The black sun hangs high

Chapter 206 Meeting Gift

The mage accompanying General Boots was neither a Valley-level military mage nor a Lake-level magic advisor like Verin. In Hugh's view, he was just an ordinary Stream-level spellcaster. He was also wearing the standard robes of the Law Council. Clearly, like the middle-aged mage before him, he was someone that General Boots had taken over from the Law Council.

What interests Hughes more is one of the Iris Guards who is accompanying General Boots.

At first glance, the two men seemed no different from the other veterans of Delan, but to Hugh, who held the Black Sun Scepter, one of them was like a bright candlelight walking in the darkness.

"The Black Sun Society's operational capabilities are truly astonishing... They've actually managed to recruit members directly from such a special group as the Iris Guard?"

Hugh remained expressionless. He didn't even glance at the Iris Guard, instead focusing his attention on the burly figure directly opposite him.

“I’m sorry, General… I should have come to visit you yesterday.”

Hughes did not make his attitude appear particularly respectful, but nodded to General Boots very politely and calmly: "However, I think the soldiers who were responsible for bringing you the gifts have already relayed what I am doing."

"Yes, that's why I'm willing to talk to you here."

Boots glanced at Hugh's excessively pale face, then looked at his black hair.

Since arriving in Borden, Hugh's physical condition has undergone astonishing changes due to the continuous increase in his internal magic power and the changes in his surrounding environment. He is no longer as thin and pale as before, but the special temperament given to him by magic and writing still exists, and this temperament is combined with the slight battlefield aura given to Hugh by the Fifth Mercenary Group.

This made him even more different from the highland nobles that Boots had in mind.

After a moment of silence, Boots finished observing Hugh's appearance. He pondered seriously for two seconds, then narrowed his eyes slightly and leaned forward with his burly body: "You served in the army? The Voltel army?"

"Is this important?"

Instead of answering directly, Hughes asked in return, "Does my personal past and experiences pose any obstacle to our future communication and cooperation?"

Hearing this, Boots was somewhat surprised, but in the next instant, that surprise transformed into an exaggerated and intense laugh. He grinned, revealing teeth reminiscent of carnivorous lizards or fish: "My soldiers have told me that you must be a very powerful mage, perhaps even a stream-level or higher mage certified by the Law Council... They also told me that you can command a terrifying magical rat..."

"To be precise, it's a summons, General."

The spellcaster standing next to General Boots was clearly playing an advisory role, and he promptly reminded them: "Within the Legal Council, we provide mages who have left their apprenticeship with the opportunity to summon magical creatures, but there are not many who can actually use magical creatures in actual combat."

As he spoke, the former law council mage looked at Hugh: "If I remember correctly, Mage Ernst, before the armistice celebration, you seemed to have been registered as a key person by Merlinler... or rather, a high-priority fugitive. Ms. Verin Ernst was also on the wanted list with you, am I right?"

Faced with these words, Hugh remained extremely calm. After all, he had never received official certification from Merlinle or the Law Council. The one who granted him the official status and power of a mage was the Highland Mage Council, which was already on the opposite side of Merlinle.

He nodded slightly: "That's true, and I can add a few things for you."

As he spoke, Hugh adjusted his posture slightly, handing the Black Sun Scepter to his left hand and resting his right elbow on the armrest of the chair. He then said casually, "If I'm not mistaken, the Legal Committee wouldn't have gone to such lengths to issue a warrant for my arrest at the very beginning... They must have made that decision after I killed that swordsman, right?"

Upon hearing this, not only did the Legal Committee mage's gaze change, but even General Butz and the two Iris Guards' faces twitched slightly.

They were all in the city of Seren at the time, and had all heard of a swordsman who had suffered a horrific, even humiliating, death while pursuing a fugitive.

None of the people present expected that the person responsible for this "vicious incident" was the young man in the dark trench coat in front of them. Judging from his attitude and behavior when he talked about the matter, he seemed not to care at all, nor was he worried about the possible "retribution" that the Legal Affairs Committee might launch.

After listening to the conversation between Hugh and the mage advisor, General Butts raised his hand to stop his advisor from asking any more questions. He slowly sat up straight, re-examined the overly young figure in front of him, and then nodded: "Well... you're right. In the face of the situation we're facing now, all those rules and regulations are just red tape."

"However, although my soldiers have relayed your ideas to me, Mage Ernst, to be honest, their language skills are really not very good. They make a mess of even simple things."

General Boots looked at Hughes and asked seriously, "I want to know, what exactly are you planning?"

With this important topic brought up, the small but exquisite reception room fell into a brief silence.

At this very moment, in Hugh's mental world, a group of souls originally belonging to the Ernst family were pointing fingers and making comments about the soldier in front of Hugh.

General Bernhardt was very critical of soldiers who could theoretically be classified as "enemy camp," even somewhat disdainful: "He seems to be trying to create some pressure... These plainsmen have always liked to bluff like this! In reality, they don't even understand the situation themselves!"

"Exactly, it's the same on the battlefield and at the negotiating table. It's like a piece of paper; you can tear it with a single poke!"

"Are you... sure you mean paper?"

