Chapter 181: City-Wide Search

Chapter 181 City-wide Manhunt

Li Wei sat in Gu Ze's room.

He poured Li Wei a cup of tea.

Li Wei took a sip, looked at Gu Ze, and asked, "Teacher, you said you remembered something?"

Gu Ze looked at the night sky outside the window and said slowly, "I remembered what happened that night."

"I seem to have seen the snow bear that attacked my parents killed by a mage."

"His back looked very much like yours."

The hand holding the cup froze for Li Wei.

He thought quickly.

After a moment, he seemed to understand something.

Li Wei had once entered Gu Ze's dream, helping him kill a nightmare parasitic in the dream for over ten years.

He had witnessed Gu Ze's nightmares.

In the dream, he broke the tragic ending of Gu Ze's fate.

This was of no help to reality.

The past would not be changed.

But now, Gu Ze seemed to treat what he saw in the dream as memories of the past.

This might be related to the erosion of the black mist.

Li Wei put down the cup and said, "That was just a dream."

Gu Ze nodded and said, "Yes, it was indeed just a dream."

"How I wish this were true."

He sighed.

Seeing Gu Ze somewhat disheartened.

Li Wei said, "Your sister is still alive, Teacher, you cannot give up yet."

Gu Ze looked up at him and suddenly laughed.

"Heh, as if you needed to say that!"

"I will not give up. One day I will find him."

Gu Ze stood up, walked to the window, and said, "I have decided. When Bas's merchant caravan comes to Maple Leaf City, I will follow him back to my hometown."

"I am going to find my sister."

Bas was the traveling merchant who had once saved Gu Ze.

Li Wei walked to his side, looking at the night sky outside the window, where starlight shimmered in the air.

"Then I wish Teacher a smooth journey."

"When you leave, remember to tell me."

Gu Ze nodded and said, "I will."

"Nowadays, Maple Leaf City is a time of trouble, with various troubles coming one after another."

"Just like tonight, actually having Black Cultists dare to openly attack the Mage Tower."

"If you have the chance, it is better to leave here for a while first, wait until everything stabilizes, then come back."

Gu Ze also felt the crisis.

What happened tonight made him feel a sense of powerlessness.

Being dragged into the vortex of this struggle.

Even as a First Order Formal Mage, it is difficult to remain uncorrupted in muddy waters.

Gu Ze wanted to leave.

Li Wei nodded and said, "I understand."

The next morning, everyone inside the Mage Tower was called to the third floor for a mental test.

Checking whether they were affected by the evil rituals of the Black Cultists.

Many people found to be affected.

Eleven people were slightly affected, Gu Ze among them.

Five people were significantly affected, already showing mental abnormalities, needing to receive mental treatment.

One person's mind was twisted, fallen into becoming a believer of the Evil God.

When the crowd found him, he had already drawn an evil ritual array for sacrificing to the Evil God in his room.

Fortunately, it was discovered in time; otherwise, who knows what great disaster would have been caused.

Martin looked at the crowd and said, "This time the Black Cultists openly provoked the Mage Tower, we must give a strong counterattack!"

"Otherwise, they will think we are soft persimmons, to be kneaded by anyone!"

"In the next few days, the Professional Association and the City Lord's Office will fully cooperate with the Mage Tower to hunt down the Black Cultists in the city."

"Everyone suspend current work, focus all efforts on hunting the Black Cultists, must make them pay a painful price!"

Li Wei stood in the crowd, watching Martin speaking above.

He whispered to Gu Ze beside him, "Teacher, why do you think the Black Cultists attacked the Mage Tower?"

"What is their purpose?" Gu Ze said, "I heard the City Lord's Office handed over part of the god-sacrifice ritual array arrangement to the Mage Tower, they mostly want to corrupt the array masters inside the Mage Tower, using them to secretly change the god-sacrifice ritual into an evil sacrifice ritual."

"This is too showy; they could completely corrupt the array masters in secret, there is no need to launch such a large-scale attack on the Mage Tower."

Li Wei felt it was somewhat unreasonable.

Gu Ze shook his head and said, "No one knows what the Black Cultists are thinking."

"Their brains are not quite normal to begin with."

The meeting ended, Martin assigned tasks to everyone.

This time the Mage Tower's determination to eradicate the Black Cultists was very firm.

Almost all mages were sent out to search for the Black Cultists.

The Mage Tower, to motivate everyone, offered superior rewards.

Dealing with an ordinary Black Cultist rewards 3-5 contribution points.

Resolving an elite Black Cultist rewards 10-30 contribution points.

Finding the whereabouts of Black Cultists within Maple Leaf City gives 1-10 contribution points varying.

Finding the Black Cultist leader, reward 30 contribution points.

Killing the Black Cultist leader, reward 100 contribution points.

This time, the Mage Tower displayed an unprecedented determination to everyone within Maple City.

It was also through this manner that they warned others.

If one chose to make the Mage Tower an enemy, then they must pay the ultimate price.

Li Wei was assigned to the south of the city to search for the whereabouts of the Black Cultists.

The clue given to him by the Mage Tower was that a gang of Black Cultists hid in the south, frequently using money to tempt ordinary people into collusion.

Li Wei's task was to identify this gang of Black Cultists.

Best to trace the vine to the melon, digging out the Black Cultist leader behind them.

"Great Mage, they are right here."

"These people actually hired someone to purchase live livestock, and after taking them inside, they never brought them out again; I seriously suspect they are conducting evil rituals."

The generous rewards of the Mage Tower were not only targeted at mages but also extended to the vast masses and professionals within Maple City.

For reporting Black Cultists and verifying the information as reliable,

one could at least obtain a single gold coin.

Instantly, the Mage Tower received a flood of reported information regarding suspected Black Cultists.

Li Wei nodded and said, "Stay far away, I will go in and take a look."

"Then Great Mage be careful, I shall depart first."

"I will wait for you over there."

The man hurriedly scurried away in small, quick steps.

Hiding in an alley nearby to peek secretly.

He still hoped Li Wei would bring him back to claim the reward.

Li Wei released his spiritual power, piercing through the door to see the scene inside.

The courtyard was abnormally clean, containing nothing at all.

Cleanliness itself was the greatest issue.

According to the clues provided by the man, several heads of living livestock entered every day, yet none were seen exiting.

Then there should at least be the shapes of livestock within the courtyard.

"Shadow Servant, go in and take a look."

The Shadow Servant emerged from the shadow beneath Li Wei's feet and slipped through the crack in the door.

Li Wei used the Illusion Shaping Art to craft ears and eyes upon the Shadow Servant.

What the Shadow Servant saw and heard, he could likewise see and hear.

Crossing the courtyard, the Shadow Servant slipped into the room.

There was no one in the room.

"Go to the room on the far right."

Li Wei saw that all the footprints on the ground led toward the right.

The Shadow Servant slipped in, still no one.

However, it discovered a hole hidden underneath the bed.

The Shadow Servant was just about to slip in.

Sounds immediately came from inside.

"Things have become stricter recently, give me a little more time, I will think of a way to help you procure it."

"There is no time, it must be done within today, otherwise..."

(End of Chapter)