Chapter 504 - The Way a Mage Finds the Murderer
Chapter 504 The Way a Mage Finds the Murderer
The deputy chairman of the Association of Mages was supposed to be powerful and influential. Why had he been assassinated so easily? Was it part of the plot in the game, or was it a natural result of events in this world?
The forum was where the players communicated with each other. After two years of exploration and communication, they had realized that there were two kinds of quests.
The first kind of quest involved the plot of the game pushed by the system. During such quests, the players would be temporarily transferred to a mirror space, and nothing in the game would really be affected.
The second kind of quest was given by the NPCs. Such quests were also acknowledged by the system. Anything that a player did during such quests would influence the game world.
Such quests were known as sandbox quests, because there was no telling what they would bring.
Many players had already been tricked by NPCS; one who, for example, issued a quest claiming that a certain villain robbed him of his wife or something. They found they were fooled after they killed their target, and that the NPC who gave them the quest was the real villain.
As a result of such NPC questions, the players’ reputation in the related area plunged. They were even wanted or hunted by the victims’ relatives.
Under most circumstances, through a sincere apology and a decent compensation, and by avenging the victims for their relatives, the players could get over it.
But certain unforgiving NPCs demanded that the players kill themselves for what they did.
Under such circumstances, most players would delete their characters and create a new one.
Some players would give all their belongings to the NPCs and flee. They would start a new life somewhere far away guiltily.
After these things were repeatedly reported on the forum, the players became very prudent when they picked sandbox quests.
I
Roland spent some time reading the content that other players released on the forum every day. He was well aware of such things. Besides, he had personally been through a similar thing back in Red Mountain Town when he just joined the game. He completed the quest, but his reputation in Red Mountain Town lowered.
Roland looked around and found that the other soldiers in black robes were knocking at other doors and saying similar things. He then realized that this gathering wasn’t because of him.
After that, he subconsciously opened the system menu but found no quest notifications.
He was slightly disappointed that the deputy chairman’s death didn’t trigger a quest, but on second thought, it wasn’t too unusual. Unlike the lucky boy Betta, he hadn’t triggered many quests since he started playing the game two years earlier. He refocused his attention on the soldiers in black robes. “Okay, we’ll go to the square in a moment. Could you give us a moment to prepare ourselves?”
“Of course.”
The soldier bowed courteously and knocked at the next door. Whoever lived there was either an expert Mage or a powerful noble. He was too insignificant to offend them.
Returning to the room, Roland said to Andonara, “Let’s go to the square first.”
Andonara was a Legend. Although she stayed in the room, she heard what the soldier said
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clearly.
She looked at the food on the table regretfully. “What a shame. We can’t have it while it’s still hot.”
Roland put all the food in the system Backpack and said, “Let’s go. We can have it after we return from the square. It will always be hot in my Backpack.”
“Okay.” Andonara grabbed Roland’s arm delightedly. They left the room and found a lot of people walking to the square. Following those people, they came to the square very soon. The square where the flying boat landed was so vast that it still seemed empty even though ten thousand people had flooded in.
Many soldiers were keeping order in the square. They also asked the people to congregate in one area in case they became too scattered.
Roland and Andonara stood at a random place casually.
They were not nearly as anxious as the other Mages or the powerful nobles.
More and more people were streaming out of the Association of Mages’ building. About half an hour later, the flow began to stem.
In the end, four Legendary Mages flew to the sky. One of them waved his hand, and everybody was enshrouded in a purple massive barrier.
Two of those Mages were from the Red Magic Tower, and Roland had never seen the other two.
Leaning close to Roland, Andonara said in a low voice, “Give me the sword. Just in case.”
Andonara was a woman who always lacked a sense of safety. She felt happy whenever she was with Roland, and she would not let anyone hurt him.
The four Legendary Mages had given her some pressure.
She felt that she couldn’t protect her man without a sword.
Roland took out the epic sword, which he had personally forged and enchanted, and gave it to Andonara. Then he said in a low voice, “If anything happens, protect yourself first.”
“No, I need to protect you.”
“Don’t forget that I’m a Golden Son,” said Roland toughly. “You have to listen to me, okay?”
“But…” Andonara hesitated.
On one hand, she always obeyed Roland, but on the other hand, she felt very uncomfortable at the thought that Roland might be hurt.
She was caught in a dilemma as to whether or not to listen to Roland, which made her very unhappy.
Actually, most vine-like women had similar issues.
When their men were involved in something and their thoughts contradicted their men’s intentions, they often hesitated.
Everybody had shortcomings. It was not a big problem that Andonara was slightly indecisive when she was gentle and caring.
Besides, she had a lot more advantages.
“Listen to me.” Roland grabbed her hand and continued toughly, “If anything does happen, your top priority is to protect yourself, got it?” Andonara nodded after a moment of hesitation.
After the barrier was fully closed in the sky, a Legendary Mage whom Roland didn’t know announced with a broadcast spell, “My friends, allow me to apologize to you first. You must know what happened by now. Our deputy chairman was assassinated by someone who’s hiding among you. Right now, I need to perform a truth test on you. I know it’s very rude, but we’re in the middle of a crisis. I hope you can understand and cooperate with me.” Just like what the Legendary Mage said, Lie Detection was just as despicable as Alignment Detection.
They were as offensive as asking someone to take off their clothes in public in order to confirm their gender.
It might even hurt the pride of those who were tested.
