The black sun hangs high

Chapter 246 The Prophet

Hugh listened quietly to the narration of the sorceress Justina.

His emotions were far from as calm as they appeared.

As the owner of some ancient creations and a direct user of the power of the Dark Abyss, Hugh knew that his power did indeed share a certain degree of similarity with that of the Dark Abyss's offspring.

In fact, he did have doubts about the relationship between the so-called Dark Abyss offspring and the Messenger in the Mirror. Although there were obvious differences between the two, if one looked at the source and nature of their power, one could easily find many similarities.

To insist that the two are completely different or unrelated at this point is simply self-deception.

Even so, when Hugh heard the description from Justina, he was still somewhat shaken—he absolutely did not want to, and would not agree with, being compared to those crippled monsters, as it would make Hugh feel that his dignity had been insulted and damaged.

So Hugh raised his hand and performed two simple spells in front of Justina. Justina immediately understood what Hugh meant, and she began to focus on sensing the fluctuations of Hugh's magic. After a moment, Hugh stopped what he was doing, and Justina calmly shook her head: "There is nothing unusual now... I think normal spellcasting should not cause the previous situation, and you don't need to try it."

At this point, Justine gave a somewhat subtle smile: "Mr. Ernst, you may have misunderstood me."

"Everything I'm doing is simply to advance the research on those monsters and apply the findings to the next phase of our plan... and now, our research has reached its most crucial stage."

Justina paused briefly, then poured Hugh a glass of water before saying, "Next, we will immediately begin to verify the plans and possibilities we proposed earlier, but before conducting these dangerous experiments, I hope to eliminate all potential risks and find a direction with a better chance of success."

Hugh took the water glass: "Tell me more about it."

“If we take the most basic laws of magic and common sense as a reference, then the key to influencing magical creatures lies in finding the moment when the magic in their bodies is most disordered... Take shapeshifters as an example, the moment when they are most susceptible to external influences and thus change is when they begin to absorb the nutrients and memories of their prey and begin to learn.”

Hughes nodded: "We've discussed this before; these monsters are indeed highly similar to shapeshifters."

"Yes, and this crucial process, when applied to the monster we are dealing with, points to what I call 'mimicry'."

Justina continued, “When they enter the ‘imitative state,’ it means that they need to abandon their original form and imitate an individual who is completely different from and unrelated to them in the past… In this process, their thinking, habits, and even memories will undergo a reshaping process. I believe that as long as we can successfully exert specific influences in this process, it is possible to make permanent changes to them.”

"The reason I'm so concerned about the changes in you, Mr. Ernst, is that we still haven't been able to reliably induce the 'mimicry state' in these experimental samples. Although they have been separated from the group, they still have their own thoughts and will not obey the commands of us, their 'prey'."

"So what I want to know is, what method can be used to stably induce their magical disorder?"

Justina looked quietly at Hugh: "If possible, I hope Mr. Ernst can give me some clues... If it involves your personal secrets, I can also swear to the goddess before the Eye of Mel. Although Mellinle cannot see me, the goddess Mel will definitely hear my vow."

For a Buddhist scholar who comes from the Legal Affairs Commission, this is the most serious thing to say.

Hugh slowly picked up his water glass and took two sips. Then he raised his hand and quickly set up a soundproof ritual space in the room.

Seeing Hugh's actions, Justine immediately perked up. She not only sat up straight but also quickly tidied her somewhat messy hair, adopting the serious posture of someone listening to a lecture among Merlinle and the mage teachers.

“Venerable Justina, I have already told you some things about the Black Sun Society. I have kept some things to myself because I am worried that making these things public may plunge many people into a new state of despair. If you really want to know, I can reveal some things to a limited extent.”

Hugh's words were more serious than ever before, and an invisible sense of oppression and aura emerged, causing the well-informed female mage to shrink back involuntarily. However, she still nodded firmly to Hugh in the end.

"According to the members of the Black Sun Society, the monsters we are studying are called 'Children of the Abyss.' They are ancient beings summoned by sacrificial Phantom Worms and some lost... evil magic rituals. Fortunately, they are incomplete, so we still have the opportunity to think about strategies here."

Under the oppressive aura emanating from Hugh, Justina felt her mouth getting dry, but there were no other cups available, and she didn't dare touch the water glass next to Hugh's hand, so she could only endure it.

Hugh's voice continued: "According to the prophecies believed by the Black Sun Society, the birth of the Abyss Child will usher in the 'Black Sun Era' they have been hoping for, which is the rise of the black sun mentioned in that ancient prophecy."

Justina's eyes widened. She seemed to want to say something, but Hughes stopped her by raising his hand: "Things have already developed to this point, so let's not talk about absurd or unbelievable things anymore. You probably never thought that the nations of today would mount new crystal cannons on airships to bombard the ground, did you?"

"..."

Justina fell silent.

So Hugh continued, “I have been in contact with many members of the Black Sun Society and even have mastered a lot of their magic, so I can be sure that something terrible is indeed happening in Vaan—and that’s why the test subjects are agitated, because the magic in the overall environment has begun to change, but you just can’t detect it yet.”

