The black sun hangs high

Chapter 288 Where to go?
"You're a real 'celebrity' now!"

As Hughes donned his trench coat and picked up the Black Sun Scepter, which still carried the scent of the flames of Seren, Mayer, now wearing a hat, suddenly cracked a joke.

"celebrity?"

"Ha, this is completely different from how you became famous before by relying on pen names and your works."

It was rare for a truly pleasant topic to be discussed, and Meyer's expression relaxed: "I think your past fans, especially the female fans, must be going crazy for you now."

Upon hearing this, Hugh's eyebrows twitched involuntarily: "Madness? What kind of madness?"

"Oh dear, is our young 'Ghost' playing dumb?"

Seeing Hugh's reaction, Mayer couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Of course it's the kind you're thinking of, or rather, the kind of situations you've written about yourself... Let alone Borden or Alice, I can guarantee that if you went to any small town in the Duchy of Burt and held a fan meeting, you'd attract a lot of people!"

Hugh's expression grew increasingly strange. He stared at Meyer and asked, "Is this the result of your propaganda?"

“I must admit that Darswell does have this idea.”

Mayer replied, "But it turns out that we don't need to spread the word at all; the refugees who escaped from Seren will never forget you."

As they spoke, the two had already stepped outside, and a cool breeze carrying the unique scent of the harbor wafted towards them.

Hugh sensed the strange magical energy emanating from his surroundings, then glanced up at the ever-expanding shadow in the sky. Finally, he couldn't help but sigh, "The sun has disappeared, so what 'book lovers' could possibly be running out now?"

Meyer looked up and glanced at the sky, then smiled and said, “We are all made up of both body and mind. When we feel physically tired and weak, we naturally need more mental strength... Especially at times like these, they hope to see some inspiring miracles.”

"So, I became a 'miracle'?"

"That's true for many people."

As they talked, the two walked toward the dock. The people busy on the Dawn Goddess were all official members of the Dawn Society. They greeted Mayer and Hugh, and just as Mayer had said, when some of the young people saw Hugh, their eyes began to light up instinctively.

Clearly, what Hugh has done during this period has made him a "legend" in the eyes of a considerable number of people.

Hugh gripped the Black Sun Scepter tightly, nodding in response to the friendly Dawn Society members while secretly "checking" their composition. To his relief, the Black Sun Scepter did not transmit any signals to him, indicating that the Black Sun Society members had not been able to infiltrate the vicinity.

Hugh's sudden silence surprised Mayer. His gaze shifted sharply before settling on the cane Hugh was holding.

Even now, though the light in the sky is very dim, the cane that went through a great disaster with Hugh still shines brightly. Its surface is as if it is plated with silver, and there seem to be many complex and intricate patterns and designs on it.

Mayer knew very well that his friend's legs were in excellent health and that he had never carried a cane with him before.

Meyer's observations were very sharp, but Hugh's perceptions were also extremely subtle.

Upon noticing that the professor beside him was paying attention to the Black Sun Scepter in his hand, Hugh smiled. He paused slightly with the scepter in his hand, then gently opened his palm to show Meyer the handle and patterns at the top of the scepter.

With this action, a sound-isolating ritual was established, enveloping Hugh and his companion.

"This is a 'trophy' I got from the Black Sun Society, a cane that's still somewhat useful."

"Interesting, tell me more?"

So Hugh briefly recounted the "gathering" he had experienced long ago. After listening to these events, Mayer raised his hand and patted Hugh on the shoulder twice: "You really are a miracle. When I received your letter, I was surprised. Why did you tell me to be wary of 'Kezlov'... I see."

"I'll accept your compliment."

The weather was very cold and gloomy. Hugh raised his hand and tightened his trench coat: "The good news is that I didn't find any Black Sun Society members nearby, which at least shows that the Dawn Society members gathered here are all very 'pure'."

"You should tell Dasville this good news yourself. That poor guy is always too tense. After the Black Sun Society completely took control of St. Steel, he has been trying to strengthen the vetting of Dawn Society members, but some things cannot be done best by just asking and observing."

So Hugh listened to Meyer's introduction as he followed him along the edge of the dock. To avoid attracting too much attention, he eventually put on a hood. It was certainly nice to be welcomed wherever he went, but the constant cheers made Hugh feel a little uneasy.

As they walked, Mayer suddenly raised his hand and pointed into the distance, where a statue of the goddess Mel stood.

This goddess has a very close connection with the ocean, rivers and lakes, so there are many residents in coastal areas who regard her as an object of worship, and the Duchy of Burt, located on the Goddess Plain, is no exception.

However, thanks to his excellent eyesight, Hugh immediately noticed that the statue had just undergone repairs—its waist was broken, and its upper body was damaged and cracked from colliding with the ground.

Although these marks have been repaired and glued together with alchemical potions, they have still caused some irreparable damage.

“From that morning onward, the traces of faith began to crumble…”

Mayer's voice became somewhat heavy: "In places like the Duchy of Burt, it's still relatively good, as people are more steadfast in their old beliefs and the infiltration of the Black Sun Society is still relatively mild. However, in regions near the northern border, such as the Kingdom of Hein and the Duchy of Black River, the impact is severe."

