Chapter 340: The Missing Luo Qi (2)

"Du Ge, why aren't you saying anything?" Guan Xinyue asked. She was full of anticipation for Du Zhengyi, hoping that Du Zhengyi could immediately dig Luo Qi out of whatever pit he was in.

"I'm thinking about whether this matter actually has anything to do with Luo Qi," Du Zhengyi said in a low voice. "It's a bit ironic; when Luo Qi was first introduced to me, the label attached to him was high Luck."

"You mean fortune and misfortune are interdependent?" Guan Xinyue asked casually; she was too anxious to really think it through. What was this so-called Luck, and what was Luck anyway?

"That depends on how you look at it. Sometimes it's hard to tell if it's a blessing or a curse," Majiang said. "That just means... he's a focal point."

Du Zhengyi nodded as if he were listening, though the others could all tell he was pondering something else.

"What did you think of?" Majiang asked.

"I didn't think of anything. Luo Qi really did look like he just wanted to go out and get some fresh air; he said he was going skiing, and I believe that," Du Zhengyi said thoughtfully. "Both of them are Mages, not to mention Zhou Quan is an experienced Mage; there's no reason they should have ended up in a situation where they couldn't return."

"That's true," Majiang said. "I didn't expect that being unreliable could be contagious."

"I haven't had much contact with Zhou Quan," Du Zhengyi said. "What kind of person is he?"

Several pairs of eyes fell upon Liu Ziyi. Liu Ziyi looked up. "Are you asking me?"

Du Zhengyi nodded.

"He is a smart person," Liu Ziyi said.

"That's it?" Majiang was still waiting for the rest.

"Zhou Quan is a smart person," Liu Ziyi repeated, emphasizing her tone this time. "That is what I mean. In every aspect, he is a smart person, very smart."

"I understand," Du Zhengyi said.

Liu Ziyi nodded with satisfaction.

Majiang looked at them for a few moments. "Do you know that you always attract problem children? You really can understand what they mean."

Du Zhengyi had no heart to listen to him; he was watching a group of Highland Mages disappear into the center of the hall. They were all wearing heavy coats, hoods over their heads, and leather boots on their feet. Hopefully, they were smart enough, and Luo Qi could be brought back soon.

"Regretting it so much your guts are turning green?"

Du Zhengyi turned his head. The one who spoke was Majiang, wearing an expression that said, "You deserve to step in dog shit for not listening to your elders."

"What?" Du Zhengyi asked him.

"Why didn't you just go along? Everyone could have gone skiing, come back together when it got dark, and had something good to eat at night... Energy Beans," Majiang said.

Du Zhengyi did not speak.

Majiang continued, "Always being unsociable, now you're getting your retribution."

"Then let the retribution fall on me!" Du Zhengyi's voice suddenly rose, and he raised his eyes to glare at Majiang.

Only then did Majiang realize how high his temper was; it was too late to say he thought Du Zhengyi didn't care about these things. He coughed and said sheepishly, "Let's analyze this: besides finding a place to ski, what else could Luo Qi and Zhou Quan have gone to do?"

"Give it a rest, Uncle. What else could they do? Hide in some cave and share dirty movies together?" Guan Xinyue said irritably.

"Shh." Liu Ziyi suddenly held up a finger to hush them. Majiang and Guan Xinyue looked at her, but she was looking at Du Zhengyi.

Du Zhengyi looked back at them, lost in thought. "Has Luo Qi been spending his time in the Underground Laboratory these past few days?"

The group nodded in unison.

"What could Luo Qi talk to them about?" Du Zhengyi asked, puzzled. "He wasn't interested in the laboratory to begin with."

Before they could answer, Du Zhengyi was almost certain he already had the answer. "Unless it has to do with the one thing he's been most interested in lately. Pei Shu promised to provide him with help, to help him find that invisible person among the Highland Mages."

"Invisible person?" Majiang repeated.

"At least someone who can make the Highland Mages' sensing Magic fail," Du Zhengyi said. "Luo Qi must have been asking everyone in the laboratory these past few days if anyone could solve similar technical problems; he probably hoped the people in the laboratory could provide him with ideas."

"That's right, Luo Qi asked many people, and he asked me too," Liu Ziyi said.

"Did anyone think they knew the answer?" Du Zhengyi frowned.

"You know these people; they are all people who love to research. They gave Luo Qi all sorts of answers," Liu Ziyi replied. "But I don't think anyone had any malicious intent; we all quite like Luo Qi."

"Tell me about their views, pick the one you think is most likely first," Du Zhengyi said.

"There is one view that I do find somewhat reasonable, although it sounds a bit bizarre at first." Although Liu Ziyi said it that way, her tone was unhesitating, almost eloquent. "According to the records of the Ancient Mages, some Ancestor Mages believed—mind you, it was only some Ancestor Mages who believed this, others did not agree—these particular Mages believed that we are composed of Magic Particles and Magic Waves. If we could make our Magic Waves exactly 180 degrees out of phase with our normal Original Magic Waves, then our Sound Waves and light waves would not be perceived by anyone. But the theory holds that this state can only be maintained temporarily; it is not a continuous Magic."

"What on earth are you talking about? I didn't understand a word of it," Majiang couldn't help but say.

"It means that in principle, you could make someone invisible and inaudible," Du Zhengyi said.

Majiang stared at Du Zhengyi for a full ten seconds. "Actually, you didn't understand it either, right?"

"The point is that Luo Qi actually seemed to understand it, and he is very likely interested in it," Du Zhengyi said.

"Senior Brother is right; Luo Qi was indeed very interested in this theory. According to him, this theory is very similar to a certain human theory; he believes that two races wouldn't think of the same thing for no reason. According to some rumors, the Highland Mages actually inherited the crystals that store this kind of Magic. It's just that they have never been willing to admit it to the outside world," Liu Ziyi said.

"Luo Qi wouldn't have gone to look for this thing, would he?" Majiang asked.

Du Zhengyi was silent for a moment before saying, "I don't think Luo Qi would go exploring the secrets of the Highland Mages. But if his Luck really is high enough that he just happened to stumble upon it..."

"From your tone, I feel like you don't really believe what you're saying," Majiang said.

"Whether I believe it or not is not important, but I suspect Luo Qi's disappearance has something to do with this," Du Zhengyi said in a low voice, just like the previous leader of the Lotus Burners, who wouldn't have come to the Holy Mountain of the Highland Mages just to climb a snowy mountain.