nagpurpolice Chapter 192 Investigating the Missing Dean
Chapter 192 Investigating the Missing Dean
Chapter 192 Investigating the Missing Dean
These mercenaries in the dungeon were, after all, somewhat acquaintances.
Kane had already established his authority by this time last time he came, so this time he was just jokingly waving his hand.
The tall mercenary deliberately "flew" out and fell to the ground, pretending to be injured.
He immediately got up, his face full of fawning.
"I lost. Boss is really amazing," the tall mercenary said obsequiously.
Kane's lips twitched slightly, and he patted him casually, saying, "Never mind, don't bother me."
He walked to a corner and sat down on the straw.
Seeing this, the other mercenaries consciously moved aside, giving Kane a large space.
Kane occupied almost half of the huge cell.
Kane lowered his head in thought.
His casual entry into the dungeon was precisely to make contact with the mysterious person who had previously relayed the message to him.
When I left, the other party specifically reminded me that "this is not a safe haven," which was clearly a veiled warning.
This sentence could have been ignored.
The academy of magistrates has formed a delegation, and everything seems to be proceeding according to plan.
But his own spiritual warnings forced him to re-examine the potential variables.
Only by contacting that mysterious person and obtaining more information can we make a clearer judgment on the next step of the plan.
"But----"
Kane frowned slightly and looked up at the top of the cell.
The environment here is much worse than the upper dungeons.
It was damp and dripping, with only a thin layer of straw on the ground, making it extremely uncomfortable.
The only lighting was the torches randomly stuck on the wall, their light dim and flickering.
"Although I got some information from Logan Susas, I'm currently stuck on the second basement level and obviously can't directly contact the upper levels."
According to her, there are currently no empty cells on the upper floors.
Whether this is true or false, it's indeed not very convenient to actively find that mysterious person right now.
Kane continued to calculate.
He looked up, several options flashed through his mind, but he rejected them one by one, still finding it difficult.
But at that moment, his eyes suddenly lit up.
By the way, since the other party chose to send me a message, there were only two possibilities at the time.
Either he was observing me from the shadows when I entered the dungeon, or perhaps he used some kind of detection spell.
Either someone was tipping him off.
Kane scanned the area but found no trace of magic.
"Or perhaps—these people in prison?"
He looked at the mercenaries sitting on the ground, joking around.
Noticing his gaze, many people quickly looked away, afraid of attracting attention and getting beaten up again.
"Let's give it a try anyway, maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised."
Kane calmed down, and a plan slowly took shape in his mind.
On the other side, the mercenaries, avoiding Kane's gaze, sat together, staring at the tall mercenary with a bruised and swollen face.
"Groom, you're such a disgrace!"
They agreed to a duel, but the other person only lightly touched you with their fist, and you flew through the air and crashed into a wall. It was like they were really acting!
"Pooh!"
Grum, clutching his swollen face, said, "What do you know! I'm going to become the Shield of Susas, the man who will shoulder the future of Susas!"
Besides, you've seen the boss's strength before, why don't you go and try it yourself?"
The other mercenaries all cast disdainful glances at them.
"Calling them 'vulgar Nords' behind their backs, but immediately calling them 'boss' the moment they arrive—they've got some nerve!"
Upon hearing the title "Shield of Susas," Kane's expression turned somewhat strange.
Using the name of a nation, yet possessing only first-rate strength—so be it.
He coughed lightly.
Hearing the noise, Groom, who was boasting, turned around: "Boss, what's wrong?"
The other mercenaries also quieted down and looked over.
Kane nodded. "How did you get arrested?"
Groom gave a wry smile: "We were previously employed by the Academy Chamber of Commerce to escort a batch of spellcasting materials transported from the Free Cities to the Academy."
As they neared their destination, they were ambushed by a group of bandits.
Kane frowned.
Why is the victim being imprisoned in a dungeon instead?
Groom continued, "We were afraid the materials would be stolen, so we threatened to burn the goods."
The bandits were initially intimidated, but then—a gust of wind blew by, my hand trembled, and a spark flew out, setting the goods on fire.
Kane's lips twitched; now he understood—they died purely from stupidity.
Even if the goods fall into the hands of bandits, they will eventually sell them to spellcasters, and the academy might be able to redeem them by paying money.
As a result, the guards they had hired ended up burning the place down.
Once the college finds out, they will probably just give up on this group of people.
Kane shook his head inwardly as he watched Groom still grinning foolishly.
Okay, let's talk to them as planned first.
Hopefully, that mysterious person can overhear the conversation and come looking for them.
"Do you want to know why I was locked up here?" Kane smiled.
The mercenaries looked at each other, naturally not daring to disrespect their new leader, and nodded in unison.
Kane smiled and began to tell his story.
With his deliberate arrangement, a refined story was told in a captivating way.
