The black sun hangs high

Chapter 438 A Meeting of Legends and Miracles
As the elevator hummed, Hugh became increasingly curious about the ratmen's settlement and the "prophet" they spoke of.

From the old priest, Hugh learned that this mysterious prophet suddenly appeared when the ratman tribe was in its most dangerous situation. Like himself, it had been "picked up" from the Dark Abyss by the ratman hunting party.

Upon arriving among the ratmen tribe, the prophet immediately revealed his unique qualities compared to the other ratmen.

Compared to the ratmen who were overwhelmed with worries about the survival of their tribe and themselves, the prophet always appeared extremely calm and composed.

In the first instance, it used its powerful magic to gain absolute control within the ratman tribe. Subsequently, as the new ruler, it began a series of adjustments and plans.

Abandoning their precarious old settlements, they migrated to this "sacred mountain," selecting experienced rat-man priests and teaching them the magic and rituals that could be used normally in this bizarre world.

Train artisans and guide them to forge weapons from the remains of those creatures of the Dark Abyss. Teach the hunters within the tribe how to hunt more effectively.

It is no exaggeration to say that after arriving in the Skaven tribe, this prophet directly participated in all aspects of the tribe's development and continuation.

What convinced the rat people even more was that before the great migration officially began, the prophet grew a huge, sacred horn on his head.

It is a symbol of Mother Earth's divine choice, a concrete expression of a grand ritual and abundant vitality.

It was from that moment on that the tribe truly had a prophet who could convey divine messages and make accurate predictions.

As Hugh listened attentively to and understood the messages conveyed by the old priest, he also carefully observed the enormous shaft in which he was located.

He noticed that the walls of the shaft were unusually smooth, looking almost like flat metal plates, and that Hugh could hardly see any joints or gaps.

This kind of craftsmanship is completely impossible to achieve in Vaan today. Even with the aid of magic, people have no way to create such a huge metal plate and install it.

As for the occasional mechanical structures that appear, it further suggests that the civilization that once thrived in this world and built this structure was likely more advanced than Hugh had originally anticipated.

Hughes could even sense a terrifying yet subtle sense of familiarity in these remaining structures and details.

With a heavy thud, the crudely built, massive elevator finally came to a stop, and what appeared before Hugh was an even stranger sight.

Cold, dark green light emanated from the various crystal lamps, intertwining in the vast space before Hugh's eyes and illuminating countless busy ratmen figures.

The space here was so amazing that the ratmen were able to build several tall outposts around the elevator. On these outposts, Hugh saw many ratmen soldiers holding spears and blades, as well as some huge ballistae that were obviously set up on the checkpoints and ready to be fired at any time.

These ballistae have a rather peculiar design. At first glance, they look somewhat similar to the old-fashioned city defense weapons that have been abandoned by the residents of Vaan. However, after careful observation, Hugh discovered that these giant ballistae have many metal parts of unknown origin. Inside these metal parts, there flows the unique magic of the Earth Mother Goddess's followers.

That kind of power that combines vitality and destruction.

Clearly, the true power these weapons can unleash will likely far exceed the initial impression given by their simple appearance.

The return of the hunting party and the arrival of the "messenger" were obviously already known to the ratman tribe. When they saw Hugh beside the old priest and the sprinting rats following him, all the ratmen couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. Some of the ratmen who were extremely devout in their faith even couldn't help but start to bow in the direction of the sprinting rats.

Procedures such as questioning and interrogation are obviously not applicable to Hugh.

As the gate opened, Hugh, surrounded by many ratmen, walked into the interior of the settlement.

Hugh quickly realized that this so-called settlement actually had the beginnings of a city, or rather, it could already be considered a city in its entirety.

Although the settlements of the ratmen are completely different from the cities and towns of any other race in Vaan, the haphazard buildings constructed from a mixture of metal, wood, stone, and crystals ultimately present an amazing level of practicality that is most suited to the ratmen race.

As Hughes walked along this "street," he saw young rat-people carrying loads of goods rushing past seemingly superfluous structures. Or, curious young rats would suddenly peek out from strange passages and crevices, cautiously observing and scrutinizing Hughes, this special visitor.

In addition, Hughes also saw many functional buildings with distinctive features.

Shops, warehouses, squares...

There were camps specifically for hunting teams and rat-man soldiers, and even buildings where a large number of "rat cubs" were gathered. According to the old priest, most of these gathered cubs had certain talents and could be trained by the tribe to become warriors, hunters, or even priests.

"If they don't perform well enough, or fail to meet the tribe's requirements for some other reason, where will they be sent? Expelled?"

"No, of course not! Messenger!"

The old priest quickly shook his head and denied it, saying, "Look, look... everyone is very busy. There is always something to do here. Even if they can't become warriors or priests, they can still work in the workshop, or help maintain buildings and weapons, or move heavy objects."

Will there be thieves?

"Yes, yes! Of course!"

The old priest nodded: "However, the prophet said that once thieves are caught, they will be thrown directly down the shaft, or sent into the workshop to be used as experimental subjects for magic and rituals... No scoundrel would want to suffer such consequences!"

And so, Hugh crossed the straight and wide street, and soon he arrived at the very center of the rat-man settlement.

In this area, the architectural layout is relatively relaxed and orderly. Several houses made of wood and stone slabs form the core of the area. One house stands out in particular—its top is inlaid with some dark green magic crystals, and on its side hangs a huge sculpture of a rat skull. On either side of this skull are horns that symbolize the blessings of the Earth Mother Goddess.

