The black sun hangs high

Chapter 260 Name
The night is already deep.

Hugh sat alone on the roof of the abandoned apartment building.

This is already the highest and safest place in this area.

After Hugh erased the magical traces he left behind, the Dark Abyss Spawns who had come to hunt him immediately dispersed in the vicinity. Although they could not find him through the traces he left behind, they knew very well that their target was in the vicinity, so they began a determined and slow search.

In this situation, even closing your eyes to rest has become a huge challenge.

With his eyes closed, Hugh's hearing and senses became more acute than ever before, allowing him to easily detect the wriggling and crawling of the Dark Abyss offspring on the streets below.

Sometimes, Hugh could even hear some unusual sounds.

Cries for help, pleading from children, or heart-wrenching sobs...

Sometimes, it's just a jumble of sentences.

Hugh was certainly not drawn to these voices, but the occasional remarks coming from the surrounding area directly targeting him further illustrated the astonishing rate of evolution of the Dark Abyss offspring—coercion, enticement, pressure, and emotional manipulation…

Such probing actions were numerous.

Hugh finally confirmed that the vast offspring race that had taken up residence in Seren City was completely different from the past. With the continuous growth of its main will, its control over the entire race was constantly increasing, and the magical anomalies in the environment directly accelerated this process.

Now, the offspring of the Dark Abyss have successfully skipped the previous clumsy imitation stage and have begun to formally accept the knowledge and instincts derived from their prey. For them, this change is tantamount to crossing a new ladder and entering a completely new world.

Hugh leaned against the dilapidated wall, the cold night wind blowing past, and he cast his gaze toward the southern night sky.

The weather was quite clear tonight, and many celestial bodies that are usually difficult to observe were revealed. Even with the naked eye, Hugh could not see any signs of disaster in the starry sky.

However, when he looked away, he was able to use his extraordinary perception to capture the constantly trembling magical threads beneath the starry sky.

So, Hugh sighed helplessly to the Ernst family will that had always been with him: "I think I may not be able to hold out for the remaining five days."

The thoughtful countess stepped forward at this moment and gently comforted her, saying, "There are indeed too many of them, and you are all alone. Child, you are not the only one who has to face these disasters and threats. If it weren't for what you have done, the people in this city probably wouldn't even have this opportunity now."

"I understand what you're saying."

Hughes chuckled silently, then suddenly changed the subject, asking, "Madam, you were once an elite in politics and have personally experienced many emergencies. So I'd like to ask, among those officials and politicians selected specifically to handle these emergencies, are there any 'idiots'?"

Countess Alexandra was somewhat surprised by the question that Hugh had suddenly raised, but she quickly responded.

"An interesting question."

The countess pondered briefly before replying, "Under normal circumstances, I can tell you with absolute certainty that fools not only exist, but are numerous. Even in diplomatic settings between nations, there will always be a few annoying idiots. But if you draw a line and limit the discussion to the current situation..."

The countess paused briefly before continuing, "So my answer is that those who are assigned to make decisions and handle situations are definitely among the most intelligent people."

Hughes joked, "Someone like you?"

"You flatter the child, but it's the truth."

"Hmm... So, assuming you are now a member of the Seren City Emergency Committee, based on your understanding of the situation in Seren City, which strategy would you adopt?"

Upon hearing this question, Alexandra suddenly fell silent.

Seeing that the countess did not answer him immediately, Hugh thought to himself, "I don't consider myself a perfectionist, but I still don't want to see things like this... To be honest, after seeing what those monsters look like now, I also had the idea of ​​completely erasing the entire city of Seren and everything in it."

"This is normal."

Seeing that Hugh had given the answer she expected, Alexandra calmly added, "As far as I know, all the cities in history that have experienced wolf plagues or other serious magical epidemics have ultimately been abandoned or even destroyed. Using every possible means to control the threat is what those decision-makers should be doing. Moreover, the current situation in Seren City will only be more extreme than those in history."

She paused briefly, then continued, "I once visited the 'Scorched City' when I visited the Kingdom of Hein, and the scene was truly impressive... But sometimes, necessary cruelty is indeed the sharpest knife to solve problems."

Of course, Hugh had heard of the name 'Jiaocheng'.

The so-called 'Scorched City' refers to a city within the Kingdom of Hein that was burned by a large amount of fuel and intense fire magic. Nearly a thousand years ago, the Law Council adopted the final strategy when faced with an irreversible magical plague—to burn the entire city, along with all the hidden dangers, patients, and even normal residents, to ashes.

After issuing this terrible order, Merlinle and the sorcerer, who were in charge of the matter, chose to commit suicide in their study.

Having said that, Hugh had nothing more to add.

And so his empty mental world fell into a long silence once again, with only the metal disc still slowly rotating at its normal rate. Its regular and orderly appearance aroused in Hugh a kind of inexplicable longing.

"I really miss that 'orderly' life..."

Hugh pulled his thoughts out of his mental world, and the cold night sky returned to his field of vision once again.

After an unknown amount of time, a long sigh drifted out from the top of this dilapidated apartment building, carried by the cold night wind.

"This is really difficult..."

After a while, as if the pent-up resentment and frustration in his heart had not yet dissipated, a laugh and curse came from the darkness again: "Damn it... this is tough!"

