Chapter 66: Curry Their Favor

The Demon Extermination Squad searched until the middle of the night, nearly turning the mansion upside down, yet found nothing related to the evil god's followers, let alone any trace.

A few veteran members, relying on experience, had previously felt the presence of the evil god here.

But after the search, they were no longer so sure.

Even the two Holy Swordsmen, including Fuli Da, could not be certain whether their perception was mistaken.

Lei En also took part in the search; among everyone, only he knew for sure that this was definitely a hideout of the evil god's followers, but he lacked evidence and could only stew in frustration.

Helpless, the Demon Extermination Squad members could only withdraw.

Da Wen Lahe and the Secret Fire Guard had long since left, having someone escort Ebu Li and his entire family back, and began interrogations through the night.

Back at the Security Bureau, the squad members waited in the assembly room.

Lei En silently activated his Soul Eye, observing his teammates' conditions.

He suspected there was a mole within the Demon Extermination Squad who passed the information to those Luo Xi followers, allowing them to escape a step ahead.

The first suspect was the mysterious Mi Er Dun, but Mi Er Dun's soul seemed perfectly normal, his emotions matching everyone else's, with nothing unusual.

Mi Er Dun was also a follower of the God of Magic, making it unlikely he was linked to the Luo Xi believers.

Lei En then turned his gaze to Ilei; his soul was entwined with a teal‑brown fire of faith, exuding boundless vitality—this was the belief in the Earth Mother Goddess, unrelated to Luo Xi.

The other teammates were also none of the evil god's followers; they all worshipped the Empire's three righteous gods.

Could the mole not be in our squad, but in another squad?

Lei En recalled the earlier operation: the Security Bureau's uproar was huge; after Boluo Ke left with the report letter, General Da Wen Lahe reported upward, informing the Secret Fire Guard that the mole likely obtained the information during that process.

If that were true, it would mean an evil god follower had infiltrated Longshande's upper echelons!

Lei En shook his head inwardly; as long as this mole existed, he could no longer rely on the reporting tactic, and would have to work alone.

Damn, this is too hard.

He couldn't help but get a headache; the evil god's followers always cluster, making it hard for him to handle.

As dawn approached, Boluo Ke returned.

"Captain, how did the interrogation turn out?" Ilei rose to ask.

"Nothing came out," Boluo Ke shook his gloomy face, "the Secret Fire Guard sent a spiritualist over; everyone was interrogated, and they have no connection to the evil god's followers."

The spiritualist belonged to a branch of the Law Seal School, the wizard advanced profession founded by Duke Hong Shi, specializing in mind spells, adept at hypnosis, mental control, and soul attacks, and is a master‑level expert in interrogation work.

"What about Sir Ebu Li?" Fuli Da asked, somewhat incredulous.

She thought the breakthrough lay with the mansion's owner; when they captured him last night, she felt something was off about him.

Boluo Ke actually had a similar suspicion and replied regretfully, "He has no problem either."

The teammates all wore stunned expressions.

Especially Lei En, whose heart was filled with astonishment; no one knew the truth of this matter better than he did.

He didn't understand how this was accomplished.

A few days earlier, while eavesdropping outside the mansion, he clearly heard Ebu Li's conversation with Luo Xi followers; Ebu Li knew those people's identities intimately, surely not unrelated.

But Ebu Li somehow managed to clear his name, evading the spiritualist's interrogation!

A thought flashed through Lei En's mind: "Could the spiritualist in charge of the interrogation also be compromised?"

He dismissed the idea, finding it absurd.

The minimum requirement for an advanced spiritualist is level seven, so each spiritualist is at least a high‑rank wizard and extremely rare; most of the Empire's spiritualists hail from Duke Hong Shi's ParrasFloatingCity,

while Longshande may have only a handful of spiritualists, whose status is lofty, second only to legends, making it impossible for them to be linked to the evil god.

Lei En dared not think further.

Shortly after daybreak, the Security Bureau confirmed that Ebu Li's family had no ties to the evil god and released them on the spot.

However, Ebu Li was not willing to let it rest; he claimed his family had been severely frightened and intended to appeal to Duke himself, accusing the Demon Extermination Squad of persecuting his family.

This counts as a trouble of moderate size.

Ebu Li is a noble with extensive connections; since a single report letter led to his whole family's arrest without resolution, the Security Bureau will surely have to answer for it.

Within two days, Sir Ebu Li made the matter known throughout the city, stirring considerable public opinion among the nobility.

It was said even the Duke had heard of it.

A few days later, Longshande's mayor questioned the Security Bureau and ultimately decided that General Da Wen Lahe would be held responsible for this, punished with half a year's salary and personally visit Sir Ebu Li to apologize.

