The black sun hangs high

Chapter 103 Shaky
Walking through the deserted, dark underground corridor, looking at the familiar room layouts and door numbers around him, Hughes had a subtle sense of disorientation.

It was as if the ground had become a giant mirror, and the buildings on the ground were reflected in the mirror, forming a void world that was difficult to see and filled with a strong sense of mystery.

The heavy metal doors were all locked. Hugh tried to open them, but found that he couldn't do so with force.

After a brief discussion, Vera used "Clear Lock" on the door of room 203.

This simple, raindrop-level magic was something Verin could cast directly, bypassing spellbooks and inscriptions. Its effects were more precise and gentle, a stark contrast to the violent, destructive lock-picking magic cast by Hugh.

With a dull metallic clang, the heavy lock on the door sealing room 203 underground was successfully unlocked by magic. Then, Verine took a step back, and a simple lighting trick took effect from her fingertips, with soft and bright light spilling out from a small ball of light.

Hugh stood at the door of room 203, holding a revolver rifle, looking at the metal door that was slightly ajar, and inexplicably had a bizarre sense of déjà vu.

"Mr. Hugh?"

Vera didn't quite understand why Hugh would momentarily freeze up at this moment.

"Sorry, I just suddenly remembered something..."

Hugh chuckled awkwardly. He resisted the urge to kick the door open and shout into the room. Instead, he followed his memory and cast a "Grease Overflow" spell on the hinge of the metal door. Then, he summoned his dark green mage hand and pushed the heavy metal door forward with force.

A pitch-black room suddenly appeared before the two of them.

Weilin flicked her finger, controlling the ball of light to slowly move forward, and then floated to the top of the room, illuminating the entire room like a real lamp.

This appears to be a normally laid-out hotel room, with a desk and chair, a wardrobe, and a magic lamp fixed to the wall...

Of course, there's also a standard double bed.

Hugh and Vera's gazes were immediately drawn to what was lying on the bed—a dark figure, which remained completely black even under the illumination of the orb on the ceiling.

"Although there is absolutely no light or trace of normal life, everything here is very clean... There isn't even dust on the ground; were those waiters wearing black masks the ones who cleaned it?"

Hugh carefully examined the house. After confirming that there were no magical traps or alarms in the room, he stepped inside first and slowly walked to the bedside. Only then did he realize that what was lying on the bed was not a person or a physical entity, but a human figure carved from some kind of pitch-black stone. The stone seemed to be very special; when light shone on it, it was completely absorbed, making the entire human figure look like a pitch-black void that appeared out of nowhere.

"Miss Weilin, can you tell what this is?"

“A certain crystal… seems somewhat similar to the magical crystals we commonly use.”

Vera leaned closer, curiously examining the unfamiliar stone she had never seen before: "But I can't sense any magic flowing through it. Maybe it's because the magic has been exhausted, or maybe it's because it's essentially a man-made alchemical object."

Verin's mage hand floated over and gently touched the stone humanoid, but it seemed to be a truly "dead object," offering no response whatsoever to the touch.

"I can only sense the same ritual fluctuations as in the room above. There are no other special traces. However, it could be some kind of ancient ritual that is beyond the scope of conventional magic, or some kind of evil magic mastered by the Black Sun Society."

Vera finished examining the stone humanoid figure: "Be careful, don't touch it."

Upon hearing Verin's words, Hugh's heart stirred slightly. He tried to mobilize the special magic power he possessed from the nameless dark green crystal, and the metal disc immediately began to accelerate, while his magical perception was also significantly enhanced.

While Verine turned her head to observe other places, the mist of the Mirror Messenger gradually filled Hugh's eyes, and the pitch-black stone humanoid began to become clear in Hugh's vision, and the outlines, lines and details hidden in the pitch-black color also appeared.

Hughes was surprised to find that the human figure lying on the bed was not a simple, crude human-shaped stone sculpture.

In fact, it is very exquisite and full of details.

This is a sculpted male torso, dressed in a very old-fashioned aristocratic outfit, with his hands crossed in front of his abdomen and several different rings on his fingers.

He had slightly curly short hair, a stern face, and slightly open eyes...

Hugh suddenly realized that he seemed to have seen such a face somewhere before, so he quickly searched through his own and Hugh Ernst's memories.

He quickly found the corresponding one.

That's a painting.

A portrait that hangs simultaneously in the corridor of Ernst Manor and in the armory exhibition hall.

If Hughes remembers correctly, this face should belong to a famous member of the Ernst family, namely General Walter, who shone brightly in that large-scale war two hundred years ago—Ludwig Ernst.

Even today, war memorials to this general still stand in many border cities of the Kingdom of Votel.

However, right now, Hugh saw him again in such a gloomy and eerie environment.

"What do you mean... Could these underground floors also be a special cemetery for the Ernst family? Is this a special memorial to commemorate important members of the family?"

Hughes stared at the exquisite human figure shrouded in darkness. After witnessing the black rats and making some guesses about the underground space, he felt uneasy all over.

"what?"

Just then, Hugh heard a slight sound from Verin on the other side. He turned his head and saw Verin suddenly manipulating the Mage's Hand to float to the side of the wall. The Mage's Hand gently groped in the darkness for a couple of moments, and then lifted something off the dark wall.

Those are curtains.

