The black sun hangs high

Chapter 259 Break
When Weilin was fully immersed in the role, she exuded a very unique charm.

Like an alchemical machine operating according to a predetermined procedure, she began to issue a series of commands in a rigorous and smooth manner, breaking down the problem she was facing into countless parts. After that, she began her tireless research work.

Crazy, and incredibly charismatic.

Of course, few people have the time or inclination to appreciate this charm now, especially the mages assigned to work under Vilin. Under the high pressure exerted by Steward Finn, they can only obediently accept the instructions given by Vilin, endure discomfort and fear to examine the patients who are undergoing mutation, and begin to constantly copy and imprint those patterns that they see as having no real meaning.

A huge magic curtain was hung directly on the wall of the laboratory by Virin. As the research progressed, more and more seemingly random patterns were arranged on this magic curtain.

Vera originally thought that her work would progress very slowly or even be hopeless. However, she did not expect that the research would make very obvious progress not long after it officially started.

Shortly after Verain categorized and analyzed these patterns according to her own conjecture, she made a very strange discovery—these seemingly chaotic and extremely abstract twisted patterns actually do indeed have a certain specific regularity.

They repeat very frequently, extremely frequently.

Yes, it is repetition, not just similarity.

After carefully comparing the samples she had selected, Verine was astonished to find that the similarity between them was outrageous. After using experimental instruments to examine the selected pattern samples in more detail, she was even more certain that the similarity between these patterns was very likely to have reached 100%.

At least, on the highest level of observation she currently has access to, they are completely consistent.

She was somewhat incredulous at her discovery, because it clearly defied common sense. Unless these patterns were printed like newspapers from a newspaper office, using the same template, the same machine, and the same ink ratio, it would be absolutely impossible to achieve a 100% perfect overlap.

Even a deep-sea level mage cannot guarantee that the magic power models of two identical spells will remain completely consistent!
This is a consensus within the entire magical academic community, and also a general rule within Vaan.

After Verine reported these findings, Butler Finn rushed to the laboratory immediately. He quickly examined Verine's discoveries and, after personally verifying them using the instruments, the senior, powerful, and knowledgeable royal magic advisor fell into a long silence.

As Finn examined these preliminary results, Verine observed the royal butler very carefully. Seeing that Finn remained silent but did not show any excessive surprise, Verine took the initiative to ask, "You seem unsurprised by these results. So, may I assume that the council and the legal committee have made similar discoveries somewhere else?"

Finn turned to look at the strange figures displayed on the magical curtain, his gaze lingering on the distorted lines for a few seconds. Then, he nodded and said softly, "The world is different now, and Finn is different now."

"Different? What do you mean?"

"The world situation, future development... all the systems and rules we are familiar with, including, of course, the magic we rely on most."

As he spoke, the elven mage raised his palm, and immediately Vilin saw a simple and pure magic orb appear at Finn's fingertip. It floated in mid-air, and its color began to slowly change.

Looking at the small ball of light, Weilin couldn't help but frown: "A light magic experiment?"

"Yes, that's it... Keep reading."

So Verin shut her mouth. She was very familiar with this experiment, but it was generally used by mages to check the stability of their own and the surrounding environment's magic. The experimenter needed to carefully control the color of the magic orb, making it change from light white to dark black. In this process, the deeper the light emitted by the magic orb and the richer the color, the higher the requirements for the spellcaster's control over magic.

Generally speaking, only deep-sea level mages can truly make their magic orb complete this theoretical process, because in the end, this fragile magic orb will become extremely fragile and sensitive, and any slight disturbance may cause it to dissipate on the spot.

The magical environment inside the laboratory was stable, so Verin saw that the magical orb that Finn summoned began to gradually change from bright white to dark. He was a true master of magic and extremely skilled in manipulating magic. Soon, the orb changed from white to yellow, from yellow to green... and when it turned into dark purple, it did not stop there, but continued to change towards an even darker black.

Finn looked very relaxed, and Vera could also feel the stability of the light sphere. She thought this simple test would end smoothly, but in the next second, just as the light sphere was about to complete its final transformation, it began to vibrate violently at Finn's fingertips.

Just as a drop of paint fell into a rushing stream, in an instant, the sphere of light was torn apart by the invisible "turbulence," and its colors and light dissipated directly into the air.

"Ok?"

Vera's eyes widened.

She knew that Finn wouldn't just demonstrate such an experiment to her for no reason, so she kept a close eye on the surrounding magical environment, but she didn't notice anything unusual. Yet, the ball of light dissipated under these circumstances.

This is not reasonable.

“This is the real problem we are facing now… Vaan, and all that exists within Vaan, has fully adapted to stable magic.”

For the first time, Vilin heard a hint of confusion in the words of Butler Finn. This elven mage, who was actually over a hundred years old and had witnessed the changes of the Vaan era, seemed to become an apprentice who was learning magic and magical power for the first time.

"As spellcasters, we all believe in the eternal and unchanging laws of magic. However, now... it is about to be broken. Our understanding of magic and magical power needs to be rewritten, and everything related to magic must be changed and replaced."

