Chapter 423: Liu Li (2)

"No matter who said it, they said it accurately, didn't they?" Liu Li said, her gaze sweeping over the others. "The techniques of Calculators are no worse than those of Mind Mages or Battle Mages. I heard that you even forced a Doctor to moonlight as a Calculator for a while?"

"Pei Shu said that?" Du Zhengyi recalled that they had already handed Guan Xinyue's ear bone stud over to Pei Shu.

Liu Li nodded, her gaze sweeping over Mahjong, who greeted her. Doctors were a more composed group than Battle Mages; their focus could be as intense as a Battle Mage's, and they were just as calm, yet they were far more dull than Battle Mages. This could be considered a professional talent; he could face a stern Liu Li, and even when facing the high-level Committee, he could maintain a blank expression.

No one wanted to tangle with a Doctor, so Liu Li's gaze turned to the frail human girl among the pack of Mages, her expression softening slightly. "When I last saw you, you were still in kindergarten."

Guan Xinyue looked at her and said with great difficulty, "I don't remember."

"You were too young then; Guan Yushan brought you and your sister. Mages never forget; I still remember that day you were wearing the same dress as her, your sister had a purple ribbon tied around her waist, and yours was red. Guan Yushan dressed you both up like two little princesses; he was very proud of his two granddaughters," Liu Li said gently, successfully bringing some warmth back to the little girl's indifferent face. "We will definitely find your sister, too."

Luo Qi stared at her intently; he could see that she had suppressed the urge to beg Liu Li for help, as she had already lost all hope in the Mages. A bitter sense of guilt welled up in Luo Qi's heart; she had helped him more than once and always kept him in her thoughts, but he had let her down completely.

Liu Li continued, "Because you know so much about the situation, we also intend to ask you some questions."

Just as Luo Qi was about to interject, he was suppressed by Liu Li's stern gaze. She said sharply in an unquestionable tone, "The investigation will take the form of a Q&A. I do not allow anyone to conduct mind probes on a minor, nor do I allow any Mage to refuse to be investigated."

"Oh." Luo Qi swallowed as if startled; Liu Li was like a lioness—no wonder she earned the dual titles of Thunder God and Lightning Mother.

"And you, Luo Qi. If you still intend to accumulate enough credits to continue your studies, that paper on Kongzi must at least receive a 'Good' or higher. I hope you have already started writing; at the very latest, by the time I return to school, you must at least be able to submit a first draft," Liu Li said sternly.

Luo Qi was so scared his little stomach twisted; suddenly, the familiar academic pressure bore down on him, and the life-and-death ordeals he had experienced, as well as the interrogation he was about to face, didn't seem so terrifying anymore. Even though he desperately wanted to say coolly, "I'm not studying anymore," under the crushing pressure of Liu Li and Du Zhengyi both glaring at him, his legs cramped up, and he didn't dare to even entertain that thought.

"Alright." Liu Li continued crisply, "Luo Qi is first, Du Zhengyi is second, followed by Mahjong and Guan Xinyue; this is the order for questioning. Mages should also use their brains; you should rely more on your own minds to get things done, rather than always relying on Mind Mages to read your thoughts directly. I hope today's incident not only proves your innocence but also drives some positive changes in Qionglin."

Luo Qi didn't know if she was being serious; he didn't believe that Qionglin could get anything more out of him once they left the Mind Mages behind. Even if Guan Xinyue decided to betray him as revenge, Guan Xinyue didn't know that much to begin with. Mahjong might say a few things, but he didn't know much more than Guan Xinyue. As for him and Du Zhengyi, they couldn't be pried open at all; in that sense, he suspected that Liu Li was actually trying to protect them.

Liu Li could guarantee that the Qionglin Investigation Team would stick to the facts, and since Luo Qi had done nothing, there was nothing to say.

He remembered again that Liu Li had mentioned Calculators; perhaps she didn't want to speak plainly about the events of that day in front of Peng Xiaopeng. But Luo Qi knew very well that the only Calculator who would take the initiative to bring him up and be interested in calculating his life parameters was likely his aunt, Chu Jin, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

He hadn't expected Aunt Chu Jin to still care about him; he remembered that when he was a child at his grandfather's house, this aunt had doted on him. But like most relationships between a brother-in-law and a sister-in-law, they were either at odds or a bit ambiguous. Luo Qi remembered that his father's relationship with his aunt belonged to the former; his aunt was a quiet and intelligent talented woman, and his father was a mild-mannered Doctor. For some reason, the two, who were both highly intellectual, would end up in chaos every time they met at his grandfather's house.

