Above the mage

Chapter 211

"What?! He died of illness?!" In the top floor of the Sorcerer Tower, Dunley O'Kane, whose hair and beard were all white but whose spirit was still vigorous, narrowed his eyes, no longer displaying his previous calm demeanor.

His voice rose slightly, "How could this be? I received news before I left that he was alive and well!"

"Yes." Shel Ian lowered his head slightly and wiped non-existent cold sweat from his forehead.

He felt he had never been under so much pressure in his life.

"He just passed away three days ago, and the college held his funeral yesterday," he explained cautiously.

"He passed away three days ago," Dunley O'Kenley murmured.

With the Oakenliy family's power, helping a third-circle mage extend their life by several decades is not a problem, as long as they are willing to pay the price.

But since Hosie is dead, that makes all the difference.

Bringing the dead back to life and prolonging life are two completely different things, and the difficulty is worlds apart.

Dunley O'Kenley did not know whether the method of bringing the dead back to life actually existed.

But he knew that this method did not exist in the Oakenley family.

Therefore, even he was powerless to reverse the news of He west's death.

Just three days earlier, and I could have made it!

If it were three months, three years, or thirty years, Dunley O'Kenley's emotional fluctuations wouldn't be as great as they are now.

But it happened to be three days.

They were only three days late.

If Ron Oakenley had discovered the scroll Hosie left in the Spiritual Tower three days earlier...

Or perhaps Ron Oakenley's report on the scroll could have passed the review and circulation process three days earlier and reached the Rune Workshop.

Or perhaps Rickon Oakenley could have opened Ron Oakenley's report three days earlier.

Or perhaps they could have found Hosie O'Kenley three days earlier.

They can even be more efficient on the road.

With so many steps involved, as long as you succeed in just one, you can catch up.

They clearly had so many opportunities to make it to these three days, but they missed them perfectly at every single step.

Thinking this, a hint of resentment and regret appeared in Dunley O'Kenley's eyes.

He fell into deep thought.

Dunley O'Kenley remained silent, and the others also fell silent.

The scene immediately fell into a somewhat oppressive silence.

"Hossey was an important member of the Oakenley family. Although we are too late and he has already passed away, we must bring his remains back to Linhai City." Finally, Dunley Oakenley spoke again, instructing the family mage behind him.

"Understood, Elder Denglai," the two robed mages following behind Denglai replied respectfully.

"Furthermore, according to information gathered by our family, Hoshi is the head of the Rune Department at Cyrus Academy, where he dedicates himself to researching 'Rune Logic and Calculation' in his rune workshop year-round."

After giving instructions regarding Hosie's funeral arrangements, Dunley Oakenley turned to Sher Ian and slowly said:

"Although he's gone, his research data from these years should still be there. Take me to see it first; we need to take these data with us too."

As soon as he finished speaking, Dunley Oakenley noticed that Shel Ian had his head down and didn't respond, nor did he move his feet, showing no intention of leading the way.

"Hmm?" A hint of dissatisfaction appeared in his tone.

"Shel, cooperate with the actions of the mage Dunley O'Kenley!" Helen, the deputy legion commander who was originally just responsible for leading the way, immediately shouted when she saw this scene.

He also assumed that Shel Ian was being considerate of his presence and dared not introduce people from other factions to the rune workshop of the Cyrus Academy, which had already fallen under the Holy Empire, without his permission.

Faced with pressure from both Helen and Dunley, Shel Ian finally managed to move his lips and say with difficulty, "Mage Dunley, Legion Commander Helen, and Director Hosie's rune workshop were blown up three days ago. All the data inside was also destroyed."

Dunley O'Kenley's pupils contracted again.

"It's blown up?" he confirmed.

"Yes, it's blown up." Shel Ian had never felt so powerless.

"How could it have exploded when everything was fine?" Dunley Oakenley took a deep breath and asked, enunciating each word clearly.

Shel Ian hesitated for a moment, realizing that in front of such an important person, a lie would only be exposed quickly, so it was better to tell the truth from the beginning.

"In his final year, Director He west purchased a large amount of raw materials for rune constructs. I believe he used these materials to create multiple sets of Tier 3 rune constructs, and I want to take these rune constructs back to the academy."

"But before Director He west left, he left all his legacy, including the secret order for the rune workshop and the workshop array, to his students. Without the secret order, I would not be able to enter the workshop to obtain those rune constructs."

"I had no choice but to ask Quincy Erther for help in breaking the magic array set up by Director Hosie."

"As a result, Quincy Ither mishandled the situation, causing the magic circle to trigger its self-defense mechanism and explode."

Shel Ian slightly embellished the truth, beautifying his own purpose, while intentionally or unintentionally directing the main responsibility and hatred toward Quincy Ursus.

After listening to Shel Ian's testimony, Dunley Oakenley narrowed his eyes and looked at Shel Ian, seemingly lost in thought.

