Above the mage

Chapter 679 Preparations for Seclusion

Marcus, who witnessed all of this, looked on with surprise and doubt: "But... the Imperial mage in the scene didn't make a move, he just stood at a distance, and Miss Liuying just left normally?"

"Just an illusion spell from the Empire."

"Their illusion magic has always been superb, after all, the most powerful illusionist in the mage plane is in the empire." Grand Duke Wang Mian was surprisingly calm at this moment.

"You mean, these images are all fake?" Marcus's pupils contracted sharply.

"Using a real scene as a base, overlaying it with a layer of fake light and shadow, fooling everyone's eyes, fooling detection, fooling memory."

The Grand Duke stated expressionlessly, lightly tapping the crystal ball with his fingertips, "Isn't this the most proficient technique of the Empire's illusionists?"

"I must say, the illusionist who made the move was indeed very skilled. Even the light and shadow projection and synesthetic interaction, which are the easiest to expose flaws in illusions, were done almost flawlessly."

"But..." Grand Duke Wang Mian's gaze fell on Liu Ying in the picture.

"Due to her constitution, Liu Ying always subconsciously avoids direct sunlight, so how could she possibly be walking straight under the unshielded sunlight as shown in the picture?"

"It is clear that from this point on, Liu Ying was not a real person, but merely a phantom created by illusion."

Following the Grand Duke's directions, Marcus indeed discovered these subtle flaws.

Illusions can appear flawless on the surface, but these details are oversights of human will, which can only be noticed by those with sufficient understanding of the glitter.

"And Your Highness now?" His face turned deathly pale, his voice filled with worry.

"There's no need to worry too much about that." Grand Duke Wang Mian raised his hand and took out a palm-sized metal box from his pocket.

This is a Soul-Bound Rune Box, an extremely special and extraordinary artifact.

Its interior is engraved with soul anchoring runes and life sensing arrays, establishing a permanent connection with the soul of Liu Ying.

This is a bloodline protection measure tailored by the Wang Mian family for their direct bloodline.

This tiny box costs as much as a high-level runic construct, yet its function is incredibly singular: to confirm the life status and approximate spatial location of the bound user, unaffected by any illusion or shielding spells.

Only families like Wang Mian and Liszt, with sufficient heritage and almost a single lineage, would do something so extravagant.

The surface of the rune box is inlaid with three perfectly cut crystals: red represents vital signs, blue represents spiritual signs, and green represents spatial location.

The brightness and flashing frequency of the crystal directly reflect the real-time status of the person being bound, leaving no possibility of error.

Grand Duke Wang Mian lightly touched the activation rune on the surface of the rune box with his fingertip.

The box immediately emitted a soft white light, and the three crystals reacted accordingly:

The red crystal shimmered steadily, its frequency as even as a heartbeat, its light full and warm.

This indicates that Liu Ying's vital signs are stable, her breathing and circulation are normal, and she has not suffered any fatal injury or serious trauma.

The blue crystal rippled gently, its light soft and undisturbed.

This indicates that her soul is intact, her mental state is stable, she has not suffered a major mental shock or soul magic erosion, and she has not fallen into a coma or gone mad.

The green crystal was completely black, like the deepest night sky, without any light or even the slightest energy fluctuation.

This means that the location of the Flowing Light has exceeded the sensing range of the Rune Box. "The Soul-Bound Rune Box does not lie." Grand Duke Wang Mian looked at the state of the crystal, his tense nerves relaxed slightly, but his eyes remained solemn as a mountain.

"The fact that the red and blue crystals are still intact proves that the meteorite is still safe and sound, which is a stroke of good luck amidst misfortune."

"But the green crystal is completely black, which means that she is no longer as far away as I can describe."

"By the limits of the Rune Box's design, even if she were on the other side of the continent, the green crystal would still emit a faint glow, indicating the general direction."

He paused, his tone resolute, and in a few words revealed the general truth: "There is only one possibility that could make the rune box completely lose its spatial sensing and disappear without a trace in just one day."

"She is no longer in our mage realm."

"Your Excellency!" Marcus looked up abruptly. "Now that you've confirmed it was the work of Imperial mages, shouldn't we immediately arrest and interrogate the entire Holy Empire's mage delegation?"

