The black sun hangs high

Chapter 91 The Miracle of Borden

Military transport vehicles parked along the wide road added a unique touch to the streets of Leland.

The military has always enjoyed a high reputation in Walter.

This is closely related to the initial composition of the Votel army and the propaganda the kingdom gave them. When the Votel Kingdom was first established on the plateau, neither commoners nor so-called nobles could escape their military careers. The Votel Kingdom has always been extremely strict in its control over military discipline and regulations. Therefore, every Votel person is well aware that soldiers are actually a symbol of honor and justice.

Just as Hugh had observed when he arrived in Borden with the Fifth Juggernaut, the young girls always had a fondness for the soldiers, a reflection of the Votel people's feelings toward the army.

But in the Leland district, things are different.

At least for Hugh, who was "in the know," seeing the kingdom's army appear on the territory of the Wotel nobles would inevitably lead to some associations.

Fortunately, it wasn't the Imir Legion that appeared here.

If those elite soldiers, shrouded in black military uniforms, were to walk here, there would probably be no one on the road at all.

"It's the Hunter Corps."

Having served in the military, Ellen was very familiar with the soldiers' organization, so he immediately gave his professional judgment: "There are badges on the vehicles, um, it's the 5th Jäger Regiment... Some of them have indeed been undergoing reorganization near Borden recently."

"It's them."

Hugh nodded and looked at the soldiers chatting by the transport vehicle. These young men all carried their own weapons, and even in a relaxed state, they stood ramrod straight.

Hugh had already witnessed the discipline and appearance of the members of the Fifth Jaeger Regiment.

It seems that even during training and rest periods, these young men have not slacked off in the slightest.

The vehicle was not stopped, and under the watchful eyes of the soldiers, Hugh finally arrived at the largest alchemy shop in "Lyran's Kiss".

Calling it an alchemy shop is actually inappropriate, as ordinary shops would never be this large. It looks more like a trade fair for the nobility, with an extremely elegant and luxurious facade. Silver lettering carved from precious metals is fixed above the door. Hugh only glanced at it and noticed that the metal sign alone was covered with many magical rituals. They may even have been permanently fixed, which is the only way to resist the corrosion of metal and all kinds of weather.

"The Miracle of Borden..."

Hugh read the words on the signboard softly, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "What a grand vision!"

The Water people have always considered their country to be the core of the Lovi Plateau, and Borden to be the core of the entire Water Kingdom... The meaning behind such a name is very clear—all the wonders and wonders of the Lovi Plateau will converge here.

But only a name like this is worthy of its astonishing scale.

If he had any free time, Hugh would definitely take a good look around here, but now, the things weighing on Hugh's mind and the soldiers of the Fifth Hunter Regiment standing at the entrance of "The Wonder of Borden" forced him to give up such a thought.

"Sir, Borden's Wonder is currently unable to serve ordinary customers."

As Hugh approached the gate, the two hunters guarding the entrance immediately reached out to stop him. They didn't even bother to check which family Hugh belonged to—such things were meaningless to them.

"What happened? I need to urgently purchase some alchemical products."

"I'm sorry, but regular customers are not allowed to enter this area at the moment."

The soldier mechanically explained, "According to the mobilization order, the Hunter Corps will now be taking inventory of the goods and stock in the major alchemy shops in the city."

"A mobilization order for supplies?"

Hughes raised an eyebrow, then turned to look at the transport trucks parked nearby.

Judging from this, these vehicles are most likely here to haul things away... It seems that the Fifth Hunter Regiment probably wants to empty this place out.

"Is no one allowed to enter?"

Hugh frowned, then took out his brand-new mage certificate and pendant: "I have the latest certificate issued by the Mage Council. We do need to purchase some items, and I can show them to you."

Putting everything else aside, the new certificates and grading pendants produced by the council are quite eye-catching. They look exceptionally beautiful in the bright daylight and immediately attract the attention of people nearby.

The two soldiers exchanged a glance, and one of them immediately stepped forward and took the documents from Hugh's hands.

Please wait here.

After saying this, the soldier walked through the gate with Hugh's identification, and his vacancy was immediately filled by another sentry.

Although these soldiers all belonged to the Fifth Jaeger Regiment, Hugh didn't see a single familiar face.

This is perfectly normal. After all, the size of a Hunter Regiment is enormous. Even the Fifth Hunter Regiment, an elite force carefully selected from the best, has more than two thousand regular soldiers. The people who carried out the mission at Lone Wolf Ridge and escorted Hugh back were only a portion of them.

Beside him, Ellen and Igor, the two bodyguards, were very relaxed. As former soldiers, they had a good impression of these soldiers and trusted them completely in all their work arrangements. Igor had even started chatting with a soldier who was resting. The two seemed to be of St. Steel descent, and it was natural for fellow countrymen to be especially friendly when they met.

Ellen asked in a low voice, "Mr. Hugh, I remember you said before that your magic is only at the very beginning?"

Hugh replied in a low voice, "I'm indeed just starting out. I've only read a little over half of the basic book."

"what?"

"I'm serious... but my teacher might be more influential in the review committee?"

"Oh……"

Ellen nodded. He knew that the teacher Hugh was talking about was most likely the young female mage who had parted ways with him at the crossroads of the foreign guests. Putting aside everything else, just looking at her appearance... she was indeed a popular person.

As a bodyguard who had spent a considerable amount of time in aristocratic circles, he had heard all sorts of things... so in an instant, he had already conjured up a series of bizarre stories in his mind.

