The black sun hangs high

Chapter 63 Questions and Answers

As Hughes fell into deep thought, the document on the computer screen suddenly closed as if it knew his thoughts, and then the bright display went dark.

This change made Hugh feel as if they were deliberately showing him that information.

Seeing this, Hugh decided not to stay any longer. He straightened up and began searching for Theseus in the Dream Sanctuary.

Finding Theseus in this dream world is actually a very simple thing.

Because whenever he appears, he will never "treat" himself unfairly.

Hugh quickly found a bright light in another corner—a computer was running, and Theseus's figure was illuminated by the light from the computer screen. At that moment, he looked just like one of those lonely planners or programmers who returned to the company alone to work overtime on the weekend.

Hugh quickly stepped forward.

He then discovered that this time Theseus wasn't playing any arcade games like he had the previous two times. He had changed his taste and was now clicking around in a strategy game with a lot of data on the interface.

Under Theseus's manipulation, numerous military tokens representing armies and soldiers moved rapidly across the enormous map, precisely dividing areas of varying sizes and connecting with each other to form battle lines.

Ultimately, they successfully confronted their enemies, and at this point, a series of political negotiation interfaces and options kept popping up in the center of the screen.

Hugh noticed that the soldier badges and national insignia on the screen matched those of the Highland Alliance led by the Kingdom of Wotel and the Plains Group dominated by the Kingdom of Delan. He even glimpsed the legion insignia of a certain hunter regiment belonging to the Kingdom of Wotel, which was currently at the front line and seemed to have already clashed with the enemy.

Hughes wanted to look more closely, but his gaze was immediately drawn to a dark shadow moving near Theseus's left hand.

To be precise, it was a mass of black, viscous gel.

It was exactly like the monster he encountered in the sewers.

"Interested? Want to give it a try?"

Theseus suddenly chuckled. Without waiting for Hugh's reply, he tossed the strange, palm-sized creature, filled with an ominous aura, onto the table next to Hugh. The black monster, like the clay Hugh played with as a child, splattered onto the table, flattening into a pancake shape. But then it began to wriggle again, and Hugh's familiar limbs, eyes, mouth, and other organs reappeared.

Hughes sighed and offered his comment: "Even though it's shrunk, it's still a bit disgusting."

"You'll get used to it eventually."

This time, Theseus did not resort to sarcasm, but instead offered words of advice in a slightly sentimental tone.

At this moment, he finally ended his operation in the game, so he pressed the pause button, slowly turned around, and waved to the dark, viscous entity. It then floated up and returned to Theseus's front.

"sit down."

Theseus pointed to another chair next to him. This time, he was in a different state from his previous crazy and flamboyant manner. Although his tone was still full of mockery, it was undeniable that Theseus was at least trying to have a proper conversation this time.

Hugh sat down as instructed, his confusion now reaching his throat.

Which question do you plan to start with?

Theseus's attitude was very direct. While "playing" with the ball of liquid floating in front of him, he said, "But let me make this clear first, you'd better not expect to know all the answers at once. That would definitely not be a good thing for you; on the contrary, it would be a disaster."

Seeing that Theseus's attitude was exceptionally sincere, Hughes nodded and then posed his first question.

Hughes pointed to the constantly changing black slime: "What exactly is this thing?"

"Offspring".

Theseus's answer was straightforward: "To be precise, it should be called 'crippled offspring,' a deformed child of the Dark Abyss forcibly catalyzed and created through incantations and sacrifices. It is far too weak, and the power within it is not pure, so it is not even worthy of becoming a protected kin. You don't need to worry about it too much."

Hearing Theseus say that, Hugh couldn't help but curl the corner of his mouth.

In fact, this "deformed child" in Theseus's words brought unimaginable and profound disaster upon himself and the entire city of Seren.

However, Theseus's words also brought some new clues to Hugh.

This wasn't the first time he'd heard the term "Dark Abyss." Hugh remembered clearly that when he obtained the power of the Mirror Messenger, he had glimpsed this unfamiliar concept in that message.

"The faceless messenger in the mirror dwells in the core of the abyss, serving as a servant of the boundless palace and an audience for the mad singer."

That's what the saying goes.

Hughes then gathered his thoughts and said, "So, according to the current explanation, the powers I've acquired, and everything in this sanctuary, should be related to the concept of the 'Lost Gods,' right?"

Seeing Theseus nod, Hugh said, "Alright, let's start from the beginning... Could you explain to me what exactly the Lost Gods are?"

"It's actually very simple."

Theseus stopped what he was doing, leaned back slightly, and pressed his weight completely against the office chair: "No world, at any stage, will lack its own rulers. It's just that those rulers could be insects, humans, or beasts... Of course, occasionally even more powerful beings will appear."

"So you mean the Lost Gods were Vaan's past rulers?"

"To be precise, it was the oldest and most powerful ruler."

Upon hearing Theseus's words, Hugh couldn't help but narrow his eyes: "If that's the case, where have they gone now?"

“They didn’t go anywhere.” Theseus laughed. “Although I know you will have some doubts, you had better believe me on this matter… They are truly powerful gods, they cannot be killed or banished… Their so-called departure and disappearance are simply because they have fallen into a sleep, and a sleep that is far too long.”

