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"Understood," Miranda Joy replied with a smile. She raised her wine glass and respectfully addressed Dean Bruce, "Elder, I\'m afraid we\'ll have to trouble you with this investigation. Please allow me to offer you a toast in gratitude and hope you\'ll accept."

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Before Dean Bruce could respond, a middle-aged official in his forties suddenly stood up and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, don\'t you think such behavior undermines the dignity of the Empire of Lane Cloud? The Magic Guild may be powerful, but we too have our own strong warriors. Why must we humble ourselves like this?"

Seeing someone take the lead, others immediately followed suit, their voices rising in a clamor: "That\'s right, Your Highness, are you looking down on us?"

"Your Majesty, earlier you mentioned that if Elder Dean can resolve this matter, you\'d be willing to offer the Princess\'s hand in marriage. If any of us achieve the same result, would your promise still hold?"

Hearing these voices of discontent rising one after another, Dean Bruce did not get angry. Instead, a faint smile played on his lips.

He had been wondering how to avoid the toasts, and now a perfect excuse had just presented itself!

Prani Joy let out a sudden sigh. "It\'s easy for you to say these things, but before Elder Dean arrived, did any of you manage to discover anything useful?"

His words fell like a heavy weight, causing the gathered officials to momentarily hold their breath. They wanted to argue back, but were too embarrassed to admit they hadn\'t put in the necessary effort.

Understanding that the various noble families all had their own hidden agendas, Prani Joy didn\'t press the matter. Instead, he simply continued, "What I said before doesn\'t just apply to Elder Dean. If anyone else can resolve this issue, they too will have the opportunity to win the hand of my most beloved daughter."

Upon hearing this, many of the younger officials couldn\'t hide their delight, and even a few of the older ones nodded in approval.

Their age might be a disadvantage, but they could still plan for their descendants!

Only Miranda Joy\'s eyes narrowed slightly, a glimmer of coldness flashing within them.

Seeing that Prani Joy had deftly deflected the topic, Dean Bruce had no desire to linger in the palace for food and drink. He immediately stood up and said, "This situation is highly unusual. It would be best to resolve it as soon as possible. As for the banquet, I suggest we forgo it."

"Miranda, take me to see those surviving livestock!"

Upon hearing his words, a slight twitch appeared at the corner of Miranda Joy\'s mouth. Yet, she couldn\'t refuse. She rose gracefully and bowed slightly, saying, "Yes, Elder. Please, follow me."

After a brief pause, Miranda Joy glanced at the remaining officials and softly suggested, "You may also join us. The more hands we have, the faster we can resolve this matter."

Hearing her suggestion, the officials had no desire to sit idly by any longer. They hadn\'t really been focused on the banquet anyway, so they all stood up and followed Miranda Joy.

A crowd of several hundred people began making their way through the palace, forming a grand procession as they moved along.

In a short while, Dean Bruce followed Miranda Joy into a secluded courtyard.

What was peculiar, however, was that the courtyard was surrounded by intricate purple magical formations, giving off a strange and almost eerie glow.

Numerous guards stood vigilant, forming a heavily fortified perimeter that encircled the entire courtyard. If not for Miranda Joy leading the way, it would have been nearly impossible for Dean Bruce and the others to even approach.

Once inside, the group was immediately met with a foul stench. Dean Bruce and the others couldn\'t help but frown.

Just as Miranda had described earlier, the place reeked of a nauseating odor. The courtyard, which should have been clean and orderly, was littered with animal droppings. Hundreds of different types of livestock were crammed together, making the sight not only unpleasant but also repulsive.

Some of the pampered officials and nobles, who had been raised in luxury, couldn\'t even bear the stench for more than a few moments. Without bothering to inspect the area further, they covered their noses and gagged, turning around and rushing out of the courtyard.

Even Nicholas William struggled to endure the stench. Within moments, the only ones left in the courtyard were Dean Bruce, Miranda Joy, and a few aged, battle-hardened generals.

The generals had all clawed their way through the battlefields of war, so such an environment was nothing to them.

As for Dean Bruce, he was long accustomed to such conditions. In his previous life, in order to shoot attention-grabbing videos and gain views, he had come up with all sorts of extreme gimmicks and had endured much worse environments than this. He could handle it.

Ignoring the others, Dean Bruce carefully examined each of the livestock in the courtyard. The animals showed no unusual behavior but were clearly terrified of people. Every time someone got close, they\'d become incredibly agitated, huddling together in the darkest corners of the courtyard.

Apart from the constant trembling of his Magic Compass, which continued to vibrate in response to the strong magical presence, there were no other apparent issues within the courtyard.

But the Magic Compass\'s reaction could be attributed to the numerous formations etched into the surrounding walls. Such strong magical fluctuations were to be expected!