From then on, no sound was made. Only the swarm of magical rats remained silently lurking around, monitoring all the movements.

Inside this dilapidated apartment building, in a room already covered with the crawling traces of the Dark Abyss's offspring, a crystal clock from the Kingdom of Walter still runs steadily, its constantly ticking hands seemingly etching a tangible mark on the invisible passage of time.

Time passed. Hugh, who had used himself as bait to gather all the Dark Abyss descendants of Seren City in one place, was unaware that just moments ago, as he felt weary and lost because of the predicament facing Seren City, someone in the distance still called out his name.

……

In the end, Vera didn't add sugar to her energy drink.

After Finn's butler revealed to her the astonishing changes that Vaan was about to face, the young scholar felt unprecedented pressure, and now she could only hope that the bitter drink in her cup would help her maintain her work performance as much as possible.

Although many people were still busy in the laboratory, Violet knew that there was no one there who could discuss with her further the crisis that could come at any moment.

It was only then that she suddenly realized that during this period of time, there was only one person with whom she could freely discuss those "dangerous issues," and who could always offer some unique insights.

Unfortunately, the city wall and the ceremony site that the two of them had once crossed together are now separated from each other once again.

Vera took off her glasses, carefully wiped them clean, and then put them back on.

After taking a deep breath, she drank the bitter, invigorating drink in her cup in one gulp, and then took out the magic book she had exchanged with Hugh.

She stared at the familiar name on the cover for a long time before slowly turning the pages. Contrary to what Hugh had guessed, Verine had not inscribed any other magic on the book, so there were still quite a few blank pages inside.

Vera originally intended to return the magic book as is, but now, despite her usual academic rigor, she inexplicably felt a sliver of hope.

She hoped that this magic book belonging to Hugh Ernst would bring her some good luck in her upcoming research.

Even just a tiny bit would be fine.

"May the goddess Mel protect Vaan, may the goddess Mel protect us... may the goddess Mel protect you."

She silently prayed in her heart, then adjusted her glasses and plunged into the dark ocean formed by those strange patterns.

Meanwhile, in the more distant Green Harbor...

The lights were still flashing in that ship repair workshop.

This special meeting, held in the repair workshop, had lasted all day. The participants were already feeling physically exhausted, but their spirits remained high. Just now, a large organization with members also spread throughout Vaan, but whose ultimate ideals and goals were completely opposite to those of the Black Sun Society, was established.

Amidst enthusiastic discussions and voting, the word "dawn," symbolizing sunrise and light, became the official name of the association.

The vast majority of attendees became the first official members of the "Dawn Society".

Among them were elves and goblins attending the meeting, spellcasters from Merlinle and the Highland Council, sword-wielding hermits who could inspire fear even on the streets, and soldiers and officers of different nationalities...

Of course, there were also merchants, teachers, students, and those fishermen, miners, and farmers who looked extremely simple.

At the end of the meeting, a poem composed on the spot appeared from the huge magic curtain.

"We will hold the torch and light the way forward."

"We will raise our swords and break the shackles."

"..."

"..."

"If the world falls into a long night, then someone should become the dawn."

Even if the light fades, even if the darkness hangs in the sky.

"The Sea of ​​Sinar cycles endlessly, while Vaan always moves forward."

Frey Meyer stood in the center of the podium, recited the poem, and then, amidst enthusiastic applause, signed the pre-prepared document, "The General Outline and Manifesto of the Dawn Society," on behalf of George Markm and others who were unable to attend.

Also signed on the document was the name "Shug Ernst".

Mayer didn't hide this fact. He held up the document and showed it to everyone in the audience, then said, "Comrades! In this world, there are so many people waiting for their own 'dawn'. The cold St. Steel is like that, as is the forgotten city of Seren... And besides us, there are many more people working hard for them!"

Some people responded loudly, calling out the name of the mage George Markm, and others called out the names of other scholars who had been arrested for their activities in St. Steel.

Mayer raised his hand to press down, then smiled and said, "You may not know, but 'The Ghost of Seren' has never been my pen name. It belongs to someone else, a young, noble, and incredibly brave person!"

Upon hearing those words, Sally froze in her seat below the podium. She bit her lip hard, and the light shining into her eyes made them appear somewhat blurry.

Then she heard her teacher continue, "He is a nobleman, an abandoned child who was once discarded by his family and then taken in, yet he has an incomparably noble heart and an incomparably noble soul!"

"It was he who revealed many secrets related to the Black Sun Society to us, and it is he who has now chosen to stay in Seren and extend a helping hand to those trapped in dire straits..."

Mayer waved his hand forcefully: "We cannot let our comrades fight alone, we cannot stand by and watch more tragedies and injustices happen before our eyes. Therefore, we should use all available resources, unite all those we can unite, and do what we ought to do!"

Someone else shouted, "Let's start with Seren!"

"Well said! Our ideals, our careers, and our goals should begin to be put into practice right here!"

Mayer brandished the document in his hand, his usually resolute face now burning with fervor: "Let us go to Seren, to St. Steel, to more places where we are needed! Let us do everything in our power to drive away the darkness and bring dawn and sunrise to more people!"

(End of this chapter)