https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-738-Lanchi-s-Periodic-Table-of-Attributes/12585229/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-740-Lanchi-Restrains-the-Blood-Clan/12585232/
Chapter 739: Lanchi Ventures into the Mafia
Chapter 739: Lanchi Ventures into the Mafia
"Mr. Meow, calm down and tell me where you are," Lanchi said, cupping the communication magic card in his hands close to his cheeks as he spoke rapidly.
The connection was terrible. He wasn't sure what Mr. Meow was trying to convey, but he could discern a distress signal in the cat's voice.
"Lan... Meow... Danger... Hurry..."
The message remained largely unintelligible.
Lanchi looked at Thalia, who wore a confused expression, equally perplexed by Mr. Meow's garbled transmission.
It seemed that not only could they barely understand Mr. Meow, but he was also having difficulty hearing Lanchi's instructions.
Ding-dong, bang, bang.
The doorbell rang from downstairs, accompanied by a series of heavy knocks. It seemed someone had come looking for him, their impatience evident as they disregarded his status as a professor of St. Cryxi Abbey.
Normally, Professor Landri had only been at the abbey for a week, and while Secretary Nila had helped keep his address confidential, apart from her and a select few staff members, no one should have known his residence.
Usually, even if it were an insurance salesperson, Lanchi would have opened the door and engaged in a pleasant conversation.
But at this moment, he couldn't afford to be distracted by whoever was at his door. Whether it was an urgent matter or not, his priority was Mr. Meow and Elsa.
"Empty... box... alley... meow..."
Mr. Meow's intelligence seemed to be increasing gradually. Even without hearing Lanchi's instructions, he seemed to grasp the importance of conveying useful information.
"Why are you looking at me? I can't understand Mr. Meow any better than you," Thalia said, feeling slightly annoyed. She wasn't a cat, so how could she possibly understand Mr. Meow's intentions better than Lanchi?
On the other hand, Lanchi seemed to have a special connection with animals, able to communicate with birds on his balcony. Thalia couldn't fathom how he understood their language.
"Great, at least the word 'meow' comes through clearly in our poor connection," Lanchi said, struggling to decipher Mr. Meow's compressed message.
The voice remained intermittent, making it challenging to discern Mr. Meow's meaning. Lanchi held the magic card close to his ear as he hurried downstairs.
The doorbell continued to ring incessantly, and for the first time, Lanchi felt that guessing games and listening tests were incredibly difficult.
In a story from another world that he had read in his leisure time, the female lead communicated by saying only one word at a time, and the male lead somehow understood her perfectly, responding with just one word as well, leaving readers bewildered.
Lanchi wished he possessed the male lead's ability at that moment.
But such a beautiful story existed only in the realm of fiction, unrelated to the world they inhabited. There was no need to force a connection between fantasy and reality.
"Lanchi, look on the bright side; at least Mr. Meow's unique way of speaking is still clear," Thalia said, walking alongside him as they descended the stairs.
She sensed his anxiety and attempted to soothe him. Although Lanchi maintained his usual composure, she, who could read his thoughts, knew his heart was racing faster than when she had pinned him against the wall earlier.
"..."
Lanchi nodded.
Mr. Meow, being an eighth-rank creature, would undoubtedly trigger an alert throughout the entire city-state if he unleashed a large-scale eighth-rank spell in Bririada. Yet, everything outside remained calm, indicating that Mr. Meow was merely hiding in the shadows, using the communication spell to contact him without revealing any of his trump cards.
Following Mr. Meow's instructions, it would be best if he refrained from using any spells unless absolutely necessary. His rank was too high, and his spells were overly ostentatious.
Mr. Meow understood the importance of not exposing himself. The ideal strategy was to rely on Lanchi, who, as Professor Landri, had the flexibility to adjust the scale of his magical abilities without arousing suspicion.
Arriving at the entryway on the first floor, Lanchi turned the doorknob and opened the door, intending to step out and see who had come looking for him.
The night had fully enveloped the courtyard, and the cold moonlight bathed the grass in a silvery glow, casting a thin, luminous veil over the surroundings.
Outside stood a female student with purple hair and green eyes, her hand raised as if about to knock again. She wore a black spaghetti strap dress, and her exquisite features bore a hint of impatience. Her eyes, reflecting a hint of masculinity, added a touch of boyish charm to her overall appearance.
As she noticed the door opening, she halted her hand, preventing what might have been a slap across Professor Landri's face.
"Ursula?"
