The black sun hangs high

Chapter 201 Mask
In a sense, the distinctive physical features that the Ernst family gave to this body are similar to Hugh's identity as a "writer".

The similarity lies in the fact that they both increase the chances of Hugh being "recognized" at any given moment.

Especially in a very delicate place like Seren.

The young man, with the typical black hair and white skin of the Ernst family, and that indelible special quality about him—the feeling of a writer or scholar.

Even though Hugh had spent such a long time in Wotel's army, this aura had not been erased. On the contrary, as he delved deeper into the study of magic, this unique temperament became even more pronounced. Moreover, without realizing it, this temperament had also mixed with a bit of the seriousness and repression unique to Wotel's army.

When a person with this special aura stands beside a giant magical rat, leaning on a cane, the mysterious aura he exudes transforms at an astonishing speed into a sense of oppression that makes people want to retreat and shrink back.

Although Hughes always had a smile on his face while speaking, the soldiers who had lived in Seren for a long time couldn't help but shrink back when his gaze swept over them.

They all felt that the young man had just been thinking about how to use magic to cut his own neck.

Under this oppressive atmosphere, even the giant rat that remained quietly lying in place with strange horns on its head seemed more ferocious.

“I used to live in that old house in Seren, making a living by writing... You might even have read some of my writings.”

Upon hearing Hugh's words, the man in charge of leading the soldiers suddenly realized, but then a look of surprise appeared on his face: "But shouldn't you have died in the fire at that old house?"

Hugh shook his head slightly at the question: "So you think a mage can be easily burned to death?"

"Uh... ha, that's true."

The man chuckled. Throughout his conversation with Hugh, the crystal gun in his hand remained pointed forward. He was clearly very worried that Hugh might suddenly use some kind of magic to attack him, as he had already witnessed the power of various kinds of magic.

Hugh didn't seem to care. He asked, "You're all from Iris Street, right? Are you pointing weapons at me and my friends because we've offended your territory? Or is it because you want to take some of our supplies?"

Hearing Hughes say this, the man licked his dry lips and said, "We are following General Boots' orders and are searching and inspecting the area around here... You should have seen it, right? We left a lot of markings before."

As he said this, the man glanced slightly to the side, indicating that Hugh could look at the paint markings left by Iris Street on the adjacent street. He then continued, "As for now, it's just a routine patrol and inspection..."

Hughes, of course, did not believe what the man said. After all, he had already used his magical perception and the rat swarm to detect the movements of these Iris Street soldiers, and their arrival was definitely planned.

However, Hugh did not expose the man's lie. He simply nodded slightly, stroking the fur of the running rat with his palm as he listened to the man continue his explanation.

Just as he had expected, after a brief introduction, the man revealed his true thoughts: "Since you know about Iris Street, you must have also heard about General Boots' recruitment notice, right? Iris Street is currently searching everywhere for mages like you!"

Hearing this, Hugh lowered his head slightly. He carefully examined the crystal gun in the other person's hand and asked, "So, you're... inviting me?"

The moment he uttered those words, the magic within Hugh's body began to operate rapidly. Deep within his pupils, the dark mist of the Mirror Messenger slowly surged, and a terrifying pressure that no ordinary spellcaster possessed was directly imposed upon the man before him.

The man was, after all, just an ordinary officer. Faced with the sudden increase in the sense of oppression, his face trembled slightly, and the arm holding the crystal gun involuntarily drooped a little, but his eyes did not flinch.

Seeing this, Hugh slightly restrained his magic power, and then he gently turned the Black Sun Scepter in his hand, immediately injecting the excess magic power into it.

Almost instantly, the special metal staff, infused with Hugh's magic, began to play a unique role. Hugh's senses were instantly amplified, completely enveloping the entire block. In the feedback from the Black Sun Scepter, one of the Iris Street soldiers became exceptionally "clear".

Hugh glanced casually in that direction and saw that the person marked as a member of the Black Sun Society by the Black Sun Scepter was actually an extremely inconspicuous silent soldier standing at the very edge. He looked to be about thirty years old and his attire was no different from the others.

"You guys really are everywhere..."

Hughes silently sighed to himself, then said to the captain of the soldiers in front of him, "I have indeed heard about General Boots recruiting spellcasters, and I had even thought about visiting Iris Street... Now that I have this opportunity, I might as well move up my schedule... However, my friend and family need to be taken care of, and I need to prioritize their safety."

"What do you mean?"

"I will be visiting General Boots on Iris Street at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning, so I won't trouble you all to lead the way today."

As he spoke, Hugh moved his fingers, and the Mage Hand immediately retrieved a bag of universal magic crystals from the trailer behind him. He then generously presented the bag of crystals forward: "Consider this a personal gift from me to Iris Street and General Boots... By the way, I know you heard what I said earlier. Please repeat it to General Boots. I think he will be interested."

The soldier captain was about to say something when, at that moment, the giant rat that had been lying on the ground slightly raised its head. Its green eyes were instantly filled with a savage crimson, and a dark magical light appeared on its huge horns. At the same time, countless sharp barbs grew from its three special long tails.