So Hugh asked, "Then, are you also one of the lost gods?"

However, Theseus's reaction exceeded Hugh's expectations. He shook his head very decisively: "Me? Of course not. Didn't you already know my titles and names last time? I prefer the other titles to seeing me as a god or deity."

"for example?"

Theseus shrugged: "A playwright? Perhaps..."

Hughes was somewhat surprised, because he could detect a strange sense of loss in Theseus's words. At this moment, this mysterious being who called himself the "God of Fate" was somewhat similar to those old people who were recounting their unbearable past.

After a moment of slight surprise, Hugh asked, "Then what about the Black Sun prophecy and the Black Sun Society in Vaan?"

Theseus immediately laughed: "Didn't you write that yourself? Go ask yourself."

The familiar feeling came back instantly.

Fortunately, Theseus did not continue to mock him, but instead gave his own answer: "The so-called prophecy of the Black Sun is nothing more than a one-sided interpretation of the voice and will of the gods by those foolish descendants, perhaps mixed with their stupid and useless regret and shame..."

"As for the Black Sun Society, I don't know much about it. Perhaps you should ask their members directly what they think. I'm also very curious about their ideas."

"curious?"

"Hmm... how to describe it? It's like you're busy with your own things, and suddenly a bunch of ants come running around your legs, dancing and singing, and they can even pronounce your name and some things you've said in the past."

Theseus gave an example: "Although their wishes are humble and funny, you will always be interested in them because of such a situation, right? For example, they are craving 'endless food', so you pick up a piece of bread and throw it at them, smack! Although a lot of ants are killed, the wish is indeed fulfilled."

This is a very classic and vivid metaphor.

Perhaps in the eyes of those lost ancient gods, modern humans are indeed no different from humble ants... and the Black Sun Society, which can have a substantial impact on the Legal Committee and many countries, may be a rather special kind of ant.

Hughes frowned, then asked, "Can I understand this to mean that the lost gods used to respond to the prayers of their believers in the past?"

Theseus remained silent in response.

Although he didn't understand why Theseus was so vague about this part, Hughes eventually figured out part of the truth, and then he asked the question that was most important to him at that moment.

"Could you tell me what exactly happened in the sewers of Seren? And what is my current physical condition?"

"As you know, those forcibly summoned, incomplete offspring have taken you as their vessel... You and they are destined to maintain a hunter-hunter relationship; either they devour you, or you devour them."

Theseus picked up the clump of slime and swung it back and forth across Hugh's face in a very malicious manner: "And as for me, in order to ensure that you don't become their excrement, I had no choice but to reluctantly take my 'first step' for you."

"You mean, the power of these 'Children of the Dark Abyss' is nothing to me..."

"Very nourishing!"

Theseus used a simple and easy-to-understand word, adding: "Although I know this feeling is disgusting to your poor human mind, you have no other choice... From the moment they were summoned, you will be their eternal priority, so for your own sake, you had better be decisive and not so reserved all the time."

"So what should I do?"

"Just follow your instincts, or you can ask your 'magical lodgers'; they'll tell you."

At this point, Theseus waved his hand gently: "Alright, you should go back now... Don't keep thinking about slacking off here, or you'll be caught red-handed by your female companions."

The mist that formed Theseus's face trembled, and the impatience in his words was quite evident. So Hughes had no choice but to stand up from his chair, but before he could even lift his foot, he heard Theseus say in a very subtle tone, "You need to hurry. You know, the concept of war isn't limited to matters between nations..."

……

When Hugh woke up from his brief sleep, there was a knock on the door outside the carriage.

He quickly got up and opened the car door that he had locked from the inside.

Wearing a heavy coat, Verine appeared in front of Hugh, while Duden, the soldier on guard duty, cast a curious glance at him. He was now quite curious about Hugh's interpersonal relationships—Miss Sally was one thing, but why was this young female scholar of the Lake level in such a hurry to find him?

Is this the charm of a writer?
Hugh, of course, had no idea what kind of image he had in other people's eyes. Seeing that Vera's face seemed a little pale, he quickly stepped back so that she could enter the warm carriage.

"I'm sorry, Miss Vera, I've kept you waiting outside for a long time, haven't I?"

"Only five minutes."

Verine trembled slightly. As a mage scholar, her body was ultimately somewhat frail. And now, Verine was still wearing the magic-restricting silver neck ring and shackles, which prevented her from using magic to warm herself.

A single coat is hardly enough to keep out the cold after a snowfall.

Hughes noticed Vera's expression, smiled and shook his head, then took out a standard scarf from the Waterl army that he hadn't used before from the wardrobe next to him: "Take this, Miss Vera, it might be of some use... Why is Mr. Klaus so stingy? He won't even give you a thicker coat?"

Vera silently took the scarf, wrapped it tightly around her neck twice, and then said in a muffled voice, "I thought I could still use some simple tricks, but the magic-binding shackles in the army are of such high quality that I can't mobilize my magic at all."

She clearly didn't want to discuss this embarrassing topic with Hughes, so she immediately asked, "Mr. Hughes, the soldiers said you've already met Schubert... So, do you have any solutions for his troubles?"

(End of this chapter)