“Job, what is that look in your eye? Speak clearly, don’t beat around the bush. Say whatever you have to say.” City Lord Simmons’s heart thumped suddenly, he quickly disassociated himself from any involvement, as he could not afford to be charged with the crime of attacking an apprentice.
He glanced at Ivan, thankfully Ivan’s expression remained unchanged.
“My lord, then I will truly speak.”
“Speak.”
“It was a command issued by you personally.”
Under the prompting of the City Lord, the initially hesitant trusted aide spoke the truth.
The other trusted aides nodded their heads, agreeing with Job’s statement.
“Nonsense, when did I issue such a command?” Simmons’s complexion turned very dark.
“Last night.” Faced with this tragic situation, Job had nothing to lose.
“My lord, you said it yourself, I can testify to that,” another aide said, with others chiming in.
“Everyone shut up, father would never issue such an outrageous command,” Nelsey quickly chided.
Attacking an apprentice was like rebelling against superiors, offending Mongna Ant Land Cottage, a crime that could doom the entire Albe family. How could he not be anxious?
“Nelsey, you better shut up and let them continue, let them recount the event,” Simmons knew it was useless to cover up. It was better to narrate the facts comprehensively and find discrepancies from there.
The trusted aides explicitly stated it was a command from the City Lord, with clear and compelling arguments, causing Simmons and his son to twitch uncontrollably, constantly looking towards Ivan.
Ivan was aware, it seemed that the situation had nothing to do with Simmons and his son.
“Lord Ivan, what do you think?”
“Their belongings, bring them all here for me to see.”
“This way, please.”
In another room next to the cell, a long table was filled with various items, nearly overflowing. Ivan turned his head, surprised, and looked at the City Lord.
“I sent someone to their usual places and brought over all the items that looked special,” Simmons explained.
“Thoughtful of you.”
Ivan nodded slightly, his gaze fell on the items on the table, which included weapons, leather armor, one-time runes, various potions, books, magic stones, and others. His gaze lingered on the magic stones, picking one up and scrutinizing it.
Not far away, Simmons and his son exchanged glances, pensive. Simmons gestured to Nelsey, who hastily left.
After a while, Ivan pointed at some of the magic stones: “I will take these magic stones with me.”
“Understood, understood.”
Simmons got the hint and found a box to pack all the magic stones, totaling only eight.
Ivan paid no mind to his slight actions.
“Mr. Simmons, may I ask you a question?”
“Please speak, my lord. I will withhold nothing from you.”
“Tell me about Stone Creek Town. What is special about this place? Presumably, the Albe family knows something, right?”
“This—-“
Upon hearing his question, Simmons’s expression stiffened.
Ivan calmly looked at him: “Can’t you speak of it?”
Simmons gently nodded: “I apologize, my lord. Bound by a blood oath, absolutely no information regarding this can be revealed from the Albe family, or we would be doomed.”
Just then, Nelsey hurried back, handing a box to Simmons, who then presented it to Ivan.
“Lord, you have helped the Albe family clear out a menace, this small gift is but a token of appreciation.”
“Very well, I won’t be polite then.”
Seeing the expectant looks in their eyes, Ivan accepted the box and added a reminder, “To say it’s completely dealt with isn’t quite true, but now that we have a clue, the issue should be resolved soon. Stay vigilant in the coming days.”
“Thank you for your troubles.”
Having seen him in action, Simmons’s demeanor had become much more respectful, mentally classifying him along the lines of the experienced apprentice, Heidi. Relieved, Simmons and his son were visibly relaxed after he accepted their gift.
Returning to his residence, Ivan opened the gift box, which contained twenty low-grade magic stones; indeed, a significant gift for a frontier City Lord.
With Ivan’s current perspective, twenty magic stones naturally didn’t concern him.
“So the issue lies with the magic stones, truly a defense hard to anticipate.”
Selecting seven stones from the pile, and then three from those seven, he compared the unusual marks inside these magic stones, determining that what he was looking for was right here.
Given their high value, using magic stones as a medium would unwittingly ensnare many, no wonder even the City Lord’s trusted aides couldn’t avoid it.
All of a sudden, he thought of Simmons and his two sons, wondering which among them had become pawns.
“Looks like I need to be extra careful tonight as well.”
He took out a rune brush and a small bottle of elements ink, writing a rune directly on the box, temporarily sealing the magic stones until Heidi or someone from the Hunting Team returned to handle it.
As time ticked by, unexpectedly, it remained silent till dark. There was no word from Gina, nor did anyone from the Hunting Team return, as if by some agreement.
“These damned fools, completely lacking a sense of the big picture.”
Ivan couldn’t help but curse, finding it difficult to believe neither group had discovered clues; rather, each had their own agenda, purposely keeping him out of the loop.
Under cover of night, he left the residence arranged by the City Lord. Tonight, he had to find a place to lay low, to avoid unwanted visitors.
In the deep of the night, several shadows appeared in front of the residence, among them two dressed in apprentice robes, the others outfitted like explorers.
The main door opened silently, and the group entered one after another, directly heading for Ivan’s bedroom, only to find it empty.
No target was found in the other rooms either.
One of the apprentices, Yosef, cursed, “Cunning little rat, he must be hiding somewhere else.”
The other, Allen, said, “It’s normal, your assassination attempt during the day must have alarmed him. The people of Mongna Ant Land Cottage are not to be underestimated.”
“What now?”
“First, let’s deal with another group. We’ve laid a heavy bait; they’ll soon be unable to resist falling into our trap, then at our mercy.”
Time was pressing, so Yosef and the others didn’t linger long, hastily arriving and departing. They headed straight to the south side of Swamp Forest City’s wall, where guards quietly slipped them out of the city.
Outside the city, several magicalized wild beasts were orderedly waiting there. Seeing Yosef and Allen, the beasts affectionately moved closer.
Allen activated a Secret Technique Seal, and a beam of light revealed a vague female apprentice figure.
“Melinda, you were too far away earlier, I couldn’t contact you.”
“No time for nonsense, how did it go on your end, did you kill him?”
Discover more content at empire
“We didn’t find him, that boy is extremely cunning, he hid beforehand. This isn’t exactly our territory, so it’s not advisable to search too openly.”
“Leave it, then, come here quickly, they took the bait.”
Hearing the words from the other end, Allen and Yosef’s eyes lit up. The group mounted their magicalized beasts, swiftly heading toward a location away from Swamp Forest City.