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Though receiving the reward was gratifying, it also meant that Dean Bruce now had the headache of coming up with yet another new spell incantation.

With the pressing matter of investigating the mysterious disappearances in the Pur-cloud Imperial Capital, Dean Bruce didn\'t want to waste all his energy crafting new incantations.

He sighed deeply and glanced at the still-sleeping Nicholas William, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation.

Who knows how much time passed before Nicholas William finally stretched and fully awakened.

"Master!" Nicholas William\'s face lit up with joy. Sensing the changes in his own abilities, he was about to share the good news with Dean Bruce when a single look from his teacher silenced him.

Dean Bruce spoke calmly, "I can already tell you\'ve successfully grasped the Thousand Mountains Fortress. Save your breath. Let\'s head downstairs for breakfast, and tell me everything you know about your fiancée\'s situation. We need to solve this matter quickly before focusing on anything else."

"Yes, Master," Nicholas William replied sheepishly. He straightened his clothes and opened the door, leading Dean Bruce downstairs.

Under the influence of Dean Bruce\'s generous spending, the innkeeper woman was all smiles and had prepared a hearty breakfast early in the morning. She stood respectfully to the side, and even when Dean Bruce and Nicholas William were speaking, she wisely chose to sit farther away, keeping her distance.

During the meal, Dean Bruce finally managed to get the details he needed from Nicholas William.

His fiancée\'s name was Linda, and she belonged to the Quirell family—a family that wielded considerable influence within the Empire of Lane Cloud. The family had held noble titles for generations and had been granted the honor of "Hundred Battles General" by the royal family, enjoying great favor and firmly aligning themselves as royalists.

Hearing this, Dean Bruce immediately understood. The one orchestrating things behind the scenes likely intended to overthrow the Empire of Lane Cloud\'s rule. By creating such chaos and making the entire capital descend into fear and uncertainty, they aimed to destabilize the empire.

Once the capital was weakened and its authority diminished, the instigator would only need to raise a call to arms, and the surrounding cities and former vassals of the Empire of Lane Cloud would turn into ravenous wolves, ready to tear the empire apart!

The Quirell family, being steadfast supporters of the royal family, was naturally the first to be targeted by these strange events.

With his thoughts in order, Dean Bruce and Nicholas William, having recovered overnight, were in peak condition. They went to the back courtyard, saddled their horses, and prepared to set off.

Seeing the woman following them outside, Dean Bruce suddenly remembered that they didn\'t know the exact location of the Quirell family\'s residence. He turned and asked, "Do you know where the Hundred Battles General\'s mansion is?"

"The Hundred Battles General?" The woman was momentarily stunned but quickly nodded. "The Hundred Battles General\'s mansion is in the western part of the city. It\'s the residence closest to the War God Temple in that area! It\'s said that his family has a very close relationship with the War God Temple."

"That\'s right! If I\'m not mistaken, the Hundred Battles General\'s mansion was the first place where things started going wrong. You really shouldn\'t go there! Be careful not to provoke any ghosts!"

Now that they had the exact location, Dean Bruce smiled and said, "Don\'t worry about us. Just have dinner ready for us when we get back."

With that, Dean Bruce and Nicholas William turned their horses and headed directly toward the western district.

Unlike in the evening, the Pur-cloud Imperial Capital had a little more activity during the day. Occasionally, there were scattered pedestrians on the streets. Of course, there were also more patrol soldiers keeping a close eye on them, ensuring no one attempted to escape.

Though it was the capital city, navigating through it took quite a while, even with directions. It wasn\'t until many grand statues and temple spires came into view that Dean Bruce knew they were getting close.

The temple gates were all tightly shut, and the statues appeared filthy and neglected.

Just as Dean Bruce had suspected, the temple members must have evacuated the area as soon as trouble began.

Using the War God Temple as their landmark, Dean Bruce and Nicholas William no longer needed to ask for directions and soon arrived in front of the Quirell family\'s mansion.

The estate was enormous and imposing. Even though nearly a month had passed since the incident occurred, the mansion still looked grand and stately.

The front gate was wide open. Dean Bruce exchanged a glance with Nicholas William before dismounting together and stepping inside.

Buzz—

Almost as soon as they set foot in the courtyard, the magical compass hanging at Dean Bruce\'s waist began to tremble violently.

Dean Bruce\'s eyes narrowed, and he warily surveyed his surroundings.

The trembling of the magical compass meant only one thing—the presence of magical energy fluctuations within the Quirell family\'s estate during this time!

The courtyard was completely empty, with various household items scattered across the ground.

It looked as if the servants were in the middle of their work when they were suddenly taken away.

Dean Bruce narrowed his eyes and continued deeper into the courtyard. The ground was covered in layers of fallen leaves, forming an undisturbed blanket that suggested no one had been here for a long time.

Every step they took produced a crisp sound, as if to declare that they were the only outsiders here. novel-hosted-MvLeMpYr

Walking along the corridor and circling through various sections of the estate yielded no discoveries. Dean Bruce exchanged a look with Nicholas William and decided to head straight to the inner courtyard where the Quirell family lived.

