Hogg paused at that, furrowing his brow. After thinking for a moment, he nodded. "Lei Lin, you're right. I can't stay in Wushan Town any longer."
Just as Lei Lin had said, whatever you did always left traces, and anyone determined enough could find clues.
Now, not only had a duke died, but the bigger problem was Gilmore, the Cardinal.
With a Cardinal dead, the Holy See would certainly investigate!
If he kept staying in Wushan Town, once the Radiant Church traced the suspicions back to him, they'd have plenty of ways to uncover the truth about what had happened today.
Lei Lin continued, "Right, Uncle Hogg, you can't stay in Wushan Town. You'd better also..."
"'Die' once!"
Hogg asked in confusion, "Die once?"
He knew Lei Lin wasn't actually telling him to die. Otherwise, he wouldn't have tried to talk him around just now!
Lei Lin nodded. "Right. Die once. Although I helped you cover your tracks, Uncle Hogg, a Cardinal did die this time."
"As long as you're alive, as long as you're a suspect, the Radiant Church might track you down."
"Taking on the identity of a 'dead man' is the best way to cut off other people's means of investigating you."
"So first, you die. Then leave the Fenlai Kingdom and the Holy Alliance, and quietly cultivate until you grow stronger."
"That's the best way to handle things right now!"
"Even if the Radiant Church still finds a way to trace this back to you, the time you've bought should be enough for you to grow stronger!"
Lei Lin encouraged him, "Grow strong enough that the Radiant Church would be willing to overlook the death of a Cardinal for your sake!"
The death of a Cardinal really was a problem.
After all, a Cardinal represented the Radiant Church's public image, and the Church would certainly investigate to the end.
Lei Lin was making this suggestion to buy time, but not, as he'd claimed, to give Hogg time to grow stronger.
Hogg wasn't the protagonist. There was no way he'd reach a level that made the Radiant Church wary in just a few short years. Even if Lin Lei, the protagonist, took his place, he couldn't do it!
Lei Lin's main reason for suggesting this was to give Hogg a reason to keep living, so that saving him hadn't been for nothing.
As for the Radiant Church's investigation?
Heh. If it came to it, he could just take Lin Lei to the Magic Beast Mountain Range early and release Dylan.
If the Radiant Church still had time to investigate the death of a Cardinal then, Lei Lin would stand on his head, wash his hair, and eat noodles through his nose!
At the same time, he thought to himself, I've tried to keep things as close to the original story as possible. I hope that after Hogg 'dies,' there won't be some 'will of heaven' insisting he be sacrificed!
Once he'd made up his mind, Hogg acted decisively. Without another word, he left with Gilmore and Paterson's corpses.
By then, the attack on Duke Paterson's estate had already led the kingdom to impose martial law, but fortunately, no one had discovered Gilmore's death yet.
It was nothing for the Zi'ao Family to arrange Hogg's departure. Lei Lin had even planned his escape route for what came afterward!
As for Hogg's "funeral," Lei Lin also promised to take care of everything, assuring him it would be a grand affair.
After personally seeing Hogg out of the Royal Capital, Lei Lin had barely breathed a sigh of relief when he received word from Yale and the others: Lin Lei had been dumped!
Receiving the news, Lei Lin thought with a sigh, You sure picked a convenient time to get your heart broken!
According to Yale's message, they'd noticed something was wrong after Lin Lei became "dazed" that day, and realized it might have something to do with Alice.
After looking into it, they learned that Lin Lei had caught Alice with Kalan the day before and had gone straight into an emotional tailspin!
At first, they'd figured it wasn't a big deal. A breakup was just a breakup; if one woman was gone, he could find another.
But when they saw that Lin Lei had stayed dazed all day and still wasn't reacting to anything around him, they started to panic.
That was when they sent word to Lei Lin. After all, Lei Lin and Lin Lei were just as close!
Besides, Lei Lin was fairly devoted, and only had two women in his life at the moment.
In the eyes of Yale and Reynolds, those two "womanizers," Lei Lin would surely understand Lin Lei better and be better at handling his current situation.
"Sigh... Things have changed, they really have!"
"I remember that in the original story, Lin Lei caught Alice with Kalan on November 29. It's only early October now, and you've only just become a sixth-rank mage, Lin Lei~"
"You reached sixth rank in both physical and magical strength ahead of schedule, so naturally, your breakup's come early too!"
"And it happened to be last night!"
Lei Lin frowned. "Are you stacking buffs for yourself so you can break through to seventh rank?"
Still feeling a little wistful, Lei Lin tidied up the laboratory, then headed straight to Ernst Magic Academy without a word.
But he didn't have any good solution for Lin Lei's situation. When it came to matters of the heart, you had to find your own way through.
When a good friend got dumped, all he could do was stay by his side!
Reynolds looked at Lei Lin. "Big Brother Lei Lin, Third Brother can't go on like this. Is there really nothing we can..."
Before Reynolds could finish, Lin Lei, who hadn't moved at all until then, stirred. He picked up the Flat Chisel and quietly studied the boulder in front of him.
Seeing this, Lei Lin signaled Reynolds to stop talking. He knew the carving of the legendary masterpiece Dream Awakening was beginning.
At first, Lei Lin hadn't been particularly interested in stone carving.
But stone carvings could last an incredibly long time. In the Coiling Dragon World, where cultivation could extend one's lifespan and reaching the Saint Realm meant eternal life, this art form was especially popular among the most powerful people.
When those above had a preference, those below were sure to follow.
Stone carving gradually came to be regarded as the pinnacle of the arts, and more and more people began to study it.
And as more people studied it, the power of probability meant that even if the odds of creating a fine work were low, sooner or later some would appear.
Even Lei Lin couldn't help but feel that the finest stone carvings were beautiful.
That beauty lay in their spirit, as though the soul of the subject had been captured and held in place, drawing every eye.
It was a perfect fusion of realism and impressionism—perfection!
It was a kind of harmony!
When viewers first saw a masterful stone carving, they never thought of it as a dead object. Instead, they saw it as part of the surrounding environment.
Even when the work's style clashed completely with its surroundings, it never seemed out of place!
Gradually, he too had gained some appreciation for stone carving.
As he watched Lin Lei begin, he first cut away the larger chunks, shaping the outline.
Then he worked on the points and lines, defining the form of each part.
Finally, he refined the details, completing the entire work!
From clothes to hair, hands, and feet, from posture to facial expression, five lifelike Alices gradually appeared before everyone's eyes.
For ten whole days, Lei Lin watched the entire process with his own eyes. He watched Lin Lei carve, stroke by stroke, until he had dug these five "people" out of the stone!
Yes, dug them out of the stone!
Even though he'd watched the entire process himself, it still gave him the feeling that the work had existed in its complete form all along.
It was as though Lin Lei, the creator, had merely used the Flat Chisel as a "cloth" to wipe away the "stains" on the work, little by little!
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