The black sun hangs high

Chapter 133 The Essence of Earthquakes

It's quite a strange story.

The two who had formed a temporary alliance in the city of Seren to deal with a crisis have now somehow ended up on the same ship again.

Although the formation of this unusual teacher-student and collaborative relationship between the two was still related to external forces, their conversation this time was obviously more sincere and clearer, given the foundation of their previous relationship.

As Veraine said on her way to Borden, she can now at least see Hugh as a friend, rather than just a "partner" she needs to be wary of.

After hearing Hugh's answer, Vera was stunned for a moment.

But then her eyebrows shot up: "Mr. Hugh, that's a very perfunctory answer!"

"If you want to hear my most honest answer, this is it."

Hughes raised his hand, signaling Vera not to rush, and then he explained, “As you can see with your own eyes, my identity, the magic I possess, what I am doing, and what I may come into contact with in the future are all closely related to the Black Sun Society and everything they seek.”

“In this situation, even if I really wanted to get rid of them completely and return to a relatively normal life, it would probably be impossible... Even if I don’t go looking for trouble, trouble will definitely come looking for me.”

"Therefore, under the current circumstances, I believe we all need the protection and support of the royal family and our clans. Only in this way can our own safety be guaranteed. I can use the power of my clan to further understand the movements of the Black Sun Society, and Miss Vilin, you should also need them to help you advance your related research, right?"

Hearing Hugh say this, Vera's eyebrows gradually relaxed. She hugged her knees and nodded gently, acknowledging his answer.

In fact, what Hughes meant was exactly what Vera was thinking at that moment.

Having witnessed firsthand the events orchestrated by the Black Sun Society, anyone would instinctively seek the protection of a more stable and powerful force, and the Walter royal family and the Ernst family, with their ancient history and rich heritage, would clearly be excellent choices.

Financial resources, human resources, all sorts of resources and documents, and that significant influence...

These important conditions are indispensable for successfully avoiding those terrible malices and potential dangers.

Moreover, according to the famous Black Sun prophecy, when the events predicted in the prophecy come true, the whole world will be plunged into a new round of terrible turmoil. In that situation, any individual will appear extremely insignificant.

Even those deep-sea level mages who have already established their own mage towers and secured a place in human society may not be able to maintain the upper hand when facing unknown forces and beings—the Cedar Scholar Tower complex, which was inexplicably attacked before, has already revealed this possibility.

"Currently, our contact with the royal family and clan has only just begun. Both sides are testing each other's intentions and bottom lines... and our subsequent choices will be based on this. Under these circumstances, the only thing we need to do is not to get too involved. Only by maintaining a certain distance can we be safer."

"agree."

"So, Miss Vera, do you have any other questions?"

"That's all for now. Other questions aren't suitable to ask right now... The discoveries here are too astonishing. I need to organize them further. We can discuss these matters later."

Veraine seemed to be in a much better mood. She pressed her palm against the wall beside her, and as magic was injected, a thin line lit up by magic appeared on the wall. With a slight hum, it quickly extended along the passage and the gaps towards the direction from which the digging sound had come.

A moment later, Vera tapped the wall gently with her finger, using magic to temporarily solidify the thin line that was meant to guide the rescuers.

As if suddenly remembering something, she abruptly asked, "Mr. Hugh, you mentioned before that you had 'changed your opinion' of me twice. You told me about the second time, so when exactly was the first time?"

"Uh, is that important?"

"It's not important, but I'm really curious."

Although Vera said that, her gaze was fixed on Hugh's face.

In such a confined and dimly lit environment, Hugh couldn't even avoid the gaze he was being given, so he had no choice but to spread his hands and give his answer.

"Miss Vera, this is your first visit to Ernst's old house, and you've been browsing through..."

"Okay, I get it."

Vera interrupted Hugh decisively, then shut her mouth and said no more.

……

The process of being "rescued" from the underground building was unremarkable.

Since neither of them had been injured in the previous operation and their mental and physical condition was still relatively normal, the emergency measures prepared by Ernst Manor and the Fifth Juggernaut Regiment were not needed. After the passage was successfully opened, the two refused the medical treatment provided by the accompanying doctors and walked out of the manor hotel under the supervision and protection of several soldiers.

Zeke Ernst performed exceptionally well in carrying out the rescue operation. He directly ordered the soldiers of the Fifth Regiment to clear everything out of the manor hotel lobby and used heavy machinery and magic to create a huge gap in the ground.

"It seems that the old man is ready to share all the secrets with the royal family."

Hugh adjusted to the bright lights outside and whispered to Vera.

Before he could finish speaking, he saw a somewhat familiar, tall and thin figure.

That was Finn, the royal butler of Walter. He was dressed in a smart and clean black nobleman's butler's suit. Several fully armed soldiers of the Ymir Legion stood beside him. He should have been giving orders to these soldiers, but Hugh's gaze obviously did not escape his perception. So he turned around, smiled, and nodded slightly to the two of them.

Finn's presence here confirms Hugh's conjecture.

As a shrewd and calculating "Three-Clawed Falcon," Zeke Ernst would never bet everything on himself. Hugh even suspected that the old man might have another plan or contingency plan in mind.

Under the protection of the soldiers, Hugh and his companion finally left the ancient building.

The snow on the road had been cleared very cleanly. At the end of the road, Hugh saw Ellen, who had changed back into her bodyguard uniform, standing straight with a new revolver at her waist.

Hugh took a liking to the middle-aged man, so he walked up to him and asked with a smile, "How does it feel to be a bodyguard again?"

