After passing through the south gate, it wasn't long before you came to a sparse, wide grove of trees, where many guards were already waiting.
"Sir, no suspicious individuals have been found in the vicinity."
There are several underground cities outside the south city, at varying distances, and many adventurers come and go from there regularly.
However, after this incident, the capital sealed off all entrances, and even the river port in the east was temporarily closed, prohibiting free entry and exit.
"By the way, why don't you take me to the Duke's mansion for a look around? Otherwise, how will I know how to track him down?" Since it was the emperor's order, I had to go through the motions.
"I've already prepared it for you." As he spoke, the Duke took out a bag containing some clothes and bedding.
"That's it? Are you sure you're not kidding me?" It seems the Duke isn't always so reliable.
"The inner courtyard over there has been uninhabited for many days. Are you sure you want to go and take a look?"
"Forget it. Let's go to the nearby dungeon and ask around to see if there are any suspicious groups recently." Having basically no useful leads, Luo Fan was speechless.
That's it, there's no room for maneuver at all.
It's quite absurd that no one in the empire noticed a personnel reshuffle in a ducal mansion.
Does that damned emperor really trust his subordinates so much? Couldn't he send some spies to keep an eye on them, like the Embroidered Uniform Guard or something?
However, those high-level mages have such strong spiritual senses that they can easily detect others' attention. Unlike me, I'm a small target and can hide at any time.
The magical world is indeed very troublesome, and the so-called emperor is an even more troublesome and extremely dangerous profession.
It's better this way. If I ever successfully transform into human form, I'll definitely find a good place to hide with the girls.
Speaking of which, the Sky Island that Ziyu mentioned before is quite nice; it's not only safe, but you can also travel the world.
Xiaoxue excitedly imagined their future life together with Luo Fan, making even the waiting less boring.
The forest is vast and connects to distant mountain peaks, making it difficult to investigate traces of human activity.
Recalling what Lis had said, Luo Fan concluded that those people would definitely leave after the handover in the woods, and there would probably be some traces of the rendezvous nearby.
Sure enough, not long after, the search team nearby found similar traces, and the people seemed to be in a hurry.
So the Duke, with Lovan by his side, led the charge into the woods.
The other party definitely didn't take the main roads, probably because those roads are frequently used by people. Especially between the capital city and the underground city, there are patrol personnel moving around every now and then.
These things are all recorded in the booklets provided by the guild, precisely to make things easier for these adventurers.
After spotting the target, the Duke and the Principal, following Lovan's instructions, led their troops forward at a rapid pace.
After about an hour, they found a secluded manor nearby, which meant that the troops behind them had fallen behind.
High-level magical beast mounts are indeed terrifying; in any case, Luo Fan had absolutely no intention of provoking them. Their aura was simply too much for his small frame to handle.
The manor is nestled amidst mountains and water, a truly idyllic setting.
It was nearly evening, and the shadows of the houses could still be faintly seen in the gentle breeze.
Sensing the commotion outside, a defensive magic circle quickly enveloped the core of the manor. It was the earth-based magic circle that Luo Fan was familiar with, tough and durable.
Unlike the one created by Xuanwu, maintaining this magic circle requires a constant drain on magic power. However, even if Luo Fan manages to breach a corner, energy will be replenished, preventing immediate destruction.
Once airborne, the Duke fired a signal flare, directing the remaining troops to come quickly.
Brian sent his pet to try attacking, but the countless huge ice blades that struck only created ripples.
"Who are you, and why are you disturbing my master's peace!" A voice came from within the magic circle.
"Maybe we should wait for the main force to arrive. I suspect there might be a Grand Magister among them," Xiaoxue typed another message.
According to Luo Fan's estimation, there must be a Grand Magister inside, and he must know something about what happened to Liss back then.
After all, Liz hasn't left her house recently. Unless she knows some of the truth about what happened back then, it's impossible for her to send someone to arrest someone at this time.