At that time, his Mama's attitude... Luo Qi couldn't remember. When he was a child, his Mama often lived in seclusion due to neurasthenia, staying in their little house by the lake, and they rarely even went to his grandfather's house.

By the time Luo Qi was older and more active, reaching the stage where everyone found him annoying, he rarely saw his aunt. So perhaps his aunt still held the impression of him as a well-behaved little meat bun, to the point that even though the two families grew further apart over the years, his aunt still remembered to look after him.

Just then, a thought flashed through his mind, and Luo Qi suddenly realized that things were actually not that complicated, and the reasons were not that random. His aunt had, of course, known him since he was born. There were not many Mage families that could have more than two children, and the rare siblings often shared a close bond. His aunt had years of conflict with his father, his mother rarely returned to her original family, and her family was torn apart—perhaps all of this happened after he was born, after he had memories...

Thinking of this, everything seemed easy to guess; his problem was perhaps not a secret in the family, she knew, and she did not approve.

If Luo Qi hadn't been chosen to team up with Du Zhengyi, he would have left school soon, then left the Mage society, perhaps living as a human for the rest of his life. Leaving with Du Zhengyi was a key turning point in changing his life. If this turning point was artificially chosen, then this choice was truly exquisite, like a surgeon's operation. The Mage World often intervened in the fates of those key figures among humans, swaying their actions. It wasn't that they couldn't interfere with ordinary people, but ordinary people had no calculation value, while the likes, dislikes, and even behavioral traits of key figures could bring about huge changes in human society. The Mage World generally relied on Execution Mages to complete this operation, but the ones formulating the plans behind the scenes were the Calculation Mages of the Calculation Institute.

Chu Jin was an excellent Calculation Mage. She might have always been unwilling to betray her family and tell Qionglin about Luo Qi's secret, but she ultimately made a decision, seizing the opportunity to realize her own wishes. Her nephew had achieved a breakthrough in a dangerous situation. Judging from the environment Luo Qi was in now, if this process of breaking the Seal were to be completed by Qionglin, the result would definitely not be good. In any case, she seized the opportunity and gave Luo Qi a chance.

Luo Qi was dazed for a moment; he loathed others interfering in his life, and he felt almost physically ill at the thought. Whether it was his parents' interference or Aunt Chu Jin's, it made him feel disgusted. They might have had no choice, or even thought they were doing it for his own good from their own perspectives, but it still made him uncomfortable.

However, his gaze drifted to Du Zhengyi beside him; his expression was still so calm, almost like a pure and innocent child. If Du Zhengyi hadn't met him, and if he didn't have the power he held now, then Du Zhengyi would be completely dead, with no hope at all. Once this thought crossed his mind, Luo Qi suddenly believed a bit in that piece of chicken soup wisdom prevalent in human social circles—that the present is the best arrangement of fate.

Du Zhengyi felt his gaze, shifted his eyes over, and nodded at him. It meant for him not to be nervous about the upcoming questioning; they could make it through.

Luo Qi didn't actually care much.

"Alright, wait for me a little longer... this will be done soon," Liu Li said. She lowered her head to hurriedly finish reading the remaining section of the document in her hand and scribbled a signature at the very bottom.

Then she stood up, tidied her desk and herself in a rush like a busy housewife, and strode toward Luo Qi. "Mage Peng, you come with me too. Luo Qi, separate from Du Zhengyi now and come with me; you cannot discuss strategies anymore, that's like colluding. Don't waste any more time; I am very embarrassed to disturb the Highland Mages like this."

"What? I didn't at all," Luo Qi said. "I didn't have any conscious exchange with him!"

Liu Li didn't care what he said; she reached out a hand and grabbed Luo Qi's arm. Before Luo Qi could react, a familiar sensation of spinning world assaulted him.

Oh, damn, Teleportation again; couldn't she just use a door?

Luo Qi endured the urge to vomit; his feet touched solid ground again, but when he looked up, he was still a bit stunned by the spectacle before him.

And... damn, how cunning. Now he was in a hall without doors; these people waiting to interrogate him were probably all teleported in. And he himself, without outside help, relying on his Mind Mage skills, could not walk out of a room with no doors or windows.