The black sun hangs high

Chapter 320 Scholars with Insufficient Inflexibility

As a scholar, Leger may have a thicker skin and greater resilience than his peers, but that does not mean he has enough ability to withstand pressure, especially since the pressure being exerted at this moment is not from an ordinary person.

Hughes is already very proficient in this method.

The use of voice and tone is merely a means of inducement; the real key to applying pressure lies in his use of the extraordinary magic he possesses.

Having acquired the Fate Roots race and undergone a qualitative change in his own magic, Hugh was able to integrate some of the Fate Roots' abilities into this technique. Sufficient psychological suggestion, a slight illusion that confuses cognition, and an immense sense of oppression could always break down the target's psychological defenses in an instant.

Sitting to the side, Verine keenly sensed the fluctuations in magic. She pursed her lips and glanced in Hugh's direction.

Based on her own magical perception, she could roughly guess what Hugh was doing.

She wasn't very skilled at this type of interrogation method, which was related to her dislike of talking nonsense with strangers. Therefore, when faced with such problems, Weilin would always think of the infamous but exceptionally simple method of "spiritual interrogation" first.

However, this Legerian scholar was, after all, an important figure who had officially received the invitation from Merlinle, and it was unlikely that the Dharma Council monks on the ship would agree to his unauthorized use of "spiritual inquiry."

Seeing that Hugh's interrogation had already begun, Vera stopped offering any help or hints. She quietly opened her notebook, handed the magic ink pen to her mage hand, and began to help Hugh take notes.

"Getting into...big trouble?"

Leger heard this strange statement for the first time, but he clearly understood what Hugh was trying to say. Under the pressure of the gloomy atmosphere, he couldn't help but shiver, then shook his head: "By Mel, Mr. Ernst, I don't understand what you're talking about at all..."

"You really don't understand?"

"not understand!"

Leger shook his head firmly. He swallowed and said, "I can... I swear to Vaan and the goddess Mel, I have not done anything against the local laws or the laws of Melinler in the past three years!"

"The past three years? Why three years? What about earlier?"

Hugh tapped the table lightly with his finger: "As far as I know, you must have been away from your original field for quite a while, right?"

Leger shrank back, his rather ugly face trembling slightly, and a evasive light appeared in his bulging, dead-fish-like eyes. He gritted his teeth, then lowered his head: "Actually... actually, I didn't break any laws before, otherwise how could I be sitting on this cruise ship?"

"That is how the matter?"

Upon hearing Hugh's question, Leger's gaze drifted toward the mage of the Legal Committee standing to the side. Clearly, what he was about to say was likely related to Merlinle. So Hugh waved his hand, signaling the mage of the Legal Committee to step aside. Although the latter hesitated, he complied.

After the legal committee monk left and Verin set up a sound barrier, Leger breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Yes, I was indeed very absurd and foolish ten years ago, trying to take all sorts of shortcuts, even plagiarizing other people's academic achievements to achieve my own success... But after that, I realized that since I couldn't achieve results in those popular fields, I should change my direction."

At this point, Leger raised his head and carefully looked at the young man and woman in front of him. Seeing that they had no objections and were listening attentively, he continued, "I chose the ocean, and the magical creatures in the ocean... To be honest, this path is also very difficult."

"Fishing, maritime trade, aquaculture of shellfish and shrimp, and even hunting magical sea creatures... all these activities are permitted, and they will regard them as the benevolent goddess Mel's nurturing and mercy upon her people."

Leger picked up his cup and took a sip of water: "However, if we want to study them in depth, or even analyze the magic in the seawater, such behavior is not allowed. Many people would think that such a thing is a desecration of the goddess."

Hughes was already aware of similar situations, so he nodded in understanding.

Leger continued, "So, in order to circumvent these restrictions and troubles, I always have to spend money where I need to, hiring some not-so-clean mercenaries or fishermen to do fishing or hunting for me... or getting some restricted specimens from the black market."

At this point, his old face even turned a little red: "My name was only removed from Merlinle's blacklist three years ago. Before that, I couldn't even issue formal commissions to the local branches of the Legal Committee, nor could I buy alchemical drugs and magical tools from some alchemy shops affiliated with the Legal Committee... That's the situation. I hope you two can understand."

Through his magical perception, Hughes was basically certain that what Leger said was true. While explaining these things, his heartbeat quickened slightly, but overall it remained relatively stable, and his emotional expression was very natural.

He did not regret what he had done, because in Leger's view, it was clearly a necessary choice on his path back to academia.

However, these things were not what Hugh was concerned with either.

To be honest, he himself was originally on the Legal Committee's wanted list, and the person next to him was even more important. Not only was he a wanted criminal, but he was also once labeled a traitor by the Legal Committee. In terms of severity, he and Weilin were far more serious than Leger.

So Hugh decided to speed up the interrogation process. He shook his head and said, “I don’t care about these things, and I’m sure the legal committee that has already invited you won’t care either… Scholar Leger, what I want to ask you about are the things you’ve done in the last month, or even the last few days… Note that I said you are now suspected of murdering a diplomat.”

Upon hearing this, Leger was stunned.

He couldn't help but look up, scratch his messy hair, and a look of puzzlement appeared on his face.

He thought about it very seriously for a while, his expression becoming more and more strange. Finally, his eyes drooped down, his slightly crooked mouth suddenly pursed, and he actually shed tears under the increasing pressure exerted by Hughes.

Within seconds, the tears turned into wailing.

