The black sun hangs high

Chapter 5 Pungent
Hughes ultimately kept his promise to "show Schubert the manuscript in advance".

People from all walks of life are prone to developing their own quirks.

Take Hughes himself as an example. He likes to lock himself in a small space, whether he is writing or thinking. In short, he hates it when someone stands next to him and examines his work while he is engrossed in it.

He had developed this habit back when he was a student. During every Chinese exam, what he hated most was having a teacher standing behind him watching him write. Whenever this happened, his fingers would immediately stiffen, his mind would go blank, and he would feel restless, wishing he could gouge out those eyes that were spying on him and stomp on them.

At the same time, he also dislikes having others examine his work in front of him.

Especially when he knows that there are some uncertain aspects in his work.

So when Hughes watched the sleazy-looking tavern owner Schubert and the excited Putrin reading his manuscript with bloodshot eyes while holding beer mugs, he inevitably began to feel annoyed.

If it weren't for the fear that they might use his manuscript for some indescribable or bizarre thing on a whim, Hugh would have left long ago.

After a while, the two men finally parted ways, still feeling a bit unsatisfied. Under the tavern lights, the sight of two flushed, grown men huddled together easily conjured up unpleasant images.

"That's...that's...that's really great."

Schubert's tongue was already a little tied, and he shakily handed the stack of manuscripts back to Hughes: "But to be honest, the exciting parts seem to have decreased a bit, but that's not a big deal. The parts that can be imagined are enough!"

"Enough, enough!"

Putrin stood by, acting as a broken record. As a young man, his face was even redder than old Schubert's, almost as if it were about to bleed.

"Your writing seems to be better than before... Ah, I don't quite know how to describe it, maybe like those critics say, 'The style has changed, but the writing is more enticing.'"

Hugh smiled, accepting their praise and compliments. Their evaluations improved his mood considerably. It seemed that he wouldn't reveal any flaws in his writing or works, and the quality of his original self's writing was not insurmountable.

The tavern was a little quieter now. Most of the customers who came at this time were serious drinkers. These tired and older customers didn't try to grope the pretty girls like the younger ones. So Sally, who had been busy all day, finally got a chance to rest and sat down next to Hugh and his two companions.

She placed a plate in front of Hugh.

The dish was simple but well-prepared: two slices of slightly toasted bread, a piece of pan-fried beef drizzled with sauce, and some boiled vegetables stacked on the side.

A very common combination.

The cooking methods for beef and bread originated from the Kingdom of Walter, while the fragrant vegetables came from the Kingdom of Delan. The cultural traces of both have long been integrated into the city of Seren, and the combination of them can be described as a perfect match.

Hughes nodded politely to the somewhat tired girl: "Thank you."

"uh-huh."

Sally gave a playful smirk, then grabbed a glass and poured herself some beer.

It was really just a tiny bit, enough for only two sips, but even so, Schubert still gave him a disgruntled look: "Too much! You can't drink that much... sigh."

Before she could finish speaking, Sally had already raised her glass. After finishing the slightly sour, ice-cold beer, she put the glass down with great relish.

"You're too late, Uncle. My family makes a living by brewing beer. As the eldest daughter, how can I not drink?"

"You're still too young!"

"Then you still want me to be a maid?"

It was a classic argument routine. Hugh and Putrin didn't want to pay attention to the debate between the two, so one of them lowered his head to eat and the other drank heavily.

The atmosphere was comfortable enough for anyone, but the delicious and juicy beef tasted somewhat bland to Hugh because of his preoccupations.

He was doing everything he could to recall and piece together everything about the world of Vaan.

This is destined to be an extremely difficult process.

"The main story of 'The Dark World' takes place two hundred years later. If I were to face the world two hundred years from now, I might be able to find the real breakthrough point very quickly. But right now, all I know is a vague framework, which contains too many details that cannot be speculated on. For now, I can only make inferences based on the information I have and logic."

He forked a piece of vegetable, a green plant root that tasted and textured quite similar to broccoli, but the orderly arrangement of triangular patterns on it indicated that it was actually a plant from a world filled with magical elements, unlike anything commonly known.

Hugh rolled the vegetables gently in the sauce before putting them in his mouth.

The outline and settings he had written were scrolling rapidly through his mind: "In the original timeline, the disaster of Seren was regarded as the true origin of the 'Black Sun Era'. That is, the destruction of Seren laid the groundwork for the forty-year war that swept across the entire Vaan. In the end, that terrible war was triggered by the irreconcilable conflict between the two kingdoms of Wotel and Delan."

"This 'Forty Years' War' led to the collapse of religious beliefs in the world and verified the famous prophecy."

Hugh swallowed the vegetables in his mouth, and as if possessed, he asked, "Putrin, do you remember what that prophecy said?"

"Prophecy? What did you say?"

"It's a prophecy about the 'black sun'."

Putrin looked over with some surprise. Although he had drunk quite a bit, he was still sober and didn't quite understand why Hugh would suddenly ask this question.

He certainly knew what the prophecy was; in fact, this ancient story was told in all the kingdoms and civilizations of Vain.

The origin of the "Black Sun" prophecy is long lost to history, but its spread is extremely widespread. Various variations of this prophecy exist from the rugged Lovi Plateau to the flat, river-strewn Goddess Plain east of the Kingdom of Delan, and even across the ocean to the Eastern countries that merchants describe as being filled with treasures.