“Miss Vieline, the magic of the entire Vaan is changing, and the laws we are familiar with no longer exist.”

……

"Huh...huh..."

Heavy breathing sounds emanated from the running rat's body.

It was already very, very tired.

Even though Hugh had never stopped supplying magic, Sniggy was finding it increasingly difficult to maintain his high speed. Hugh had to admit that he had underestimated the Dark Abyss Clan.

Their numbers were growing at an alarming rate, which made Hughes very uneasy. He knew very well that the number of survivors captured by the Dark Abyss Spawns in Seren City had been very small in recent times. He had thought that the size of the Dark Abyss Spawns would be kept under control, but it turned out that their size and number were still growing rapidly.

They're just like mold that's taking hold in an empty, damp house!
Even Hughes was unclear about how this growth had occurred. He even risked launching several counterattacks during the Dark Abyss offspring's pursuit of him, and forcibly seized a considerable portion of the offspring's power using the Mirror Messenger's mist, attempting to find the specific reason behind it.

However, this attempt ultimately failed.

Among the Dark Abyss Essence he had seized, Hugh couldn't find any information he wanted. Important memories, the location of the lair, the specific situation of the race... such crucial information seemed to have been isolated and eliminated beforehand.

This is definitely not a good sign.

"Their intelligence is no different from that of ordinary people... and that will is already aware of the threat I pose to them."

As Hughes thought this, he placed his palm on the horns of the running rat, injecting more magic into its body and briefly restoring its magic power. Sniggy then let out a piercing screech, and its already slowed speed increased again, forcibly shaking off the approaching black tide behind it.

“They see me as one of their own, so they must know that I can obtain information by devouring them… therefore they are trying to be on guard.”

Hugh quickly went through the jumbled information in his mind, then discarded it into a corner of his mental world: "These Dark Abyss offspring are consciously mobilizing and distributing the knowledge and memories within their entire race. Their behavior is like that of ant colonies and bee colonies... no, more like large tribes in conventional understanding. They are following the management of the highest will, directly distributing everything they possess to make themselves more efficient."

Just then, the Ernst family members, who had been dealing with the messy information around Hugh, gave a timely reminder.

"Son, we're back on Ladies' Street again... But the good news is, there's a gap ahead, and the 'silt' isn't big enough to completely cover these blocks!"

"Then let's go through."

Hugh sighed and patted Sniggy's back. After running all day, its size had shrunk, and he could even feel its bones through its fur.

“We must stay in the northern part of Seren City now. Their numbers are still too large. If they are allowed to disperse, the plan is likely to be ruined... We cannot allow them to discover any traces of movement in the direction of Iris Street.”

"You think you can carry the remaining five days on your own? That's unrealistic."

General Bernhardt's voice came from the depths of the spiritual world: "Those monsters obviously know that they can't eat you directly, but they will definitely not let you leave."

"That would be best. I need to keep track of their situation at all times. If they tend to disperse and spread to other parts of the city, we must take the initiative to strike them hard and draw their attention back."

During the conversation, Sniggy had already successfully carried his master through the encirclement of the Dark Abyss Spawns, which was not yet fully closed.

Under the heavy darkness of night, the black waves surging between the buildings were like ever-changing walls. Having already clashed with them several times, Hugh knew very well that these creatures would not let go of any opportunity to hunt him.

During the daytime conversation, Hugh successfully received an "ultimatum" from the main body of the Dark Abyss Offspring.

Yes, they really did use that word.

In order to adapt to the ever-changing magical environment and to prepare for the impending black sun, these highly intelligent but flawed creations have shown unprecedented initiative. According to them, the Dark Abyss offspring and Hugh are destined to have only one outcome—fusion.

It doesn't matter whether Xiuge devours them or they devour Xiuge.

They only need to achieve that ultimate goal, because, in their understanding, this is the key to ensuring the continued survival of their large population in the "new era" to come.

Hugh assessed the state of the running rat and his own mana reserves, then pointed to a dark figure on the street in the distance: "Go upstairs, Sniggy... See that apartment building over there? Find a way to get to the roof, and you can rest once you get there."

Having received its owner's permission, the frantic mouse continued its run.

Finally, panting heavily, it delivered Hugh to its destination. A small part of the apartment building had collapsed in the previous earthquake, but fortunately, the remaining part still stood, giving Hugh a relatively safe place to stay.

Exhausted, Sniggy was promptly returned to the groove in the metal disc by Hugh, who then fed all the Dark Abyss offspring essence he had previously hunted to his loyal mount.

After swallowing the food whole, the running rat immediately curled up in the groove and began to sleep soundly.

After confirming that the running rat's condition was slowly recovering, Hughes was relieved and began to erase the traces of magic and construct a protective ritual. However, during this process, he clearly sensed that the magic surrounding him was significantly more volatile than before.

The frequency of that strange and inexplicable tremor continued to increase. When the tremor occurred, Hugh could even use his magical vision to see those lines trembling in the night.

Hughes still didn't know where the tremor was coming from.

But the trembling magical lines and the intensity of the vibrations he felt gave him a somewhat terrifying association.

He always felt that this tremor was very much like the heartbeat of a living thing.

(End of this chapter)