But since it was a Legendary Mage who gave the order, and whoever had killed the deputy chairman of the Association of Mages could also easily kill the other Mages here, nobody in the square objected to the spell.
The Legendary Mage chanted a spell, and a green circle of light descended.
Many people were emitting vague green light, but a lot of other people showed no reaction, including Roland, Andonara and most other Mages.
Thanks to their high magic resistance, they were immune to the large-area lie-detecting
spell.
Every spell had an intensity. If one’s magic resistance was higher than the intensity, the spell wouldn’t work on them.
The Legendary Mage had seen it coming. He asked from the sky, “Are you the murderer?”
All the people who had a sheen of green light said, “No,” and the color on them didn’t change at all.
If anyone who emitted green light told a lie, the light would turn red.
The Legendary Mage made a gesture, and the soldiers around the square left an opening.
The Legendary Mage said, “The friends who are emitting green light may leave.” They made up about one-third of all the people in the square.
After they were gone, the Legendary Mage lowered his altitude and put on a cold smile. “The rest of you, please stand closer to each other.”
After the crowd was gathered, another green circle of light fell upon them.
This time, the green circle was a lot narrower and brighter.
Naturally, the same amount of energy would be more intense if it was focused on a smaller area.
This time, a third of the people glowed again.
The Legendary Mage asked the same question and then released them.
After that, he concentrated on the rest of the people and cast Lie Detection in an even smaller range. He asked the same question and then told them to go.
After he repeated the same process three times, there were only twenty people left in the square. Both Roland and Andonara were among them.
The Legendary Mage further descended, and white magic stripes flashed on his gray magic robe.
“Murderer, just come out. Let’s not waste each other’s time.”
The Legendary Mage glanced at the last twenty people and stared at Andonara for three seconds.
All the remaining people here were Mages, except Andonara, who was carrying a sword.
Therefore, Andonara looked most suspicious on the surface.
But the Legendary Mage quickly moved his eyes aside. He knew very well that anybody could seem like a suspect without valid proof.
Since the murderer dared to assassinate the deputy chairman, they must have prepared false evidence of their innocence. Sometimes, those who looked suspicious were actually guiltless.
The Legendary Mage landed and shook his head helplessly. “It seems that you won’t give up until the last moment.”
He waved his hand, and a dazzling circle of light fell again. This time, almost everybody glowed in green except Roland and Andonara. The Legendary Mage looked at Roland and Andonara in surprise.
After a moment of hesitation, he asked the crowd, “Which one of you is the murderer?”
“It’s not me.”
“It’s not me either.”
After the twenty people answered their questions, none of them revealed different colors.
This time, everybody’s eyes were focused on Roland and Andonara.
The other three Legendary Mages who were floating in midair slowly descended and surrounded Roland and Andonara.
Two of them were from the Red Magic Tower and knew Roland and Andonara. They were rather skeptical because they didn’t think Roland would do such a thing.
After all, it was them who brought Roland here.
The Legendary Mage who performed Lie Detection slowly walked to Roland and Andonara.
Gloomily and coldly, he said, “Why don’t you introduce yourselves?”
“Roland, a student from the Red Magic Tower.”
“Andonara, Roland’s woman.” The Legendary Mage nodded without giving any comment. He then released his mental power, only to retreat half a second later with a painful expression, because he suffered a minor setback from Andonara.
Now that Andonara had awakened her Hero bloodline, she had the innate skill “Mind Countering,” which prevented most negative mental power and spells from working on her.
The mental tentacles of a Mage were essentially a special application of mental power, so it was natural that they were restricted.
But the Legendary Mage realized their strength after he was countered. He said coldly with his hands behind his back, “How interesting. A Legendary Warrior is willing to be the wife of a Mage who isn’t even a Master? Do you think I’m stupid? Or maybe you are?”
Generally, any Legend would be welcomed by all the forces.
Even a superpower like Fareins wouldn’t refuse any Legendary expert. They would enjoy all the privileges here.
Besides, this Legendary Warrior was so beautiful that she could even marry a king. Why would she be interested in a student Master who wasn’t even a Master?
Something must be wrong.
Roland said calmly, “Sir, I can only say that you’re overthinking it. The truth is as simple as it sounds. She is my woman.”
Right when the Legendary Mage sneered and was about to say something, a mentor of the Red Magic Tower stepped out and said, “Teldo, he’s indeed a student from the Red Magic Tower, and this Lady Andonara is truly his woman. We specifically brought him here from the Red Magic Tower to broaden his mind. They can’t be the assassins.”
The Legendary Mage named Teldo turned his head back. “Wait, Roland from the Red Magic Tower? I remember the name. Isn’t he the one who created the oil-making and water-making spells?!”
The mentor nodded.
The Legendary Mage hummed in response and waved his hand. “Then it probably isn’t him. The assassin must’ve left the Association of Mages. I’ll inform the city guards to lock down the city.”
After that, he canceled the barrier and flew into the sky.
Greatly relieved, Andonara put her half-unsheathed sword back.
She was confident in dealing with two Legendary Mages simultaneously, but things would be tricky if she had to fight four of them.
Roland nodded at the mentor who spoke for him in gratitude. Then his face slightly changed.
He opened the system menu and found a quest notification.
Quest received: Lurker in the Dark (1). Look for clues about the assassin. His fate will be decided by you. (Epic)
It was an epic quest? And it was numbered?
Was it a quest series?
Roland subconsciously accepted the quest.
It was fine even if he couldn’t take care of it on his own. After all, he could still ask for Schuck’s help.