The black sun hangs high

Chapter 64 "Surgical" Plan

Of course, Hugh couldn't tell Vera his specific plans.

If Vera knew that she was actually very likely to devour the "Dark Abyss Offspring" that had already taken over old Schubert's left leg, she would probably view herself in a completely different light.

If she had taken a slightly more radical stance on this matter, she might have been made into a specimen alongside old Schubert, and then the two of them, one old and one young, would have been displayed side by side in the magic academy of the Kingdom of Walter. That would have brought her fame much faster than writing a book.

Therefore, Hughes naturally chose a different version of the story.

"Miss Weilin, you should remember what happened before I fell into a coma, right?"

"of course."

Vera recalled, "I saw that monster lunge at you. It must have touched your body, but the next moment, it lost all its life force and turned into nothingness... What exactly happened?"

"It was the properties of my magic that came into play."

Hughes then gave the reason he had previously fabricated: "Miss Verin should remember that my magic can cause some degree of corrosiveness?"

Verine nodded quickly. Perhaps because she had wrapped the scarf twice, her action looked particularly interesting, but Verine was obviously unaware of this. Her tone remained extremely calm: "Yes, of course I remember... and that power is different from the acid magic commonly used by mages. It seems to cause more damage to life."

"Indeed."

Hugh continued, following the other's words: "When that monster made direct contact with me, I felt it trying to inject its power into my body. Under the influence of that power, I was almost unable to think or move..."

"In that situation, I tried to use my magic to fight back, and to my surprise, it didn't seem to have much resistance to this highly corrosive power, so I quickly regained control of my body."

Seeing that Verine didn't question his account, Hugh quickened his pace: "After that, I tried to release my magic, and the effect was very obvious—it quickly disintegrated under the influence of this magic, but I simply couldn't sustain such a drain, therefore..."

"Yes, I know what happened next."

Vera sat down in the chair, looked up, and her gaze behind her glasses fell on Hugh's face: "Mr. Hugh, I can accept your answers, at least they seem reasonable on the surface... but Schubert's situation is not exactly the same as yours."

"Mr. Klaus and I both believe that what happened to Schubert is actually closer to those forbidden curses and magic, because only curses rooted in people's souls can so directly erode the victim's vitality from the root."

At this point, Vera paused slightly: "Of course, we also know that there is no such case among all the curse magic recorded by the Legal Committee. Those spells would not turn a person's body into black, amorphous pus, and that pus would keep growing eyes... It's disgusting."

Upon hearing what Verine said, Hugh asked, "Then, could it be some unrecorded evil magic?"

"That's possible, but sorcery and magic have always been known for their unpredictability. If every inexplicable magical phenomenon is attributed to ancient sorcery, then our discussions based on magical theory will lose their meaning."

"But I want to give it a try no matter what."

Hugh firmly expressed his opinion: "That old man may be stingy, but at least he gave me a place to finish my manuscript and eat in the past, and even allowed me to run up my accounts. It was also my decision to take him and Sally out of Seren City, and I don't want him to be carried onto the lab bed no matter what."

Hearing Hugh's words, the female mage's expression finally softened slightly. She was silent for two seconds before speaking, "Alright, Mr. Hugh... I know you have your own secrets, and you also have unique abilities in dark magic. I can't give you any more advice in this regard."

"However, if you really insist on trying, I will try to help you."

She didn't give Hugh a chance to ask questions or refuse, and her voice remained calm: "Just consider it the support I should give to an ordinary friend."

……

Hughes truly never expected to be addressed as "friend" by Verin.

At first glance, this title seems somewhat similar to the legendary "friend zone" card, but when applied to Virin, it seems extremely rare.

After all, even though the two had experienced many crises together in the city of Seren and even spent several days in the same space, they never let down their guard and vigilance towards each other. When referring to herself, Vilin seemed to always use the term "collaborator".

From "collaborator" to "friend".

The changes can be very small or very large.

As evening fell, Hugh arrived once again at the transport vehicle where old Schubert was being housed. Perhaps knowing of Hugh's decision, Major Alfred, Mage Klaus, and several other important members of the Juggernaut Corps appeared there.

Veraine was also there. The magic-suppressing silver shackles that restricted her spellcasting had been temporarily removed, but she was still wearing a scarf and coat, and was standing quietly to the side holding a spellbook.

“Mr. Ernst, this is putting me in a difficult position.”

Major Alfred was clearly very dissatisfied with Hugh's decision: "Although I am not allowed to restrict your personal will and actions according to the orders above, if I could, I would still like to bring you back to Borden in good health, rather than sending back a lump of indistinguishable black sludge."

After saying that, Alfred shrugged again: "Well, Mr. Klaus is quite confident about this. He believes that under the pressure of the ceremonial field, the worst-case scenario is that your decision will kill your civilian friends..."

After saying that, he stepped aside and gestured to the soldiers and the accompanying mage apprentices. The crowd immediately sprang into action, and the equipment used to construct the temporary ritual site was quickly set up and placed in place, with magic crystals being embedded into the metal instruments.

Mage Klaus stepped forward, carefully examined Hugh, and then used magic to observe his condition before shaking his head and saying, "Mr. Ernst, as a spellcaster who has not yet systematically studied magic, I do not recommend that you take such a risk... In two more days, we will arrive in Borden. If your friend can hold on for two more days, he will be able to receive the best treatment environment and medicine."

"The worst-case scenario is that I'll be riding back in the same car as him, right?"

“You are very confident, Mr. Ernst.”

Klaus shook his head and stepped aside. At his command, a temporary ritual site centered on the transport vehicle was quickly set up, and a semi-transparent light screen completely enveloped the area. Hugh noticed that there were even many soldiers holding military magic flamethrowers around the ritual site, clearly prepared for the worst-case scenario.

