The black sun hangs high

Chapter 11, Investigative Order No. 6
Investigation Order No. 6.

Most of the residents of Vaan have heard of this.

In fact, this is the most common type of investigation order issued by the Legislative Affairs Commission. It is mainly used for routine interviews and investigations of ordinary civilians. Of course, such interviews and investigations are often accompanied by some "tough measures".

"Investigation Order No. 6 is on its way to your doorstep!"

This is a very common way of cursing among the lower-class residents of Vaan.

Even though Hugh had prepared himself mentally, he still couldn't help feeling nervous when he heard the member of the Legal Committee say those words.

However, he did not dare to turn away these tough investigators. Instead, he cooperated by opening the door and acted just like an ordinary person who was visited by the Legal Affairs Commission, shrinking back, stuttering, and trembling slightly.

Hugh's gaze swept quickly over the three figures outside the door. The two in front were unfamiliar faces: a young man holding an investigation warrant and a young woman carrying a spellbook.

Both were plain-looking with dull expressions, and both wore "Stream-level" mage badges. Hugh noticed that the moment he pushed open the door, the two mages' gazes were fixed on him and the room behind him.

"It seems they're ready to 'take me down' at any moment..."

Hugh muttered to himself, then turned his gaze to the back of the two Stream-level mages, where he saw a somewhat familiar figure.

He was still wearing a proper and elegant Legal Committee robe, and his face was still refined and scholarly.

Unlike last night, the female mage was wearing glasses, and her long hair, which had been tied back, was now loose. Combined with the warm afternoon sunlight, this slightly reduced the cold feeling emanating from her.

Hugh didn't dare to scrutinize the three uninvited guests too much. He stepped back and before he could even say "Please come in," the two Stream-level mages at the front silently stepped in, seemingly already in a working state in an instant.

The female mage walked straight to the depths of the hall, opened the spellbook in her hand, tore off a page, then pulled out a dagger and forcefully nailed it to the center of the wooden floor of the hall.

The male mage rudely pushed Hugh aside, put away the investigation warrant, and then took out his tools from his pocket.

It was a metal chain connected to a piece of carved magical crystal ore.

Hugh watched as the male mage wrapped the chain around his index finger and thumb, then loosened the dark green crystal at the end of the chain.

In the dimly lit hallway, the dark green crystal, shimmering with magical light, cascaded down. It bounced slightly twice before stabilizing itself at an incredible speed, as if caught by an invisible hand.

The surrounding magic began to change slowly, and the dark green crystal began to sway back and forth at a stable frequency.

It looks just like a special and exquisite magic pendulum.

A cool voice from behind answered Hugh's question: "This is the Magic Path Pendulum... In the Law Committee, we often use this tool to look for traces of magic and magical power."

Before Hugh could speak, that exquisite face was already beside him. Hugh heard the lake-level female mage sniff twice, and then he heard her ask, "I've heard that people like you who are engaged in writing and artistic creation like the smell of ash grass. Mr. Ernst, is that so?"

"Occasionally."

Faced with the test and doubt that had come his way, Hugh was no longer as nervous as before. He took a breath and then answered as usual: "I am not a real writer, just an ordinary person who writes things to earn royalties... Therefore, I don't know any famous artists or writers. However, I have heard from others that most people do not like the smell of asparagus; they just hope to use this method to flaunt their identity."

"Hmm... and what about you, Mr. Ernst? Do you like the smell of greygrass?"

The female mage turned around, raised one hand, and quickly swept her slender, white fingers across the cabinet next to her, as if searching for any dust remaining on its surface.

Hughes answered carefully and earnestly, “I value ashes more for its ability to remove odors and musty smells. After each burning, the room is more suitable for burning incense... that’s what truly inspires creativity.”

"Ah."

The female mage gave a noncommittal reply, then bypassed her two subordinates who were busy examining the traces in the room, and without waiting for Shug to give directions, she headed towards the stairs leading to the second floor.

There was indeed a faint scent of incense wafting through the second floor. It was a very common type of incense in the city of Seren, which was normal. Those incenses with unique scents and special treatment by alchemists were definitely not something a down-and-out third-rate writer could possess.

Hugh glanced at the two busy Stream-level mages, then gritted his teeth and followed them up to the second floor. At this time, the female mage was already standing in the corridor leading to the bedroom, seemingly "admiring" the old landscape painting hanging on the wall.

Seeing Hugh approach, the female mage lowered her gaze and asked, "Mr. Ernst, are all these things left over from before?"

"Yes, I made limited changes to this old house. Generally speaking, it's just cleaning and tidying up."

"You handle these things yourself?"

"Yes, that's right... After all, servants also need to be paid wages."

Faced with these questions, Hugh gave his own answers, and then he saw the lake-level mage walk towards the bedroom.

She stopped in front of the bedroom door, then raised her hand, gently lifted the curtain, and knocked twice on the bare doorframe: "What's wrong?"

"It broke down not long ago, ma'am..."

"Oh?"

Without asking any further questions, she carefully examined the door frame twice before stepping into Hugh's bedroom without any regard for the visitor.

Hughes naturally dared not stop him; he could only follow closely behind, watching the other party wander around in his own little world.

A faint fragrance wafted from an incense burner placed in the corner of the desk, thin wisps of smoke drifting slowly from it. After surveying the bedroom, the female mage approached Shug's desk. She quickly glanced at the bookshelf before looking at the manuscripts on the desk. She picked one up and began to peruse it rapidly.

Immediately afterwards, her movements came to a noticeable halt.

