The black sun hangs high

Chapter 241 Master, are you satisfied?
In the early hours of the morning, Hugh opened his eyes in his room at the Legal Affairs Commission's residence.

The instant he awoke, an extremely psychedelic color surged violently within his eyes. Unlike the dark abyss mist bestowed by the Messenger in the Mirror, this color flowed directly within Hugh's eyes, as if his eyes had become some kind of container capable of holding and containing a colorful psychedelic liquid.

Meanwhile, strange things were also happening inside the sealed room where Hugh was.

Under the influence of the strange power brought by the roots of fate, all the furnishings and objects in the room seemed to be in a state of constant distortion and change, and everything seemed to be dragged into a hazy illusion.

A moment ago, the once neat bookshelf in the room suddenly became dilapidated, with books scattered on the floor and dust piling up everywhere. The magical crystals that were originally embedded in the bookshelf to protect these books also dimmed completely due to the depletion of magic power, and many books became moldy or were gnawed by insects.

The desk had collapsed, and all the items on it were scattered haphazardly on the floor. One of the Merlinle and the cloth ornaments had become so faded and gray that they were almost unrecognizable.

However, these are just the tip of the iceberg of these illusions.

Under the "calculation" brought about by the power of the roots of fate, everything here obviously ended up in ruins. All traces of human activity have completely disappeared from here, and no one lives or maintains this place anymore.

Hugh's gaze swept across the room shrouded in illusion, then he blinked gently, and the psychedelic colors gathered in his pupils immediately disappeared, and the scene in the room returned to normal.

He then got up from the bed and stood silently in the center of the room.

To date, among the many abilities and creations that Hugh has obtained from the Dream Sanctuary, the Fate Roots race is clearly a very special one, even more so than the Mirror Messenger who is already seriously "bound" and "connected" to Hugh.

The moment he gained the power of the Root of Destiny, both Hugh's spiritual world and the metal disc that served as the vessel for his power underwent an astonishing transformation.

Now, Hugh can confirm that his mental fortitude and magical reserves have both been expanded by an astonishing degree.

If compared using the traditional spellcaster classification system, then Hugh felt that his current state was probably extremely close to the valley or lake level. He could feel the magic power in his body flowing continuously in an extremely turbulent manner—it was definitely not a "stream" flowing in the mountains anymore, but rather more like a river formed by the convergence of countless streams, and now, this river was moving forward on an endless plain.

Hughes raised his palm, and a simple sphere of light appeared in his hand. As Hughes's thoughts changed, the sphere was kneaded into various strange shapes.

An abundance of magic power and a significant increase in its reserves can often bring amazing benefits to the spellcaster, the most obvious of which is the enhancement of the ability to manipulate magic.

After a moment's thought, Hugh extinguished the magic orb in his hand and began casting a Stream-level spell. In the next instant, a blazing fireball, the size of a human head, appeared above Hugh's palm. As Hugh began to adjust the details in the magic model, the shape of the fireball itself began to change. Under his control, the fireball was stretched into the shape of a Demon-Slaying Silver Longsword.

"It seems that my magical state has indeed reached a critical point... So what I need to do next is decide on my future development direction, right?"

Hugh waved his hand, dispelling the dangerous flaming blade. He pondered, "So, should I channel the surging river of magic into a lake and become a lake-level scholar like Virin, or let it flow freely and become a practical valley-level mage through advanced magic manipulation?"

This is not a simple matter.

Hugh had previously consulted with Verin about the details. According to Verin, becoming a Valley-level or Lake-level mage not only requires passing the official mage institution's examination, but also requires completing a new round of magical inscription rituals with the help of other mages. The former is actually a process used to verify qualifications and determine whether the candidate is suitable, while the latter is the real key.

The inscription ceremony held by the Legal Committee or the Council not only enables a mage to permanently remember and master complex and profound magic, but also causes permanent changes and effects on the magical circuits of the person receiving the ceremony.

Whether one excels in accumulation and research or in application and efficiency, the root of the matter lies here.

"Unfortunately, there are probably not enough resources and manpower in Seren City to help me truly enter the next stage... However, compared to before, my strength has still increased significantly."

Hugh moved his body slightly. Just by standing there, he could feel the magic around him being absorbed by his body. This feeling of fullness made him feel invigorated and satisfied.

After sensing the state of his magical energy for a while, Hugh turned his attention to the metal disc.

As Theseus had said before, Hugh's actual state was far from being able to open a new ring. Therefore, this new area, forcibly opened up by the Fate Roots, was completely different from the inner ring that had been occupied by ancient creations such as the Touch of Karron and the Rampage Rat. As part of the metal disc's mechanical structure, its rotation speed was significantly slower, and the patterns on its surface were somewhat dim when it rotated, with only the groove occupied by the Fate Roots appearing relatively bright.

“The invisible Lord of Destiny descends upon the world, and wherever his power goes, roots grow… When the roots flourish, the deity knows everything and is omniscient.”

Hugh quietly recalled the message he received when he gained the power of the Root of Destiny.

It seems to reveal a truth: those ugly, twisted yet highly intelligent and stable social structures are, in fact, the kin of the "god of fate".

Of course, Hughes could not be certain that the "god of fate" in that statement referred to Theseus.

