The black sun hangs high

Chapter 287 Mooring
"Just work hard."

When the chaotic being before him uttered such a sentence, Hugh's feelings inevitably became somewhat complicated.

Judging from their recent exchanges, Theseus's attitude toward himself has indeed undergone some astonishing changes, and the stance of this so-called "Faceless God" has become increasingly clear. However, this change is different from Hugh's initial impression of Theseus.

Simply put, when someone who does everything as if it's just for fun starts to speak and act seriously, he won't be able to gain the trust of others immediately.

Hughes would immediately judge any words of encouragement that Theseus uttered as sarcasm or mockery.

As the true master of the dream sanctuary, Hugh's emotions and thoughts did not escape Theseus's perception. So she chuckled and asked, "What, do you want to hear me say something else? Or would you be more comfortable if I directly mocked you? Do you have that kind of fetish? I can satisfy you."

"of course not."

Seeing that Hugh had righteously and firmly rejected his "kindness," Theseus let out a disdainful "sneer": "If that's the case, what are you still doing here? The Dream Sanctuary doesn't even provide food and lodging, does it?"

Hughes didn't move. He stared at Theseus silently for a long while before finally asking, "I want to know more about 'that leader.' Do you have any suggestions?"

Upon hearing this question, Theseus's chaotic face twitched slightly, and then she said in a slightly teasing tone, "How else can you know? There are legends about her everywhere in Vaan, why don't you just read more?"

"You said it yourself, those are all legends."

"Legends aren't necessarily false... at least for Vaan, she did do many things that ordinary people would only see in legends."

This wasn't the first time Theseus had given the goddess Mel such high praise, and this performance only fueled Hugh's curiosity.

So he asked, "Did you witness those things she did with your own eyes?"

"maybe."

Seeing that Theseus did not deny it, Hugh quickly seized the opportunity to press further: "So, after that dream I saw, you successfully gained her trust? What exactly is your relationship with her?"

Don't you think you're asking a bit too many questions?

After saying this, Theseus paused for a few seconds as if lost in some distant memory. However, in the end, the chaotic deity did not answer Hugh's question. She raised her hand and pointed to the door that connected the sanctuary with reality: "Don't force me to kick you out myself like I did the first time. Go now."

Her voice sounded somewhat cold, but there wasn't much anger in her tone.

Seeing Theseus strike that familiar riddle-solving pose again, Hugh could only shake his head helplessly. But just as he got up to leave, a voice came from behind him.

"According to your concept, perhaps I should call her 'mentor'."

Hugh turned around in surprise, only to see the chair behind him gently rocking, while the figure that had been sitting on it was nowhere to be seen.

……

The Dawn Goddess rested quietly in the port of the Duchy of Bult.

Although its model is old, after extensive modifications and renovations, it is still a formidable large warship.

Conventionally, such large warships would never have the opportunity to remain docked in a principality's port for an extended period. However, under the ever-expanding gloom in the sky, the concepts of "convention" and "rules" are gradually fading from people's minds.

Compared to the somewhat panicked residents of the port town, the soldiers stationed near the Dawn Goddess were noticeably calmer and more composed.

Most of these soldiers had blond or brown hair and blue eyes—they were all Saint Steeles, or rather, members of the Foreign Miners Legion.

As a peripheral component of the former Votel army system, the departure of the Miners' Legion did not have a significant impact on the Votel people.

For the officials and professional soldiers in the Kingdom of Walter, this force composed of Saint Steel miners was actually more like a tool to demonstrate to the people the status and glory of Walter soldiers.

Under normal circumstances, the role of the miners' legion is very limited, and important tasks cannot be entrusted to them. In order to ensure that these St. Steel people who cannot return home can stay safely in the country, the Votel military also needs to pay a sum of money regularly. Although these expenses are not high compared to regular troops, expenses are expenses, and that cannot be changed.

Now that the Saint Steel royal family has fully aligned itself with the Black Sun Society and its beliefs, this already unique foreign legion has become even more awkward.

Some newspapers, known for their tendency to sensationalize rumors, have even published articles discussing these topics.

However, the emergence of the Dawn Society solved this thorny problem for the troubled Votel military.

As a friend of Frey Meyer and one of the founders of the Dawn Society, Darthwell used his long-prepared funds and a letter signed by many important figures to gain access to the Waterl government. The Dawn Society's public statements and their willingness to provide relief to the refugees in Seren dispelled any remaining doubts.

For the Votel people, handing over this awkward foreign legion would not only reduce a destabilizing factor within the country, but also win the favor of the Dawn Society—although they did not have a high opinion of these "rebels from St. Steel," they were very happy to see someone test the strength and background of the Black Sun Society on their behalf.

Hugh leaned against the window, quietly watching the busy soldiers for a while, then sighed, "They're even wearing Walter's style uniforms now, aren't they?"

"Of course, given the tight schedule... For now, we can only let them keep their original clothing and habits, and remove the Miners' Legion insignia."

Mayer's voice came from the other end of the cabin. He put down his pen, turned his head and replied, "Don't worry, our own insignia, flags and uniforms are being prepared and will be implemented soon. The same goes for the new weapons and equipment."

"The scale of the operation was truly impressive."