“If you are just waiting for those experimental samples to reach their ‘mimicry state,’ then you will have many opportunities. Their agitation frequency will only continue to increase, and correspondingly, the danger within Seren City will gradually increase... But I know that your curiosity, Mage Justina, probably goes beyond this, doesn’t it?”

Hugh smiled and said, "You only need to believe half of what I'm about to say... I possess some kind of dark magic. With it, I can make simple predictions and glimpse the development of certain events. The reason I was in the situation last night was because I accidentally glanced at the sky."

"Sky...the sky?"

"Yes, I saw that black sun, and my magical disorder and unconsciousness were the price I paid for looking directly at it... Are you satisfied now?"

Justina's face turned pale, and her breathing became rapid with tension, but her eyes still shone.

The female mage stood up from her chair and paced anxiously around the room twice. Hugh saw Justina put her right thumb to her mouth and begin to bite it. After pacing several more times, Justina finally steadied herself and said tremblingly to Hugh, "Then, Mr. Ernst, does this mean…?"

“Oh, I thought you would question it?” Hugh’s expression remained calm: “According to Merlin’s traditional magical rules and common sense, so-called prophetic magic should not be trusted.”

Justina, her face contorted with rage and her teeth clenched, said tremblingly, "According to Merlinler's rules, we shouldn't be trapped here!"

"So, you want me to make a prophecy for you, madam?"

Hugh looked at the other person seriously: "Don't worry, just peeking into your future is not enough to make me fall into a coma again."

"no no!"

To Hugh's surprise, Justina decisively refused: "I don't need these. If you see them, Mr. Ernst, please don't tell me! I'm going to rest and prepare to start the next experiment. You... please continue to rest!"

After saying that, Justina immediately turned around and walked quickly toward the door of the ward.

However, at that moment, Hugh had a sudden thought and called out, "Please wait."

The female scholar, who had already reached the door, stopped in her tracks. Although her face was still pale, she remained still and waited quietly for Hughes to continue.

So Hugh restrained his aura and said slowly, "If there are any problems or needs in the experiment, please contact me promptly. Don't wait until I'm out to remember that you need my help... That's all."

"Thank you, I'll keep an eye on it."

Justina's expression softened somewhat. She nodded and then opened the door and walked outside.

Unbeknownst to the female mage, the instant she stepped out of the room, the young man's eyes inside were filled with mesmerizing colors and light, as the power originating from the Roots of Destiny clan once again took effect.

"Oh!"

The door is closed.

Hugh sat quietly on the bed, his posture unchanged, but his expression was no longer as calm as before.

After Justina learned that he might possess some kind of magic that allows her to glimpse fate, she behaved somewhat abnormally. Although this could be explained by hearing something too shocking, out of caution, Hugh ultimately chose to use the power of the Roots of Fate to investigate Justina.

The result was beyond his expectations.

Hugh remained on the bed for a long time before he frowned and tried to dispel the hallucinatory look in his eyes. When he reached for the water glass beside him, he realized that his hands seemed to be trembling slightly.

Just moments ago, the moment the beautiful female scholar who had lost an arm stepped out of the room, Hugh saw a dramatic change in her somewhat frail figure in the eyes of Fate's Roots.

Her left side, having lost her left arm, seemed to have completely transformed into the chaotic form of the Dark Abyss Child. Hughes saw that her half-body was composed of dark, viscous fluid and shadows, while her other side remained unchanged. In her right hand, she seemed to be holding a new type of Walther revolver.

"..."

Hugh refilled the cup in his hand with the magically created water, then took a big gulp, using the rather pungent taste to force himself to regain his composure.

He had not expected that he would suffer such a huge shock so soon after gaining the so-called ability to "see the direction of fate." At this moment, he truly understood the subtle attitude Theseus showed when talking about fate.

"Although it was merely a fleeting image symbolizing a possibility, it was enough to influence my views and judgments..."

Hughes silently sighed to himself, a thought that was immediately picked up by the Fate Roots hidden within the metal disc. They responded humbly and proactively: "Master, perhaps you should take what you see as a reference? Although our race peers into fate, we never blindly believe in it. This is an important revelation given to us by the 'God of Fate'."

"I understand what you mean."

Hughes sighed, but his furrowed brows showed no sign of easing.

Just now, he suddenly remembered something very coincidental and strange.

He remembered that when he used his Fate Roots ability to spy on the fate of the female mage who was Justina's friend in the lobby of the Legal Committee's residence, he had seen the female mage die from being shot in the back. Now, thinking about it carefully, it seemed that in the course of fate, what ended her life was not the traditional crystal gun or the powerful crystal bullet.

"Her body is still intact, not damaged by the explosion of the crystal bullet, which means that she was most likely killed by a metal bullet from Walter... And I saw Justina holding Walter's revolver in her hand... Right now, the Gent Hermit is busy receiving supplies and resources from the outside world."

The more Hugh thought about it, the uglier his expression became.

Because he then remembered that when he used the Mirror Messenger to deal with Justina's mutated left arm, which had been ambushed by the Black Sun Society, the Mirror Messenger had not been able to obtain any valuable power from it. It even suspected that Hugh had sent it to devour useless junk and garbage.

Does this mean that the Dark Abyss offspring that occupied Justina's left arm had actually already been transferred?

...

Resuming two updates


(End of this chapter)