The black sun hangs high

Chapter 433 Fragments
After such a long and tedious journey, Hugh had completely adapted to the jolting caused by the sprinting rat running at full speed. Moreover, he had developed a rather strange new habit.

That is to carry out one's daily activities on the back of a running rat.

This includes, but is not limited to, napping, meditation, long periods of sleep, and classifying, organizing, or deeply studying the knowledge and memories stored in one's brain.

As for tasks such as traveling, identifying directions, and avoiding potential threats, Hugh entrusted them to the Running Rat and the Mirror Messenger. The former could handle most of the problems, while the Mirror Messenger would assist in making decisions for the few that were difficult to judge. Only when they couldn't handle the situation would they bother Hugh.

Thanks to this special mode, Hughes has an extremely large amount of disposable time.

The "Wanderer's Campfire" that Hughes used to fight the Nightmare Bear was an important result of his extensive analysis of "The Poem of the Night," which led Hughes to have completely different views and opinions about the mad poet Aziv and his works.

Based on what he had seen and heard in the Dark Abyss Wasteland, Hugh concluded that Aziv, who was always called the "mad poet" by the residents of Vaan, was not only not insane, but had also maintained a considerable degree of rationality.

Those seemingly absurd and chaotic characters are actually the most realistic and apt depiction and portrayal of this disordered world. Moreover, those strange patterns that are twisted from normal and common characters also possess a rather complex and exaggerated magical carrying capacity.

As Hugh began to explore and study these patterns in depth, he couldn't help but be amazed by Archibald's skill and ability in magic, especially in magical models.

The strange inspiration and amazing creativity that Aziv displayed, including his understanding of conventional magical knowledge, completely surpassed that of ordinary magic scholars. Even the deep-sea level mages who spent all their time in the mage tower conducting academic research could not compare with Aziv in these aspects.

It is no exaggeration to say that someone who could personally travel in the Dark Abyss Wasteland and create such a "travelogue" is more than just a powerful mage; from any perspective, he can be considered a legend.

However, such a special and important figure could only play a role that was infinitely close to "mad clown" in Vaan's historical records.

Of course, Hughes was not surprised at all by this situation.

After all, this kind of outcome is the norm most of the time.

In the process of deducing and analyzing those strange magical patterns, Hugh finally understood why Verin was so fascinated by "The Poem of the Night".

The knowledge hidden within the "Poem of the Night" is truly extraordinary. At first glance, it seems completely different from Vaan's conventional magic system. However, as long as one delves deeper or begins to deduce it, those seemingly chaotic and disordered patterns will successfully open a door to a new world.

This experience is enough to make any spellcaster return to the very beginning of their magical learning journey.

The more scholars are open to new knowledge and enjoy the process of exploration, the more easily they become immersed in these strange patterns. And any spellcaster who delves into them will inevitably become curious about the bizarre world described by Aziv.

"So... what exactly was this guy's purpose in writing 'The Poem of the Night'?"

Amidst the jolting motions of the running rat, Hughes pondered the text of "The Poem of the Night" in his mind, and the question naturally came to mind.

Having spent so much effort writing "The Poem of the Night," and using his astonishing knowledge to hide many secrets of lost magic within it, he even risked attracting the attention of the Dark Abyss Court and placing himself in the deadly pursuit of the court's hounds for a long time.

Aziv was clearly aware of the danger involved.

The fact that a smart, calm, and rational scholar made such a decision despite knowing the enormous risks is enough to prove that there must be some more important purpose or secret hidden behind his series of actions.

As Hugh's thoughts shifted, the two tails of the running rat, which were used to help secure its master's body, tightened slightly, allowing Hugh to completely relax and lie flat on its back. Then, he once again turned to the final chapter of "The Poem of the Night".

Unlike the bizarre and fantastical descriptions that preceded it, Aziv's writing becomes exceptionally chaotic in this final chapter. The original manuscript he left behind is filled with numerous messy typos and large sections of text were violently erased, making the final content even more difficult to understand.

In this final chapter, Aziv is facing an unprecedented and terrifying crisis.

He seemed trapped in a small, enclosed room. Whenever he tried to step out, he would be attacked by an invisible shadow. Therefore, he could only stay in the room, reinforcing the protective magic and writing.

Gradually, the surrounding magic began to thin out, as if it had been swallowed up by some entity. This caused Aziv to gradually lose his ability to cast spells, which intensified his fear of the unknown situation outside.

"I can't open the door, I can't open the window... There's only blackness there, pure blackness."

"They are knocking on the door, they are scratching at the glass, they are laughing in my ear..."

"I have nowhere to escape, and all that's left with me are these manuscripts."

"My time and life are like the last wisp of humble dust in an hourglass."

"The journey has come to an end."

"But I still have the key."

"A key to the door of destruction or survival."

"A chaotic road lies ahead."

"When they broke down the door, that was the last choice I could make..."

The words left behind by Aziv can no longer be judged as poetry; they are more like a final record left in a desperate situation. The "key" that Aziv mentioned refers to a "disorderly wandering" magic.

Yes, it was the extremely unstable teleportation spell that Hugh used to escape after his first Black Sun Society gathering. As the user himself, Hugh knew that the teleportation basis of this strange spell lay in those "profound fragments" in the user's memory.

The city of Seren left a deep impression on Hugh, so he returned to Seren after using "Disorderly Wandering".

