The black sun hangs high

Chapter 297: Anatomy
"You despicable insect hiding in this conspiracy... Are you prepared to betray us a second time?"

The instant he understood the meaning of those words, a familiar figure in a black tuxedo naturally appeared in Hugh's mind.

He knew that the message conveyed through the deformed fish was probably aimed at the strange deity bearing the name of "conspiracy".

Hughes's judgment and association were not entirely based on intuition, but rather on reasonable speculation and association.

Although most of the information he had received was very fragmented, several very special points were confirmed. Among them, Theseus's bias and choice between the ancient gods and the "inferior races" such as humans and elves was very clear. Not to mention, the goddess Mel was also a special being in this regard.

Since Theseus was willing to address the leader of an “inferior race” as his mentor, the role and function he played in the process of the ancient gods’ withdrawal from the stage of Varian is indeed quite intriguing.

At this moment, Hughes couldn't help but think of another very important point of doubt.

Based on the numerous pieces of information he obtained within the Dream Sanctuary and the previous gatherings of the Black Sun Society, Hugh was basically certain that the deity who controlled the Vaan Ocean in that distant ancient era must have been "Karlon".

Strangely, apart from the "Touch of Kalron" that he possessed, he was unable to find any other information related to this ancient deity, as if it had completely disappeared into Vaan.

What's even more intriguing is the list of divine names that the goddess Mel acquired after successfully banishing the ancient gods and establishing a new order.

Hughes remembers it very clearly.

In the most orthodox and ancient Vaan legends, the ocean was also an important area under the jurisdiction of the goddess Mel. The Sea of ​​Sinar, which connects all things in the world, and the analogy between magic and water arose from this.

"There must be some important secrets behind this... Perhaps, Charon, who once controlled the seas, was the first ancient deity to be officially defeated and driven out?"

As he walked, Hugh made wild guesses: "So, now that the strange phenomena in the ocean are starting to resurface, does this mean that the gods who were once banished are gradually regaining their influence and trying to launch a 'revenge'?"

"Moreover, it seems that their target is not only the many races and nations that are now in control of Vaan, but also the leader who once defeated them, and... someone who follows that leader."

"But you're looking for Theseus, what does that have to do with me?"

Hugh cursed inwardly while pursing his lips.

Although he hadn't received a direct confirmation from Theseus, he could roughly guess that the mutated parrotfish had said those words to him because it had sensed traces of Theseus on its body—either the power of the Dark Abyss Court or the summoned Touch of Charon…

In short, as a former member of the Dark Abyss Palace, Theseus must have been extremely adept and thorough in "fleecing" others, and Hugh knew without a doubt that some of his actions must have caused extremely serious damage to those ancient beings.

While she was pondering this, Vera had already caught up with the sailors who had fought the strange fish on the dock.

They were praised by their companions for their heroic act, but when faced with Vera's question, they had to stop bragging.

As Verine began asking questions, her mage hand immediately floated out and began to take notes with her spellbook. This display forced the sailors to take their words seriously and begin to describe in detail what had happened before Hugh and his companion arrived at the dock.

Vera asked very detailed questions, including the bait the sailors used, the depth at which the bait was hung, the location they chose, and the entire process of the parrotfish from its initial probing to its capture in the net. Moreover, she specifically asked about the actions the deformed fish took while struggling.

After a moment, she finished her questioning and then came to Hugh's side with the magic book in her hands.

"Very interesting..."

As she stared at the words she had written down, she said to Hugh: "Judging from their description, the fish's behavior is actually closer to that of ordinary wild beasts that only pursue food. The sailors just used some ordinary fish bait, mixed with some leftover fish scraps that no one wanted in the kitchen... and even the traps they set were very conventional."

She closed the magic book: "All indications suggest that this strange fish is actually acting on instinct. It is not the same as the monsters you have encountered before. Although its body has undergone severe mutation, it has ultimately failed to break out of its original category."

"As for the changes it exhibited after encountering us, I personally believe they were more like a passive reaction of its internal forces after sensing danger."

Verine closed the magic book: "We'll verify more details once we get to the lab... But I have a feeling this experiment won't be pleasant."

Hughes shrugged: "At the very least, we need to shut down our sense of smell."

"Um……"

Vera nodded in agreement, then couldn't resist lifting her sleeve and taking a light sniff.

During the previous fight, a lot of water splashed out, and some inevitably got on Vilin's body. Perhaps because of that strange fish, the residual seawater smelled terrible, which made Vilin, who had just taken a bath and changed into new clothes, very unhappy.

……

Before long, the two of them, along with the convoy transporting parrotfish, successfully arrived at the laboratory set up by the Akatsuki Society on the edge of the dock.

This place used to be a workshop for maintaining small fishing boats, but it has now been renovated.

As soon as Hugh stepped inside, he spotted an "old acquaintance" of his.

Gerald's size was so exaggerated that he would stand out extremely well next to any ordinary person. Even the enormous parrotfish looked smaller in front of him.

Strangely enough, while everyone else who survived the calamity of Seren became thin, Gerald was different; he became even more robust, as if he had been inflated.

Needless to say, this guy had already officially joined the Scions of the Dawn through the introduction of Felix and others. However, the Scions of the Dawn had not yet been able to provide this big guy with matching clothes, so Gerald was wearing a strange robe made of two bed sheets, with a jacket symbolizing the Scions of the Dawn casually hanging on his chest, which made him look very ridiculous.

