Chapter 44 (continued)

Lusien unfolded the letter. The first page had no words, only a blurry photo of two girls embracing each other, sitting in a corner of a cage. It was easy to tell that they were Anna and Moli. They were sitting with their heads down in an iron cage, and there was an electric current running through the outside of the cage. Although the letter didn't have any words written on it, and the title didn't say "kidnapping letter," the apprentices wouldn't put themselves in a cage to take a picture and send it to their teacher. Although Moli and Anna liked to write some frivolous little articles that young people liked, they didn't have any taste for the bizarre.

The second piece of paper revealed the kidnappers' purpose.

They demanded that Mel provide the equipment data for the Shield of the New Star, and that it be complete, accurate, and include design drafts.

Lusien bowed respectfully to us. "I apologize, but this incident also targets Shield of the New Star. The weapons we are currently using have been carefully designed and improved by Lord Madsen. Therefore, we cannot determine at this time whether the primary target is Shield of the New Star or Lord Madsen."

"However, regardless of who it targets, we are merely intermediaries," Lusien continued. "Whether it's us or you, Your Excellency, ultimately it concerns the stability of the Federation. Your Field is not implicated. I'm afraid those military enterprises haven't realized your true strength and treat you as a minor figure they can easily manipulate."

That's right. Mel is a pillar of the Magic Federation, a leader in academia, and the pinnacle of magical combat power. To some extent—judging from his fan support—he also influences public sentiment. Meanwhile, the Shield of the New Star, led by Lusien, is the backbone of the capital's defense and a key factor in the Federation security. Everyone feels that there's no criminal Lusien Shuga can't catch. According to Moli, Lusien was voted the most reliable husband in your heart last year, even surpassing the Holy Lord of the Temple of Light.

... Huh? The tower is shaking!

Mel's face was gloomy. He curled one corner of his mouth, and his eyes and eyebrows were raised. I could feel some terrifying spells brewing in his mind... Hmm, the enraged Mel was really very charming. His aura was so powerful that even I was mesmerized. The mage tower echoed with a low voice because of its master's emotional fluctuations.

Magic Power swirled and churned in the space. On the second-floor platform, the echoes of Archmage Yamier's memories slowly coalesced. He stood there, looking with concern at the students engulfed in rage, his gaze seemingly piercing through the years. As I looked at him, the memory seemed to truly sense my gaze and looked back at me. The echoes of this deceased mage's memories possessed a gentle yet firm gaze, instilling a sense of security and confidence in one's heart.

I put my arm around Mel's shoulder and stroked his chest. Soon, the Magic Power dissipated and calmed down. The memories that had been passively manifested due to the large amount of Magic Power also dissipated. But Mel didn't get angry again. He continued to ask calmly and restrainedly, "Did the kidnappers say how to contact them?"

Lusien frowned. "Yes, it's an email address."

Mel's anger quickly turned into embarrassment. He tilted his head and asked me, "Xipei... can you send emails?"

So the awkwardness turned into a shared experience for both of us, and I replied, "Sorry... I don't know how either."

Lusien: "..."

He seemed somewhat embarrassed as he said, "If that's the case... you two come with me to an internet cafe, and then we'll send the information over... Oh, I'm afraid Madsen's information isn't in electronic format."

That was obvious, so he continued dryly, "Please allow me to go home and get my camera, but I suggest sending only half of the information. This will both give the kidnappers a taste of the benefits, preventing them from abusing the hostage, and also prevent them from easily killing the hostage in order to get the other half of the information."

"Hmm, that makes sense," Mel and Mel nodded. Lusien truly lived up to his reputation as the most reliable man online; he quickly had his subordinate fetch the camera, and we followed him to the nearest internet cafe—it was my first time in one. The environment wasn't as chaotic as I'd imagined. I'd always thought it was a death metal/smoky makeup enthusiast's club, but most of the people there were fairly clean. However, when Lusien pushed open the door, more than half the customers immediately stood up, raised their hands, and shouted:

"I... I... I didn't do anything! I didn't watch any porn!"

"I've never stolen my wife's secret stash of money!"

"I'm an adult, and I've never stolen my grandfather's ID card to go online!"

And the boss was clutching his head and yelling, "I didn't evade taxes! Here are this year's bills, they're all here!"

Lusien: "..."

Hmm... So, the existence of the Shield of the New Star is the fundamental reason why the Federation has such good public security.

What happened next wasn't exactly dignified. The reliable captain of Shield of the New Star solemnly taught two mages how to register an email account online, because his account was government-registered. Sending a message using his account was tantamount to telling the kidnappers we had called the police. And we had a vacuum zone with a radius of at least five meters around us, so we weren't worried about leaks at all.

After Mel and I finished, we activated the tracking spell we had placed on the apprentice (any qualified mentor would brand their apprentice), Lusien was incredibly rigid and narrow-minded in this regard. He actually accused us of disrespecting the apprentice's privacy?

However, as apprentices, their very souls belonged to their teacher. Mel and I had already respected their privacy quite a bit. At least I had never checked what Moli's drawings were, and Mel had never thoroughly examined Anna's articles.

The tracking spell indicated they were healthy, except Moli seemed a little overeaten...

Hmm... okay, Moli has always had the bad habit of eating and drinking excessively when she's nervous.

I need to bring some digestive medicine with me.

"Location data shows they are at least three provinces away from the capital, in the... northeast direction."

Mel told Lusien, Lusien frowned, looked at the smart communicator on his wrist, and said, "Angela sent a briefing this morning. A secret base she tracked down is in the vicinity of the area you mentioned. We were originally going to wait for her to return before setting off, but now that this has happened, why don't we meet up tomorrow morning, go there to find her, and rescue her together?"

With that settled, Mel and I returned to the tower, packed our clothes and potions, took our notes and spellcasting materials, and even picked out a few outfits for the girls. It was almost dawn, so we quickly slept for a few hours before rushing to the meeting point we had arranged the night before.

On the way Mel still wouldn't let me walk on my own, but I felt it and all the discomfort in my lower body had completely subsided. Mel was really gentle in bed; he would check if I was in pain before he started, even though he was enduring a lot of pain and his forehead was covered in sweat.

Recalling this made me blush a little inappropriately. I turned my head and kissed his cheek. Mel's face quickly turned as red as mine. He hugged my waist and said, "Xipei, next time it's your turn to take the initiative. It feels really, really good!"

Hmm... Of course, that would be great. But I felt very comfortable during that process too, so switching ways and letting Mel experience my pleasure would be a very good suggestion.

We met at the central airship station in the capital. Heading northeast, we would pass through forests and dwarven mines. The terrain was complex, so there was no ground transportation there, and we would have to rely entirely on airships for getting around. Lusien thought that since it was a rescue mission carried out by an elite team, using a special aircraft would attract too much attention. So we decided to sneak onto public transportation and blend into the crowd as discreetly as possible.

Lusien was already waiting there, wearing sunglasses and looking like he was going on vacation. He had bought us breakfast, and there was also an acquaintance standing there—

"Hi!" Priestess Luolan waved cheerfully, having also changed into casual clothes, and said to us, "What a rare and beautiful day! It seems even the God of Light is blessing us!" As she spoke, she applied sunscreen to her arms.

Lusien explained, "Because this incident is so complex, and the Temple of Light is also involved, Priestess Luolan will be traveling with us and providing healing. I will explain the details to you on the way. We'll have to wait a bit; the last member of the team will be here soon."