Super Magician: The Magic Network Collapsed Again at the Start

Chapter 145 The Lawful Barbarians
Quentin pulled the shop manager into a room for a brief interrogation, and the events of the past two days became clear.

Graham's son somehow discovered an adventurer who had been parasitized, but instead of reporting it, he secretly hid him in a secret room.

This matter couldn't be kept from the shop manager, but the manager was unaware of the situation and dared not ask any further questions.

He probably couldn't have imagined, even if he racked his brains, that this matter was so serious.

To be honest, the higher-ups in the Federation were well aware of the terrible state of those parasitized by the Mind Destroyer Tadpole, including Graham and his son.

The parasite that was captured earlier is still being held in the dungeon.

But Devin did not stop his dangerous behavior until he lost his life.

He may not have been entirely voluntary, but there's no need to discuss that now.

Anser beckoned to Quentin and calmly said, "Seal off the Iron Crown. Send men to search all their shops and residences. Don't let any suspicious people or items slip by, especially that purple jar."

Once Congressman Graham calmed down, he was taken home to rest and temporarily... prohibited from going out.

"This... I'll take care of it right away!" Quentin gritted his teeth; there was no room for him to play both sides in this matter.

If it weren't for the president's "brilliant idea," the Iron Crown might have turned into a den of monsters in a few days.

Elise sat on the flying carpet, watching all this quietly, her eyes filled with a hint of melancholy.

“It seems the Iron Crown has nothing to do with the Iron Throne.” Anser walked to her side.

“Ha, there’s definitely a collaboration. If you don’t believe me, just ask Graham.” Elise was very certain; she never spoke without basis.

"Tomorrow," Anser gestured towards the yard. "Doesn't he have any other relatives?"

"Probably not." Elise seemed unwilling to discuss this and proactively changed the subject. "Didn't you say Mind Flayers were very clever? How come you saw through their attack so quickly?"

“Couldn’t I be the wiser one?” Anser tapped his temple with the jewel on his scepter, a smile on his face.

“Speak like a human.” Elise rolled her eyes at him.

“I guessed.” Anser shrugged. “Someone wants to stir up trouble, confuse the public, or take the opportunity to force me out. Aside from the Ammun, it seems the Mind Flayers would benefit the most.”

That mind flayer will soon reach its full form, at which point only the two of us in the entire Durrag will be able to threaten it.

“Only you.” Elise sighed. Mind Blast ignores most defensive abilities; apart from mages and paladins, other spellcasters really can’t withstand it.

A thought struck her, and she asked in surprise, "How did you discover that secret room?"

True vision and the ability to detect good and evil are blocked by earth, rocks, or metal, making it almost impossible to find a well-hidden secret room.

“The Eye of Mysticism,” Anser replied casually.

"Don't you have a fire shield?"

"Oh, I know more of those."

Elise immediately lost interest in speaking, and with a whoosh, she flew into the sky and quickly disappeared from sight.

"Is it really necessary?" Anser shook his head slightly.

But he knew that Elise was partly responsible for today's events, as she was in a low mood.

At that moment, Quentin jogged over and handed him a palm-sized, purple, olive-shaped jar.

"I knew it." Anser's heart skipped a beat. "Where did you find it?"

"It's in a hidden compartment in the secret room." Quentin looked puzzled. "What is it?"

"Mind Flayer Infant".

"Hiss..." Quentin gasped, then his face darkened. "Destroy it!"

Anser focused his mind on the jar:
[Brain Fluid Jar, Rare, Mind Flayer Larva: 5/10]

“I will handle it properly.” He put the jar into his dragon skin bag.

Quentin hesitated, then said nothing and directed the guards to clear the area.

As the guards carried away the corpses of the Mind Flayers and the bags of brainless heads, the onlookers erupted in uproar. "Congressman Graham usually seems quite upright..."

"Don't talk nonsense, it's clearly his son who ruined his father's reputation!"

"You understand now..."

"Don't make me beat you."

"..."

Anser left first, minimizing his public appearances, leaving everything to Quentin to handle.

