Chapter 133: 132: Train of Thought

Night.The night, like a weightless veil, wafted gently over the entire land, the breeze crooning like a tavern singer, melodious sounds echoing in every corner of the world.

The scent of spring and the bursting forth of all living things grew more intense, and in the forests outside, the cries of ferocious beasts, varying in pitch and length, created a somewhat cacophonous sound.

In the rich hues of the night, the air was like water, with ripples shimmering across it.

Inside the Golden Wine Glass Inn, the lights were bright.

In the inn’s largest room on the second floor, many candles and oil lamps were lit, and the floor was carpeted with fluffy, soft rugs that made a “puff-puff” sound when one stepped on them with bare feet, as if stepping on feather pillows. The fireplace was still in use on the wall, burning good quality wood, releasing heat outwards, dispelling the faint chill of the night in the room, a warmth so intense that it almost felt hot.

Hua’er, a Third-level Apprentice from the White Stone Tower, paced the room barefoot, wearing only a light-colored undergarment, his brows tightly furrowed as if pondering something.

In the room, four girls stood waiting for instructions, each with pretty faces, the likes of which were one in a hundred. They stood motionless, fearing they might disturb Hua’er.

Their eyes were tinged with trepidation and nervousness. All were newcomers, not entirely clear on the specifics of the situation, but one thing was abundantly clear—the Hua’er in the room was of a status far nobler than the Nobles of the Jade Kingdom.

He was also extremely generous in his dealings. Compared to other places where the wages were only a few silver coins a month, he would hand out a Gold Coin per month to each person, doubling it for those who were sensible. If someone found favor in his eyes, the rewards were beyond imagination. Similarly, if one offended him, they would suffer truly terrifying punishments, more frightening than death itself, possibly even bringing trouble upon their parents and loved ones.

At this thought, a girl couldn’t help but shiver.

“Puff-puff…”

Hua’er took no notice of the girl’s reaction, simply pacing back and forth, making a gentle sound as he pressed into the soft carpet. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he walked briskly to the desk, picked up a map from the surface, and squinted at it under the light of the oil lamp on the table.

It was a map of Cuijin City, not very detailed, merely outlining a few main roads and some major buildings similar to the Palace, but it was sufficient, barely enough to serve its purpose.

Many places on the map were circled in Ink, and Hua’er looked at them carefully, contemplating the matters he needed to investigate, as arriving in Cuijin City early was his primary purpose.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes…

With a “snap,” the wick of the desk lamp, having burned for too long, carbonized at the end, making the flame unstable and dimming the light, causing the lines on the map to blur.

Hua’er looked up at the oil lamp with displeasure, frowning. One of the girls next to him, very sensible, quickly ran up, took a pair of scissors, and started trimming the wick.

Trimming the wick was also a small skill, with options to cut in a flat line, an arrow shape, or a semicircle. The flat cut was the simplest, a single snip was enough. The arrow shape was more troublesome, requiring several cuts, but it saved lamp oil, allowing the lamp to burn for a long time, albeit not as brightly. The final semicircle was the most labor-intensive, but it absorbed more oil, making the lamp brighter.

The girl, holding the scissors, knew well what Hua’er needed and trimmed the wick quickly and deftly. With a few “clicks,” the lamp shone brightly again, illuminating every detail on the map that Hua’er held.

Hua’er was slightly surprised and turned his head to look at the girl. He asked, “What’s your name?”

“Responding to Hua’er… sir, erm… Your Excellency, my name is Aisha,” the girl said, bowing her head slightly, her voice tinged with timidity.

Hua’er’s eyebrows moved as he sized up the girl, then nodded and said slowly, “Aisha, you did very well. I should reward you. Remember, your salary is doubled from now on.”

“Thank you, Lord Hua’er,” the girl said with joy, then added, “This is really what I ought to do.”

“Huh,” Hua’er chuckled, “Even though it’s what you should do, doing it well deserves reward. That’s my principle.”

Having said that, Hua’er put the map back on the table, gestured for the girl to come closer.

Pointing at the map, Hua’er asked Aisha, “Do you recognize what this is?”

“This…” the girl hesitated for a moment, then answered, “This appears to be Cuijin City.”

“Not bad, you’re quite clever.”

“But… Lord Hua’er, what do these circles mean?” the girl asked.

“These places,” Hua’er said, “are where I need to conduct investigations. There have been incidents at these locations, and I need to find out exactly who is targeting the White Stone Tower.

That’s fundamentally why I came to Cuijin City ahead of schedule. It will likely take a lot of time to complete. However, I hope to uncover some clues before Mr. Siv arrives, God willing,” Hua’er spoke, whether to the girl named Aisha or himself was unclear.

“Since that’s the case, why does Lord Hua’er still entertain those nobles during the day? Isn’t that a waste of time?” the girl asked out loud, then hurriedly added, “Please don’t be angry, Lord Hua’er, I… I’m just thinking of you, nothing else…”

“Hmm, why would I be angry? You’re absolutely right,” Hua’er said, sitting down in a chair beside the table without a hint of anger on his face.