However, among the countless versions that have been passed down, the core of this prophecy itself has not changed or differed much.

"One day, the gods will go mad, the knights will be devoured by beasts, and laughter will fill the broken throne." "The eternal black sun will become the messenger of war, and believers who have lost miracles and divine grace will kill each other, and the nobles who have lost their offspring and crowns will bleed rivers."

Slightly intoxicated, Putrin eventually repeated the strange and ominous prophecy.

He stared at the ice cubes swaying in the liquor and recited the last two sentences of the prophecy.

"People no longer look up at the sky, because there is only a black sun there."

"People often look up at the sky because there is still a black sun there."

Hugh listened quietly as Putrin recounted the prophecy. To be honest, he thought Putrin had a real talent for being a bard, especially after he had been drinking. His tone became melodious and full of emotion, making him seem somewhat sentimental, quite different from the hot-blooded young man who would fight at the slightest provocation during the day.

"Why are you talking about such strange things? I always thought only those eccentric members of the Black Sun Society would talk about these things all day long."

Sally frowned, somewhat displeased with what her two friends were talking about: "It's fine if we hear it, but don't let the law committee hear it, or they might arrest you for questioning!"

Hugh nodded readily, then stuffed another piece of beef into his mouth. Of course, he couldn't tell Sally and Putrin that everything in the prophecy would soon come true, and that the damned instigator was sitting right in front of them.

Hugh was fairly familiar with the "Black Sun Society" that Sally mentioned.

However, the "Black Sun Society" he knew was also active in Vaan a century later. In the setting, it was a group of people who worshipped and pursued the "eternal black celestial body".

The Black Sun Society is often referred to as the "Black Sun Cult" by the Legal Affairs Commission, but the eccentric members of the society are often unwilling to identify themselves as a cult or believers.

They were active throughout Vaan, dedicated to expanding the society's influence and promoting a set of magical theories and philosophies based on the "Eternal Black Body" to various parts of Vaan.

Therefore, the Black Sun Society became a direct opponent and enemy of the Legal Committee.

In the main storyline of the game "Black Sun Era," players must choose between the Legal Committee and the Society, which will determine which faction they belong to...

"At this time, the Black Sun Society should have been very small in scale, and most of its members were simply blindly believing in the prophecy."

Hugh forked the last piece of bread from his plate, deep in thought. "So, what connection is there between the Black Sun Society and the upcoming events in Seren? Damn... I really should have written more details!"

"Perhaps tonight, I should return to my dream world again, hoping to find more things that can be 'exchanged' cheaply there. With this unstable and strange magic, I simply cannot handle too many unexpected events. Moreover, besides force, I need more intelligence and information..."

The plate was empty, so Hugh looked up.

Old Schubert went to chat with a few cronies. Judging from their excited, somewhat distorted expressions and the occasional glances that drifted over, Hughes figured these old rascals were most likely discussing the manuscript he had just finished writing.

At this table, Sally and Putrin were arguing about something. Judging from their reactions, Putrin was probably bringing up his somewhat dangerous ideas again.

"If you ask me, even if this prophecy were to come true someday, the world probably wouldn't be much worse than it is now!"

Putrin slammed his fist on the table, his face growing even redder: "Think about it! Seren City is the focus of attention throughout Vaan. The Votel and Delan people live together here... In fact, we should have been inseparable long ago. However, for so long, the conflict between the two kingdoms has never diminished. Yet, with each conflict and bloodshed, we, the people of Seren City who have long been one, are forced to create new divisions!"

“Disgusting! I find the celebrations at this time of year both hypocritical and disgusting… Walter is so powerful, he never stops pressuring the Delan people in the city, and yet every year at this time, those damned successors and noble lords have to sit together hypocritically and tell us that everything is normal, and then repeat the same thing in the new year!”

"That's enough, Putrin."

Hughes raised his hand and pressed it on Putrin's shoulder: "I understand you have a grudge, but don't forget, Sally and I are Water people. By blood, I'm even a member of the Ernst family."

"..."

Putrin finally quieted down, sighed helplessly, and put down his glass, which still had some beer left.

Just as the glass collided with the table, a violent tremor accompanied by a muffled thud came from afar. Putrin's glass trembled violently and fell off the edge of the table.

Hugh instinctively reached out, and amidst Sally's gasp, he firmly grasped the handle of the beer mug, preventing it from shattering. However, the remaining beer spilled onto Hugh's clothes, leaving him smelling strongly of alcohol despite not having drunk any.

"Thank you!"

Sally smiled as she took the beer glass, her eyes narrowing into two beautiful slits as she smiled: "Looks like you're not as weak as you seem, at least you're quite agile."

"Just good luck."

Although Hugh was also surprised by his own momentary reaction, he nodded modestly, then stood up and patted Putrin, whose face was flushed: "It's getting late, we should go."

"We don't know what happened in the city just now, so be careful."

"Thank you, Miss Sally."

"You can completely remove the word 'Miss'!"

Amid Sally's dissatisfaction, Hugh and Putrin walked out of the beer hall one after the other. Putrin immediately reached out and put his arm around her, grinning as he said, "Did you hear that? People have been hoping you'd change how you address them for a long time. Listen to me, be bold, maybe we can get a discount when we come here to drink next time!"

However, Hugh ignored him.

He smelled a strange odor in the air, not the smell of burning secondary crystal ore from a vehicle. It was much stronger and more pungent.

It's like...

It was like something exploded.

(End of this chapter)