Versatile Mage c1-2021, page 693
The Faerun Waterfall gradually recovered its usual appearance. Heidi lowered her gaze and noticed the water was a little turbid.
The water of Faerun Waterfall had always been clean. The source of the waters were a few icy mountains. The ice of the mountains gradually melted, forming the huge river and waterfall. It was unlikely for the water to be polluted. The Alps barely had any presence of mud, either.
She looked down and fixed her eyes on the water that was flowing past under her feet.
Suddenly, a face whose eyes were almost poked out from their sockets showed up. The face was extremely pale, with two obvious wounds on both sides from which fresh blood was pouring out. Most shockingly, the eyes were staring right at Heidi...
The face quickly vanished from Heidi's vision in the rapid current of the river. Heidi immediately saw the person's body that was covered in wounds, her clothes that were soaked in the water, and her small, pale feet...
Heidi was completely stunned. Her eyes were filled with terror!
The sight only lasted briefly. The body went past Heidi's feet and plunged into the chasm under the waterfall before Heidi could react!
The water was not turbid. It was mixed with the blood of a corpse that was washing to the bottom of Faerun Waterfall by the river. Everything happened so quickly and was so surprising that Heidi completely forgot to use her Will to stop the body from plunging into the bottom of the lake!
"AHHHHH!"
Heidi's scream immediately tore the quiet night apart!
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The first person that showed up was Brianca. She summoned a few patrolling Magas to retrieve the corpse.
Heidi sat on a stone bench in the garden beside the waterfall. She looked battered out of her senses.
Her cultivation might be impressive, but she was inexperienced with the real world. It was actually her first time being so close to a dead body, especially when she recalled how it went right under her feet while its eyes were staring right at her, giving her a great fright. She was still trembling in fear even now.
When Mo Fan, Zhao Manyan, and Mu Bai arrived, they heard the patrolling Magas yelling. It sounded like they had found the girl whose body had been washed to the bottom of the lake.
"I...I actually talked to her not long ago. She happily told me that she was almost done with her work," Heidi said in low spirits.
After Heidi calmed herself down, she realized the girl was none other than Amelia, who greeted her right before she went to the waterfall.
Amelia was the Alps Institute's stylist. The flowers, wall paintings, decorations on the lamps, and flower rings on each door were all her artworks. She was a Plant Mage. Her cultivation was not that impressive, but she was extremely passionate about art. Every student in the school knew her; they all called her the Faerun's Little Fairy.
She was an orphan. Something terrible had happened to her in the past, but she was full of hope when she came to the school. She was doing something she was interested in and good at, giving Faerun School the best scenery. Everyone in the school liked her.
She had a long life ahead of her, and she was kind and diligent. She was going to receive a lot of compliments for her work and find her other half. She would then occasionally visit the Alps Institute together with her kids, who would love flowers just like she did...
But her life had come to an end...
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Heidi and Brianca did not dare to look at the corpse. The girl's body was twisted beyond recognition when it fell to the bottom of the chasm.
The patrolling Magas shared the same reaction. They too were terrified by the incident. Normally, they would alert the Holy Judgment Court if something like this happened, so they could send someone over to deal with the incident.
However, for some reason, the headmistress did not notify the Holy Judgment Court. She even told everyone at the scene not to tell anyone about the incident.
"I'll go take a look." Mo Fan looked at the girls and let out a helpless sigh.
These girls might have impressive cultivation, but they lacked practical experience, as they rarely visited the outside world.
Mo Fan had just lifted the white blanket covering the dead body when Sheryl went up to him and grunted angrily, "What do you think you're doing? How dare you disrespect her when she's already dead!?"
"Piss off," Mo Fan impatiently rose to his feet and unleashed his aura. Sheryl struggled to breathe properly under the pressure.
"Sheryl, back off!" Brianca said.
"Miss, but he's a shameless..."
