How come this arcanist is invincible?

Chapter 221 The Cowardly Commander

"No—I can't say—if I do, the Duke will torture me to death."

Franky, his helmet removed, looked at the three men before him, knelt on the ground, and said, "Please spare me, Dean Kane. I am still the commander of the local regiment, I can help you—"

Moreover, I can act as a go-between for you and facilitate your meeting with the Duke —

Hearing the handsome half-elf pleading so desperately, the hatred in Sophia's eyes softened slightly.

Not long ago, it was he who led his men to wipe out her stronghold, and she still vividly remembered his arrogant manner at the time.

But now the other party is a prisoner, begging for mercy and pleading with Kane to spare his life.

Unlike Sophia, whose emotions were fluctuating, Logan Susas's expression only changed slightly, becoming increasingly indifferent.

Kane smiled slightly: "Commander Frankie, do you really think you still have any value to that duke, having already been identified by the local troops as the culprit of the lightning strike?"

"How could this be—it was clearly you—"

Frankie slowly raised his head, his cloudy eyes sweeping over everyone, before dejectedly lowering his head again.

"Some things can be covered up indefinitely without evidence. After all, who can hold us accountable?"

Kane smiled faintly.

"We all know that you've secured your position only with the Duke's support, but even if we know, what can we do?"

Frankie's face grew increasingly pale.

Kane turned to Logan and ordered, "Detect lies."

Upon receiving the instruction, Logan Susas nodded slightly and immediately began chanting a spell.

A faint light then enveloped Frankie.

Logan Susas began, "For the next period of time, I will be able to detect any lie he tells immediately."

"No!" Frankie jerked his head up, gripping the dungeon bars tightly with both hands. "You can't do this! This violates the laws of the Susas Elven Court, it's wrong—"

Kane coughed lightly.

Logan Susas instantly understood, raised his hand to condense a long, black whip of negative energy, and swung it out fiercely.

boom!

One after another, long whips of negative energy lashed Frankie's body. In excruciating pain, Frankie let out a series of shrill screams, his expression growing increasingly terrified, and he hurriedly covered his head and curled up in fear.

Seeing this, a hint of pleasure welled up in Sofia's eyes.

Kane raised his hand to signal, and Logan Susas immediately stopped.

Kane said in a deep voice, "Commander Frankie, I hope you recognize your current situation."

Frankie curled up on the ground, his hands covering his head. The wounds on his back from the whipping were bloody and mangled. He spoke in a trembling voice, "I won't say anything—if I do, you will kill me."

Kane frowned slightly.

He had assumed the other person was a coward who would confess under pressure, but to his surprise, the man stubbornly refused to give up.

Logan Susas calmly said, "We can take him back to the academy, where my mentor will turn him into a special corpse servant, and then use the third-circle spell [Talk to the Dead] to extract information from him."

Or perhaps we could hand him over to Dean Ling Shu, who would first use a potion to destroy his mind, and then use a control spell to forcibly manipulate him.

Upon hearing these words, Sofia's eyes widened suddenly.

Frankie trembled all over, his eyes filled with extreme fear.

To be reduced to a corpse servant after death, and to be driven by others for eternity, is far more terrifying than death itself.

Kane was not surprised.

The effects of third-level spells are far superior to those of lower-level spells.

But after a moment's thought, he rejected the proposal.

Returning to the academy now would take too much time; the most important thing right now is to get the information as soon as possible and not delay.

Moreover, this is his first mission since taking over as the dean of the branch, and delaying it for too long could easily lead to unforeseen changes.

He looked at Frankie, who was already overwhelmed by fear, and slowly said, "Commander Frankie, tell me everything you know. I can guarantee you'll leave the dungeon alive."

As for the Duke's subsequent pursuit, you'll have to figure that out for yourself.

Frankie gritted his teeth and looked up in disbelief, his eyes swirling with surprise and the ecstasy of escaping death.

Sophia, her face filled with shock, cried out to stop him: "Dean! He harmed our companions—"

She wanted to continue arguing, but when she met Kane's cold gaze, she immediately lowered her head, pursed her lips, and swallowed all her words.

Kane glanced at her indifferently.

Seeing this, Frankie spoke in a trembling voice: "I hope you can promise—"

Before he could finish speaking, bang!

A dagger suddenly grazed his cheek and plunged into the ground in front of him.

Frankie instantly lost all color in his face.

Kane's voice trailed off: "This is your last chance. Speak up obediently and reveal the information while you're alive; if you insist on resisting, then you'll only have yourself to confess after you die."

Frankie gritted his teeth and swallowed hard, suppressing the fear in his heart. He looked at Kane and slowly told the truth: "A week ago, we received a secret report."

President Benny of the Duke's Merchant Guild contacted me personally, saying that a mage from the grasslands had secretly infiltrated Susas and was preparing to go to the royal court, accompanied by two apprentices and a team of guards.

