Interrogation

An almost palpable sense of peace permeated the library.

A soft light source from somewhere unknown evenly sprinkled every corner, illuminating the place brightly and making the mountains of ancient books visible down to the fine dust. The air floated with the unique, comforting dusty scent of old paper.

Especially since every few steps there was a desk and chair... even if one didn't read, it made people want to lie on it and sink into a worry-free sleep.

It was a place that easily made people relax, not looking like there would be danger at all.

Xia Lun's wrist moved slightly, his longsword accurately flicking a thick tome off a nearby bookshelf. Its spine hit the floor with a muffled thud.

Xia Lun did not bend down; the tip of his sword cautiously flipped open the pages.

The pages were completely blank, without a single word to be seen.

Xia Lun flipped a few more pages, but they remained entirely empty.

Well, this is the Spirit Realm after all, so it's understandable. Xia Lun muttered in his heart, his sword tip continuing to flip the open blank pages. His gaze was sharp, not entirely distracted by the weirdness before him.

Just as Xia Lun was flipping the pages on the ground, from the shadows cast by the bookshelf behind him, a bony, sharp claw suddenly reached out. It tore through its disguise without warning and thrust straight toward his heart.

Clang—

The sharp ring of clashing metal pierced the library's tranquility. Xia Lun reacted instantly, bringing his sword around in a backhand block. The claw scraped against the longsword, sending up a shower of sparks and producing a sharp, ear-piercing screech.

Swish—

Almost instantaneously, Xia Lun seized the opportunity to counterattack. His fierce blade slashed upward, instantly severing the claw.

Yeeaargh—

An inhuman shriek echoed from the other side. Then, the surging shadow violently twisted like a popped bubble and rapidly dissipated, as if it had never existed. The severed claw also turned to ash, leaving nothing behind.

Xia Lun slowly retracted his longsword, pondering the strength of the sneak attacker.

Not too strong; an ordinary high-tier warrior could probably handle it.

This was quite normal. Although this place was full of mystery and the unknown, there shouldn't be many dangers that could truly threaten Xia Lun... otherwise Aina wouldn't have felt at ease letting him enter alone.

But he still couldn't let his guard down.

Xia Lun cast his gaze further ahead.

The forest of bookshelves cast countless faint shadows.

...

Is this the place?

Luo Lun stopped in her tracks, her cold eyes beneath the hood scrutinizing the manor ahead.

Leaving without saying goodbye earlier... left her feeling a bit apprehensive. Aina wouldn't blame her, right?

But she had indeed received a rather important mission.

Word had it that several powerful assassins from the Blood Covenant had already perished here in secret, causing no small commotion within the organization.

Crimson Rose... Elesha...

Luo Lun muttered the name of her assassination target this time.

With quite brutal methods, she had suppressed and united the four surrounding families, becoming the de facto ruler of this region whose very name made people pale.

This matter had already caught the king's attention... and it was Uncle Halo, the Commander of the Knights, who had commissioned her to investigate the situation here.

She didn't know when Xia Lun and the others would return, and she couldn't well refuse Halo's mission, so she simply came out alone.

The matter was indeed very bizarre. She heard the target was just an ordinary person who didn't know magic, yet the Blood Covenant assassins sent to execute the mission lost contact one after another.

Luo Lun pulled her cloak over herself. Her figure slowly faded and disappeared. She silently approached the high wall surrounding the manor, preparing to vault over it.

However, at that moment, someone happened to be coming out of the manor.

Luo Lun slowly crouched down, pressing herself against the cold, damp corner of the wall, and held her breath.

The ones coming out were not the target, but several guards wearing the light armor of the Norman family. They were gathered around a companion who had taken off his breastplate and was carrying a knapsack, seeing him off.

Morgan, are you really leaving this place?

The Norman family... is no longer the Norman we once served! I advise you all to leave here as soon as possible too. Morgan looked back at the manor, his eyes revealing a mix of reluctance and indignation.

This... The other guards looked at each other, displaying struggle on their faces. Morgan, we finally managed to make it and get a generous salary...

Sigh, look out for yourselves then. Take care. Morgan looked at his companions, sighed, and finally turned to step onto the winding gravel path outside the manor. His figure was quickly swallowed by the deepening night.

As the twilight darkened, the manor was soon out of sight.

Morgan suddenly felt that something was wrong.

As he walked, an inexplicable chill of being watched suddenly crept up his spine.

Who's there? He stopped abruptly, resting his hand on the hilt of his short sword at his waist, and warily scanned his surroundings.

On both sides of the road were sparse bushes and a pitch-black forest further away. The wind blew, rustling the leaves and branches, but other than that, it was dead silent.

Morgan continuously scanned his surroundings, but there was no sign of anyone else.

An illusion? Morgan muttered to himself.

Not an illusion, a cold female voice replied.

Morgan felt a chill all over his body. Unbeknownst to him, a slender yet powerful hand had reached out from the shadows behind him like a ghost, pressing a dagger against his throat.

Who are you? Morgan was astonished. With his life in the other party's hands, he didn't dare make the slightest movement.

For an ordinary person, your intuition is already quite sharp, Luo Lun said lightly. But it's a pity you don't have magic power, otherwise you would definitely be an outstanding warrior.

Did you seek me out just to say this? Morgan swallowed hard.

You're a guard of the Norman family? Luo Lun got to the point.

Not anymore. Morgan suddenly realized something. Are you an assassin? Keep dreaming, I won't tell you anything about the Norman family...

It seems you also know that Norman has been targeted by assassins. Luo Lun nodded thoughtfully.

Morgan just then realized he had let something slip. His gaze hardened, and his tone suddenly became tough: Just kill me. I won't say a thing.

Don't speak in such absolutes. The cold blade pressed against Morgan's throat. You're still so young, there's no need to throw away your life for a corrupt family... I heard what you said earlier. You leaving here on your own accord shows you also know what that person has done.

Morgan remained silent for a moment.

Believe me, I have ways to make you talk. Even the most loyal guard cannot withstand my interrogation... You have already done your utmost for the Norman family; there's no need to suffer for them. I'm not asking you to reveal any secrets, or guard patrol routes and intel... What happened in the manor? What happened to the assassins who came here before? I could find out these things just by asking any other servant in the manor.

Morgan took a deep breath and finally relented with a sense of relief.

In truth, Luo Lun didn't actually know how to interrogate.