The black sun hangs high

Chapter 198 Ideals?

Hugh was certainly familiar with the city of Seren.

Although he used to only visit a few places, he had seen many places in the city because the city magic carriage routes in Seren City were relatively fixed and he always had to travel long distances to the Peace Newspaper Office.

Because he needed to gather material for his writing, Hughes was very familiar with many landmarks in Seren.

During his journey, he saw many important landmarks from the past.

For example, a monument erected between buildings to commemorate some of the famous people in Serenheim, or a fountain sculpture left by a master...

However, these important landmarks have now changed their appearance.

Although they were not completely destroyed like the magnificent Seren bell tower, they have been completely altered and are no longer recognizable.

The pool of the exquisite fountain has collapsed, the water inside has completely drained, the human-shaped sculpture has been violently smashed, and the magic crystal that was originally embedded in the sculpture to ensure the continuous operation of the fountain has also been forcibly removed.

The monuments that were meant to commemorate the important figures in the founding of Seren and the “peaceful cause” between the two countries have now been painted over. Thick paint has been splashed directly onto the monuments and painted with all sorts of symbols and words. Among these things, there is neither the iris of the Delan royal family nor the giant eagle symbolizing the Kingdom of Walter.

In these oil paintings, Hughes saw only swords symbolizing anger, ropes used to express despair and rage, and a few scattered prayers to the goddess Mel.

Beside the monument, Hugh saw discarded paint buckets and brushes, along with bloodstains and empty clothes—it seemed the artist had ultimately chosen to end his life beside his work, and his remains and the crystal gun he left behind were taken by passing Dark Abyss offspring and other survivors.

Compared to the houses that collapsed and the roads that cracked in the earthquake, this scene seemed more profound and absurd.

During the brief pause, Hugh asked, "Felix, how many people do you think are left in the city?"

"I do not know either……"

Felix glanced at a pale finger bone left behind next to the monument and couldn't help but sigh: "But from what I've seen with my own eyes, the two deadliest times were probably the first week or two after the disaster, and the later major earthquake."

“In the beginning, people did not realize the seriousness of the problem. At that time, robbery, theft and murder were the most frequent. Many people were not killed by those monsters, but died at the hands of others... As I mentioned before, those who stormed the gate strongholds were also included.”

When talking about these things, Felix seemed somewhat helpless: "In fact, by the time those robbers realized the seriousness of the problem, they were already close to death... After all, they spent most of their time robbing and looting, and these people didn't even believe at first that there were monsters in the city."

Felix's gaze fell on a crack in the base of the monument: "After getting through the initial period, the survivors gradually learned how to deal with those monsters... However, the subsequent earthquake killed many people directly in the shelter."

Hearing him say that, Hugh turned his gaze to Felix's chest. He had put on a pendant before leaving the house. Hugh remembered that Malena had said that the pendant belonged to a child who had died in the earthquake.

Felix lamented, "The earthquake happened during the day...sigh, those left in the shelters at that time were people who needed care, so..."

Hearing Felix's words, Hugh couldn't help but shake his head.

Along the way, he had seen far too many collapsed buildings, many of which were apartment buildings intended for human habitation.

Not every builder responsible for constructing buildings is absolutely responsible. As a mage, Shug could tell at a glance that most of these collapsed buildings had not undergone any solidification rituals to protect the walls, and they were even substandard at the structural level.

In Hugh's familiar terms, it's what's called "tofu dregs".

Apartment buildings are often the preferred hiding place for ordinary people... The thought that many survivors who escaped the first round of death lost their lives because of this made Hugh feel very frustrated.

He raised his hand and pressed it twice on the unrecognizable monument beside him. Hugh then noticed that the surface of the monument seemed to be permeated with a very unpleasant aura. Clearly, a large number or an astonishingly large number of Dark Abyss offspring had once been here, and this aura was left behind by them after they crawled away.

Unlike the city that Hugh had imagined, which had suffered a major disaster and suffered a large number of deaths, the city of Seren was extremely dilapidated, but there was no smell of decay emanating from the ruins. And so far, no disease of any kind had broken out in Seren.

This is mainly related to the traits of the Dark Abyss Spawns.

They are not only extremely bizarre and dangerous hunters, but also dutiful decay cleaners. Whether human or ordinary animal, all living beings that die in this disaster will be found and devoured by the offspring of the Dark Abyss.

"Let's consider this a piece of good news amidst a sea of ​​bad news."

He smiled helplessly.

By this time, Sniggy had gotten plenty of rest, so Hugh and the other climbed back onto its back and continued toward the south gate.

……

Around eight o'clock in the morning, Hugh and his companion had successfully reached the vicinity of the south city gate.

Like other neighborhoods in Seren, this place was eerily quiet. The difference was that this area had clearly been thoroughly searched by someone, who even left signs and symbols on the walls and streets to warn those who would follow.

Hughes even saw a huge crack that was specifically marked and a collapsed building that might contain the offspring of the Dark Abyss.

To his surprise, he discovered that those who had been here had actually tried to fill the cracks in the street, but their work was clearly not very good. Most of the materials used to fill the cracks were discarded stones and sand, which were far too loose. Hugh even suspected that if the Dark Abyss offspring were to casually bump into them, the cracks would instantly return to their original state.

But in any case, given that everyone is looking out for themselves, it's already quite remarkable that someone would do something like this.

