The black sun hangs high

Chapter 186 Returning to the old place
This question had actually been weighing on Hugh's mind for a very, very long time.

Hugh had originally thought that this mysterious deity, who seemed to possess a considerable amount of ancient power, was an absolutely chaotic being.

Just as Theseus introduced himself when he first appeared, he seemed to be able to see through "fate", foresee the development of events, and was very happy to see all the changes and developments that exceeded his expectations. This characteristic seems to have been confirmed before and after the events of Seren.

But strangely, as time went on, Hugh gradually discovered that this guy seemed more willing to provide him with some practical help and guidance.

Although Hugh still faces many challenges in that dream sanctuary closely connected with Theseus, these challenges and risks are all within Hugh's tolerance, and each time he successfully overcomes one, his strength will increase in the most tangible way.

Overall, the benefits and guidance that Hugh received from Theseus far outweighed the risks themselves.

Furthermore, after Hughes arrived in Porten and had several encounters with Theseus, he was able to sense the obvious "goodwill" emanating from Theseus. Although Theseus still spoke with a strong "riddler" style and always did some abstract things, his essence was already very different from the beginning.

To use Hugh's own professional terminology from his past as a game writer, it's like Theseus's character "collapsed."

Of course, we cannot rule out another possibility: that this guy had a different plan from the beginning, with style being style and action being action.

This conjecture became even stronger after Hugh experienced the Black Sun Society's gathering. If Theseus were merely a "fun-loving man," then he shouldn't have shown such clear negative emotions when the Black Sun Society made him perform that "blasphemous ritual."

So he looked directly at this chaotic god: "I remember you said before that the gods of Brahman are all non-existent and false beliefs... If that's the case, why were you angry back then?"

Faced with Hugh's tricky question, Theseus did not show any special reaction; his body and face, formed of black mist, remained a chaotic mess.

The faceless humanoid silently finished smoking its second cigarette.

He didn't answer Hugh's question, but instead looked up and said in a strange, somewhat disdainful tone, "You're overthinking it."

Hugh's eyebrows twitched involuntarily. Judging from Theseus's current attitude, even a fool could tell he was just giving a perfunctory answer. So he said with dissatisfaction, "You've been holding back for so long, and this is all you're going to say?"

"You mean you want me to emphasize my tone?"

Theseus laughed: "Well... you're fucking overthinking it."

"..."

Faced with Theseus's unyielding attitude, Hugh really felt like punching him.

However, the next second, Theseus toned down his teasing a little and said, "Your question is indeed very important, but my answer is 'no comment'... Knowing too much is not good for you, and your 'improvisational performance' has been quite excellent lately. If you change your current style after hearing my answer, that would be bad."

He "looked" at Hugh's furrowed brows and smiled, "However, given the mutual trust between us, I can assure you one thing: at this stage, I am on your side, including the position you have chosen and the decisions you have made. Good luck, you have a lot of trouble ahead of you."

Upon hearing this, Hugh had a bad feeling, so he quickly asked, "What do you mean? Is there a problem with 'Disorderly Wandering'?"

"It's named after 'Disorder,' so it's not surprising that it has some problems, isn't it?"

Theseus chuckled, “The fool who wrote the ‘Poem of the Night’ went completely insane because he used this magic… Only you can barely bear the cost of teleportation anchored by memories.”

"Where have I been taken?"

"I don't like spoilers."

Theseus's face broke into a big, comical expression: "But I can assure you, it will be a surprise for you."

After saying that, he suddenly stood up and snapped his fingers lightly.

"Snapped!"

The surrounding scenery immediately began to change drastically. Hugh felt as if he were inside a giant cardboard box, with everything in sight constantly folding and evolving.

One moment, Hugh was on an empty street, and the next, he was surrounded by pedestrians.

In the blink of an eye, the area transformed into a vast, boundless plain. Numerous enormous vehicle shadows flashed across Hugh's vision, but before he could make a proper distinction, these shadows transformed into massive trains rapidly moving along the tracks, constantly emitting the roar of cannons.

The various fleeting images dazzled him.

The countless voices from different sources are enough to make one's head spin.

Finally, just as Hugh was starting to feel a little dizzy, all the sounds and images came to an abrupt end.

All the noise vanished completely at this moment. Hugh rubbed his eyes and found himself standing in a solemn, empty venue. At the same time, the turbulence and rocking of ocean voyages returned.

Only then did he realize that he had never actually left the ship in his dream, and that everything he had seen before was perhaps an illusion created by Theseus.

"This ship has just set sail. You might come here often in the future."

Theseus clapped his hands: "Alright, let's stop here for now. Next time we meet, we should be able to talk about much more."

As he spoke, he pointed to a large door at the end of the venue, issuing the final order to leave: "You can leave from there. You should be awake now, so don't delay any longer."

Hughes glanced at the other end of the hall following his finger. He wanted to ask something more, but when he turned his head back, he found that Theseus had disappeared without a trace. This solemn hall, whose function was unknown, was now left with only him.

Left with no other choice, he had to follow Theseus's instructions and head towards the exit.

After all, judging from Theseus's previous hints, his current situation, while not particularly bad, was certainly not safe, otherwise he would never have acted as if he were "waiting to see what would happen."

