The black sun hangs high

Chapter 68 "Things Men Like"

"Ha, I'd like to know what the people of Boldenli think of me?"

Hugh sat down and lit a cigarette. Just then, a vehicle carrying military doctors and various medicines and equipment passed by.

Several pairs of eyes immediately turned towards them.

Alfred was clearly a repeat offender; he quickly stubbed out his cigarette, picked up a document, and pretended to be working diligently.

Hughes was a little slow to react, and then he saw three familiar faces in the same car.

The alchemist physician accompanying the army, Ilan, glanced at Alfred and Hugh with some displeasure, but ultimately said nothing and turned his head away, pretending to look at the scenery by the roadside.

Sally, a physician's apprentice, was holding a thick alchemical tome. She had been discussing something with the female mage sitting next to her, but now both of them looked over and their gazes were fixed on the cigarette in Hugh's hand.

The two cars were a short distance apart, so Hugh didn't hear what Sally said to Vera when she turned her head.

But the next second, a mage's hand suddenly appeared by the window. It gracefully reached out, snatched the cigarette from Hugh's hand, and then tossed it into the snowdrift by the roadside.

Hugh's expression froze for a moment, while Sally, who witnessed everything, revealed a bright smile. She covered her mouth with a book, her eyes almost narrowed into slits. Beside her, Veraine, who had just been asked to extinguish her cigarette, also showed a faint smile, but it quickly disappeared when Hugh's gaze shifted to her.

Verine was able to cast spells normally, which meant that she was no longer wearing the Silver Shackles that suppressed her magic—just as Alfred had promised, Verine was receiving the treatment she deserved as a Lake-level magic scholar.

The two cars quickly separated, and then Hugh heard Alfred let out a strange laugh. He then put down the documents in his hand and took out another cigarette: "Theoretically speaking, you are still a patient and are not allowed to smoke."

"Also, if you ask me, you'd better choose the lively one... After all, even the most beautiful mage can teach you a lesson with magic at any time, and you'll basically have no way to deal with that situation. But if you really like that kind of thing, then just pretend I didn't say anything."

After giving his advice very "sincerely," Alfred hesitated for a moment, then changed his mind and said, "However, it seems that the other one is also a medical apprentice now. Either a mage or a doctor, tsk tsk, it feels like neither choice is right."

"Major, you are very experienced. Have you had similar experiences before?"

"It's all in the past, just old news."

Although he was only around thirty years old, Alfred acted like a seasoned veteran who had experienced many relationships and marriages when discussing these topics.

Hugh chatted with him casually for a couple of minutes, then suddenly asked, "By the way, Major... you just mentioned that I'm very different from how others describe me. So, I'd like to ask, who are these people who made these assessments?"

"You care about these things?"

“I don’t want to care about them, but as things stand, they might care about me a lot.”

The carriage fell silent.

Alfred stared at the document in front of him, as if trying to pick out a few typos from the meticulous text.

Hugh gazed intently out the window. Whenever the Fifth Regiment of the Hunters began to march, all the soldiers would fall silent. Just as the rumors said, the Wotel soldiers, when carrying out military orders, always reminded people of the magical puppets made by mages from materials such as mud, rocks, and metals. After all, in the eyes of ordinary people, a group of people who strictly carried out orders in silence were indeed no different from cold, lifeless creations.

The snow on the road had already been cleared to the sides by the magic of the accompanying mages, but snowflakes continued to fall from the sky. These soft white sprites swept through the marching column with the gentle breeze, kissing everything in their path: the soldiers' visors, the mages' books, the heads of warhorses...

Hughes stretched his palm out the window, and soon snowflakes fell into his palm.

The seemingly gentle kiss brought a chilling coldness, and the tingling sensation from his palms made Hugh clench his fists. Then, under the influence of his body heat, the white fragments immediately melted into clear water.

Hugh gently shook his hands twice, flicking the melted snow water from his grasp.

At that moment, he also heard Alfred's voice.

“Mr. Ernst, you are unlike most people I’ve met... people your age, and you are also distinctly different from the members of your family. If possible, I would very much like to become ordinary friends with you.”

Alfred's words seemed somewhat incoherent, but Hughes picked up on something in them and asked, "Ordinary friends?"

"Yes, it's the kind of thing where we usually get together to have a drink, chat, or play Dragon Tooth cards. You might not know, but I'm actually an honorary member of the Borden Dragon Tooth Card Club."

Although Alfred spoke very casually, there was little smile on his face.

Hugh heard the officer continue, “I’m serious, Mr. Ernst. When you get back to Borden, if you want to play cards or have a drink with me, that’s fine. I’d love to participate in those kinds of activities. But forget about anything else. You can probably tell that I hate meddling in other people’s family matters.”

"I understand."

Hughes nodded slightly.

Alfred's words were cryptic, but they revealed enough information.

"It seems that most of the people who have 'commented' about me in front of Alfred are members of the Ernst family, and most likely my 'peers'."

Hugh picked up a magic ink pen from the table and slowly toyed with it in his hand: "Alfred said he didn't want to get involved in my family affairs, so it seems that one of the main reasons the Ernst family wanted me back is probably to deal with some internal family issues..."

“What problem could involve a ‘corrupt’ illegitimate child like me? And judging from Alfred’s words, I actually have to face quite a few ‘competitors’ of the same age. It can’t be a family succession issue, can it?” Hugh began to doubt the conclusion he had drawn.

