Chapter 58 - 57: [Hound Tracking]

Chapter 58: Chapter 57: [Hound Tracking]

Although the prestigious name of the Royal Magic Academy gave Gaode a momentary surge of impulse, the distance of several thousand kilometers quickly calmed him down.

Let alone several thousand kilometers, even Bremen, which was only two hundred kilometers away from Hogan City, was an unreachable destination for the current Gaode. This was not his past life, where convenient modes of transportation like high-speed rail and airplanes were readily available. Outside the city, the vast expanses of undeveloped, uninhabited forests were teeming with danger.

With slightly complicated feelings, Gaode left the commercial district and returned to the Medicinal Garden.

The news he heard today still left a sense of unease in his heart. Although the recent disappearances had occurred in the commercial and commoner districts, who could guarantee anything when it came to something like this? Perhaps the next incident would happen in the slums, the wealthy district, or even the suburbs.

It was precisely because the city’s wealthy residents shared this exact concern that they applied pressure on the City Guards, forcing them to take the matter so seriously.

"I need to arrange for people to take turns keeping watch at night," Gaode thought to himself. "Even though the apprentices’ amateur combat skills wouldn’t be of any use if the ’killer’ actually shows up at the Medicinal Garden, it will at least give me some peace of mind. Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep at all if this keeps up."

"I just want to live a peaceful life, farm a bit, sell some medicine, and develop steadily for a while. Is that really so hard?" He felt a bit helpless.

Gaode considered himself to be well-behaved and honest enough. Even when he occasionally had impulsive thoughts, he completely suppressed them and never did anything risky. But alas, just because he didn’t look for trouble didn’t mean trouble wouldn’t find him.

"I hope the City Guards can at least be somewhat useful and catch the killer as soon as possible," he thought.

***

The worst-case scenario he had anticipated finally occurred.

Last night, despite the City Guards’ heightened patrols and the citywide martial law, a total of nine people from two households inexplicably vanished from their homes. Just like before, aside from some mysterious slime of unknown origin, absolutely nothing was found at the scene.

"Rumor has it that the wealthy folks in the city banded together this morning to pressure the City Guard..." Inside the grocery store, Pierre spoke with a serious expression to Gaode, who had rushed over early in the morning to gather information.

His face was fraught with worry. "Who wouldn’t be terrified by all this commotion?"

It seemed the little old man was also feeling incredibly insecure. It wasn’t surprising; people were always filled with fear toward the unknown.

"Pressuring the City Guard is just a front; their true goal is to pressure the City Lord," Gaode said, immediately seeing through the ploy. "The City Guards clearly have no way to solve this. They must invite a Mage of the city to intervene."

"If a Mage steps in, the truth should come to light very soon, right?" Such a bizarre situation could only be resolved by a Mage who possessed Extraordinary Power.

"I suppose so?" Pierre hesitated for a moment before nodding, still holding onto a certain degree of hope for Hogan City’s Mages.

Like Gaode, he hoped that Hogan City would remain peaceful and that no further anomalies would occur.

***

Hogan City, Municipal Council Chamber.

Inside the circular room, eight or nine of the city’s leading figures sat around a conference table crafted from dark wood. They wore colorful robes embroidered with their respective family crests. Their faces were expressionless, making it impossible to discern their inner thoughts.

Hogan City’s highest-ranking leader, Viscount Shire, sat at the head of the table with his brow furrowed. The people present collectively represented the highest authority in all of Hogan City.

Everyone, including Viscount Shire, remained completely silent.

Marlan, the Captain of the City Guard, was a robust middle-aged man. Wearing a tailored uniform, he looked exceptionally spirited and exuded an imposing presence. Seeing that no one was going to speak, his cheek twitched as he broke the silence.

"Viscount Shire, I deployed all the City Guards for night duty last night. The men worked tirelessly throughout the night—there was absolutely no slacking off, let alone any dereliction of duty. Yet, the disappearances still occurred silently, right under our patrols.

"This matter is no longer something the City Guards can resolve. We need to ask a Mage to step in."

The others at the table still didn’t speak, seemingly determined to keep their mouths shut.

