Chapter 111: 110: Suspected Murder in the Palace

It was night.The night spread like a great curtain over the countryside, silencing everything so profoundly that not even the chirp of insects could be heard, as if the world were plunged into eternal slumber. Yet, glancing downwards, in many places, one would find pockets of liveliness, as though they were the muttered dreams of a sleeping earth.

Winter was coming, but the world kept turning.

Over the plains, a large river rushed forth, its waters swirling with broken ice, making a “gurgle, gurgle” sound.

“Creak, creak,” wooden boats carefully navigated the river, dodging ice floes and hidden rocks before reaching the docks. The poor laborers at the docks, dressed in thin garments, surged onto the wooden ships under the glow of lanterns, laboriously moving goods out of the holds, transferring them piece by piece onto waiting carriages.

Soon, the laborers were drenched in sweat, and over a dozen carriages were loaded. Accompanied by the coachman’s shout and the loud crack of a whip through the air, the horses raced forward, pulling the carriages filled with goods towards the distant city silhouette.

Quickly, the carriages reached the city gates, and after inspection by the soldiers, they sped into the city.

Somewhere in Cuijin City, a row of storeroom doors stood open, waiting for the succession of carriages to enter and unload their wares. When daylight broke, these goods would swiftly flow into the shops all around Cuijin City, sold to those in need, earning their owners a vast amount of gold coins and silver coins.

In other places, in many corners within and outside Cuijin City, countless people were also busy, engaged in various activities for sustenance, profit, or other pursuits.

In a dead end within the city, a group of individuals panted heavily as they exchanged blows, fighting over the territory for collecting protection money.

In front of a closed physician’s clinic on a street, several people urgently pounded on the door, awakening the physician to treat a noble who had suddenly fallen ill.

In a pleasure den at the city center, where lanterns glowed and wine flowed, nobles threw large sums of money, enticing the yielding bodies into alluring cries.

Beside the plain’s farmlands, in a thatched cottage with light filtering through, three thieves counted their daytime earnings, dividing the loot based on their contribution.

By the riverbank, accompanied by a scream, a body was pushed into the water, a murder silenced…

Cuijin City was unlike other cities in the kingdom or Blue Lion City of the Blue Lion Kingdom. Thanks to the Jade River flowing through it, the city harbored an unusual prosperity and a more vibrant nightlife.

After all, in an era akin to the medieval, rivers were the true thoroughfares; a wide and boundless river was even more important than a modern highway on Earth.

Inside and outside Cuijin City, life bustled and clamored, while a pair of eyes watched everything from high above.

Richard had separated from his body in meditation; an ethereal tether connected his physical form, with his spiritual body floating hundreds of meters above Cuijin City, overlooking everything with an odd tranquility.

Indeed, anyone viewing the world from this perspective would feel detached, unaffected by emotions, and unusually calm—hence the term “God’s-eye view.”

Richard reviewed the scenes below swiftly, recalling the recent events.

This was his seventh day in Cuijin City. He had met with Gro and provided some counseling before Gro left with a heavy heart. Meanwhile, Richard had rented a small courtyard in Cuijin City, setting up residence with Pandora as they continued their research and awaited the arrival of the Continent Wizard.

Everything had proceeded meticulously as planned. This was not his first out-of-body experience, and he knew the layout of Cuijin City like the back of his hand. In the process, he had indeed observed some intriguing nocturnal scenes, such as a married noblewoman caught cheating with her lover, or a gang leader killed by a low-ranking member of a rival faction during gang warfare.

Glancing around the sky, Richard looked toward a certain direction in Cuijin City and saw a vast expanse of buildings, where the Palace stood.

Although many parts of the Palace had dimmed, some were brightly lit.

The new King, Gro’s eldest brother, who had ascended the throne not long ago, was extremely diligent, working through the night on state affairs every day. Ministers and Nobles were summoned into the Palace night after night for consultations. As a result, the Palace’s kitchen, stables, and reception hall were all brightly lit, with silhouettes of people and the passage of vehicles constantly seen on the cobblestone roadways.

What could Gro be doing now?

Richard suddenly wondered.

Since Gro had left with the Ether, he should have attempted meditation numerous times by now, but Richard never encountered Gro’s astral projection. Could Gro’s Wizard Talent be so poor?

Contemplating this, Richard directed his Consciousness swiftly above the Palace, then made his way familiarly to the palace where Gro was.

Halting above Gro’s palace for a while and observing no movement below, Richard guided his Consciousness through the roof and descended into Gro’s bedroom.

Gro’s bedroom was large and empty.

Possibly to ensure that meditation wasn’t disrupted, there wasn’t a Maid or Guard in sight, just Gro himself, lying stiffly on the bed.

Richard drew closer and noticed a bottle of Ether by the bedside, while Gro lay motionless on the bed, akin to a corpse. Deep within Gro’s flesh, his Consciousness vibrated incessantly, struggling to break free from the physical confines. But the restraints from the body were so strong that despite Gro’s continuous efforts, he couldn’t make a breakthrough, and each attempt ended in failure. Gradually, sweat beaded on Gro’s forehead, revealing a clear expression of irritability and fatigue.

After observing this, Richard estimated that, if things progressed normally, Gro would exhaust the strength of his Consciousness after a few more attempts and then fall into a deep sleep, not to wake until the next morning.

From this, Richard concluded two things:

First, Gro hadn’t given up the Hope of becoming a Wizard. It could be due to an unwillingness to concede or for some other reasons, but he was still trying.

Second, Gro indeed had no significant Wizard Talent, or else astral projecting wouldn’t have been this difficult.

Shaking his head, Richard was about to leave and deal with other matters. However, glancing again at Gro’s struggle, he decided to do a good deed and help him out.

Richard maneuvered his Consciousness closer to Gro and reached out his hand, touching Gro’s body.

Gro’s body seemed to sense something, tensing warily; his muscles contracted involuntarily, and his Consciousness flinched.

Richard ignored these reactions, his hand directly penetrating into Gro’s body, grabbed Gro’s Consciousness, and burst forth Spiritual Power, pulling Gro’s Consciousness out of his body.

It felt to Richard like he was pulling someone out of a swamp, filled with resistance, but fortunately, he succeeded in the end.

With a “pop,” Gro’s Consciousness left his body, floating in midair, connected to the physical body by a transparent tether at the back of his neck.

Richard internally relaxed, looked at Gro’s Consciousness, ready to greet him, but then he realized that Gro’s Consciousness, floating midair, didn’t respond at all, as if dead.

Uh, this…