In this eerie and solemn atmosphere, Hugh once again received the spray of alchemical incense. Then he put on a magic mask, picked up a black velvet bag containing several high-quality magic crystals, and walked into the transport vehicle where Schubert was with Verin.

Because they had absorbed the memories of the Dark Abyss offspring, the actions of the Hunter Corps took on a special meaning in Hugh's eyes.

He realized that the Kingdom of Water had obviously learned a lot about what had happened in Seren City. Those magical flamethrowers were clearly prepared to suppress the Dark Abyss offspring. As for how the Water people learned of this information, and why the soldiers who were ordered to take him back to Borden would "indulge" his adventure, that was beyond what Hugh could know at the moment.

In this matter, Hugh decided to take Theseus's advice. Since trouble would eventually come knocking on his door, what he needed to do was find ways to strengthen his ability to deal with it.

The carriage remained brightly lit, and under the illumination of those magical lamps, old Schubert occasionally let out unconscious, painful groans. Clearly, even in his unconscious state, the Dark Abyss offspring continued to inflict pain on him.

The Dark Abyss Spawn was very lethargic in the bright light, but it suddenly became active when Hugh approached.

The dark sludge, peeled and split from the massive whole, slowly began to grow eyes and a mouth, and then spoke in old Schubert's voice: "...Save me...You've come, save me..."

"It was the same before; it would make this sound whenever a living person got close."

Because of the metal mask she was wearing, Vera's voice sounded somewhat muffled. She had already finished inspecting the carriage. After being freed from the suppression of the Demon Silver, she regained her usual confidence. After cleanly and efficiently dispelling the two magical rituals used to monitor and listen inside the carriage, she took off her scarf and coat and came to Hugh's side: "Alright, now we don't have to be eavesdropped on... What exactly are you planning?"

Hugh did not answer Vera immediately.

He plunged headlong into his mental world, and sure enough, the three guests inside the metal disc were now incredibly excited, looking eager to try.

"Tell me, what to do?"

Hughes asked the question silently in his mind.

Then a message from the messenger in the mirror immediately entered Hugh's mind.

"Relax the restraints... Dim... Mist and water blend together..."

"You speak in more riddles than Theseus!"

Hugh cursed fiercely at the messenger in the mirror, "Can't you learn to speak simply? Do you mean to loosen your control over it, turn off the lights, and then use your abilities to touch it?"

Having been scolded, the Mirror Messenger shrank back in the groove of the disc and nodded with a very aggrieved expression.

After clarifying his task, Hugh turned to her and said, “Miss Verine, I need you to protect Schubert as much as possible… use healing magic, or some other protective ritual, whatever you can do, to protect him from harm.”

“I understand that, of course.”

Vera shook her head: "What I want to ask is, how do you plan to handle this trouble?"

"It's very simple, it's just a matter of repeating what happened in the sewers."

Vera's eyes narrowed: "Mr. Hugh, is that what writers call unique humor?"

"I am serious."

The female mage's body stiffened briefly. She sighed deeply but said nothing more. Accompanied by flashing magical light and the sound of pages being torn from a magic book, one magical protective ritual after another was cast on the carriage.

Soon, Hugh felt himself enveloped by layers of magical power. It was a magical feeling, like wearing many extra transparent clothes.

"Blade protection, blunt force protection, curse protection... In addition, there are some basic rituals that work on physical strength, mental strength and reaction speed, which may be helpful to you."

While casting the spell, Vilin quickly explained: "You mentioned before that this monster erodes a person's spirit and magic when it comes into contact with them, so I prepared two additional protective rituals to deal with the mental impact. They can only be maintained for a short time, so just shout them out when you need them."

Veraine's professional expertise in magic and her rigorous attitude put Hugh to shame.

Under Verin's serious attitude, even the Dark Abyss offspring that had replaced old Schubert's left leg began to become nervous and uneasy. It kept trembling and changing its form. Hugh noticed that it had even grown sharp insect limbs and was scrambling back and forth on the sickbed. However, the presence of the Demon Silver and the surrounding light prevented it from escaping the area or breaking free from old Schubert's body.

Vera walked around the hospital bed, placing several pages, each depicted and imprinted with emerald green patterns, beside old Schubert using a magical crystal. After doing all this, she finally breathed a slight sigh of relief: "I'm almost done here. What's your next step?"

"Release the restraints and turn off the lights."

“Mr. Hugh…”

"Well, what happened?"

“I think Merlinler and those magical madmen imprisoned in the prison are more cautious and calm than you.”

Vera complained irritably, then took a step back and snapped her fingers twice. With the infusion of magic, a large number of basic rituals that had already been set up immediately began to operate: "Please be serious... the opportunity to have a lake-level mage as an assistant is not common."

After saying that, she let out a long sigh of relief: "Come on, I'm waiting for your orders."

Upon hearing Verine's words, Hugh slowly raised his hands. Unseen by Verine, the power of the Mirror Messenger began to slowly take effect, and Hugh's palms gradually transformed into an illusory black mist...

"Miss Weilin, the countdown is now beginning."

Hughes said in a deep voice, "Three, two, one... turn off the lights!"

...

An update announcement.

Minor adjustments have been made to the following chapters.

1. In Chapter Thirty-Seven, the tone of Theseus's speech was adjusted to be less saccharine and exaggerated, but his essence as an abstract, entertaining person remained unchanged.

2. Chapter Fifty-Seven adjusts Hugh's behavior in the sewers. Although he still shamefully relies on Theseus's power to escape danger, at least he is no longer actively trying to sway people.

3. In Chapter 58 and other chapters, minor adjustments were made to Hugh's inner thoughts based on the revisions made to Chapter 57.



(End of this chapter)