The black sun hangs high

Chapter 353 Qualifications
The hounds of the Dark Abyss Palace are not mindless killing machines lacking intelligence and self-will. While they maintain absolute obedience to the Dark Abyss Palace, they will do their best to carry out their commands according to the chaotic will originating from the palace.

However, their power connection with the Dark Abyss Palace has now been forcibly severed.

Although the mages of the Law Council could not understand the nature of these strange ancient creations in such a short time, nor could they fully comprehend how their power operated, as the monopolists and owners of the richest magical resources in Vaan, they were able to use the most brutal methods to solve the current problem.

Just like mages who are obsessed with fire-based destructive magic, the members of the Magic Committee also firmly believe in a simple principle when faced with difficult problems: at critical moments, the accumulation of quantity can often directly lead to a qualitative change.

Of course, the "quantitative change" as perceived by the Legislative Affairs Commission is quite different from what ordinary people perceive.

In order to imprison these bizarre and ferocious monsters, the Legal Committee quickly set up a large number of protective rituals at the river valley and lake levels and above. Not only that, they also diverted many extremely expensive secret rituals from other places, and even moved the secret rituals used by the Emergency Affairs Office itself.

These magical barriers, with their isolating properties, envelop and cover this special cell in layers, and the manpower and resources required to maintain these rituals have long exceeded the imagination of ordinary people.

However, isolation is one thing, and the specific handling of it is another.

The monks and scholars of the Legal Committee had few options for dealing with these extremely dangerous hounds. Although they were severely injured, they did not appear weak, and their seemingly insubstantial bodies left the monks at a loss.

However, Hugh's arrival changed this stalemate.

The moment he stepped into the room, the hounds' agitation subsided. They recognized the man who had severely injured them the previous night and sensed the oppressive aura emanating from Hugh.

The hounds, which had been separated into different cages, immediately stopped what they were doing and looked toward Hugh. Their red eyes on either side of their long, narrow heads blinked slowly, as if they wanted to carefully examine and observe this terrible enemy again.

The attention was drawn not only to the hunting dogs, but also to a group of busy mages.

Leading the group of mages were two senior members of the Law Committee—they not only wore badges and credentials representing their status as mages, but also had a miniature "Eye of Mel" emblem hanging on their chests.

This is a symbol of identity for Legislative Affairs Commission officials, and only those who frequently need to attend important occasions or spend long periods of time in the Legislative Affairs Commission office are required to wear such badges.

The two officials appeared to be in their forties or fifties, which matched the "Eye of Mel" emblem they wore.

"Mr. Ernst?"

An official with a relatively composed appearance and slightly thinning hair stepped forward. He gave Hugh a brief greeting and then got straight to the point: "I am the number two person in charge of the Emergency Office. You can call me Joan."

"Professor Joan".

Hughes maintained the proper courtesy. These high-ranking officials all had some experience teaching in magic academies, so the title "professor" was very versatile and rarely resulted in a mistake.

Professor Joanne nodded, then led Hugh forward: "These monsters... I'm sorry, we're not sure what to call them yet. For now, we can only use magical rituals to seal them here. Fortunately, these specially structured cages are indeed effective at imprisoning them."

“We made some attempts to change the shape of the cage and move the monsters, but as soon as the magic lines we constructed broke free from their original curved shape, they immediately became active.”

He pointed to the first hound and said, “We have collected information on the scene and the details of the other attacks, and we are almost certain that these monsters can attack in a way that we cannot understand or imagine... Their form is somewhere between physical and magical, and they can move through buildings and the ground in special ways. Any corner, recess, or anything with obvious edges seems to be their path.”

At this point, Professor Joan sighed heavily. He handed a prepared experimental document to Hugh and said, "Mr. Ernst, within the Legal Committee, like many others, I do not agree with large-scale academic activities targeting 'evil magic' and those ancient lost knowledge... but this is only my personal opinion and does not represent my attitude in handling current matters."

Seeing that Hugh was staring at her, Joanne continued, "I know, Mr. Ernst, you must have some information related to these monsters, and it may involve some of your personal secrets, but I still hope that you can tell us more... It's very important."

Hugh quickly flipped through the documents in his hand, then handed them back to Joan. He then took two steps toward the magical cages in front of him, leaning on his cane. He slammed his cane into the ground twice, and the hounds, which had just started to stir again, fell silent once more.

Hugh turned around and said to Joan and the others, "Please rest assured, at this time, I have no need to cover up or hide the information I know, but I also have my own requirements... The current stage is very important for the Legal Committee and Vann, so I hope that the Legal Committee can impose some restrictions on the personnel involved in related matters, at least on the level of confidentiality."

Hugh's words were very direct, so Joan and the others immediately understood his meaning. As a member of the Emergency Office, Joan was no stranger to such matters. With the issuance of two simple orders, a group of relatively marginal mages and apprentices immediately withdrew under the supervision of several sword-wielding hermits, while another group of obviously more professional mages and scholars remained in place in silence.

After the Legal Committee finished its personnel arrangements, Hugh turned to Joan and said, "The Emergency Office should have heard about my previous recruitment by the Black Sun Society, right?"