Captain Boluo Ke, being the first to receive the report letter that night and failing to verify its truth, was also punished, losing three months' salary.

The outcome wasn't severe, barely a sting, but it left the Demon Extermination Squad displeased.

Lei En could only sigh inwardly, this Sir Ebu Li was truly formidable.

The result of this report completely defied his expectations, feeling like a botched theft that backfired, causing Captain Boluo Ke to lose three months' salary.

Moreover, after this ordeal, no one would dare believe any future covert reports.

"Reporting is useless; it seems I can only rely on myself."

Having lost the trail of the evil god's followers, Lei En was at a loss for a while; he set his mind aside, meditating and training each morning, and in the afternoons went to the Violet House to practice the keyboard with Viola.

A burst of wind‑fast piano notes echoed through the room.

Lei En sat before the keyboard, fully focused, his body slightly leaning forward, his ten fingers dancing over the keys like phantoms; the music poured out from his fingertips like a raging storm, resonating all around, soaring and urgent, then slowing to a gentle breeze and drizzle, transitioning smoothly without the slightest error.

When the final note fell, the rain sound that filled the room vanished.

Clack clack…

Viola, sitting beside him, lightly applauded and praised, "Lei En, this piece 'Rain Poem' you played is superb, not inferior to the finest virtuosos. I still can't believe you've been learning the keyboard for less than a month; Longhaired Lady is far too partial to you."

Lei En pulled his thoughts out of the music, smiling, "It's all thanks to your teaching."

He was also surprised by his own progress.

The difficulty of 'Rain Poem' is extreme, comparable to the legendary wind‑blown harp 'Wild Bee Dance' from his past life, often used by keyboardists to show off.

Lei En was well aware; in his past life his skill was merely amateur, incapable of tackling such a demanding piece.

But after becoming a transcendent, a phone gyroscope helped finely control his hands, and just a few weeks of practice let him reach a realm that a lifetime could never have touched.

In Viola's eyes, this was even more astonishing.

For a month she didn't know how many times she had marveled at it, feeling a slight jealousy, even once considering making Lei En a disciple of Freya.

Viola sighed suddenly and said, "Even if I were to play 'Rain's Poem', I couldn't perform better than you; I have nothing left to teach you."

Lei En simply smiled and nodded.

In fact, a week earlier he had already reached a level equal to Viola's; he kept it to himself only because he wanted to keep practicing here.

Viola also enjoyed the time spent practicing piano with Lei En, looking forward to each afternoon, even letting the management of the Violet House become a bit lax.

The two understood this tacitly, without saying a word.

Lei En's gaze fell on Viola's beautiful face; he remained silent, simply watching her, his eyes carrying a hint of aggression and boldness.

The atmosphere grew subtle.

Within half a minute Viola could no longer bear it, her ears flushing pink, and she hurriedly stood up, saying, "You keep practicing for a while; I have something to attend to downstairs."

Without waiting for Lei En's response, she rose and left in a hurry.

Lei En watched her tall figure flee, withdrew his gaze, and shook his head with a light laugh.

He then felt a bit depressed.

He has been trying to get closer to Viola, devising ways to tease her, attempting to pierce this thin veil, but whenever the crucial moment arrives, Viola backs off, either abruptly shifting the topic or finding an excuse to leave.

Lei En, using his Soul Eye, can directly observe others' emotions.

He can tell that Viola has a strong affection for him; she was the one who first expressed love, but for some reason now she seems to have other concerns and keeps evading.

Whenever Lei En moves forward, she steps back.

The gap between them is now barely a veil, yet that veil is stubborn and cannot be torn.

Everyone loves beauty, let alone a peerless beauty like Viola.

Lei En has never in two lifetimes encountered such a beautiful woman; she is within arm's reach yet the relationship remains uncertain, and he begins to feel impatient.

"What on earth is going on?"

Lei En racked his brain without solution, lacking the desire to practice; his fingers idly struck the keys, producing meaningless notes.

In his mind the idea sparked: to win a woman, one must cater to her desires—what does Viola want?

"Looks?" She's already beautiful enough; I'm also handsome, more than enough to match her.

"Power?" She is a sixth‑level Ten Thousand Spirits Wizard, stronger than me, and could soon ascend to a higher tier.

"Wealth?" She belongs to a Title: Duke family, runs the Violet House, indeed needs vast riches, but she doesn't care for petty money, and I can't provide much now.

As for how to amass great wealth, Lei En already had a plan and had begun preparations, but the matter is too crucial; before clarifying his relationship with Viola, he doesn't want to act rashly lest he give others a free ride.

So that method can't be used for now; what else is there?

Viola already possesses everything an ordinary person dreams of; only something unique in the world that she deeply loves could suffice.

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Lei En's mind; he knew what to use to move Viola.