The black sun hangs high

Chapter 50 The storm is coming
“I’m sorry, Miss Vera… I will keep quiet.”

Faced with Vera's words, which were neither a complaint nor advice, Hugh could only try to control his emotions.

He didn't know what was going on. It seemed that ever since he started using the magic he obtained from the Dream Sanctuary frequently, his heart was always filled with various impulses, and among these emotions, the most obvious was the desire to destroy.

"I can't take it anymore, I want to smash Seren City to pieces with a single touch!"

"I can't take it anymore! I want the rats to gnaw through the entire Vaan!"

This is perhaps the best description of his current mood.

The young female mage smiled and shook her head. She seemed to have noticed Hugh's current state, so she didn't rush back to her room. Instead, she stood by the door and leaned gently against the door frame.

"Using magic to kill your own kind doesn't feel right, does it?"

Hugh was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly realized that although the other party did not go out, they could still obtain information from the outside world through certain methods.

Just then, he saw the black cat that Vilin had summoned earlier walk over with elegant steps and gently rub against her legs twice. So the female mage put down her water glass, turned around and picked up the cat. While skillfully grooming the fur of the magical creature she had summoned, she said, "Don't misunderstand, I just let it go out for a stroll during my break from studying. I didn't expect to hear the merchants outside discussing the latest horror story in the city."

The female mage teased, "Mr. Hugh, after leaving Seren, you don't need to continue writing your old stuff. Perhaps horror literature would suit you well... At least the things you've done are much more shocking than the crudely made and boring plots in those novels."

Hugh felt it was too early to discuss the future, so he asked, "I haven't had a chance to ask yet, Miss Vera, has anything progressed on your end?"

"Well, if I put in a little more effort... I'll be able to get the final result by midnight tonight, but after that I'll need about a day to complete the modification of that magic emblem. That's my limit. In other words, we'll most likely set off late the night before the ceremony or early morning on the day of the ceremony."

After finishing her story, Vera asked, "So, Mr. Hugh, what about you?"

“There’s plenty of money. The money that the editor-in-chief of the Peace Newspaper usually withholds is probably enough to support dozens of people, not to mention that I also got a check from him… But I don’t dare to use it for now, since it’s very likely that the Black Sun Society gave it to him.”

As he spoke, Hugh pointed to the table full of things they had bought: "Secondly, weapons, potions that can replace alchemical bombs, and some things that might be needed for traversing the sewers..."

Before she could finish speaking, Vera laughed: "You're still so indirect... Mr. Hugh, what I'm asking is, besides the girl we saw that day, are you planning to take anyone else with you?"

For some reason, even though Vera is not much older than Sally, she always manages to speak in a way that sounds old-fashioned.

"At most, we'll add old Schubert."

"Who is that?"

Vera frowned, but then she realized, "Oh, the owner of that beer hall? That girl's elder?"

"Although they have many flaws, they have at least taken good care of me."

"Where is your friend? The one who gave the speech in the square."

When Putrin was mentioned, Hugh could only shake his head: "He has no way to turn back now, and I don't intend to persuade him, as that would put us at risk... This is what it means to let go of the desire to help others and respect their fate."

"That's a strange statement."

Vera gave a strange look, then released the cat in her arms, picked up her water glass, and went back to her room. Soon after, Hugh heard the door close.

Under the cover of night, a new wave of commotion began in Seren. To ensure that No. 37 was not disturbed by the outside world, Hugh forcibly turned off all the lights in No. 37. At the same time, he also warned old Sergei and his companions that they must not leave the mansion under any circumstances, nor make any noise or light.

After that, he returned to his room and took back the booklet that Verine had left behind.

"Well, so I guess I've finally gained the recognition of a legitimate mage, and can finally begin systematic magic training?"

Hugh flipped through the booklet filled with neat handwriting, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "But does it have to be at a time like this? There's no way to calm down... And this world probably doesn't have any talk of breaking through in the heat of battle, right?"

Complaining is one thing, being annoyed is another.

In this increasingly urgent and unsettling night, Hugh could only force himself to start reading and studying seriously. He did not intend to go out again that night. After all, whether to take further action depended on the reactions of the independent government and the legal committee of Seren City to what happened during the day.

……

As the Peace Newspaper closed its doors, the shockwaves from the tragic deaths in Seren still began to spread in all directions.

Although the crime scene was immediately cordoned off by the Seren City Police Department and the law enforcement officers, descriptions of the scene still circulated through certain special channels.

The day after the tragedy, just two days before the important truce celebrations, news had even reached the capital cities of Voltel and Alice, the capital of the Kingdom of Delan. As Verin had previously joked, the cruel and bizarre methods used by the wild mage who caused the death sparked heated discussions, especially after it was said that after killing the editor-in-chief of the Peace Gazette, the murderer had left an unreadable message on the wall of his office with frantic, disordered strokes, using blood as ink.

"Someone will remember everything you have done."

Under normal circumstances, the meaning of this sentence would be somewhat ambiguous; it could be seen as encouragement or as a threat... But when such a sentence is written above that gruesome skeleton, its meaning becomes very clear.

Those in the know saw this as a warning the killer was giving him.

