The black sun hangs high

Chapter 304 Travel Plan
When Felix arrived at the scene with the other two, he saw that the area had been sealed off by a magical ritual.

Inside the old fisherman Glenn's dwelling, swarms of black rats are now constantly emerging.

These rats, summoned by Hugh, formed a highly disciplined and efficient transport team. Like a hand-cranked conveyor belt in the Highland Workshop, they moved by their own surging motion to transport all the items designated by Hugh to the open space outside the house.

Beside these prisoners and items, Hugh was leaning on his cane, pointing out and commenting on each of the Dawn Society spies who had participated in this mission.

His expression was very calm, but the words that came out of his mouth were extremely stern.

It was even a bit harsh.

"Let's start with you."

Hugh said to the young fisherman disguised as a spy, "I've already addressed part of your problem. The choices and judgments you made at the beginning... to be honest, they were quite good. Being able to directly control a Stream-level mage with just a Demon-Slaying Silver Dagger is something to be proud of."

"But the problem is, how much do you know about the tricks used by mages, especially regular mages at the Stream level and above?"

Hughes raised his foot and gently kicked the two Black Sun Society mages who were slumped beside him: "I've already seen it. Apart from a few spells, most of what they used today should be 'normal methods' within their established system."

"If you knew beforehand that there was an interconnected ritual between the two mages, you should have taken appropriate action immediately after you successfully subdued one of them... Either force the first prisoner to continue the ritual, or have the others prepare to deal with the powerful enemy, or even take the initiative to go inside and try to control the situation, instead of staying outside with your comrades in this sheltered place and confronting a mage head-on."

After saying that, Hugh turned to the other side and pointed to the young girl who had been hiding in the second-floor room but had fainted on the spot due to the "brain spike". He criticized her, "You are the only spellcaster who participated in this operation. Although you are just an apprentice, you should have mastered the necessary knowledge and skills. Not only should you have mastered them, but you should also have informed your comrades in time."

"Come on, let's see how many mistakes you just made."

"As a spellcaster capable of using a magically crafted bow and arrow, you were the only one with the best chance of directly attacking the target and killing or seriously injuring it. However, not only did you fail to fire the shot, you didn't even use magic pages or rituals to conceal your presence beforehand. In the eyes of a Stream-level mage, you are as conspicuous as a crystal lamp in the dark!"

The young Dawn Society spy blushed, lowered her head, and dared not look directly into Hugh's eyes.

However, the criticism didn't end there. Hugh continued, "Do you know enough about the revolver in your hand? Don't you know that you could have chosen a safer and more concealed firing position instead of staying by a window that's easily within your field of vision?"

Thus, Hughes didn't let any of the Dawnblade members present go. After he finished reprimanding everyone around him, his gaze fell on Felix, who was standing to the side.

After witnessing Hugh's stern side firsthand, even Felix couldn't help but bare his teeth.

"And you, Felix..."

Hugh's tone softened slightly. He noticed that Felix's clothes were stained with blood, indicating that he had also been on the front lines and had been injured.

Seeing this, Hugh said, "In the early days of 'Dawnblade,' as a manager and leader, you did need to be involved in every important mission, but that doesn't mean you have to take risks like all the other members."

He turned to the others present and said, “I’m not emphasizing Felix’s privileges, but rather the responsibilities he bears… He is the commander, the architect of important plans, the one who identifies the key points of the mission, makes timely arrangements, mobilizes manpower, and checks those critical arrangements that could affect success or failure… These are the things you should be doing, Felix.”

"They have a lot to learn, but you have even more to master, not just what I just mentioned, but you also need to specifically study the Black Sun Society and the powers they wield."

Hughes finally sighed, and his expression relaxed.

He smiled, and his tone softened.

"Professor Meyer, Mr. Darthwell, and Felix all hope that I can give more of these 'lessons' to everyone, but such opportunities are ultimately very rare, so I hope everyone can cherish them as much as possible. After all, in the future, more experience may require everyone to exchange blood and sacrifice."

"What we are facing now is only the beginning of a struggle."

"When cruel death and sweet temptation come before you, I hope you can still maintain the steadfastness you have today."

……

Another day has passed without us even realizing it.

In the afternoon, when Hugh finished interrogating the Black Sun Society prisoners and returned to his quarters, he encountered Meyer, who had been waiting for him at the cabin door for a long time.

“I heard from Felix that he thinks your courses are fantastic, even more professional than any professor he’s ever met at any school!”

Meyer leaned against the railing, sighing as he watched the seabirds flying in the distance. The strange fish in the waters near the port had been mostly cleared out, so some of the fish had returned, and the seabirds that made their living by catching fish had also returned to their habitat.

Faced with Mayer's praise, Hugh shook his head helplessly.

He himself certainly had no practical teaching experience.

But his memory already contained the memories and knowledge of countless victims. In addition, he had the guidance of a group of experienced family leaders, and with the confidence brought by his sufficient power, all of Hugh's actions became extremely natural.

As for what he said to the members of "Dawnblade", it was all his true thoughts.

While pointing out the problems, he felt that he should not deny the courage and ideals of these young people, after all, these are the important cornerstones that support them in fighting against unknown enemies. If possible, Hughes hoped that these cornerstones could be more solid and would never be eroded by external forces.