"The destruction of idols and paintings is very frequent, but this is only the most common phenomenon. There have been many attacks on temples and other places where believers gather in recent days, and the intensity of these attacks is extremely high, especially in St. Steel."

Mayer's face was filled with worry for his homeland and hometown: "We have reason to believe that the Black Sun Society is attempting to use force to completely eradicate the prevalent faith within Saint Steel." "What are the attitudes and opinions of other countries towards these matters?"

"Of course, we'll wait and see."

Mayer replied, “Everyone knows that the Black Sun Society is trying to expand its influence and further spread the belief in the lost gods… but so far, their activities have not directly impacted the rule of the governments of the nations, and that black sun has not yet truly demonstrated its power.”

From Meyer's words, Hughes detected a deeply unsettling undertone.

Clearly, in the eyes of Mayer and others, the royal families and governments of the kingdoms of Walter, Delan, and others were not so reliable. Although in the past these rulers had tried to integrate their ruling power with the general faith of Vaan, their methods ultimately came down to the fundamental goal of "exercising rule".

This means that if the power of the Black Sun Society and the lost gods is further demonstrated, then these kingdoms that currently seem to be trying to isolate Saint Steel are very likely to waver in their stance.

Hughes has little confidence in these flexible politicians either.

In the past, some of them chose to cooperate with the Black Sun Society for their own benefit, and in the future, they may also choose to compromise for certain purposes.

The two men continued exchanging their opinions as they walked toward the other end of the harbor. Before long, they came to a relatively quiet open space, which looked like a place where boatmen and fishermen used to store miscellaneous items.

But now, Hughes saw that the original clutter had been piled up together, and several makeshift houses stood to the side, with many Saint Steel soldiers standing guard in front of the doors.

"Professor Mayer!"

"Yes, it's me... Is Darth Vader here?"

"Of course, Mr. Daswell has just returned, but you need to hurry, he may be going out again soon."

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Mayer immediately nodded, then led Hugh to the house in the center. After knocking lightly on the door twice, a somewhat deep voice came from inside.

"Please come in!"

And so, Hugh followed Meyer into the house, where he saw two figures standing by the table. One of the men had messy hair, a serious look, and somewhat slovenly clothes.

Upon seeing Meyer and Hugh, he immediately broke into a warm smile.

This is Darswell.

The other person, however, was someone Hugh was very familiar with.

Felix had cut his hair short, and due to the fatigue from the recent period, his face looked particularly thin, even somewhat sunken, but he was in very good spirits, with bright light shining in his eyes.

As Darthwell came up to hug Meyer, Felix also gave Hugh a big hug.

“You seem to be in great shape, I knew it! I knew it! There’s no way the city of Seren could trap you inside!”

Felix slapped Hugh's back twice, he had never been so happy and excited: "We've all accomplished our missions, and we're all alive, that's wonderful!"

He was clearly too excited, so much so that his words became monotonous and repetitive, but Hugh didn't care. On the way here, he had already learned from Mayer that Felix had indeed carried out his tasks perfectly. Not a single refugee from Iris Street died during the transfer, and not a single old person, woman, or child was left behind.

In fact, according to Hughes, Felix's achievements are more deserving of the word "miracle" than his own experiences.

Darthwell and his companion watched the two young men reunited quietly. Once Felix had calmed down, he stepped forward and shook hands with Hugh Ernst solemnly: "Hugh Ernst, Mr. Ghost of the skies above Seren, I've finally met you."

With that, Daswell waved his hand, inviting everyone in the room to sit down. Then he said with a smile, "Actually, I wanted to visit you yesterday, but your... uh, teacher? Oh, never mind, Ms. Veraine doesn't allow anyone to approach your bedside casually, so I had to postpone it until today."

"It's not too late today."

“That’s true, but we’re a little short on time… After all, we have several important issues to deal with, and Mayer has repeatedly emphasized that these matters require your involvement, Mr. Hugh.”

Hearing this, Hugh looked at Meyer with some surprise, but the other man just smiled.

Thus, an unexpected impromptu meeting, chaired by Darth Vader, suddenly began.

"We are facing two main problems, or rather, the problems that the Scaffold is facing... The first is our overall strategy when dealing with other kingdoms and organizations, and the second concerns the Scaffold's choice of bases and operational direction going forward."

As Meyer said, Darswell's personal style was very distinctive. He was both humorous and serious, with a leap of thought but a precise grasp of the topic of conversation. Moreover, when discussing problems that needed to be solved, he didn't bother with embellishment and would often lay the essence of the problem directly in front of everyone.

“We have an army, but that’s all. The Miners’ Legion has been trained by the Voltel, and they are no strangers to combat and the use of weapons, but it’s unrealistic to expect them to increase our influence in the outside world.”

"Currently, although the members of the Dawn Society are scattered all over the place, just like the Black Sun Society, we have no way to quickly gather these people and transform them into concrete forces. Although the ordinary residents know our names and have heard about what we do..."

"But in reality, in their eyes, the difference between us and the Black Sun Society is very limited. They will not easily trust us, nor will they readily offer us assistance. As for politicians, there is no need to mention them... Even the Grand Duke Bourt, who 'treated' us favorably, was merely trying to add or remove a few weights on the scales."

"So, where should we go next? And how should we get there?"

(End of this chapter)