"Silence! Where are your manners? Can't you see he's inspecting the corpse to search for clues? Do you think it's unimportant to find out who the culprit is? Do you think you're being respectful to the dead girl by stirring up a scene here?" Brianca scolded her.
Sheryl was stunned. She did not think her teacher would scold her like that. Tears almost poured out of her eyes.
Brianca was Sheryl's mentor. She had always been pampered by Brianca, which was why she was so proud and arrogant. Mo Fan gloated in his heart when he saw Brianca scolding Sheryl. He was glad that he had volunteered to lend Brianca a hand in finding the culprit.
"We've been patrolling in the area, but unfortunately, the school is too big and there are too many people to look after," Mo Fan sighed.
Mo Fan was enraged after inspecting the corpse. There were cuts almost everywhere on the girl's body; her face, back, legs, stomach, shoulders… she was most likely tied up or impaired with magic to prevent her from struggling. She was bleeding slowly and was tossed into the waterfall when she was at the brink of death.
She was most likely still alive when she was thrown into the waterfall. She had only died after floating in it for a few minutes.
"Err, Miss Brianca, can you please check something for me? It's not appropriate for me to do it," Mo Fan said.
"Alright," Brianca went up to the body. She obviously recognized Amelia, and was trying her best not to look at the corpse.
Mo Fan went closer to Brianca and whispered into her ear.
Brianca was a little surprised, but she remained still as Mo Fan moved close to her. She was feeling uneasy when Mo Fan's hot breath touched her ear.
"I hope you won't mind, I just want to confirm something," Mo Fan said.
"I understand," Brianca nodded. She crouched slowly and proceeded to check the final thing that Mo Fan had requested.
Chapter 1482 - Unspeakable Secrets
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
Brianca was done fairly quickly. The others had no idea what she was doing. She shook her head at Mo Fan and said, "She was not r.a.p.ed."
The others immediately realized why Mo Fan was asking for Brianca's help. To their disbelief, Brianca actually followed his instructions. How unbelievable...
"She was tied up for a long time. In cases like these, it is unlikely for a girl not to be assaulted, especially after seeing how strong the culprit's hatred was. Assuming the culprit is a man, I find it hard to believe that a guy who is clearly trying to get his revenge wouldn't take away the second most precious thing from a girl. Oh, some of you might think of it as the most precious thing… anyway, since he didn't do it, I have a strong feeling that the culprit is a woman," Mo Fan said.
Mo Fan was from the Clearsky Hunter Agency and had spent too much time around Lingling. He was actually able to deduce simple clues now!
"What are you talking about? How could a girl possibly do something so cruel?" Sheryl said angrily.
"Are you retarded or something? I've seen more cruel women than the total number of students in this school!" Mo Fan said disdainfully.
"Mo Fan, even though I agree with your view, I still think it's possible that the culprit is only trying to get his revenge, without planning to assault the girls s.e.x.u.a.lly?" Mu Bai said.
"Miss Brianca and I went to the mountain at the north gate. We discovered a huge number of dead little creatures. Their blood had yet to permeate the snow, so Miss Brianca immediately used her Wind Domain to scan the area, yet she failed to detect any presence of the culprit. Initially, I assumed the culprit to have an insane cultivation, so he was able to leave the scene quickly. However, now that I think about it, it's very likely that the culprit went back to the school straight away. There are only a few men in the Alps Institute, and we are all wearing the magic bracelet. There's no chance we could do something like that without being noticed. If the culprit was a man, he would surely draw someone's attention when he returned to the school. However, if the culprit was a woman, no one would pay any attention to her," Mo Fan said.
Brianca recalled the situation at the mountain after hearing Mo Fan's explanation. It was true that the little creatures had died only moments before they arrived. It was unlikely that her Wind Domain could not detect any trace of the culprit. She even wondered if the culprit was half a Forbidden Mage...
