Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Vanished Anna

[Planewalker profession level increased to Planewalker Lv12 (105/2200)]
[Health +5]
[Mana +10]
[Skill Points +21]
[Upon reaching Lv12, you have gained the camp blessing: Growth of the Chaotic Neutral Camp! Hold fast to your convictions and stride toward the stars and the abyss!]
[Camp blessing acquired: Life Transmutation. You may expend life force to restore mana, with one point of life force restoring one point of mana. Up to X points may be transmuted at a time, where X equals Intelligence plus profession level. Cooldown: 24 hours.]
[Tip: Reaching Lv13 will grant an attribute increase reward.]

Life Transmutation was a highly practical spell. As his rank rose, Chu Yun began to rely more on tier-two spells in combat. Tier-two spells consumed roughly ten points of mana, and higher-tier spells demanded even more.

With this special ability, Chu Yun could convert his own health into mana to cast spells.

As for skill points, Chu Yun spent nineteen of them to improve his Spell Identification ability, raising it to Lv11.

Lv11 was tier-two level. For some tier-two spells, he could now tell what his opponent intended to cast merely from the structure of the incantation and the opening gesture.

Both Spell Identification and Inscription could indirectly deepen Chu Yun’s understanding of magic. Now that he had Life Transmutation, investing points into Meditation was no longer quite so urgent.

After mastering his new ability, Chu Yun left his room and went to the front desk of the mage inn, but Anna had still not returned.

“Who is in charge of replenishing the magical device’s energy now? Has someone been replaced?” Chu Yun asked.

The receptionist looked anxious as well. “No, it’s still Miss Anna, but for some reason she hasn’t come back today.”

It was already evening. The inn’s nighttime safety depended heavily on its magical devices.

“Please don’t worry. I’ve already had someone use crystals as a temporary substitute. It will be ready soon. I’m terribly sorry.” The receptionist bowed and apologized.

The mages staying at the inn were all real magicians. They had paid so much money; if they did not receive the proper service, they would certainly be furious. These temperamental mages were not people she could afford to offend.

Hearing the receptionist’s explanation only made Chu Yun more concerned.

“Such a troublesome person,” he muttered. “She never makes things easy.”

He really wanted to ignore her, but since they were at least friends, he could not shake his worry.

“Never mind. I may as well take a look at Blackstone City at night.”

With that thought, Chu Yun mounted Paimon and headed toward the Mage Guild.

After the two had parted, there were still quite a few staff members from the guild around. Perhaps he could learn something from them.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t notice.”

“She wasn’t at the mage inn? Then I wouldn’t know.”

“I think she was with that man named Chu Yun... ah, you are Lord Chu Yun, aren’t you? My apologies, I didn’t recognize you.”

...

“You mean Lady Anna? I think she headed toward the commercial district. As for exactly where, I don’t know.”

There were not many people working the guild’s night shift. After asking everyone he could, Chu Yun finally obtained a small lead.

The commercial district was no small place. As one of the most prosperous areas in Blackstone City, it was still bright with lamps and filled with life even after dark.

Chu Yun very much wanted to visit the entertainment quarter that Parker, that roguish merchant, had once recommended. Supposedly it offered all kinds of beastfolk, elves, and even monster girls of every flavor. But considering that Anna was a woman, she probably would not have gone there. In the end, he chose a different street.

Some of the shops in the ordinary commercial streets had already closed early, but most were still open for business.

Chu Yun was beginning to wonder how he should search when Blackstone City’s evening paper went on sale. He bought a copy and cut out Anna’s photograph.

This world had magic-based imaging, but because of cost and other reasons, pictures were usually only printed on the front page and in major news reports.

“Excuse me, have you seen this mage?” Chu Yun asked at a magic equipment shop.

He figured Anna did not have any particularly good gear, and if she had money, she would probably buy equipment first to improve her strength.

Unfortunately, he was mistaken. Anna had no intention of going out hunting, nor did she often get into fights, so she did not pay much attention to such things.

After asking three shops in a row with no results, Chu Yun felt this approach was not going to work.

Just as he was growing troubled, a man came up to him.

“Lord Mage, are you looking for someone?”

The man was gaunt, with a frightening scar across his forehead.

Chu Yun nodded and showed him the photograph. “What, have you seen her?”

“No, but I can help you find her.” The man smiled faintly and went on, “If you’re willing to pay a little, the members of Black Crow will be glad to serve you.”

“Black Crow? Does that mean your boss is named Zhou?”

“Uh, that I don’t know. We all use code names inside the organization. Many people know our leader by his code name, Night Owl.”

“Lord Chu Yun, you’ve only just arrived in Blackstone City, so it’s perfectly normal that you haven’t heard of Black Crow. We are a professional intelligence organization. We have operatives everywhere, from street beggars and tavern waitresses to women of the pleasure quarter.”

“In fact, many of the stories in your newspaper were supplied by us. You can trust us completely.” The man gave his assurance.

“How much do you charge? And you guarantee you can find her?” Chu Yun asked further.

The man answered, “You are a noble mage, a famous man in Blackstone City. We would also like to work with you for a long time. You may pay after you receive the information.”

“As for the fee, just give whatever you think is appropriate. Finding one person is an easy matter for us.” He sounded confident.

“Then thank you in advance. How should I address you?” Chu Yun accepted the man’s goodwill.

“My code name is White Dove. Please wait here for a moment. I’ll sort out the information for you right away.”

As he spoke, White Dove somehow produced a pigeon from beneath his sleeve, took Anna’s photograph, and wrote a few coded phrases on it.

The pigeon flapped its wings and flew off toward some hidden outpost.

“Don’t worry. Lady Anna was somewhat well known before this. Many people keep track of her movements. As long as I ask around among my brothers, there should be an answer soon enough.” White Dove looked quite pleased with himself.

“I appreciate it. By the way, do you know anyone in Blackstone City who is skilled at crafting magic equipment?” Chu Yun added. “I’ll pay the information fee later all at once. I won’t shortchange you.”

Seeing how cooperative Chu Yun was, White Dove was delighted. “No need to be so polite for such a small matter. The most famous craftsman in Blackstone City is naturally the dwarf master Brook. As for jewelry, it would be best to find the guild leader of the Clover Adventuring Party. It’s just that she usually doesn’t make equipment for outsiders, though she has occasionally taken this kind of commission from the Adventurers’ Guild.”

The two chatted a little longer, and soon the pigeon that had flown out earlier returned, cooing as it came back.

White Dove removed the letter from the pigeon’s leg. The writing on it was still encoded, so outsiders could not understand it.

“How is it? Where did she go?” Chu Yun frowned and asked, sensing from the man’s expression that things were not looking good.

“Lady Anna first took part in the Mage Guild examination today. After the exam, someone saw her in a clothing shop in the commercial district. It seems she bought quite a few beautiful dresses.”

“Later, a child from the slums came to find her, but our people did not see her in the slum district. Instead, someone saw her half an hour ago getting into a carriage with that child and hurrying out through the east gate.”

“We don’t have many eyes outside the city. If you need help searching, I can arrange men for you, but since this involves other brothers, the cost...”

Chu Yun felt a bad premonition in his heart. He took out three platinum coins and handed them over. “Is this enough? Tell your people to move quickly.”

White Dove immediately beamed. “As expected of a mage, you are generous. Don’t worry, I’ll arrange men for you right away.”