The black sun hangs high

Chapter 299 The Color of Life
As it turns out, there is a significant difference between interrogating a will originating from an ancient era and interrogating a prisoner with a physical body.

Faced with the layers of confinement imposed by Hughes and the pain endured by the attached body, the ancient will displayed a terrifying resilience not found in ordinary life.

Although it was imprisoned in this tattered fish body and had to endure much physical pain as a result, it fell into complete silence after "rebuking" Hugh, the traitor. No matter how much Verine continued to cut the strange fish's flesh, it did not communicate with Hugh anymore.

It seems that it is prepared for complete extinction.

Faced with this attitude, Hugh had no choice but to change his strategy. After all, he had not yet figured out the specific source of this will or the meaning of the "community" it mentioned. If, as it said, the demise of the will would make the "community" behind it aware of it, then this could very well lead to some new troubles.

Thus, after all the samples that met the experimental requirements were collected and sealed, Hugh and Verine decided to permanently "imprison" the strange fish that was already covered in wounds.

Fortunately, an alchemist who had joined the Dawn Order provided a batch of Magisterium. Gerald then directed the alchemists to use the scraps of Magisterium to create a new "cage" and directly cover the water tank that had been subjected to the Permanence Ritual.

Outside this special cage, Hugh himself set up several layers of protective rituals, including a certain amount of dark abyssal magic, to ensure that this special individual and the will existing within it could be completely isolated.

After completing this series of countermeasures, Hugh quickly organized the important information he had obtained. After handing over the conclusion that "there are likely more potential threats in the ocean" to Mayer and others, Hugh immediately returned to his cabin on the Aurora.

Hugh knew very well that his own guesses and judgments were absolutely insufficient to confirm the specific source and intensity of these threats. In these matters, he had to, and could only, seriously "consult" someone.

After making the preparations and feeding "Justina" in the kettle two more magic crystals, Hugh immediately adjusted his state. Before long, a familiar sense of falling appeared from the void of the dream and dragged Hugh to that distant world.

Late at night in Vain, Hugh saw Theseus intently focused in front of that familiar computer.

This time, he finally didn't use that subtle feminine disguise. However, he also didn't wear the familiar black suit. Instead, he changed into a set of ordinary casual clothes. Putting aside that chaotic face, Theseus now looked like an office worker who went back to the company to play computer games under the guise of working overtime on the weekend.

What shocked Hugh even more was that there were several bottles of drinks next to this guy, but the patterns and words on these cans were also in a completely chaotic state, making it impossible to make any sense of them.

"Sit down!"

Theseus said something without looking up, and casually pushed a bottle of drink in front of Hugh.

After sitting down, Hugh first glanced at the screen in front of Theseus, and then he discovered that Theseus was actually playing a very classic old game.

In this game, players need to start from a single-celled organism and gradually develop and evolve, from the ocean to the land, then form a group, and finally establish a civilization to venture into space...

Hughes was once obsessed with it as well.

Theseus's game had clearly just begun, so Hugh could see that the tiny creature he was controlling was swimming in a vast body of water, while in the background, countless indescribable behemoths were slowly moving around.

Hughes always felt that every game Theseus played seemed to have a deeper meaning, but when he expressed this conjecture to Theseus, he was immediately ridiculed by Theseus.

It's rather ironic to be mocked by a deity known for "conspiracy" for having "conspiracy theories in your head."

This time, Hugh had a relatively long time to enter the dream, so he wasn't in a hurry to interrupt Theseus's leisure activities. Instead, he adopted a relaxed posture, looking at the screen and pointing at things beside him.

"A vegan diet? You could totally consider an omnivorous one..."

"The organs in this game don't have independent models, so you can stack them randomly. Arranging them symmetrically is useless."

"Why evolve so many eyes? Why not just add a couple more flagella?"

Finally, Theseus sighed, quickly saved the game, and then switched the computer screen back to the empty desktop.

He casually picked up a new bottle of drink, then turned his dazed face toward Hugh: "Have you ever thought... I mean, there's a possibility, not necessarily true... that you were thrown into Vain because you liked to criticize other people's games too much?"

It was rare to see Theseus get the short end of the stick, so Hugh laughed: "If that's really the reason, the people thrown here could probably form a small country."

After saying that, both of them let out a strange laugh at the same time, and then simultaneously pulled the tabs on the cans.

Theseus's actions when drinking the beverage looked no different from those of an ordinary person. Although his face was a mess, when he brought the can to his "mouth," the pale blue beverage that flowed out disappeared directly into the surging black mist.

Hugh carefully took a sip and was surprised to find that the drink tasted pretty good, reminding him of the carbonated sports drinks he used to drink. After swallowing the liquid, Hugh found that his magic was replenished very quickly, and the metal disc rotated more smoothly.

So he couldn't resist taking two more sips, and then asked in confusion, "What kind of drink is this?"

"Hey."

Theseus did not answer directly, but instead asked, "How does it taste?"

"It's pretty good, but it would be even better if it were chilled."

"Ah...good suggestion."

