Chapter 32

At the same time.

Only a short distance outside of the outskirts of Bindan Village.

A large crowd of silver and bronze masked men were gathered in a small space. Three gold masked men stood silently in front of this massive crowd.

“We’ve finally arrived.” One of the gold masked men spoke.

He paused for a moment, then continued. “I will repeat, our mission is to eliminate the governor. Each gold masked captain will lead some of you to attack the village from a different direction. The rest will hold their positions and watch out to catch him if he flees.”

“Along with the governor, who has a weak earth spirit attribute, I will repeat that you should be wary of the second expert in the village, who is suspected to be allied with the governor. He has a very short stature, and was last seen wearing a black cloak that also covered his face. It’s unknown whether he has an attribute or not, but he is highly skilled in manipulating spirit energy.”

He scanned the crowd, spotting many more bronze masked figures than silver masked.

“Make sure to fully surround any place before swarming it. Don't engage alone: you won't be able to defeat either person by yourselves. If you spot either person, make sure to notify your gold masked supervisor. If any villagers get in your way, show no mercy.”

He made a waving motion, and then turned around. “Alright, I think we covered everything. Credit will be distributed based on performance. Now, let’s go.”

The group of about a hundred people set off toward the village.

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In a room in the governor’s mansion.

“So, Grandpa Dinran and Alivia, was it? What’s going on?” The governor asked amicably.

He was sitting attentively at a round table in the middle of a fancily furnished living room. Next to him was Finn, and sitting across from him was Alivia and Grandpa Dinran.

Alivia and Grandpa Dinran felt very out of place. They had seldom been in such an ornately decorated room!

They were still stunned at how everything had came about.

Upon hearing from Finn shouting that Zairen’s family had come, the bulky, bun-headed governor had immediately stopped what he was doing and rushed to greet Zairen’s family. He had sat them down in the room they were currently sitting in and spared no expense, quickly ordering a servant to pour them tea.

It appeared that he really cared about Zairen!

Suddenly, Alivia and Grandpa Dinran felt that they didn't know Zairen as well as they thought they did. Was he really such good friends with the governor?

“Well…” Alivia answered. “Um… well, he’s gone missing. For the past two days, there’s been no trace of him. I looked everywhere - the forest, the village square, the beach… He’s nowhere to be seen!”

“Nowhere to be seen…?” The governor furrowed his brows.

“Yes,” Alivia replied, glancing nervously towards the governor’s overbearing eyes. “I looked all around his room and didn't see any sort of note or message either. We suspect he may have gotten lost, or even mugged, in the forest. That’s why we’re requesting that you, the governor, maybe… Send out a search party to look for him.”

“Hmm…” The governor rubbed his chin.

Zairen had went missing?

‘The boy is an expert! Even I would have trouble fighting him,’ the governor mused. ‘How could he have gone missing?’

He glanced toward Alivia again.

As soon as he had seen the grandfather-granddaughter pair, he had been surprised to find that they were very ordinary people, without a trace of spirit energy in them. At least, the spirit energy in Alivia hadn’t been awakened yet. If that was the case, then how come Zairen was such a monster?

“When was the last time you saw him?” The governor eventually asked.

“Well…” Alivia wracked her head. “I… Saw him in the evening, three days ago. We ate dinner together, as a family. Then, after dinner, he went into his room to do whatever he does as usual. The next day, when I visited him room in the afternoon, he was gone.”

“You say he went to his room? Does he spend a lot of time in his room?” The governor asked, leaning forward in interest.

“Um… Yes… he spends almost all of his time holed up in his room.”

“Do you know what he does in there?”

“Well… No,” Alivia said honestly. “I just know that sometimes, when I walk in, he’s sitting in a cross-legged position on his bed.”

“Oh really?” The governor seemed to be intrigued. “Is there anything else?”

“Well… I don't think so,” Alivia replied, before looking at the governor suspiciously. “Why do you want to know, anyway?”

“Well, I’m just trying to get details about him and his daily routine,” the governor responded smoothly. “To help find him more quickly.”

“Oh,” Alivia remarked. She felt that the governor’s explanation made a lot of sense. “Well, I guess there is another thing.”

“Hm?” The governor raised an eyebrow.

“About a week ago, I bought him a gray ring from the pawn shop,” Alivia explained. “Since then, he’s always worn it. Yet, when I checked his room two days ago, the ring was on the floor. I don't think he would have just abandoned it.”

“Ring? And he always wore it?” The governor leaned forward. “Do you have it now?”

“Yes,” Alivia said, and revealed her hand, which had a dull gray ring on its pointer finger.

“Can I see it?”

“Well… Fine. But please make sure to return it when you’re done. I still need to to return it to Zairen when I see him again,” Alivia said reluctantly as she slid the ring off her finger and handed it to the governor.

“Don't worry,” the governor said. He glanced down at the gray ring, slightly hopeful. Since Zairen always wore it, could this ring possibly be something valuable? Maybe even… a spirit tool? He didn’t feel any aura coming from it… But because of that, it could possibly be even more special!

Suddenly excited, he immediately sent some of his spirit energy into the ring.

However, as soon as it entered the ring, it quickly dissipated, just like it would if it was an ordinary object.

‘Eh… Looks like it’s just a souvenir. A lucky charm of sorts,’ the governor concluded.

He handed the ring back to Alivia. “Hm… The ring could be a part of it, but it seems to be just a cheap souvenir. I don't know if he would treasure it that much.”

“...I see,” Alivia gulped. She slipped the ring back onto her finger and clasped her hand over it protectively. “Well… Governor, do you have any idea what might have happened? Would it be possible to send out a search party?”

“Hm…” The governor rubbed his chin thoughtfully once again.

Suddenly -

Boom, crash, bang!

Some chaotic noises blasted from the hallway.