A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 277 The Mystery of the Living Water Body

Unfortunately, there were no microscopes, not even in the esteemed Earl's mansion. However, Rorschach already had a guess: the people of the Shadowlands had always believed that "water is alive," perhaps referring to some kind of microorganism.

Moreover, it is a magical microorganism. The evidence is that his [Minor Disintegration] and other anti-magic spells can temporarily put "living water" into a dormant state, and the aura that Rorschach saw was distributed unevenly on the surface of the water.

Why is it the surface? Could it be that the microorganisms in the water need components from the air to exert their magic and thus manipulate the water?

This was Rorschach's idea, and the boiled water would lose its activity and become drinkable, much like sterilization and disinfection.

He thought of a simpler way to verify this: he applied the [Rejuvenation] spell to the "sewage" in the bottle. Sure enough, the active aura in [Arcane Vision] became more abundant and brighter, and the entire body of water joyfully impacted the barrier inside the bottle.

Unfortunately, he wasn't a mage from the Forest Tower and couldn't make further use of it, but he felt it was a very valuable thing. If it really was a bacterium that could be used to make magic, that would be a great discovery. Compared to dragons, the "smallest magical beast" might be easier to use, but also more dangerous.

Finally, Rorschach put away the bottle, much to the relief of the others who had watched him try it. While Rorschach was manipulating the sewage, everyone from the count to the dwarf wisely refrained from disturbing the mage, and even the most boisterous bard watched quietly.

"Are you sure?" Because Rorschach had agreed so readily, Count Elgin was actually starting to have doubts. He finally sat up straight from his chaise longue, trying to appear more serious: "No task is easy. Your friend, the poet Fred, is right. Even if it's one commission for another, our deal isn't equal."

"You're absolutely right, except you called me by the wrong name, sir," Freddy replied.

I understand. It's like being ready to haggle when the other party suddenly makes a huge concession; anyone would suspect something's up. Rorschach frankly said to the Earl, "Mr. Elgin, it seems to me that investigating the anomalies in the sewers and the strange groups in your territory are likely one and the same thing. Have you considered that the two might be connected?"

"Ah? Oh, of course, I've suspected it for a long time. It was those missionary fellows who were behind it!" He paced around the carriage. "Yes, that makes sense. The events happened around the same time."

Excluding the two orthodox churches, the only religious group that is particularly vibrant and actively expanding now is the cult that worships Our Lady of the Earth. The "living water body" exhibits biological characteristics, and its activity echoes the abnormal vitality shown by Our Lady of the Earth.

The old count suddenly looked at Rorschach, his murky eyes widening: "Mage, would you be willing to become my magical advisor? If you agree, you'll be second only to the ruler in the semi-submerged zone. As an area that intersects with Storm City, life here is quite decent; at least there's no shortage of supplies, unlike other places that are practically outside the realm of civilization!" Clearly, the count was quite satisfied and proud of his territory.

The poet cried out, "Old Earl, you've lost your mind! Who wants to talk about 'second only to one' in a stinking ditch? We have countless Storm City residents above us!"

These words stung Elgin. Had he not fallen into the shadows, he would surely have ordered the tongue of this ungrateful bard to be ripped out. But now he merely snorted, "I wasn't asking you, you street performer. Well, you've got a bright future ahead of you. Best of luck!"

The Earl then began drafting the missing person notice according to Rorschach's description. The old coachman now had to act as a typist, typing away on a printer with an unresponsive keyboard. Fortunately, the typeface was in good condition, with only a few high-frequency letters being blurry.

Clearly, the old servant wasn't very literate; Rorschach found the first draft riddled with errors. The Earl, feeling somewhat embarrassed, tried to salvage the situation, saying, "He was completely illiterate before he fell! It's already a huge favor that I'm teaching this old man to type; where am I supposed to find a qualified secretary?"

Finally, the poet completed the final draft, which, due to the addition of his own personal touches, became a somewhat tedious and frivolous announcement, such as, "Teacher Caroline, where are you? Your student misses you dearly, longs for your every smile and gesture, and misses your eyes as bright as the stars and the moon."

"Her eye color is clearly... never mind, let it be." Rorschach didn't really expect the notice to be of much use.

After preparing Caroline's missing person notice, the old coachman and the three men got out of the carriage. The Earl didn't intend to leave any food for his guests, so he sent his old servant to print the notice and deliver the orders. Rorschach, Singer, and Freddy went to find a place to eat and stay. As investigators, they had received a semi-submersible zone pass issued by the Earl, allowing them to roam freely in this area.

Rorschach looked at the sign and learned that they got off at some Shizijie Station. There were only a few normal people standing on the platform. They didn't react at all to the old train that suddenly appeared and the strange combination of people getting off. They were only concerned with looking at the timetable and their own pocket watches. Those without watches just stood there, all expressionless.

"They don't notice anything, they're only thinking about their own things." The old coachman brushed past the passenger from the surface world, a small leather bag appearing in his hand.

The poet whistled: "Even the Earl's servants know this skill."

The old man revealed an extremely ugly mouth, which we can take as a laugh: "Anyway, these idiots won't notice. After so many years in this godforsaken place, they've learned their lesson!" He seemed to be in a playful mood, opening his wallet and disdainfully pulling out some money. However, the fountain pen caught the old man's eye: "The Earl will like this."

The dwarf disapproved of petty theft: "A true earl doesn't like stolen goods."

"If I don't tell, the Earl won't know! Besides," the old coachman retorted, clearly the two of them were deceiving themselves. Rorschach filled in the unspoken words for the Earl's loyal servant: "I heard that Earl Elgin stole many artifacts from other countries when he was still in the Upper Realm, so he naturally wouldn't care about petty theft now."

To other countries whose temples and ruins have been looted, Elgin is an unpardonable robber.

"Those are spoils of war," the old coachman muttered, pointing down the staircase tunnel. "You can get to the main city by following this route. I'm going to get them printed."

"There's a printing factory here?" Luo Xia wondered where the driver was going to print the missing person notices, but the old man, hunched over, didn't answer and simply disappeared around the corner of the underground alley.

"Can we trust the Earl?"

"Of course, he is bound by the rules of the Shadow City. Thank goodness, these rules are relatively fair, at least better than the rules and regulations that those old men on the ground have come up with through arguments."

Whether Rorschach's assessment of the poet was acceptable or not, he focused on observing his surroundings.

Freddie resumed his role as tour guide, leading the way with Rorschach and Singerev following behind. At first, the decor was the same as at the train station—iron-clad, non-slip stairs, black-painted handrails and ceramic tiles. Further down, red brick and even mud-plastered walls appeared, and then they walked along a section of antique-style spiral staircase made entirely of stone.

As they reached the end, voices began to rise. Rorschach heard not only the sounds of Storm City, but also ancient sounds mixed with Yaberian.

"We were lucky; it was market time."

(End of this chapter)