Deception and Sneak Attack

The several people split up, searching the house in groups of three.

Matthew led two guards to search the basement.

Upon arriving in the basement, Matthew found it pitch black, without even a single lamp.

A guard lit the oil lamp he carried, its dim light casting a faint glow that illuminated the basement somewhat.

The basement was a cramped, dim room with very sparse decoration. It had been cleared out thoroughly, with only a few tables stacked in the corner.

Jack followed Matthew down, arms crossed over his chest, back leaning against the doorframe, and explained, "This used to be the White family's food storage basement. We just moved back to the ancestral home and haven't started using it yet."

Jack stared at Matthew's back, a faint smile on his lips carrying a trace of barely perceptible mockery. He was confident these investigators wouldn't find anything.

After Old White's mutant left, he had begun moving things out of the basement. By the time Matthew and his men came to search, he had already finished relocating everything.

Matthew ran his fingers over the tables stacked in the corner and said softly, "These tables don't look like they're rarely used. There's not a speck of dust."

Jack's smile faltered, the curve of his lips stiffening on his face.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he said, "That's thanks to diligent Rodrigo. He's a good butler."

Matthew paid it no mind. He had already found his answer, because when he touched the tabletop, the metal disc in his mind glowed faintly, and a trace of weak red light appeared, absorbed by the disc—the same energy as that on Old White's mutant.

Combined with what he had sensed when he secretly visited this house before, Jack must have been doing something unknown in the basement. Old White's mutation was definitely connected to him!

Moreover, Matthew could sense that Jack harbored an inexplicable hostility toward him. Taking a bold guess, Old White's mutant attacking 56 Riverside Street was no accident but a strike orchestrated by Jack. Even the two wizards he encountered at the entrance of Whitestone Manor earlier were likely people Jack had brought in.

Half an hour later, the several people gathered in the reception room.

Link asked, "Any leads?"

Matthew shook his head. He didn't tell Link about the clue he had found; it involved the secret of the metal disc in his mind.

Anna said, "I found a few of Old White's meditation method practice notes, but they're from over a decade ago."

"He's been stuck at Level 3 Wizard Apprentice for over ten years. He probably stopped practicing the meditation method long ago," Link nodded and said. "I didn't find anything on my end either. Let's go check Old White's grave again."

Matthew and the others followed Jack to the White Family Cemetery. After digging open Old White's grave and opening the coffin, they found it completely empty, with no traces inside the coffin either. Link thought Old White's body had never been buried with the coffin from the start, and they found no clues in Old White's grave either.

Having found nothing after a night of work, everyone was somewhat tired. Link could only let them go home to rest, agreeing to meet tomorrow to check Lady Alsha's autopsy report.

After returning to his residence, Matthew first went to see the injured Chris.

He checked Chris's wound. Chris had already drunk a hemostatic agent and bandaged the wound himself; the injury was now under control.

Matthew took out Skele-Gro and Flesh Replenishing Agent potions from his pocket and said to Chris, "Drink this red potion now, and drink this transparent potion the day after tomorrow.

The transparent one, three times a day, one-third of a bottle each time."

Chris said gratefully, "Lord Matthew, thank you!"

Matthew said gently, "Rest well. It should heal within three days."

Back in his room, Matthew immediately took out a bottle of Dark Green Potion and poured it into his mouth. A slightly irritating sensation echoed through his mouth and esophagus, eventually fermenting into a nauseating taste—very unpleasant.

In an instant, his entire face scrunched up. Something seemed to writhe under his skin. His eyes, nose, mouth, and ears began to melt, his whole face constantly deforming.

Then, his bones also began to change, a strange sound echoing through his body.

After a moment, Matthew transformed into a gaunt-faced, sinister-eyed red-haired man.

This was the false identity he used when causing trouble in the world of Hogwarts—Gehrman.

Gehrman was going to expand new business in the other world tonight!

The space twisted, and the figure in the room vanished instantly.

In the top-floor room of the White Ancestral Home at No. 18, Municipal Square Street.

After a twist in space, a gaunt-faced, sinister-eyed red-haired man appeared in the room.

The disguised Matthew had returned to the White Ancestral Home.

Jack was a dangerous person. From what he had learned, Old White was merely a noble wizard whose combat power had greatly degraded in life. The mutated Old White was incredibly troublesome to deal with. If not for the Basilisk Eye's deadly poison, solving Old White's mutant would have been very difficult for him.

If Jack continued causing trouble, he might create a monster even more terrifying than Old White's mutant. Matthew didn't intend to keep an enemy who harbored malice toward him.

Link hadn't found any leads, so he decided to solve this problem himself.

He quickly waved his wand, casting an Illusionary Body Spell to hide his form and a Muting Spell to eliminate his footsteps.

His right hand moved slightly under his wizard robe, casting a Detection Magic. An invisible wave spread from his hand, sweeping through the White Ancestral Home.

Through the Detection Magic, Matthew sensed that Jack had already gone to sleep in a room on the second floor.

He didn't plan to kill Jack outright. He needed a live captive; he wanted to dig the secret of Old White's mutation out of Jack's mind.

Although Jack was only a Level 2 Wizard Apprentice, to be absolutely safe, Matthew took out the Basilisk Eye from his pocket.

With the help of the Muting Spell, Matthew silently arrived at the second-floor room, standing by Jack's bed. Jack was already asleep.

He raised the Basilisk Eye, aiming it at Jack's face, and called softly, "Jack White."

Jack, asleep, suddenly heard someone calling his name and jolted awake. "Who?"

Waking up, Jack quickly scanned the room, but there was nothing before his eyes, making him wonder if he'd just had a nightmare.

Matthew canceled the Illusionary Body Spell and abruptly appeared before Jack.

Seeing the unfamiliar figure suddenly materialize, Jack's heart leaped in alarm, and he stammered in utter shock:

"You are...?"

Before Jack could finish his sentence, his eyes met the Basilisk Eye. His stunned expression instantly froze on his face, and he stiffened motionless on the bed.

In the new year, I wish everyone a prosperous Year of the Dragon, good health, all the best, abundant wealth, and endless good fortune!