“Shadow Magic, fourth-rank mana, this should be one of Meiluxina’s people.”
“Oh? She’s noticed me too.”
Lai En detected the other party’s mana sweeping back at him like a reprisal.
“My mana isn’t as strong as hers. I’d better avoid a direct confrontation for now.”
Although Lai En’s level was high, his mana reserves weren’t plentiful.
He chose to withdraw his mana immediately.
Magic Vision was useful, but without mana reinforcement, it could only inspect nearby people who had already revealed themselves.
“The maid I killed earlier caught her off guard. If she’d dodged my Lightning Strike, Ailuo Wen would’ve died for sure.”
“As for this one who can turn invisible… she’s probably even harder to deal with.”
Lai En silently memorized this person in his heart. She was likely one of Meiluxina’s assassins.
“To take her down, I’d need to strike from the shadows with fifth-rank magic to guarantee the kill.”
Although Lai En held two purple Combat Skills, the problem was he’d need a physical body to use them.
“No need to be discouraged. At least I’ve gathered some intel on the enemy.”
“Revealing my strength too early now would only invite Meiluxina’s relentless retaliation.”
Lai En took it in stride. He could infinitely simulate to raise his power.
One day, this Meiluxina… and even the entire Kingdom of Tianyue would be nothing but stepping stones.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall, Nandi furrowed her brow.
“How did it suddenly disappear? Could her invisibility magic be more advanced than mine?”
She waited outside Ailuo Wen’s courtyard for another three or four hours before cautiously stepping inside.
She looked around, saw Nina dozing by the bed, and pulled a small notebook from her pocket to start recording.
“A cramped courtyard, nothing remarkable about the plants, three rooms in total.”
“The maid’s room used to be a kitchen, later converted into a space just big enough for one person to sleep.”
“The storage room is the same—a small portion used for bathing, another small portion for storing goods. The remaining room is Ailuo Wen’s bedroom.”
“Summary: no signs of a third person living here.”
Nandi thought for a moment, then continued writing.
“Magical power approaching fourth-rank suddenly appeared in the courtyard, then vanished quickly.”
“If Ailuo Wen herself can use magic, then she possesses abilities that surpass my concealment magic.”
Nandi naturally wouldn’t suspect that the mana originated from the fetus inside Ailuo Wen’s body.
To sense that mana, one would need to be extremely close—at the very least, placing a hand on Ailuo Wen’s belly and feeling carefully to perceive even a trace of it.
“If it’s not Ailuo Wen, then some faction must be secretly helping her. Being able to dispatch a fourth-rank mage for protection…”
Nandi herself was a fourth-rank mage, one of the top assassins in the Moon Serpent Royal Family’s secret division.
“Conservative estimate: whoever they are, they’re at least on equal footing with the Moon Serpent Royal Family…”
Although Nandi was reasoning logically, the conclusion was hard for her to accept.
“How is that possible? A Hidden Power that rivals the Moon Serpent Royal Family in scale, and most importantly, no one even knows about it?!”
Carrying this heavy revelation, Nandi left the courtyard.
Lai En finally breathed a sigh of relief. If she’d discovered the truth, all three people in the courtyard would’ve been dead on the spot.
“Her expression was really grim just now. Did she misunderstand something?”
Lai En couldn’t guess, and didn’t want to.
“Every extra day I survive in this dangerous Inner Palace is a win.”
Only after seeing her disappear into the distance did Lai En extend his mana again, sweeping across the pile of wooden crates in the storage room.
“I need to check if there’s anything suspicious in there.”
Lai En’s Magic Vision could also observe objects.
Of course, this blue talent couldn’t directly display an item’s specific function and description like the System could.
Still, being able to see the mana radiating from objects was pretty good.
“The jewelry and such seem fine… These two books, though—the mana on them isn’t strong.”
“A Prayer Book… for a religious nation, this would be a nice gift. But most believers are nobles—someone of Ailuo Wen’s class would never have access to one.”
Unlike religions on Earth, the religions of this world genuinely granted blessings to their followers.
So anyone who could practice the faith came from a well-off family.
Lai En turned his gaze to the other book.
“A Poetry Collection?”
The handwriting in the Poetry Collection was messy, yet it carried a carefree, unrestrained spirit.
Lai En didn’t recognize the author.
“Hm? It can sense my mana?”
Lai En instinctively withdrew his mana, fearing this might be one of Meiluxina’s tricks.
But then he reconsidered—this thing had been delivered before that assassin appeared.
“Judging by how that assassin acted earlier, there probably won’t be any trouble for now.”
Lai En channeled mana into the book once more.
Soon, words appeared before his eyes.
“This is… the authentic manuscript of some bard.”
As Lai En read on, he found himself completely absorbed.
He saw an endless sea of sand, with countless arrow towers of varying sizes rising from it.
Every night, skeletons would attack the camps beneath the towers.
The next scene showed towering trees enveloping elven buildings with golden domes, graceful elven maidens singing joyfully within.
The perspective shifted again—Lai En became a massive dragon, soaring high above, looking down at a human fortress below.
……
“Whoosh—”
It took about half an hour before Lai En snapped back to reality.
[Host has read the Poetry Collection of the junior bard Aeolos]
[Congratulations, Host has gained 3000 Experience]
[Congratulations, Host has awakened the talent: Poet’s Vision (Blue)]
[Poet’s Vision (Blue): You have a moderate chance to discern a person’s inner thoughts through expressions and movements, and a small chance to gain intuition through visual contact]
“Poet’s Vision?”
Lai En looked at this talent, his heart swelling with joy.
He’d only read a poetry collection, and he’d awakened a talent just like that?
The 3000 Experience was a bit measly, but this talent was genuinely solid.
“I already had Magic Vision, and now I’ve got Poet’s Vision on top of it.”
Previously, his talents would merge once he reached two, yet these two highly similar talents hadn’t merged this time. That surprised him.
“Are there other kinds of vision out there?”
Although these two talents were only blue quality, their utility far exceeded their rank.
Reconnaissance-type talents like these were incredibly important for Lai En, who currently had little combat capability.
Later, while taking inventory, Nina noticed something off about the Poetry Collection.
“Hm?”
She picked it up and flipped through it.
“Why is the blessing on this Poetry Collection gone? Meiluxina is the eldest daughter of the Moon Serpent Royal Family—surely she wouldn’t send a plain poetry collection without a blessing, right?”
Of course, she merely found it strange.
As for the Prayer Book, no matter how much mana Lai En poured into it, it didn’t show the slightest change.
Eventually, he gave up studying it.
In the period following the poisoning incident, Ailuo Wen’s courtyard enjoyed a stretch of peace.
During that quiet time, the two of them discussed and decided to renovate the somewhat shabby little courtyard.
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