The group of disrespectful old folks really didn't take Boots seriously, and they had already gone off-topic after only a couple of sentences. Meanwhile, amidst the old men's strange teasing, Hugh easily waved his hand, and a mage's hand suddenly appeared, opening a cabinet in the reception room and taking out a fairly exquisite and clean-looking cup.

He deftly took the cup, washed it with magically created water, then conjured another cup of water out of thin air. He took a small sip, then frowned and said, "I just want to escape from Seren City, General Butz. Is that something so hard to understand?"

General Butz sneered at this and retorted, "Everyone wants to leave Seren, but who can actually do it? Merlinle and Ke don't even plan to release their own people, so why would they risk letting those monsters go and open the city gates for us?"

"And that's why I visited Iris Street."

Hughes was not particularly bothered by General Boots's aggressive attitude; he knew it was just a test.

Along the way, he had seen the many preparations that Iris Street had made for its long-term survival. Although General Boots had some very obvious problems, Hugh could also see that Boots was definitely not a short-sighted person.

On the contrary, he may have a longer-term plan and some more unpredictable ambitions.

So Hugh took another small sip of his own magically created water, and after the strange, pungent taste flowed down his throat, he continued, "I have seen the efforts of Iris Street, and I have seen the plans you have made... If it weren't for this disaster, I might have chosen to join, but unfortunately, you still have limited understanding of the hidden dangers you are about to face."

As he spoke, Hugh released the water glass, letting the mage's hand lead it aside. Then he said, "Just a few days ago, in the early morning, I saw some monsters trying to impersonate newspaper vendors on the street in front of the ruins of Ernst's old mansion. Have any of you seen or heard of such a thing?"

"Yes, I have heard of it."

Seeing that Hugh was speaking earnestly about these things, Boots nodded: "But isn't this actually a good thing for us? Their imitations are clumsy and ridiculous, and the sounds they make can help us avoid danger in advance..."

"You think that way because you don't understand them."

Hugh interrupted Boots, saying, "These monsters see this strange behavior as learning from us, and they've learned a pattern from the memories of the dead—in the past, children who sold newspapers like this always attracted attention and drew people closer."

As a professional with considerable knowledge of magical creatures, the mage from the Law Committee immediately understood what Hugh meant. He shuddered and couldn't help but ask, "So they're... looking for food?"

"Yes, although the results were wrong, they have indeed begun to try to exploit human habits, and what I'm talking about is just one example."

To seize control of the conversation and enhance his persuasiveness, Hugh used a little magic, making his voice low and sinister: "In other parts of Seren, 'tides' of monsters have appeared, a phenomenon that witnesses call 'dead tides'... But I can tell you definitively that the so-called 'dead tides' are not the true scale of those monsters at all."

As he spoke, he slammed the ground hard with the Black Sun Scepter: "Under our feet, these things have already built their nests, filled the gaps, repaired the breaches, and sealed the pipes... What we are doing now is nothing more than a useless delay."

"When their numbers reach a critical point, and they have enough knowledge of the survivors in the city, you can guess what they will do."

At this point, Hugh took a breath, and then added calmly, "General Boots, I know you are not very friendly or trusting of those non-plains people, but I hope you understand one thing... that is, in terms of the theory of survival of the fittest, those monsters may be more proficient than you."

Hugh's words clearly had a psychological impact on Boots, but Boots had long since developed a thick skin. Faced with Hugh's words and the obvious sarcasm about his biased thinking, he simply coughed lightly and then immediately questioned, "Then how do you intend to prove what you've said? You have neither concrete evidence nor any ability to directly convince me..."

Boots' words were somewhat sarcastic, but this was exactly what Hugh wanted to hear.

Hughes spread his right hand and replied with a smile, “If you want to see evidence, General, that’s easy to do… I know that Iris Street has emptied out a small portion of the alchemy shops in Seren City. You can find a few alchemists among the survivors and have them use those materials to build a simple magic cage. It doesn’t need to be too sturdy; just enough to barely trap a monster.”

Boots narrowed his eyes slightly: "You can capture them alive?"

"It's a very simple thing."

Hughes chuckled, “Whether you want to put that monster on display in the street or keep it as a pet in your bedroom… I can do it all with ease.”

Then, Hugh changed the subject: "As for the issue of strength you mentioned... Ha, I am a 'fugitive criminal' on the Legal Committee's wanted list. To judge my magic and magical power, the methods of Merlinle and others will not work."

Boots caught a hint of something amiss in Hugh's words, so he frowned and asked, "Alright then, Lord 'Wild Mage,' what do you intend to do?"

Hugh's gaze slowly drifted and finally landed on one of the Iris Guards standing behind General Boots.

This guard was the member of the society marked by the Black Sun Scepter. Judging from the intensity of the magic power reflected by the scepter, he probably held a certain position within the society. Although he couldn't compare to the important members who participated in the gathering, he was not some "cannon fodder" who could be sent to his death at will.

“I’ve always felt that the gift I gave you yesterday was a bit too little… so let me give you a gift now.”

Hughes maintained a smile, but his voice gradually turned cold: "General Boots, would you mind if I took care of some hidden dangers around you?"

(End of this chapter)