Kane concealed part of the truth, but still revealed a lot of information:
How he gets involved in the merchant guild's mission and discovers that the demon cult is colluding with a certain duke.
Then she was drawn into a conspiracy over the succession to the throne, and faced multiple assassination attempts before entering the mage academy.
The mercenaries were initially engrossed, their eyes widening as they listened, but as they continued, they all wore expressions of disbelief.
Groom scratched his head, puzzled. "Boss, this story would be a bestseller if written as a chivalric romance! It has demons, mages, and even involves royalty—"
His eyes lit up. "How about calling the protagonist 'The Sword of Nord'?"
The other mercenaries glared at him with eyes that said, "You're asking for it."
Kane's lips twitched again.
My real experience was treated as a story.
However, their original audience wasn't them either.
Grumman chuckled twice and retreated back into the group of mercenaries.
Kane looked up at the damp, dimly lit cell ceiling, thinking to himself, "The intelligence has been released; now it's up to the other side to detect it and confirm its authenticity."
"If he still doesn't show up even after all this, I'll have to think of something else."
Time passed in the dim light.
In the dungeon, it was impossible to distinguish between day and night, but Kane remembered that the mages on duty changed shifts every three hours, and the sound of footsteps would be heard on time.
After the footsteps were repeated several times, Kane slowly opened his eyes.
According to the calculation, it should be around 9 pm now.
The mysterious person still hasn't appeared.
"Did I guess wrong?"
He looked at the mercenaries sleeping haphazardly in front of him, and a sense of doubt arose in his heart.
Suddenly, his eyes sharpened.
wrong.
Although these mercenaries appeared to be asleep, not one of them was snoring.
It's as if they're being deliberately kept in this state.
The things that can cause this effect are mostly spells.
Kane squinted, stood up, and looked at the open space directly in front of him.
"Sir, won't you come out for a chat?"
Time has passed, but nothing has changed.
But suddenly, the straw in front of him began to rustle and slowly coalesce into a strange human face.
The scarecrow's face opened and closed, emitting a deep voice: "Nord, what you said—is it all true?"
Kane looked at the bizarre scarecrow face and said calmly.
"I have no reason to deceive you."
Besides, you should have your own channels to verify this, right?
The straw-faced man was silent for a moment, then spoke again: "What exactly is your purpose?"
"What if I said it was to save the material plane?"
The straw swayed slightly, and a mocking smile appeared on the human face.
Kane smiled and said, "I have some grudges against the Demon Cult and that Duke."
If Susas becomes a breeding ground for demonic cults, I'll be in big trouble.
He didn't finish his sentence.
It's more than just troublesome.
If Susas, one of the six kingdoms, were truly controlled by the demon cult, they could easily use civilians as sacrifices to hold a large-scale holy mark ritual and summon a massive number of demons, which would create a serious problem.
The scarecrow continued, "So, you went to the trouble of sneaking into the dungeon and revealing this information just to tell me this."
Kane retorted directly, "Why did you remind me that the Academy was not a safe haven?"
'
The scarecrow fell into a long silence.
After a long silence, it slowly said, "Nord, you are an outsider to Sussas, and that's good."
I need you to do something for me.
Once it's done, I will give you the wealth and knowledge you desire.
Kane frowned. "Please speak."
"Investigate the truth behind the disappearance of the two deans of the Prophecy Academy and the Protection Academy."
Who is behind this, and what is their purpose?
"The two missing deans?"
Kane's heart skipped a beat.
At the same time, a new message suddenly appeared on the panel:
Side Quest: Investigate the Two Missing Deans
[Introduction: The dean of the School of Prophecy and the School of Protection at the Susas Mage Academy, mysteriously disappeared when Susas was in turmoil due to the demon cult.]
Are their disappearances related to a demonic cult?
[Reward: 20 Skill Points]
Skill points!
A glint of light flashed in Kane's eyes.
This is truly an unexpected delight.
He hasn't received any side quests in a long time.
Currently, aside from the slow-progressing [Second Ring Quest: Stop the Plot], there's only the main quest against the Demon Cult, and neither of them is easy to advance.
In comparison, although the reward for this new mission wasn't generous, it was exactly the skill points he desperately needed.
After all, spells inscribed with rune marks are only equivalent to temporary Lv1 spells, and their power is always limited.
His mind raced, and a smile appeared on his face.
Strawface seemed to think Kane was swayed by the promise of wealth or knowledge and remained silent.
Kane bowed slightly: "Could you perhaps offer some further hints? Also, how can I contact you?"
"I will appear when the time is right."
The straw scattered with a rustling sound, and the human face vanished instantly.
Almost simultaneously, the mercenaries began snoring incessantly.
Kane also showed a thoughtful expression. He had achieved his goal and there was no need to stay here any longer.