At the head of the table, Viscount Shire furrowed his brow and let out a long sigh.

"I originally thought it was just a minor issue, but I didn’t expect it to escalate to this extent.

"If this matter isn’t resolved, everyone in the city will be in a state of panic, and the merchants are already expressing major grievances...

"Ultimately, Hogan City belongs to all of us. If anyone has any ideas, please share your thoughts."

Since Viscount Shire had spoken so explicitly, it was naturally inappropriate for the others to remain silent any longer.

"I suspect this is the doing of Earth Vein Creatures," the old man sitting to the right of Viscount Shire was the first to speak.

He was the Deputy City Lord of Hogan City, Mage Qingdi.

According to the regulations of the Sean Duchy, the highest leader of every city must be a member of the Nobility who held a ducal title; they would serve as the local City Lord. On top of that, a Deputy City Lord with the status of a Mage must be appointed. This was a mandatory rule. Only through this arrangement could the city be guaranteed to possess a certain degree of capability to withstand potential natural disasters and man-made calamities.

And even in a small city like Hogan City, its Deputy City Lord, Mage Qingdi, was a Second-Ring Mage.

"What are your thoughts on this, Mage Qingdi?" Viscount Shire asked for clarification.

"This does not seem to be a man-made act. Why would a person go through so much trouble just to target a few households?

"According to what you’ve all said, the missing families are simply gone, but their valuables and belongings were left completely untouched," Mage Qingdi stated calmly.

"Could it be the work of certain Mages researching forbidden Necromancy? The reason they didn’t take any valuables might just be to confuse us," someone hypothesized.

It wasn’t as if such things hadn’t happened before.

"Then they would be even less likely to commit crimes when the winds of scrutiny are blowing so fiercely," Viscount Shire said, outright dismissing the possibility. Researching forbidden Necromancy was a severe crime in itself. Such activities were always conducted in secret; there was no way someone would be so blatant about it.

"But if it is the work of Earth Vein Creatures, where did these Earth Vein Creatures come from, and where did they go?" Viscount Shire frowned.

He hadn’t entirely ruled out the possibility of Earth Vein Creatures, but there had never been a reasonable explanation for this particular point. The slums were one thing, as they were located on the outskirts of the city. Instances of errant Earth Vein Creatures luckily breaking through the city walls’ blockade and wreaking havoc in the slums weren’t unheard of.

But the families that vanished two days ago were clearly located in the commoner district, which was in the sub-center of Hogan City. If it truly was the doing of Earth Vein Creatures, how did it—or they—manage to pass through the city’s perimeter and enter the commoner district without being seen? And how did they leave so silently, or rather, where could they be hiding within the city at this very moment?

Over the past few days, the City Guards had been patrolling back and forth across the city, yet they hadn’t discovered the slightest anomaly.

"Earth Vein Creatures possess a wide variety of abilities. The frequency and number of Earth Vein Creatures appearing outside the city have already been increasing recently. The emergence of Earth Vein Creatures with concealment abilities is not incomprehensible," Mage Qingdi said slowly, a clear plan already forming in his mind.

"What do you mean, Mage Qingdi?" Seeing Mage Qingdi adopt a posture that suggested he already had a comprehensive plan and arrangement in mind, Viscount Shire quickly and humbly asked for guidance.

"Didn’t you mention that some slime was left at the scenes?" Mage Qingdi said directly. "If nothing unexpected happens, this slime should be what the ’killer’ left behind.

"With just one Hound Tracking spell, we can track down the killer based on that slime."

"Then I will have to trouble you to take action, Mage Qingdi."

Unexpectedly, Mage Qingdi shook his head. "I haven’t mastered Hound Tracking. I will need you, Viscount Shire, to send someone to Bremen to purchase a Magic Scroll.

"Hound Tracking is merely a 2nd-Ring spell. A corresponding Magic Scroll only costs thirty gold coins."

"Money is a trivial matter; finding the killer as soon as possible and calming this situation is the priority," Viscount Shire declared, slamming his hand on the table. Thirty gold coins was indeed nothing to a Viscount.

"I’ll send someone to Bremen immediately..."