The black sun hangs high

Chapter 60 Stop
After Major Alfred left his recuperation compartment, Hugh remained lying on the hospital bed for a while before slowly getting up.

He now felt like a machine that hadn't moved in a very long time; even the slightest twist of his body could make his joints creak.

It took Hughes quite a while to finally manage to get off the bed.

Hugh felt he could now understand how the shapeshifters felt when they first gained a fixed form.

"My mind and body don't seem to be working very well together."

He tried walking a few steps in the carriage, and after getting used to the feeling, he slowly walked to the cabinet that Alfred had pointed out earlier, holding onto the wall.

After opening the cabinet door, he saw a large pile of his own belongings.

The first thing he saw was the old trench coat that had been with him for a long time. Unfortunately, it was completely unwearable. When Hugh was crawling and rolling in the sewers of Seren, he had torn a huge hole in the trench coat. However, the soldiers of the Waterl were known for their rigor and inflexibility, so they still followed their own habits and cleaned out everything stored in the coat and washed it carefully.

Hugh could even smell a fresh, herbal scent emanating from it—the classic, common smell of a laundry detergent from the Kingdom of Walter.

"Okay, thank you so much."

Hughes reached out and took the neatly folded old trench coat, placing it on the bed.

Beside the trench coat were two black velvet bags, one large and one small. The larger one contained magic crystals that Hugh had prepared to replenish his magic power. Hugh looked at them for a moment and then moved them aside, as he didn't need them for the time being.

Perhaps because his body was still weak, Hugh felt a little tired after moving around for only a few moments. So he picked up the last small cloth bag, sat back on the bed, and began to look through it in the bright light from outside.

This small bag contains some of the most important things for Hugh at this moment.

First, there was the universal currency, which is useful everywhere. After Hugh's "shopping spree," there were still quite a few left. The soldiers in the Hunter Corps put them all here without missing a single one, and even included a note telling Hugh the exact amount of each currency.

Then there was a receipt, with some dirt on the corners, but it was generally clean.

This is something Hugh obtained from that editor-in-chief, Philip. Judging from the contents of the document, it should prove that the holder of the document purchased a mansion in Alice, the capital of the Kingdom of Delan. Logically speaking, this document is extremely valuable... After all, in any world and in any era, a mansion located in the capital of a first-class country is extremely precious.

But now this receipt has become very awkward.

News of Philip's death had already spread, and the person who sold him the mansion probably already knew. If someone were to appear now with this document, they would most likely be wanted and pursued.

Even assuming the document can be redeemed, crossing the line between the two opposing forces, evading numerous pursuers, and successfully entering the capital of the Kingdom of Delan at this stage will be no easy feat.

To put it bluntly, Hugh even felt that he was more likely to walk directly into Alice City through the gates with the army.

"Hopefully, there will still be a chance to use you..."

He shook his head and then set aside the receipt, which seemed to be extremely valuable but was actually half a piece of waste paper.

A certificate of identity and residence issued by the independent government of Seren City. Although it is unknown whether the independent government of Seren City is already defunct, this thing should still be useful for now. At least Hugh still needs to use it to prove "that he is himself". Moreover, the pursuit and dependence on such documents has long been engraved in Hugh's bones.

"Tsk... I almost forgot that I still have a noble status, but who knows if my noble status will allow me to cut in line when applying for these documents."

While mentally complaining, Hugh placed the identification document together with the property deed.

Then he saw two folded "Certificates of Author's Contribution and Royalties" issued by the Peace Newspaper.

This thing is actually similar in nature to that identification document, except that Hugh can use it to prove his identity as a writer, that is, he can use this thing to claim his batch of outrageous nicknames. Judging from what Major Alfred said before, his outrageous nicknames such as "Midnight Dawn" and "Master of Pleasure" may have already been circulating in Borden.

However, now Hugh is not so resistant to his fame. He realizes that his identity as a writer may bring him some unexpected benefits.

"If I were to suddenly hold a book signing event at Vane someday, wouldn't the people lining up be mostly male readers?"

Hugh thought about that scenario and then shuddered.

He lowered his head and continued to gather his belongings.

What remained in the bag at the end was a piece of paper that Hugh had never expected.

To be precise, it was an article torn from the Peace Daily.

After being torn off by Hugh, it had been kept in the pocket of his trench coat. The battle in the sewers had soaked it in sewage, and now the piece of paper was mostly stained, but Hugh could still make out some of the text.

“I am very worried that the stable structure built up by the Magic and Law Council is under attack… but those steel behemoths spewing smoke on the Love Plateau will not stop easily…”

"...When the changes happen, no organization, group or individual in Vain will be immune to their effects, and we should be prepared."

Although it was also stained with some dirt, the pen name "Meyer" was still clearly visible.

Hugh didn't know if this clearly insightful and forward-thinking article would be noticed again in the present moment. He only knew that if there were more people in the world today who could value these opinions or be more clear-headed about the changes in the world, then the tragedy in Seren might not have happened.

But where in the world are there so many "anything goes"?

He prefers to believe that whether it is Walter, Delan, or the top officials of the Legal Committee, they have all taken note of this change in the situation. However, as leaders of the country, they must consider these issues from the perspective of national interests and alliance interests. The difference in their positions and perspectives ultimately leads to deviations in choices and inclinations.

