The black sun hangs high

Chapter 45 The Messenger in the Mirror

Hughes waited quietly for the change to happen.

Before long, the bizarre "feeding" process was coming to an end. Up to this point, Hugh had discovered that all the "exchanges," or rather, "sacrifices," he had experienced were closely related to the conditions they required and what he ultimately received.

As for the first opportunity to use twenty silver coins to obtain a magical inscription and the Touch of Calron, these are not included. According to Theseus, they were some "mercy" he gave to prevent Hugh, the "actor," from dying suddenly at the beginning of the play.

Although it's infuriating to say, it's an undeniable reality.

"The swamp witch's hair gave me two alchemical bombs, three belly rat tails in exchange for the running rat, and then... that set of female noblewoman's jewelry gave me a relatively sufficient reserve of magic power."

"So, what can the essence of the shapeshifter bring?"

Hughes examined the two black mouthparts, watching as the remnants of what used to belong to the shapeshifter were continuously absorbed and devoured. As this process continued, the black mist that had sealed the transparent glass cabinet began to fade. On the contrary, the amorphous entities that filled the cabinet became clearer and clearer, their colors becoming somber, and finally turning into a complete blackness.

Hugh couldn't determine what it was, but he could sense that it was gradually becoming more concrete and powerful. Now he only felt that there was a black fish tank in front of him, and a huge fish in it was constantly crashing into the cell that bound him.

Finally, the last bit of shapeshifter slime was completely sucked out, and the text sealing the cabinet and the two slender arms that transformed into mouthparts collapsed and disappeared in an instant. Now, only a thin layer of glass remained between Hugh and his unknown existence.

The continuous crashing stopped, and Hugh stared ahead. He clearly felt a "gaze" from the glass cabinet in front of him, as if the being inside the cabinet was staring back at him.

"Whatever it is, come on... I'm ready."

He let out a long sigh of relief, then reached out and slowly pulled open the glass cabinet door.

This seemingly simple action triggered an extremely violent reaction. The moment the cabinet door opened, a thick fog exploded inside the cabinet. Before Hugh could pull his hand back, a long, thin, dark arm emerged from the fog, its hand precisely gripping Hugh's wrist. An astonishing force was applied, pulling Hugh forward and causing him to stumble.

"What is this?"

Even though he had prepared himself mentally, Hugh hadn't expected this "interaction" to be so intense and direct.

He quickly braced himself against the table in front of him to prevent himself from being dragged forward any further, but the arm, though thin, was surprisingly strong. No matter how hard Hugh exerted himself or tried to back away, he couldn't pull the arm back even a fraction. On the contrary, his occasional unintentional panting caused his body to lean forward again.

Should I let it drag me there?

In the midst of this struggle, this strange question popped into Hugh's mind.

This was truly the first time such a situation had occurred. Hugh suddenly realized that the things he had obtained by "offering sacrifices" had not given him any room to "refuse." Whether it was the entanglement of the Karron's Touch or the gnawing of the running rats, their effects were swift and direct, leaving him with absolutely no chance to resist...

However, this time, things seem a little different.

In a brief moment of thought and distraction, the black arm exerted its force again, and Hugh almost lost his balance. Under that violent tug, his right hand and forearm were dragged into the cabinet, while the thick, dark mist churned, resembling the stomach of some creature.

The cabinet was only so big, and Hugh was certain that his arm had gone far beyond the depth of the cabinet, but he never encountered any resistance, as if his arm had been swallowed into another space.

As the numbness spread, Hugh could no longer feel his hands and forearms, as if those parts of his body had never existed.

At that moment, a strong sense of unease surged up. Although there was no warning in his mind this time, Hugh didn't dare let the other party continue to pull him. He stomped his feet on the ground and desperately fell backward.

"Something's not right...something's not right!"

He couldn't quite explain how he felt at that moment, but his intuition told him that if he didn't resist this time, something bad would definitely happen.

The tug-of-war was painful and protracted. Although Hugh was in a dream at the moment, he could feel the most distinct physical exhaustion.

Fortunately, after the initial outburst, the power of the black arm began to gradually weaken. After surviving the initial shock, Hugh finally regained the upper hand in this tug-of-war. He began to slowly pull his forearm and palm out of the black mist, and the lost sense of touch returned.

Immediately afterwards, the black hand that was tightly gripping Hugh's wrist was also forcibly dragged out of the mist by him.

The situation was completely reversed.

Perhaps it was a fleeting inspiration, or perhaps it was his disgust for this shameless act of ambush, but when the black hand and thin arm appeared again, Hugh's anger rose from his heart and his malice became emboldened. He suddenly turned his right hand, his fingers actively grabbing the strange black hand, and then he became vicious, cursing as he violently dragged the other hand backward.

"what!!!"

A harsh, piercing wail emanated from the black mist. It wasn't a human wail, but rather the sonic boom of airflow passing through a confined space. However, Hugh didn't intend to let go. He gritted his teeth, jerked his body back, and with another violent exertion, the black hand, along with the thick "mist" connecting it, was finally ripped completely out of the cabinet. With a viscous "plop" sound, the shapeless, strangely colored mass fell to the ground. Only then did Hugh realize that it wasn't actually black mist at all, but a clump of liquid somewhat similar in nature to a shapeshifter.

Having left its dwelling place, the strange thing seemed to immediately lose all its strength. It lay limp on the ground, slowly wriggling, while Hugh took a step back, watching its subsequent changes with vigilance.

Under Hugh's gaze, the boundaries of this irregular black "slime" gradually became clearer, and it began to take shape—a dark, humanoid figure, thin and weak, which even looked somewhat pitiful.

