Chapter 41

041
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Early in the morning, Xiu Jin was awakened by his smart butler.
“Lin Yisan, do you truly wish to be sent back to the factory and start all over again?” The Seventh Prince, forcibly dragged out of his warm bed, glared at the smart butler before him, his expression clearly heralding an impending storm.
Last night, he had attended a banquet; halfway through the event, he was informed that he must give an interview to the media regarding charitable matters.
This task should have fallen to Huan Tianjue. However, Huan Tianjue had departed for an impoverished planet with relief supplies. As one of the heads of the Charitable Foundation and a member of the royal family representing the crown, Xiu Jin had no choice but to treat the interview with utmost seriousness.
In the end, a private celebration turned into a commendation ceremony for the Seventh Prince. Cameras were everywhere, and reporters jostled desperately at the front, striving to get closer to Xiu Jin and secure exclusive news coverage.
By the time the interview and banquet concluded, it was already 2 a.m. when he returned home. The moment he thought about how staying up late would damage his skin, the Seventh Prince hurriedly completed his skincare routine before collapsing onto the bed. Just before drifting off, he vaguely felt he had forgotten something, but he could no longer bother himself with it.
It seemed he had only just fallen asleep when the smart butler woke him up.
Facing his master’s hostile expression, the smart butler quietly stepped back two paces. Once confirming this distance placed him out of his master’s reach, he quickly shifted the blame: “Your Highness, it was the Third Prince who ordered me to wake you.”
Xiu Jin’s mind, muddled like paste, couldn’t immediately process this. He only wanted to beat the smart to a pulp. Yet upon hearing the reason, his furious expression froze momentarily: “…Third Brother?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” the intelligent butler emphasized. “The Third Prince is waiting for you in the reception hall.”
Xiu Jin woke up, only to grow even angrier. He threw off the covers and stood up. “Am I your master, or is Xiu Yan? Just because he told you to come fetch me, you immediately obey? Hey, brother, it’s early morning—have you had breakfast yet?”
The Third Prince, Xiu Yan, stood at the doorway in a crisp military uniform, resembling an unsheathed, icy-long sword, so much so that the air around him seemed to turn sharp and biting.
He looked at Xiu Jin with an ambiguous smile, neither quite smiling nor not.
Xiu Jin wiped his face and barked at the smart butler standing nearby, “What are you doing just standing there? Go prepare breakfast immediately!”
Accustomed to his master’s capricious nature, the smart butler promptly departed.
At the same time, he thought: Fortunately, the Third Prince came up; otherwise, my master would most likely have turned me back into an egg and rolled me out again.
Xiu Jin was intimidated by his brother’s expression, and based on years of experience, he knew that whenever Xiu Yan came looking for him first thing in the morning, it never meant anything good.
Xiu Yan strode into the room. Xiu Jin hopped off the bed, unable to suppress a yawn, still slightly annoyed: “Do you have any idea how late I stayed up last night?”
He glanced at the clock and realized it was only seven in the morning, meaning he’d gotten just over three hours of sleep.
Oh god, dark circles under his eyes.
Xiu Yan said indifferently, “I didn’t sleep all night.”
Xiu Jin: “…”
You stayed up all night just to come bother me?!
He resigned himself to his fate.
“My dear brother, if there’s something on your mind, please just tell me directly, okay?”
Xiu Jin lightly brushed the leaves of a potted green orchid in the room. Seeing Xiu Jin yawning repeatedly, he shook his head: “Where does Mu Xingzhi live?”
“You’re looking for him?” Xiu Jin stopped mid-yawn, wiping away tears that had welled up in the corners of his eyes from continuous yawning, and frowned.
Xiu Yan simply responded with an “Mm.”
Xiu Jin was startled and suspicious: “What do you want with him?”
Xiu Yan thought for a moment, then asked instead, “You’ve heard of the Magician, right?”
“Of course.” Xiu Jin snorted. “That guy’s made it onto the风云榜 more times than I have.”
If only that sneak hadn’t secretly snapped up the NR equipment he had his eye on, raising his precious daughter in the game would be far more convenient right now.
The corner of Xiu Yan’s mouth twitched suspiciously; he pinched the bridge of his nose, forcing down the urge to punch Xiu Jin.
“Last night, the magician kidnapped someone.”
Xiu Jin looked at the Third Prince in puzzlement; the Magician was famous for kidnapping people, so it would be strange if he didn’t kidnap someone.