The appearance of the Mind Flayer made him uneasy. If this place turned into a monster paradise right after he became the guild leader, it would be too embarrassing.

'I feel like I've been tricked...'

Upon returning to the Federation, he went straight to the guard post and asked the officer on duty to bring him the investigation report on Matthew.

According to the adventurers' testimonies, when they fled from Silverscale Bay, they did not stop and ran southeast, passing through the edge of the Cloak Forest and the coastal road, spending most of their time traversing the wilderness.

The others weren't particularly close to Matthew, and several of them joined later in life. It's unclear when Matthew became "cheerful and talkative."

'It's highly likely that it happened the night the incident occurred at Silverscale Bay. Who knows how many people like that there are?' Anser put down the report, feeling as if a huge net was spreading towards Faerûn.

He entered the dark dungeon, and after confirming that the adventurers were alright, he ordered them to be released.

The adventurer Fulgar, who was parasitized by the mind-stealing tadpole, was marked with the Paradise Mark and teleported directly to the second floor of the Black Tower. He then personally sent him to a sealed cell.

Vulgarshan was undergoing a mutation process; his skin was grayish-purple, and his head was slightly deformed, appearing to be about to grow tentacles. However, he was currently helpless and unable to resist; an ordinary person could kill him.

But in a few days, he will completely transform into a mind flayer who wields spiritual power!
'Seven short days...what a wondrous race.' Anser stood at the prison door, observing Fulgar inside through the one-sided transparent black stone door.

Mind Flayers are said to be a group of mentally ill individuals with self-destructive tendencies, who rely on a mastermind to lead and control the entire group through a telepathic network. This "nest mentality" can suppress or even deprive Mind Flayers of their individual thoughts.

The main brain is a giant, brain-shaped creature with terrifying psychic power, floating in a tightly protected brain pool and rarely moving.

'Isn't this the central server?' Anser suddenly thought of the internet in his past life. 'So, mind flayers are all netizens.'

Fortunately, the mastermind's telepathic network is generally less than ten kilometers long; if it were tens or hundreds of kilometers long, that would be truly terrifying.

He placed the newly acquired brain fluid container together with the previous ones and then teleported it back to the Federation.

Using people directly for experiments is too cruel and dark, and might break the oath, but Fulgar has already been parasitized, so it's a good opportunity to get familiar with the Mind Flayer.
-
The strange parasitic incident involving a member of the Joint Council caused a great stir, with people discussing it in the streets and taverns. Most adventurers were hearing about monsters like the Mind Eater and Mind Flayer for the first time.

This is not gossip, but a regional disaster that involves personal safety, causing many adventurers to consider turning back.

However, some people have full confidence in the new president, saying that it is not terrible to have hidden dangers, but it is rare to be able to resolve them in time each time.

At least the former chairman Stoll, who is rumored to be dead, couldn't do that. He always waited until things exploded before taking action to deal with those who might be in trouble.

As evening approached, several cloaked figures emerged from the Sharp Tooth Forest and entered Drag through the west gate.

One of them was wearing a gray robe, was thin, bald, and had pale skin; he looked sickly.

He overheard a few words from passersby, and his lifeless eyes flickered: "Song, go ask what happened?"

"Yes."

A tall figure left the group alone, put his hand on his waist, and took out a few iron coins, which jingled.

A moment later, he caught up again and leaned close to the bald man: "Mentor, Durag has changed its president, and mind flayers and brain-eating monsters have appeared. One of the councilors' sons has been parasitized..."

"Hmm?" The bald man paused, a glint of light appearing in his eyes. "Interesting. Did you catch him alive?"

"It seems not. I heard the bodies were smashed to pieces by magic missiles and then shoveled away," Gao Da's apprentice added in a low voice.

"What a waste, a bunch of barbarians!" The bald man said with disgust, then turned and said, "Let's go to Jacqueline Castle."

"No need, mentor." The apprentice looked troubled. Last time they were thrown out as soon as they entered, and this time it would probably be the same.

The bald man's expression stiffened, then he forced himself to turn back: "It's really impolite to be so late. Let's do it tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)