"Grab him!"
In a narrow alley on the east bank of the Leibo River, a law enforcement team dressed in black uniforms was chasing a frantic knight who had taken the wrong path.
"What's going on?"
A woman who was about to go to the Leibo River to wash clothes watched the group disappear fiercely at the end of the alley, then cautiously stuck her head out.
"I heard that Nate Commerce did something bad," her companion replied.
"Something bad… Those people, even if they do something bad, they wouldn't be caught. Why this time?" the woman continued to ask.
"…" Her companion fell silent and shook her head, "I don't know."
"Let's not talk about that. Have you noticed the chicken prices at the market have gone up again recently?"
"Ah… I noticed a while ago, it's not just chicken, fish has gotten a lot more expensive too!"
"I don't know what's happening, everything's going up in price…"
The two women sighed and continued to carry their dirty laundry baskets to the Leibo River.
The chase they had just seen was already a distant memory.
The cost of firewood, rice, oil, and salt was far more important to them.
"Ah!"
"Run? I'd like to see where you can run to!"
In a dead-end alley, the middle-aged law enforcement team captain took the lead, pressing the knight who had an arrow in his right foot forcefully to the ground.
Bang!
The knight's head made a dull collision with the hard ground, making him groan again, feeling dizzy and disoriented.
Click, clack!
Taking this opportunity, a teammate expertly took out shackles and handcuffs to tightly bind the knight.
Seeing this, the middle-aged captain's tense body slightly relaxed, wiped the sweat bead from his forehead, and slowly stood up.
Such chases had been happening nearly every day for the past few days. It was truly exhausting.
"Captain, this should be the last one, right?" asked a young team member, panting heavily.
He was just a basic-level knight. After a chase like this, he was quite tired.
"That should be it. He's the last target our team is responsible for capturing. The progress of the other teams should not be much different from ours," the captain answered.
"Mmm! Mmm!" The bound knight suddenly struggled for some reason.
"Quiet!"
The captain frowned and kicked without hesitation.
Bam!
The sound alone made it clear that it was a very forceful kick.
The young team member flinched.
"For these scum, mercy is unnecessary. Don't forget the scenes we witnessed during the previous search," the captain said, looking at him with a grave tone.
"Yes!" the young team member quickly responded seriously.
He couldn't forget the cruel scenes they had seen inside Nate Commerce.
Nate Commerce had the shadow of a cult!
In this world filled with tainted babbling, even ordinary people blessed by spirit fog were not entirely safe.
The influence of those indescribable existences spread silently.
Perhaps you just looked in the mirror once at midnight, or maybe you caught a glimpse of a rotting corpse...
Either way, the change simply appeared.
This was the beginning of alteration and decadence, and it was also the start of the cult.
"Let's go," the captain said, taking a breath to give the order.
The early autumn breeze softly met them head-on, lifting the corners of the law enforcement team's clothing as their figures gradually disappeared at the corner of the alley.
...
"It's officially autumn now."
On the second-floor balcony of Villa No. 5, Colin felt the autumn breeze carrying its characteristic coolness and tightened his clothes.
With his current physical strength, he naturally did not fear this bit of cold.
But this did not mean he could not feel the cold; on the contrary, he was far more sensitive to changes in ambient temperature and even humidity than ordinary people.
Knock, knock, knock.
A regular knocking sound arose, followed by Renee's gentle voice:
"Master, your luggage is all packed."
Colin turned his gaze back and walked inside.
Today was already the 20th of November in the Yanan calendar.
Just last night, he had successfully advanced to First Rank Advanced Wizard.
For his entire First Rank Wizard phase, the biggest difference between the basic, middle, and advanced levels for him now, with his first-class aptitude, was the amount of magic power.
There was no such thing as a bottleneck; when the time came, everything else naturally fell into place.
Strengthening the fundamentals of his physique had also reached the necessary level.
So, to this end, his purpose for this trip was essentially complete.
It was time to start the journey home.
"The Royal Family came to visit again this morning. This time it was a princess," Renee greeted as he opened the door, then continued.
"Hmm," Colin nodded to indicate he knew.
Ever since he had instructed Hosone to deal with Nate Commerce a few days ago, the Royal Family quickly learned of his status as a wizard and someone came to visit the next day.
At first, it was just regular officials.
Later, perhaps realizing his strength as a First Rank Wizard, members of the Royal Family themselves came to visit.
"Still refuse?" Renee went on to ask.
"Yes, time is precious. After I finish meditation, we'll set off to return to Neustadt. There's no need to delay further."
"Alright, Master." Renee nodded in understanding. As if she remembered something, she went on, "Earlier today, Mr. Hosone also came with Wensy to visit."
"Are they still waiting outside?" Colin asked.
"They are. Shall I let them in?" Renee asked as she smoothed her hair behind her ear.
Colin thought for a moment, then finally shook his head.
"There's no need."
"Very well, Master." Renee nodded. "Then I'll inform them."