However, gradually, Hughes noticed something unusual.

He noticed that the dark, humanoid face was beginning to have more subtle lines. Although it was still completely black, in the dim light, Hughes still managed to catch a glimpse of familiarity in that black face.

"Is that my face?" He wasn't sure, nor did he want to confirm it further. The next second, the figure formed from black slime changed its posture. It knelt on the ground and crawled forward like the most loyal and humble servant. When it reached Hugh, it lowered its body and gently stretched its head out.

This time, Hugh did not dodge, and he saw the dark figure gently kiss his foot.

With this action, all the previous unease completely dissipated, and the magic disc in the mental world finally reacted. It began to spin rapidly, stirring up the surrounding magic.

Influenced by it, the black figure that had been in a submissive position transformed back into its original viscous form. It enveloped Hugh's body like a fluid and eventually surged towards him like a tide.

There was no pain, no suffocation, and no strange hallucinations... The only thing Hugh felt was a cold sensation that climbed up his ankles and eventually covered his entire body.

The innermost area of ​​the magic disc, the last groove, welcomed its new occupant.

A dark humanoid silhouette appeared in the recess. It looked so much like Hugh himself that it even appeared to be writing at a desk.

Hugh had intended to use his magic to overwhelm the enemy and "interrogate" them to find out the true name of the spell, but perhaps his previous violent actions had completely subdued him, and a strange message had surfaced in Hugh's mind along with the inscription of this magical power.

"The faceless messenger in the mirror dwells in the core of the abyss, serving as a servant of the boundless palace and an audience for the mad singer."

Hughes silently repeated the phrase in the air. He opened his palm, and as he channeled his magic, a black shadow flashed from his palm.

……

That night, despite a heavy rain, the moisture brought by "Neptune's Roar" still enveloped the edge of the Lovi Plateau.

This time of year is the most painful ordeal for the soldiers stationed in these areas.

"Ugh! It's so damp!"

A uniformed Delan soldier tugged hard at the flag of the Kingdom of Delan hanging on the guard post. Due to the excessive dampness, the flag, which should have been fluttering in the wind, was drooping listlessly.

Another Delan soldier retrieved a thin wooden stick from the guard post, which had been used for who knows how many years. The two of them worked together and finally managed to barely hold up the flag of the Kingdom of Delan.

"Praise the sun god, hurry up and drive away this moisture... my crotch is going to get moldy."

"You're just starting to mold, my chicks are about to hatch!"

The soldiers returned to their posts, grumbling. Their outpost was located in Lone Wolf Ridge near the city of Seren, a place once plagued by an extremely severe wolf infestation. Legend had it that the source of the disaster was a deformed werewolf, whose presence made the ridge a death trap that people refused to set foot in for over a decade. It wasn't until the Council of Law and the royal family of Delan organized a large-scale hunt that the severely mutated wolves were wiped out. As for the werewolf who spread plague and curses, he was eventually burned alive by mages at the highest point of the ridge.

Lone Wolf Ridge got its name from this.

But then the region took a turn for the better. Nearly sixty years ago, the land rights of Lone Wolf Ridge were bought by a desperate merchant, and a large number of high-quality magic crystal mines were discovered there. After that, the merchant became the top magic crystal supplier in the Kingdom of Delan and even the Goddess Plain.

In order to get a share of the profits, the Delan royal family naturally provided many conveniences for this businessman's business. They even added a military camp and several outposts here, ostensibly to strengthen the management of the sensitive Delan border.

But in fact, after that, the Delan royal family received an extra sum of high-quality magical minerals every month.

Standing guard at night is very difficult. Fortunately, the commander of the outpost is not a rigid and harsh person. He does not forbid the soldiers from engaging in some recreational activities at night. Therefore, the soldiers on the outpost started chatting.

A young soldier, tugging at his damp uniform, said anxiously, "Have you heard? There's going to be a war."

"What utter nonsense... Where did you hear this rumor from?"

“I’m serious. I just got back from Black Forest Castle two days ago. The information is reliable.”

After tearing off his shirt, the young soldier started fiddling with his pants. As he pulled at them, he said, "It was a girl I know who told me. Her brother works as a clerk in the military logistics department, and he said that recently a lot of things have started to be sent here."

Hearing this, several soldiers nearby who were playing with dragon tooth pistols stopped what they were doing. Holding their long-handled crystal guns issued by the Delan army, they looked worried: "It can't be that fast, can it? Didn't that prince of the highlanders already come over?"

"Exactly! Have the highlanders gone mad and are planning to start a war during the truce celebration? This isn't war; it's a slap in the face to the gods of Vain!"

The young soldier spread his hands: "I don't know either. I went to their camp half a month ago and exchanged some wine with them... I was planning to go there tomorrow or the day after, but it looks like that's going to be a waste now."

"Don't worry about the alcohol. Think about what you'll do if war really breaks out!"

A veteran with a sarcastic face mocked mercilessly: "With your skills, you'd be scared to death in less than two minutes by those highlanders, especially the Voltel army. Your legs would be so weak you wouldn't be able to run away."

As the veteran spoke, he recalled his experience on the border during a conflict between the two countries many years ago, and his body suddenly trembled, a complex expression flashing across his face.

"Those guys were like emotionless iron men. They didn't even say a word during the attack. After firing two rounds, they charged at us with crystal guns fitted with bayonets. Damn it, I later found out they were even new recruits of the Water people!"

Thanks to "qamda" and "咸鱼233号" for their alliance leaders, and "唯一规定萌新" and "墨濡鸦" for their guild leaders.
Weeping bitterly (

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(End of this chapter)