The black sun hangs high

Chapter 185 The Temptation of Theseus
Hughes had to admit that before he uttered those powerful "farewell words," he had considered some very bad and terrible possibilities.

For example, after saying these words, one might be sent back to Black Forest Castle by chaotic and disordered teleportation magic, or simply "face-to-face teleportation".

If such a thing really happens, then he'll accept it.

However, the moment the magic took effect, all thoughts and ideas were completely eliminated by the shockwave generated in the mind.

It was as if a giant meteorite had crashed into an empty world.

In the instant the impact occurred, Hugh's sea of ​​memories boiled over, and all the information that had been deposited deep in Hugh's mind, whether or not it had been read or organized, was now forcibly brought to the surface.

Those unimportant fragments of memory were tossed high into the air, followed by the memory fragments that Hugh had acquired by devouring the offspring of the Dark Abyss—these were somewhat "heavier" than the scattered memories, but no better. They swirled in Hugh's mental world, as if searching for an opportunity to fall back down.

Amidst this extreme chaos, a silver starlight flickered among the scattered fragments of memory, like a silver fish caught in a terrifying wave, frantically searching for a place to hide.

Those light, weightless memories were naturally discarded. The "fish" sank into the sea and began to search for those more stable and complete memory images.

It glimpsed the foundation of Hugh's memories, the past of an ordinary young office worker in another time and space.

It seems somewhat repetitive and even a little boring, but compared to everything else that's in turmoil, it appears peaceful and beautiful.

Unfortunately, they were so sturdy that even after withstanding a huge impact, not a single crack appeared.

Thus, "Disorderly Wandering" had no choice but to change its target. It sought out another relatively complete subject, which was the memory of Hugh Ernst. It was barely connected to the solid base below. Unlike the ordinary and solid memory of the base, the past of this tragic illegitimate child appeared extremely bleak, and it was covered with a large number of cracks due to the impact that had just occurred.

These memories seemed to hold a strong attraction for the silvery magical radiance, so it immediately began to hover around the area, and soon it found its target.

It was a crack extremely close to the foundation of Hugh's memories, a place that seemed to be the intersection of two identities, two times, and two souls.

After a brief pause, it rushed straight toward the crack.

In an instant, it disappeared into it.

As the "Disorderly Wandering" magic took effect, all the turmoil and unease in Hugh's mental world ceased at that moment.

Only the fragments of memory that had been scattered everywhere began to drift gently back to their original positions.

……

Metal, gears, steam, chains...

The boundless ocean.

Endless waves.

Dark clouds and a storm joined forces to shroud the massive ship sailing on the sea.

Hughes once again found himself in this bizarre dream world.

The ship has become much larger, its size even exceeding the concept of a "ship" itself.

Perhaps it should be called a "giant ship" now, but in fact, Hugh feels that the word "giant ship" is somewhat inadequate.

The storm and giant waves were constantly crashing and pounding against the ship, while Hugh stood on an empty corridor. Through the porthole beside him, he could see the terrifying scene outside: huge shadows with countless tentacles and various soft-bodied creature characteristics were moving around and following the ship.

In the sky, there seemed to be some kind of shadowy creature resembling a giant fish, yet extremely strange, constantly swimming around. Countless translucent tentacles, like vines, hung down from the bodies of these "giant fish," constantly touching the swaying ship or gently tapping on the transparent windows.

"here we go again……"

Hughes sighed helplessly.

He was now fully conscious and knew that he must have fallen into a state of sleep or coma because of the use of that unstable "Disorderly Wandering" magic. In this situation, he seemed to have no other choice but to continue exploring the dream.

So Hugh looked down at his body. In this dream, he was dressed in a more formal outfit.

Black trousers, a white top, and a slightly worn but very neat and clean gray trench coat.

A pair of thin-rimmed glasses was also clipped to his breast pocket.

There was nothing else there, as if he were preparing to attend some large conference.

"It's strange."

Hugh shook his head, then reached out and held onto the wall, adjusting to the turbulence brought by the waves and storm as he walked along the empty corridor. Since he had no sense of direction, it didn't matter which way he went.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he finally arrived at the end of the corridor. There stood a simple metal door with a pattern in the center. Strangely, Hugh found that he couldn't see the details at all while in the dream. He could only barely make out that it was a regular pattern with a circle as the outer frame and other details inside.

Hugh was still puzzled by this dream, which had a certain continuity and seemed to contain some special meaning. He squinted and carefully examined the pattern that he could not observe and understand. Then he reached out and pressed his hand on the door.

The heavy door opened slowly as if it had a life of its own, and what appeared before Hugh was a scene that was completely beyond his imagination.

It's not a conference room, nor a banquet hall or restaurant.

At this moment, the dream in which Hugh was in revealed to him the brokenness and fragmentation that he was meant to be.

Behind the gate, he saw a wide and straight street. When Hugh tried to turn back to find the way he came, he found that the gate behind him had disappeared. The road beneath his feet stretched out behind him and seemed to have no end.

At this moment, Hugh looked down and found that the shoes he was wearing were extremely worn out, with the front worn through and his toes almost sticking out. His gray-black trench coat also looked like it had been through a storm of sand and dust.

“I know this is a dream… but isn’t this a bit too…” Hugh frowned and looked around.