"Yes, we know that you, Mr. Ernst, attended their gathering and caused those madmen considerable losses."

"We can discuss the extent of the loss later when we have more time."

Hugh smiled and said, “At that gathering, I learned a lot of very unfamiliar secrets and information… Within the Black Sun Society, members join different societies based on the ancient gods they believe in and follow. Among them, the society that caused the Seren City massacre is called the ‘Dark Abyss History Society’.”

Professor Joan frowned, exchanging a glance with his colleague: "The Dark Abyss?" "Yes, the Dark Abyss... a very ancient but real world, and it is very likely hidden behind that black sun."

Hughes slowed his speech as much as possible: "In other words, that shadow in the sky is actually a passage connecting to another dark world..."

This was the first time that Hugh had formally revealed the true nature of the Black Sun and the Dark Abyss to others. Even though Joan and the others were knowledgeable and experienced, they were stunned into silence by these somewhat shocking words.

After finally convincing herself to believe Hugh's words, Professor Joanne pointed to the shadows rampaging through the magical cage and said, "So, these monsters actually come from the 'Dark Abyss' you mentioned?"

"Based on their mode of existence, appearance, and habits... I suggest you call them hounds, or 'Dark Abyss Hounds'."

Hughes did not directly reveal the concept of "Dark Abyss Court." After all, even he himself could not explain what this strangely named entity was all about. Revealing it would not only fail to increase credibility but might even have a negative impact.

He pointed to the hounds in the cage and said, “My understanding of the ‘Dark Abyss’ is also limited, but from some perspectives within the Black Sun Society, it is clear that this is a world filled with intense hostility towards Vaan… In a distant era unknown to most, these terrifying monsters in the Dark Abyss had already begun round after round of hunting.”

"What happened last night, was it a hunt?"

Another official from the Legal Committee looked rather displeased. He did not quite agree with Hugh's statement. As a devout believer in the goddess Mel, he deeply resented Hugh's words, which placed the residents of Vaan in the position of "prey."

"It sounds a bit awful, doesn't it?"

Hugh glanced at him, but his expression didn't change much. He tilted his head towards the hounds behind him: "But that's the truth. I think you all know that, besides Merlinle and [the other places in] Vaan, they also suffered attacks from them, and the casualties were much heavier... The residents of those places don't have as many ways to deal with these threats as Merlinle and [the other places in]."

Hughes stared at the official: "When faced with these hounds, all they can do is accept a gruesome death after exhausting all means of survival... Tell me, what else is this but prey?"

The official's expression changed upon hearing Hugh's words, but he ultimately did not argue with Hugh. Instead, he controlled his emotions and lowered his gaze.

"I don't know much about hunting dogs, but generally speaking, it's a mixed bag."

"The good news is that although you have not yet officially begun your research on them, you have already grasped a lot of information that is most important to us at present... Their behavior patterns are peculiar, but not unpredictable, and the magic and weapons we have can limit and damage them to a certain extent. Moreover, these hounds are destined to become an important batch of experimental subjects for us to understand the Dark Abyss."

"What about the bad news?"

"The bad news is... these guys aren't the main force. The real 'hunt' hasn't even started yet. What we've encountered so far is just a pack of the weakest and most impatient hounds."

As he spoke, Hughes raised his hand and pointed to the sky: "I don't know when the 'hunt' will truly begin, but I think it must be related to the changes in the black sun. Perhaps the disaster will only officially erupt when that shadow becomes large enough and frightening enough."

Hugh's words echoed in the sealed underground laboratory. People remained silent, except for a few mages who were responsible for taking notes. They hurriedly copied down all the contents and details of the conversation onto paper.

Just then, the official who had raised the question earlier looked up again, looked at Hugh, and asked, "And what about you?"

"what?"

"Mr. Ernst, what I want to ask is, how were you able to wound these 'hounds' with such efficiency? What methods did you use?"

Professor Joan, who was supposed to lead the conversation, turned around the moment he heard those words. He glared at his colleague and was about to turn to Hugh to explain when he heard Hugh chuckle twice.

Then, people saw the figure standing before countless magical cages slowly raise his hand. He gently snapped his fingers in the air, and a cold and slightly chaotic magical energy immediately spread outwards. As if receiving some kind of command or being stimulated, the imprisoned black shadows suddenly became active. They began to violently crash into the magical cages in front of them, emitting chilling roars.

Just as everyone was ready to fight, Hugh snapped his fingers again, and all the commotion subsided once more.

The young man who had caused the chaos and commotion looked at the ashen-faced legal committee official: "Sir, I greatly admire your sense of responsibility and courage. At times like these, it is indeed necessary for someone like you to guide the course of events, but..."

He walked forward with his cane and stopped in front of the official: "You should know that everyone has their own secrets, and I am no exception. In fact, I may have more secrets... Of course, for Vaan's sake, I don't mind revealing these secrets."

"However, this is conditional."

Hugh stared at the other man, the darkness swirling in the depths of his eyes like two sharp swords ready to strike at any moment: "First, I need assurance that these secrets will actually work, second..."

"The audience should at least be qualified, don't you agree?"

(End of this chapter)