The black sun hangs high

Chapter 446 [Text]

The rudimentary vehicle slowly came to a stop. Hugh jumped out of the vehicle and looked at the several pieces of heavy machinery that were abandoned in front of the metal gate.

Based on the traces at the scene and on the wreckage, Hugh could easily draw a conclusion—those attackers who had come here clearly didn't care much about these precious crystallizations of wisdom, which were the result of exquisite magical craftsmanship and advanced heavy industrial techniques.

This may be because the positions of the attackers and defenders are different, or it may be because the attackers do not actually need these aids at all.

In the end, it is clear that the attackers possessed extremely terrifying and deadly power, which enabled them to penetrate the thick armor of these massive war machines in direct confrontation and further destroy the magical circuits engraved inside the armor.

As for the pilots of these war machines, they all met with extremely tragic ends without exception.

Along the way, Hugh had seen many examples.

Faced with the terrifying power of the attackers, these fallen drivers could not possibly leave behind their remains. The moment their vehicles were completely destroyed and pierced by the enemy's power, their bodies were completely melted and decomposed, and then fused together with the twisted metal next to them.

In a sense, these silent metal objects are their coffins.

"So, what exactly are they protecting?"

With this question in mind, Hugh slowly walked to the closed metal door.

Like everything else he had seen in the ruins before, the heavy door before him displayed a terrifying level of technology and industry that was completely beyond Hugh's comprehension.

Its surface is extremely smooth and cold, and at first glance, it looks just like a giant mirror.

When Hugh extended his senses to the object before him, he was surprised to find that the terrible wounds left by the attackers had only damaged the surface of the door. Inside the door, a complete and stable magic circuit was still preserved. Hugh could even feel the magic slowly operating within these circuits according to specific rules.

Hugh tried to focus his attention on the slowly flowing magic, wondering where it would lead. He was soon surprised to find that the magic circuits inside the door, and the invisible power flowing within them, seemed to be part of the room behind the door. The emergence, disappearance, and regeneration of that magic quickly reminded Hugh of the circulation of water.

"This door, and the secrets hidden behind it, seem to still be in use."

Azifu was getting old after all. He slowly caught up from behind, leaning on his cane and hunched over, looking just like an old man taking a stroll: "I've thought of many ways to open it before, but I just can't find a suitable entry point... These materials and the ritual inside are too solid. Anyway, I can't think of any possibility of external force breaking it."

He raised his cane and knocked twice on the door: "I think they must have envisioned this terrible outcome when they built this door, so the door and the room behind it must have served not only as a barrier and protection, but also as a means to support certain rituals."

"Yes, that's true. I can feel the connection between them... solid and close."

Hugh took two steps back, his brow furrowed: "Even if this kind of thing were directly moved to Merlinle today, it would probably be enough for the scholars in the Legal Committee to study for decades or even centuries. Trying to open it using traditional methods is probably not going to work."

He turned to the aged ratman beside him: "You've been here many times. Before that, have you found any other clues... I mean, writing, numbers, or records. Logically speaking, in such an important and complex place, writing should be very common, but until now, I haven't seen anything."

"Um……"

Aziv sighed heavily, then shook his head: "This problem has actually been bothering me for a long time. Since I started exploring this place, I haven't been able to find any valuable records, not even the most basic numbers, symbols, or even remnants of writing."

He put his hands behind his back and said with a worried look, "This place is too clean. Even places where there should be written records are now blank or completely destroyed... I suspect that after the attackers found that they could not break through this door, they completely 'cleaned' this place."

"Could I interpret this as the fact that the mastermind behind this attack, or rather the Dark Abyss Palace itself, didn't actually have the means to completely destroy this place, but at the same time feared that someone else might discover some secrets here, so they took this action?"

"maybe."

Aziv wasn't so sure about this either. He said, "Their purge here is very obvious, but their specific purpose is unclear. The Dark Abyss Palace is too chaotic and disorderly for us to speculate or deduce using common sense and logic."

Hugh looked around, his brows furrowed in a frown: "Is there really no trace left?"

"If you're talking about residue, there probably is some."

Aziv raised his cane and pointed to the upper part of the gate: "With focused perception, we can find some faint traces on the top of this gate, which may be remnants of writing or some drawings. However, they have been severely damaged and their reference value may be very limited."

Upon hearing this, Hugh immediately controlled his illumination magic orb to drift toward the area Aziv pointed to. However, just as Aziv said, it was impossible to find any clues on the gate with the naked eye. Therefore, Hugh immediately took a new approach. Dense dark abyss mist instantly flooded his eyes. In addition, the psychedelic colors belonging to the roots of fate also danced in the surging mist.

With the help of various forces, some faint, almost negligible traces finally emerged with difficulty. Hugh's spirit was invigorated by the progress, and his will began to influence his own spiritual ocean, causing the huge metal disc that served as the carrier of his power to start operating. The dormant Destiny Roots race also began to become active.

