The black sun hangs high

Chapter 354 Make do
Those who remained here were not only mages and scholars, but also two somber, tall, sword-wielding hermits.

As the most steadfast supporters of the Legal Committee and the most loyal followers of the goddess of magic, Mel, they had already gripped their weapons when Hugh snapped his fingers at the hounds. Their hands were even clutching the bottles of potions, ready to attack without hesitation should Hugh make any further dangerous moves.

Not only them, but the other mages, especially those with military experience, also made preparations for battle at the same time.

These details, of course, did not escape Hugh's perception and investigation, but he was not alarmed by them.

In fact, Hugh didn't control the hounds' methods. The reason they were provoked was simply because they sensed the fluctuations of a power from the same source as his own. Of course, he didn't need to explain his actions to anyone. Facing these guys who always had the upper hand in conversations, Hugh simply wanted to increase his bargaining power a little.

Of course, he was not afraid of the threats from these mages and sword-wielding hermits.

This is a direct result of the increase in internal strength.

For a moment, Hugh even genuinely assessed the true combat capabilities of the members of the Legal Committee before him. He then realized that while he had absolutely no chance of annihilating all the potential opponents in this environment, he was certainly capable of protecting himself. With the combat power of the Palace Hounds and the Runaway Rats, he was even confident that he could break through the encirclement head-on.

However, this is definitely the worst option, since a group of deep-sea level mages are holding a meeting in the towering mage tower not far away, and the deterrent they bring is much stronger than these people in front of us.

As for the official in front of him who inexplicably made excessive demands, Hugh didn't take him seriously at all.

As Hugh said, regardless of the reasons and purpose behind his questions, he had no right or ability to probe Hugh's personal secrets and privacy in such an attitude. After all, even setting aside his titles and identities as a representative of the Dawn Society, a meeting participant, and a magic advisor, Hugh had the ability to crush such a guy on the spot.

Moreover, it was "crushed" in a physical sense.

In the instant the official and Hugh made eye contact, he felt as if he saw two oppressive and terrifying abysses on the other's face. The constantly rolling black shadows were like projections of two black suns in the sky, inspiring fear and dread.

Professor Joan, who was in charge of this matter, was certainly not a rigid and simple scholar. As the second person in charge of the Emergency Office, he had rich experience and a keen mind, so he immediately perceived Hugh's intentions and true thoughts.

Professor Joanne immediately turned around, scolded her colleague a couple of times, and then looked at Hugh with helplessness and apology: "Mr. Ernst, your temper is much worse than rumored. Many people say that you are actually a humble and gentle young man."

"Humility and gentleness must be appropriate to the occasion, otherwise I would not have been able to escape from Seren twice."

"Makes sense."

Professor Joan smiled and nodded, then forcefully waved his left hand behind him twice. The hostility that had been brewing immediately began to subside, and the hands that were holding the spellbooks and weapons slowly loosened their grip. Only the two sword-wielding hermits remained on guard.

Previously, they had been inside the Sword-Holding Hermitage and had heard about Hugh Ernst's visit. Therefore, they also knew that after the visit, the hermitage's head had given this young nobleman, who had once been on the hermitage's blacklist, extremely exaggerated praise.

Therefore, they must be cautious in this matter.

Just then, the metal gate that had been closed reopened, and a team consisting of a sword-wielding hermit, ordinary guards, and mages appeared before them.

Standing at the front was an elderly-looking law committee official, who also wore a "Mel's Eye" badge. His badge was carved directly from a magical crystal and was much more conspicuous than any similar badges that Hugh had seen before.

Behind the elderly official, a familiar face peeked out.

Veraine didn't get to rest for long, but after washing up and eating, she felt much better than before. She wrinkled her nose at Hugh and then glared at him. Clearly, Veraine knew very well that the tense atmosphere here was related to Hugh himself.

"We've finally met, young Mr. Ernst."

The aged legal committee official scanned the room, and wherever his gaze fell, all the mages present lowered their heads slightly, including Professor Joan and the official who had previously questioned Xiuge.

His gaze finally settled on Hugh, and then the kind-faced old man with a very natural smile spoke up: "You do indeed resemble my old friend. It seems that the Ernst family's military bearing has been well preserved..."

Who is this friend you're referring to?

"Of course it's Walter's old falcon. How's he doing?"

Although Hugh didn't have much affection for old Zeke, the fact that the other party openly mentioned his "elder" in this setting was clearly an attempt to show goodwill. Therefore, Hugh readily agreed and replied, "I haven't been back to Borden for a while. I heard some news about my grandfather from Princess Sophia... The current situation and the anomaly in Saint Steel have put a lot of pressure on him. Fortunately, he is still in relatively good health, although he gets tired easily."

"It's normal to get like this as you get older. Zeke doesn't really like using alchemical potions, so declining energy is a normal phenomenon."

The old official smiled and nodded: "Alright, please forgive this old man for eavesdropping outside the door for so long. I remember Mr. Ernst just mentioned the topic of 'qualifications', hehe... although it sounds a bit rude, I personally agree with it."

As he spoke, he winked at Hugh.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of those present changed in a wide variety of ways. The official who had a strong grudge against Hughes looked ashen and his eyes became flustered, while Professor Joanne, standing beside him, silently took two steps, adopting a classic expression of indifference.