"Did Hosie leave all his inheritance to his students?" he finally asked, his tone calm, as if nothing had happened.

"Yes," Shel Ian said weakly, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.

"Please invite Hosie's student over here. Since he is Hosie's student, he is also considered a member of our Oakenley community."

"Also, please call Quincy Erther over as well. Finally, send me the list of rune construct materials that Hosie purchased in his last year so I can take a look."

"You're not going to tell me that Hosey's students were also blown up, are you?" Dunley said coldly to Shel Ian.

Sher breathed a sigh of relief and quickly shook his head, saying, "No, no, Hosie's student is alive and well. I'll just send someone to invite him over."

After saying that, he quickly summoned his subordinates and gave them a series of instructions.

"You go with them too, and keep an eye on them." Helen, the deputy legion commander, also had a vague feeling that things were not going quite right today. Seeing Sher Ian's subordinates leave, she beckoned to the legion mage beside her and whispered the instructions.

After waiting for about half an hour.

Quincy Ursus arrived, sweating profusely, carrying a list of materials.

Accompanying him was a middle-aged monk.

The legionary mage who had gone with them immediately used the [Communication] spell to report the situation to Vice Legion Commander Helen.

"You are Hoshi's student?" Upon seeing the two, Dunley O'Kenley first asked the middle-aged mage with a pleasant expression.

"I'm not," the middle-aged mage said weakly. "I'm a jailer in the Saint Sein City Mage Prison."

"What does this mean?" Dunley O'Kenley frowned deeply, feeling his anger about to burst forth.

Even Helen, the deputy commander of the legion, was speechless when she saw this scene.

Having just learned the details from his subordinates' report, he stepped forward and proactively explained to Dunley O'Kenley:

"Hossey's students refused to reveal the secret order. After the magic array in the rune workshop was destroyed, and they couldn't find the rune construct in the rune workshop, they suspected that Hossey had also left the rune construct to his students."

"The student denied it."

"This group of people simply found a pretext and imprisoned He Xi's students in the Saint-Sien City Mage Prison, intending to extract a confession through torture."

"Where is he now? Release him quickly and bring him here." Deng Lai gave Helen a little face.

"He was released a long time ago," Helen said helplessly. Even she felt that the development of events today was too outrageous and absurd.

"After incorporating the Duchy of Sien into our province, the Legion Commander, in order to quickly quell public unrest, announced a general amnesty."

"Hossey's students were released as a result of the amnesty."

Shel Ian's eyes widened immediately upon hearing this.

After the Holy Empire occupied the Duchy of Sien, the previous struggle for the throne became meaningless.

He naturally stopped caring about the rune constructs that were originally closely related to the struggle for the throne.

So until just now, Shel had always thought that God was still in prison.

Dunley O'Kenley was so angry he laughed.

I looked for He west, only to find out that he had passed away three days earlier.

They searched for the information left by He west, and it all went wrong.

The student who was looking for He west has been lost.

Such is the nature of the story, full of twists and turns.

He suppressed his anger, pondered for a moment, and said to Helen, "I have limited manpower this time. Could I trouble Commander Helen to send some men to help find this student from Hosea who was recently released? By the way, what is his name?"

"Gordon, his name is Gordon," Helen continued. "No problem, Mage Dunlai, I'll send people to search the whole city right away, and I believe we'll be able to bring Gordon to you soon."

"Okay, thank you for your help." Dunley Oakenley nodded to express his gratitude, then turned his gaze to Quincy Ursus, who looked rather flustered.

He first waved his hand, and the Oakenli family mage behind him stepped forward and took the list of materials brought by Quincy Erther.

Then, he asked coldly, "So you were the one responsible for breaking the magic array set up by He west, which caused the array to explode and destroy the data stored in the rune workshop?"

Large beads of cold sweat trickled down Quincy Erser's forehead.

"Yes," he gritted his teeth and said with difficulty, then, just as he was about to explain something, "I..."

"Take him away," Dunley Oakenley said coldly, giving Quincy Ursus no chance to explain.

The coldness in his eyes foreshadowed the fate that Quincy Ursus was about to face.

Dunley O'Kenley needed an outlet for the anger that had been building up inside him all day.

Quincy Ursus was the unfortunate one who bore the brunt of his anger.

But there isn't necessarily only one unlucky person.

"My lord, my lord!" Quincy Ursus, being a shrewd man, naturally sensed Dunley Oakenley's undisguised murderous intent and hurriedly cried out in panic, trying to beg for mercy.

"Shut up!" Helen, the deputy legion commander, scoffed.

The next moment, even with his mouth wide open, Quincy Ursus couldn't utter a single word of pleading. All that remained were muffled whimpers, as if he had become mute, and he was dragged away like a dead dog.

Once this matter was settled, the wizard from the O'Kenley family presented the list of raw materials purchased by Hosie to Dunley O'Kenley with both hands.