"They're from Iris Street."

Felix pointed to a wall nearby, and Hugh turned to look, only to see a blooming purple iris there. "This General Boots actually used the insignia of the Delan royal family?"

"After all, General Butz was originally a Delan. In fact, he has been trying to get Seren City to submit to the Kingdom of Delan for the past few years, which is why the Tricolor Brotherhood was able to gain advantages in Iris Street."

Hearing this, Hugh was silent for two seconds: "So even now, they're still sticking to this idea?"

“I have indeed heard that General Boots is not very friendly to the Water people, but it doesn’t seem to be to the point of completely rejecting them.”

Hugh laughed: "This is getting interesting."

"interesting?"

Felix was taken aback for a moment, but then he realized that Hugh was a genuine member of the Ernst family, and his black hair and pale skin revealed his noble status as a Waterloo.

Felix suddenly felt uneasy, as this layer of identity condition seemed to cause some unnecessary trouble and resistance to the cooperation with Iris Street.

Given their current relationship of trust, Felix did not hide his concerns from Hugh. After listening to Felix's account, Hugh remained quite calm, casually glancing at the room in his mental world's metal disc where the strange mask was suspended.

Now, the room is completely different from when it was initially filled with mist. Hugh can clearly feel that the power sealing it has been greatly weakened. As long as he continues to hunt the Dark Abyss offspring as before, he should be able to completely break the seal and successfully obtain the power within.

Hugh had a premonition that this mask would likely help him deal with the events to come.

"Don't overthink it. I'll figure out a solution when the time comes... Let's deal with what's in front of us first."

After saying that, Hugh took out the pocket watch artifact he had previously looted from the members of the Brotherhood of Three Colors and handed it directly to Felix: "Wear this. This thing should be able to prevent those monsters from noticing your presence to some extent, provided that you don't appear directly in front of them."

"I see."

Felix nodded gratefully, then pointed to the buildings near the south gate: "I'm going to check out the outpost there... Although it's likely that Iris Street has already emptied it out, there might still be some scattered items left."

"Go ahead, I'll just look around here... Oh, and take this with you."

As he spoke, Hugh opened his palm and handed over a tiny magical mouse: "Just put it in your pocket. If you encounter any danger, it will tell me directly."

Felix shakily reached out and took the mouse, then put it into his coat pocket.

He always felt that Hugh Ernst seemed to have an inseparable connection with rats, which gave him some unpleasant associations. Felix had heard the police officers mention the tragedy at the Peace Newspaper when he was at the police station—the editor-in-chief, Philip, who had orchestrated the media frenzy in Seren, was apparently eventually eaten alive by a swarm of rats and reduced to a skeleton...

"Could it be..."

Felix glanced at Hugh cautiously, but dared not ask any questions. He grabbed his empty bag and weapons and headed towards the stronghold.

"This kid's reaction is pretty quick!"

Jacob Ernst was very interested in Felix. He had been observing the young leader of the Confederate States of America through Hugh's perspective, and he had naturally noticed Felix's reaction just now: "Kid, something feels off to me. That kid seems to suspect you?"

"Ah, I guess Felix is ​​probably thinking about some things that happened in Seren City before?"

Hughes chuckled. “It’s nothing serious. A gossipmonger got eaten by rats… He deserved it.”

Seeing that Hugh was quite relaxed, Jacob smiled and said, "But I think that young man is a little scared. This shouldn't affect the trust between you, right?"

"Will not."

Hugh turned around and released his full magical perception: "If he knew in the past that I was the one who did it, he might have felt some fear, but if it were him now, he would probably just be applauding."

Hugh closed his eyes slightly and successfully located a Dark Abyss offspring hiding in the nearby ruins in his magical perception. As he walked in that direction, he replied, "Although Felix himself may not be aware of it, he is actually similar to some other people I know... He has always harbored certain ideals and is willing to actively do things to change the status quo in order to realize these ideals."

There was no one else on the nearby streets, so Hugh stood before the ruins where the Dark Abyss's offspring were hidden, and Karron's Touch immediately rolled out and pierced into the gaps in the ruins.

Soon, the terrified screams of the Dark Abyss Spawns echoed from the ruins, but Hugh acted as if he hadn't heard them. He continued speaking to Jacob, "Felix's past judgments and the things he has devoted his energy to are all manifestations of this tendency... including his continued efforts to help children who have lost their parents and loved ones after the disaster, even though such actions would not have any practical significance in the short term."

"The Professor Meyer I know is actually a similar person, except that he is clearer about what he wants to do and what he is doing than Felix."

In a few words, Hugh's Karron Touch once again completed the cutting of its prey. The long-awaited Messenger in the Mirror appeared, and a large cloud of mist surged toward the ruins, easily devouring the fragments of the Dark Abyss offspring that had already been cut up.

At this moment, Jacob said in Hugh's mental world, "I think I understand what you mean, but... I want to ask, child, what about you? Are you the kind of person you're talking about?"

"may be?"

Hughes was somewhat unsure about this.

Why only a possibility?

"If we're talking about ideals, then I do have some, but they're too abstract and too far removed from the world right now... If I had to put it in perspective, what I'm doing now isn't striving for an ideal, but rather building a relatively stable foundation for that ideal itself, isn't it?"

(End of this chapter)