Chapter 62: Strange Events in the City

Gao De’s life as the herb garden’s head finally became busy.

The trials for the Basic Endurance Potion would continue for some time.

The 【Blade Protection】 spell model was successfully constructed two days after mastering 【Read Magic】.

Thus, the number of spells in his repertoire expanded to twelve.

In addition, during this period he and the apprentices in the herb garden planted the newly purchased herb seedlings.

Anyone who has been a farmer knows that crops are most troublesome in their early growth stages and require careful care.

Herb cultivation is no different.

From preparing nutrient soil, loosening the earth, planting seedlings, fertilizing, to watering—a long chain of tasks left everyone exhausted.

Yet as he gazed at the vigorous young herbs growing in the fields, Gao De felt a quiet satisfaction—these seedlings would eventually become golden Xien coins in his pocket.

Only on the 22nd day of Greenleaf Month, when the second batch of Basic Mana Potions was fully consumed, did Gao De finally find time to temporarily end his “farmer” life.

Rose Alchemy Shop.

“Do you sell Basic Mana Potions?” As at Glow Alchemy Shop, they did not display Basic Mana Potions on the counter; Gao De asked the clerk directly.

This time he switched to a different alchemy shop.

First, to avoid drawing attention by frequently buying Basic Mana Potions from the same shop.

Second, to ensure he wouldn’t be overcharged by Glow Alchemy Shop, though the likelihood was low.

The facts proved the clerk at Glow Alchemy Shop had not lied to him.

At Rose Alchemy Shop, the price for one set of Basic Mana Potions was also 6 gold and 10 silver.

After a brief pause, Gao De bought six sets, spending 39 gold.

Buying only one or two sets would mean returning to the shop every few days—not just inconvenient, but wasteful of time.

Yet after this large expenditure, his cash reserves shrank again to 24 gold.

Money flowed like water.

They say the poor study, the rich train—yet compared to a mage, it seemed much the same.

As Gao De took the six sets of Basic Mana Potions packed by the clerk, he noticed a squad of city guards hurrying past on the street outside.

This sight was not the first time he had seen it today.

On his way here, he had already spotted several squads of city guards patrolling with serious expressions.

City guards had never been this active in the past.

“What’s happened in the city? Why are the city guards so heavily deployed today?” Gao De asked casually.

“You don’t know?” The clerk looked astonished. “Strange things have been happening in the city these past few days!”

“Huh?” Gao De frowned. “What kind of strange things?”

“Many people in the city have vanished without reason these past few days.”

Leaving Rose Alchemy Shop, Gao De’s brow remained furrowed, his mind heavy.

Though Hogen City was no match for the million-population metropolises of his past life, due to its overall environment, disappearances were not unusual.

They shouldn’t have caused such a stir.

Only two possibilities could explain the city guards’ intense focus: either a person of high status had vanished, or the number of missing persons had reached a threshold.

Either scenario was terrifying.

Thinking this over, Gao De turned his steps and headed to Pierre’s General Store.

When in doubt, consult Pierre.

The old man was mysterious, his shop located in the heart of Hogen City’s commercial district, constantly bustling with people—if he didn’t know something about the inside story, Gao De wouldn’t believe it. But that was secondary.

The main reason was that Pierre was Gao De’s only “connection” in this world so far.

Inside the general store.

“It was a family near the commercial district—entirely vanished without reason.”

As expected, Pierre was well-informed and knew some inside details.

“One night they were asleep at home; the next morning, all gone.”

“The daughter of that family was the cousin of the city guard captain’s wife—that’s why the matter couldn’t be buried.”

“And when they investigated, they found something was wrong,” Pierre’s voice lowered as he spoke.

Gao De leaned in. “What do you mean?”

“Not just a few families—over the past half-month, more than ten households, dozens of people, vanished overnight while sleeping in their beds.”

“But before, the missing families were all from the commoner districts, so no one paid attention.”

“The city guards inspected the scenes and reportedly found nothing but some unknown sticky residue.”

“No clues at all—about the killer’s identity, whether the missing were alive or dead, or how they vanished,” Pierre’s expression turned grave.

“I wonder if anyone will vanish tonight—if they do, this will explode into a major incident.”

Gao De nodded in agreement.

The city guards’ massive mobilization today clearly signaled they were conducting a serious investigation; if someone vanished tonight, it would be a direct slap in the face of the city guards.

And only someone bold enough—and confident enough—would dare to do that.

“Let’s see what happens tonight,” Gao De said.

If nothing happens tonight, at least everyone can breathe a little easier.

“Oh, by the way, have you ever heard of the Ceres Arcane Academy?” Since he was already here, Gao De asked casually.

“Of course I’ve heard of it,” Pierre dismissed the question lightly. “It’s the royal arcane academy of our nation.”

“Royal Arcane Academy?!”

“Yes, though our nation has only this one arcane academy,” Pierre nodded, inadvertently revealing more: “If you can enter, it’s like ascending to heaven in one step.”

“It’s just an arcane academy—is it really that extraordinary?” Gao De doubted.

“No lie,” Pierre declared firmly. “The Ceres Arcane Academy accepts only one batch of external students per year, besides those from the royal family and Xien nobility.”

“This year’s external recruitment is open to anyone, and applicants are numerous—but the admission standards are extremely strict; without exceptional arcane talent, you cannot get in.”

“Even in the best years, only thirty or forty pass the trials; most years, only ten to twenty are admitted to the Ceres Arcane Academy.”

“And of those who pass, ninety-nine percent become second-ring mages.”

“Entering the Ceres Arcane Academy means you’ve already put one foot into the second-ring realm—what else would you call that but ascending to heaven?” Pierre countered.

Gao De could only nod silently.

In Hogen City, even a first-ring mage was rare—absolute elite.

“Is it located in the royal capital?” Gao De asked hesitantly.

“Of course,” Pierre grew enthusiastic and added more: “It was founded at the same time as the royal capital, Shengxi City, and has existed for thousands of years.”

“How far is it from Hogen City to Shengxi City?” Gao De pressed.

“It’s far—several thousand kilometers, I’d guess,” Pierre sighed, then shook his head. “I’ve never even been to Shengxi City. As a subject of the Xien Principality, never having seen our own royal capital—that’s a great regret.”

(End of Chapter)