Deng Lai took the list of materials and glanced at it casually. But after reading a few lines, his eyes, which had been filled with anger and murderous intent, suddenly lit up.

"This is."

Soon, Deng Lai put down the list of materials, already having made up his mind.

As an elder of the Oakenli family, he was naturally a knowledgeable and powerful mage.

He had already realized that many of the materials listed on the materials list were high-level materials needed to create fourth-tier rune constructs.

He west, however, was merely a third-ring mage.

The underlying meaning becomes clear once you think about it deeply.

Just as they expected, nearly three hundred years after leaving the Oakenley family, Hosie Oakenley continued to study and refine the "Six Fundamental Rules of Runes," which were still in their initial draft.

And they have clearly already achieved some success and are now undertaking a rather bold endeavor.

Whether it has already succeeded or is close to success remains to be seen; we will need to see the final product to find out.

Without a doubt, the key point now is the student for whom Jose was willing to entrust his entire estate.

Another hour passed.

The capabilities and efficiency of the Holy Empire Legion soldiers are beyond question.

Soon, another mage from the Holy Empire hurried in and respectfully reported the situation to Helen.

After listening to her subordinate's report, a hint of surprise flashed in Helen's eyes.

He considered his words carefully, then said to Dunlai, "Master Dunlai, that Gaode, after being released from prison, first went to the branch of your Oakenli Merchant Guild in St. Sein City. I don't know the specifics of why; you'll have to find out for yourselves. After all, it's an asset belonging to your Oakenli family."

"After leaving the Oakley St. Sean City branch, he went straight out of the city. His whereabouts cannot be traced yet and it will take some time."

Helen was referring to a certain period of time.

Because he didn't believe that with the strength and power of their Iceflame Legion, they wouldn't be unable to find a first-ring mage.

"To the Saint-Sien City branch of our family?" Dunley O'Kenley raised an eyebrow, instantly guessing the answer.

"They must be going to retrieve something." He turned to the family mage beside him and whispered a few words.

"I understand." The family mage clasped his hands in a fist salute, bowed, and retreated.

A quarter of an hour later, the Oakenli family mage who had just left returned, and respectfully approached Dunley Oakenli again, carefully reporting to him.

The next moment, Dunley O'Kenley, who was still immersed in anger, seemed to have heard some great news, and his eyes lit up.

"Okay, okay!" He said "okay" twice, his expression finally softening considerably.

"Then I'll have to trouble Commander Helen to help me find this Gao De. I'll mobilize our manpower soon to join the investigation," said Dunley Oakenley.

"This person is very important to us at Oakenley," he said solemnly.

"No problem, leave it to us. We'll find this Gaode map for you in one day at the earliest, and three days at the latest," Helen assured confidently.

"As for you..." With the important matters at hand temporarily put aside, Dunley finally had the leisure to turn his gaze back to Sher, who had been keeping his head down and looking meek.

"It's shameful and disgraceful for a dean of an academy to covet the inheritance of the academy's instructors, but that's none of my business. But you're the one who's after the inheritance of your own family's scions..." he said coldly.

"How do you think we should deal with this greedy and lawless person, Commander Helen?" Deng Lai then turned to ask Helen.

"He should be imprisoned and punished," Helen said righteously.

"Then so be it." Dunley nodded slightly, then turned and left, not giving Shel Ian, whose face was ashen, even a second glance.

Three days later.

Foggy Frosty Moon 28th.

"How can I not find it?" Dunley O'Kenley's voice rang out in the beautifully decorated room.

Helen looked embarrassed, but also deeply puzzled: "That Gao De has completely disappeared since he left the city."

"We checked hotels in all the surrounding cities, as well as convoys and boats, but found absolutely no trace of him. It's as if he vanished into thin air."

Deng Lai narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then said in a nonchalant tone, "I understand. I'll trouble Commander Helen again."

"I'll have someone continue the investigation, and I'll let you know as soon as I have any news," Helen added.

"Thank you for your trouble." Deng Lai didn't refuse.

After that, Helen took her leave.

After Helen left, the family mage who had come from Linhai City with Deng Lai entered from outside and respectfully reported:

Same here. Still haven't found it.

Such an important matter would not be something Dunley Oakenley could place all his hopes on Helen. He immediately reported the situation to his family, asking them to mobilize their resources to help find God.

But the result was the same.

"The Oakenli Merchant Guild's business spans the entire continent of Nolan, with branches in every country. You're telling me they could make a first-ring mage disappear without a trace right under our noses?" Deng Lai couldn't accept this result.

"We also want to know how he did it."

"I don't care how he did it, I just know I have to find him!" Dunley O'Kenley said, enunciating each word clearly.

Because he had discovered that the items God took from the Oakenley Merchant Guild's bronze vault before leaving Saint Sein were stored by Hosie Oakenley.

That's a set.

Tier 4 Rune Construct!

(End of this chapter)