Only at this moment did the two realize that what they had previously thought was a black wall was actually a huge black velvet curtain. If it weren't for the mage's hand probing, they probably wouldn't have discovered that there was a layer of obstruction in front of them.

Although she was underground, Vera carefully turned off the lights in the room. Only after the room was dark again did she slowly draw back the black curtains.

Then, a scene beyond their expectations appeared. Hugh first saw a faint light—it was a window, but outside the window was not a stone wall, but a vast, real space. He carefully approached the window and peered out, and then he saw lights "downstairs." It was a huge "plaza," most of which was shrouded in darkness, but there were lights along the main roads. By these lights, Hugh could see scattered figures flashing by.

After a brief moment of shock, Vera drew the curtains again, shutting out the light from outside once more.

This discovery is truly astonishing.

Hugh originally thought that the underground floor he found was an extension of the mansion on the ground, but he did not expect that he had underestimated the Black Sun Society's ability to act and their imagination... They actually directly replicated an entire manor hotel underground, and even dug out such a large space. He didn't know what their specific purpose was.

"Can an underground space of this size really hold up? Didn't these people think about what would happen if an earthquake occurred? Oh... they have magic, then it's alright."

Hugh cursed silently in his heart.

He stood up, about to tell Vera about his discovery of the stone statue on the bed, when he suddenly received a warning from the spiritual world.

The metal disc, which had been rotating at a constant speed, suddenly accelerated, causing waves to surge through Hugh's vast mental ocean, constantly washing over his nerves.

Sniggy, the scurrying rat waiting in the corridor, found nothing; clearly, the danger was not coming from its direction.

Hugh quickly turned his gaze to the black statue on the bed. In the magical vision provided by the Messenger in the Mirror, he was surprised to find that the stone statue belonging to General Ludwig Ernst of Water had opened its mouth slightly at some point.

It looks like it's about to speak.

……

Standing before a portrait of General Ludwig, Zeke Ernst removed his black top hat, revealing a head of very thinning silver hair.

It was with General Ludwig that the Ernst family truly entered the military sphere of the Kingdom of Wörtel.

The Ernst family has produced many outstanding figures in the past, and Ludwig was just one of them.

He was supposed to be an important heir to the Ernst family.

But at the end of that war two hundred years ago, this general, who had a brilliant military mind and carried out a comprehensive reform of the Waterloo army, was killed during a routine inspection of the artillery positions when an explosion caused by a malfunctioning crystal cannon occurred.

It is said that a broken magic crystal pierced General Ludwig's chest with pinpoint accuracy, like a short spear hurled by giants.

It is said that the gleaming crystal remained embedded in the general's chest until his body was buried.

It was almost as if the war itself had bestowed upon him a medal.

General Ludwig was the person Zek Ernst admired most, without exception. His biography, his thoughts and predictions on military and political affairs, and his vision for the future development of military models were all topics that the elder Zek was most familiar with.

Today is a very important day for the nobles of the Lyran District. At today's noble meeting, these elites who once influenced the development of the Kingdom of Votel will face a series of issues that must be discussed—in the face of the impending war and the rapidly expanding and inflating royal power, what decisions should this ancient alliance of interests make?

Zeke Ernst carefully examined the portrait in front of him, the wrinkles on his aged face trembling slightly.

Whenever he had to make a major decision, he would meditate under the portrait of General Ludwig, as if he could draw enough wisdom and courage from it.

"Father, the meeting is about to begin."

A well-dressed middle-aged man walked into the lounge.

As always, Erevan Ernst maintained his exceptional aristocratic bearing, and he appeared particularly invigorated today. Although he had taken over decision-making power in many important areas of the Ernst family in the past, the discussion about whether Erevan Ernst was the next heir to the family had never ceased.

Whenever he stood behind his father, he couldn't help but look at the man's neck.

The body was so old that it required various magical rituals to control the many ailments and defects within it. Erevan knew that if he had the courage to grab that thin neck or directly stop the rituals on the wheelchair, the old man in the wheelchair would immediately become a corpse.

But he didn't dare.

Even now that he has the full support of the Black Sun Society, he wouldn't dare to do that.

The oppressive presence of the "Three-Clawed Falcon" extends beyond the military sphere of the Kingdom of Walter; Zeke Ernst's existence is a mountain to every member of the Ernst family.

A person standing at the foot of a mountain is destined to be insignificant and humble.

Even if it is a mountain that is about to collapse.

But today is different. Erevan Ernst knows very well what the Lyland District Noble Conference represents. His father's willingness to let him formally attend this important conference is tantamount to announcing his decision in front of all the important nobles of Walter.

When this meeting concludes, Ernst's status as heir to the family fortune will be definitively confirmed...

"Yerevan... Yerevan!"

The old man's voice came from ahead, so Yerevan quickly ended his reverie and, as always, respectfully stepped forward, gently placing his hand on the armrest behind the wheelchair.

"You must have had a tough time these past few days?"

The old man smiled gently: "My student has been very active lately, which must have caused you a lot of trouble?"

"These are all matters I should handle, nothing particularly difficult... However, yesterday, the Fifth Guard Regiment did indeed cause quite a bit of dissatisfaction, as they believed it was a violation of the noble status and rights."

"Hmm...that's their opinion. I'd like to hear yours."

(End of this chapter)