The black sun hangs high

Chapter 110 The Birth of the Rat Swarm

Through Alexandra and all the souls who together constitute the “family will,” the details of the Black Sun Society’s arrangements within the Ernst family gradually came to light.

Countess Alexandra died and "became" the family's will more than two hundred years ago.

In fact, when she died, the souls and wills hidden beneath Ernst Manor had been tormented by the Black Sun Society's rituals for a very long time. As a later ancestor, Alexandra's knowledge of this place came from her even more distant ancestors.

"That feeling was really strange..."

Alexandra described her feelings upon passing away: "I thought that the soul would return to this world as the Legal Council and the Saint Steele Church of Life said, but I soon discovered that under the power of the ritual, I 'awakened' again, and I began to think and feel everything around me..."

The countess's smile was tinged with bitterness: "At that time, I didn't realize what would happen next."

"The eternal ritual set up here is always in effect. It's like a giant mill, and our souls are the grain thrown into it. Under its grinding and milling, all the deceased will eventually become like that..."

"Turn into a swarm of rats?"

"Yes, a swarm of rats."

The Countess nodded: "But the Society views this process as a blessing."

Could you elaborate?

"The members of the society responsible for maintaining the ceremony told us that the permanent ritual set up here is actually a gracious rite of the 'Mother Earth.' They believe that the merciful 'Mother Earth' will bestow her power upon those who pray through this rite, and at the same time, the 'Mother Earth' will grant all participants in the ceremony an inexhaustible power, and grant them permission to become her own..."

At this point, Alexandra hesitated slightly, clearly unsure of the correct words to use.

So Hugh whispered a suggestion: "Family?"

"Yes... that's the word."

Alexandra looked at Hugh with great surprise, then nodded and said, "That's how the race favored by the gods explains it."

So Hughes pointed to the corridor outside: "So, according to you, all the rats that appear here are essentially the ancestors of our family?"

Yes, including me.

The countess said softly, "We have no way to resist the changes brought about by the ritual, so in the end we can only be forced to accept those changes."

Do you remember what happened?

Hugh asked, “I’m sorry, I don’t want you to recall those past events, but this process might help me with my future decisions… after all, I also possess those ancient evil magic and power.”

“I understand, child… that process was terrible, but I remember it very clearly.”

The countess smiled and then said, "At first, I thought it was just a normal sleep. However, when I awoke from my sleep, I found myself bound inside my own statue. Then I began to feel pain. My spirit felt as if it had been cut by sharp threads, forced to split into countless individuals. I began to hear the squeaking of rats coming from within my soul..."

She recounted her feelings at the time in detail: "At that time, for the first time, I felt the influence of the mysticism spoken of by the society so profoundly. I felt as if I had become a plant seed sown into the soil, taking root, sprouting, and gradually being shaped into the form of that mouse."

“I feel like my will has been split into countless parts. I want to control them, but I don’t know where to start. Those rats have their own instincts and thoughts. They want to gnaw and devour everything in front of them, just like real wild beasts. But my own thoughts can’t compete with them.”

Listening to Alexandra's account, Verine's expression turned somewhat grim. She recalled the scene she and Hugh had encountered in the spiral staircase. If those rats were indeed some kind of ferocious magical creature, it would be acceptable. However, knowing that there were actually countless human spirits and wills within the bodies of these beasts, Verine felt a strong sense of powerlessness.

The feeling of being hunted by wild animals is completely different from being preyed upon by one's own kind.

"If what you're saying is true, this entire underground mansion should be infested with rats that prey on people. It seems that something unexpected happened afterward?"

"Yes."

Alexandra sighed: "I remained in that chaotic state for a very long time, perhaps for several years or even more than a decade, but one day, the operation of the 'Mother Earth's' ritual seemed to be severely disrupted."

"Thus, in the brief gap when the ritual was broken, the swarm of rats that housed fragments of our souls finally succeeded in being manipulated by our own will. All the members who remained conscious gathered together and launched a bold rebellion... We attacked all the members of the Society in the underground mansion, as well as their servants and assistants."

It was impossible for Hugh and Alexandra to know the specific details of what happened back then through mere words, but judging from the expression on Alexandra's face, it must have been a very important victory that was worth remembering for those who had been forced to split their souls and spirits.

“It was very chaotic at the time. Everyone was... huddled together like a sea, but we all knew what we had to do. We not only needed to attack the sorcerers of the society who possessed magic, but we also needed to find a way to deal with the other family members who had completely lost their animal instincts.”

"So you succeeded in the end?"

"It wasn't a success, but it wasn't a failure either..."

The countess explained, “The situation was far too rushed. We didn’t know when the secret system would be restored, nor did we know how to completely resolve these issues. Therefore, we could only do our best to destroy everything in front of us. In the end, we successfully destroyed the secret system circuits on the fourth and fifth underground levels… But after that, the other parts of the secret system successfully resumed operation, so we were confined here.”

"So, you're actually controlling the fourth and fifth floors of the underground mansion now?"

“That’s right.” Alexandra clapped her hands lightly, and immediately the soft rustling of mice came from every corner of the room. Hugh saw many mice emerge from the room. They did not attack, but quietly lined up together, as if in a queue.

"Among the members who successfully escaped the control of the secret ritual, I was the most clear-headed, so I made the decisions for everyone most of the time... Occasionally, members with relatively stable situations would take a portion of the rat swarm to investigate the outside world."

