The black sun hangs high

Chapter 62 Records or Prophecies
Filled with deep confusion, Hughes temporarily left the carriage where old Schubert was being housed.

After undergoing two rounds of purification treatment with alchemical incense, he stood silently on an open ground not far from the wounded and sick camp. Duden stood quietly beside him. The young soldier was a little curious about what Hugh was thinking, but a writer, after all, is just thinking about inspiration and creativity, right?
"Perhaps what he saw along the way gave him a new idea? I can't wait to find out!"

Hugh, of course, had no idea what his contemplation meant to others; he was currently trying to communicate with the three bastards in his mental world.

He knew that what the Messenger in the Mirror and the Running Rat Sniggy meant was definitely not that he should actually "eat" the black gel with his mouth, but that he should "absorb" the power within the gel.

And this is precisely the kind of thing that Hugh is hesitant to do right now.

"The sacrificial texts I heard before, and the characteristics exhibited by this monster, all indicate that it is very likely an 'ancient creation' left over from an era unknown to humankind. Only in this way can we explain why the Messenger in the Mirror and the Running Rat both covet its power..."

Hugh lifted his foot and gently stomped some of the snow into the mud. He stomped it twice, creating a rather unsightly, dirty footprint.

“Strangely, according to them, I had already ‘absorbed’ a portion of the monster’s power, but I don’t feel it now.”

"My magic power hasn't increased significantly, nor have I absorbed any new magic... Could it be that all it gave me were those jumbled memories?"

The more Hugh thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. As he pondered, a memory he had almost ignored before suddenly surfaced.

He suddenly remembered that before he completely lost consciousness, Theseus seemed to have displayed some kind of power of the Mirror Messenger. In the mist created by the Mirror Messenger, the black slime that had come into contact with his body was enveloped and absorbed...

"So, I got a kickback again?"

With this thought, Theseus's face, formed from black mist, flashed through Hugh's mind, but Hugh didn't feel angry at all... If he really pointed at Theseus and cursed him, he might get even more excited.

Moreover, judging from his previous behavior, this guy is probably quite skilled at swearing.

Regardless of the situation, Hugh knew that he absolutely could not rashly deal with old Schubert's physical problems now. He had to find a way to figure out the underlying principles, otherwise he might very well put himself in danger again.

As he was pondering, a call suddenly came from not far away. He looked up and saw a figure running towards him. Before he could react, a soft body carrying a strong scent of incense pounced on him.

Hugh's mind went blank for a moment.

He really doesn't have many experiences of being hugged by girls on his own initiative.

However, he quickly regained his composure, and under the extremely envious gazes of the surrounding soldiers, he raised his hand and gently patted the girl in his arms on the back twice: "Alright, Miss Sally, there are many people watching."

"what……"

The former bartender, now an apprentice doctor in the army, finally realized what was happening. She quickly released Hugh, then took a step back and stood in front of him.

The fatigue, travel, and worries of the past few days had made Sally lose a lot of weight, but her eyes and brows also showed a different kind of resilience. And now, the white doctor's apprentice robe she was wearing gave her an even more attractive look that was hard to look away from.

At least that was the case for the young soldiers in the Fifth Regiment.

"Shug, I heard from them that you've woken up... I didn't expect you to come here directly!"

Hugh smiled and said, "I came here to see you. The fact that you're still alive is the best news for me."

Upon hearing this, the girl's eyes immediately welled up with tears. Knowing that she was worried about Schubert, Hugh quickly said, "I've already looked into Schubert's situation, so don't worry too much... I might be able to resolve his troubles. Although I may not be able to save his leg, I should be able to keep him alive."

Sally wiped her eyes, pursed her lips, and then said in a low voice, "That's what I said too. I asked the army doctor and the mages accompanying the army... if we could just amputate Uncle's left leg, but they refused. They said I didn't understand the importance of this case..."

Hughes sighed.

For the physicians and mages of Walter, this was indeed a very routine choice. They would certainly care more about an extremely rare case of a curse or disease than the life of an ordinary old man. If it weren't for Virin's guarantee and her own delicate identity, those guys would probably have already started experimenting on old Schubert.

Of course, you can't say that to Sally here.

Hugh gently comforted her, "Don't think too much about it. I need to go back and make some preparations now, and I also need to talk to Miss Weilin... Perhaps she can give me some other advice. Don't worry, just focus on your own things, okay?"

Hearing Hugh's words of comfort, the girl nodded heavily. Her tense face softened again, and a slight smile finally appeared on her lips.

At that moment, a middle-aged alchemist-physician with a scholarly air walked over and coughed loudly, attracting the attention of the two men.

Sally let out a soft gasp, quickly took a step back, lowered her head, and adopted an expression that suggested she was about to be reprimanded.

However, the middle-aged doctor with thick glasses did not blame Sally. He turned to Hugh and nodded in a friendly manner: "Mr. Ernst, right?"

Hugh nodded, then extended his hand and shook hands lightly with the other person: "I heard that Sally has become an apprentice of an alchemist, so you must be Sally's teacher?"

"Elan Harper".

