Chapter 1471: Chapter 1465: Nothing Gained?

Since he was already in the air, Ronald had no intention of landing.

He flew straight westward across the city, with the awakened Caster and two companions.

Along the way, they had a brief conversation with the awakener.

The person, named Gordie, was originally one of the core decision-makers of the Nine Commandments Secret Conclave.

However, due to changes in the organization, he disagreed with the new chairman.

On the premise that the crime was not worthy of death, he was impeached and imprisoned at the prison on Caselle Street, number six.

He was finally liberated when Ronald and the others rescued him.

...

In this way, Ronald and his temporary companion Gordie came to the west side of the city. From a high vantage point, he could see mostly single-family homes or villas, with few commercial establishments of any kind.

There was no need to think much about this situation.

At a glance, it was clear that this was a core community for wealthy people.

Having once lived here himself, Gordie’s eyes were complex, but his mind was made up, so he quickly pointed out the direction to Ronald:

"Over there, the row house with the blue-black roof, it’s only a façade!"

"Underneath, the organization has a secret research station where the Book of Interpretation and the group studying it are located."

As soon as Gordie spoke, Ronald was certain he was telling the truth.

In this luxurious residential area, most households have basements.

But the building Gordie pointed out had a much larger space underneath, where signs of Caster activity could be detected.

"Let’s go straight in!" Ronald decisively made up his mind.

The four of them then accelerated in the air, rushing toward the row house like meteors falling from the sky.

The astrological chart’s reconnaissance spared the trouble of finding a downward passage.

Ronald aimed at the entrance to the basement, used a spell, and descended vertically with his companions.

Boom—

With a loud noise, the row house was pierced from the roof straight down to the ground.

The door leading to the basement was so brutally treated that it was ruined beyond recognition, as if someone had jabbed an iron rod from the sky, creating an irreparable hole in the ceiling.

As for the surrounding residential area...

Among the residents living here, there were indeed powerful Casters.

But with lightning falling from the sky and riots breaking out just after dawn, amidst the chaos engulfing the city, even hearing sounds as dramatic as these coming from the community, no one was willing to be nosy and check.

Meanwhile, Ronald and his companions landed smoothly in the basement.

Costate took a step forward in the dust, lightly waved his sleeve, blowing away the dust raised when they stormed in, revealing the true face of the underground space.

Gordie’s information was completely accurate.

The underground space beneath the row house was a sizable mysterious laboratory, with several smaller rooms scattered around that appeared to belong to individual researchers.

As Ronald and his companions broke in.

The stationed Casters here, some fell to the ground in shock, while others prepared to retaliate with spells against the intruders.

"Everybody freeze, no movement!"

The next second, Ronald’s shout, charged with the force of spoken words, spread across the basement.

These Casters, whether preparing to resist or caught in panic, were all without exception instantly subdued by the spell, losing control of their bodies.

"..."

Ronald’s gaze swept across the basement, satisfied with the spell’s effect, and then prepared to proceed with the search.

But before he could take action, Gordie shouted in surprise:

"Wait! Why isn’t Krakow here?"

"Wasn’t he ordered to stay in the laboratory with the original text and not to leave without permission!"

Upon hearing this exclamation, Ronald suddenly sensed trouble.

In the underground laboratory, besides the Casters executing their tasks, there was indeed no sign of the original text holder!

——The Book of Interpretation is nonetheless an original text.

The Nine Commandments Secret Conclave uses it to decipher other original texts, there must be a person holding the Book of Interpretation.

And none of the enemies here matched that profile.

So where are the Book of Interpretation and its holder?

The first thought that came to Ronald’s mind was that Gordie had been imprisoned too long, so the information he knew was outdated, and perhaps the Book of Interpretation had already been moved elsewhere for research.

Moreover, from these Casters under spoken word control, Ronald sensed their subtle psychological state.

While Ronald pondered.

Investigator Nicole took a decisive step forward, her fingers writing runes, channeling threads of Magic Power to sweep lightly through the room.

A few seconds later.

Nicole turned to Ronald, stating her discovery:

"There were traces of the original text here a day ago; the Book of Interpretation was moved suddenly!"

"..."

Faced with such bad news, the three who came here felt a bit heavy-hearted.

But Gordie, freshly liberated from prison, was not among them.

He swiftly stepped forward, grabbed one of the Casters under spoken word control, and shouted angrily:

"Tell me, where did Krakow go?"

"..."

The seized Caster’s eyes showed a trace of fear.

He wanted to say something, but under the spell’s restraint, he had no power to speak or make any movement.

Seeing this, Ronald silently released the control over the Caster.

Feeling able to speak, the guy stared at Gordie, hesitantly uttered:

"Go, Gordie, sir."

"Yesterday, the chairman took important personnel from the organization out, instructing Mr. Krakow to temporarily relocate and avoid accidents during their absence from the city."

Concerned with his freedom and future, Gordie shouted impatiently and angrily:

"Then tell me, where did he run off to!"

The Caster being dragged stammered and replied softly:

"I... I don’t know."

"Damn!" Gordie slammed the person to the ground, his eyes unabashedly furious.

He knew his value to Ronald and the others lay in finding the Book of Interpretation’s location. If he failed at this task, those who had saved him from prison could just as easily take away his freedom, or even his life, again!

"I say, you should calm down." Witnessing the scene, Nicole instead began to advise Gordie, "Since it’s only been a day, and still within the city, let’s find them quickly."

"This shouldn’t be a big issue."

Things seemed to be getting on track, the three were about to continue searching for the Book of Interpretation hidden within the city.

But at that moment, Ronald interrupted Nicole:

"Nicole, hold on a moment."

Under the puzzled gaze of the investigator girl, Ronald said seriously:

"Analyzing today’s encounters."

"I feel we are very likely caught in a trap!"