Hugh, of course, had no idea that the seemingly honest and silent bodyguard beside him was already speculating about the complicated relationship between him and Vera. He looked up and then saw a familiar figure walk out of the door in front of him. A hood, a cane, and of course, that unremarkable and unusually indifferent face.

“Mr. Klaus, it’s been several days.”

The mage nodded to Hugh, acknowledging his greeting. Then, the soldier who had left earlier came forward and returned the mage's credentials to Hugh.

"Stay close, it's a mess inside, there aren't any sales assistants to help you out right now."

Klaus muttered something under his breath, then tapped his cane and, without waiting for Hugh's reply, turned and walked into the store.

Seeing the soldiers make way, Hugh hurried forward to chase after them. Ellen wanted to follow, but the soldiers stopped her and she had no choice but to stay outside.

The first thing connecting to the interior of the shop was a very ornate corridor, with cabinets on both sides displaying a variety of collectible magical items. However, Klaus's pace was too fast, so Hugh had no choice but to quicken his pace as well.

"There's nothing to see here; most of them are just flashy but impractical toys."

Klaus glanced at Hughes, then launched into a critique of the items in the cabinet: “Unless you or your family need something… a urinal that can automatically detect the user’s needs and come to you by itself, don’t waste your time on them.”

Hughes nodded.

In fact, when he heard Klaus say those words, the image of old Zeke immediately came to mind.

Although a walking urinal sounds disgusting, as a pragmatist, Hughes didn't find it so bad.

As if he had guessed Hugh's thoughts, Klaus suddenly sneered: "It's not as good as you think. The thought detection ritual attached to it operates continuously. That is to say, as long as the user has a thought, it will definitely come over, regardless of the occasion or time."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Hugh immediately abandoned the idea of ​​learning about such products.

Clearly, in this world, magic, as a part of productivity, also embodies the boundless imagination of humankind. Such a commodity is indeed... premature for the nobles.

“I heard this morning that the council has relaxed the screening criteria for spellcasters and the recruitment conditions for wild mages, but I didn’t expect you to be one of the first beneficiaries.”

"It's better to be lucky than early."

"Interesting statement."

Perhaps because he was no longer in a military camp, the mage Klaus was less serious and more humorous than before.

At this moment, the two had arrived at the inner hall of "The Wonder of Borden". Here, Hugh saw many busy hunter soldiers as well as accompanying mage and physician apprentices. Just as the sentry on duty outside the door had said, they were busy taking inventory of all kinds of alchemical materials and items. Whenever an item was found to be on the list, a soldier would immediately step forward to seal it.

"The war is about to begin. The Legal Council has reached an agreement with the Delan people. They are working together to blockade the plateau for important supplies, including crystal ore, magical items, and alchemical materials."

"So the country is preparing to enter a state of war?"

"That's all."

Klaus nodded: "These merchants and those giant-eared goblins... they're probably all in trouble, especially the giant-eared goblins. They're too fond of speculation, so they're now the main targets for control. You might see news of a group of goblins being executed in just a few days."

"Execution? For what crime?"

"Treason."

Klaus pointed to a corner of the hall, where Hugh saw a large amount of alchemical materials being sorted, piled up, and processed. The mage explained, "Can you imagine? Even with the nation having issued a mobilization order for supplies, there are still large amounts of strategic materials being deliberately hoarded, and this is happening in the Lyran district."

Hugh saw that there was indeed a symbol of the god of commerce, representing goblin merchants and caravans, in that corner. Regardless of whether the goblins were the ones who decided to hoard these materials, they were now in a difficult position to blame.

"Okay, I do need to buy some things. That shouldn't trigger the ban, right?"

“If this had happened three days ago, you would probably already be being questioned.”

Klaus raised his cane, and immediately a message transmitted through magic entered Hugh's brain.

"But Princess Sofia believes that you deserve some support... but you should be careful not to go too far."

After giving those words, Klaus walked to the side, where the mage apprentices seemed to have made some new discoveries and needed to consult him.

So Hugh walked toward that corner, where the alchemical materials had already been packed into dozens of different boxes of various sizes, and several mage apprentices were checking the items and labeling them with magical tags.

Klaus had clearly made the arrangements, so the two apprentices immediately approached and asked Hugh what he needed.

Thus, the list of items that had once shocked Gerald, the shopkeeper in Seren, was once again presented to the apprentices. Of course, this time Hugh deliberately removed some alchemical materials that didn't seem quite right, since he would still need to live in Borden City in the future.

The items on the list clearly puzzled the apprentices, but as soldiers of Walter, they immediately sprang into action. While they inventoried and searched for items that met the requirements, Hugh wandered around elsewhere and soon made some new discoveries.

Two high-quality magic books.

All of them have black covers and are waterproofed. They are made in Saint Steel. The surface is outlined with the image of a fine-scaled sea serpent in dark gold ink, which makes it look mysterious and noble. They also come with three ink pens specially used for engraving magic patterns and magic models. They are equally high-end.

In addition, Hugh also had his eye on some alchemical bombs and new firearms produced by the Water Workshop. Unfortunately, these items had now become important strategic resources, and even though Klaus had made an offer, Hugh couldn't get his hands on them.

Just as Hugh was intently staring at the metal boxes filled with alchemical bombs and under heavy guard, the apprentice who had been in charge of counting the alchemical materials came over.

"Sir, according to the verification, there are eight items on the list. We can meet the requirements for two of them. The rest are either on the danger list or are too difficult or obscure..."

(End of this chapter)