The black sun hangs high

Chapter 176 What is a Human?

As Herbert Galton introduced his "academic team," Hugh saw four members of the Black Sun Society sitting in the front seats stand up—two men and two women. They were all dressed in neat mage robes, which looked like clothing given to members by the Delan Magic Academy, except that they all wore special Black Sun magic badges to indicate their membership in the Black Sun Society.

Without exception, they were all spellcasters of the Stream level or above. With his keen senses, Hugh noticed that the two young female mages looked almost identical, and they were also wearing special earrings that looked as colorful as peacock tail feathers.

"These are earrings from the Gesell family of the Kingdom of Delan. Ha, their taste is still so bad. They might as well just stick bird feathers directly into their ears or heads!"

Countess Alexandra was equally knowledgeable about women's jewelry. She immediately discerned the origins of the two female mages from their earrings. After her usual mockery of the plains nobles' aesthetic sense, she added, "Pay attention, these sisters are qualified to wear the Gesell family's 'Sparrow Feathers,' which means they have become candidates for the family's heirs."

"So, the Gesell family is now completely under the control of the Black Sun Society?"

"It can be understood this way."

According to Alexandra's explanation, these members of the Black Sun Society, who belonged to the "Earth Society," placed their hands on their chests and bowed to Hugh at the same time. However, Hugh clearly noticed that the twin sisters of the Gesell family looked somewhat serious, and their gazes toward him were filled with scrutiny and resistance.

"It seems they're quite unhappy with me."

Alexandra laughed: "After all, you destroyed the secret ritual beneath our family manor... Heh, it seems that the ritual was still somewhat important, at least not as insignificant as the person on the podium said."

Hughes, who had secretly come to this conclusion, twitched the corner of his mouth. He did not get up to return the greeting, but remained seated, nodding to the four society members with a forced smile in response.

The other members of the Black Sun Society didn't feel anything was wrong, but the four members of the Earth Society were clearly hurt, especially the two twins whose faces instantly darkened. However, due to the situation, they couldn't say anything and just sat down quietly.

As the host of the Earth Society, Herbert on the podium had no objection to this, and he continued his introduction in the same rhythm and tone as before.

"Members of the Dark Abyss History Society are dedicated to exploring and finding the path to the Dark Abyss, restoring the connection between Vaan and the Dark Abyss... and are also the organizers of the grand event of Seren!"

The moment the words were spoken, several members sitting together stood up at the same time and bowed to Hugh, including the "lecturer" who had brought Hugh here.

Hugh noticed that these so-called members of the "Dark Abyss History Society" seemed exceptionally respectful to him, with two of them being incredibly fanatical. If the occasion hadn't been inappropriate, they probably would have pounced on him immediately.

"The Dark Abyss Historians, the Dark Abyss Offspring... So the source of the anomalies in Seren City is these people?"

Hughes silently recited two sentences in his mind, and he nodded as well, maintaining a stiff smile on his face.

He had no desire to communicate with these madmen who orchestrated the tragedy in Seren City; he only wanted the hounds to bite their heads a couple of times so they could experience the "love" of the Dark Abyss Palace.

"These are the followers of the Lord of Ten Thousand Scales. They believe that the illusions of this false era will eventually be burned away by the fire of truth."

Two more people stood up, and Hugh noticed that they were both wearing the same red pendant, which appeared to be a strange molten earth dragon. It seemed that the appearance of those big guys outside the Black Forest Fortress was probably closely related to these two.

"The Sea God Society worships the true Lord of the Ocean, Calron, and their goal is to explore the true origin of magic!"

This time, it was two women and one man who got up. Their clothing had distinct characteristics of coastal residents. The two female noblewomen were dressed rather provocatively, and the greedy gazes that had previously contained a special desire were cast by these three.

Yes, the man dressed as a priest also seemed to have some inexplicable thoughts.

This made Hughes very uncomfortable.

Then, several terms that Hugh had heard when he interrogated the officer in Borden also appeared, although the number of Black Sun Society members who took "Moon Eagle," "Giant Hill," and "Messenger of a Thousand Faces" as their beliefs was noticeably smaller.

Only one person followed the "Messenger of a Thousand Faces," a man with a gloomy face and curly hair. He seemed to have Eastern ancestry from across the ocean, and in Herbert's introduction, he was called the "Prophet."

The introductions were drawing to a close, and at Herbert's words, the last person stood up.

“Mr. Peter Kezlov, the head of the Society for the Discovery of Truth and the excavator of many sacred sites.”

Krzlov was a man with a thick beard, who must have been over sixty years old. He had a very typical Saint Steele appearance. After standing up, he did not rush to bow or sit down, but stared straight at Hugh.

Kizlov's expression was as gloomy as a vulture's, while Hugh noticed that Kizlov's status among the Black Sun Society members seemed to be very special, as the other Society members around him maintained a considerable degree of respect for him.

Hughes even felt that in this banquet hall, Krzlov's status was second only to Herbert, the second-in-command of the society, who was on the podium. Judging from the words Herbert used to introduce him, this leader of the "Society for the Excavation of Truth" should be leading the Black Sun Society's archaeological work on the ruins of the lost gods.

In other words, this Mr. Kezlov is very likely one of the people in the Black Sun Society who has been exposed to the most "miracles".