Hearing this, Hugh laughed. He gently moved his slightly weak arm and then said, "When I was trapped in the city, I never thought that you professors could do something like this... It was the same when I escaped from Seren last time. I woke up and felt like the world had changed."

“The world is changing every day.” Meyer stood up, went to Hugh’s side, and sat down at the foot of the bed where Hugh was resting.

He looked closely at Hugh's face and, seeing that he seemed to have finally recovered, nodded with relief: "I can assure you, my friend, that you will never return to Seren City again."

"It's gone, isn't it?"

"Pretty much. Half the city was swallowed up by the crack, and now it has become a terrifying forbidden area. No one wants to go near it."

As he spoke, Mayer took a thick notebook from a cabinet to the side. Hugh saw that the notebook was filled with clippings of newspapers and magazines.

Mayer flipped through the notebook a couple of times, then placed it on Hugh's lap: "Miss Verine said you have a habit of reading newspapers, so I had someone compile the news from these past few days and record the important events. Although it seems a bit time-consuming, you're a mage, so this shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?"

Hughes nodded and took the notebook.

Verine wasn't here at the moment; she should be helping the Dawn Goddess inspect the protective artifacts damaged by the magical anomaly. But since waking up, Hugh had discovered that Verine's presence had completely permeated his surroundings.

The magically created water in the glass, the healing ritual to replenish the body's vitality, a brand-new spellbook, two textbooks on high-level magic by Merlinler and the mage...

Even the fountain pen that came with the magic book looked somewhat familiar.

Hughes chose to accept this subtle change with equanimity, a reaction that was perfectly natural.

Ever since he saw those icy blue magical signals constantly slicing through the sky amidst the raging flames of Seren, some ideas had already taken shape in his mind.

Meyer's gaze swept over the items, and then the incredibly intelligent scholar smiled and said, "Mr. Hugh, if you're feeling alright, why don't you come for a walk with me? There are quite a few people in the Dawn Society who want to get to know you, especially Darthwell."

Seeing Hugh looking over, Mayer shrugged and explained, "You may not know this, but on the way Miss Weilin brought you here, she encountered spies sent by the Walter royal family and the Ernst family."

Meyer paused for a moment, then continued, "They came with a mission. Some people want them to take you back to Borden, even if it means using force."

Hugh looked down at his body: "But I'm still here."

"Miss Weilin handed over a Royal Medal of Walter, hehe, the kind of thing that is said to be able to fulfill important conditions to the royal family."

Meyer slapped his thigh: "Darthwell has a lot of opinions about this. He thinks we shouldn't waste such important resources on this, and perhaps it would be better to just take action and eliminate those spies directly..."

After thinking carefully, Mayer finally found a suitable adjective: "Cost-effective?"

Then, Meyer shook his head: "But that's just Darswell's personal opinion. That's just how he is; he can be quite radical in some ways..."

"Don't worry, Professor, I understand."

Hugh calmly replied, "Mr. Darthwell is actually very important, especially for an organization like the Dawn. Without him, the Dawn might have some trouble dealing with certain matters."

"That's true, and it's really good that you can understand."

At this point, Hugh suddenly asked, "By the way, how are those who successfully evacuated from Seren City doing now?"

Upon hearing this question, Mayer turned around and replied, "The city of Seren is no more, and the towns and villages around it have all become dead lands. Apart from a small number of people who are prepared to seek refuge with their relatives and friends, the rest are destined to become refugees."

"Are most of these survivors Delan people? Does the Kingdom of Delan not intend to accept them?"

"We have this plan, but we are in a special period now."

Mayer raised his hand and pointed towards the sky: "The Kingdom of Delan has also abandoned many villages and towns because of this anomaly. They must now concentrate on resettling these citizens. Although the residents of Seren City are relatively close, they will definitely be put on hold for a while."

Mayer's tone was somewhat heavy: "They just escaped from a place like Seren, which is full of monsters. They are filled with resentment towards the other major powers around them who 'left them to die' and the Black Sun Society, which makes them even more of a hot potato... Heh, you understand, it's only natural."

"What a natural thing."

Hughes reached for his water glass, took a sip of the icy, magically created water, and then asked, "But I think the Dawn Society must have some plans for these refugees, right? Just carrying out rescues and transfers without considering the aftermath is probably not in line with your style, Professor, or your friends."

Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Mayer's face, but he did not answer directly. Instead, he asked, "I'd like to know more about your thoughts on this matter?"

Hugh put down his water glass, and with a gentle reach of his mage hand, he took the thick notebook. As the newspaper tucked inside fluttered up, a wealth of information entered Hugh's mind through his senses.

After a moment, he gathered the papers back together and asked, "The Dawn Society should now be considered to have declared war on the Black Sun Society, right? In that case, Professor, you should be thinking about establishing a foothold and stronghold... The number of these refugees who have lost their homes is huge, and there are many fierce soldiers among them. This will be very helpful for the Dawn Society's current mission."

“Yes, we are doing this work, and many outstanding people among these refugees have decided to join us.”

"Outstanding people? Like?"

“Miss Weilin recommended someone to me, and she also said that this person must be on your list of recommendations.”

Meyer grinned: "His name is Felix, a very good young man, smart, capable and decisive enough. Darthville has been having a great time chatting with him these past few days. Look, they're on the docks!"

(End of this chapter)