Now that she thought about it, the culprit must have gone back to the school straight away. Mo Fan and Brianca might even have seen the culprit along the way, but since there were quite a lot of students at the north gate, no one had caught their attention...
"Mo Fan, you're saying that the culprit stayed behind like the brainless bad guys in movies, waiting to be caught by some famous detectives?" Zhao Manyan said.
"You're the one that's brainless. The crazy things that the culprit did clearly indicate that she has a strong hatred of the school. She must be hiding in the school still, and this girl clearly isn't the last victim!" Mo Fan said.
"That's impossible; we've verified the identity of every student in the school. Every outsider that enters the school must wear the magic bracelet, too! The culprit must be an outsider!" the patrolling Maga with thick eyebrows said.
"So sealing off the school wouldn't make any difference?" Brianca asked.
"Mm, it's unlikely that the culprit is an outsider. To be honest, not many people can avoid being detected by your Wind Domain too. Besides, judging from the time of the murder, the culprit must have killed the victim in the school too!" Mo Fan said.
Every Super Mage was a reputable person. Most of them would hold important positions, like being a Councilman, a General, a leader of a renowned clan, or a famous teacher in a school.
Even in the Black Vatican, the status of a Super Mage was almost on par with a Red Cardinal!
"Miss Brianca, tell the students not to go anywhere alone," Mo Fan reminded her.
Brianca was extremely worried too. Her outstanding cultivation was completely useless in a situation like this!
"I think we should keep a close eye on you guys instead. These incidents only happened since you came to our school!" Edith spoke up.
"Idiot!" Mo Fan cursed.
Edith stomped the ground angrily. Sheryl also glared at Mo Fan, Mu Bai, and Zhao Manyan suspiciously.
Meanwhile, the patrolling Maga with thick brows spoke up, "I believe that's possible, too. I saw two of them trying to leave the school not long ago."
Mu Bai and Zhao Manyan's eyes widened. How was that even related to this incident!?
"Stop accusing them without any proof. We should be apologizing to them instead. They have traveled so far to our school, but not only did we fail to live up to our reputation, we still troubled them with such a sorrowful incident," Ceylan refuted them sincerely.
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It was already late at night. When Mo Fan, Zhao Manyan, and Mu Bai went back to their rooms, Professor Li, Professor Zheng, Li Ximei, and Shi Junsheng ran up to them.
Shi Junsheng said angrily before the two professors could ask about the situation, "Can you guys stop meddling in other people's business? They are going to treat us like suspects at this rate! I heard that the Alps Institute has never been merciful with their punishments. They even have the right to sentence someone to death right on the spot!"
"Meddling with other people's business? Do you seriously think your own reputation is more important than finding the culprit who has just killed a student and is going to kill more people soon?" Mo Fan hissed. His impression of Shi Junsheng was completely ruined. He actually found the man slightly annoying!
"Mo Fan, I believe you're a full-starred Hunter Master, right? We aren't good with things like this, so can you please lend the Alps Institute a hand on our behalf?" Professor Zheng interjected.
"I'm very disappointed by the school. Shouldn't they report the incident immediately to the Holy Judgment Court, so they can send an expert over to deal with it? Why do I feel like Headmistress Perry is desperately trying to keep the incident a secret? She even told the students and the other schools that the girl accidentally drowned during the Trial of Faerun Waterfall..." Mu Bai said.
"Mm, she did appoint Brianca to find the culprit within a week, but Brianca is obviously inexperienced in things like this. If the culprit is still in the school, they have no chance of finding her if she's a little cunning," Mo Fan said.
"Why didn't they tell the Holy Judgment Court? A student has died!" Li Ximei said angrily.
Professor Zheng sighed. "Every school has its unspeakable secrets. As a matter of fact, our school also tries to hide the truth at times. It's necessary to protect the school's reputation, and let the student study with peace of mind. Even though it might sound like we aren't treating the students' safety seriously, we still have to think of the big picture at times. We also try our best to resolve the problems and avoid similar things from happening again.
