The black sun hangs high

Chapter 89 becomes the focus
Hughes naturally refused the waitress's offer.

He did not intend to let the other person into his private space.

Especially after seeing the unusual underground floor of the manor hotel and the two suspicious-looking black-masked waiters through the eyes of the running rat, he became even less able to trust the people in the hotel.

The waitress was clearly unaware of what Hugh was thinking. She did seem to have some "ideas," and when Hugh rejected her, a hint of regret even flashed in her eyes.

But her professionalism allowed her to quickly regain her composure. After handing the clockwork to Hugh, she turned and left, as decisively as before.

The clockwork clock has been calibrated.

It is 7:15 a.m.

The heavy snow continues.

Despite the magical support and the fact that he was in the manor hotel, Hughes felt no sleepiness whatsoever. He folded up the simple structural diagram he had drawn earlier and put it close to his body. Then he put on his coat and left his room.

His room was 309, located in the first half of this hotel corridor, near the stairs.

"The elevator that is shared by guest rooms is located on the left-hand side. There are a total of five rooms between me and it. Through this elevator, I can go to the lobby and all the guest rooms and restaurant floors."

Hughes closed the door, but his gaze drifted towards the other end of the corridor: "What if we go this way?"

With the idea of ​​taking a walk, Hugh quickly followed the hotel's corridor to the other end of the third floor.

He stopped in front of the room numbered "320".

Diagonally opposite room 320 was the old-fashioned elevator previously used by the hotel staff. This elevator was enclosed by a heavy wooden door with markings, and next to it, two manor guards and a male waiter were on duty.

Upon seeing Hughes arrive, the waiter immediately approached him: "Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

"I want to go to the restaurant on the sixth floor. Does this elevator go there?"

"I'm sorry, sir, this elevator is too old-fashioned. It's not open to the public except for the occasional use by us."

The waiter smiled apologetically: "It's precisely because we're worried that someone using it might cause an accident that the manor has guards stationed here. Please understand."

"That's it..."

Hughes didn't make things difficult for the other party. He nodded, glanced at the structure of the corridor, and then walked in the opposite direction.

"The structure of the entire manor hotel is very simple. Apart from the hotel lobby and the restaurant on the top floor, the structure of all guest room floors should be an elongated 'T' shape... If we take the third floor as a reference, then the number of guest rooms on each floor should be twenty."

"It corresponds perfectly to the underground floor structure."

As Hugh recalled the details he had seen through Sniggy, he felt a sense of doubt and a chill run down his spine.

A normal hotel, or even a normal residence, should not have such a bizarre design.

Hugh had known for a while that there were some problems with this manor hotel. He was even prepared to find laboratories, dungeons, or even ritual sites within the hotel. But he never expected that he would find himself beneath the hotel...

I saw another hotel.

This is a strange way of putting it, but Hugh really doesn't know what to call the part of the building that is hidden underground in the hotel and whose structure is basically symmetrical to the part above ground.

Add to that the numerical markings on the metal doors and the black-masked waiters operating in the basement, and Hugh had reason to believe that there were indeed "guests" living in the hotel's basement...

As for whether he is human, it's hard to say.

After all, those waiters wearing black masks already looked very abnormal.

"Does old Zeke know about this?"

Hugh recalled what Zeke Ernst had said to him late last night, and doubts began to creep into his mind, especially since the other man had said that he knew better than Zeke Ernst what to do...

To be honest, Hugh felt he had no clue what to do at the moment.

After a long period of hard work, Hugh was indeed quite hungry, so he took the elevator to the restaurant on the sixth floor.

There are already many people here. After last night's unexpected events, the younger members of the Ernst family are somewhat nervous, which makes them more willing to stay in crowded places rather than stay alone in their rooms.

Hugh's appearance drew the attention of the young nobles. Unlike the discussions that had arisen when he first arrived, this time his arrival caused a brief silence in the restaurant—not everyone stopped talking, but rather they all lowered their voices and changed the subject of their conversation.

The restaurant only returned to its original state after Hugh sat down at a table by the window.

The disc in the mental world accelerated slightly, and with the help of magic, the surrounding noise was immediately categorized, turning into a series of independent and clear dialogues.

The vast majority of people were discussing things that were really uninteresting. Although the old Waterloo family, such as the Ernst family, was very attentive to the upbringing of their offspring, the influence of environment and history could easily turn these young people into political animals.

They discussed some of the strategies the family might be taking recently, the potential impact of the kingdom's policies on certain areas, and the issue of intermarriage between families...

The only thing that interested Hugh was the topic the four young men and women were discussing.

They all carried a certain military air about them, and the brooches or badges on their clothes indicated that they actually held their own ranks in the military.

A young man with short hair said, "Merlinler and others are trying to sign a treaty with us. They believe that the impending war is likely to cause a regression in magical academic research..."

"That's true to some extent!"

He was answered by a spirited young woman: "But that's impossible. In our army, the coordination between spellcasters and new weaponry and tactics is being rapidly promoted and trained. Although the mages are no longer as important as they used to be in these tactics, we can only fully utilize our advantages if they are present in the army." "I don't quite agree with Jenna's opinion."

Another older man with a resolute face said, "Based on the current situation of military factories in various places, what we are going to fight next is actually a new type of war based on steam-powered weaponry. In this form of warfare, the role of mages will definitely be further weakened... If we agree to the demands put forward by the Law Committee, and both sides prohibit mages from joining the battlefield and instead transfer them to the relevant logistics system, then it will actually be a good protection for our soldiers!"