Clearly, this is the dwelling of the rat-man prophet.

"It's here, it's here!"

The old priest stopped and bowed respectfully to Hugh: "Messenger, the prophet wishes to see you alone..."

Hugh nodded, then raised his hand and patted the back of the scurrying rat beside him. The rat understood and immediately dissipated into a wisp of black mist, disappearing into Hugh's figure. And so, under the watchful eyes of the priests, Hugh walked alone toward the dwelling of the rat-man prophet.

In fact, apart from the enormous rat skull sculpture, the prophet's residence didn't seem particularly special. Here, Hugh didn't even sense any obvious magical aura. It seemed that this rat-man prophet's habits were different from those of the other mages in Vaan, or perhaps he trusted the other members of the rat-man tribe enough that he didn't need to use those complicated rituals to protect his private place.

And so, Hugh walked along the gravel-paved road and arrived at the front door of the house.

The door wasn't closed completely, just ajar, so Hugh knocked twice, then pushed it open and went inside.

This was the first time Hugh had ever truly stepped into the dwelling of the rat people. He had expected to see an extremely chaotic and filthy scene, but the reality was much better than Hugh had imagined. Everything in the room was in good order. Although the furniture and utensils were crude, they were arranged very neatly. There were tables and chairs, and even two cabinets made of thick stone slabs, filled with all sorts of strange objects.

Although the ratmen are hunchbacked and stooped, their actual proportions are quite close to those of humans. Therefore, nothing here gave Hugh a strange feeling, and Hugh might even mistakenly think that he had stepped into the dwelling of a reclusive wild mage.

"Guest, please come upstairs."

A hoarse voice suddenly came from behind. Hugh raised his eyes in surprise. It was clearly Common Tongue. Although the accent was a little strange, the pronunciation was very clear and the meaning was expressed very accurately.

Hugh immediately went up the stairs and quickly followed the voice's directions to the second floor of the house.

In the light of the crystal lamps, Hugh finally met the owner of this place.

He was slightly disappointed because what appeared before him was indeed a rat-man, an elderly rat-man who looked extremely thin and whose body hair had begun to fall out in large quantities.

What sets it apart from other ratmen is the enormous horns growing on either side of its head. Hugh saw that within these two horns, a dark, murky green light was slowly flowing, which was an important symbol of receiving the blessing and favor of the Earth Mother.

In stark contrast to Hugh's calm demeanor, the Ratman Prophet's body began to tremble uncontrollably the moment he saw Hugh. His face quivered, and his mouth opened and closed involuntarily.

It was clearly very excited at that moment.

"Sit down, sit down...please sit down!"

Under the influence of its emotions, the prophet became somewhat stammering. It pointed to a chair with its paw, straightened up forcefully, grabbed a pair of glasses from the side, and put them on its head.

Immediately afterwards, the person and the mouse in the room fell silent.

Hugh and the Prophet were both busy observing each other, waiting for the other to speak first.

In the end, it was the emotionally charged prophet who broke the silence first.

"I...you understand what I'm saying, right?"

This is a rather strange question.

Coupled with the prophet's peculiar accented universal language, it inexplicably revealed a very subtle emotion.

For a moment, Hugh even felt that the ratman in front of him was choking with sobs.

He nodded and said, "Of course I understand it, it's the common language of Vaan... However, your pronunciation and grammar seem a bit archaic."

Upon hearing this, the rat-man prophet's eyes flickered, and then it asked in a hoarse voice, "A long time has passed? What time is it now... what time is it now?"

"The Cartesian calendar officially ended in 2700, and Merlinle and the Legal Commission named the new era 'Black Sun'."

Hugh gave a soft reply, but the words seemed to have too much effect on the Ratman Prophet. He froze in his chair, his expression completely frozen.

It remained silent for a very long time, as if it were seriously considering the specific meaning of Hugh's words.

Finally, its eerie green eyes flickered twice, and then Hugh saw precious tears streaming down its face.

“The Cartel calendar… the Cartel calendar is over, Merlinle and… the Black Sun…”

It muttered to itself, the light in its horns flashing violently with its emotional fluctuations. After a long time, the prophet finally came to his senses. He looked at Hugh and said, "Ask your questions, guest. We must both have many questions for each other... You have just answered one of my questions. Now, it is my turn to answer yours."

Hughes nodded, then looked at the stone slabs piled up in the corner of the room, engraved with all sorts of intricate patterns.

Even in the dim light, Hugh could easily recognize some familiar structures in these magical patterns, some ingenious structures that he had repeatedly studied and learned during this period.

So he asked, “My first question is about you, the Prophet.”

"Just ask."

"How should I address you? Or rather, what was your real name in the past?"

Hearing Hugh's question, the Prophet nodded, then countered with, "Hmm... I think you must have already guessed it, right?"

“Yes, the priest told me before that their prophet had made a prophecy about magical flames, and that they set off to find me in the wasteland because they saw the fire.”

Hugh replied, “I’ve been puzzled since then, and after you asked me that question, I became even more certain of my guess… But I really didn’t expect that you would not only successfully escape from the Dark Abyss Hounds’ pursuit, but also return to the Dark Abyss as a Ratman and survive until now.”

At this point, Hughes let out a long sigh of relief and looked at the other person seriously: "Am I right, Mr. Archiv?"

(End of this chapter)