Li Wei sat in Gu Ze’s room.

He poured Li Wei a cup of tea.

Li Wei took a sip, looked at Gu Ze, and asked, "Teacher, what was it you said you remembered?"

Gu Ze gazed at the night sky outside the window and said slowly, "I remembered what happened that night."

"I seem to recall seeing the Snow Bear that attacked my parents killed by a Mage."

"His back looked a lot like yours."

The hand Li Wei was using to hold his cup froze.

His mind raced.

A moment later, understanding seemed to dawn on him.

Li Wei had once entered Gu Ze’s dreamscape and helped him slay a Nightmare that had been parasitizing his dreams for over a decade.

He had witnessed Gu Ze’s nightmare firsthand.

Within the dream, he had shattered the tragic ending of Gu Ze’s memory.

This did nothing to change reality.

The past could not be changed.

But now, it seemed Gu Ze was treating what he had seen in the dream as an actual memory.

This was likely related to the corruption of the dark energy.

Li Wei put down his cup. "That was just a dream."

Gu Ze nodded. "Yes, I suppose it was just a dream."

"I so wish it were real."

He let out a sigh.

Seeing Gu Ze so disheartened, Li Wei spoke up.

"Your sister is still alive. Teacher, you can’t give up."

Gu Ze looked up at him and suddenly chuckled.

"Hah, as if I need you to tell me that!"

"I won’t give up. One day, I will find her."

Gu Ze stood up and walked to the window. "I’ve made up my mind. When Bas’s trade caravan arrives in Maple City, I’m going back to my hometown with him."

"I’m going to look for my sister."

Bas was the traveling merchant who had saved Gu Ze in the past.

Li Wei walked to his side. He gazed at the stars twinkling in the night sky outside the window.

"Then I wish you a safe journey, Teacher."

"Just remember to tell me when you’re leaving."

Gu Ze nodded. "I will."

"These are troubled times for Maple City. The problems just keep coming, one after another."

"Take tonight, for example. To think Black Cultists would dare to openly attack the Mage Tower."

"If you get the chance, you should leave for a while. Wait for things to calm down before you come back."

Gu Ze could sense the crisis as well.

The events of the evening had left him feeling powerless.

He was being swept into the vortex of this conflict, and even as a Tier One Official Mage, it would be difficult to stay out of the murky waters unscathed.

Gu Ze wanted to leave.

Li Wei nodded. "I understand."

「The next morning」

Everyone in the Mage Tower was summoned to the third floor for a mental screening.

The purpose was to check for any lingering effects from the Black Cultists’ wicked ritual.

It was discovered that quite a few people had been affected.

Eleven individuals were mildly affected, Gu Ze among them.

Five were more seriously affected, already exhibiting signs of mental instability and requiring spiritual therapy.

One person’s mind had been completely twisted, turning them into a follower of the Evil God.

When the others found him, he had already drawn a wicked Ritual Array in his room to worship the Evil God.

Thankfully, he was discovered in time; otherwise, there was no telling what sort of catastrophe he might have caused.

Martin addressed the crowd, "This open provocation of the Mage Tower by the Black Cultists must be met with a fierce counterattack!"

"Otherwise, they’ll think we’re pushovers they can walk all over!"

"Over the next few days, the Professional Association and the City Lord’s Mansion will fully support the Mage Tower in hunting down the Black Cultists within the city."

"Everyone is to suspend their current work and focus all efforts on pursuing the Black Cultists. We must make them pay a terrible price!"

Li Wei stood in the crowd, watching Martin as he addressed them from the front.

He whispered to Gu Ze, who was standing beside him, "Teacher, why do you think the Black Cultists attacked the Mage Tower?"

"What was their objective?"

Gu Ze replied, "I heard the City Lord’s Mansion entrusted the Mage Tower with setting up part of the Array for the Divine Worship Ceremony. The cultists most likely wanted to corrupt the Array Masters within the tower, using them to secretly alter the Divine Worship Ceremony into a wicked sacrificial ritual."

"That seems far too conspicuous. They could have corrupted the Array Masters covertly. There was no need to launch such a large-scale attack on the Mage Tower."

Li Wei found it somewhat illogical.

Gu Ze shook his head. "Who knows what those Black Cultists are thinking."

"Their minds aren’t exactly normal to begin with."

When the meeting concluded, Martin assigned tasks to everyone.

The Mage Tower’s resolve to purge the Black Cultists was unshakable this time.

Nearly every Mage was sent out to hunt for them.

To incentivize everyone, the Mage Tower offered generous rewards.

Dealing with an ordinary Black Cultist: 3-5 Contribution points.

Eliminating an elite Black Cultist: 10-30 Contribution points.

Discovering the whereabouts of Black Cultists within Maple City: 1-10 Contribution points, depending on value.

Locating a Black Cultist leader: 30 Contribution points.

Slaying a Black Cultist leader: 100 Contribution points.

This time, the Mage Tower was showing everyone in Maple City its unprecedented resolve.

This was also a warning to all others: choose to make an enemy of the Mage Tower, and you will pay the ultimate price.

Li Wei was assigned to the southern district to search for Black Cultists.

The clue provided by the Mage Tower indicated that a group of Black Cultists was hiding in the southern district, often using Gold Coins to tempt ordinary people into collaborating with them.

Li Wei’s mission was to find this Black Cultist cell.

Ideally, he would follow the trail and unearth the leader behind them.

"Master Mage, they’re in here."

"This bunch, they’ve been buying live animals. They take them inside but never bring them out. I strongly suspect they’re performing some kind of wicked ritual."

The Mage Tower’s generous rewards weren’t just for Mages; they were open to the public and Professionals of Maple City as well.

If you reported Black Cultists and the information was confirmed to be reliable, you could earn at least one Gold Coin.

Instantly, the Mage Tower was flooded with a deluge of tips about suspected Black Cultists.

Li Wei nodded. "Stand back. I’m going in to take a look."

"Then, please be careful, Master Mage. I’ll be on my way."

"I’ll just wait for you over there."

The man quickly scurried away.

He hid in a nearby alley, peeking from a distance.

He was counting on Li Wei to take him back to collect the reward.

Li Wei released his Spiritual Power, which passed through the door and revealed the scene inside.

The courtyard was unnaturally clean; there was nothing in it.

The very fact that it was clean was the biggest problem.

According to the informant, several live animals were brought in each day, but none ever came out.

That meant there should be some trace of the animals in the yard.

"Shadow Attendant, go take a look."

The Shadow Attendant emerged from the shadow at Li Wei’s feet and slipped through the crack under the door.

Li Wei used an Illusion Technique to link his senses to the Shadow Attendant.

He could now see and hear everything the Shadow Attendant did.

After crossing the courtyard, the Shadow Attendant slipped into the building.

The room was empty.

"Go to the room on the far right."

Li Wei had noticed the footprints on the floor all led to the right.

The Shadow Attendant slipped inside. Still empty.

However, it discovered a hidden opening beneath the bed.

Just as the Shadow Attendant was about to enter...

...voices drifted out from within.

"Things have been getting tight lately. Just give me a little more time, I’ll figure out a way to get them for you."

"There’s no time! We need them today, or else..."