"Even if we have to use the Truth Word spell to force her to reveal her whereabouts, we must find out." He had watched Liu Ying grow up since she was a child, and Marcus's concern for her was no less than that for Grand Duke Wang Mian, her biological father.

Grand Duke Wang Mian slowly shook his head, his eyes complex and deep, carrying a restraint that transcended personal emotions: "No, we can't touch them now."

He saw the light fall on the continental map hanging on the wall of the hall.

On the map, the Holy Empire and the Plantagenet Dynasty occupy most of the Nolan continent, one in the west and the other in the east.

"The Empire and our country are currently maintaining a superficial peace, relying on a buffer zone to maintain a balance of power, and neither side wants to break this balance voluntarily."

"This unparalleled magical competition, ostensibly a forum for magicians from various countries to exchange skills, is in reality a stage for two nations to secretly compete and demonstrate their strength, as well as a window for various forces to glean information about each other's true intentions."

"This is not only a contest among the nation's young mages, but also a battle for national face and diplomatic skills."

He paused, then continued, "The Imperial Mage Team came to Mithril City as a participating team."

"If we, as the host country, arbitrarily detain or attack members of the Imperial team, it will draw strong condemnation from the Empire, and may even be used as an excuse to ignite a full-scale war."

"In addition, they will also face attacks from public opinion across the continent."

"We have no conclusive evidence." Grand Duke Wang Mian's gaze returned to the crystal ball. "What I discovered were only flaws in the illusion and suspicious movements of the Imperial mage, but these cannot serve as irrefutable evidence that the Empire framed Liu Ying."

"The empire must have been prepared for this beforehand, and the identity and movements of the person who made the move must have been disguised, leaving no obvious flaws."

"If we interrogate them, we will not only fail to find out Liu Ying's whereabouts, but we will also be accused of provoking the Empire, making us a laughing stock for other countries, and giving the Empire a legitimate excuse to start a war."

He looked into the distance and said softly, "The Empire dares to do this because it has calculated that we are afraid to act rashly and dare not break off relations at this time."

"What they might even want is for us to lose our temper and act impulsively."

Marcus fell silent.

Grand Duke Wang Mian was not only Liu Ying's father, but also the highest-ranking nobleman outside the royal family in this ancient dynasty.

His decision was not only related to one person or one family, but also to the fate of the entire dynasty. He must have had many concerns and had to consider the big picture.

However, this does not mean that Grand Duke Wang Mian is indifferent to Liu Ying.

Marcus knew perfectly well that Grand Duke Wang Mian's affection for Liu Ying had already reached its peak.

The reason the Grand Duke could maintain such a calm mind and make such a restrained decision at this moment ultimately stemmed from a fundamental premise:

He knew perfectly well that Liu Ying was still safe and sound.

The rune box doesn't lie; Liuying's life and soul are both stable, which means she is not in immediate danger.

They still have time, they still have a chance to find her.

If Liu Ying were to meet with misfortune, Marcus could not imagine the earth-shattering rage that this usually calm and composed Grand Duke would unleash.

"Now is not the time to act impulsively." Grand Duke Wang Mian's voice broke the silence of the stone hall, his tone regaining its usual majesty and calmness, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness.

"The most urgent task is to find clues about Liu Ying as soon as possible and rescue her; that is the core objective."

He raised his hand, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, producing a crisp sound; each word was firm and resolute: "Pass on my orders:"

All family affairs that could be paused were paused.

All available manpower, material resources, and financial resources should be directed towards finding Liu Ying. Whether it's the family guards or the intelligence network, they should all be put into full operation to find her as quickly as possible.

"We both know about Liu Ying's constitution," said Grand Duke Wang Mian, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible worry.

"She has been protected by the Concealing Light Array since childhood and has never left home for more than twelve hours."

"She has been missing for a day, yet her vital signs remain normal. There is only one possibility: the place she is currently in must be a place with low magic or even no magic."

"Only such an environment can temporarily suppress the overactive divine light element within her body."

"This is a crucial clue," Grand Duke Wang Mian emphasized.

"All searches and investigations should revolve around this point, with a focus on investigating all recent abnormal low-magic and non-magic dimensional rifts, and paying particular attention to interdimensional activities related to the Empire."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Marcus immediately stood up straight, head held high, and replied respectfully.