Hugh stood up, walked slowly behind Leger, and placed his hand on Leger's shoulder: "Scholar Leger, calm down... You need to understand one thing: I represent the Dawn Society, not the Legal Committee. I do not have the power of public trial that the Legal Committee has."

As he spoke, Hugh's magical perception silently seeped into Leger's body. After confirming that there was nothing wrong with him, Hugh began to gradually relax the pressure he had been applying, and his originally gloomy tone became much more relaxed: "If you are convinced that you have not done anything, please recount the major and minor events you have recently experienced, the important people you have met, and the places you have been."

"If we confirm there are no problems, I can assure you that you will be able to return to your cabin immediately and receive compensation from the Legal Committee... At the same time, I can also represent the Dawn Society to provide you with assistance or opportunities for cooperation in your future academic career." As an extraordinary individual who was able to rise from an academic slump on his own, Leger was naturally not foolish enough to be foolish. Upon hearing Hugh's words, his mind immediately became active, and his previously collapsing emotions recovered somewhat in an instant.

He caught the second half of Hugh's sentence precisely, so he turned sharply, staring at Hugh and asking, "You...you mentioned the Dawn Society, so this matter is actually related to the Black Sun Society..."

"As long as you know."

Hugh patted Leger on the shoulder twice: "If you don't feel you have any connection with them and don't want to be guilty of it, then please stop wasting time."

Upon hearing this, Leger breathed a sigh of relief, his distorted, ugly face completely relaxing. He wiped his face haphazardly with his pajamas and then began to recount his important experiences over the past month in detail.

Verin's mage hand kept moving, and a lot of important information was copied down.

According to Leger, he has been active near Blueweed Harbor for some time now, with the main goal of establishing an alchemy workshop and research institute there. Of course, he couldn't use his own name for it, so he approached the local goblin guild in hopes of collaborating on this project.

When the topic came up, Vera said softly, "The Goblin Merchant Guild doesn't have a good reputation, and their credibility isn't necessarily guaranteed. Why would you think of contacting them?"

"Because my reputation isn't good either!"

Leger spread his hands confidently and said, "Giant goblins, they only care about money. Everyone makes money, and they get more, which is great! They don't care about academic reputation or fame."

"However, the giant-eared goblins are indeed very difficult to deal with when it comes to investments. I didn't manage to finalize the funding issue with them until the day before I boarded the ship. Apart from that... there was nothing else they had to do."

Then Leger began to talk about the plans he had made and the things that needed to be carried out during his time aboard the Windless Cruiser.

Yes, it's a plan.

Leger was clearly a planner; he liked to make arrangements in advance and then follow a schedule. Hugh had already verified this before, and with the help of the magical rats, he saw the schedule that Leger had hung on the cabin wall on the very day he locked onto him.

The plans that Leger explained were largely consistent with the timeline that Hugh had previously seen.

“Leger scholar, tell me, who do you plan to socialize with on the ship?”

"Uh... there are mainly two groups. One group is scholars from other fields. They don't have a very good impression of me, so I need to spend more time getting to know them."

"The second group is those troublesome dwarves," Leger said.

"Troublesome dwarf, tell me more?"

"He has a bad temper, a foul mouth, and is always suspicious that people of other races want to take advantage of them or even seduce their wives... But there's no way around it, there are indeed many outstanding craftsmen and designers among them. I really want to find them to build a ship that can dive into the deep sea and protect me, so that I can observe those living magical creatures up close."

Leger shrugged. "It sounds a bit absurd, doesn't it? But I think this idea has a good chance of success. After all, a few years ago, people couldn't have imagined a bunch of steel tanks running around on the ground, or steam trains transporting an entire legion in one go..."

Hughes raised his hand to interrupt him, pressing, "Did you bribe those dwarves?"

"bribe?"

Leger quickly shook his head: "I only gave them two bottles of wine, what kind of bribe is that? Besides, I just wanted them to let me hire two excellent master craftsmen... Wait! Is there something wrong with those two bottles of wine?"

"Not only is there a problem, but it's a big problem."

Hughes narrowed his eyes: "This is far more serious than mere poisoning. Tell me, Scholar Leger, where did you get those two bottles of wine? Besides you, who else had they been in your possession?"

Leger's voice trembled again: "The shop selling the wine is affiliated with the Goblin Merchant Guild, and it's said to have been around for a long time... I had my assistant buy two of the most expensive bottles, and they took care of the packaging and everything else!"

"you sure?"

"I'm sure, I'm sure!"

Upon receiving a response, Hugh immediately turned around. He took the notebook filled with writing from Verin's mage hand, quickly glanced at it, and then immediately opened the door to the confinement room. After a brief moment of thought, he said to the waiting mage from the Legal Committee, "I suggest you notify the Duchy of Burt. Regardless of what the Goblin Merchant Guild thinks, take control of the goblin shops and workshops near the port first."

"Also, gather the dwarf delegation together temporarily, in my name... Say that some of their members may still be infected, and keep an eye on the whereabouts of the female dwarf named Yena, don't miss her."

Then he said to Veraine, "Have Richard contact our people and send out these messages. I suspect Darth Vader and Felix might have some different ideas about this."

"What about me...?"

The Legerian scholar, confined in the room, stared longingly at Hughes.

So Hugh turned around and said, "Be thankful, Scholar Leger, this is probably one of the safest places on the whole ship. Stay here quietly... I guess you don't want to go out right now, right?"

(End of this chapter)