The arriving official was not surprised by the change in the scene before him. He maintained his smile and said to Hugh, "Come on, Mr. Ernst, let's go outside and talk slowly... Let's leave this to the experiment itself. The information you provided is indeed important, but as scholars, they still need to verify it themselves."

After he finished speaking, he gestured to the mages who were following him. These mages, who were carrying various instruments, documents and supplies, immediately went to different parts of the laboratory. They were obviously "reinforcements" sent here by the Law Committee.

Seeing that Weilin was winking at him from not far away, Hugh also walked outside with his cane. When he passed Professor Joan, Hugh turned his head and whispered, "Professor, I will organize some information that I know that may be helpful to you and have it sent here later."

"Thank you very much. I will remind my other assistants beforehand."

Professor Joanne remained very friendly to Hugh: "Let's have another chance to discuss this face-to-face. My intuition tells me that as a scholar, I should have a long conversation with you, Mr. Ernst."

"You flatter me, Professor."

A moment later, as Hugh left the laboratory, the heavy metal door closed again. Hugh guessed that the scholars of the Legal Committee would begin to test the habits of these Dark Abyss Hounds using special methods to verify the information he had given.

As the elderly law committee official led Hugh and the others out, he began to introduce himself: "This is my first time meeting you, Mr. Ernst. I am Vika, full name Vika Badat, the head of the Public Magic Affairs Department who sent you the meeting invitation."

"Professor Wekka."

At this moment, Hugh had already restrained his previous arrogant demeanor. He nodded very politely to the old mage in front of him: "If these mistakes had not occurred, I remember that I should have visited you today."

"Ah, yes, your young man has come twice already... He's a very good young man. Although he's not a mage, he's more energetic than us spellcasters."

The "young man" Professor Wekka was referring to was clearly Richard. Among the Dawn Society members who came to Merlinle, Richard was definitely the most proactive and enthusiastic. Hugh sensed a strong curiosity about his surroundings in him. He was learning round after round as planned by Felix, Darth Vader, and others, and he always maintained a high level of focus and enthusiasm for it all.

Hughes shook his head: "Richard knows that Professor Wecker thinks so highly of him, and he might become arrogant."

"Haha, if that's the case, you can consider having him come here as an apprentice, not in magic, but in these... well, politics."

The old master said slowly, "I have always believed that it is extremely inappropriate for the Legal Committee to limit all participants in official affairs to spellcasters. This makes our manpower very strained, and when making decisions, it is easy to fall into the category of 'spellcaster-only'. You should understand what I mean, right?"

This topic wasn't easy to pick up on, so Vilin, who had been chatting with Vika the whole time, simply chose to remain silent. Anyway, with Hugh right there, it was the most suitable person to leave this to him.

Hugh glanced at Verin before replying, “The number of spellcasters is ultimately limited. Even if Merlinle and others could relax their requirements and absorb those wild mage societies like the council, they would still have to face manpower shortages in the end… Moreover, under the current circumstances, the ‘spellcaster-only theory’ might create a lot of hidden dangers.”

“That’s true.”

Professor Vickers seemed quite helpless. He paused for two seconds and said, "When those invitations were sent out, I was still in charge of the Public Magic Affairs Department. But now, I have to manage two different areas at the same time... Heh, I guess Joan didn't expect that her old partner of twenty years had already become a member of the Black Sun Society, did she?"

Old Vika raised his hand and gestured around: "In just over ten days, the personnel responsible for these important matters have been screened several times over, and countless people have been dealt with directly. The nominal leaders have also been replaced... Fortunately, no more deep-sea mages like Yetvich have fallen, otherwise we probably wouldn't even be able to hold this meeting."

After some reflection, the group arrived outdoors. After passing through strict checkpoints and undergoing several searches of varying scales, they finally entered a somewhat cramped room, which was clearly a temporary office and study converted into a study.

"Don't mind that the place is small. The original large reception room is no longer usable, so just make do with me here."

Professor Vekka very kindly used his magic hands to bring over clean water glasses and beverage jugs. This reminded Hugh of the "old leaders" he remembered, except that Professor Vekka probably wouldn't know how to brew the "Kung Fu tea" of the Far East.

"When you say it can't be used anymore, you mean..."

"Do you remember what I just mentioned, Joan's old partner?"

Vera carefully took the teacup from the mage's hand, then asked, "Are you referring to the previous head of this place?"

"Yes... He fought back fiercely when pursued by the sword wielders and even used some evil magic... The result was terrible. He and another sword wielder exploded, and the two of them almost became one with the main hall. The magic seeped into the walls and mixed with the magic circuits solidified in the building, making it impossible to clean up."

Professor Vickers casually described an extremely bloody, even horrific, scene. He put down his beverage pitcher, took a sip of his hot tea, and then waved away the apprentice secretary who had been following him and the sword-wielding hermit who was acting as his guard.

After the door closed, Vickers slowly sat down opposite Hugh. He carefully examined the young man before him and then asked, "Mr. Ernst, I ask you, do you think the Legal Committee should begin a comprehensive research effort targeting 'evil magic' in order to confront the Black Sun Society and the Black Sun?"

(End of this chapter)