Faced with the "death order" given by Hugh and the almost inexhaustible supply of magic power, the special power given to Hugh by the roots of fate began to take effect. The strange vision that Hugh had been deliberately avoiding since the destruction of Seren once again descended into his eyes.

However, this time, what he glimpsed was not the future of this place.

In the Dark Abyss, a distorted world where there is no clear time scale, it is unrealistic to try to glimpse the course of fate. However, in this strange and mysterious ruin, in this closed environment that is completely different from the outside world, the tiny fragments left in the darkness were finally found.

The roots made a piercing sound.

They had already done their best, and even with the support of Hugh's magic, they were still unable to piece together all the fragments. The process of collecting and presenting them was already causing the Roots of Fate immense pain.

And so, fragmented psychedelic colors clung to everything before his eyes, and scenes from certain moments in the distant past gradually emerged before Hugh's eyes.

Those subtle lines, those minute marks that the attackers and destroyers had tried so hard to erase, finally became clear.

Although they only lasted for a brief moment, Hugh successfully etched those words clearly into his mind. However, when he came to his senses and tried to examine the words, his mind went blank for a brief period.

“Master! Master!!”

A few seconds later, the painful cries from the roots of fate finally snapped Hugh out of his daze. Hugh then realized that the roots were on the verge of their limit.

Even the very wise Roots of Destiny themselves were puzzled by this.

Despite their past fondness for feeding on despair, and despite the incredibly tempting aromas hidden among the scattered fragments within this enclosed space, this time, these rare "delicious foods" have instead brought them extreme and exaggerated torment.

Their thinking and comprehension abilities seem insufficient to digest these "nutrients," and they may even experience extreme pain as a result.

Hugh immediately stopped manipulating the roots. The iridescent light in his eyes quickly faded, and the roots trembled and sank into their habitats. However, Hugh's mental world was still turbulent, with the metal disc spinning endlessly, just like his wildly beating heart.

Aziv, who was standing nearby, noticed something and stepped forward with concern. He carefully examined Hugh's eyes and face, and only after Hugh had recovered somewhat did he ask, "It seems you've discovered something? Are you alright? Do you need to rest for a while?"

"No need."

Hugh's expression remained subtle. He cleared the fog from his eyes and looked once more at the bare door, his mind replaying the words he had just memorized.

Those words that he knew all too well.

Those words that should have belonged to another world.

Those languages ​​used to represent the cultures of different ethnic groups, countries and regions.

At that moment, he felt as if his head had been hit hard by a giant hammer. His clear logic and all his previous conjectures were crushed into meaningless dust under the sudden pressure, and these residues and dust mixed together in the ensuing shock.

"..."

Hugh took two steps to the side, then slowly sat down next to a wrecked war machine, leaning against its nearly broken metal limbs.

However, the cold touch from behind did not calm him down; instead, it made the words that had been erased even clearer.

Hugh opened his mouth slightly and silently uttered the familiar language that should have already left him.

"The last line of defense, the shining future! We will move forward forever!"

In the fragmented images he glimpsed, this sentence was inscribed on the heavy door in many completely different languages, densely packed from right to left and from bottom to top.

They were so real and concrete that they formed the most striking contrast to the bare and scarred door that stood before Hugh.

"Looks like you need a little time? No problem, that thing isn't worth much here."

As an old man, Aziv was still very wise and understanding. He smiled at Hugh and then pointed to the door: "I'll go and study it some more. We'll talk about other things after you've recovered."

As he spoke, the rat-man darted to the gate and began to use his magical senses to perceive the gate itself, just like Hugh had done before.

Hugh remained seated, needing considerable time to process his emotions and the jumble of thoughts swirling in his mind.

At times like this, being able to talk to someone would definitely make him feel much better.

However, looking around, there wasn't a single suitable person.

Even in his mental world, it was not there.

The Roots of Fate were almost driven to madness by the shock. The Messenger in the Mirror, whose thoughts were connected to his, was now paralyzed in his study, feigning death. The will of the Ernst family was also unable to offer any effective advice. The only one who might be able to give a clear answer had not spoken since Hugh entered the place.

Based on his current findings, Hughes reasonably believes that Theseus was most likely also faking his death.

However, no matter how much he questioned, shouted, or even cursed in his heart, he did not respond in the slightest. He had even deliberately reduced his presence to the minimum.

In a sense, Hughes was enjoying unprecedented "freedom" at this time.

However, all he wanted now was an answer, even if it was just a hastily made-up one that was somewhat convincing.

"The Dark Abyss... the ancient civilization of the Dark Abyss... the indestructible structures left behind in the wasteland..."

"A light that never went out...familiar words...advanced technology and craftsmanship..."

Numerous concepts that seemed interconnected yet lacked a crucial element flashed before Hugh's eyes, making him feel the terror of the word "truth" for the first time.

Now, he seems to be standing in front of the "truth," and the answer he needs should be behind that barrier.

(End of this chapter)