So, what about Aziv?
Undoubtedly, he could never forget his experiences in the Dark Abyss, so this magic could very well plunge him back into this dark world filled with countless dangers. And at that time, already facing pursuit from the Dark Abyss court, he would be destined for an even more desperate end.

"It's truly heartbreaking."

Hughes sighed silently.

What truly fueled his curiosity about Aziv was Theseus's attitude. Hugh asked him about Aziv's fate more than once, but the all-knowing, ever-changing god did not give any clear or effective response.

Theseus merely warned Hugh that the Black Sun and the world hidden behind it were always taboo subjects that could not be looked at directly. The Dark Abyss Court was a collection of the Dark Abyss's will, and the pursuit that Aziv suffered was the Dark Abyss's direct response to spying, observation, and recording.

According to Theseus, Aziv's most likely fate was to be mixed up with the other remains in the wasteland.

If he were even more unlucky and suffered extreme despair and pain in his final moments, Aziv's soul and will might even be extracted. If that happened, it would mean that Aziv himself would most likely become another "servant" in the Dark Abyss Palace.

For any individual who has ever possessed free will, such an ending is far more tragic than death itself.

The court servants within the Dark Abyss Palace are not often completely mindless puppets; they retain a portion of their memories and consciousness. This is the source of their continued suffering and the most important foundation for the Dark Abyss Palace to control and command these servants.

After lamenting Aziv's fate, Hughes began to re-examine the first two volumes of "The Poems of the Night".

Currently, Hugh is trying to deduce some ancient magic that Aziv once used or even relied on from these records and descriptions of the Dark Abyss. This type of magic is naturally compatible with the magical environment inside the Dark Abyss and can maximize its effectiveness under the current circumstances.

Of course, it is not easy to deduce their magical models in detail. Even though Hugh can steadily advance the progress with his almost endless energy and meticulous logic, he is not able to achieve the goal completely in a short period of time.

So Hugh turned some of his attention to the fragments of memories he had collected earlier.

After a period of sorting, the Messenger in the Mirror had roughly organized these memories from the deceased of Vann. It categorized the fragments in its "study" and even specially made a pair of glasses for itself using mist to match its current work.

This makes it look like a part-time librarian.

When Hugh's consciousness entered the Mirror Messenger's study, it immediately stood up from behind the desk. Before Hugh could speak, the Mirror Messenger immediately took out the fragments of memory that it had modified into the shape of books from the bookshelves one by one and respectfully placed them in front of Hugh.

Hugh was very satisfied with the work attitude of the messenger in the mirror, and as he opened these books, the images belonging to Vaan immediately appeared before his eyes.

The first thing Hugh saw was a cold, dark trench.

He entered the field of vision of a soldier who was seriously injured—his chest and abdomen were burned by lethal magic, and he could only lean against two sandbags.

The cries of the Yasharu echoed from the sky; they had spotted the soldiers' location and were about to swoop down.

Hugh recognized the soldiers—they were scouts from the Scions of the Dawn, one of whom even wore the insignia of the Dawn Sword. They had clearly been ambushed by the Black Sun Society while on a reconnaissance mission, and it was likely that none of these soldiers would survive.

"Your secret ritual still works, hurry up and get out of here!"

The wounded man lying on the sandbag screamed hoarsely. His voice was severely distorted due to the pain, and these words became even more blurred and disordered after entering Hugh's mind through fragments of memory.

However, Hugh could still sense the soldier's emotions at the time.

The soldier shouted something again, but Hugh couldn't hear it. He only saw the other soldiers, who had been trying to shoot at the giant bird Azhar in the sky, grit their teeth and hand the alchemical bombs they were carrying to the wounded soldier. Then, the Dawnblade member activated the magical artifact he carried, and a blurry barrier immediately enveloped them, isolating them from view.

They left.

Only the wounded, unable to move, remained in the trench, clutching the few bombs.

The image blurred, and Hugh couldn't tell whether it was the injured person's fading consciousness or tears welling up in his eyes.

The enormous figures of the Yasharu birds descended, their bodies enveloped in a blur of light and shadow, constantly flashing with dark red magic, which reminded Hughes of flowing blood.

There were no shouts, no threats, and no farewells.

In the shadows where those ferocious giant birds were closing in, the soldier silently pulled open the alchemical bombs in his hand and haphazardly pushed them forward.

The video ended there.

Before Hugh could think further, fragments of memory belonging to another deceased person arrived.
This time, Hugh embodied a young soldier belonging to the Saint Steele Royal Guard. He and his comrades were patrolling the outskirts of a stronghold. This stronghold was very well hidden and quite a distance from the main battlefield, so he didn't need to worry about the possible artillery bombardment that the other unfortunate soldiers were facing. They even had time to light a cigarette. Although the cigarettes weren't of good quality, in this harsh environment of thawing ice and snow, it was a rare treat.

Before he could exhale a puff of smoke, an unusual sound suddenly came from afar.

It sounded like a vehicle in motion, but upon closer listening, it seemed different.

The soldiers of the defense legion hurriedly stubbed out their cigarettes and prepared to take cover, but before they could react, the dark sky in the distance suddenly began to twist, a sign that some kind of magical ritual was about to end.

The next instant, the previously muffled sound suddenly became clear. In their sight, a neatly organized special convoy burst forth from the magical ritual, approaching the patrol at an extremely fast speed. On the tops of these new armored vehicles, deadly weapons were already aimed...

(End of this chapter)