Chapter 283: The Search

Helag had no intention of keeping the worm from the Abyss Plane for himself. First, he didn’t sense any significant bloodline power from it.

Using the Eye of True Sight, he confirmed that the bloodline was weak and not worth absorbing.

Secondly, the incident had taken place in Wendy’s home, and she had personally experienced it.

Wendy wasn’t a minor figure, and this event would surely attract attention from many people.

As one of the people present, Helag would undoubtedly be noticed as well.

In this situation, it would be impossible for Helag to hide the worm for himself.

This was a creature from the Abyss Plane—keeping it would raise suspicions about his intentions.

The Land of Dawn was highly vigilant against anything related to the Abyss Plane, enforcing strict precautions.

If Helag tried to keep the worm, he would certainly be investigated.

The proper course of action was to immediately report the incident to Seranthiel and let them handle it.

Helag couldn’t afford to get involved in such matters.

He quickly took out his magic stone and contacted Pruis, informing him of what had happened.

Pruis replied, “Wait there. I’ll be right over.”

“Mrs. Wendy, Mr. Pruis will be here shortly. Let’s wait for him,” Helag said.

Wendy leaned back on the sofa, breathing a sigh of relief, her chest rising and falling as she tried to calm her nerves.

She knew Pruis well—he was responsible for many of the security matters in Silvermoon City.

Since Pruis was coming, she felt reassured that she wouldn’t be in any immediate danger.

Now that the red worm had been captured by Helag and the strange allure of the wooden sculpture had disappeared, Wendy finally began to relax.

The red worm, trembling inside the test tube, could sense Helag’s presence and was visibly terrified.

It had no intelligence, only instinct, and that instinct told it not to act out in front of Helag.

In the Abyss Plane, this type of worm was one of the lowest forms of life, akin to ants.

Helag’s ancestral bloodline, though not actively released, exerted a natural suppression over the worm due to the difference in their life forms.

Helag glanced at Wendy, who seemed to have calmed down as she sat on the sofa.

She picked up her magic stone, seemingly about to send a message, but then hesitated and put it down, lost in thought.

Given Wendy’s influence and resources, there was no way she would let this incident slide. She would undoubtedly investigate the matter thoroughly.

About ten minutes later, Pruis arrived at 75 Hawthorn Street with a few others and made his way upstairs.

“Mr. Pruis, this is the worm that came out of the wooden sculpture,” Helag said, placing the test tube in front of them.

Pruis picked up the test tube, his expression serious as he examined the blood-red worm inside.

After a moment, he said, “This is an Abyssal creature, a Heart-Eating Worm. If an ordinary person or wizard falls victim to it without realizing, they will slowly become a slave to its master.”

“Only Abyssal cultists can control Heart-Eating Worms. They use them as tools. Powerful Abyssal creatures can’t easily enter the Wizard Plane due to the suppression of the world’s will, but weak creatures like the Heart-Eating Worm can be sent here easily.”

“The worm itself is weak, but Abyssal cultists, using the power of their dark gods, can make the worm capable of manipulating and controlling minds.”

Pruis then picked up the wooden sculpture, which had been cut in half, and examined it. “The material of this sculpture has been enchanted, making it resistant to magical detection, which is why the Heart-Eating Worm inside was hard to detect. Helag, how did you sense it?”

“I had a feeling. When Mrs. Wendy was holding the sculpture, I just felt like something was off. It made me uncomfortable.”

Helag had already prepared an explanation. After all, a wizard’s intuition was often mysterious and difficult to explain.

His answer wouldn’t raise any suspicions, as wizards were known for their sharp instincts.

Pruis nodded. “Good thing your instincts were sharp. Otherwise, this could have turned into a major problem. From what I can tell, Mrs. Wendy hasn’t been severely affected, so we’ve managed to stop an Abyssal cultist plot in time.”

“Helag, this incident will be noted, and you’ll be credited for your contribution. The exact amount of contribution points will be calculated once the entire situation has been resolved.”

Seranthiel had a detailed system for evaluating contributions, and Helag’s reward would depend on how much information and evidence they uncovered during the investigation.

Helag smiled. “Sounds good.”

He hadn’t expected that taking on a simple array maintenance task would also earn him some contribution points. It was a pleasant surprise.

“Mrs. Wendy, where did you get this wooden sculpture?” Pruis asked.

Wendy replied, “It was a gift from a jeweler named Doren. He sent me several gifts, and this sculpture was just one of them. It didn’t seem special, so I opened it out of curiosity, and then all of this happened…”

“Doren… Tell me more about him,” Pruis said, taking out his magic stone and making notes.

His magic stone was different from others, with additional functions and permissions, as it was used by Silvermoon City’s administrators.

As Wendy provided more details, Pruis quickly pulled up Doren’s information and said, “Mrs. Wendy, may we conduct a full search of your estate? The purpose is to ensure that nothing else has been overlooked.”

Although Pruis’s tone was polite, Wendy knew she had no choice but to agree.

Anything related to the Abyss Plane was considered a top-priority issue and would be thoroughly investigated.

Since the wooden sculpture had appeared in Wendy’s estate, the entire place would be searched.

While Wendy wasn’t thrilled about having her home turned upside down, she understood the seriousness of the situation. Smiling, she nodded and said, “Of course, Mr. Pruis. I appreciate your efforts.”

“Thank you for your understanding and cooperation,” Pruis said with a smile.

It was always better when people of status cooperated. It allowed the investigation to proceed smoothly without anyone losing face.

Pruis gestured to his team, and they immediately spread out, meticulously searching every corner of the estate and examining every item.

Though Wendy wasn’t happy about the search, she understood that it was ultimately for her own safety.

The wooden sculpture had only been discovered because Helag had sensed something wrong. If there were other hidden dangers, they could be far more dangerous.

Allowing Pruis and his team to search the estate gave Wendy some peace of mind, knowing that any potential threats would be uncovered.