After all, who wouldn't be tempted by the opportunity to become a god? Perhaps other organizations have already taken action!
Liz's information has likely been leaked. What should we do next?
This is a headache. I'll have to go back and ask Princess for help. But is it possible that that damned emperor already knows?
Damn it, this is so complicated. No wonder the old witch left them in Sacred Heart City.
Thinking of poor Liz, Luo Fan sighed. With his current strength, he would have no chance against those big shots.
Having received Xiaoxue's warning, the Duke and the Principal glanced at the document and prepared themselves.
"Sorry, we found this location while tracking down a group of thieves. Please forgive us if we've disturbed you." With that, the two of them ducked into the nearby bushes to prevent anyone from escaping from this side.
Even so, the magic circle remained intact, showing no signs of weakening. Through the magic circle, the Duke could also see the figures of several people running.
Before long, a large number of city guards arrived and surrounded the entire magic circle. They also found traces of many people secretly escaping, and the Duke immediately led his men to chase after them.
The remaining people activated their magic arrays and clashed with them. In about ten minutes, the manor was completely exposed.
Sure enough, these guys are the real professionals when it comes to this kind of work.
After searching the area, a secret passage was indeed found, but it was completely submerged. Brian sent men to continue searching deeper into the water, and Luo Fan also dispatched a clone to follow.
Since there are so many troubles, we can only take it one step at a time.
The key now is to find those treasures, since our losses are considerable.
The cave was quite murky, and the lake water above had recently overflowed, but Luo Fan was still unable to identify enemy information through the water.
After swimming for an unknown amount of time, they found a path leading outwards. Following a few traces, they searched for a long time, but after a long while, all the traces disappeared.
How could those people move so quickly?
Upon returning, Luo Fan dispatched his clone to search the manor. He couldn't believe that everything could have been taken in such a short time.
After all, it's a family; they couldn't possibly act that quickly.
The manor was in a bit of a mess, with lots of odds and ends scattered everywhere, probably because people were in a hurry to leave and didn't have time to tidy up properly.
Luo Fan led Xiao Xue, walking alongside the principal. After all, the girl's safety was the most important thing.
After a thorough search, they did find some symbols related to the Duke of Lemons's coat of arms, but the lack of direct relatives was still a problem.
Soon, the Duke returned disappointed, carrying with him the corpses of several black-clad assassins, who were clearly there to obstruct the view.
Many people searched the manor carefully several more times with magical items, but found nothing else of value.
"Damn it, they've all run away. If I had known this would happen, I should have just taken action."
"Since it's a secret base, is it possible that there are other hiding places?" After saying that, Luo Fan led Xiao Xue to the lakeside.
After all, all indications suggest that the other side did not relocate a large number of people. Some may have escaped, but others may have stayed behind.
There are so many rooms here, all with a strong sense of daily life. Even the stoves show signs of long-term use.
The lake was not calm; due to the large amount of water flowing into the underground passage, there were many ripples on the surface. Some areas of the bottom were quite murky, which should be connected to that passage.
Does this world have submarines? Luo Fan quickly abandoned the idea; the waterway connecting the lake was too narrow. Escaping along the waterway would actually be slower.
"You suspect there's something wrong with the water?" The Duke looked at the water's surface curiously, probing as he went.
"Your Grace, if you were in this situation, and dozens of people in your family had to be taken away, what would you choose?" After failing to find anything, Luo Fan could only look for other breakthroughs.
"You have to take it all?"
"Yes, isn't that the situation right now?"
“Unless there’s a very secluded secret room or space where we can hide and then leave at our leisure after we’ve gone,” the headmaster suggested, since the Duke’s family’s main element is wind, and they are skilled at concealment.
"Are there any teleportation devices?" Luo Fan asked.
"Probably not, that kind of formation has been lost for a long time. Besides, that kind of movement would also bring a lot of magical element fluctuations."
"Oh, okay. Then I agree with the principal's opinion, and things will be much simpler from here on out."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com