Chapter 386: Chapter 385 Wooden Island

Several minutes later.

In the darkness, Ji Burlen suddenly stopped, surveying his surroundings with deeply furrowed brows.

Although he didn’t want to admit it, he had to acknowledge one thing–he… had lost the chase.

Yes, he had lost the chase.

The young man he had been pursuing clearly possessed a unique method of concealing his presence, the very technique he had used to disguise himself as a normal person and launch a surprise attack on him, nearly causing him harm. Now, the same technique allowed the young man to escape the pursuit.

What puzzled him a bit was that, by all accounts, the young man could have fled earlier. Why did he wait so long, allowing him to be pursued all this way before concealing his form?

Was it intentional?

Wait, intentional?!

Could it be?!

Ji Burlen abruptly turned and looked back toward the direction he had come from–Suladi’s residence. He remembered Suladi’s last words before he killed him and thought of the girl he had knocked unconscious on the ground. His expression changed slightly.

“Could it be… this was the young man’s true intent?”

Ji Burlen quickly turned and rushed back to Suladi’s estate.

By the time he returned to the estate, passed through the site of the fire, and approached the study, Ji Burlen pushed open the door to find the study empty. His eyes widened.

After a while, he exhaled, “Huh, okay, as expected…”

“To think I was deceived…” Ji Burlen spoke aloud, “So, the words that young man said before… were they serious, or a warning–don’t mess with me. Heh, interesting…”

“Looking back on it… it’s just slightly interesting, that’s all…” Ji Burlen stepped out of the house, gradually being engulfed by spreading flames, and looked towards the White Stone Tower, his eyes gleaming as he said, “That kid might be an outstanding student specifically taught by Suladi, or a remnant of the Council, but it doesn’t matter.

The power of one person is too weak to make a dent in the grand scheme of things. If it’s convenient to handle, just handle it; there’s no need to invest special effort, so enjoy a few more days of life.

For a while to come, the focus of my work will still be on the White Stone Tower, working hard to complete the plan. Once the plan is successful, there will naturally be plenty of time to deal specifically with these interesting and rather troublesome people.”

…

Down a distant street.

Richard walked, with Heidi, who had regained consciousness, following behind.

Suddenly, a loud ‘boom’ resounded from behind them. Richard and Heidi stopped in their tracks and looked towards the source of the explosion, quickly recognizing that it was Suladi’s estate.

Judging by the magnitude of the explosion, the entire estate had likely been leveled to the ground.

The Cat Slave Girl Heidi stared blankly, tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks.

“Meow!”

A cat’s meow followed, and a pitch-black cat crawled out from Heidi’s clothing, licking her face in a comforting gesture.

“Mi Qi, sob, Grandpa… sob…”

Heidi, overcome with emotion, cried even harder, holding the black cat tightly as tears continued to flow.

After crying for a while, Heidi suddenly realized that she was not at home and remembered some of the words Richard had said to her just a short while ago. Quickly stopping her tears, she wiped her face with her sleeve and looked at Richard, “I’m… I’m sorry, I… couldn’t hold it in.”

Richard looked at Heidi and gently shook his head, not blaming her, and simply said, “Let’s go.”

“Uh.” Heidi obediently followed Richard, walking away to the side.

…

Richard brought Heidi back to the Magic Laboratory.

The reason he brought her back wasn’t purely out of pity, but to figure out what exactly had happened in Suladi’s estate, what Suladi’s identity really was, and why such a powerful enemy had come after him.

But Heidi herself was not very clear about these things, and even after trying her best to recall, she could only remember fragments of her life.

With these fragments recalled by Heidi, Richard expended considerable effort to sketch out a vague outline of the entire incident.

After completing this, Richard began to address the issue of Heidi’s future arrangements.

Richard inquired with utmost seriousness whether Heidi had any place she could go.

Heidi hesitated for a moment before giving an uncertain answer. She remembered her grandfather Suladi once casually mentioned to her that if anything ever happened, she could seek refuge at a place on the northern side of the East Coast.

“Where?” Richard pressed.

Frowning in recall, Heidi answered, “It seems to be a place called Wooden Island, very far from White Stone City. It would take several months to get there by horse-drawn carriage.”

“Wooden Island?” Richard murmured softly.

…

In a blink, the next day arrived.