After all, the original owner of this body had always been a negligible presence in the Ernst family. For most members, there was no need to care about a pitiful wretch who barely made a living by writing third-rate literature. No matter how influential his writing was, or how many fans and readers admired him, he was still not considered a respectable figure.

Moreover, Hughes did not believe that an issue of succession should require the Ernst family and the "Three-Clawed Falcon" to use their power and influence to have a team like the Fifth Regiment risk their lives to rescue him.

Based on the information previously revealed by Verin, Hugh has every reason to believe that the Ernst family's actions are very likely related to the turmoil in Seren and the Black Sun Society's plans.

Moreover, the Ernst family's actions were most likely kept secret from the vast majority of family members. This is precisely why his "peers" took his return to Borden so seriously, because only those who were truly prepared to participate in the family competition would see him as a threatening target.

With this in mind, Hugh's thoughts became clear.

"If the deduction is correct, then the Ernst family is very likely using some kind of internal activity and decision as a cover, but in reality, it is to bring me, or rather 'Shug Ernst', back to Borden... Perhaps I should be wary. If the Ernst family's managers are really connected with the Black Sun Society, then I may very well find myself in a new round of terrible trouble."

As for the competition for succession or the struggle for status, Hugh had absolutely no interest in it.

If he had been even slightly enthusiastic about this kind of activity, he wouldn't have spent nearly ten years in the industry diligently working on scripts and plans. Even the lead scriptwriter position he held before his sudden death was one that he was forcibly promoted to.

It's not shameful to just make a living.

"When I left the Dream Sanctuary, Theseus told me to hurry... Was it because of this?"

Just as Hugh was pondering the whole matter, Major Alfred suddenly extended an invitation: "By the way, remember what we talked about before? In the army, there are some things that 'every man would like.' How about it, Mr. Ernst, are you interested in taking a look?"

……

Around noon, the Fifth Juggernaut Regiment, which was on the move, took a short rest by the roadside, and Hugh, along with Major Alfred, had a simple lunch with the soldiers of the Fifth Juggernaut Regiment.

Because they were on the move, all members of the Jaeger Corps ate their assigned military rations for this meal.

The rations for the Waterl army were as rigid as their discipline and rules. Hugh observed carefully and found that each Waterl soldier's lunch consisted of large pieces of black bread, canned smoked pork or beef, and dried vegetables soaked in hot water.

Although simple, the portions were very substantial, especially the canned food. With his current physical condition, Hugh couldn't possibly finish it all. So, the remaining half can was taken by Duden, the young soldier who had been following him. Not wasting food was also an important rule in the Water's army, and as Hugh's temporary guard, Duden had to solve this problem for him.

“It’s normal not to finish it, Mr. Ernst… It would be difficult for someone of your size to do that.”

Major Alfred picked up his lunchbox, finished the vegetable soup made with dried vegetables and simple seasonings, and then wiped the grease off his mouth: "Come on, before everyone finishes eating, I'll take you for a walk."

Hugh took a sip of water with some difficulty, barely managing to suppress the greasy taste of the canned meat in his mouth, and then nodded.

He was indeed quite full, and although he wasn't particularly interested in what Alfred called "the things men like," he really needed a walk to digest his food.

"This body's foundation is really too poor. With such a physical foundation, even if I obtain magic that can be used for close combat, I will still be very easy to be at a disadvantage in battle... As for escaping, forget about it."

Hugh followed behind Alfred. The major appeared rather thin after putting on his overcoat, but once he took it off, his strong physique beneath the uniform was revealed. Hugh had seen it before; the muscle definition on the man's arms was astonishing. Hugh was certain that if his magic made a mistake when facing such an enemy, he would most likely be killed on the spot.

In fact, for a very long time in the past, this was also the cause of death for many military mages. For this reason, the armies and legal committees of various countries would include physical training and the use of cold weapons in the important training courses for military mages.

"I wonder if there's anything in the Dream Sanctuary that can directly enhance one's physique and change one's physical condition... Or perhaps, I can achieve this goal quickly by hunting more Dark Abyss offspring?"

Soon, Hugh followed Major Alfred to a row of simple-looking but extremely sturdy transport vehicles.

Although this magical steam vehicle still uses magical crystals to generate power, just like other vehicles, its design already bears some resemblance to the military trucks that Hugh had seen.

Soon, under Alfred's command, two soldiers came over and took out two long poles wrapped in tarpaulin from the carriage.

Hugh narrowed his eyes; he knew this must be what Alfred wanted to show him.

"It looks like some kind of crystal gun?"

"Well, in terms of classification, it has not yet broken out of the category of crystal guns, but compared to those clumsy and expensive things, this is the most elegant and slender noble lady."

Alfred smiled and untied the oilcloth, revealing a slender weapon made primarily of wood and metal to Hugh. As he had described, this weapon was much lighter and more agile than those heavy, long-barreled crystal guns inlaid with magical crystals and engraved with complex magical rituals.

Behind the long metal barrel is a metal cylinder with nine chambers, and further back is a metal hammer inlaid with magic crystals.

Hugh quickly figured out the workings of this new firearm, and he was very surprised because the weapon was very similar to the old-fashioned revolver he remembered.

However, the weapon still uses a crystal containing magic and a special magical ritual inscribed on the wheel and hammer to fire the bullets.

On this new type of firearm, Hugh clearly felt a sense of temporal and spatial distortion.

(End of this chapter)