Chapter 319: News of Death

“They’re back again?” Blanc understood immediately after hearing this.

Although Seranthiel rarely intervened in the management of the Mozambi slums, they never stopped monitoring the situation.

Occasionally, they would check to ensure nothing major was happening.

As long as everything seemed stable, they wouldn’t take action.

Blanc knew this, and so did Franz; it was routine.

When Franz noticed the crow’s unusual behavior, he instinctively assumed it was Seranthiel checking up on them again, so he dismissed it, not giving the crow much thought.

Meanwhile, leaning against a wall, Helag suddenly opened his eyes.

While controlling the crow, he felt a sense of being watched, as if someone was intensely focused on him.

It wasn’t just the crow being watched; it felt like someone was seeing him through the crow.

Realizing this, Helag quickly maneuvered the crow away from the Mozambi slums.

He understood that someone in the slums had noticed the crow’s oddity and sensed his presence through it.

Without hesitation, Helag got up and left.

He didn’t know if his location had been discovered, but he couldn’t stay there any longer; he had to leave.

Helag soon exited the slum area, reaching Hogland Street, where he felt more at ease.

He called for a carriage and began his return journey, eager to distance himself from the Mozambi slums.

Helag found it strange; normally, even if someone noticed the crow’s peculiarity, they’d only focus on the crow, not sense him through it.

It felt like someone was seeing him directly through the crow.

This wasn’t something an ordinary wizard could do; most first-level wizards couldn’t achieve this.

Helag suspected the observer might be a second-level wizard or higher.

Only someone of that level could instantly perceive the person controlling the crow.

However, according to Helag’s research, the strongest person in the slums was an old man named Franz, a first-level crystallized wizard.

While flying, Helag saw many people below but couldn’t identify who was watching him.

But that didn’t matter; Helag had gathered the information he needed.

First, he had a complete map of the Mozambi slums, now stored in Deep Blue’s database.

Secondly, Helag confirmed that the slums had significant issues, deeper than he’d imagined.

The Mozambi slums harbored powerful individuals, supporting many of Helag’s suspicions.

Helag was almost certain the slums were a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

Sitting in the carriage, he frowned.

The Land of Dawn was more complex than he’d thought, with external threats from polluted areas and internal threats from Abyssal cultists.

It was a place of internal and external strife; despite the calm appearance, undercurrents flowed, increasing Helag’s sense of urgency.

In the Barren lands, he’d been somewhat protected, without such dangers.

Knowing this, Helag was more determined to strengthen himself.

When upheaval came, only strength would ensure his survival.

Helag was relieved he hadn’t recklessly entered the slums; he might not have survived.

Even if he escaped, he’d be targeted, causing trouble.

Helag got off the carriage midway, using shadowed corners to ensure he wasn’t followed or watched.

Confident he wasn’t being trailed, he reverted to his original appearance.

The Shapeshifter potion’s effects could be voluntarily ended, lasting up to seventy-two hours.

Helag was cautious, changing locations several times.

Though it felt like he was outsmarting himself, he believed caution was best.

***

Three days later.

While studying spell model books at home, Helag received unexpected news.

Diglan was dead.

His body was found in the sewers near City Hall.

Since the sewers in that area were regularly maintained, the body was quickly discovered.

The workers reported it immediately.

The body was identified as Diglan, the wanted man.

Pruis and others rushed to verify the body, confirming it was Diglan.

They used various spells to ensure the body wasn’t magically altered.

In the past, someone had faked their death, attempting to escape, but was caught.

The body had a single fatal wound, a stab to the heart.

Pruis and his team found many oddities.

Diglan showed no signs of resistance, either subdued or caught off guard, killed with a single stab.

Strangely, Pruis couldn’t summon Diglan’s soul, finding no trace.

This suggested someone had completely destroyed his soul.

Only a powerful wizard could do this.

So why was Diglan killed?

As a wanted man, if killed for a bounty, his body should have been handed to Seranthiel.

But it wasn’t; it was dumped in the sewer.

This suggested a silencing, preventing Diglan from revealing something.

Yet the body’s location was odd.

Evidence suggested it was moved through the sewers to City Hall’s vicinity.

This seemed intentional, to ensure the body was found.

If silenced, the body should have been destroyed.

Wizards had many ways to make someone disappear without leaving a body.