Could it be that he had been mistaken all along?

Was there really nothing unusual about these surviving livestock?

Dean Bruce narrowed his eyes, contemplating various possibilities.

"These animals\' auras seem normal. There\'s no trace of demonic energy or any malevolent presence. They shouldn\'t pose any problem."

Remarked an elderly official. He glanced at Miranda Joy and continued softly, "If that\'s the case, Your Highness, I suggest you have these animals cleared out as soon as possible. The royal palace is no place for raising livestock."

Miranda Joy nodded in agreement, then turned her gaze back to Dean Bruce. "Elder, have you discovered anything unusual?"

At her question, many of the gathered officials couldn\'t help but darken their expressions.

Dean Bruce responded calmly, "There\'s nothing unusual here. It seems that the magic used by our hidden foe only affects humans, which is why these livestock managed to survive."

"Yes, indeed," Miranda Joy sighed. "Who knows what kind of strange magic it is?"

After a brief pause, she suggested, "Since we haven\'t found anything useful, perhaps we should head back. We can still make it to the banquet."

"No need."

Dean Bruce replied curtly, rejecting the idea outright. "I\'m only interested in solving this matter as soon as possible. Since we\'ve found no clues here, Nicholas and I will head into the city and inspect the homes of those who\'ve gone missing."

"As for the banquet, you\'re free to enjoy it yourselves."

With that, Dean Bruce swished his sleeve dismissively, not bothering to wait for a response from Miranda Joy or the others. He turned on his heel and left the courtyard.

For a moment, the gathered officials were left fuming, their expressions twisted in anger. They only began to speak up after Dean Bruce\'s figure had completely disappeared from sight. "Your Highness, just who does this man think he is?" one official muttered coldly. "How dare he act so arrogantly?"

"Just because he\'s from the Magic Guild headquarters, does he think he\'s above us?"

But before Miranda Joy could reply, a sudden surge of powerful magical energy filled the air.

In an instant, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking the official who had spoken out. The strike hit him squarely on the head, charring his skin black. His body seized up, twitching uncontrollably as he stood paralyzed in place.

Dean Bruce\'s voice echoed eerily through the air. "Arrogant or not, I don\'t care. What I do know is that if anyone dares to gossip behind my back, they can expect no mercy from me!"

The words hung in the air like a dark cloud, and the officials shuddered involuntarily. Miranda Joy narrowed her eyes slightly, observing the scene with a contemplative look.

There were certainly powerful figures within the Empire of Lane Cloud, but such individuals were either hidden away deep within the royal palace or were the heads of noble families—recluses who rarely engaged in political affairs.

That was why Dean Bruce had the confidence to act so boldly.

After calmly walking out of the courtyard, Dean Bruce motioned to Nicholas William, and the two of them made their way out without further delay.

Leaving the palace was much easier than entering it. The path was smooth and unimpeded, and before long, Dean Bruce and Nicholas William had reached the palace gates and retrieved their horses.

As they rode slowly under the moonlight, Nicholas William glanced at the deserted streets and couldn\'t help but remark, "To think the imperial capital would be this empty, even with a banquet being held at the royal palace. It\'s truly sad to see."

Dean Bruce cast a sideways glance at Nicholas William. "Didn\'t expect you to be so sentimental," he remarked casually, but didn\'t continue the conversation. His mind was preoccupied, turning over every detail of what had transpired since they entered the capital.

Noticing this, Nicholas William wisely chose to remain silent, not wanting to interrupt his mentor\'s train of thought.

For a while, the only sound in the empty street was the crisp clopping of horse hooves echoing in the night.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Dean Bruce\'s eyes suddenly narrowed. He felt a strange fluctuation in the air, causing him to pull on the reins and bring his horse to a stop.

"What\'s wrong, Teacher?" Nicholas William asked anxiously, his gaze darting around as he scanned their surroundings for any signs of danger.

Tilting his head slightly, Dean Bruce closed his eyes and listened intently. There, amid the stillness of the night, he detected a faint, almost imperceptible sound—a soft breathing.

Without warning, Dean Bruce spun around and opened his eyes, staring straight at a small alley piled high with straw.

Noticing the direction of Dean Bruce\'s gaze, Nicholas William immediately urged his horse forward, stopping in front of the straw pile. He cautiously tapped at it with his staff a few times, then turned back, shaking his head. "Teacher, there\'s nothing unusual he—"

"Schlchhh!"

Before Nicholas William could finish his sentence, a bloodied hand burst through the straw, reaching out from within. Nicholas stumbled backward in shock, his heart hammering in his chest. He staggered a few paces before nearly losing his balance and falling off his horse.