Theseus finished the liquid in the jar in a few gulps. With a casual flick of his wrist, the discarded jar magically flew into the distance, eventually landing in the shadowy black mist at the end of the corridor without making a sound. After throwing away the trash, Theseus slowly replied, "The ingredients are quite complex, uh, let me think... Its main ingredient should be a kind of nutrient from the Dark Abyss Palace, specifically used to feed palace guards like hunting dogs. However, its original taste was terrible, so I made a small improvement."

Hugh's expression stiffened upon hearing the first half of the sentence, but Theseus seemed oblivious, continuing his explanation while casually opening a new can: "Actually, you've come into contact with many of the added ingredients, such as the blood of certain special rodent priests, the sap squeezed from the vines of the Walking Forest, and of course, a tiny bit of acid left behind by the roots of fate..."

"..."

Hugh's eyebrows twitched violently twice.

However, he then did something that Theseus did not expect. Although he seemed a little nauseous, he still insisted on lifting the can. As magic burst forth, a faint frost appeared on the surface of the can. He then drank the rest of the "drink" that had been quickly cooled down and even wiped his mouth with satisfaction.

After throwing away the empty can, Hugh smiled again: "I'm not so easily disgusted. After all, if I were to take it seriously, my previous act of absorbing the power of those Dark Abyss offspring would already be considered 'feeding' countless filth."

Hearing this, Theseus nodded approvingly, but at the same time, he seemed to have some regret: "That is indeed the reaction of a smart man, but to be honest, you are not as interesting as you used to be."

"Thanks for the compliment."

Theseus then raised his hand slightly, and this time, he said seriously, "The liquid inside actually has a specific name... In that distant enough era, the land-dwelling peoples would call it 'the color of life'."

As he spoke, Theseus gently shook his palm, and the originally opaque can instantly became transparent under his power, revealing the pale blue liquid to Hugh.

The next second, the liquid's color began to change; it first became completely transparent, and then began to emit a faint yellow fluorescence...

In just a few seconds, it went through a series of colors and finally returned to a stable light blue state.

Theseus placed the "drink" back on the table and then continued, "Actually, the discussion about the origin and composition of life began as early as that ancient time... But don't think too much about it. This discussion does not conform to the laws of the world you remember. In Vaan, almost all tribes, nations, or civilizations have acknowledged one fact."

"That is, the 'Color of Life' originating from the boundless sea is actually the origin and basic component of all the beings and traces of life in Vain. Although it looks like a liquid, it is actually a very basic life form. The groups can be large or small. They can separate from each other at any time, or they can quickly condense into a huge community."

As he spoke, Theseus extended two fingers and flicked them sharply against the transparent jar. With the tremors from the outside world, these "colors of life" immediately began to change violently. Hughes saw that countless blurry lines and patterns even appeared inside, but in just an instant, these traces disappeared completely.

"In fact, those gods you have heard of, no matter how powerful or famous they are, have been at a significant disadvantage in the struggle for a considerable period of time... Under the black sun, the ruler of the boundless ocean once wielded a colossal power that could influence the entire Vaan."

"Do you mean……"

Hugh almost blurted out the name "Karlon," but he reacted quickly and swallowed the deity's name back.

"Yes, it is Him, Carjun."

Theseus smiled and said, “Don’t worry, you can still say His name as you please. I can’t speak for other beings, but I personally witnessed Charon’s expulsion… Even if the Black Sun rises, it will still take a long time for Him to influence this world again.”

Hughes noticed that Theseus’s tone was inexplicably calm and firm when he said these words, which reminded him of the woman whom Theseus respectfully called “mentor”.

According to Theseus, although the goddess Mel has gone far away, she seems to have left many traces on him.

So Hugh asked, "So, according to you... back then, because of the existence of the 'Color of Life,' the 'Sea God' Calron and his followers were extremely powerful, to the point that the beings on land were completely at a disadvantage?"

Theseus nodded slightly: "We won't go into the details of the nature of the 'Color of Life' here. You can just think of it as a special creation that can make up life and spirit... And with the widespread existence of the 'Color of Life,' the life forms and tribes in the ocean can easily expand in accordance with the will of Charon."

"When you say 'expansion,' do you also include adaptation to the environment, as well as the growth and expansion of the population size?"

"Yes, but that's only the very basic part."

Theseus sighed softly, as if recalling a scene from the distant past, and said, "Under the control of Charon's will and power, all beings in the boundless sea that are formed based on the 'Color of Life' can actually connect with each other and form a perfect whole with the gods they worship."

"Sounds somewhat similar to the offspring of the Dark Abyss?"

"Of course, because those defective products were actually failed experiments created to imitate the 'Color of Life'."

Theseus laughed and said, "Under the manipulation of a sufficiently strong will, all creations formed by the 'Color of Life' will be stable. They are individual yet interconnected, capable of devouring each other to form a stable cycle according to the will of the gods, and also able to obey commands to fight together against the enemies of the sea."

"And when these lives successfully come together and are ready to act toward a common goal, they spontaneously form a new whole."

Theseus raised a finger, and black smoke drifted out, forming a twisted and bizarre symbol in the air.

In Hugh's eyes, the specific meaning of the symbol quickly became clear.

And that is precisely the concept that Hugh wanted to inquire about—"community".

(End of this chapter)