"I agree, those plainsmen's weapons are far too outdated!"

The short-haired youth clenched his fist and said, "When our artillery regiment launches a bombardment, it's like divine punishment for them... Their lines will crumble in an instant, and after that, any advance by any regular army corps will crush them on the spot!"

Jenna was still trying to persuade him: "Ole, don't be blindly confident. There are many things that haven't been verified yet... It's not just new weapons that determine the course of war."

"But you must have seen it last night, right?"

Young Ole lowered his voice: "That...that bastard, firing three shots in such a short time, must have been with the latest firearms, maybe even an experimental model. If he can fire so accurately and quickly, our soldiers will have no problem at all! Think about it, three bullets in a few seconds, that's three dead men on the battlefield!"

Hearing this, Hugh shook his head.

The increased rate of fire brought by the new revolver was certainly terrifying, but in fact, his previous continuous firing was even reduced, after all, he had switched to magic-made bullets during that time... In this respect, these young soldiers' judgment on the new weapon was quite accurate.

Once this weapon is deployed to every soldier, its effect on the battlefield will be terrifying.

However, the history he had studied in the past told him that once war begins, people will unleash boundless creativity under extreme pressure.

Embracing new technologies is not difficult; given the wealth accumulated by Delan and the other plains, they may find a suitable solution in a short time.

He had no intention of participating in the discussion, so he shifted his attention to another topic.

Those most sensitive to the incident in room 410 last night... were still those relatively simple-minded ladies who loved literature, opera, paintings, and other works of art.

Hughes noticed that Miss Hannah, who had previously been ridiculed by her sisters as "too sensitive," was now at the center of the conversation.

Everyone, including Hannah herself, believed that the strange phenomena she had experienced were actually omens of last night's horrific events.

Hannah seemed to thoroughly enjoy being surrounded by her sisters asking for details. However, during the conversation, she naturally revealed what Hugh had said to her later. Hugh listened to her description silently, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.

From the conversation of these young ladies, he had a bad feeling—they might be thinking of him as some interesting, mysterious person, which was not a good thing. After all, among the nobles of Walter, although marriage between cousins ​​was forbidden, occasional "romantic anecdotes" were often spread as beautiful stories.

Hugh believes he already has enough "halo" and "titles" on him, and he really can't handle any more.

Fortunately, the restaurant was efficient enough that his breakfast had already been delivered, which made his sitting there not too unbearable.

Although it was breakfast at Ernst Manor, it wasn't much different from the meals in other parts of the Kingdom of Water. It consisted of sliced ​​bread, fresh jam, and several kinds of sausages with different flavors, as well as cut fruit and a hot drink that tasted similar to coffee, which the people of Water liked to call "energizing drink".

"It's a really strange feeling..."

Hugh Ernst casually flipped through his memories and then helplessly discovered that dining at the family manor was actually the thing he hated most, because it meant he would always encounter all sorts of people and things while dining.

But these days are different.

Hopefully, knowing how things have developed will make you feel better.

Hughes muttered something to himself before putting a piece of marinated sausage into his mouth.

"Holy crap... Is this Saint-Steel flavor? It's so sweet!"

Hugh was startled by the strange mix of sweet, salty, and spicy flavors in his mouth, but he persevered and swallowed it with a frown. After swallowing the sausage, a strong smell of sweet wine surged up from his stomach.

This feeling is very much like Saint Steel.

Because of its proximity to the North and the presence of Merlinle, Saint Steel's cuisine tends to be sweet, and they also enjoy drinking heavily.

After all, the ordinary residents of the Kingdom of Saint Steel are very different from the mages of Merlinle and Li. The common people do not have the rich means of keeping warm that the mages have, and they can only use alcohol to numb their senses on a daily basis.

"Thank goodness it's just sweet wine..."

Hugh shook his head, then took a sip of the "energizer" to forcefully suppress the discomfort in his throat.

At that moment, a hotel waiter came over and handed over a large envelope that looked like it was full of things: "Mr. Hugh, there is a letter for you, sent from the Mage Council."

"The Mage Council?"

Seeing that Hugh was somewhat puzzled, the waiter whispered a reminder: "Sir, the council is the former legal committee on the plateau, this is their new name."

"Okay, I know."

Hugh reached out and took the envelope. It was a very standard magical letter, sealed not with sealing wax but with a special magical seal. The crystalline mineral powder that emitted a faint glow outlined a giant eagle standing on a magic book at the seal of the letter, unlike the "Eye of Mel" mark commonly used by the Legal Council.

"Hmm... a design created on the spot? These mages are quite efficient."

Hugh smiled slightly, then channeled a little magic into the seal.

In the faint magical light, the seal sealing the letter gradually faded, and then Hugh opened the envelope and took out what was inside.

A letter, a palm-sized, two-finger-thick black velvet pouch, and an exquisite metal pendant.

Hugh held the pendant in his hand and saw that a stream flowing between rocks was carved in the circular pendant. Unlike the stream-level mage badges that Hugh had seen before, the stream in this new badge issued by the Mage Council was decorated with azure magic crystals, which made it look like real water, constantly reflecting dazzling light under the light.

(End of this chapter)