The black sun hangs high

Chapter 104 Father and Son

I'd like to hear your opinion.

Similar questions have been asked many times in the past.

Sometimes it's on the lawn of the estate, sometimes on the balcony of the manor or in the study...

The most memorable incident for Yerevan occurred in the palace of the Walter royal family, where his father was waiting for Princess Sofia to meet him, but suddenly they started talking about the situation on the plateau while looking at a map...

Both old Zeke and Yerevan were already used to this form of dialogue. Over the past few decades, similar questions and answers had never been rare. Although Zeke Ernst was very old, his mind was extremely sharp. The conversations and discussions between father and son often started with a small topic, ranging from people's livelihood to military affairs and finally to the nation and the country.

At these times, Yerevan would feel a mixture of fear, apprehension, and admiration for his father.

As far as he knew, few among the nobles of Walter could maintain such terrifying clarity and wisdom at such an age as his father.

However, death always seemed to linger just a step away from old Zeke.

This feeling of being neither close nor distant is truly maddening.

In fact, Yerevan didn't want to have a long talk with his father today, but when the issue was presented to him again, he chose to back down.

"Princess Sofia is about to become a true princess, and her decisions actually represent the attitude of the royal family."

In the secluded lounge, Erevan spoke his mind in a low voice: "For the past hundred years, the kingdom's decisions have always favored the Lyran nobles, which has made many people lower their guard. Many families have placed their assets in 'Lyran's Kiss'. Yesterday's actions by the Fifth Hunter Regiment had a great impact on them."

Old Zeke remained silent, so Erevan continued, "The mainstays of most families have shifted to commerce and new technology, but I don't think these two areas are as solid as we think—the combination of steam and magic is about to face its most severe test, and commerce will inevitably suffer its most terrible impact in the war."

“The royal family is not fools. Those giant-eared goblins can’t keep any secrets. Besides, almost everyone knows that the goblins are just our gloves. If they want to investigate further, a large number of people will be implicated or purged.”

"Um……"

Old Zeke responded softly, his gaze still fixed on the portrait of General Ludwig: "So, what do you think they should do now?"

"Adjust the strategy, stop investing in businesses, and shift the focus back to the land east of the Duolun River."

Yerevan stated his thoughts: "Once the war breaks out, the country's demand for agriculture and logistical supplies will expand endlessly. In such a situation, the vast farms and land in our hands will become one of the most important resources."

"Perhaps at this moment, leaving Borden and returning to the banks of the Doron River is the best thing we should do—the new steam equipment and improved alchemical fertilizers will surely be able to quickly transform those lands."

"Very good, but how do you intend to use these lands to achieve a balance with the royal family?"

"The Nova and Schwarz families control the kingdom's market, with the Schwarz family being particularly responsible for the import and export of livestock and grain... If we can further control import tariffs and effectively limit the amount of agricultural products imported, then the royal family will definitely become more dependent on domestic land and output. At the same time, we can also minimize our presence in sensitive areas such as the military and commerce, which is exactly what the royal family wants."

After listening to Yerevan's words, Zek Ernst fell into deep thought.

He seemed to have become a stone sculpture gazing at the portrait, his breathing incredibly slow, almost imperceptible.

Several minutes passed before the old man finally snapped out of his thoughts. He let out a long sigh and then said, "Erevan, how many of the things you mentioned are actually being done?"

At that moment, Yerevan felt as if his heart had stopped for a second.

But he still answered truthfully: "They're all there."

"In fact, a significant portion of today's agenda is related to this. These agendas were added last night, so we didn't have time to inform everyone."

"good."

The old man seemed to smile: "Very good."

His gaze finally shifted from the portrait of General Ludwig to the magic clock beside him. Watching the constantly ticking hands, Zeke Ernst suddenly posed a question.

"So, Yerevan... do these views you're expressing come from yourself, or from the association?"

When the old man said those words, his tone was no different from usual, but Yerevan, who was standing behind him, felt a chill inexplicably. He instinctively let go of the armrest of the wheelchair in front of him and took a half step back.

The wheelchair slowly turned, and under General Ludwig's gaze, Zeke Ernst looked at his only son once more.

He curled the corners of his mouth into a smile, his thin fingers tapping lightly on the tip of his cane.

“Answer my question, Yerevan.”

As these words were spoken, the giant eagle carved at the top of the cane seemed to come to life. The old man leaned back comfortably against the back of his wheelchair, but Yerevan clearly felt that the crumbling mountain seemed to have grown two legs and was swaying as it walked toward him.

Deep within him, the fear of his father erupted at this moment. Yerevan instinctively wanted to retreat, but the old man in front of him gently twisted the sculpture at the top of his cane.

With a crisp sound, the intricately engraved and concealed ritual within the wooden cane was successfully activated. An invisible chain of magic bypassed the detection magic in the lounge and bound Yerevan's body, fixing him in place.

"Father?" What happened in front of Yerevan was completely beyond his expectations, and the cold smile on the old man's face made his mind go blank.

"Whether those ideas come from yourself or from an association, they are all good, highly feasible, and have a high probability of success."

Zeke Ernst said slowly, “However, you haven’t considered these questions… In the ensuing wars and upheavals, will our blood-bound families continue to exist? Will our nation survive?”