Lanchi was surprised to find that his uninvited guest was Ursula Roland, one of his students and the daughter of a marquess. She was also the sister of the ninth Army God, the Amethyst Seat, Ryan, Marquess of Roland.
He remembered her well, not because of her status but due to her exceptional talent. Whether in magical engineering or practical magic, she was undoubtedly one of the best among the first-year students.
"Elsa is missing," Ursula said, her face grim as she spoke hastily.
"Hmm?"
Lanchi kept the communication magic card, from which meows could still be heard intermittently, close to his ear, but his gaze was now fixed on Ursula.
"Don't you care about your sister at all, as her brother?"
Ursula rolled her eyes, feeling frustrated by Landri's clueless state. She had originally planned to bail on the play with Elsa and make an excuse not to go, allowing Elsa to spend time with her beloved brother instead.
But Landri, focused on his work, had decisively turned down his sister's invitation. Knowing Elsa's gentle nature, she wouldn't persist or say more.
Now, here he was at his home, still seemingly consumed by work, his mind filled with nothing but his job, having just come down from his brightly lit study on the second floor.
"It was my negligence. Please tell me what happened."
Lanchi stepped out, the door behind him closing automatically on its hinges, as he stood in the courtyard and asked Ursula.
He paid no mind to Ursula's attitude, accustomed as he was to his students' varying learning styles. His concern now was whether Ursula had any information about Elsa and Mr. Meow.
"Elsa and I planned to have dinner together and then watch the debut performance of a play, but she still hadn't come to find me at the agreed time. She's never late, and even if something came up, she would definitely inform me. I went to her dorm next door and couldn't find her, so I tried contacting her with a short-distance communication magic device, only to discover she wasn't at the school at all."
Ursula explained with a furrowed brow.
She had told Elsa that she had to come.
Because she hadn't informed Elsa of her true plan—to convince Professor Landri to put aside his work and join them for the play.
Ursula had intended to drag Landri out one way or another and have him spend time with Elsa. Telling Elsa about this plan would have surely resulted in her refusal.
But now, Elsa hadn't returned to St. Cryxi Abbey, and Ursula's worries grew.
"If you had agreed to go out with Elsa, none of this would have happened."
Ursula was extremely displeased with his behavior. Her emerald green eyes narrowed, and her tone carried disdain and disgust. "How important is your career to you? More important than your sister?"
Elsa's afternoon plans for today had been simple—to go to the Bririada Temple and pray to the goddess as she usually did on weekends, and then return to school. There was no reason for her to suddenly disappear.
So Ursula's first thought was to find the most accessible teacher—
Landri.
She had somewhat offended the other teachers, and they might not be willing to help, but this man was Elsa's brother.
Anyway, she had planned to look for him today.
"My sprite cat is with Elsa, but the connection is terrible. Can you analyze where Elsa might be?"
After hearing the context, Lanchi calmly nodded and asked Ursula.
He held the [Ultra Long-Distance Communication Program] card close to Ursula's ear.
"!"
Ursula's eyes widened in confusion, but she didn't refuse. As she listened to Lanchi's explanation, her eyes lit up.
She focused on the static and the faint meows coming from the communication magic.
"My cat mentioned the words 'box' and 'alley' repeatedly. Do you know of any places with boxes and alleys?"
Lanchi asked from the side, trying not to disturb her.
Mr. Meow's other words were too abstract, and these two words were the only ones that could be clearly interpreted as nouns.
"She goes to the Bririada Temple every weekend to pray. Based on her usual route back to the abbey, a place with boxes and alleys, and one that's relatively dangerous..."
Ursula furrowed her brows, deep in thought. "That would likely be the port area in the southeast of Bririada, the territory of the Bririada Mafia."
Her brows relaxed as she turned to Lanchi, having reached a conclusion.
Although she felt that Elsa wouldn't stray as far as the port, given Lanchi's description, that was the only possible location.
Otherwise, there was no way a fifth-rank sprite beast would encounter danger within the city.
The only explanation was that Elsa had been forcibly transported to the Mafia's turf using spatial magic.
Like divination magic, spatial magic was not only rare and precious but also often came with significant limitations.
Take teleportation magic, for example; it was either limited to very short distances, extremely energy-intensive, or restricted to low-ranked targets.
"Are you sure?"
Lanchi took back the communication magic card and, fixing his gaze on Ursula, asked, "You're certain it's the Mafia's territory?"