"That's not enough. Issue a reward of 500,000 gold coins for him to provide accurate information about Liu Ying," Grand Duke Wang Mian added.

"Five hundred thousand goldbird coins?!"

The sheer amount of money to be paid for simply providing accurate information is enough to drive countless people crazy, and might even tempt the empire's secret agents.

"That's right, it's 500,000," Wang Mian said impartially.

"I want everyone on the continent to know that providing information about fireflies can bring immense wealth."

Whether you're a mercenary, an explorer, an intelligence broker, or even a traitor to the empire, as long as you provide accurate leads, my Wang Mian family will pay you every penny!

He paused, then continued, "In addition, the Imperial Mage team remains a key source of information. Although we cannot directly target the Imperial Mages now, we can make arrangements in secret."

"First, closely monitor the movements of all Imperial mages." Grand Duke Wang Mian's thinking was clear and definite.

"Record their every move: who they met, where they went, what materials they purchased, even the few words they exchanged. As long as they took action, they would leave a trace."

"And who knows what other moves they might make."

"Then, utilize all available contacts to thoroughly investigate the identity and background of this imperial mage. On the surface, he is an accompanying mage, but what is his true identity? Which of the three major factions of the empire does he belong to?"

"Who is behind this operation? Is the Empire doing this solely to target my Wang Mian family, or is there a larger conspiracy, such as disrupting the Magic Tournament, or targeting the entire Golden Flower Dynasty? These questions must be thoroughly investigated."

"Finally, immediately contact the Royal Family and report the situation truthfully to His Majesty and the Royal Magic Advisory Council, including the fact that Flowing Light has disappeared, the suspicious nature of the Imperial Mage, and our speculations."

"Please request the Royal Family to intervene and mobilize the Royal Astrologers to assist in investigating all unusual dimensional rift activities within the Ruge County recently."

The undercurrents in Mithril City were unknown to Gao De, who was far away in the Desolate Soul Realm.

Right now, he's diligently "fighting monsters and farming materials".

Under the low, dark gray sky, nearly twenty withered soul servants, resembling zombies, surrounded Gao De, forming a loose encirclement that trapped him in the center. The scene looked extremely dangerous.

Despite the perilous situation, Gao De remained remarkably calm.

He still held the broken bone he had picked up earlier as a sword, but unlike before, the surface of the broken bone was now covered with a fine layer of light, and the edges faintly revealed a powerful and sharp aura.

"You've come at the perfect time."

Gao De murmured to himself, his voice calm and even.

Facing the first withered soul servant rushing towards him, he did not retreat but advanced, taking half a step forward with his left foot and lowering his center of gravity.

The Bone-Shattering Sword in his hand whistled sharply as it precisely cleaved towards the opponent's neck.

The skin on the neck of that withered soul servant was already ulcerated, revealing a protruding cervical vertebra.

"Snap!"

A crisp sound.

The power of the bone-crushing strike was outrageous. It seemed that Gao De hadn't used much force, yet he had simply severed the neck of this withered soul servant.

The servant's head rolled off, and the headless half of his body fell straight down, crashing heavily to the ground and raising a cloud of grayish-white dust.

Without the slightest hesitation, Gao De turned to face the second servant.

He moved with agility, weaving through the horde of withered souls.

After skillfully dodging the claws of the withered soul servants on the left, the withered bone in his hand became like the scythe of death, each swing precisely hitting the vital points of the withered soul servants.

Click! Click! Click!

The withered soul servants were powerless against Gao De.

Their attacks were "slow" and rigid, unable to keep up with Gaode's speed.

Gao De's every strike was ridiculously powerful; he could even cleave bones in two with a single blow.

Within minutes, more than a dozen withered soul servants collapsed to the ground.

He stood in the center of the corpses, not even a speck of rotten flesh or bone on his body, his breathing steady, as if he had only done a trivial thing.

Gao De slowly stepped forward and dissected each of these withered souls, his movements practiced and precise.

He quickly extracted fragments of soul essence from the corpses of these withered soul servants and stuffed them into his robes.

After collecting the last fragment of soul essence, he looked toward the central tower in the distance.

"That's enough, it's time to go back," Gao De muttered to himself.