Hugh blushed slightly. Of course, he knew what was in the pile of manuscripts on his desk... Even if they were discarded drafts, they were enough to make one blush. No matter what the other party's purpose was in coming to his residence, having a strange young woman directly flip through such manuscripts in front of him would give him a sense of social death.

Just then, two Stream-level mages who had been busy near the entrance hall came up one after another. The man with the wooden face reported in a deep voice: "The routine check has been strictly carried out."

The female mage's gaze did not leave Shug's manuscript. She waved her hand casually and said, "Tell me the result."

"Disordered magical residues were found on the furniture, walls, floors, and carpets, which were confirmed to be traces left by the burning of the Ash Grass. The Magic Path Pendulum's reaction was weak, which is within the normal range."

At this point, the man glanced in Hugh's direction and then reported, "There is a small amount of magical anomaly in some of the wall cracks, but due to interference from the Ash Grass and other factors, we cannot determine when it occurred and further investigation is needed."

"Well……"

The female monk nodded, then asked without looking up, "What do you mean by further examination?"

“According to the usual method, we need to break through the wall to conduct a second inspection. If conditions permit, we can also conduct a ‘spiritual interrogation’ of Mr. Ernst.”

Upon hearing this, Hugh's eyebrows twitched involuntarily.

The term "spiritual interrogation" is far too infamous. If "Investigation Order No. 6" is merely a disgusting filth, then "spiritual interrogation" is comparable to a stinking pit that can endlessly contain all kinds of filth.

Its reputation was so great that even though Hugh had never systematically studied magic, he knew exactly what it was all about.

The so-called "spiritual interrogation" actually refers to an extremely brutal and reckless magical interrogation method. The memories and mind of the person being interrogated will be forcibly cracked open by the interrogators of the Legal Committee like nuts under a hammer, and their contents will be browsed and plundered at will. Once such an interrogation is carried out, the mental world of the person being interrogated will be completely destroyed into a pile of mud.

Even if they manage to survive, their memory and intelligence will suffer irreparable damage. In circuses around the world, there are many performers who have become insane after undergoing "spiritual interrogation." This is their only way out after surviving, since apart from circuses that aim to make people laugh, there is no other place that needs crazy fools.

If possible, Hugh would love to post a request for help right now.

"I need a spell, roughly at the Stream level, that can instantly eliminate a Lake level mage and her two Stream level henchmen. I need an answer urgently."

Hughes actually knew the answer to this question.

"There's no use rushing, I suggest you just send it directly."

Hugh stood there shakily, his left hand hidden behind his back, his mind racing as he searched for a possible way out.

However, faced with the terrifying suggestion from her subordinate, the cold female mage let out a soft laugh: "Bill, after your shift, you need to copy the Law Committee's regulations ten times and submit them to the Trial Department yourself, understand?"

The male mage, or rather Bill, paused for a moment, but then nodded immediately and fell silent, retreating to his companion's side.

“Mr. Ernst, you don’t need to be afraid. I know the public doesn’t have a good impression of the Legal Committee, but in most cases, we also need to strictly abide by regulations and norms when carrying out our missions. In fact, everything we do is not only to solve the problems that the Legal Committee is currently facing, but also to ensure your safety, Mr. Ernst.”

The female mage's voice was calm, yet brooked no argument: "According to the preliminary inspection, there are no obvious abnormalities in Ernst's old mansion. Therefore, on behalf of the Legal Committee, I thank you for your cooperation. Bill and Bati, you can go back now. I have a few minor questions that Mr. Ernst needs to answer."

The female mage held immense prestige among her subordinates. The two Stream-level mages showed no hesitation or doubt whatsoever, turning and leaving the moment they heard the order. Soon after, Hugh heard the sound of the door opening and closing.

The old house has returned to silence.

Hughes didn't dare to say anything. He stood there, looking just like a daydreaming student who was pulled up to answer a question in class when he was a child.

Finally, after the magic clock chimed hoarsely once again, the figure by the window put down the stack of manuscripts filled with indescribable writing. She raised her head and slowly turned to Hugh, who was standing behind her, her expression unchanged.

She waved her hand gently, and a semi-transparent blue hand phantom immediately appeared beside the chair. The blue mage's hand deftly pushed the chair to Hugh's side.

"Mr. Ernst, please have a seat."

So Hugh sat down very stiffly, knowing that he had no right to refuse the other party's request.

Sunlight streamed in through the window. In the past, this was the most comfortable time for Hugh, when he would lazily work on his writing under the warm sunlight—a true pleasure.

However, at this moment, he only felt that his hands and feet were ice cold.

Backlit, the young and delicate face of the female mage appeared extremely dark, making her look like a gorgeous demon emerging from the darkness.

"Shug Ernst, 20 years old, was born during the Winter Festival in the Kingdom of Votel during the winter festival of 2679 in the Cartel calendar. His mother's identity is unknown, but his father has been confirmed to be Earl Erevan Ernst."

The face in the shadows threw out a long string of text about Hugh's background: "In the year 2694 of the Cartel calendar, he became a second-class apprentice and handyman at the Water Magic Academy. In 2696, he was expelled for failing to complete the annual magic power assessment. In the winter of the same year, Earl Ernst personally ordered that his illegitimate son be sent to the city of Seren and that the old Ernst family mansion be designated as his residence."

"Mr. Ernst, am I accurate?"

Hughes nodded: "Hmm...mostly accurate."

"Oh? Basic?"

The female monk stepped forward and asked with great curiosity, "So, in these records, which part contains the error?"

(End of this chapter)