The black sun hangs high

Chapter 47 People in the City

The power brought by the "Mirror Messenger" is completely different from that of the Touch of Calron and the Running Rat, and is also significantly different from that dark green crystal that exudes this corrosive power.

It appears to be a magical summon that can respond to a call at any time, but when Hugh tries to manipulate it, he discovers that it has no way to exist outside his body. This makes the Mirror Messenger seem more like a special magical ability that is directly bestowed upon his body.

When it started working, Hugh discovered that his physical form seemed to be able to change to some extent.

This ability to change shape is somewhat similar to that of shapeshifters.

With the help of the Mirror Messenger, Hugh is able to rapidly transform his limbs and torso into a state that is almost between fluid and dense fog.

The feeling was very peculiar. When he tried to completely change his arm into that state, he felt as if his sense of touch was also forcibly "stretched". It became more sensitive and the information transmitted back was more detailed. Of course, it also seemed extremely chaotic.

He could even feel footsteps on the distant street, and detect the vibrations of tires hitting the bricks as vehicles drove over the road...

What's even more peculiar is that when Hughes alters his body, he can engage in very "interesting" interactions with all the physical objects around him.

First are the doors, windows, and walls.

As long as there are gaps in these things, he can let his transformed body "pass through" these obstacles.

The experience was not pleasant. Hugh tested the lock with one of his fingers and felt that his finger was forced into a thin line as he "passed through" the lock. It kept colliding with the metal parts, so Hugh could even feel the many fine structures inside the lock.

After repeated verification, Hugh confirmed that this form could allow him or a part of his body to pass through some obstacles. Of course, the time and magic power consumed were proportional to the thickness of the obstacle and the size of the gaps in the obstacle. Hugh could pass through metal window bars or other similar structures in an instant, but if there was a door in front of him, the time would be infinitely long.

Hugh was hesitant to put this ability to its limits. He was worried that he might run out of magic and revert to his original form while passing through certain obstacles. If that happened, he might merge directly with the obstacle itself, and he absolutely could not accept that kind of bizarre death.

The second type of "interaction" can only be carried out with the help of a "mirror".

This is the result of Hugh's bold guess and verification based on the name "Mirror Messenger".

Glass, smooth metal, mirrors, even reflective armor and weapons...

When Hugh actively uses the Mirror Messenger ability in front of things like this, he can immerse his senses in it, as if placing his consciousness into the space of the mirror. Just as the name Mirror Messenger suggests, he can peer into and collect information from the outside world through the mirror he chooses. Of course, the smoothness of these mirrors will also seriously affect the rate at which magic power is consumed and the accuracy of the information obtained.

“Fancy!”

Hughes commented on this, while the Mirror Messenger, hidden in the magical groove, very humanly spread out his hands, as if expressing his dissatisfaction with this unfair evaluation.

As the three innermost grooves of the metal disc are completely filled, new changes begin to appear.

Many lines extend from the dark green crystal embedded in the center, following the patterns on the surface of the disc in all directions, and eventually connecting with the three grooves. Moreover, thin lines also appear between the three grooves, forming a triangle.

It looks like some kind of ancient and simple magic rune.

Under the influence of this structure, Hugh felt that the magic power within his body had become more stable, and when using magic, it responded more quickly and was less depleted.

"Although I don't quite understand the specifics, it seems like everything is a good thing so far."

Hugh grabbed his trench coat and crystal gun, then went to Verin's room. In the secret chamber, magical light was flashing constantly, and the wall on one side of the chamber was covered with densely packed magical formulas.

"Okay, it's all stuff I don't understand!"

As a liberal arts student, Hugh consciously looked away. He coughed lightly, which caught the attention of the pensive Vilin. Perhaps because she had stayed up all night, the female mage looked somewhat haggard, and her tied-up hair was a little messy.

"Mr. Hugh, is there something you need?"

The young female scholar remained engrossed in her thoughts; though she spoke, her gaze never left the wall covered with formulas.

"Um... Miss Weilin, you probably won't be leaving here for the next couple of days, right?"

The female scholar nodded slightly twice.

So Hugh said, "I would like to trouble you to help me with some magical disguise. I need to go out and gather some supplies and information, which may come in handy later."

Upon hearing this, Vera finally turned around. She looked at Hugh seriously and then said, "I don't approve of going out at a time like this. Disguise magic isn't a panacea; it might fail in certain unexpected situations... And as far as I know, Mr. Hugh, you should have a certain degree of fame in the city, right?"

Vera said very sincerely, "I suggest that you try not to put yourself in dangerous situations."

After saying that, she immediately added, "This is not advice between friends, nor is it a suggestion based on a cooperative relationship... Mr. Hugh, you must understand that if you disappear from this city, I'm afraid I won't be able to establish myself on the Lovi Plateau in the future, and the Ernst family will definitely not give me the opportunity to focus on academic and magical research."

Just as Hugh thought this was Vera's attitude, she sighed softly: "However, I am not an unreasonable person. If Mr. Hugh insists on going out, then I hope you can tell me your purpose and reasons. I will not pry into your secrets until I am completely safe, but please respect the things I need to accomplish."

"I see."

Verine's words were reasonable and earnest, so Hugh nodded and said, "Firstly, we need more supplies, not only funds, food, and water, but also more weapons, magic crystals, and even alchemical bombs. This is not only to leave Seren City, but also to ensure that we can reach a safe place after we escape."

