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"Tsk, this is really difficult! I need to go back and ask for help..."
The conversation between the nobles and their agents reached Ateliers' ears. Her ears twitched slightly, and she glanced back at the two people in the center of the dungeon, stroking her chin.
"So it turns out that Daoguan City also has a channel for smuggling monsters. It's just a pity that there wasn't enough time to expose all the hidden darkness... But if Sonik has been purified by the people from the Goddess's Church, the church will probably take over the affairs there. Perhaps that's much better than my direct attempt to forcibly break it down..."
She crouched down again, nodded to the mouse that kept sniffing, gently brushed aside the material covered by the burlap with her fingers, and confirmed the information about the material with a glint in her eyes.
"Large quantities of 'Wood Tiger Oil' suitable as a culture medium, 'Moonlight Lotus Powder' used to maintain the activity of biological materials, and 'Aged Soul Wood Pivot' to prevent the dissipation of the body and soul... coupled with what they previously mentioned about body possession, I think I should know their purpose now."
Ateliers slowly walked toward the next mouse, extended her invisibility spell in the shadows of the cage, and then walked to the next pile of materials.
The cage environment, similar to where she had been imprisoned before, stirred a sense of disgust within her. She exhaled softly, trying to fill her mind with Latis's grinning face, before gradually calming her mixed feelings of anger and unease.
"Quickly record the information, then return to complete the mission. Don't leave too many traces; that nobleman may possess many magical items, so be extra careful."
The half-elf silently chanted to herself, her eyes quickly regaining their composure. She stretched out her fingers and pressed against the burlap above the pile of materials, creating a small gap.
"Big brother, please bless me so that everything goes well."
……
……
"Something feels off."
Wilkins, stroking his mustache, frowned as he looked at the agent sitting at the table, scratching his head and writing a letter of appeal for help, and said:
"This thing seems to be able to be synchronized... Do you know the identity of the mid-level mage you used as a reference?"
"I do not know?"
The agent put down his pen, raised his hands, and shook his head repeatedly, saying:
"Your Excellency, as you know, there wasn't a single mage in the Dragon Horn Territory pioneering team back then. The fact that this place is connected to the magic network is thanks to the infrastructure set up by people from the capital. I don't have a single magical ability whatsoever!"
"By the Queen, you dared to arrest me without knowing anything."
Will's forehead veins twitched slightly. His gaze was slightly slanted, unfocused, fixed on the central material processing table. He unconsciously rubbed the key, whose material was indistinguishable, in his hand. The magic within him, like a venomous snake hesitating whether to emerge from its hole, lingered darkly on the surface of the key.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he strode to the processing counter, pointed to the pieces of clothing stuck to it, and asked loudly:
"Agent, does this garment belong to that mid-level mage?"
The agent was startled by the shout, and with a sudden burst of force, the long pen snapped in two, leaving a trail of dark ink on the letter.
He muttered something, threw the pen on the ground, crumpled the letter into a ball, and then sighed as he looked at the ink stains on his hand.
"Mr. Wilkins, what did you say?"
The agent tossed the scroll containing the experimental records onto the table, wiped his hands on his lord's robes, walked to the processing table, bent down to examine the tattered clothing, scratched his head, and said:
"probably……"
"That's right."
Wilkin tore the pieces of clothing off the counter, and a sinister smile crept across his face as he looked at the faintly visible symbol of the Church of Goddess.
"It seems that the mid-level mage wasn't talking nonsense; the goddess does indeed recruit less powerful mages as her followers..."
"W-what?!" the agent exclaimed in shock. "Should I pack my things and run away?"
"Don't worry."
Wilkins couldn't help but burst into laughter. He patted the agent's shoulder forcefully and said:
"Fortunately, you've always had facilities to repel magic energy here. Agent, you've really done a great job. That 'Sir' has been trying to capture the magic network sorcerer, but hasn't been able to find one. With this key, he'll definitely be able to find a way to break the magic network!"
"But before that, I need to test the power of the magic network..."
An irrepressible greed gleamed in Wilkin's eyes. He licked his dry lips, and his magic surged forth as he prepared to attempt a synchronization.
"...No, that's not right."
Just as the magic was about to enter the key, he immediately stopped, his face grim, a slight smirk playing on his lips. He turned to the agent and called out:
"Go, find a mid-level mage... no, find a beginner mage, and have him try synchronized teleportation first! After I confirm there's no danger, I'll present this key to that 'sir' and claim credit for you!"
"Really?" A hint of joy appeared on the agent's face. He quickly waved to the guard standing at the dungeon entrance. After hearing the agent's request, the guard immediately nodded, turned around, and ran out.
"Of course, of course..."
Wilkins muttered to himself, his hands twisting the key incessantly, as if he were handling a crown that was about to be obtained, his expression fierce and frenzied.
……
What are those two doing?
Artemis looked on, bewildered, at Wilkin and the agent, who were engrossed in their own world. She carefully passed by them, noted down the materials on the processing table, and then walked to the desk where the agent had just written the letter.
"The letter...who is it addressed to? Judging from their conversation just now, it might be addressed to the forces behind Wilkins..."
She first put away the scroll with the experimental records on the table, then bent down, examined the crumpled letter on the ground for a while, thought for a moment, and then quietly picked it up.