He was also unsure whether the concept of "fate" held any significance for the ancient deities of the lost era.

Hugh turned his gaze to the metal recess where the roots of fate resided. The world inside the recess was vast. Here, Hugh saw a seemingly pristine and beautiful body of water, where strange ancient plants grew. The lake was calm and clear.

However, Hugh knew that countless bizarre beings, enough to terrify intelligent life, inhabited this lake.

Sensing the presence of Hugh's spirit, ripples immediately spread across the still lake surface. Then, numerous slender figures emerged from beneath the water, like countless snakes leaping from the surface. Having only recently "moved into" their new abode, these roots of destiny, nourished by Hugh's magic, began to grow and multiply rapidly. With their appearance, Hugh saw the lake's color shift from its initial azure to a chaotic, vibrant, and dazzlingly mesmerizing hue. In mere seconds, the world within the depression was transformed into a distorted and bizarre spectacle.

Now, the power and abilities possessed by the Roots of Destiny have been actively transmitted into Hugh's mind.

Unlike the "main fighting force" of the Karron's Touch and the Running Rats, the Fate Roots are actually very weak in direct combat. As they demonstrated earlier in the Dream Sanctuary, they rely mainly on the creation of illusions and the guidance of emotions and reason to reproduce and hunt prey.

The highly corrosive acid, their ugly and ferocious appearance, and the harsh environment they inhabit are all important means for them to protect themselves and their groups.

Through the information provided by the Roots of Fate, Hugh learned that these creatures would even create shelters and traps to protect their habitats. They could even imitate other groups to create false settlements for large-scale hunting, using them to lure prey into a trap and drag them into illusion and despair when their vigilance was at its weakest.

And this is precisely the key ability that the Roots of Destiny bestowed upon Hugh.

"The creation of illusions, and... the unfolding of fate?"

Hugh muttered a couple of things to himself, somewhat puzzled.

He then tried to mobilize his magic, and in the next instant, a cluster of "roots of destiny" appeared in the center of the room. Just like what Hugh had seen before, these roots belonged to the same family, and their ends were all connected to a strange barrel-shaped organ. However, now, both the roots themselves and their shared vital organ were in a semi-transparent state, and there was no nauseating smell in the air.

In fact, the scent that Hugh had smelled in the shelter was itself part of an illusion created by the Roots.

"Kaka...kaka..."

A rather thick root, representing the leader of the entire clan, slowly twisted over, revealing its outline and shape, concealing its dangerous mouthparts, lowering its head and body, and making a gesture that clearly indicated submission to Hugh.

At the same time, a clear and accurate message was also transmitted through the magical connection between the two parties.

"Greetings to you, great master."

Hugh could even sense the other party's extremely professional and humble tone from this message.

He examined the tentacle before him, then asked his question directly: "Since you call me master, then tell me, what exactly can you do for me?"

If the question had been posed by the sprinting rat, it would probably have been squatting there, its brain burning with frustration. But the leader of the Fate Roots reacted extremely quickly. Almost instantly, its response was precisely transmitted into Hugh's brain through the magical connection.

"Currently, our race is still of limited size, so the truths of destiny we can reveal to you are also limited... But if you need us, we will do our best to show you more omens for your reference, and if you encounter enemies, we can also help you create a battlefield that is absolutely advantageous to you..."

"Create a battlefield? Show me."

The root leader kept his head bowed: "We obey your orders, Master... but please allow us to slightly offend your feelings and memories, and borrow a portion of your power."

“Okay,” Hugh nodded gently.

Upon receiving Hugh's permission, the leader of the Fate Roots immediately raised its body and quickly conveyed Hugh's command to its kin. The roots connected to the same organ immediately began to writhe violently, and Hugh's own magic power began to be consumed.

The mesmerizing, dazzling colors once again clouded Hugh's eyes. Hugh saw that, under the manipulation and manipulation of the roots of fate, the magic in the air was rapidly constructed into a flawless and perfect model. It was so solid and perfect that not a single trace of magic was leaked out.

The meticulously crafted magic model immediately took effect, and the false illusions that had appeared before once again filled the room. But this time, these illusions no longer presented predictions about the future and destiny; instead, they took on a completely different form.

Hugh's eyes widened, and his mouth involuntarily opened.

He saw that the walls of the room had been transformed into solid metal, and the bookshelves and desks had been quickly replaced with extremely sophisticated and complex instruments, the light bulbs on which were constantly flashing with an unusual brilliance. In front of Hugh, there was a metal control panel.

Perhaps because Hugh only had a vague impression of these things, there were no clear labels next to the buttons on the control panel. However, on the left side of the panel, there was a huge red launch button covered by a glass cover, with a bright warning sign on the glass cover.

On the other wall, various guns and weapons that Hugh was familiar with were hung, and below them, all kinds of essential living supplies were piled up.

Although he already knew it was just a conjured illusion, Hugh's eyebrows still twitched slightly. He asked, "What... what is this?"

“Master, based on reading a portion of your memories and emotions, we believe that this scenario would make you feel safest and help you hunt your prey and rivals… Are you satisfied?”

Hearing this answer, Hugh turned and glanced around the sturdy room, clearly a combination of a shelter and a missile launch pad, and nodded with a wry smile: "Satisfied, very satisfied..."

(End of this chapter)