The black sun hangs high

Chapter 70 Adlon Hotel

"Adelong Hotel..."

Hughes read out the name of the building in front of him.

He had never been here before, but he had heard of the hotel.

The Adlon Hotel has existed even longer than the city of Borden.

It used to be just a small inn, welcoming all kinds of guests. Human merchants, mercenaries, and mages were all regulars here, as were highland ogres, giant-eared goblins, and mountain elves.

Time and again it avoided the undercurrents and reefs of the river of time, successfully surviving wars, plagues and other turmoil. It witnessed the destruction and reconstruction of cities, the change of royal power, and the wandering of non-human races on the plateau.

Now, the Adron Hotel, which was bought by the famous giant-eared goblin merchant Victor, has been transformed into the largest hotel in the entire city of Borden and even the entire Kingdom of Walter. Since nearly twenty years ago, the hotel has been working closely with the Walter government, and since then, the Adron Hotel has also served as an important place to accommodate important guests and visitors from various countries, in addition to embassies.

"So why was I sent here? Shouldn't I have been taken directly to Ernst Manor?"

Hugh turned to the soldier Duden beside him and asked, "How come I, a nobody novelist, am being treated the same as foreign guests?"

"Uh……"

Faced with Hugh's question, the young soldier, who only knew how to carry out his mission, shrugged: "I don't know, Mr. Ernst, but..."

He glanced around to make sure no one else was paying attention to him, then lowered his voice and said, "We were originally going to Ernst Manor, but we received orders on the way, so we changed our plans and came here instead."

"Halfway there?"

"I don't know the specifics of what happened in the afternoon."

As a devoted reader of Hughes, Duden did his best.

In fact, for a soldier in the Jaeger Regiment, this behavior was tantamount to violating regulations.

Therefore, Duden did not say anything more, but stood upright beside Hugh, carrying his weapon, becoming like a statue standing in the snow, just like the other soldiers who participated in the escort.

Someone got out of another car.

Veraine was still wearing that coat, and her body shimmered with magical light that protected her from the cold; the dark red glow was clearly very warm.

She walked slowly to Hugh's side, carrying the magic book. She gently tugged at the scarf around her neck and said, "Sally took Schubert and her teacher to the Medical Association."

"Is Schubert alright?"

"There doesn't seem to be any problem so far; at least he no longer needs healing magic to sustain his life."

Vera sighed, "However, he suffered a lot to have the necrotic parts of his thigh removed... Sally will probably need to spend a lot of time and money to restore her uncle's health."

"Ok."

Hughes nodded, but then cast a questioning look at Vera: "But Miss Vera, why are you here?"

"My commission is to bring a living Hugh Ernst back to Ernst Manor."

Vera turned her head and subtly rolled her eyes: "Your family is willing to use the manuscript of the first volume of 'The Poem of the Night' as a reward. I haven't received this reward yet, so naturally I can't leave."

Although Hugh had heard from Verine that one of the main reasons she accepted the commission was that the Ernst family had presented a reason she could not refuse.

"Please forgive my ignorance, but Miss Veraine... what is 'The Poem of the Night'?"

"A book, an important magical book."

Vera seemed to have anticipated Hugh's questions, so she quickly answered him: "Even Merlinle only possesses a fragmented copy of this text."

"Excuse my bluntness, but possessing things that are too precious can easily bring disaster."

Upon hearing Hugh's words, Vera let out a soft laugh: "However, 'The Poem of the Night' is worthless."

"what?"

Verine gently adjusted her glasses: "It is indeed a magical tome, but it is a tome that records lost magic, and it is filled with elusive verses because its author was a mad poet... This means that even for scholars who study magic, the secrets it can reveal are extremely limited. After all, what advances magical research is always rigorous magical formulas and regular runes, not those strange verses."

As she spoke, the female mage sighed with some regret: "In short, even in the world of collecting, the manuscript of 'The Poem of the Night' has no reputation whatsoever, and even if it were sold cheaply, it is unlikely that anyone would be willing to buy it."

"So, Miss Veralin's pursuit of 'The Poem of the Night' is in order to study those lost ancient magics?"

"That's my research topic, but this topic... well, it's really hard to find a breakthrough."

Vera looked away, clearly not wanting to continue the conversation about "The Poem of the Night," and pointed to the entrance of the Adlon Hotel: "Mr. Hugh, it seems someone has come to pick you up."

Hugh turned his head and saw a figure in a smart uniform walking out accompanied by a group of hotel guards. The leader's gaze quickly settled on Hugh, and then he led the group over quickly.

This is an elf.

To be precise, they are mountain spirits.

Like all the mountain elf inhabitants of the Lovi Plateau, he had a tall figure and a thin face, and of course, he also had a pair of pointed ears that were different from those of humans.

Two hunter soldiers guarding the side stepped forward together, took out an identification card, and exchanged it with the elf in the hotel uniform. After verifying the accuracy of the magical insignia on each other's identification cards, the two soldiers stepped aside.

The mountain elf stopped before Hugh and his companion, then bowed. "Mr. and Mrs. Ernst, I am Finn, a receptionist at the Adlon Hotel. It is a pleasure to receive you two distinguished guests today..."

The elf receptionist was very polite, and although her voice wasn't exactly melodious, it was sincere: "Your identities and proof of residence have been verified. According to the reservation, the Adlon Hotel will prepare a VIP deluxe room for you. We hope you have a pleasant stay."

As he spoke, Finn's gaze swept over Hugh and Vilin in turn. After noticing that neither of them was carrying any large luggage, he turned slightly to the side and gestured "please" towards the entrance of the Adlon Hotel.