He walked to the prison door and knocked on the iron gate.
Footsteps approached, and the monk on duty who opened the door, recognizing his special status, asked with barely suppressed impatience, "What is it?"
"Please find Master Logan and tell her that I have agreed to her conditions."
The Illusion Department.
Arundel and Bella stood facing each other.
As the female mage in charge of the Illusion Division, the years seemed to have left no trace on her face.
She looked at her student and said calmly, "My dear Arundel, that Mr. Kane—went to the dungeon today."
Arundel smiled wryly: "The mage Logan insisted on dueling him, so he went there himself—but some valuables were damaged."
-
Bella chuckled softly. "It's just youthful play. Tell him to come out when he's had enough. Put the losses on the academy's tab."
She paused, then continued.
"As for the mission to the royal family—although Dean Ling Shu will lead the team, the academy will organize other mages, and you can decide for yourself whether to join."
But I must warn you first that this may not be a good thing.
The fact that the magic academy interfered in the royal family's internal affairs, regardless of the outcome, will embroil the mission in a vortex of conflict.
Arundel remained silent for a moment.
Bella seemed to read his mind: "Are you wondering why I don't lead the team myself?"
She said slowly, "Because of checks and balances."
The eight academies check and balance each other. Although this matter was proposed by me and widely agreed upon, Ling Shu, as the dean, merely abstained from voting.
For the sake of checks and balances, I can only act as the initiator and should not directly intervene.
This is also a situation that the dean is happy to see.
Arundel nodded without saying a word.
The will of the dean, who never showed his face, always loomed over the academy.
"There's one more thing,"
Arundel added.
"Some faculty members of the Prophecy and Protection Institutes expressed dissatisfaction, arguing that major decisions should not have been made in the absence of the deans of both institutes."
Bella, upon hearing this, gave a half-smile: "If the Dean doesn't tacitly approve, can we really make a decision?"
Arundel lowered his head.
Topics involving fourth-order beings are not something an ordinary mage like him can comment on.
"Go, Arundel, you need to decide on your future direction."
He bowed silently, then turned and left.
Bang!.
The cell door opened again.
The awakened mercenaries saw the aloof, red-robed female mage standing at the door, coldly watching Kane.
"Are you playing me? First you rejected my invitation, and now you're suddenly saying you want to leave the dungeon in the middle of the night."
Kane smiled slightly.
His purpose in coming here was to make contact with that mysterious person, and now that he had achieved his goal, there was no need to waste any more time.
"If you don't want to, I can ask Arundel to help me leave."
It makes no difference to me.
Logan Susas stared intently at him, trying to detect a hint of guilt.
Kane said no more: "Let's go."
Before leaving, he turned back and waved to the group of mercenaries with strange expressions: "Goodbye."
-
The mercenaries looked at each other, their expressions complicated.
The two walked in silence through the dungeon corridor.
Kane suddenly spoke up: "How much would it cost if I wanted to buy the lives of those mercenaries?"
"life?"
Logan glanced at him questioningly.
"They were imprisoned for damaging college supplies, but they can't be kept locked up forever."
"Aren't you keeping them here to use as materials for spells?"
Logan frowned: "Nord, you've got it wrong."
This is not your country; everything has a price tag.
"The prisoners on the basement level are only used for serious crimes. As for the mercenaries in your cell—they are just serving their sentences."
He will be released after three years.
Three years.
Kane's eyes flickered slightly.
Imprisoned for three years during their prime, these mercenaries' path to advancement was essentially cut off.
Long-term imprisonment not only hinders progress but may even cause a decline in skills, making it difficult to find work after release.
However—perhaps this will allow them to avoid the various crises of the future material plane.
The two stopped talking.
The monks on duty along the way cast questioning glances at them, looking back and forth among themselves, but no one spoke.
As they left, one of them silently returned the confiscated scimitar, dagger, and other items to Kane.
Kane followed Logan outwards, not returning to their temporary residence, but heading straight for the training ground where they had previously fought.
Late at night, only two people were in the empty square, along with two dark red wooden coffins on the side.
The stands were empty, and the night wind carried a chill.
Logan was the first to step onto the field, his boots making a clear echo as they hit the stone slabs.
She turned to Kane: "Come on, Nord, this is a private contest."
Regardless of victory or defeat, I will compensate you for any property damage you cause to the academy, and the promised one thousand gold coins will not be missing.
Kane slowly walked onto the stage, gripping his scimitar tightly.
He suddenly laughed: "I'm not very interested in money. But if I win, I want you to answer a few questions and promise me one thing."
"That's all?"
Logan Susas raised an eyebrow.
That's all.
Kane looked at the other person, thinking to himself:
The two new spells they've mastered just happen to be missing a test subject.
Moreover, if he was certain that the other party was not lying, he could conveniently have her help him investigate the two missing deans.