A terrifying aura, far surpassing that of the mud monster, immediately emanated from this "giant beast" and crushed heavily upon the soldiers.

A soldier with poor mental fortitude shuddered and nearly pulled the trigger, but Hugh's mage hand appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye. Hugh casually released the "Walking Forest's" suppression of the poisonous magic, and a chillingly terrifying aura instantly filled the translucent magical palm.

It precisely gripped the crystal gun's barrel, its dark green fingers pressing firmly on the magic crystal embedded in the side of the gun, the one used to drive magic. A corrosive force surged into it, instantly destroying the crystal. "Calm down, don't panic."

Hugh gave the stern-faced captain a genuine smile, then forcefully stuffed the bag of magic crystals into his arms. The mage's hand, which had just destroyed a crystal gun, floated back, the corrosive magic within it quietly fading away. It picked up the weapon that Felix had placed on the ground and returned it to its original owner.

And so, with a nervous Felix on his back, Hugh mounted the rampaging rat again. Moments later, under the tense gaze of the Iris Street soldiers, the terrifying, enormous magical creature, along with its two "passengers" and a whole cartload of various supplies, headed toward the end of the street.

All of them had their weapons ready to fire, but under these circumstances, not one of them dared to be the first to pull the trigger.

Only when the trailer disappeared at the end of the street did the soldier captain reluctantly put down the crystal gun in his hand. He gently weighed the bag containing magic crystals in his hand, and then could only sigh helplessly.

As a former professional soldier, his instincts and intuition told him that if he had really given some kind of order, probably none of the people present would have survived.

……

Hughes doesn't care what others think.

He didn't care how the soldiers of Iris Street viewed him, whether they called him a madman or a serial killer... In the city of Seren today, any identity that could get the other party to lay down their weapons and have a proper conversation was considered a good identity.

As for what conclusion General Boots will draw from this, Hughes has no idea.

Because it was carrying a truckload of supplies, even Sniggy couldn't run as freely as it did during the day. Although it was still very fast, it was already close to evening when it successfully brought the two of them back to the apartment building.

The task of distributing these vital supplies was naturally assigned to Felix—his past work in the Mutual Aid Society had given him a wealth of experience in this area, earning him considerable credibility and reliability in the eyes of the survivors.

Although these "neighbors" were unwilling to lend a helping hand when Felix was sick, they were extremely welcoming of the small amount of "support" Felix offered... And this was obviously not the first time such a thing had happened. Judging from Felix's proficiency, he should know very well how to avoid becoming a "thorn in the side" and a target of covetousness among the nearby survivors.

Hughes did not interfere.

Taking advantage of the brief lull before nightfall, he went to another neighborhood and hunted down the restless Dark Abyss offspring with astonishing speed. In nearly an hour of efficient hunting, Hugh exceeded his mission target.

Before the main body of the Dark Abyss Offspring could take any new countermeasures, he rode off on his runaway rat.

This night was destined to be extremely important for Hugh. Before returning to Felix and the others' hideout, he could already feel the constant fluctuations emanating from his mental world. Clearly, something was constantly changing within the metal disc...

After Felix and the children had gone to rest, Hugh sat alone once again in the deep darkness, his gaze fixed on his enormous metal disc, and his mind focused on the disc room, which had been completely free of all mist.

The "mask," which had been completely sealed by layers of mist, was now free. It floated quietly in the center of the space, its expression constantly changing, while the mist belonging to the Dark Abyss drifted out from its side.

The Mirror Messenger stood in the room, but instead of touching the mask, it smiled and looked in Hugh's direction. Then it bent down and made a "please" gesture.

So Hugh adjusted his state and, after making preparations, slowly extended his spirit toward the mask.

In the deep darkness, Hugh opened his eyes.

He slowly opened his palm, and with the help of his magical vision, he saw a dense magical mist gather in his palm, forming a pitch-black mask in the blink of an eye. Faint wisps of mist kept drifting out from its edges, and under its influence, the temperature in the room seemed to drop slightly. Hugh even heard Felix, who was already asleep, turn over and tug at the thick clothes covering him.

"Okay, let me try... what exactly are you used for?"

Hugh raised his arm and brought the mask toward his face. As the mask reached him, a powerful burst of magic erupted from it, causing the mask to detach from Hugh's hand and adhere to his face.

In the boundless darkness, the strange mask formed by the mist of the abyss merged with Hugh's face on the spot, and Hugh's face immediately turned into a chaotic void. Under the effect of the mask, Hugh felt as if his thoughts were falling into a cold ice cave, but he did not feel any discomfort or tension.

On the contrary, the strange cold gave him a peculiar sense of comfort.

It was as if one's body was immersed in a rich, liquid-like magic.

In this strange feeling, Hugh gradually became disoriented, just like when he entered the rat swarm's dream in the underground of Ernst Manor. He fell into a distant scene that clearly did not belong to this time and space.

As if leaping off a towering cliff, Hugh suddenly felt an intense sense of weightlessness, and then everything around him became bright and clear—he saw himself falling, and below him was an endless ocean.

"thump!"

Before he could react, gravity had already pulled him deep into the cold, surging waves.

(End of this chapter)