Hughes, of course, didn't bother with any more pleasantries with this guy. He stepped forward, lightly punched Gerald's massive body with his fist, and then asked, "Looks like you're in charge of the lab now?"

"Ah... In fact, I mainly manage the procurement, management and statistics of alchemical products. As for the laboratory, we are temporarily short-staffed, so Mr. Darthwell asked me to take care of it temporarily."

Gerald was clearly very satisfied with his current life. He talked and laughed, his eyes almost closed. However, when he saw the parrotfish encased in frost and Vereen standing beside it, he immediately became serious.

After cautiously nodding to Veraine, Gerald leaned closer to Hugh and said in a low voice, "It doesn't look like something you can 'eat'."

When Gerrard said the word "eat," he emphasized it, as if he meant something specific.

It was practically impossible to get someone with ogre blood to speak in hushed tones, so Verin immediately sensed something was amiss. She glanced at Hugh and Gerald, her eyes filled with confusion, but upon reflection, Gerald's words seemed to make sense, so she lowered her head again.

Hugh couldn't help but roll his eyes at Gerald.

He certainly knew what those words meant.

Because a similar hint appeared in one of his past works, except that the scene described in that work was completely different from the one now, and it is unknown how Gerard was able to make lewd remarks while looking at such a disgusting monster.

Hugh composed himself and said to Gerald, "Let's do the preparations first. This thing is incredibly resilient. I'm sure it's not dead yet... Take all the necessary precautions."

He then turned to the medical apprentices who were speechless with shock at the sight of the monster before them: "Find some of our sailors and fishermen and get some of the fishing nets they used before. They might come in handy... Also, have the guards here load their bullets. If possible, bring over two more machine guns. Just say I need them. Mr. Darswell and the others will agree."

"so serious?"

Hugh's series of arrangements surprised Gerald, so he quickly suppressed his smile and began to instruct his apprentices to make the arrangements.

Soon, everything in the laboratory was ready.

Compared to a typical magic laboratory, this temporary laboratory appears somewhat rough and rudimentary, but everything that should be there has been prepared. Moreover, compared to a normal experimental setting, this place feels more tense, since a typical laboratory wouldn't have heavy machine guns mounted there.

"No need for a dissection yet, let's proceed with the standard observation procedures first..."

As one of the most professional scholars in the Dawn Society, Verin naturally took over the responsibility of presiding over and managing the event. She quickly checked the strength of the huge water tank that had been subjected to the permanent ritual, and tested the stability of the ritual field applied to it. After confirming that everything was in order, she directed the apprentices to put the block of ice containing the giant fish into the water tank filled with seawater.

For added security, the tank is covered with two layers of specially treated, sturdy fishing nets, which is the third layer of protection in addition to the tank and the protective ceremony.

Of course, Hughes standing to the side, and the heavy machine gun assumed to be behind him, constitute the fourth and fifth layers of measures.

At this moment, Mayer, the core leader of the Dawn Society, also arrived at the scene. Although his academic field of expertise was not related to magical creatures, he also wanted to take a serious look at what the twisted product born from the black sun looked like.

With everything in place, the protective ritual site began to operate, and Verin then cut off the supply of magic to the solid ice.

As the magic slowly faded, the solid ice soaking in the tank quickly dissipated. As the binding force continued to weaken, the strange fish, which looked like it had been frozen into an ice sculpture, began to regain its vitality at an astonishing speed. Under the bright light, the severely mutated parrotfish began to slowly twist its body, and this movement easily shattered the ice covering its body.

Perhaps realizing it was in a new cage, the parrotfish immediately began to struggle violently. However, the tank, which was covered with multiple layers of protective rituals and had been permanently treated, was not something it could easily destroy.
Inside the laboratory, people heard continuous loud noises, but no matter how the strange fish struggled or how it rammed its body against the seemingly fragile transparent barrier, it could not bring about any change. Such violent measures could only cause it to bleed profusely.

Meyer, standing nearby, was so shocked by the sight that he frowned. He was about to ask Hugh if the fish would smash itself to death in the tank when he saw that the strange fish's grotesque wound on its head was rapidly secreting a dark yellow mucus. Then, under the action of this mucus, the cracked wound immediately began to heal.

Throughout this process, Hugh observed it with his magical vision. Then, Hugh was surprised to find that as the strange slime continued to be secreted, his magical vision began to fail for the first time.

For some reason, when he filled his eyes with the mist of the Dark Abyss, the body and shape of the giant fish in front of him began to become blurry. It seemed that the foul-smelling mucus secreted from its body could naturally suppress the power from the Dark Abyss Palace.

As if sensing Hugh's gaze, the giant fish suddenly stopped struggling. Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, numerous hideous wounds burst forth from the sides of its body, as if countless invisible hands were tearing at its body. The wounds gradually expanded, eventually "opening" completely like "eyelids."

People saw twisted flesh churning within these wounds, and in the murky water, these eerie patterns looked like eyes...

Not everyone present possessed a strong enough will. As this vile transformation proceeded, some apprentices and soldiers quickly succumbed, feeling dizzy or beginning to vomit...

However, among the ordinary people, Mayer's performance stood out as extremely unique.

His face also turned somewhat pale, but he did not react further. He neither looked away nor retreated, but stood firmly in place.

It was as if his legs were nailed to the ground.

(End of this chapter)