The black sun hangs high

Chapter 92 A Place to Rest
"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..."

The apprentice shrugged helplessly at Hugh: "I know it's not a good question... but I'm really curious, why would you need an earth dragon's ear? To use it as food?"

"Ingredients?"

Now it was Hugh's turn to be puzzled.

The apprentice nodded: "As far as I know, earth dragon ears shouldn't be used to make alchemical ingredients, right? If you're looking for something like that, you should probably go to hotels and restaurants, not here."

He gave Hugh a strange look: "Perhaps some discerning diners are looking for this kind of thing."

Hugh's eyebrows twitched involuntarily. He didn't know much about the specific details of alchemy and never expected this to happen.

He coughed lightly, then asked, "So, what are the two things that can be satisfied?"

"plz follow me."

The apprentice led Hugh back to that corner and stopped in front of a table.

At this moment, Hugh noticed that there were two boxes on the table, one large and one small. The larger one was about the length of a forearm, and the smaller one was about the size of two palms.

The apprentice opened the smaller metal box, inside which lay ten sharp fangs, each as long as a finger, with faint dark purple lines and grooves visible on them, making them appear extremely dangerous.

"These are the sharp teeth of the short-tailed wolf of the dense forest, and the venom glands are all intact. You requested five, but based on the principles of magical experiments and material saturation in alchemy, we have taken the liberty of doubling the number for you, hoping it will be of some help... When handling them, please be sure to wear gloves or use tools, as excessive force will cause the remaining venom to spill out."

After Hugh finished examining the teeth of the short-tailed wolves, the apprentice resealed the box and then opened the long, narrow wooden box next to it.

Two emerald green vines, intertwined and secured with multiple magical threads, appeared before his eyes.

"The rhizomes of the young Killer Ivy are perfectly intact, without any damage."

As he spoke, the apprentice picked up a thin wooden stick from the side and carefully inserted it into the wooden box.

Like snakes suddenly awakened from their sleep, the two emerald green vines began to writhe violently the moment they were touched by the stick. However, the seemingly fragile magical threads held them firmly to the bottom of the wooden box, preventing them from making any more dangerous moves.

"Look, they're full of energy... You'd better be careful with the spikes on them when you use them, as they'll stick out if you're stimulated."

Seeing that Hugh seemed very satisfied, the apprentice breathed a slight sigh of relief. He didn't know who this young man his mentor had brought was, so he didn't dare to offend him. He pushed the two boxes in front of Hugh and then said in a low voice, "The other items on the list that you requested will be considered contraband for the foreseeable future, especially the 'body fluid of the Corrupted Dragon' and the 'eyeball of the Piercing Spider'... They are all important materials for making powerful alchemical bombs."

"Thank you so much!"

Hugh thanked him softly, and when he noticed that the other person's eyes were fixed on him and that his expression was somewhat flustered, he immediately realized what was going on.

Several pre-prepared general silver coins fell into the apprentice's palm as he took the item. The apprentice's face immediately lit up with a joyful smile. In Borden, these silver coins were not considered very valuable, but they were still a windfall.

Not far away, Mage Klaus seemed to have finished his work as well, but he still maintained the arrogance befitting a Valley-level mage and did not come over to greet Hugh, but instead nodded at him from afar.

"Okay, that's settled then."

Hugh shrugged. He didn't want to expose the mutation of his magic and the special nature of his magic power here, so he didn't use his magic hand to carry things for him like the other mage apprentices. Instead, he honestly picked up the two slightly heavy boxes and walked outside with the team carrying supplies.

In the foreseeable future, these goods, once exclusively for the nobles of the Lyran district, will be thrown into the enormous furnace of war and molded into weapons capable of inflicting damage. They will shine in the hands of the soldiers of the Kingdom of Votel, bestowing death upon all their enemies.

However, Hugh knew that at this moment, the mobilization scenes of those plains nations must be even more breathtaking—the Goddess Plains were simply too rich, with all sorts of natural resources to be found there. In addition, with Merlinle and such a powerful ally, their armies would certainly have a richer and more diverse supply of materials. Therefore, the nature of the war was probably not as simple as these confident young people imagined.

Hugh recalled the new revolver crystal gun he had used in the city of Seren. It was the work of the gunsmiths of the Kingdom of Delan. It proved that different countries were constantly developing weapons. As things stood, it was still uncertain whether the new weaponry could give the highland countries a time advantage.

Igor and Ellen had been waiting outside for a long time. When they saw Hugh come out, they both breathed a sigh of relief and then went back to the car together.

Ellen carefully placed the two heavy boxes into the car, then asked, "Looks like everything went smoothly?"

"Let's just say it went smoothly for now."

Hugh flipped through his newly acquired spellbook: "However, judging from the current situation, the kingdom's army is probably under considerable pressure."

"That's normal, sir."

Ellen sighed: "In fact, the first lesson we received when we joined the army was about winning or losing wars."

"tell me the story."

The young bodyguard, Igor, who was already sitting in the driver's seat, replied, "That's Marshal Zeke's philosophy. He believes that a qualified soldier should know where his limits are. He tells us that the role of soldiers in war is actually limited. Nowadays... it's no longer the era where victory could be won simply by the morale and bravery of soldiers."

Igor's voice sounded very low, even somewhat frustrated.

Hughes then gave Ellen a questioning look.

"It's Saint Steel."