The spellcasters who possess extraordinary powers, as well as the officials who can be protected by them, don't feel much about this. They are more concerned about the potential impact of this incident and the disruption to established plans than about the perpetrators harming them. However, for ordinary people involved who do not have sufficient means to protect themselves, this case is quite deterrent.

According to eyewitnesses, the deceased editor-in-chief of the Peace Newspaper was most likely devoured alive by a swarm of rats summoned by magic while he was unable to move.

It was precisely for this reason that the enforcers of the Legal Committee were unable to find any valid evidence in the room or on the remains. After all, everything in the room had been thoroughly destroyed by the rats, and the few remaining magical marks on the corpses were extremely disordered and impossible to trace.

Ms. Haya, the official in charge of coordinating various events and celebrations in Seren, has gone mad.

Her servants were startled by Haya's piercing screams while she was napping. When they rushed to her room, they found the official sitting blankly on her bed, her body and the bed covered in rats. These dark "demons" had left many tiny wounds on her body, but they hadn't killed her. They stood there silently, staring at everyone, and scattered as the servants approached...

Building on the previous tragedy, the message conveyed by this incident is even clearer.

Even so, the independent government of Seren did not cancel the truce celebration that was already approaching.

They replaced the official in charge of the specific procedures and, with the assistance of the Legal Committee branch, issued an emergency notice. They believed that there were bloodthirsty and extremely cruel wild mages in the city of Seren, and that the upcoming visit of Wotel and Prince Delan would be under certain threats. Therefore, the route of the truce celebration would be simplified and adjusted, and the Legal Committee would provide maximum protection for this celebration.

In addition, the unrest that had been tolerated was beginning to be brought under control. Although the oppressive and hostile atmosphere in the city still existed, it was no longer as alarming as it had been on the first day. At least when the Voltel people walked on the streets, they no longer had to worry about angry Delan people suddenly rushing up and hitting them on the head with bricks.

This is the limit of what Hugh can do under the current circumstances.

He knew very well that he would no longer be able to create chaos using similar methods. In order to prevent similar incidents from happening again, the Legal Committee had already arranged for mages of the Stream level or above in many important places, and the Seren central axis, which was to be designated as the route for the princes of the two countries, was under extremely tight security.

As for what role the Black Sun Society will play in these reshuffles, and how their own plans will change... that's beyond Hugh's knowledge.

He didn't have the guts or the ability to provoke Morrel, the nobleman of Delan who was hiding in Iris Street. Who knew if this guy had a whole squad of Iris Guards or spellcasters protecting him? In front of them, his magic and the swarm of rats he summoned would probably be completely useless.

On this day, Verine hardly left the secret room. According to her, the spellcaster who created this magical symbol was a master in the field. Although she herself had advanced to the Lake level, she still had many skills and knowledge to learn. Being able to reverse-engineer the spell bit by bit based on her theoretical knowledge in such a short time was already her limit.

Hughes was completely helpless when it came to this technical task that was beyond his comprehension. All he could do was to refine the escape plan and route as much as possible in the last two days. According to the findings of the sprinting rat "Sniggy" in the vicinity, three entrances that could connect to the sewer system of Seren City had been discovered.

The first one is located in a small alley near the northern city wall. The entrance there has been abandoned and is even covered with heavy stone slabs and some magical rituals. It takes a lot of effort to get through here, and it may even alert the city wall guards and patrolling soldiers.

The second entrance is located on the edge of Lovi Square. It is an entrance reserved for workers who specialize in maintaining and inspecting the sewer system. Although it is in use, it is usually guarded by designated personnel.

The third one is quite interesting.

It was a disguised incense shop.

It's described as a disguise because the shop's real business wasn't selling incense, but rather dealing in... indescribable, yet highly popular among the upper class.

Simply put, it's about concocting alchemical drugs that can make people feel intoxicated and decadent.

Despite the numerous misdeeds of the Legislative Council, there is one point in their rules that Hughes wholeheartedly agrees with: such behavior and related "products" are absolutely prohibited. However, it is clear that the Legislative Council's rules are not so applicable in many areas.

In short, thanks to Sniggy's amazing sense of smell, Hugh successfully found a secret entrance hidden in the store's warehouse. The entrance was used very frequently, which was obviously an important channel for the transfer of raw materials and finished products.

The sewer system of Seren City itself was not as complicated as Hugh had imagined. What surprised him most was that the smugglers seemed to understand the necessity of maintaining their usual passageways. Snich's exploration results showed that these despicable people even spent time leveling some passageways in the sewers with wooden planks, and they even hung some inferior magic crystals on the walls.

These crystals are waste products generated after processing and use. They have very little magic left inside and their only function is to serve as lighting tools. In dim environments, they can emit a faint light with their last bit of magic. Although they are not enough to illuminate the road, they are excellent road signs.

That's enough.

Everything seemed to be ready, and time began to fly by in the long, anxious wait.

That night, while Hugh was replenishing his magic power with magic crystals and diligently studying the basics of magic, he suddenly received a message from Sniggy, who was waiting on the nearby street—two figures carrying bags had arrived at "Earring Lane," not far from House No. 37. They were a young girl and a thin, hunched old man, and they were standing on the side of the deserted lane, nervously looking around.

After using the running rat to confirm that there were no followers behind the two guests, Hugh put on his trench coat, took the self-defense weapon he had prepared in advance, and went downstairs.

(End of this chapter)