School Transmigration: I, Chosen as the Saint by Dragons at the Start-Chapter 128 --Solving the Mystery

Jonathan posed one final question, "Does the historical record mention any specific details?"

"No," Willow shook her head, "At least, there’s nothing about those guards."

Jonathan nodded slightly, glancing at his team, "It seems we’ll have to handle some of the preliminaries ourselves."

The man, upon receiving permission, entered with a fearful smile, "Commanders, may we proceed now?"

"Yes," Jonathan responded.

The man led the group forward, narrating as they walked, "Red Peak Town used to rely on the mine for livelihood. It’s truly worrying to have such an incident now. We hope you esteemed ones can help us overcome this crisis."

The expressions among the group were peculiar.

Considering the historical trajectory, the Devourer had already become formidable, devouring hundreds of thousands and establishing the Fortress of Flesh right in Red Peak Town.

It seemed that the townspeople’s fate was sealed to one outcome: becoming sustenance for the Devourer.

Heading northwest, the number of people dwindled, and the forest grew denser.

The sight of trees in this icy, snowy landscape was a spectacle in itself.

Despite the frozen terrain, similar to later times, the area was teeming with wildlife.

A large herd of deer was foraging through the snow, undisturbed by the group’s presence, continuing to graze without a hint of panic. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Upon arriving at Red Peak Town, Owen and his companions observed that the path leading to the Heaven Summit mine was blocked, with large piles of snow solidly clogging the entrance.

The clearing efforts were in full swing.

Owen noticed two enormous Ice Golems actively removing the fallen rocks and snow.

Towering over six meters in height, they were truly imposing figures.

Their bodies, composed of solid ice and rock, were equipped with hands even larger than Brawny’s, making them perfectly suited for such tasks.

Interestingly, they lacked lower limbs, instead supported by four or five large ice wheels, a design that made transporting heavy loads much more efficient.

The cultivator capable of summoning these beings had to be nearby, as maintaining their presence for an extended period would consume a significant amount of arcanergy.

With the assistance of these two golems, human labor was hardly needed.

Even the task of transporting debris was assigned to animals.

Besides the usual mules, Owen also spotted some long-haired wild buffalo, their massive horns curling over heads almost hidden by fur.

Despite their imposing size and seemingly rough demeanor, they were oddly harnessed to carry human construction waste.

They snorted white breaths, a clear sign of their strenuous efforts.

A single buffalo could pull a cart loaded with discarded stones, and their contribution significantly hastened the clearing process.

While the group marveled at this sight, Willow pointed towards a mountaintop: "Look, that’s the guardian deity bred by Coiled Dragon City."

Every creature was bustling with activity, but atop a protruding rock on the mountain path, lay a gigantic snow-white leopard.

If not for its few yellow and white spots, it would almost blend entirely with the snowy backdrop of the mountains.

Its size surpassed that of an average male lion, and it lay there lazily, grooming the pads of its front paws, which resembled palm-leaf fans.

Owen was intrigued, "Do guardian deities really exist?"

The guardian deity of the Laine Kingdom was a blue bird, but he had thought it was merely a totem with no actual significance.

After all, the idea of a spellbeast serving as a guardian deity for a human kingdom seemed somewhat odd.

Willow rolled her eyes, "Of course, they do. Such spellbeasts, subdued by their masters, are devoted protectors of their realm and often more reliable than many humans."

The snow leopard, perhaps disturbed by the noise of the crowd, stretched lazily on the rock and let out a roar at a slacking wild buffalo.

The chainsaw-like roar startled the buffalo into busying itself with work, looking quite aggrieved.

After observing for a few seconds, someone shouted, "Good news, the first blockage has been cleared!"

Seeing this, the man motioned to the group, "Let’s continue on."

In a blink, the group found themselves under the charge of a lean man, the town mayor.

"Are there four teams in total?" the mayor asked.

By this time, the other academy teams had also arrived, each led by a different stranger.

Unfamiliar with each other, they exchanged curious glances.

Jonathan nodded, "Yes."

"The group is now complete," announced the mayor, summoning the other guards and leading them into a church in the town center.

The church was immense, spacious enough to comfortably accommodate the forty-plus individuals.