But is this possible?
The answer is naturally no. While most members of the Akatsuki may be able to stand firm in their beliefs and make appropriate choices when faced with external influences, some will inevitably be influenced by potential threats and temptations in the future, and may even choose to betray.

Choices and judgments made based on ideals or beliefs are very abstract and cannot be quantified using concepts like numbers. They can be very fragile or incredibly powerful.

Meyer suddenly turned around and asked, "Why are you sighing?"

Hugh was somewhat surprised: "Huh? I sighed?"

"Haha, of course."

Meyer carefully examined Hugh's expression, then shook his head and said, "It seems you're somewhat confused? Or perhaps you've encountered some difficult trouble?"

"That's not true."

Hugh shook his head. He reached into his pocket and pulled out half a pack of cigarettes he'd taken from Darthville. He casually pulled one out and handed the pack to Meyer. Soon, wisps of smoke began to drift away on the sea breeze.

Smoking is certainly not a good habit, and this is no different for Vaan, who possesses the miracle of magic. But for Hugh at this moment, he desperately needs a way to open his mind or relax.

"Professor, if I were to go to the North next, what would my itinerary look like?"

"Now, the only way to get to the North is by boat. And you can't go around the Kingdom of Hein. You can only go through the sea on the east side of the plains to reach your destination. Even if you travel at full speed on a warship, it will take at least fifteen days."

"Ha, I thought the magic masters of the Law Committee would set up some teleportation magic ritual for this?"

Meyer smiled, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said, “That’s because you’ve misunderstood them. We’ve spoken with the mages of Merlinle several times, and they wish you could arrive right now… But teleportation magic is too delicate, and the black sun interferes with it greatly. If something goes wrong during the ritual, the user could be teleported ‘everywhere’.”

"The Legal Committee did not lie this time. Currently in Vanne, the vast majority of major rituals have been affected."

Vera's voice suddenly came from the side. Hugh turned his head to look and saw that she was wearing a very typical magic lab coat. To make it easier to move, the white sleeves were neatly rolled up. In the large pockets of the lab coat, there were several paper materials and her magic book.

It seems she has just finished a new round of experiments.

Veraine did not reprimand the two men who were smoking. She also leaned against the ship's railing and said softly, "The final date for that meeting has been set for twenty days from now. If we really intend to attend, we'll probably have to leave immediately."

The shoulder straps of the lab coat were a little loose, so Vilin frowned and adjusted them. Then she continued, "Tomorrow evening, a cruise ship will depart from 'Blue Algae Harbor' in the Duchy of Bult, and will be escorted by different duchy fleets on different sections of the voyage... Those aboard are all scholars and dignitaries preparing to travel to Merlinle and He.

"Your suggestion is that we also take this ship?"

"That would be for the best, unless you're planning to have the Dawn Goddess make a special trip just to take us?"

Vera rolled her eyes slightly. She paused for two seconds before adding, "From a personal perspective, I don't really recommend anyone participate in this Merlinle meeting. The North is already very dangerous, and no one can estimate the true extent of the Black Sun Society's infiltration there... Therefore, the countries have been very cautious in selecting personnel to participate in this meeting."

Meyer, who was standing nearby, asked, "What if we consider the Dawn Society and the potential alliance of nations?"

Vera replied, "Then this meeting is very important... Professor, we are preparing to cooperate deeply with Merlinler, right?"

"Indeed."

Mayer nodded: "We are destined not to stay in the Duchy of Bult for long. The Dawn Society needs a long-term and stable base, and this base must meet our many goals and needs. Merlinler has also understood our thoughts, so they are taking the initiative to communicate with us."

Hugh couldn't help but sigh, "It's hard to imagine that the Legal Committee would compromise to this extent. It seems that their internal situation is not optimistic."

“I think that’s why Venerable Vika keeps extending invitations to you.”

Vera looked at Hugh: "Through some of the mages who withdrew from Seren City, they have learned about your special abilities... I guess the higher-ups of the Law Committee are very keen for you to use your abilities to help them eliminate some of the traitors and spies hidden within."

Hugh nodded slightly. He thought seriously for two seconds, then said to Meyer, "Professor, inform Felix to select a few members he thinks are promising from within the 'Sword of Dawn' and have them accompany us on this trip... I believe that the 'Sword-wielding Hermits' of the Law Council will be able to provide many useful solutions for dealing with mages. This is a very important learning opportunity."

He rubbed his fingers together lightly, using magical flames to turn the cigarette butt in his hand into ashes. Then he turned to Verin: "If this is the itinerary, we need to pack our bags now and notify the Legal Committee... We'll set off directly for 'Blue Algae Harbor' tomorrow morning."

After completing a series of plans, the three parted ways. Mayer needed to inform Felix and issue a formal notice to the person in charge of Merlinle, while Verin needed to organize the experimental data she had obtained in the past two days and hand over the deformed fish samples she had just acquired to the professional mages within the Dawn Society.

As for Hugh, he quickly toured the Dawn Society's laboratory warehouse before returning to his cabin.

He didn't have anything special to pack; the only thing he needed to do was to get some sleep.

After his magic power had grown sufficiently, the grooves on his metal disc had expanded to a new level, and those intricate grooves were now beckoning to him.

So Hugh carefully placed the four or five different items he had chosen beside the bed, and then lay down among them...

(End of this chapter)