The black sun hangs high

Chapter 341 Hermitage
Hugh's goal in visiting the Sword Hermitage was simple and direct.

The most important goal of this trip is to connect the Dawn Society with the Sword-Holding Hermits, so that the newly established Dawn Sword can learn as much as possible the skills and abilities it needs from the Sword-Holding Hermits.

These guys, who are considered mage executioners, have a terrible reputation, but everyone must admit that they are true experts in using violence and other extreme means to fight against spellcaster opponents.

The Sword-Holding Hermitage was established very, very early on.

According to Hugh's understanding, at a time when the ruling power of the Legal Council was somewhat shaken and the position of Merlinle was constantly being questioned, countless wild mage societies were established in Vain. Therefore, the original Sword-Holding Hermitage was actually just a large prison used to detain and interrogate important wild mage prisoners.

The first group of sword-wielding hermits specifically selected by the Legal Committee to target the wild sorcerers were basically prison guards from this cruel prison.

From a specialized prison to today's professional institution, the time and distance traveled by sword-wielding hermits are quite astonishing. How to find potential wild mages, how to use their power to fight against their targets, and how to hunt down and strike enemies to the maximum extent...

Although Hugh and his companions are not currently focused on hunting down those wild mage societies, the skills and experience possessed by the sword-wielding hermits can still be applied to the members of the Black Sun Society.

The hermits with swords had already been notified by the Legal Committee about the visit to the monastery by "Shug Ernst" on behalf of the Dawn Society. The members of the monastery held two completely different and extreme opinions on this matter.

One side is relatively rational. They believe that although Hugh Ernst was once labeled as a dangerous fugitive mage and had a history of killing sword-wielding hermits, all indications suggest that there are many traces of the Black Sun Society's operations involved. Moreover, the warrant for his arrest has long been lifted, and the two sides are currently on an equal footing in communication and cooperation.

Not to mention, Hugh and the Scions of Dawn have made their positions clear through their actions. The Legal Committee and the Scions of Dawn should be able to reach a consensus on the issue of confronting the Black Sun Society. Furthermore, Hugh Ernst now possesses the true identity of a legitimate mage. Logically and emotionally, the Hermitage has no reason to continue to be hostile to him.

However, the other side is quite extreme.

This group of sword-wielding hermits were basically the "vanguard" in the past when fighting against the wild mage community. They adhered to the most traditional and strict rules for sword wielders. Although they received direct orders from the Law Committee, they resolutely refused to recognize Hugh's so-called "official mage status".

After all, in their eyes, this so-called mage status was nothing more than a false certificate issued by a group of "traitors" who had left Merlinle. Cooperation was of course no problem, but before that, Shug and the Council should be thoroughly purged!
"One or two of them have something wrong with their brains."

Hughes silently offered his own assessment of this undisguised hostility.

Thus, in an extremely unpleasant silence, the two passed through the simple yet seemingly sturdy gates of the hermitage.

A highly stable, isolating ritual field enveloped the area. This magical power disguised and isolated the true scene inside and outside the gate and the hermitage. After successfully passing through the ritual field, a scene that would terrify any ordinary person appeared before him and Richard.

A variety of magical golems of distinct styles stood on either side of the gate. Among them were classic knight golems covered in silver armor and wielding silver swords and shields, as well as many new models that had been specially modified, wielding crystal guns or operating heavy firearms. In addition, fully armed sword-wielding hermits were also everywhere.

Hugh noticed that in the not-too-long period of time, these sword-wielding hermits had actually completed a round of equipment changes. These tall and strong sword-wielders, who seemed to have unlimited energy, were now mostly equipped with two different types of firearms at the same time: one was the classic crystal gun that could withstand high-powered crystal bullets, and the other was the new type of revolver rifle that was gradually becoming more common.

The abrupt end of the previous battle clearly had a significant impact on the sword-wielding hermits, but as the most thorough "pragmatists" in the Legal Committee, their transformation was equally astonishing.

After another inspection and being given the cold stares of several "conservatives," Hugh and his companion finally entered the monastery.

Behind the gate was an extremely monotonous open space, the only thing that could be considered "decoration" being a sculpture standing in the very center of the open space.

Judging from its appearance and form, the sculpture clearly depicts the goddess of magic, Mel, but here, the goddess's image is completely different from that in other contexts.

In Vain, 99% of the statues of the goddess Mel maintain a gentle, harmonious, and serene demeanor. Only in certain solemn settings is she deliberately given an added touch of solemnity.

However, this was the first time Hugh had ever seen the image of the goddess Mel holding a weapon.

The goddess before them stood upright, her face still beautiful, but she exuded an awe-inspiring aura, much like those judges. She no longer wore the loose robes and gauze that symbolized mages and scholars, but rather a light armor with a cloak that looked imposing.

In her hands she held a broad, sharp longsword, its tip pressed against the ground, making it impossible to look directly at her.

In front of the statue, Hughes saw a stone tablet engraved with proverbs.

"We will dedicate ourselves to Merlinler."

"We are the torrential rain of Mel, the raging wind of Vaan, and the furious tide of the Sea of ​​Sinar."

Hughes silently repeated these words twice in his mind and bowed slightly before the majestic statue to show his respect.

The swordsman walking beside him glanced at Hugh, and seeing that he seemed to have enough respect for the goddess of magic, the coldness on his face faded a little. After Hugh and Richard finished bowing, he gestured for the two to follow him.