“This is my fortune and honor,” Ellen replied in a deep voice. Then he turned his head slightly and nodded to the female mage walking beside Hugh: “Ms. Vieline, the members of the council have been waiting for you in the reception room for a long time. You need to meet with them first... and perhaps give some reports. In short, they seem to be in a hurry.”

"okay, I get it."

Weilin nodded, but a hint of distress flashed across her face.

Obviously, giving reports is not a very popular task in any time or place.

"Then I will have someone take you there... Your personal belongings that you changed and stored at the manor hotel will also be handed over to you by someone."

Under Ellen's well-organized arrangements, Verin quickly left. Hugh could easily guess that Verin would soon face immense pressure from the Mage Council—the council members would certainly be more inclined to believe the report given by an official scholar than the accounts made by himself and the Ernst family.

"What about us?"

"Please come with me, the Marshal has been waiting for you for a long time."

After saying that, Ellen led Hugh towards the manor. It was only then that Hugh noticed that Ellen's bodyguard uniform was still stained with some blood, and the color was still very fresh.

So he asked, "It seems a lot has happened in the family these past few days?"

“Not just the family, but the entire Leland district, the entire Borden…”

Ellen answered in a low voice, then sighed, "Mr. Hugh, I don't know the specifics, but the Marshal should be able to communicate with you."

Thus, by the time the two arrived at the gates of Ernst's mansion, it was already completely dark.

Although it didn't snow tonight, it was still cold, and the huge mansion that the soldiers of the Fifth Hunter Regiment had transformed into a temporary fortress made the chill even more intense.

As he stepped into the mansion, the wills of the Ernst family, whom he had successfully brought out from underground and who had once again "stepped" into the outside world, awoke in unison. They immediately began a heated discussion, and for a moment, fragmented words filled Hugh's mental world.

"Oh dear, it looks much the same as before, but the outer walls look a bit old... And why are these soldiers piled up here? Are they preparing to fight a war on the manor?"

Alexandra was the first to express her opinion.

But then, led by Bernhardt and Jacob, a group of veterans with military experience stepped forward and expressed their strong approval of this somber, rigorous, and orderly scene.

"Hey! Which mercenary regiment is this? Is it newly formed?"

Bernhardt shared Hugh's gaze, greedily looking at the young soldiers: "They're all great lads, look at their faces, look at their weapons! These are the soldiers who can go to the battlefield!"

Of course, some people raised objections: "Weren't those people from the royal family? Since when has the royal family been allowed to enter a family's estate so openly? This is not a good sign..."

“This is not a garrison, this is protection! This shows that the family is still very important in the eyes of the royal family. It is normal to be monitored and controlled when cooperating closely. As long as the relationship does not go wrong, it will only make the family more stable.”

The person who spoke next was clearly a supporter of the Walter royal family, and his words made no attempt to hide his trust in and admiration for the Walter royal family.

Amidst the old men's loud discussions and pointing, Hugh arrived once again at the huge weapons exhibition hall. The moment he pushed open the door and stepped into the hall, all the arguments ceased, leaving only General Bernhardt unable to help but exclaim in amazement.

Hugh ignored him and, following Ellen's directions, walked towards the deepest part of the exhibition hall.

Finally, beneath the enormous portrait of General Ludwig Ernst, Hughes saw the thin figure holding a wine glass, leaning against a wheelchair.

After a few days apart, old Zeke seemed to have lost even more weight, but when his wheelchair turned around, Hughes found that he was in remarkably good spirits, even showing a hint of excitement.

Hugh stared at the old man before him, silently observing his condition, while old Zeke also scrutinized Hugh.

After a few seconds of silence, the two of them simultaneously revealed rather subtle smiles.

You seem to be in a good mood.

"It's really good."

The old man picked up his wine glass, but instead of touching the wine inside, he gently sniffed it. "Don't just stand there, bring me a chair... I'm sorry, child, I should have let you go and rest, but things always change so quickly, so I thought I had to bring you here first."

As old Zeke spoke, Hugh dragged a chair from a small round table and sat down directly opposite the old man.

The old man nodded in satisfaction, then slowly took out a folded magic letter and handed it to Hugh: "Here, take a look at this first, and then we can talk more."

Hugh took the paper with a puzzled look, only to find it covered with dense writing. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that it contained information and data about the previous earthquake, collected and compiled through various channels and methods.

As he continued reading, Hugh's expression gradually darkened.

The information on paper revealed to him a terrible disaster that had come without any warning.

That was not an earthquake as people perceive it.

The terrifying shock and tremor was caused by an astonishing surge of magical energy erupting from underground in the area south of Faraway Cliff. It spread rapidly along the ground, affecting everything in its path. When its power swept through areas rich in magical crystal minerals, such as Lone Wolf Ridge and Faraway Cliff, the impact of this magical energy reached its peak, turning the magical ores buried in the rocks and soil into powerful bombs.

They were detonated by this chaotic and astonishing magic. The camps, villages, and towns built around these crystal mines suffered the most direct impact. Some villages were even wiped out on the spot by the terrifying shockwave. The military camps near the explosion site also suffered severe damage. When the magic swept through the artillery camps and warehouses of both sides, the crystal cannon shells that had been properly stored were forcibly detonated under the interference and influence of the magic, causing huge losses and casualties.

Only now did Hugh realize that the tremors he had witnessed underground were merely the aftershocks of this terrifying impact...

This is the essence of that "earthquake".

(End of this chapter)