After all, he was new to the Cryxi Empire, and no matter how well he knew the maps, he couldn't be familiar with every landmark in the vast city of Bririada.
But to Ursula, it was all clear as day.
"One hundred percent," Ursula asserted confidently. "I know every inch of Bririada, and I'm the best scout among the first-year students. Go find Secretary Nila. The Mafia has sixth-rank members and even a seventh-rank boss. Rumor has it that there's an even more powerful figure pulling the strings behind the scenes. You must not provoke them."
Ursula grabbed hold of Lanchi's suit sleeve, urgently instructing him on his next course of action.
With her worries temporarily assuaged, she felt relieved that Landri had placed his contract beast with Elsa, not only providing her with a crucial clue but also offering her protection. Elsa's safety was now somewhat assured.
It seemed that Elsa hadn't been deceived by her good-for-nothing brother after all, and this brother had, at the very least, considered his sister's safety.
"Violet is not here. Help me inform her that there might be more containers in the port area," Lanchi said, simply explaining the situation as he naturally freed himself from Ursula's grasp.
Unless Headmistress Violet made an appearance, there was no way to instantly resolve all the issues.
Aside from Headmistress Violet, there were currently no other Transcendent powerhouses of the seventh rank and above in St. Cryxi Abbey. It would be too slow to rely on Secretary Nila to handle the situation, and Mr. Meow might have no choice but to intervene.
"Calm down!" Ursula exclaimed as she instantly understood Landri's plan.
This guy intended to venture alone into the Bririada Mafia's territory.
That sprawling den of iniquity was like an intricate maze, utterly unsuitable for going in alone.
Ursula was well aware of Landri's strength; he was a sixth-rank Magus Craftsman, and his intelligence might allow him to defeat a strong opponent of the same rank, just like he had done on the Bririada train.
However, in the heart of the Bririada Mafia's domain, he would be crushed by their sheer numbers!
"Trust me, I'm not going there to die," Lanchi said, looking directly into Ursula's eyes with sincerity.
His azure eyes were clear and earnest, especially striking under the night sky.
"..." Ursula was momentarily lost for words, her lips parting slightly before slowly closing again.
Rarely had anyone looked at her with such intensity.
It was as if he truly saw her.
Not only was he expressing his trust in her, but he was also asking her to trust him in return.
Sometimes, the most persuasive argument was one without reason, and perhaps the best form of persuasion was in his gaze, for his eyes did not belong to a reckless fool but to someone who clearly understood the odds in his favor.
"Let's go together. I'll guide you," Ursula said resolutely.
Perhaps this seemed like a suicidal adventure, but she had never been one to back down from a challenge, and her fearless attitude at school was no act.
She was convinced that Elsa's brother genuinely cared for his sister, and that was enough for her to place her faith in this man.
"..." Lanchi hesitated, his gaze wavering.
After all, she was the daughter of the Roland Marquis family and the sister of the Ninth Army God. If he involved her in any danger, it could cause a significant uproar.
Furthermore, if Secretary Nila found out that he had taken a female student into the Mafia's territory, he would undoubtedly face severe reprimand. The implications of such an action were extremely unfavorable.
"Take me with you. I can smell Elsa's scent," Ursula added succinctly, returning his gaze with determination.
She was no fool either!
"Tata, let's head to the port in the southeast," Lanchi instructed in his mind.
After all, that area was a gray zone where battles below the seventh rank were commonplace. He and Talia had participated in numerous underground fights at the Saint Silvervine Arena in the Flower Capital of Pariah, so he knew how to adjust his strength accordingly.
Most flight magic involved wind magic and psychokinesis, but Talia was more skilled in special magic. The levitation magic she used was also psychokinetic in nature.
In an instant, the grass in the courtyard began to dance wildly, and Lanchi and Ursula's figures blended into the night sky.
"I'm sorry for the trouble, Ursula," Lanchi said, turning back to face her in mid-air.
"It will be challenging for you to find her alone. With me here, you won't need to divide your attention between protecting me and searching for Elsa. I assure you that we'll find her much faster together."
Ursula smiled in satisfaction, responding to him, "You must also be mindful of your safety.
He couldn't jeopardize other students' safety or put them at risk of injury in his attempt to protect Elsa.
"I understand. You take care of yourself first. The Mafia is far more dangerous than you imagine!" Ursula nodded and replied as they soared through the air.
Although she had never imagined that she would be embarking on such a thrilling endeavor with another student's brother, she felt more excited than fearful at that moment.
(End of Chapter)
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