A carriage was parked outside on the street in front of Richard’s courtyard. Heidi, with a small bundle on her back, boarded and settled in.

She would take this carriage to the seaport by the coast, then travel north by ship to the so-called Wooden Island, reducing the travel time from several months to about half a month.

Standing at the doorway, Richard saw Heidi off without betraying any emotion on his face.

In Richard’s view, since Heidi had a destination, sending her off was clearly the right choice. Indeed, he could have asked her to stay, but Heidi’s presence would not be of great value–being the granddaughter of a Great Scholar, she didn’t possess the extensive knowledge of her grandfather; her biggest merit might just be her love for cats and pets, which was truly of little use.

If she were to stay, it would be tantamount to taking on an additional burden. Although training her to become a Maid was possible, it would require a lot of time and effort, which was not suitable under the current circumstances.

Moreover, as the granddaughter of a Great Scholar, although she did not have the status of a Noble, she was entitled to an aristocratic treatment. In the place she sought refuge, her situation wouldn’t be too bad. Forcing her to stay as a Maid would be somewhat inhumane.

Of course, Richard was also clear that Heidi wouldn’t see it the same way.

As a girl who had hardly ever faced setbacks and had always lived in a greenhouse, Heidi must have been extremely fearful at the sudden loss of the relatives she relied on. At such a time, taking a carriage and then a ship thousands of miles north to seek refuge with relatives she had never met was akin to an “extremely dangerous” adventure, which would make her subconsciously resistant and want to stay.

But…

Standing at the doorway, Richard looked at Heidi and spoke, “I know you actually don’t want to go to Wooden Island, but rather wish to stay here in White Stone City.”

Hugging a black cat, Heidi blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering a few times.

“However, White Stone City is not safe right now, and staying is not a good option for you,” Richard said. “In fact, I will be leaving after a while, so your departure now is just a step ahead.”

“Hm?” After hearing Richard’s words, Heidi was clearly startled, “You… are also leaving? Will you… go to Wooden Island?”

“Wooden Island? Maybe,” Richard replied noncommittally. “I don’t know much about Wooden Island. If it meets my expectations, I might go.”

“Then…” Heidi held the cat named Mi Qi in her arms tighter and bit her lip, “Then after I get to Wooden Island and find out about the situation, how about I write you a letter?”

“A letter?” Richard’s eyes flickered, analytically considering, “Given the distance, the letter probably won’t get through, and even if it does, it would likely be lost en route.”

“Then… then I…” Heidi grew a little anxious, “Then I’ll write more. Surely one of the letters will reach you.”

“Very well, do as you please,” Richard said indifferently.

“I’m leaving now,” Heidi said, waving her hand reluctantly.

Richard nodded and waved goodbye, “Take care on the road, goodbye.”

“Goodbye!”

“Cre-e-eak,” the carriage started, carrying away Heidi, who kept waving. The black cat slipped out from Heidi’s arms and laid down beside her, vigilantly surveying the surroundings, guarding her like a bodyguard.

…

As the carriage faded in the distance, Richard withdrew his gaze, entered the courtyard, shut the door, and then made his way to the laboratory.

On the laboratory table, there was a scroll with contents organized from the fragments of Heidi’s recollections the day before.

Richard opened the scroll to take a look, his eyebrows slightly raised in thought.

When he stood at the door earlier, his words to Heidi about “leaving White Stone City” were not false.

After consecutive experiences of attending the White Stone Tower Wizard’s funeral and encountering Suladi’s death, he was well aware that White Stone City would soon be in turmoil.

To avoid being entangled, leaving was the best choice.

However, it wasn’t a matter of just leaving.

Even though he now had considerable Space Items–a portable suitcase–his personal laboratory within it was not yet fully operational. Leaving White Stone City for an unfamiliar place without some external resource supply would make it difficult to continue his research undisturbed and independently.

Furthermore, the cultivation of biological colonies and the study of Spells were reaching a new phase. It would be best to produce some results and come to a conclusion before leaving, as that would make further research easier in the future.

All in all, he had much to prepare before departure. He would be busy in the coming period, racing against the Mysterious Organization that stood behind Suo Men and Mu Konni.

“In that case…”

Richard narrowed his eyes, walked to a corner of the laboratory, descended into the Magic Laboratory, and entered the Inner Box World.