"I found them!"
Reina was stunned by Li Wei's words.
She hurriedly asked, "Where are they?"
Li Wei said, "Maple City."
Hearing this, Reina was completely baffled, not understanding what he meant.
She had just watched Li Wei squatting on the ground, gesturing for a long time, only for him to suddenly stand up and claim he'd found the missing people.
Anyone else would have thought he was talking nonsense.
Reina said, "Let's hurry back."
Unable to figure it out, she simply gave up thinking. As long as Li Wei could help her find the missing Susan, that was all that mattered.
Reina was anxious to get back and find them, but after a few steps, she realized Li Wei wasn't following.
She turned to see Li Wei standing still.
"Why aren't you coming?"
Li Wei gave an awkward smile. "I was squatting for a little too long. My legs are asleep."
Reina walked back and swept him up in a princess carry.
Startled, Li Wei yelled, "What are you doing?"
Reina said, "You're too slow. I'll carry you back."
"I have a Shield and Longsword on my back, so I can't carry you piggyback. This is the only way."
With that, she took off at a run towards Maple City, holding Li Wei in her arms.
Li Wei was, at this moment, completely dumbfounded.
After much pleading, he finally persuaded Reina to put him down outside the city gates.
Otherwise, his lifelong reputation would have been utterly ruined.
The two of them walked toward the city gate.
Along the way, Li Wei had already explained his deductions to Reina.
As they walked, he said, "This whole affair runs deep. You need to think clearly about the consequences of getting involved."
"As it stands, the City Lord's Mansion and the Warrior Guild are already involved. There might be even more factions pulling the strings from behind the scenes."
"Your father tried to stop you from looking for Susan, which means that even if the Golden Shield Clan isn't participating, they at least know what's going on."
"A plan orchestrated by so many factions must have a hidden, ulterior motive. This might not be something you can meddle in."
"From what I can tell, Susan and the others who disappeared probably aren't in any mortal danger. After some time, they'll likely reappear and resume their normal lives. You don't really need to keep digging."
"Continuing this investigation won't do either of us any good."
As they walked, Li Wei noticed that Reina had stopped.
He looked back at her. Reina's head was bowed, seemingly lost in thought.
She suddenly raised her head, stared into Li Wei's eyes, and said, "This no longer has anything to do with you. I will give you your reward later."
Li Wei looked at her helplessly. 'Why won't this woman listen to reason!'
'Does she have to smash her head against a brick wall until she's bloody before she'll give up?'
"Reina!"
A deep voice reached Reina's ears.
Reina turned her head to look, and Li Wei looked up.
"Master, what are you doing here? Weren't you…"
It was rare for Li Wei to see Reina act so demurely.
He sized up the man before them. His body was tall and powerfully built, with muscles like coiled dragons.
Just by standing there, he seemed like an Indestructible city wall.
'So he's Reina's master, Orn Kote?' Li Wei thought.
Reina glanced at Orn, then at Li Wei, and said, "Master, I was the one who gave him the Magic Book. It has nothing to do with him."
Orn looked at Reina and said calmly, "You go back first."
Reina hesitated for a moment, but not daring to disobey her master, she lowered her head and said, "Yes."
She turned to walk into the city. As she passed Li Wei, she whispered, "My master won't hurt you. Don't worry."
After Reina left, Orn glanced at Li Wei and said, "Come here."
Li Wei hesitated for a moment, then followed him to the edge of the Maple Forest, the exact spot where he and Reina had met.
He had a strange feeling in his gut, as if he sensed something.
Orn stood with his back to him and said, "You're very clever."
Li Wei was about to offer a humble reply, but Orn's next sentence ruined his mood.
"Being able to deduce the truth from tiny clues is indeed very clever. But clever people don't usually live very long!"
Li Wei's expression changed slightly, and he prepared to cast Magic for a desperate fight.
Even a Great Knight would likely suffer if caught off guard by his sudden attack.
Orn said lightly, "Don't worry. I won't harm you. After all, you're a clever man."
"There are some things you shouldn't know, so don't. Forget about this matter and live out your days peacefully as a Mage Apprentice."
"I won't pursue the matter of the Magic Book any further. After you learn the Magic from it, return the Magic Book to me."
"Until then, take good care of the Magic Book.
By the time he finished speaking, Li Wei looked up to find that Orn had vanished without a trace.
Li Wei gazed ahead with a cool expression, then turned and walked toward Maple City.
'Just as I thought. Orn leaving was just a ruse to deceive Reina.'
'He was following Reina the whole time.'
'He heard everything I said to her.'
"So this is a Great Knight… Terrifying!"
He and Reina had walked across the flat, snowy ground more than once, yet they had never detected a single trace of Orn from start to finish.
Li Wei returned to the city and slowly walked toward the Mage Tower.
Reina was no longer in danger.
Instead, he was the one who had been plunged into a perilous situation.
He sighed inwardly.
'Is this the advantage of having a powerful background?'
'Reina can dance on the knife's edge of death again and again and come out unscathed.'
'But I just deduce a bit of the truth, and I get a warning from Orn.'
He was realizing that the mystery of the disappearing Guard Team ran deeper and deeper.
It seemed like everyone in Maple City knew the truth, except for the Mage Tower.
No, that wasn't right. The Mage Tower probably knew the truth as well; it was just that people like Gu Ze were being kept in the dark.
After all, the Mage Tower was one of Maple City's top factions.
It was impossible for the movements of any faction to escape the notice of the Mage Tower's spies.
Let alone the movements of fellow top factions like the Warrior Association and the City Lord's Mansion.
This made Li Wei even more curious. What secret was truly hidden behind this affair?
To be cautious, he decided not to get involved in any trouble related to this matter for the time being.
"Mr. Li Wei, you're here?"
Jimmy's voice rang out, his gaze on Li Wei filled with pleasant surprise.
He had just gone to the Mage Tower to find Li Wei, only to learn he was out, so he had left disappointed.
He hadn't expected to run into Li Wei on his way back.
Hearing his name, Li Wei turned. "Jimmy, what did you need to see me about?"
Jimmy walked over and said, "Last month's manuscript fee has come in. I'm here to deliver it to you, Mr. Li Wei."
Only then did Li Wei remember that it was time to get paid.
Jimmy pulled a money pouch from his pocket and handed it to Li Wei, saying, "January's manuscript fee is 67,412 Copper Coins in total. Here is 6 Gold Coins and 75 Silver Coins."
Li Wei took the money pouch and nodded. "Thanks."
"You're welcome."
After bidding farewell to Jimmy, Li Wei returned to the Mage Tower.
He first went to report his safe return to Gu Ze, so Gu Ze wouldn't go looking for him in the Maple Forest tomorrow.
Gu Ze was reading in his room. He glanced at Li Wei and said calmly, "It's good that you're back."
He didn't probe into the details of the matter.
Li Wei took his leave from Gu Ze and returned to his own room.
Sitting at his desk, Li Wei stared at the Magic Book before him, lost in thought.
Although he had been dragged into a huge mess, it had also solved one of his problems.
From now on, he no longer needed to worry about exposing his Invisibility Armor Spell.
Nor did he have to worry about revealing his ability to learn Magic in a single attempt.
There were pros and cons.