However, matters concerning the Magician should never have involved Xiu Yan. The Military Department does not handle kidnapping cases.
Moreover, when the Magician kidnaps someone, he uses mechanical puppets to capture the abductor, then broadcasts it live to humiliate them. Yet, he strictly adheres to one rule: he never takes a life.
This is precisely why, despite his penchant for kidnappings, the Magician still enjoys considerable popularity.
Powerful, mysterious, unconventional in his methods, and possessing a unique personal style, no one knew what he looked like or how old he was.
Young people could let their imaginations run wild, elevating him to the status of an idol.
Although Xiu Jin hated to admit it, when it came to popularity… the Magician far surpassed him.
I don’t know what those people were thinking, ignoring the handsome and wealthy Seventh Prince only to fawn over a kidnapper who doesn’t even dare to show his face.
Maybe this Magician is just some hideously ugly old man.
“He kidnapped Old Bailey’s granddaughter. Old Bailey went to the palace in the middle of the night to see my father, who then summoned me and ordered me to find Old Bailey’s granddaughter and capture the Magician within two days.” Xiu Yan’s voice was low; those familiar with him would know his mood was far from good.
“Wait.” Xiu Jin felt slightly dizzy from the news dropped by his older brother. “Let me sort this out.”
Lord Bailey is an earl who has retired in his old age to enjoy his twilight years. Xiu Jin has met his granddaughter, who seems to be around six or seven years old; from what he recalls, she is a spoiled little girl.
According to the Magician’s past patterns of kidnapping, he typically targets only high-ranking officials with poor moral character, as if specifically ridding the common people of harm.
Even if the Magician had suddenly gone mad and taken a dislike to the Bailey family, he should have kidnapped an adult. What purpose could there be in abducting a young girl?
Kidnapping a child is unprecedented.
As for how the magician managed to capture someone..
According to Old Bailey, he had a habit of checking on his granddaughter in the middle of the night to see if she had kicked off her blankets. Last night, however, when he entered her room, he found the bed empty. At first, he didn’t think much of it, assuming the child might have woken up and wandered out of the room.
Yet after searching everywhere, he still couldn’t find little Bailey. Finally, on her bed, he discovered a black card with the two characters “Borrowed” written upon it.
The card is the Magician’s signature; each time he kidnaps someone, he leaves behind a card to indicate that he is the one responsible.
Old Bailey recognized the Magician’s card and was utterly shocked, unable to comprehend why the Magician would kidnap his granddaughter. After reviewing the home surveillance footage, he found absolutely nothing unusual; it was as if his granddaughter had vanished into thin air from within their own house.
Fearing for his granddaughter’s safety, he rushed in a panic to the palace to request an audience with the Emperor.
Old Bailey’s son and daughter-in-law had sacrificed their lives for the country in an accident; therefore, Little Bailey’s safety was of paramount importance.
The Emperor immediately summoned the Third Prince, entrusting him with this matter and setting a strict deadline.
Assigned this task, Xiu Yan felt extremely troubled. He had heard of the Magician’s reputation but knew nothing about the man himself. Finding little Bailey and capturing the Magician within such a short time sounded easy enough in theory, yet regarding how to actually implement it, Xiu Yan was completely at a loss.
Before returning to find Xiu Jin, he had visited Old Bailey’s home, yet even with his experience, he uncovered no useful clues.
“…That formidable?” Xiu Jin felt goosebumps rise; even his own brother hadn’t found any leads.
No wonder none of those who were kidnapped and later freed succeeded in capturing the Magician, despite their bold claims.
Does that mean… when he asked Corv to investigate who purchased the NR device, Corv ultimately traced it back to the Magician? Is Corv truly that capable?
Should I tell my older brother about the Magician purchasing the NR device?
Xiu Jin’s thoughts momentarily ran wild like an untamed horse, wandering who knows where.
Xiu Yan glanced at his younger brother, who was clearly lost in reverie, took a deep breath, and pressed again at the deep furrows between his brows: “I need Mu Xingzhi’s help.”
Xiu Jin snapped back to reality, finally understanding why his brother had come to see him so early in the morning and brought up Mu Xingzhi.
“Mu Xingzhi is only half a fish; how can he help you find the magician?”
Among the four noble clans, the Merfolk are undoubtedly the most reclusive. Their population is even smaller than that of the Dragon Clan; merpeople are timid by nature, dwelling in the Mer-Sea and rarely venturing into the mortal world.