"Has the society never considered repairing the secret ritual?"

“They tried it more than a hundred years ago. The Society spent a huge amount of money to clear out the ‘four underground levels’ and wiped out all the family members living there, but they were unable to repair the damaged circuits.”

Vilin nodded and said, "Because the destruction of the ritual is caused from within, if the Black Sun Society wants to repair it, it must rebuild a considerable portion of the underground mansions... This is a drawback of most permanent rituals, and it seems that the 'Mother Earth' ritual mentioned by the Society is also unable to escape this limitation."

"Indeed."

The countess nodded in affirmation: "After that, the society seemed to abandon this underground mansion and the maintenance of the 'Mother Earth' ritual until recently when their members visited again."

"Not long ago" means...?

"About three years ago? Sorry, we're not very sensitive to time anymore."

Hugh silently calculated the timeline in his mind, and then he realized that three years ago should have been an important time when the Black Sun Society regained influence over the Ernst family and began to plan the Seren City incident. It was at that time that his original self was forcibly persuaded to leave the Water Magic Academy and sent to Seren City.

"Why did they come here?"

"I don't know. They don't seem to intend to repair the secret ritual, nor have they set foot on our floor again. But similarly, we have no way to track or interfere with their actions in detail... The remaining secret ritual is still affecting us. During that time, many more members completely lost their will."

Alexandra sighed: "We've tried so many things. We've used our power to influence those sent by the Society and turn them into our servants. Meanwhile, Jacob and Christina are constantly trying to get the message out of here. They want to disrupt and interfere with every successor selection ceremony as much as possible, but we have no idea if such efforts will be effective."

"So those magical decorations in the hotel room..."

"It was Jacob and his group who managed to send them up. Those who could detect these anomalies were definitely spellcasters who had mastered magic and magical power. This allowed them to identify the important targets that needed attention... And those children who were mentally weak and easily corrupted by the Mystic Ritual would also be expelled and eliminated by Jacob and his group."

This topic clearly saddened Alexandra. She shook her head and said, "However, our power is constantly weakening. Once we leave here, we will be affected by the Mysticism again, and the wildness lurking among the rats will resurface... In that case, Jacob and the others could easily cause serious harm to the children of the family. Even I have developed some strange habits. I collected these lamps to constantly remind me that I am still a 'person' who needs light."

After listening to Alexandra's account, Hugh nodded somewhat heavily.

He had previously found the behavior of the rats, who were clearly being manipulated by human will, very strange. Now it seemed that the source of this strangeness lay in the interference of the esoteric power and the conflict between human will itself. If Alexandra was right, then the ancestors of the Ernst family did indeed take great care of their descendants. However, human will was ultimately no match for the esoteric power of the ancient gods, and this was their limit.

Hugh glanced at the rats gathered in the room, whose bodies were strange and deformed but showed no aggression whatsoever, and then at the legendary countess in front of him who had barely constructed her own body using magic, and forced a smile.

“I think your efforts have not been in vain… My grandfather had already noticed something unusual about this place, and it was because of him that I came here.”

Hugh said, "If I'm not mistaken, he's taking more action. If all goes well, the Ernst family may be able to completely break free from the Black Sun Society's control and influence, at least on the surface."

Before she finished speaking, a sound suddenly came from under the chair where Weilin was sitting. It was the sound of many mice opening their mouths at the same time. Although it was very chaotic, a deep, hoarse male voice could be faintly heard.

"Child, who is in power now?"

Hugh turned his head and looked at the group of rats gathered together, and answered, "My grandfather was Zeke Ernst, and he was the former Field Marshal of Waterl."

"Hmm... I knew it. Only soldiers have such courage and intelligence."

The hoarse voice said, "Unfortunately, there are still too few people in the family who can become soldiers and officers. If there were more of them, perhaps this predicament could have been resolved long ago!"

The Countess said with displeasure, "Grandpa Bernhardt, don't forget that poor boy Ludwig was also a general, but he couldn't withstand the corruption of the Secret Order!"

Clearly, the Ludwig she was referring to was the statue that Hugh and his companion had seen in room 203. As Alexandra had said, the famous General Water ultimately failed to withstand the influence of the secret ritual like they had, and instead completely transformed into a swarm of rats that followed their instincts.

"He's considered a general?"

The hoarse voice, known as Bernhardt, retorted angrily: "As the brain of the army, as the commander of the army, he couldn't even learn how to protect himself, and was killed by a crystal cannon exploding while inspecting the position... Ha, what is this?"

"Alright, Grandpa Bernhardt."

The countess sighed helplessly: "Haven't we all already reached a consensus? What we really need are outstanding talents who understand magic, especially dark magic. Now that they are here before us, please don't repeat those words again!"

"You mean him?"

The rats under Vera's chair squeaked in dissatisfaction. Although they had no eyes, they could clearly "see" Hugh's appearance: "Hmph, carrying a crystal gun, he does look convincing, but..."

Before he could finish speaking, a shadow flickered on Hugh's shoulder. With his call, Sniggy, the mad rat that had been hiding in the metal disc, was summoned out. As soon as it appeared, it let out a threatening hiss at the "others" in the room, which shut up Bernhardt, who had been commenting on Hugh.

All the members of the Ernst family, including the Countess, felt a very familiar sensation about this rat with three long tails.

(End of this chapter)