“I know those guys living in the Leland district better than you do; they’re a bunch of greedy, arrogant swine.”

"Once they smell the scent of profit, they will throw themselves into it without hesitation. The prosperity and development of Borden in recent years have blinded you... Children, has any of you actually visited the farms in the kingdom today?"

His speech was still slow, but his tone began to sharpen: "Our ally, Saint Steel in the north, was already in trouble before the war even began. Their prized crystal mines have now become a breeding ground for discontent and rebellion. Without the support of the people, their logistics, transportation, and troop replenishment will all be challenged... And according to your methods, those farms and lands on the Love Plateau are nothing more than another crystal mine."

"Of course, these things are no longer important to you now."

Old Zeke looked sadly at his son: "Erevan, the biggest mistake you made was to regard a group of believers who placed their hopes on non-human things as our masters... You probably don't know, do you? To this day, the Society still has not been able to completely control the Ernst family, and the leaders of each generation have never turned to their faith."

Yerevan stared blankly ahead, his thoughts in turmoil by his father's words.

"No, Father, this is not right!"

Yerevan managed to regain his composure and clarity amidst the predicament, and he argued vehemently: "Prophecy has never been wrong, and every ruler and successor has been selected and approved by the family's will!"

"It seems the people in the society really told you a lot..."

The old man shook his head: "But I can tell you that the Ernst family bloodline has been able to continue to this day not because of those empty prophecies, but because of the correct decisions and sacrifices made by every family member."

His voice slammed onto the floor of the lounge. For a moment, Yerevan almost thought his father had gone completely insane, but in Zeke Ernst's eyes, all he could see was reason and composure.

As he spoke, Zeke Ernst gently moved his finger under the armrest of the wheelchair, and a hidden compartment quietly opened. The old man reached out and somewhat awkwardly took out a new type of revolver and several bullets from the compartment.

“Erevan, now that the Society has told you about the family will, you must know that all those who fail in the selection ritual or leave midway will have their memories completely erased by the family mages. Do you know why we do this?”

Yerevan stared intently at the pistol, watching his father slowly load the bullets into the cylinder.

"Because we hope that everyone in the family can forget the existence of that power, and that they should strive for their own survival and the continuation of the family bloodline... rather than placing their hopes and energy in those prophecies and beliefs."

"Only those in power and their successors need to bear the pressure imposed by the association and the secrets of their family's past."

With the last bullet loaded into the cylinder, Zeke Ernst pressed his finger against the side of the pistol, resetting the cylinder.

He looked up, as if he had finally lost his patience with his child: "You may not have noticed, but even the society itself cannot control their so-called prophecies... All they do is try to make things move in the direction of the prophecy."

"So this time, I'm going to take a gamble. Maybe those prophecies can be used by ordinary people like us?"

He looked intently at his son before him and recited, word by word, the prophecy that had already been successfully transmitted to his ears.

"Rebels eventually become tree-eating insects, while even a rootless tree can sprout new buds..."

"Yerevan, guess who the worm is that's eating away at the tree? Is it the child you're unwilling to acknowledge? Or is it actually yourself?"

As he spoke, Walter raised his three-clawed falcon.

……

The moment Hugh noticed the obvious change in the Ludwig Ernst statue on the bed, he quickly raised his revolver and pointed the muzzle directly at the statue's open mouth. Weilin, who was standing next to him, was startled by Hugh's action, but then she also felt a strange movement.

In this dimly lit room, she detected a faint fluctuation of magical energy, the source of which was within the black stone statue.

Veraine became alert as well. She picked up the magic book, and her magic surged rapidly with her thoughts, instantly turning the thick book to a specific position. A page was torn off with a crisp sound.

Amidst a multitude of rapidly flashing, intricate magical runes, the thick pages of the "Snow Rain Needle," imprinted with lake-level magic, instantly turned to dust. With a nimble movement, a ribbon of icy blue light was "drawn" from the darkness by Vilin. As Vilin's wrist swayed, this tangible magical light quickly wrapped around her wrist, appearing mysterious and elegant.

Just then, Hughes noticed that the originally weak and vague magical fluctuation had changed further. It became clearer and clearer, and gradually became similar to the power he had encountered before. The next second, the magical fluctuation suddenly began to split at an astonishing speed.

Like a giant glass ball being smashed to the ground, the power that originally formed a whole split into countless tiny individuals in an instant. Thus, Hugh, who had been maintaining the vision of the messenger in the mirror, saw something black emerge from the mouth of General Ludwig's stone statue.

One, two... and then, like a fountain, propelled by an invisible force, countless black rats, each only half the length of a finger, gushed out from the open mouth of the stone statue. Their momentum was so fierce that they even crashed directly into the ceiling!

It started raining inside the room.

And it was raining rats.

Even without using his magical perception, just by sight, Hugh knew that the number of rats he was encountering this time was probably far greater than the last time!
Under the intense visual impact, Verine's face turned pale, but she did not scream or flee. Instead, she began to kill based on her spellcaster's instincts. The "Rain and Snow Needle" she summoned was like an incredibly flexible and self-willed soft blade. It swept and spun rapidly around Verine, killing all the black rats that tried to approach her.

(End of this chapter)