Chapter 63: Hound Tracking

Although the name "Royal Magical Academy" stirred a momentary impulse in Gao De, the thousands of kilometers distance quickly cooled him down.

Even two hundred kilometers away, the city of Bremen was beyond reach for Gao De at this point.

This wasn’t his past life, with high-speed trains, airplanes, and other convenient transport.

Outside the city, vast unexplored, uninhabited forests teemed with danger.

With a complex mood, Gao De left the commercial district and returned to the herb garden.

The news he heard today still left him with a sense of unease.

Although disappearances had previously occurred in the commercial and commoner districts, who could guarantee it wouldn’t happen next in the "poor district," the "wealthy district," or even the "suburbs"?

It was precisely because the wealthy in the city feared this that they pressured the city guards, making them take the matter seriously.

“Someone needs to take turns keeping watch at night. Even if the killer truly appears, the apprentices’ feeble skills here won’t help—but at least it’ll give me some psychological comfort; otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep.” Gao De thought to himself.

“I just want a quiet life—farm some land, sell some herbs, and grow stronger for a while. Is that really so hard?” He felt a pang of helplessness.

Gao De believed he had been sufficiently humble and obedient.

Even when he occasionally had impulsive thoughts, he suppressed them all and never took any risks.

But unfortunately, trouble didn’t spare him just because he avoided it.

“I hope the city guards can at least do something useful and catch the killer soon.” Gao De thought.

The worst-case scenario he had feared had finally come to pass.

Last night, despite intensified patrols and full-city lockdown, two households—nine people total—vanished mysteriously inside their homes.

As before, the scene revealed nothing except some unknown sticky substance.

“I hear the wealthy of the city united today and pressured the city guard,” said Pierre, his expression grave, to Gao De, who had arrived early to gather news.

He looked deeply worried. “Who isn’t terrified by this?”

It seemed the old man himself had no confidence.

Not surprising—people always fear the unknown.

“Pressuring the city guard is just a front; the real goal is to pressure the mayor,” Gao De saw through it at once: “Clearly, the city guards can’t solve this—they must summon the city’s mage.”

“If the mage intervenes, won’t this mystery be solved quickly?” Only a mage wielding supernatural power could handle such strange events.

“Probably,” Pierre hesitated, then nodded—he still held some hope for the mage of Hogen City.

Like Gao De, he wished Hogen City would remain calm and free of anomalies.

Hogen City, City Council Chamber.

Around a dark-wood conference table in a circular room sat eight or nine of the city’s top leaders.

They wore colorful robes embroidered with family crests, their faces expressionless, revealing nothing of their thoughts.

Charles, the highest leader of Hogen City, sat in the main seat, his brow furrowed.

Those present collectively represented the highest authority in Hogen City.

Everyone, including Charles, remained silent.

Marlan, captain of the Hogen City Guard, was a burly middle-aged man in a fitted uniform, radiating sharp energy and an air of intimidation.

Seeing no one speak, he cleared his throat and broke the silence.

“My Lord, last night I deployed every city guard for night duty. Everyone worked tirelessly—no one slacked off or neglected duty—but the disappearances still occurred silently under our patrols.”

“This is beyond the city guard’s capability. We must summon the mage.”

The others still said nothing, as if determined to remain silent.

Charles, in the main seat, frowned deeply and sighed. “I thought this was a minor matter, but it’s grown worse than expected.”

“If this isn’t resolved, everyone in the city will live in fear, and merchants will protest loudly.”

“Hogen City is ultimately ours—everyone, please voice your opinions.”

With Charles speaking thus, no one could remain silent any longer.

“I suspect it’s the work of a geopulse creature,” the elder seated to Charles’s right spoke first.

He was the deputy mayor of Hogen City, Master Qingdi.

According to the laws of the Xian Kingdom, the highest leader of every city must be a noble holding a kingdom title—the local lord.

On this basis, a deputy mayor with the title of “mage” must be appointed.

This is a mandatory rule.

Only then can the city maintain sufficient power to resist potential natural or human disasters.

Even in a small city like Hogen, Deputy Mayor Master Qingdi was a second-ring mage.

“What is your opinion, Master Qingdi?” Charles asked for confirmation.

“This doesn’t resemble human action. Why would a human go to such elaborate lengths for just a few households? As you described, the victims vanished, but their belongings remain untouched.” Master Qingdi spoke calmly.

Could it be that some mage is secretly studying forbidden necromancy, leaving the wealth behind to throw us off?

Such things had happened before.

“Then he wouldn’t dare act so openly,” Charles dismissed the possibility.

Studying forbidden necromancy was a grave crime—always conducted in secret; no one would be so brazen.

“But if it is a geopulse creature, where did it come from, and where did it go?” Charles frowned.

He had considered the geopulse creature possibility, but this point had no reasonable explanation.

The poor district was understandable—it lay on the city’s edge.

Occasionally, rogue geopulse creatures slipped past the city walls and wreaked havoc in the slums—this had happened before.

But the two recent disappearances occurred in the commoner district, in Hogen City’s secondary center.

If it truly was a geopulse creature, how did it enter the commoner district unseen, passing through the city’s outer perimeter?

And how did it vanish silently—or where might it be hiding now? The city guards have patrolled the city repeatedly these days and found not the slightest anomaly.

“Geopulse creatures possess diverse abilities. Lately, the frequency and number of geopulse creatures appearing outside the city have increased. A geopulse creature with concealment abilities is not hard to imagine,” Master Qingdi said slowly, with certainty.

“What do you mean, Master Qingdi?” Charles, seeing Master Qingdi’s demeanor as if he already had a full plan, promptly asked humbly.

“Didn’t they say some sticky substance was left at the scene?”

Master Qingdi stated directly: “Without doubt, that substance was left by the killer.”

“A single ‘Hound Tracking’ spell can trace the killer through the residue.”

“Then please, Master Qingdi, perform it.”

But Master Qingdi shook his head. “I don’t know the ‘Hound Tracking’ spell. You must send someone to Bremen to buy a spell scroll.”

“‘Hound Tracking’ is a second-ring spell; the scroll costs only thirty gold.”

“Money is trivial—finding the killer and calming this matter is the priority,” Charles slammed his hand on the table.

Thirty gold meant nothing to a viscount.

“I’ll send someone to Bremen immediately.”

(End of Chapter)