Just as the enemy ship was about to leave Twin Harbor, we used two ballistae to launch a surprise attack on the entire vessel.

All the guards on the ship fell into the water and died. Two apprentices survived by chance, but were quickly killed by the second-tier professionals brought by Guild Master Benny.

The grassland mage then used a scroll to detonate a large-scale explosion and escape.

Kane's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at Frankie and asked, "After the explosion, you didn't continue the pursuit and search?"

"We tried, but to no avail. We suspected he had used some unknown concealment spell to hide deep in the riverbed, so we set up an archery barrage."

However, apart from ballistae, the power of ordinary arrows is greatly reduced in river water.

The legion commanders refused to search the water, so in the end, only a few second-tier professionals under Chairman Benny's command entered the river to search, but they still found nothing.

Kane slowly stood up, lost in thought.

The opponent is a third-tier illusion mage, making them extremely difficult to surround and kill.

He couldn't help but think of Bella, who had been captured and was also skilled in various illusions that were difficult to distinguish from reality.

If the group hadn't exhausted her spell slots beforehand, and if he hadn't set a trap by disguising himself as a sheriff, they wouldn't have been able to capture her at all.

The invited Zeno mage, also a third-tier illusion mage, may not have actually hidden in the river.

After a moment's thought, he pressed on, "Didn't the subsequent investigation yield even the slightest clue?"

Frankie swallowed and continued, "We've sealed off all entrances and exits to Twin Harbor and are conducting a full search."

President Benny also brought in a group of special professionals who could identify the aura of living beings. They had already memorized the scent of the grassland mage's personal belongings, so in theory, the other party should not have been able to escape easily.

We searched the entire port, but still found nothing.

There was only one place we couldn't search—we were forcibly stopped by men sent by the Duke when we were about to go there to search.

"Where?" Kane frowned slightly.

"It's an abandoned riverbed in Twin Harbors."

"An abandoned riverbed?"

Sophia Adam immediately understood. Seeing Kane's puzzled expression, she took the initiative to explain: "Twin Harbor is located at the confluence of two inland rivers. One originates from the Nord Ice Mountain in the north, and the other flows through the Dark Forest. The two rivers meet here and eventually connect to the Free City-State."

The two water flows collide and squeeze each other year after year, causing the river to change course many times, thus forming a large area of ​​abandoned riverbed.

Nominally, this place is still under the jurisdiction of Twin Ports, but in reality, it is unmanaged and a dead wasteland.

Due to the unique topography caused by the river's course change, the underwater tributaries in this area are intricate and complex, connecting various parts of Shuangsheng Port.

But once you infiltrate it, there is no way to go or escape; it is a true dead end.

Kane's eyes suddenly narrowed as all the clues instantly aligned.

He had previously conducted a simulation and determined that Zeno was hiding in Twin Harbors.

Even after destroying the Lightning Legion and severely damaging the Duke's Merchant Guild, the other party still disappeared without a trace, making the answer clear.

This illusionist is most likely trapped in the abandoned riverbed.

"I have told you everything I know, Dean Kane."

Frankie pleaded desperately.

Kane looked at the once-glorious corps commander and gave the order in a calm tone;

"Release him, open the cell doors, take him to the dock, untie him, and deport him."

Frankie was overjoyed and wanted to say something more.

Kane had lost his patience and signaled the two mages on duty to take the man away.

Sofia stared intently at Frankie's departing figure, her hatred burning within her, but she ultimately remained silent.

Kane looked at her and slowly asked, "Sophia, what is your current identity?"

"I am your subordinate and mercenary, Dean." Sophia bowed her head deeply.

"If I ordered you to let go of this hatred, what would you do?"

"I—" Sofia gritted her teeth and endured, finally nodding slowly.

"I understand. Everything will be done according to your will."

"Very good." Kane nodded, looking at his shrewd and astute subordinate, and calmly instructed, "I promised to spare Frankie's life, that's all. I will not make any further promises regarding his safety."

"Dean, you mean—"

A hint of surprise flashed in Sofia's eyes.

Kane looked directly into her eyes, his tone indifferent: "Frankie knows too many secrets."

Besides, I've already promised the lantern bearer to handle this potential problem. You should know what to do next.

"Understood."

Sofia bowed her head in agreement, a cold, bloodthirsty glint, unique to a wanderer, quietly appearing in her eyes.

Looking at his old acquaintance who had undergone a complete transformation and whose personality had changed drastically, Kane felt a slight sense of emotion and solemnly warned, "You can't force things. You don't have to take what doesn't belong to you. As for what is rightfully yours, I will certainly not treat you unfairly."

But Sophia, and all your mercenaries, I need to see absolute loyalty.

This matter has been handled cleanly and efficiently; you may all leave.

Sofia bowed in thanks and hurried away.

Logan Susas, standing to the side, remained expressionless and completely calm throughout.

Kane looked at him and asked softly, "Don't you think I'm being too despicable?"