"Yeah, I agree."

“Secondly, the sewers beneath Seren are extremely complex, and we know very little about them. Which places are accessible, which passages lead out of Seren, and what preparations are needed… these are all unknowns. Therefore, Miss Verin, we urgently need to find some insiders and obtain the relevant information from them.” The female mage nodded again: “Reasonable.”

She looked at Hughes, then asked, "So, what about the third one?"

Hugh was taken aback. He hadn't expected Verine to continue asking questions, but then he heard the female mage say softly, "Thirdly, you still have some friends in the city that you need to inform. If conditions allow, you might even want to take them with you, Mr. Hugh. Am I right?"

……

When Hughes walked down the street next to Place de la Réveillance once again, he became acutely aware of the impact that prejudice and preconceived notions could have on people.

He hadn't expected that Vera would so directly and accurately state the third reason she had been hiding.

Hughes had to admit that he had a deep-seated fear of the Legal Committee that he had spent so much time and energy building.

This is normal. In the creative process, in order to make an organization resonate with people, creators often mix their own emotions about a particular concept into their writing. And now these emotions form the basis of Hugh's understanding of the Legal Committee and all its members.

As it turns out, this understanding is not universally applicable.

"I had two mentors, one of whom was the mage Merlinle, who guided me to master the basics of magic and helped me complete the magic inscription."

"The other one was an ordinary scholar who had lectured in Mehringer, but was later stripped of his right to lecture by Mehringer and the authorities for proposing certain theories, and was exiled to a small town in the north."

Veraine's words were still echoing in Hugh's mind.

“My second teacher was very insistent on the view that magic is a power that goes against human nature. Its existence has a huge and lasting impact on people. Therefore, any spellcaster should always adhere to the foundation and principles of being human. Only in that way can he use magic as a ‘human’ forever.”

"Therefore, although I do not support it, I still approve of your third idea, Mr. Hugh... I will provide you with magical disguise, but please consider my interests and don't forget the things you really need to accomplish."

"The disguise spell on you will last until midnight, though I can't say for sure. That's how disguise spells are; they seem stable, but too much magical fluctuation can easily affect their effectiveness... Anyway, you need to come back as soon as possible."

Hugh silently repeated Verine's instructions about the disguise magic in his mind, and then quickened his pace.

Raising funds, preparing supplies, gathering intelligence on the sewers of Seren, and heading to old Schubert's tavern... these things seem completely unrelated, but if arranged properly, Hugh is confident that he can accomplish most of them within a day.

A restless atmosphere permeated the streets, a trace left by the angry and agitated people of the previous night.

The giant-eared goblin merchants were keen in this regard. Hugh saw that these guys had already begun to organize their caravans and take stock of their goods, especially those caravans that had close cooperation with the Kingdom of Walter and even used giant eagle patterns and black and gold trim on their caravan signs. They felt a strong sense of threat from what happened last night.

The form that Hugh is using today is that of an ordinary-looking young man with somewhat dark skin and hair that has been "dyed" yellowish-brown by magic, a hair color common among the Delan people.

He had to make sure he wasn't inexplicably dragged into those disputes today.

As it turned out, his caution was necessary.

When Hughes arrived at Lovi Square, he discovered that the giant eagle sculpture of the plateau, which had stood in the very center of the square and was regarded as the symbol of the Kingdom of Walter, had been destroyed. It had been overturned and covered with slogans, and its outstretched wings had been painted with iris symbols.

Some elderly people, clearly of Walter descent, stood at a distance from the edge of the square, sighing at the giant eagle sculpture.

"The guards in the city and the Tricolor Brotherhood have obviously received orders; the former condoned it, and the latter incited it... However, the Delan royal family should never have imagined that their noble circles had already been infiltrated."

Hugh recalled his encounter with "Mr. Morel" at the Peace Newspaper and felt a chill run down his spine. In the midst of conflicts between nations, every individual is as insignificant as dust. Moreover, within those two ever-spinning giant millstones, there were even entities like the Legal Committee and the Black Sun Society.

The sun in the sky was still golden and dazzling.

At least so far, it has not shown any terrible signs.

A few children appeared on the street, not daring to make a sound, but quietly holding the new newspapers in their hands and shaking them idly.

Upon seeing a brown-haired youth approaching, a dark-haired newsboy named Walter immediately became extremely nervous. He hurriedly snatched the money from Hugh's hand, casually stuffed the newspaper into his pocket, and ran away.

Clearly, last night's chaos has taught these children to be cautious.

Today's Peace Daily is even more repulsive than before. The Peace News Agency has completely abandoned its pretense. Every page, every article, and even the annotations hidden in the gaps all exude a strong sense of malice.

On one of the pages, Hughes saw a vivid photograph.

In the photo, his friend Putrin is giving a passionate speech while holding a magical megaphone, and the caption below sent Hugh's blood pressure soaring.

"From righteous thieves in Seren to enlightened individuals who raise their voices in protest!"

"The heroes of the Kingdom of Delan in Seren!"

Hugh couldn't stand it anymore. He crumpled the newspaper into a ball and slammed it to the ground: "Go ahead and talk nonsense!"

It should be available next week.
Could you please reserve some of everyone's donations?

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(End of this chapter)