Once everything that happens and exists in the world is recorded in documents and tables, it is destined to exist only in the form of data.

As data, it inevitably faces ruthless calculation and manipulation, but in fact, data also feels pain. This article is no longer readable, but Hugh still solemnly placed it with his other things. If possible, he doesn't want to become someone who manipulates data without any emotion in the future, and even if that day comes, he hopes something can remind him of that.

To make those decisions with leniency.

After packing his things, Hugh finally felt that his movements had become much smoother. Although he was still a little stiff and unsteady when walking, at least he was no longer as awkward as he had been at the beginning.

He opened the wardrobe next to him and took out a whole set of clothes, as well as a coat for keeping warm.

Their style looks somewhat similar to the uniforms of the Waterl soldiers, except that this set of clothes does not have any rank insignia, and some gold threads have been added to the cuffs and collar, which makes them look slightly more like aristocratic clothing.

"not bad."

Hugh liked the simple style of clothing, so he quickly changed his clothes. After eating another piece of magic bread provided by the mage Klaus, Hugh put on his coat and pushed open the car door.

A cold wind immediately rushed in, and Hugh's mind cleared up under its influence. With the kind help of a young soldier, he walked down the two staircases at the back of the carriage and stepped onto the snow-covered road.

Hugh thanked the soldier beside him, who was not much older than himself, and then asked, "Where are we now?"

"On the way to Arneburg, in the distance are the Black Nest Mountains, sir."

Hughes nodded.

He knew the name of Arneburg, a massive and historically significant fortress. The founder of the Kingdom of Walter's original fiefdom was Arneburg, hence the first king was known as "King Arne." As for the Black Nest Mountains, he was extremely familiar with them... after all, he had used the Black Nest Mountains as a backdrop to write many side stories, though those were set two hundred years in the future.

Now, the upper part of that mountain range has been completely covered in white snow, probably due to the amount of snowfall and the temperature. The forests in the lower part of the range still retain their deep colors.

Hughes noticed that the young soldier standing next to him was observing him curiously, so he turned around and asked with a smile, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir, I was just curious."

"curious?"

"Um……"

Compared to Alfred, an officer who had developed a thick skin in the army, the young man was still a bit thin-skinned. He seemed hesitant, and his face turned slightly red, but he still honestly spoke his true thoughts: "Many of us have read what you have written, so we have always been very curious about you... I'm sorry, some of my friends still insist that someone who can write that kind of thing must be a beautiful and flirtatious lady."

"..."

Hugh's eyebrows twitched involuntarily, and he asked, "You've probably heard of my pen names, haven't you?"

"Are you referring to Master of Joy or Mr. Five Fingers?"

"They're pretty much the same, I'm just curious why you guys think someone with such a pen name is... uh, a pretty lady?"

"Many of the ladies in Borden like this, and you may not know that this rumor first came from them."

After discovering that Hughes wouldn't get angry about the topic, the soldier opened up: "They think that things like noble illegitimate children and pseudonyms are just cover-ups."

Hughes realized that he still didn't know enough about how things worked in aristocratic circles.

Compared to Borden's readers, the readers of Seren are more straightforward and direct.

Thinking of this, he asked, "Major Alfred said I could wander around the neighborhood?"

"Of course, I will accompany you, but only within the scope of the temporary residence."

The soldier pointed to the distant woods and Black Nest Mountains: "After Snowfall arrives, the wild beasts in the mountains will become more active. They will continue to hunt until the heavy snow completely closes off the mountains... so it is very dangerous to go out at this time."

"I see."

Hugh nodded: "I only plan to walk around the base. By the way, how should I address you?"

The young mercenary soldier immediately stood up straight and gave a very standard Walther salute—adjusting the long-barreled crystal gun he was carrying to his back, raising his right hand, tapping it twice on his left shoulder, and then quickly raising two fingers upwards, sweeping them across the shoulder strap insignia and legion emblem on his left arm.

"Duden, Private First Class, 5th Jaeger Regiment!"

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Duden. Could you now take me to meet my friends who were rescued with me?”

“No problem, sir… However, the mage lady is currently with Mr. Klaus checking the magical defenses of the temporary camp. Shall I take you to see the other two first?”

Although Hughes had already learned from Alfred that Sally and old Schubert had been rescued, he was still somewhat worried about their situation, so he quickly nodded.

So the young mercenary soldiers immediately led Hugh in one direction. At this time, the members of the mercenary group were setting up a temporary camp. Hugh could see many soldiers of different ages, dressed in cold and solemn clothes, carrying various supplies that were needed, and some people were constantly clearing the snow water in the camp. Everything looked very orderly.

Gradually, Hugh smelled a smoky aroma carried on the wind. After bypassing a makeshift kitchen, Hugh saw a row of magical steam vehicles parked in the open space.

Beside these vehicles, numerous alchemical physicians dressed in white robes, wearing half-masks, and carrying magical incense burners were constantly moving about, and Duden's explanation followed.

"Your two friends are with the wounded soldiers. One of them is seriously injured and has not yet fully recovered, while the other young lady has been assigned as a temporary medical apprentice. She should be busy right now!"

(End of this chapter)