Logan Susas replied calmly, "The interests of the Academy always come first. I'm used to such tactics within the royal family."

Kane sighed inwardly and said in a deep voice, "Let's rest for a while and take a break today. Tomorrow morning, we'll head to the abandoned riverbed together."

Meanwhile, inside the Lantern Bearers' newly established temporary stronghold.

After Orion and Pippen returned, they told Shar everything they had seen and heard. The girl was deeply bewildered after listening.

Captain Serena frowned, her face filled with disbelief: "Could you two have mistaken him for someone else? Kane is clearly a Nord. That mage academy holds a prestigious position and wields immense power in Sussas. For him to suddenly become the head of a branch academy is simply too bizarre—"

'

Unable to contain himself, Pippen jumped onto the table, looked down at everyone, and said, "I bet all my earnings this year that guy is absolutely right!"

When I sold him a weapon, he used the excuse of cursing the weapon to haggle with me over the price!

Serena was about to retort when Shar slowly interrupted, "Serena, there's no need to say more, it's him. Have you forgotten? Back on the ship, that demonic giant also called that drow 'Kane'."

These words left Serena speechless.

If the other party is the dean of a magic academy, it would be easy for them to hide their identity and change their appearance.

"So, are you still going to look for him?"

Shar hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself, and finally shook her head gently: "He is doing well now, and that's enough."

Serena sighed softly, "In any case, this matter must be reported to Lord Knight of the Lantern."

Moments later, Fenton the Lantern, having learned of the news, personally arrived at the squad's camp.

Everyone bowed in greeting. He frowned and slowly said, "No wonder."

"What do you mean by that, sir?" Everyone looked puzzled.

Fenton slowly explained, "We failed to kill that monstrous demon before, and I thought that this would inevitably cause complications in the process of securing a permanent base."

As I had predicted, the Speaker originally intended to break the agreement, but it was Lord Kane who spoke up and helped us out of the predicament.

In retrospect, this assistance was mostly out of consideration for Shar.

He looked at Shar in the group with a strange expression.

With her second-tier strength, she was already qualified to be a squad leader, so Fenton had a deep impression of this team member.

But to my utter surprise, the other party also had a friend who was the dean of a branch of a magic academy.

He was about to offer some words of comfort when Shar shook her head first: "Your Excellency, I will not see him. I owe him too much, and I shouldn't bother him any further."

"Fine," Fenton said helplessly, without insisting.

The Lamplighters adhere to the principles of lawful justice and will never force members to act against their conscience unless absolutely necessary.

He clapped his hands, composed himself, and said seriously, "Getting back to the main point, our target location has been determined."

He looked at Serena and ordered, "Captain Serena, everyone rest tonight and set off immediately at dawn tomorrow to advance into the abandoned riverbed."

Apart from those remaining, Rhys, Caleb —

He then announced the names of all the team members.

Serena frowned: "Your Excellency, this arrangement means that almost the entire team will be mobilized?"

Are you certain that the abandoned riverbed is the source of evil?

Fenton's expression was grave: "According to the information we obtained from the Duke's Merchant Guild professionals and the nobles who secretly cooperated with us, the legion and the merchant guild have joined forces to seal off the entire abandoned riverbed, strictly prohibiting anyone from approaching or investigating."

Furthermore, given the warning from the lantern and the sacred lamp, I have ample reason to conclude that this is the site of an evil ritual.

That duke, who colludes with the devil, must be plotting evil deeds in secret. We must go and investigate and stop him as soon as possible.

"I see."

Serena's gaze was firm. "Today we will rest properly, prepare bows, arrows, medicines and other supplies, and be fully prepared for tomorrow's operation."

"Okay." Fenton nodded in agreement and turned to leave.

Before he left, the lantern in his hand still emitted a faint light.

Watching the departing figure carrying a lantern, Shar was momentarily lost in thought.

She turned to Serena and asked softly, "Captain, did you and Lord Fenton join the Lanternmen at the same time?"

"That's right. Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"Will you become the Knight of the Lamp?"

Serena looked at her and asked, "Do you also want to become the Knight of the Lantern?"

"What if I wanted to?"

"reason."

"I want to have enough power to help Kane. With my current strength, I am far too insignificant."

Serena's expression suddenly turned serious, and she earnestly warned, "Shar, this is a path of no return."

There were countless teammates from my time with Fenton, but now only a handful remain.

If Fenton burns out his life for the lantern, then I will be the next to meet my destiny.

There has long been a rumor within the organization that when the Knight of the Lantern burns his life force, his soul will also be completely annihilated, never to be reincarnated.

She looked at the silent Shar, her tone growing increasingly heavy: "Unless I die, you'd better give up the idea of ​​becoming the Knight of the Lamp as soon as possible."

After saying that, Serena pushed open the door and left.

Shar slowly lowered her head, remaining silent.

But if someone were to look into her eyes at this moment, they would be deeply shocked by the unwavering determination hidden deep within them.