Demonsilver is probably the most common element here.

As an ordinary person, Richard was naturally unaffected by these special substances; he simply felt nervous. However, for a spellcaster like Hugh, the accumulation of large amounts of stun silver could easily affect the efficiency of his magical energy.

Fortunately, Hugh was not exactly a "proper mage," and the magic power accumulated in his body was not "proper magic power" at all. Faced with such a large amount of magic silver, Hugh only felt that the speed of his magic power circulation was restricted and the range of his magical perception was greatly reduced, but this did not affect his own use of magic.

However, the residents living inside the metal discs were rather uncomfortable.

Sniggy the Rampaging Rat and the Touch of Karron possessed significantly greater endurance, quickly entering a semi-dormant state to completely block out the external pressure. Meanwhile, the Mirror Messenger, the Palace Hounds, the Root Clan, and the various family wills—beings highly sensitive to their surroundings—felt utterly frustrated. "Damn it, I feel like I'm being stuffed back into those coffins!"

"That's the feeling. I can't move, and my thinking speed has slowed down... I feel like I've aged a hundred years in an instant."

"That's quite an achievement. In the entire history of the Vann family, there has never been a case of a group of people entering the Sword-Holding Hermitage!"

"What, you still think this is a historic moment? Should we go back and write it in the family archives, saying that after being dead for so long, we've finally all been imprisoned by the Legal Committee again? This is truly an experience that will shock even the Great Eagle of the Plateau!"

Hughes frowned slightly, shutting out the noisy discussions, and his change in expression was noticed by the sword-wielding hermit beside him.

This surprised the sword-wielding hermit who was leading the way.

Generally speaking, the higher a mage's mastery of magic, the more dependent they are on magic power. Those spellcasters who have reached the valley or lake level or above often experience severe discomfort after arriving here. The fear of having their magic power completely removed is something that ordinary people cannot resist.

Seriously speaking, countless spellcasters have already fled here in terror because they completely lost their sense of magic.

However, the young face in front of him merely frowned.

He seemed even more relaxed than the other young man accompanying him.

Seeing this, the sword-wielding hermit gave up on probing Hugh. He suppressed his hostility and led the two through the monotonous corridor to a rather special room.

What makes it special is that in this extremely monotonous architectural complex, this is one of the very few places with decorations and ornaments. However, these so-called decorations are actually very simple, and the paintings hanging on the walls are mostly realistic and praise the goddess Mel. All of this makes the room in front of you look more like a legendary "ascetic retreat".

A figure looked up from behind a huge table at the far end of the room, and to Hugh and Richard’s surprise, it was a woman.

Moreover, she was a tall woman wearing the standard silver armor of a sword-wielding hermit.

She wore a half-metal mask inlaid with magic crystals, completely covering the left side of her face, while the exposed right side was not particularly special—it was a very ordinary face, with two curved scars on her cheeks drawing more attention than the face itself.

The standard firearm she carried at her waist and the standard sword placed next to the old desk indicated that this woman, who appeared to be in her thirties, was also one of the sword-wielding hermits. Moreover, judging from the patterns on her armor, she held a very high position within the Legal Affairs Committee.

The sword-wielding hermit who was leading the way bowed slightly, then left Xiu Ge and his companion in the reception room before turning and leaving.

"You two seem quite surprised?"

A slightly hoarse, androgynous voice came from behind the table. Although the voice sounded relatively relaxed, there was no hint of a smile on the scarred face: "Is it because you suddenly saw a woman in a place like this?"

"Indeed."

Hughes appeared quite composed, nodding politely to the other party: "As far as I know, an excellent swordsman often cannot do without drinking a lot of potions, and these kinds of potions are often incompatible with women's bodies and minds... The mortality rate is very high."

"But there are always exceptions, just like what happened to you, Mr. Ernst."

As she spoke, the woman wielding the sword pushed forward a thick stack of documents and gestured for Hughes to proceed.

Hugh stepped forward and immediately discovered a large stack of various documents related to himself, including all sorts of investigation reports, life experiences, and interpersonal relationships. In addition, Hugh also saw a bill for royalties from the Peace Newspaper and several magazine anthologies that included all of his works.

"and this."

As she spoke, the female swordswoman took out an exquisite velvet pouch. Hugh opened it and pulled out two finished Dragon Tooth cards. These two Dragon Tooth cards were extremely exquisite. In order to maximize the visual appeal, the card maker spared no expense in using a large amount of high-quality magic crystal powder and magic ink.

On these two cards, Hughes once again saw those two wild figures that blended into the raging flames of the city.

Below these two cards is a message from Hugh.

May their hearts burn as hot as the raging fire.

Hugh silently looked at the two cards, then looked up and saw that the scarred face in front of him seemed to have softened a little: "I thank you on behalf of my two younger brothers. Although they couldn't come back, at least... their childish wish was fulfilled."

The woman with the sword calmly put the two cards back into the velvet bag, then placed the bag deep inside her desk: "They've been obsessed with this boring card game since they were little, and they've always hoped that one day they could become 'important' card characters. Now their wish has come true."

“Mr. Ernst, out of gratitude, I’ve waived some unnecessary and cumbersome procedures for you, but that doesn’t mean the Sword Hermitage welcomes spellcasters with credentials from traitorous organizations.”

"Now, please state your purpose and thoughts for visiting here. As one of the current leaders of the monastery, I will make a preliminary assessment of what you have to say."

(End of this chapter)