At this moment, all the soldiers of the Jaeger Corps responsible for escorting Hugh began to leave, including Duden. The young guard gave Hugh a smile and then embarked on the return journey with his comrades.

They were replaced by guards from the Adlon Hotel. Although they were wearing the hotel's guard uniforms, they were fully armed and their movements exuded a sharp and capable air.

Although they still didn't understand the specifics, Hugh and his companion had no other choice at the moment. So they exchanged a glance and followed the elven receptionist forward.

As a venue in the capital of the Kingdom of Walter used to receive important foreign guests, the scale and decoration of the Adron Hotel are naturally beyond question. Even a foreigner like Hugh, whose soul has been washed by a multitude of information, could still feel the style and luxury of this place.

To Hugh's surprise, although the Adlon Hotel is currently owned by the giant-eared goblin merchant Victor, it has not suffered from the "goblin aesthetic".

Of course, it's also possible that Victor simply respected the long history of the Adlon Hotel, and therefore did not choose to showcase a little goblin awe to guests from all over the world in such a place.

For example, painting everything gold.

Especially after seeing several wealthy goblin merchants adorned with various gold ornaments from head to toe, Hughes became increasingly convinced that the exquisite decor of the Adlon Hotel was likely just an accident.

Finn, the tall and slender elf receptionist, began his job.

As he led Hugh and Verain into the hotel, he used a unique vocabulary to describe the various sculptures, trees, and distinctive decorations along the way. When talking about certain sculptures, he would casually mention the sculptors who created them. He could even tell the two which sculptors were currently residing in Borden and which of them would be holding their own sculpture exhibitions soon...

Violet was clearly not interested in learning about these things at the moment, so she interrupted the other person's introduction: "Please tell me about the hotel."

"As you wish, ma'am."

The elf nodded patiently, immediately ending the conversation about the surrounding decorations and sculptures, and smoothly changed the subject: "You two should know that the kingdom is currently experiencing some... well, minor frictions outside, so there have been a lot of foreign guests coming and going at the Adron Hotel recently. Envoys from allied countries such as Hein and Saint Steel are currently here."

"What about the Kingdom of Delan?"

"Of course, it's here too."

As he spoke, Finn turned his head slightly and looked into the distance.

Hugh followed the gaze and saw two men dressed in black suits with iris brooches on their chests sitting on a chair with gloomy faces. One of them kept taking out his pocket watch to check it, seemingly somewhat anxious.

"The Adlon Hotel will certainly not make any customer feel embarrassed, so even guests from the Kingdom of Delan can receive the most attentive service here... but once they leave the hotel, it's hard to say."

Finn said with a smile.

At this moment, Hugh noticed that the elf had two narrow brown lines on his profile, which meant that he belonged to the "Newleaf Family" among the mountain elves. This elf family was extremely large and had always been known for its deep integration with human society.

Judging from Finn's demeanor and tone, he had clearly long considered himself a citizen of Walter.

At this moment, Hugh and Finn had entered a grand and luxurious hall, and Hugh asked at the opportune moment, "Mr. Finn, could you tell me about our room?"

The elf, of course, was happy to oblige. He replied with a smile, "You two will be staying in our VIP suite, which has two private rooms for you to choose from. Rest assured, your privacy is absolutely guaranteed."

"Although it seems that the two of you do not have any personal luggage, the room is fully equipped with supplies and clothing. If you need anything else, you can contact the attendant through the summoning crystal in the room."

But this wasn't the information Hugh wanted to know, so he pressed on, "Then does Mr. Finn know who booked the room?"

This time, the receptionist gave a negative answer: "I'm sorry, the Adlon Hotel must protect the personal safety and privacy of all its customers, including those who have made reservations."

“It’s very contradictory.”

Vera expressed her doubts. As a former magic advisor to the Law Committee, her tone naturally carried a hint of pressure: "As hotel guests, if we can't even know the identity of the person who booked the room, how can we check in safely?"

"Just because you two are in Adlon."

Finn smiled and said, "Besides, sometimes, keeping secrets is also a form of protection for our customers. I hope you two can understand."

Finally, after numerous unsuccessful attempts and inquiries, Hugh and his companion followed the elven receptionist to the VIP suite, room number 1049.

With just one number missing, it would match the "phantom haunted house" in Hugh's memory.

Just as Finn had described, the two had already experienced the most attentive service at the Adlon Hotel even before checking in. The only restriction was that the revolver that Hugh carried and Verin's spellbook were locked in a long metal box mixed with stun silver by the guards, which was something all guests carrying weapons had to go through.

After entering the room and locking the door, the two of them tacitly checked the entire luxury suite.

After confirming that there was no surveillance magic or other weird stuff around, Hugh and Vera sat down facing each other in the suite's living room.

"Mr. Hugh, what do you think?"

“Weird…”

Hugh shook his head and then gave his assessment: "There are no restrictions on the length of stay, the identities of those who book the rooms are kept confidential, and according to Duden, the reason we came here is because the Juggernauts received new orders on the way... We were originally going to Ernst Manor."

"This means that it is very likely that someone outside the Ernst family knew about our itinerary. Perhaps they have something important to discuss with us, or perhaps they have some other purpose. In any case, they conveyed their orders to the Jaeger Regiment and made a last-minute reservation for rooms, bringing us here."

Vera nodded, adding, "And it seems that the person who gave the order is more important to the Hunter Corps than the Ernst family and that old marshal... Hmm, in the Kingdom of Walter, who could hold such a position?"

(End of this chapter)