A dome of lightning erupted from Liam, covering every direction and giving the Black Trusk no chance to escape. The spell paralyzed the target, and Liam brought his sword down on the old man’s neck, decapitating him.

When Liam’s sword didn’t face any resistance, he knew he was in trouble. The head did not fall to the ground but rather floated in the air. The entire time, the Black Trusk did nothing to defend himself and calmly watched his actions. “You don’t hesitate, do you? Attacking someone in the middle of the conversation is very rude. I haven’t even explained the main part.”

Frowning, he examined the mana flow of the separated body parts. The head and the body had independent mana flows, and they moved individually. He couldn’t find any weakness he could capitalize on.

Ignoring the trusk’s words, Liam released a continuous stream of flames, determined to burn his opponent to a crisp. The fire harmlessly passed by the cloaked figure and ignited the furniture.

The floating head chuckled. “I don’t think he’ll listen to me. Why don’t you say something before he burns the store?”

“I remember telling you to be frank and direct.” A beautiful and melodious voice interrupted the fight. It reminded Liam of a blooming flower and felt like it contained the very essence of life. Hearing that voice in such a remote place shocked him.

“Ioriel?” Ignoring the burning furniture, he examined the room to see if she was present.

After searching for a bit, he noticed the old man’s active communication amulet. She spoke through it. “Examine the token I passed to the information broker. It should be enough to tell you it’s me.”

Liam chuckled. She wasn’t the kind of person who did things in a half-assed manner. It took one glimpse to confirm it was Ioriel on the other side. No one could copy the marks left by her ability.

“How did you know I would come here?”

“He’s not the only one I reached out to. I contacted a lot of people in hopes that one of them could put me in touch with you.”

It must’ve involved a lot of money and efforts, but he didn’t thank her. There was no need for such formalities between them.

The old man interceded into the conversation. “I didn’t finish speaking when you attacked me and burned my store.”

Liam snorted. The store had nothing apart from a few tables and chairs.

The head and the body perfectly reattached themselves. “I won’t harm you cause the bounty will never surpass what the elves offered.”

Liam frowned. “What did you offer?”

“Don’t worry about trivial things,” Ioriel said. “Focus on reaching Rodich as fast as you can. I’ll be able to provide you with more assistance.”

He understood her inability to help him in such a remote location. The other races had a permanent presence only in the big cities of the human kingdom. Helping him there wouldn’t be too difficult. On the other hand, if an elf traveled to Tightwood Creek out of nowhere and assisted them, it would only cause more troubles.

“I’ve to leave now. Be careful.” The communication amulet went inactive.

The old man clapped, drawing attention to himself.

“Let’s continue the discussion, shall we? I’d invite you to sit, but” —he stared at the burned furniture— “I don’t think that’s an option anymore.

“Let me explain my arrangement with the princess. For—”

“You know she’s a princess?” Liam was surprised as Ioriel wasn’t the kind to flaunt.

The old man chuckled. “In a not so subtle way, she explained what she was capable way, and what she did to her enemies with a lot of graphic details. Suffice to say, she convinced me to be careful with what I do.

“According to the deal, I am only obliged to provide you with information. I can neither provide you with weapons nor personnel.”

Shuffling to the other door present in the room, he knocked on it. The door opened and a huge hulking figure entered the room. He carried one dead body and another living person inside the room. He left after finishing the task.

“I don’t know why, but the princess was adamant about providing you with the bodies of those attacked by the Ternac killer.” The old man pointed to the dead body. “This is a well-preserved corpse of one of the recent victims.”

Liam excitedly examined the remains with mana vision. The report Laya gave him mentioned that the investigators failed to identify the spells present on the dead, but they didn’t have mana vision.

His initial examination provided him with a lot of insights. The corpse itself didn’t have any trace of mana, but the missing places showed an interesting reaction. The edges contained high traces of mana while the other parts were drained.

The trusk interrupted his examination. “The other person is alive.”

Liam waited for him to continue.

“He is the only person to have escaped from the killer.” The old man paused and tried to create a dramatic reaction. When Liam didn’t react and the silence became awkward, he coughed. “It took quite a lot of effort to get him before the army. Keeping him alive is difficult, but in the end, it’s worth it. He didn’t see the criminal’s face, but there is an interesting piece of information I learned from him. Most of the killings were done to disguise his real targets, or rather, his real objective.”

Liam didn’t need him to elaborate. The moment he laid his eyes on the escaped victim, he understood what happened. A large concentration of mana was present in one eye while the other was missing. Mana from all over the body continuously flowed to that part.

“The killer’s hunting for specific evolved abilities,” the trusk said, confirming Liam’s guess. What the old man failed to see was the other part of the criminal’s plan. The main objective was to enhance the power of the evolved ability before extracting it. Before killing the victim, they channeled mana from every part of his body to the evolved part, strengthing it. It drained and crippled the victim.

“I have another piece of information for you. I can give you the location of the lab from which he escaped. The criminal would’ve left, but there might be clues present in that place.”