The middle-aged doctor introduced himself: "I'm just a doctor who has accomplished nothing. Fortunately, the army gave me a job... Sally is very talented in this area, but it's a pity that she started learning too late. Otherwise, I might have had the opportunity to train an excellent master pharmacist."

"I trust your judgment; she can do anything well."

Hughes didn't hold back in praising his friend, and focused on talking to Dr. Ilan, he naturally ignored the blush on Sally's face.

"I agree."

Dr. Ilan was much more outgoing than the average Voltel, so his attitude was also more friendly: "However, Sally has been a bit down these days because of her uncle's situation, and as her mentor, there's nothing I can do about it." The middle-aged man sighed slightly, and seeing that no one else was paying attention to him, he lowered his voice and said softly, "Don't trust those mages; they only want to turn people into specimens."

Hugh nodded slightly, which was taken as acceptance of the other party's kind reminder.

Sally and her mentor still had some work to do, so Hugh didn't keep them talking. However, before saying goodbye, in order to put the poor girl at ease, Hugh specifically asked Dr. Ilan if he could give Sally a break after dinner so that the two could have time to talk.

Dr. Ilan readily agreed.

After that, Hugh returned with soldier Duden to the vehicle that served as his temporary residence.

He noticed that after meeting Sally, he seemed to have attracted the hostility of many young soldiers. Although the Water Army was known for its strict regulations, these regulations did not prohibit soldiers from having romantic relationships with the opposite sex. Therefore, a vibrant medical apprentice like Sally would naturally attract the attention of young people.

Hugh is well aware that his relationship with Sally is currently more of a friendship.

He himself was unsure whether this friendship would undergo a complete transformation at some point—because he had too many troubles to deal with at the moment, and Hugh felt he had no time to spare until these things were resolved.

However, he was too lazy to clarify those misunderstandings to others... After all, the closeness or distance between people is inherent, and there is really no need to explain in such matters.

After confirming that the two mages, Verin and Klaus, would not be able to finish their work anytime soon, Hugh immediately decided to enter the Dream Sanctuary. His mind was filled with a lot of doubts and questions, and the only one who could answer these questions was Theseus.

So he took off his shoes and lay down on the bed, still carrying the lingering scent of incense.

Hugh closed his eyes, and the magic power in his body pulsated slowly, which quickly put him into a trance-like state of half-sleep and half-awake.

……

He slowly woke up, as if he were waking up from a nap while working overtime.

As he entered the Dream Sanctuary more often, Hugh gradually grew accustomed to the unique darkness and oppressive atmosphere of this strange world.

In a way, this place can be considered his second "home".

However, the instability and danger in this "home" are far too numerous.

This time, the strange dream world brought Hugh a new "surprise".

Not far away, Hugh saw a computer monitor that was in operation, and on the glowing screen was a document.

"What kind of trick is this now?"

Hugh walked over curiously, his professional habit kicking in—he always had to glance at these kinds of documents on ordinary days.

However, when he saw the contents of the text, he couldn't help but frown, because he discovered that this thing was actually related to himself... or rather, it was written about himself in the present moment!
"Baron Ernst".

"His full name is Hugh Ernst."

“The illegitimate son of Erwin Ernst, a member of the Ernst family.”

"His life before the age of twenty was unremarkable... Baron Ernst's experience was remarkably similar to that of almost all of Walter's neglected illegitimate sons—apprentice, handyman... and then, due to the issue of succession within the Ernst family, he was sent to the delicate border town of Seren, where he encountered a turning point in his fate."

"No one knows how this ordinary young man managed to escape the horrific upheaval in Seren."

"Some say that this illegitimate child received protection from the Ernst family at the most critical moment, and with the help of family power he had never enjoyed before, he finally managed to escape from the disaster."

"Some say that the real Baron Ernst actually died in that turmoil, and that what left the city of Seren was not him, but some strange entity that wore his skin and devoured his soul and memories."

"Some people believe that perhaps combining the two conjectures is the correct answer."

"But in any case, Hugh Ernst must have undergone some kind of change on the level of body and mind during this terrible disaster."

"Perhaps it was precisely because of this that this little-known noble illegitimate son later chose to devote himself to the research of forbidden necromancy, which ultimately led Vaan to meet the 'Baron Ernst,' who successfully lived through two hundred years and created countless terrifying legends."

By the time Hugh finished reading the document, his brows were furrowed in worry.

He was certain that this was not something he or his colleagues had written in the past.

"This is not in line with the team's working habits... The story planners have never clearly defined the details of the disaster that occurred in Seren, in order to leave room for flexibility in the design of subsequent game content."

Hugh muttered to himself, "However, this document actually records all the things that only I have experienced. Although the tone is ambiguous, its direction... isn't it a little too clear?"

His gaze settled on the middle of the document. The sentence speculating that "Shug Ernst" had had his soul and memories devoured by "something," made him very uncomfortable. The sentence seemed to point to the black, viscous monster he had encountered when fleeing Seren, but at the same time, it also seemed...

It can also refer to itself.

Ultimately, he is indeed an imposter.

"The latter half of this document is equally ambiguous. It seems to state facts, but when combined with the highly suggestive text preceding it, it resembles a prophecy full of uncertainty... So, will the latter half of the life of 'Baron Ernst' mentioned here really happen?"

(End of this chapter)