Ellen explained to Igor, “They are facing pressure from Merlinle and, according to several soldiers in the Jaeger Corps, the officials of St. Steel are relentlessly exploiting the workers in order to expand the mining of the crystal mines… In just one week, there have been many riots there, including in Igor’s hometown.”

"..."

Hearing this, Hugh could only sigh for the other party.

The Kingdom of Saint Steel also boasts a long history. Due to its location near the frigid north, its vast territory contains extensive permafrost, forcing its citizens to dedicate considerable time and energy to maintaining their own and the nation's survival. Furthermore, the presence of abundant crystal minerals within its borders makes Saint Steel a major exporter of these minerals to Vaan. Such a unique nation, during this particular period, is destined to bear even greater pressure.

Without even asking Hugh, one could know that the Kingdom of Saint Steel desperately wanted to use this impending large-scale war to break free from Merlinle and its influence—at least to free the crystal mining industry from the control of the Legal Committee.

In many cases, the people of St. Steel, whose lives were already not very comfortable, would naturally suffer even more.

"Mr. Hugh, where do we go next?"

Ellen's question brought Hughes back to reality. He looked out the window at the soldiers busy moving things and asked, "Like we said before, let's go somewhere where I can get some rest."

"have a good rest?"

"It means being able to sleep peacefully without being disturbed... Is that clear?"

Hearing Hugh's words, Ellen couldn't help but frown. It wasn't that he questioned Hugh's plans and arrangements, but the Leland district was essentially a residential area for nobles, and there wouldn't be any typical hotels here. Even if there were, they would be in other families' manors...

Are they really going to have to stay on someone else's turf as members of the Ernst family?

Ellen thought for a while, then tentatively asked, "Mr. Hugh, if you don't have too many requirements for your resting environment, perhaps you could go to my wife's shop. It's quiet enough and has an attic where you can rest."

"can."

Hughes nodded in satisfaction, and the vehicle then turned around and continued driving down the road.

Along the way, the three had their own thoughts, but they did not have any further conversation.

The silence continued until the vehicle arrived at its destination. Guided by Ellen, Hughes saw a bookstore called "Fir Forest." There was indeed a small alpine fir tree at the entrance, decorated with colorful ornaments that stood out brightly against the dark-toned street.

Of course, it also looks very interesting and cute.

“My wife likes fir trees, and my daughter likes those decorations… so it turned out like this.”

After Hugh got out of the car, Ellen explained, feeling embarrassed.

In fact, the shop's decorations had been ridiculed by his acquaintances more than once, though all were good-natured jokes, but Ellen had developed the habit of explaining.

"To be honest, I quite like it. You get tired of seeing black all the time."

Hugh said sincerely, and then, accompanied by the two, he walked towards the "Fir Forest" bookstore with his belongings. When he arrived at the store entrance, Hugh noticed that there was an ugly rag doll hanging on the fir tree. It was barely recognizable as a male figure with a beard. Judging from its rough workmanship and rather abstract shape, it was most likely the work of Ellen's daughter.

"He always stays at the manor and doesn't come home, so his daughter hung this outside as a punishment for him. But I think it should be considered a reward."

Igor muttered something under his breath.

He was clearly a regular here, and Hugh noticed that Igor's mood had improved considerably after arriving at the store, and his previously tense face had relaxed.

The bookstore was very warm. Just as Ellen had described when they first met, the bookstore was more like a "book bar". In addition to bookshelves, there were several desks, benches and individual seats by the window. In a corner, there was a small bar where a woman of similar age to Ellen was busy brewing herbal tea.

There were several customers in the shop, men and women of different ages, all sitting in their seats reading attentively while enjoying the warmth from the flameless crystallizer and the fragrance of herbal tea.

The woman was clearly Ellen's wife. When she saw her husband bring a strange young man to the counter, she reached out and pulled a metal lever next to the counter. With a soft click, a magical energy immediately emanated from the counter and formed a simple and faint ritual field in the vicinity.

"It's for soundproofing, but it's not very effective."

Ellen's wife smiled and offered an explanation, then asked Ellen, "What's up, honey? And who is this?"

As soon as she finished asking the question, she noticed Hugh's appearance and then suddenly realized and made an "oh" sound with her mouth.

Ellen pointed to the ceiling: "We need to use the attic."

"Oh... Little Kara should be playing up there..."

"It's alright, I'll bring her down."

After finishing his conversation with his wife, Ellen led Hughes deeper into the bookstore, and then the two of them, one in front of the other, climbed the stairs leading to the attic.

For this adorable little girl, seeing her father suddenly during the day was naturally a very happy thing. Although she was very reluctant to give up the attic, little Kara forgot everything after hearing that Ellen was willing to take her out to play in the snow.

Soon, with the attic door closed, Hugh finally had a quiet, safe, and warm private space.

He stopped the flow of magic within his body, and the weariness that he had been deliberately suppressing immediately began to resurface. Within seconds, Hugh couldn't help but start yawning.

"Such a family is really...enviable."

Hugh looked at the toys and children's books in the attic and couldn't help but shake his head.

He quickly set up the basic protective ritual he had just mastered. After moving the children's toys that were placed on the bed aside, he took off his coat and slowly lay down with the two boxes, one large and one small.

"Hopefully nothing goes wrong this time. I don't want to ruin this bookstore..."

Hughes silently recited a phrase in his mind, then pressed the two boxes and closed his eyes. Almost instantly, he fell into a dream, propelled by drowsiness.

(End of this chapter)