At that moment, Kizlov suddenly spoke up. He looked at Hugh and asked in a somewhat hoarse voice, "Mr. Hugh Ernst, I've heard that one of my students seems to have recently become acquainted with you...?"

"student?"

Hugh narrowed his eyes: "What is Mr. Krzlov referring to?" "Frey Mayer... my most valued student when I was teaching at the St. Steel Alchemist's Academy."

When he uttered the name "Frey Mayer," Kezlov's face revealed undisguised disgust and hatred. He smirked, revealing a malicious smile: "It's a pity he didn't come with you, otherwise I would have taken this opportunity to have a good talk with him."

"It seems that Mayer has caused Mr. Krzlov and the Society quite a bit of trouble?"

"Troubled?"

Hearing Hughes say this, Krzlov shook his head instead: "He can only cause me some trouble, and is not enough to interfere with the association's decisions and plans... In the end, my student is nothing more than a fool who abandons the truth of association and turns to those meaningless and base topics."

At this point, Krzlov sighed: "As his former teacher, I regret... He could have joined the Society's cause, but for some ridiculous reasons, he has become our adversary. I hope his nonsense will not have any impact on you, Mr. Hugh."

Hearing Kzlov say that, Hugh laughed: "Not at all. I have my own judgment and I'm not so easily persuaded by someone."

"That's good."

Kezlov's smile faded, and he sat back down in his chair.

Having finished introducing all the members of the Black Sun Society in the banquet hall, Herbert, the host of the gathering, clapped his hands lightly twice and said with a smile, "I'm sorry, Mr. Hugh, this should have been the Society's first formal meeting with you... In the original plan, all the important members of the Society should have come here to meet you, but the current situation is very complicated, and even with the guidance of prophecy, we must spare more manpower to deal with many issues."

"I can certainly feel the enthusiasm of everyone here, but I am really curious about the reason why the society is holding this gathering?"

Upon hearing Hugh's question, Herbert immediately turned his gaze to him: "Our connection with Mr. Hugh has been established since the beginning of the city of Seren, but Mr. Hugh has never had the opportunity to truly come into contact with or understand the Society. This is a major oversight in our plan, and this oversight may cause more misunderstandings and bring many unnecessary conflicts and losses."

"Therefore, the association hopes to have a formal meeting with Mr. Hughes and take this opportunity to better understand each other's thoughts and goals."

At this point, Herbert paused slightly, then the second-in-command of the Black Sun Society lowered his head: "Of course, we hope even more that Mr. Hugh can officially become a member of the Society at this gathering and move forward for our common cause and goals."

The moment Herbert extended the formal invitation, the atmosphere in the entire banquet hall became lively. All the members of the society who had been introduced earlier looked at Hughes intently and began to quietly await his response.

However, Hugh's expression remained calm. He slightly moved his eyes, his gaze meeting those of the various Black Sun Society members. Finally, he met Herbert's gaze directly: "I want to know, why?"

"Who is Mr. Hugh?"

This time, Hugh didn't feel nervous or awkward because of the gazes from all directions. While feeling the metal disc rotating at a steady speed, he continuously drew upon the immense magic power from the "Walking Forest," completely eliminating the invisible pressure exerted on him.

He stood up from his chair and addressed everyone present: “I have witnessed the Society’s influence in Vaan many times before, and I must admit that those events and plans were truly astonishing, enough to change my perception of the power the Society possesses.”

"However, the size of influence and the amount of power can only be used as a reference. Since Herbert just mentioned 'goals' and 'cause,' then this must be the real reason why you all stay in the society and fight for it."

Hughes raised his head slightly: "Therefore, I hope that Mr. Herbert and everyone present can answer me why you invited me, and what the true ideals and goals of the society are?"

The moment Hugh finished speaking, Herbert on the podium gently clapped, and the two twin sisters who belonged to the Earth Society and came from the Gesell family of the Kingdom of Delan also restrained their wariness and hostility towards Hugh.

They wholeheartedly agreed with the rigorous attitude that Hugh had just demonstrated. Based on the Black Sun Society's experience, those who joined the society without hesitation when invited often failed to become important members or make real contributions. They tended to pursue illusions and miracles and become obsessed with them for a long time.

Only those who dare to question and have their own ideas can truly bring more energy and change to the association.

"Although my personal views may not represent all members of the society, our ideas, theories, and goals all share similar origins. Therefore, I will answer Mr. Hugh's question... Does anyone have any objections?"

Herbert smiled and asked the question to everyone present, and everyone in the banquet hall nodded in agreement.

However, Hughes guessed that there was probably no one present who dared to refute Herbert.

Herbert then stepped down from the podium, approached Hugh, and asked, "Since Mr. Hugh has asked about the society's ideals and goals, then we need to discuss a fundamental question—what is humanity?"

Hughes did not answer him, so Herbert answered his own question: "In the eyes of most people, humans are the current masters of Vaan, the rulers and decision-makers of Vaan, and should be superior to other intelligent races and life forms. But in our view, this is not the case."

Herbert raised his voice and addressed everyone in the hall: “In the Society’s view, humans are no different from elves, dwarves, ogres, and those who live in swamps, canyons, and seas. We are no different from the other life forms in Vaan.”

“We are the lucky ones, the despicable opportunists and survivors, and also the lowly beings who bear countless sins and live a life of ignominy under stolen power.”

...

I'm going to the hospital and will be back later to look through some reference books, so there will probably only be one update today.

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(End of this chapter)