The streets are straight, but they are not paved with cement or asphalt, but with huge, regularly cut stone bricks. Instead of the tall buildings that Hughes is familiar with, there are some very regular two- or three-story buildings with a slightly retro style.

In addition, he could see crystal streetlights with a distinctly Vaan style, as well as some magical steam devices with indistinct functions installed on both sides of the street.

The streets seemed clean, but they were empty and deserted.

He heard a faint calling coming from ahead, so Hugh followed the sound and walked forward. After a while, he finally saw a figure.

To be precise, what he saw was a small round table placed in the middle of the street, and a dark figure sitting behind the table.

Just like when they first met, Theseus was dressed in a sharp suit, with his black top hat placed to the side. His face was still a dark and indistinct mass, making it impossible to discern his specific expression or demeanor. However, when Hugh came before him, she could sense his current joy.

Hugh pulled a chair out from under the table and then slowly sat down opposite Theseus.

He looked at Theseus with a puzzled expression, then asked, "What...what's going on with this dream?"

Theseus shrugged, adopting an indifferent expression: "Dreams are bound to be a little bizarre, and don't you think dreaming about these things is more normal than visiting the shelter every day?"

“If it were just an ordinary dream, I would certainly think that way… but in a normal dream, it would be absolutely impossible for you to exist.”

Hughes laughed and said, "Besides, it seems you've just accomplished something very important?"

Hearing Hugh ask this, the black, chaotic figure leaned back in his chair, placed his hand in front of him, and said, "It's just one part of a necessary operation, nothing important."

Theseus looked at him intently and said, "You, on the other hand, did a good job, beyond my expectations."

Hughes was quite surprised to hear such direct praise from Theseus. However, after saying this, Theseus fell into a long silence, as if he was thinking about some difficult problem or preparing to make a very difficult decision.

Theseus at this moment is completely different from his previous playful and darkly humorous self.

Finally, Hugh decided to break the oppressive silence. He leaned forward slightly and asked, "It seems like you want to say something to me?"

"Yes."

Theseus was straightforward; he nodded and said, "I was going to tell you something, but at the last minute, I'm not so sure anymore."

He said this, but then sat up straight, his fingers, made of black mist, simply pinched in the air and pulled out a cigarette out of thin air. Then, under Hugh's strange gaze, this faceless god "stuffed" the cigarette into his chaotic face.

After exhaling smoke several times in a way that was incomprehensible to ordinary people, Theseus suddenly spoke up and said, "I want to confirm something with you."

Cigarette smoke drifted erratically from his hazy, misty face, and then Theseus asked, "Suppose I told you that if you could open another tightly closed door in the 'Sanctuary,' you could immediately return to your past life... what would you do?"

"You mean that door that can only be opened with the 'Black Sun Crown'?"

"Yes."

Theseus nodded: "Once you open it, you can immediately enjoy the regular life you have lost, and all the people and things you are familiar with will return to you."

This was indeed a rather strange question. Considering Theseus's past bad behavior, Hugh did not answer immediately, but cautiously confirmed, "Aren't there any other conditions attached?"

"No no."

Theseus shook his head honestly, a classic "sweating bean" expression appearing on his chaotic face: "Don't think of me as so sinister. This is really just a normal brainstorming and discussion. Just answer truthfully... Of course, lying is fine too. I'll judge for myself."

Despite Theseus’s statement, Hughes still couldn’t treat it as a normal question, and when he began to seriously consider the question, he found himself in a dilemma as well.

This is indeed a very tricky question.

Leaving this turbulent and crisis-ridden world is naturally very tempting, but judging from the information that Hugh has obtained so far, the "Black Sun Crown" that is the condition for opening the door is probably closely related to the Black Sun Society and the black sun and lost gods that they desire.

This so-called crown may very well be an "official certification" bestowed by the lost gods.

Hughes thought for a while, then slowly shook his head.

Just then, Theseus finished his cigarette, rubbed his fingers together vigorously, and crushed the cigarette butt into nothingness: "Eh? So, your answer is no?"

Hugh shook his head: "To be honest, the result is very tempting, but I have no way of assessing the risks and consequences of this choice, so my answer for now is 'I don't know'."

Upon hearing Hugh's reply, Theseus let out two strange laughs that seemed to carry a peculiar meaning: "What is this? A cautious choice? Or is it just the 'good-natured' problem acting up again?"

In response to Theseus's sarcasm, Hughes laughed and said, "In my opinion, 'wanting both' and 'having both' is an extremely luxurious idea in any world. What you said is certainly attractive to me, but I don't think I can obtain that crown without harming myself or others... If my choice would bring greater disaster, then I can only choose to give it up."

Upon hearing this, Theseus rubbed his fingers together lightly and pulled another cigarette out of thin air.

Just then, Hughes finally seized an opportunity and asked, "Before we discuss the rest of the topic, don't you intend to tell me something else?"

"what?"

Theseus, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, cast a large question mark with his bewildered face.

"Whose side are you on?"

Hugh stared at the black humanoid figure in front of him, who was clearly feigning ignorance, and seriously posed his question: "Your actions and the titles and honors you hold seem rather mismatched... Are you serving the Black Sun and those ancient deities, or do you have some other plan? Now that things have come to this, can't you just reveal something?"

(End of this chapter)