"The biggest renowned clan in Europe is going to visit this school in a week. It's obviously very important to the school, even if it's the Alps Institute... Mo Fan, just do your best to help them find the culprit. I believe it's a chance for you to earn the Alps Institute's support. It's going to be helpful when you are at the Holy Judgment Court later," Professor Zheng told him.
"Don't worry, I won't just sit and wait for things like this," Mo Fan agreed.
"How unforgivable is the culprit, daring to treat a young woman so brutally! I, Zhao Manyan, swear to hunt her down, even if it means I won't be eating meat for the rest of my life!" Zhao Manyan promised.
Chapter 1483 - Meeting Li Yu'e Coincidentally
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
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Mo Fan was getting a headache. The Alps Institute was split into four schools, each with quite a large number of students. Even the teachers would not recognize every student in the school, so it was easy for an outsider to blend into the students.
"If only we knew what the person is after; it's unlikely that anyone would do such a cruel thing for no reason," Mo Fan said.
Mo Fan had the Dark Material. If he could discover the culprit's aims and whereabouts, it would be extremely easy to deal with the situation once he tagged the person with the Dark Material. The problem was, Ceylan, Headmistress Perry, and Brianca did not have the slightest clue who the culprit was!
"They must be hiding something," Mo Fan muttered to himself.
Mo Fan was walking around Faerun School. He did not keep an extra eye on the surroundings before, but he now noticed the school grounds were planted with a lot of Snow Lavender. These flowers were everywhere, like the sacred snow, something that the girl had been working on diligently for a long time.
She was such a lovely girl. What kind of grudge could the culprit be holding against the school, to murder an innocent girl in such a brutal way?
"Yu'e, you shouldn't be walking around on your own. I heard from the patrolling Magas that we have to stay in pairs to avoid any trouble during this important time!" a girl's voice came down from the stairs of a nearby building.
"It's fine, she always told me that she had to finish it so that the others could see it. Since she can't complete it anymore, I must lend her a hand. There's not much work left," another girl among the bushes of flowers raised her face and replied.
Mo Fan walked closer and soon saw the girl was half-kneeling on the ground, busy clearing some weeds. Her milk-white outfit did not have any embroidery, and was fully stretched by her round bottom, leaving not a single wrinkle on it, while her slim waist swayed slightly. Mo Fan was lost in thought upon witnessing the sight.
It was common to see such a beautiful sight at the Alps Institute. That being said, why did the girl look so familiar to him?
The girl suddenly turned around, as if she noticed that someone was watching her. Her hair was blocking her face and eyes. She naturally moved her hair away, revealing a not overly dazzling, but clean and good-looking face.
The girl was stunned when she saw the watcher was a man. After all, it was extremely rare to see a man at the Alps Institute. However, her eyes flickered with surprise when she took a closer look at Mo Fan's face.
"Why are you here?' Mo Fan pointed at the girl and blurted out in disbelief before the girl could speak.
"I was going to ask the same thing!" The girl rose to her feet and smiled. It was the same friendly and gentle smile that she always wore.
"Are you studying at the Alps Institute? You never mentioned it to me before!" Mo Fan was extremely surprised.
"Not long after I met you, I used my savings to travel to different places. I was thinking of visiting the Alps Institute as a tourist when I came to Switzerland, but I didn't know the place was off-limits to outsiders. I wouldn't have been allowed to enter if I hadn't stumbled into a friendly student. When I came, they happened to be looking for a gardener. I decided to stay, since I had pretty much spent all my savings," the girl explained with a smile.
"You make it sound so simple, but I know everyone that joins the Alps Institute isn't an ordinary person. You are an open-minded girl, no wonder you can make up your mind that easily. So, are you planning to go back to New York?"
"I do like it here. It feels more like home than a noisy bustling city," Li Yu'e said.
"Have you Awakened?" Mo Fan inquired.