She didn't plan to open it now, but rather wait until she was outside to read it, so that the sound of unfolding the letter wouldn't give away her whereabouts.
blah blah blah...
Disordered footsteps came from the dungeon entrance, as if someone had rushed to this place. Artemis did not turn around to check, but stared at the curled corner of the letter and fell into deep thought.
There, against a strange backdrop of intertwined floral branches, was a slightly abstract cursive "D" engraved in the center.
She pondered for a moment, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She rotated the emblem ninety degrees, and the letter "D" lay down perfectly, forming a pattern resembling a top hat.
"...Black hat?"
Artemis was startled and murmured to herself.
Chapter 284 Elf Side Quest 13. Quest Completed
"Black hat..."
Wilkins gripped the key tightly, about to walk towards the novice mage being escorted, when he suddenly heard a soft voice behind him.
"What's going on?!"
He was startled. The fleeting thought of greed that had crossed his mind made his heart sink instantly, as if something had seen through him and was whispering a reminder of the power behind him.
Wilkins quickly turned around and looked at the desk where the noise was coming from. Upon closer inspection, he realized that a black cat was curled up on the chair.
After realizing he was being watched, the black cat let out a short meow, turned around and ran to the edge of the cage. With a swift movement, it leaped onto the broken iron window, glanced back at Wilkins one last time, and then jumped out of the dungeon.
"What is it, Mr. Wilkins?"
The agent, along with the guards, escorted the novice mage to the processing table. Looking at Wilkin, whose forehead was slightly sweaty, he asked curiously:
"I think I heard you call out just now, were you calling me?"
Wilkins wiped the sweat from his brow, calmed himself, and smiled calmly:
"It's nothing, I was just...scaring myself."
"?"
The agent scratched his head in confusion, not dwelling on the matter, grabbed the terrified novice mage and pressed him onto the processing table, saying with a smile:
"Your Excellency, we have found a novice mage. How would you like to arrange for him/her?"
"Alright." Wilkin studied the novice mage's expression for a moment, then handed him the key, saying encouragingly:
"Sir, let me explain. We are researching some magic, it's all very legitimate, so don't worry... Come, try to synchronize this magical equipment. We need to collect usage data from novice mages..."
Hearing Wilkins' patient explanation, the novice mage gradually relaxed. Although he was still a little puzzled to see so many devices that could not connect to the magic network, he still believed the nobleman's explanation.
"Well then, Your Excellency... I shall begin."
The novice mage swallowed hard, awkwardly unleashing his magic to touch the strange key, attempting to resonate with it.
……
……
"That was close..."
Artemis pressed herself against the wall of the cell, watching the people in the center of the dungeon without moving. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that they were not conducting any search.
Just as she realized she had inadvertently spoken out of turn, she decisively took remedial measures, immediately canceling the magical link with the mice and quickly recasting "Gain Magical Pet" within half a second, summoning a black cat.
In this place where the magic net was broken, the nobleman indeed had no doubt that it might be a product of magic, and simply watched the black cat leave. If he had caught the black cat and examined it carefully, he would definitely have been able to detect the magical fluctuations.
"The mission is basically complete. Once we return to the association, reporting the information on Wilkin and the agent might count as completing an additional objective..."
Artemis tightened her pockets, carefully storing the recorded list of materials, the stolen experimental records, and the crumpled letter. She did not choose to throw them into the interdimensional gap, because that would cause very noticeable magical fluctuations.
"It's time to leave the dungeon..."
She silently recited these words to herself, and was about to tiptoe away when she suddenly noticed that Wilkin, after observing the novice mage's synchronization process for a while, had pulled the agent to her side and started whispering to the novice mage behind his back.
Artemis raised an eyebrow slightly. The two of them had stopped just a meter or two away from her, so she figured she might as well listen to their whispers.
……
“Your Excellency, I must tell you in advance that this key may hold a shocking secret.”
"Hiss, can I hear this secret?"
"Of course, if this key is really related to the authority of the Magic Network, you will be a great contributor."
"The authority of the magic network?"
"Yes, legend has it that the magic network sorcerers under the goddess's command possess magical magic network authority. This authority grants them the power to perform cleansing spells, bestow titles, and disconnect magic network links in person. Hehe... Of course, we also suspect that they have other authority, but there aren't many records left to verify this."
"Why don't you just find a few more magic sorcerers to interrogate them? It shouldn't be hard to find people from the Goddess Church."
"The Church of the Goddess does have many priests who remain in the secular world, but they are not all magic sorcerers. Furthermore, we suspect that magic sorcerers may not be entirely born from the members of the Church of the Goddess."
"Huh? Then we don't know where to start?"
"Yes, so if the mid-level mage you captured is indeed the legendary magic network sorcerer, your contribution will be immeasurable."
"Haha, I don't ask for anything else. Once I successfully possess the young lord, I will have both the floating island noble forces and the Dragon Horn Territory behind me. At that time, I will enter the capital through your channels. If I can get your support, that will be enough."
"..." A hint of ruthlessness and contempt flashed in Wilkin's eyes. He looked at the agent, whose face was flushed, and said with a smile:
“That’s not a problem at all. Several noble families in the capital are about to fall from power, and we will definitely reserve a place for you then.”
"Great! I never thought that I, a poor pioneer's follower, would have the opportunity to become a nobleman in the capital, hahahaha..." The agent couldn't help but burst into laughter.