"My name is Abbott, and I oversee all major and minor affairs in Red Peak Town. By order from above, I am here to brief you on the situation in Red Peak Town," he began.

"Our mines are not deeply buried and are quite close to the main road. Mining operations continue even in winter. Deeper into the mountains, although several veins exist, they become inaccessible due to heavy snowfall and the roads being blocked."

"In the past, these veins never posed a problem. However, yesterday, there was a sudden collapse in one of the mines, triggering a massive avalanche. As you’ve seen, the clearing effort is quite challenging."

"The problem is that the mines were operational at the time of the collapse, and there were people inside. According to the miners who managed to escape, it seems a creature that devours humans has infiltrated the mines."

"A human-eating creature?" The four team captains, already briefed on the situation, feigned surprise, "What does it look like?"

"It’s unclear. The mine tunnels are pitch dark, and the creature moves incredibly fast. They barely saw anything. The miners were lucky to escape with their lives."

The group exchanged glances, understanding that this creature was most likely the Devourer.

Among the four academies, it was certain that not only Willow was privy to these secrets.

Other academies must have individuals aware of the true nature of this secret realm, and most likely, they all had a clear understanding of the situation.

"Also, before the avalanche, some villagers reported hearing strange noises, like the crying of a baby. At first, everyone thought it was just wild cats in heat in the forest, but the sounds became increasingly peculiar," Abbott swallowed nervously.

"Actually, in the past half-month, two people have disappeared from the town. Well, initially it was three, but one of them had just wandered off while gathering firewood and got caught in a snowstorm, returning two days later..."

Another academy team captain, Feldin, interrupted him, "Did those two people die or just get lost?"

"One disappeared a day ago while out shopping and never returned. The other, named Mike, was from our town. The next morning, we found his house door open, but he was gone," Abbott spoke in a low voice.

"Was there any blood?" Feldin asked again.

"No blood, no signs of a struggle, not even traces of resistance," Abbott lowered his eyes, his expression grim.

"The footprints from his house led outside, trailing west for about ten meters, then disappeared. The snow was thick, so the footprints were very clear."

So, Mike vanished into thin air just ten meters from his house?

Owen had observed the town’s architecture upon his arrival.

The town, nestled in a valley, was not spacious.

The houses were built close to each other, and soundproofing was extremely poor.

Who in this era would consider soundproofing?

If someone being attacked, at least the neighbors would hear screams or cries of agony.

Could it be that the victims were attacked while asleep?

Willow stood up, brimming with enthusiasm.

Who doesn’t harbor a secret desire to be a detective?

Perhaps this task was a side mission, with bonus points awarded to the team that solved the case first.

"Where does Mike live?" Willow got straight to the point.

Abbott pointed out the house to her.

"I’ll be right back," Willow said to the group.

The other academy teams had no objections.

Their focus was on the mine, and the current situation felt like an unskippable opening scene in a game.

The idea of solving a case wasn’t appealing to them.

After Willow left, Abbott said with a wry smile, "You might not be aware, but ever since Mike disappeared, the people in our town have been unable to sleep peacefully, fearing they might end up like Mike. And with this incident in the mine... I hope you can eliminate the monster, otherwise the tasks assigned by the city might not be completed."

Feldin was about to speak when an old woman carrying hot water suddenly interjected, "Mayor, why don’t you tell them about that woman? She also arrived about half a month ago, around the same time."

Abbott glared at her, "Nonsense. The commanders are busy, don’t cause a disturbance here."

Feldin, thinking it better to avoid additional complications, remained silent.

Owen, however, asked nonchalantly, "What woman?"

Everyone turned their gaze towards Owen.

Are you really here to solve the case?

"Don’t pay attention to the old lady’s ramblings, Commanders. About seventeen or eighteen days ago, a woman arrived in town, claiming to seek refuge with her relatives. However, her relatives had long since passed away. Seeing her condition, heavily pregnant and pitiable, we gave her a vacant house to stay in."

Heavily pregnant?

Owen immediately latched onto this sensitive piece of information.

The River Crossing Demon Mother used women’s wombs to bear children; this woman could very well be the source of the demon offspring.

Feldin, also aware of the River Crossing Demon Mother’s lore, showed interest in this woman: "Where is she now?"

"She left a few days ago," Abbott replied.