Just as Hughes reached the door and was about to push it open, Theseus's voice suddenly drifted out from somewhere.

"I can tell you with certainty that the concept of the Vain Gods does not exist... As for the Goddess of Magic, it is nothing more than a meaningless title and affix."

Hughes paused in his movements.

This time, Theseus used an unusually serious tone. It sounded as if he were admonishing himself.

Hugh repeated the sentence twice in his mind, then gave a simple reply to the air before pushing open the tightly closed meeting room door.

……

The dilapidated streets were full of cracks and filth, with old clothes, newspapers, tools and money carelessly discarded on the roadside.

The station is long deserted, and those magical carriages that once caused countless complaints are now overturned in the corners of the city.

All the shops, whether they used to sell alchemical products or everyday items, have now been opened up and almost every corner has been thoroughly searched twice, leaving very few useful supplies.

The square where the giant clock tower once stood still looks exactly as it did on the day of the disaster. The huge breach that connected to the sewers was barely sealed by a magical ritual, but it was no longer of any use, because there were already countless passages between the underground and the surface.

The two once bustling streets, teeming with bards and nightingales, are now utterly silent; even the houses that remain are not lit at night.

The pleasures that people once sought here have now been completely replaced by hunger, panic, and despair.

In such a depressing environment, Ernst's old house, which had been burdened with many terrifying legends and was later burned to the ground, surprisingly shared the same color scheme as the city for the first time.

The raging fire once passionately kissed everything here.

Although they had long since turned into charcoal and ashes in the embrace of flames and been soothed by the cold snowflakes, the smoky scent left over from the magical flames still inevitably lingered among these chaotic remains.

Perhaps because this place was burned so clean by fire in the past, even the Dark Abyss offspring, who like to hunt at night, do not visit here. Through learning, they have learned that humans need stable, safe and warm dwellings, and no one will hide in these drafty and dangerous wreckages.

"cough!"

Weak coughs came from the cracks in the charred wood, and then nimble and powerful black tentacles emerged from them.

Soon, these industrious tentacles moved aside the layers of wood, allowing the unfortunate soul who had somehow ended up deep in the ruins to see the familiar starry sky once again.

Lying in that space, which might have once been a basement, Hugh felt inexplicably amused.

He never imagined that one day he would return to the starting point of his journey in such a bizarre and absurd way.

He grinned, took two deep breaths, and then pressed his arm against his eyes, blocking out the familiar yet unreachable cold starry sky.

The turbulent emotions quickly returned to normal. Hugh removed his arm, propped himself up, and then, with the help of the Touch of Calron, left the collapsed basement.

He stood in this desolate ruin, his gaze fixed on the familiar street that Hugh Ernst had walked countless times. He saw a faint light appearing on the horizon.

The pocket watch told Hugh that it was already six in the morning and that it would soon be dawn.

"You motherfucker... Ernst's Old House, second time around, huh?"

Hugh kicked aside a piece of wood at his feet, then sat down on a seemingly sturdy wooden beam, gripping the metal cane.

He is not in good condition right now. The death magic he was struck earlier caused him extremely serious damage. In order to remove it, Hughes had also expended a lot of physical strength and energy.

As Hugh's mental and magical state gradually stabilized, his connection with the spiritual world became clear again. Soon, the concerned greetings of the Ernst family's will came from inside the metal disc.

"My child, you're finally awake!"

Countess Alexandra was the gentlest she could be with Hugh. She said worriedly, "You've been unconscious for a long time. We can't wake you up no matter what we do. That magic has also messed up your mind. Your memories are scattered everywhere. We can't clean them up..."

"It's good that you're awake. The talents of the Ernst family won't just perish like this!"

General Bernhardt's voice was as strong and resonant as ever.

These familiar voices cheered Hughes up considerably, so he waved his hand and summoned a small swarm of magical rats. As soon as these rats, who possessed human memories and intelligence, appeared, they sensed that this place was extraordinary.

To be precise, they felt this place was somewhat familiar.

"Wait! Where am I?"

Hugh smiled and shook his head: "Seren City... the place I'm standing on is the old family house here."

"How did it get burned like this? I used to live here!"

Hugh ignored the anger and surprise displayed by the old men. He knew that even if the old house hadn't burned down before, it probably wouldn't be in much better shape now.

Based on the intelligence he had obtained from the refugees in Seren and the memories he had taken from the Dark Abyss Child, Hugh immediately gave the rats a task: to disperse them as much as possible, scattering them outwards in small groups. This was an adjustment Hugh made based on the habits of the Dark Abyss Children—they are often attracted by obvious life force and magical fluctuations, and they no longer have much of a predatory desire for tiny creatures that cannot "fill their stomachs."

As time passed, the light on the horizon began to change little by little. After Hugh had used the magically created water and food to relieve his thirst, the swarm of rats responsible for reconnaissance sent some information back to Hugh.

So he stood up, brushed off the black dust that covered his body, and walked onto the street in front of the old house.

In his magical perception, some important targets appeared.

He saw some small figures walking slowly down the street, their steps light and quick, their movements lively and agile.

Hughes did not dodge; he remained silent, standing still and quietly waiting for them to approach.

In Hugh's memory, he had never gone out to buy a newspaper this early before...

(End of this chapter)