The reason the Merfolk rank among the four noble clans is that the Emperor’s first wife—the mother of the First, Third, and Seventh Princes—was once a mermaid herself.
If a merperson chooses to unite with a human, they forfeit the Merfolk’s extended lifespan, becoming truly human in every sense.
Mu Xingzhi, however, is the only merperson in all these years, aside from the late Empress, willing to step into the mortal realm. Through diligent study, he became an outstanding surgeon, working at an ordinary hospital where he navigates countless surgeries daily, wielding his scalpel to bring others back from the brink of death.
In terms of family relations, Mu Xingzhi was considered a cousin to the three Xiu brothers. However, even Xiu Jin didn’t know why; in his memory, his eldest and third brothers disliked Mu Xingzhi and never interacted with him.
Xiu Jin was a stubborn sort; the more his eldest and third brothers disliked someone, the more he insisted on liking them. Since childhood, he had always gravitated toward Mu Xingzhi, so naturally, their bond remained strong into adulthood.
“If you’re looking for a magician, you could ask your old friend for help,” Xiu Jin said. “Nong Jiusi is so capable; he must have a way to find one.”
Xiu Yan glanced at him.
Do they really think Nong Jiusi is a mere brick, to be moved wherever needed?
Even though he and Nong Jiusi are friends, the dragon race possesses its own pride and will not act rashly.
Besides… while having a dragon fight would surely guarantee victory, finding someone is another matter entirely.
Every profession has its specialty; the Dragon Clan isn’t a pack of police dogs.
“Fine, fine, fine.” Intimidated by his older brother’s gaze, Xiu Jin reluctantly activated his light-brain, seething inwardly. “I’ll contact Mu Xingzhi right now.”
While establishing the connection, he asked again, “Why ask him for help? Apart from wielding a scalpel to perform surgeries on others, how does he look like someone capable of tracking people down?”
Among the four noble clans, the Merfolk possess the weakest strength; they retain some combat capability only within the ocean. Yet, in this day and age, who actually takes their fights underwater?
“There’s a faint smell of the sea in the room; the Magician went to the seaside before tying up the victim.” Xiu Yan rubbed his temples wearily; this was the only clue he had found at the scene.
“Regardless of which sea the Magician visited, Mu Xingzhi is a merfolk, and merfolk are gods of the ocean,” Xiu Yan paused briefly before continuing, “I need Mu Xingzhi’s help to track him down.”
“What god?” Xiu Jin muttered, “Mother was also a merfolk; by rights, we should be half-merfolk ourselves. So why can’t I breathe underwater?”
Xiu Yan: “…”
My hands are itching; I feel like punching someone.
“No one’s answering. He’s probably asleep, or still in surgery at the hospital.” Xiu Jin yawned again. “I’ll send you the addresses for both the hospital and his home… Uh, bro, you don’t actually expect me to go with you to find him, do you?”
Xiu Yan remained expressionless: “What do you think?”
Xiu Jin’s face immediately fell.
When he had just contacted Mu Xingzhi via his neural computer, he suddenly saw a photo of his precious daughter and finally remembered what he’d forgotten before falling asleep last night.
He had forgotten to log into the game to check on his precious daughter!
Meanwhile, as Xiu Jin’s futile resistance ended and he reluctantly took Xiu Yan to find Mu Xingzhi, on the other side, the Magician lifted the sleeping Bailey in his hand, put on the NR device, and launched the game.
System: [Welcome back.]
“Grandpa, this is the neinei I made for you; drink it quickly.” The little girl before him stood on tiptoe to place a bowl of prepared milk powder on the dining table. As she held it, a few drops of milk splashed onto the back of her hand. She withdrew her hand and, without wasting a single drop, licked the milk residue from her skin.
The elderly zombie remained motionless, but behind him, a Level Three zombie stealthily poked out half its head, eyeing the bowl brimming with rich milky aroma, ready to pounce.
The elderly zombie who had noticed glared fiercely at him, then carefully lifted the bowl, tilted his head back to gulp it down in one go, and finally placed the empty bowl upside down before the Level 3 zombie.
Level 3 Zombie: “…”
The Magician extended his pale fingers toward Bianbian, who was covering her mouth while stifling laughter, flicked the small Bailey in his hand, and curled his lips slightly as he spoke softly, “I’ll trade her for her.”
[The system is startled and malfunctioning…]
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System: Deceased.