The courtyard was similarly covered in fallen leaves. The wooden door was ajar, swaying gently in the breeze, producing a creaky "squeak, squeak" sound.

After scanning the surroundings and confirming that there were no signs of enemies, Dean Bruce stepped forward and pushed open the wooden door, stepping inside.

Immediately, the sound of wind and the creaking of the wooden door ceased, and even the temperature inside seemed to rise slightly.

At his waist, the magical compass continued to tremble violently and showed no sign of stopping!

"Master, look at this!"

Nicholas William pointed towards the table in the living room, his expression grave. "When I first heard the reports, I couldn\'t believe it. But now, so much time has passed… why is the food on that table still steaming?"

Following Nicholas William\'s finger, Dean Bruce\'s gaze fell on a lavish spread of dishes. The tableware was still laid out as if people had just been dining. The plates were filled with meats and vegetables, and steam continued to rise from the food.

Even Dean Bruce, who had received the highest education in the modern world, couldn\'t help but take a deep breath.

It was truly bizarre!

After all this time, the food should have long gone cold.

How could it still be steaming?

No—after nearly a month, the food should have rotted and started to smell!

He reached down to feel the magical compass at his waist, which continued to shudder intensely. Dean Bruce glanced around, calming his mind, but he couldn\'t sense any magic fluctuations or see anything suspicious in the surroundings.

[Could the magical compass be malfunctioning? Impossible. Dean Bruce dismissed the thought immediately. Even after being sealed away for years, the Dwarves\' craftsmanship—according to every novel setting—is still among the best in the world. There\'s no way it would malfunction!]

[There must be something abnormal about this mansion. I need to investigate thoroughly.]

Narrowing his eyes, Dean Bruce prepared himself for battle as he walked up to the dining table. After a moment of hesitation, he picked up one of the serving dishes and hurled it to the ground.

There were no leaves inside the house, so he could see clearly as the dish shattered upon hitting the floor—yet it made no sound at all.

Even stranger, when the meat fell from the dish, it disappeared instantly, as if merging seamlessly with the ground like a droplet of water vanishing into a river, leaving no trace behind.

"What?"

"Is there something wrong with the ground?" Nicholas William\'s eyes lit up, and he quickly suggested, "How about we dig it up and see?"

"…"

Dean Bruce rolled his eyes at him. Judging by the usual tropes and setups, Nicholas William seemed like a protagonist-type character. But why did he oscillate between moments of brilliance and such naïve suggestions?

If things were really that simple, would the royal family of the Empire of Lane Cloud have ended up in such dire straits?

Lifting his gaze, Dean Bruce\'s suspicions were confirmed: the very same serving dish and meat he had thrown to the ground had reappeared neatly on the table.

[Illusion magic? Does it create a false reality, making everyone inside believe what they see and hear is real when, in fact, everything is just a facade the illusion is presenting to us?]

With that thought in mind, Dean Bruce suddenly turned and smacked Nicholas William across the face, who had been preoccupied, repeatedly tapping the ground with his foot.

"Smack!"

The crisp sound echoed, and Nicholas William froze in place, his cheek quickly turning red, a handprint clearly visible.

"Master!" Nicholas William whined with a pitiful expression. "Why did you hit me?"

Dean Bruce noticed that Nicholas William felt pain, and his skin reacted to the slap, indicating physical contact. This instantly ruled out the possibility of illusion magic.

No matter how advanced illusion magic might be, it couldn\'t be so real as to simulate actual pain and tactile sensations. At best, it could deceive someone into not questioning their reality.

If it wasn\'t illusion magic, then what kind of spell could replicate the scene from earlier?

Dean Bruce\'s thoughts raced, but unfortunately, having only been in this world for a short time, and despite reading numerous books recently, he couldn\'t recall any magic that fit this scenario.

Nicholas William seemed to understand something and sighed helplessly, "Master, this is definitely real. So many people have already checked it out—how could it be an illusion?"

"Listen up, all of you inside! You are surrounded! Come out immediately!"

Suddenly, a clear and melodious female voice rang out, startling Dean Bruce and Nicholas William. They exchanged looks of shock and confusion.

Dean Bruce\'s eyes darted around as he turned and walked out of the room.

Since he couldn\'t think of a plausible explanation for what was happening here and the place was shrouded in such mystery, Dean Bruce decided it was best to leave for now. He would see if he could gather more information through other channels.

With his modern education, Dean Bruce understood that the more information you have, the easier it is to find the answers.

Rather than banging his head against a wall here, it made more sense to collect more data.

However, this decision meant that Dean Bruce and Nicholas William would inevitably have to interact with the royal family.

As they exited the Quirell family\'s mansion, they found the entrance surrounded by dozens of heavily armed soldiers, all equipped with powerful longbows. At the center of the group stood a young woman clad in a full set of light lavender armor, her face delicate and beautiful.