or valley-level scholar, he will be entrusted with even greater responsibilities.

Weilin is in this situation.

In fact, she was already in a state of non-stop busyness after arriving at the council meeting.

In the past, she was always engrossed in academics, and her daily leisure activities consisted only of reading books and practicing magic. Occasionally teasing the magical creatures she summoned was considered a rare moment of relaxation. Therefore, she was not very good at those complicated matters.

But now she has no choice. As one of the best young mages among the lake-level mages, Vilin has been directly pulled into the review and evaluation committee of the Borden Mage Council. Whether it is the assessment of new mages, the selection and allocation of apprentices, or the evaluation of some wild mages, she needs to participate.

Fortunately, spellcasters are far more efficient than ordinary office workers. With the boost to her spirit from magic and potions, as well as the assistance of various spells, she managed to get most of the tasks piled up in front of her done in a day and a half.

Of course, Vilin was also well aware that these matters and documents had only temporarily "left" her sight, and that they would likely be sent back in a roundabout way before she could make a new round of judgments and decisions.

"Well……"

Verine raised her hand, and the Mage's Hand, which was floating to the side, immediately sent a newly reviewed and signed evaluation document to the other side. Then the Mage's Hand turned back and presented her with an extremely strong cup of Water's "energizing drink".

She didn't like this very bitter drink, especially since the council had added some magical ingredients to it to enhance its effectiveness. This allowed those who drank it to stay awake for a long time and not feel sleepy, but it also made its taste even stranger.

Who would like something like this?

Vera frowned and took a sip, then stuck out her tongue in disgust at the bitterness. It was already 11 p.m., and soon it would be another new day.

Weilin silently calculated her remaining workload in her mind, then leaned back in her chair and began to enjoy her short break.

The apprentice mages responsible for the internal logistics of the council pushed carts past, their mage hands delivering desserts and drinks to various windows and office seats, while also delivering the special newspaper published within the council to all members.

This is a habit of the monks. Whether it was the past Merlinle and the Dharma Committee, or the council that has now separated from the Dharma Committee and become independent, specific personnel would collect, organize, and print out these messages that are of great importance to the monks every day.

Unlike the newspapers that ordinary people would buy.

These newspapers typically consist of a large amount of concise text and corresponding pictures, and except for specific sections, they generally do not contain lengthy articles.

Veraine also had a habit of reading such newspapers, especially in this sensitive and delicate period, it was very important to learn about Merlinle and the direction through the council's newspapers.

"The first batch of members of the Legal Committee has officially arrived at the standoff line in the rugged hills. According to statistics, there are a total of 50 valley-level and lake-level monks, 400 stream-level monks, and about 3000 raindrop-level monks and apprentices..."

"The council has held multiple negotiations with Mellinger, and the possibility of the negotiations breaking down has increased."

"Melinler and Fang Xiang have further strengthened the blockade and surveillance of Seren City. According to the detection results of the large magic mechanic, the frequency of magical anomalies in Seren City is rapidly increasing."

"After multiple reviews, the list of 'traitorous merchants and chambers of commerce' has been confirmed and will be submitted to the council for questioning in three days."

Vera quickly read through the newspaper, but her gaze lingered on a new page.

In a magical image, she saw several mages and scholars dressed as members of the Law Council being arrested; the location was presumably at Merlinle's academy.

The accompanying text is as follows.

"A day ago, Merlinle signed a special decree and used it as a basis to arrest several scholars in the field of evil magic. At the same time, a special office was established within the Mage Council to investigate the wild mage group 'Black Sun Society'."

"The Black Sun Society..."

Weilin silently uttered the name.

The first thing she did upon arriving at the council was to recount some of the events that had occurred in Seren to the highest members of the Borden Council. She deliberately omitted the parts related to the Hughes and Ernst families and emphasized the impact of the Black Sun Society.

She was still unsure how the council intended to handle the matter, but judging from Merlinle's reaction, they seemed to have finally realized the danger of this group, which they had previously regarded as an "ordinary wild mage society."

However, it's probably a bit too late to start investigating the association now.

Vera frowned, took another sip of the bitter drink in her glass, and continued to look down.

Then she saw an explosive news story.

"The Kingdom of Saint Steel has confirmed that a violent magical explosion occurred at noon today in the Cedar Scholar Tower complex located on the edge of the Northern Snowfield. The impact caused severe damage to the Yaroslavich Mage Tower and directly destroyed the crystal tower top of the Olivier Mage Tower... The ongoing Cedar Scholar Conference was forced to be interrupted, and the three Deep Sea level mages, Yaroslavich, Olivier, and Angelica, who participated in the conference, have not yet shown up."

In the accompanying picture, Vilin saw that the Cedar Scholar Towers, which were regarded as an academic holy land by countless mages, were constantly emitting thick smoke. Just as the text described, the three Deep Sea Mage Towers at the very center of the towers were severely damaged, and the Olivier Mage Tower, which was originally known for its magnificence and elegance, had its entire top sheared off.

At this moment, not only Weilin, but also the other mages in the same room saw this extremely shocking news.

"Who did this? The Saint Steeles?"

Someone couldn't help but ask, "I heard those northerners are researching something... a giant snowfield cannon?"

"No matter what kind of giant cannon it is, it could never produce such an effect."

A lake-level mage with military experience immediately refuted the former's doubts: "Look carefully, those are cedar trees. Unless the three mentors want to dismantle the towers themselves, no one can break through the tower complex's defenses, not even three hundred... no, six hundred crystal cannons firing simultaneously!"

Violet, who was hiding to the side reading a newspaper, nodded slightly.

She also didn't believe any country would dare to attack the mage towers of the deep-sea level mages. Moreover, the Cedar Scholars' Tower Group had always been a magical academic organization that adhered to the principle of absolute neutrality. Furthermore, according to the opinions of the three deep-sea level mages who founded the organization, all members who joined the Cedar Scholars' Tower would no longer have the identity of the Law Committee or their original country, ethnicity, and race, but would simply exist as academic researchers in the world of Vaan.

For this group of people, changes in the world situation are no longer of much significance. Whether they try to win them over, attack them, or exclude the Cedar Scholars Association, it would be a foolish choice.

"So what exactly happened?"

Vera shook her head in confusion.

At this moment, a magic apprentice walked over, holding a document in his hand: "Madam, here is a temporary document for today... submitted by the Fifth Guard Regiment, concerning the approval of the use of some magical materials."

The apprentice looked at the young mage in front of him, who was about the same age as him but had already reached the Lake level, and his face was full of flattery. He lowered his voice and said, "Using these materials requires reaching the Stream level or above, but the person who uses them happens to be... one of your students. Although he has the credentials, he has not yet passed the council's formal examination."

As he spoke, he carefully shoved the document in front of Wei Lin: "You can take a look, otherwise we might have to go through several more procedures, which is very troublesome."

Vera took the document, her gaze immediately landing on the familiar image of an ID in the lower right corner. She nodded to the apprentice before her, "Okay, I understand. I'll handle this myself. Thanks for the notification... I'll remember you."

The apprentice left happily, but Vilin's expression quickly darkened: "Dense Forest Short-tailed Wolf Fang... Killer Ivy Root? What are you trying to do?"

(End of this chapter)