After adjusting his posture, Hua’er spoke slowly, “The reason I entertain them and waste time and mana to assess their talents is on one hand, indeed, to help share the workload of my respected teacher, Mr. Siv. On the other hand, it’s also for investigating the truth.

I don’t believe that someone targeting us from White Stone Tower would take the initiative to come to us, but I don’t rule out the possibility either. In any case, by assessing the talents of these nobles, I can identify suspects among them.

Perhaps they are not targeting us from White Stone Tower, but starting from them, it’s possible to find a breakthrough.”

Hua’er looked at the girl and asked, “Do you know who among those present during the day could be suspicious?”

The girl was startled for a moment, trying hard to remember, but after a long time, she couldn’t find any suspicions and shook her head helplessly, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lord Hua’er.”

“Heh, I can tell you who the suspects are,” Hua’er said. “One is that fellow Gro. As a prince, he wants to become a wizard, which is quite strange in itself. If this were the continent, it wouldn’t be so surprising, since many understand that a prince or even a king of a small country isn’t comparable to a real wizard.

But here on the barren Smans Island, it’s different; this is a fringe region with no resources and hardly any wizards. The influence of wizards is minimal here, otherwise, it wouldn’t be so hard to recruit students every time.

In such a scenario, for a prince to forsake his true noble identity to become a wizard is very abnormal. Excluding the possibility that ‘he’s extremely intelligent, with a foresight far beyond ordinary people, understanding what being a wizard truly means,’ the remaining explanations are two. One, he’s gone mad, and the other, he’s influenced by something else. I have to investigate this when the opportunity arises.”

“Hmm,” the girl nodded, not quite understanding.

Hua’er chuckled softly, knowing the girl didn’t fully understand and probably couldn’t. But he didn’t mind as he immersed himself in his reasoning, continuing, “Besides, that talented individual named Anthony is also suspect. He’s the only one who’s qualified and has intermediate talent—an anomaly in itself, as I didn’t expect to find any.

Beyond that, when I tested him, I discovered some abnormal life energy reactions in his body, and I don’t know what they are. It could be an unmanifested disease source, perhaps an abnormal bodily structure, or maybe something he attempted to conceal and didn’t hide well. I need to find a way to figure it out.”

“Hmm.” The girl nodded again, trying to hide her puzzled expression.

“Finally, there’s that fellow named Richard,” Hua’er narrowed his eyes, “He doesn’t seem suspicious at all, his behavior was completely normal, just like an ordinary person. But the problem is, he was too calm, unnervingly so. Whether I was personally assessing his talent or informing him that he had none, he showed no surprise.

Such behavior can only be explained in three ways. Either he’s dull-witted, a slow thinker, completely unresponsive, or he’s feigning calmness; however… he did so too well. Besides these two, the last explanation is that he has some secret that makes everything he experienced during the day unsurprising to him.”

“Hmm.” For the third time, the girl nodded, a compliant sound escaping her.

Hua’er smiled gently again, knowing that his words were not fully understood by the girl. But that’s alright because all his talking was just to organize his thoughts. Now that his mind was nearly clear, he could start the investigation and take action the next day.

Of course, before that, he could relax a bit. Only with proper relaxation can one give their all.

As Hua’er thought this, his gaze landed on the girl, and he posed a question with a slight purse of his lips, “Aisha, do you know how to help someone relax?”

The girl blinked, unconsciously stepping back, her expression somewhat panicked as she said, “Lord Hua’er, I… I’m not that kind of person.”

“Nor am I that kind of person,” Hua’er said with a smile, “I haven’t fallen that low. When I speak of relaxation, I mean truly enabling someone to relax.”

The girl’s expression eased slightly, and she responded timidly, “Well, I have learned from my mother how to knead someone’s muscles to help alleviate their soreness and facilitate sleep.”

“That’s exactly what I want,” Hua’er said with a smirk, stepping over to the bed in the room and lying down, “Come on, let’s see how much you have learned from your mother.”

“Yes,” the girl replied softly and carefully approached the bed, extending her hand to begin.

Meanwhile, in a part of Cuijin City.

An inconspicuous shop was located on the side of the street, its doors tightly shut against the night, and was completely dark inside without any signs of life, as if no one was there.

But in reality, behind the shop’s door, sitting at a table, was a man who appeared to be in his fifties, his eyes wide as he stared at the entrance as if on alert for someone who might burst in any moment.

In front of him on the table was a mechanical crossbow shining with a cold light, loaded with a bolt, ready to be grasped at a moment’s notice. It was clear that the man was extremely nervous; otherwise, he wouldn’t have resorted to such prohibited weaponry. After all, being caught with it would make it difficult to escape culpability.

There was a good reason for the man’s actions; he had a special identity as White Stone Tower’s secret scout in Cuijin City.

He had started this task decades ago when, as a destitute noble, he managed to secure an opportunity for talent testing at White Stone Tower with hopes of transforming his fate.