Chapter 329 The Clue
Hearing this, Daniel shifts his attention toward the Enforcers; all three of them, including the one on guard duty to prevent Daniel from interfering, return to the group.
The first Enforcer, who seems to be the leader, crouches down beside Cyrus' corpse. He brings out an artifact that looks like a crystal with a metal ring bearing a scale icon from his robe. He proceeds to place that crystal inside the gaping hole in Cyrus' chest.
Then, the three Enforcers draw a magic circle around the corpse. A few seconds after completing the circle, a bubble-like shield appears, and they move on to the next step.
The trio brings out various sharp and pointy tools reminiscent of interrogation instruments from the Middle Ages—scalpels of various sizes, tongs, and scissors. They begin dissecting the corpse, opening flesh and muscle large enough for the bone to appear, and then proceed to heal nerves and blood vessels that were cut. They repeat this process for all limbs and even the head.
After finishing the dissection, they start chanting a spell.
At this moment, the power from the crystal manifests, drawing on the mana of the three Enforcers, and it starts to extract the soul hidden within Cyrus's deceased body.
Cyrus' soul manifests, but the nerve-like structure is ripped out of Cyrus' soul body, followed by the crystal's power corroding the soul body and sucking it in.
"Arrrrgggghhhh!" As Cyrus's corroded soul is sucked into the crystal, his agonizing scream reverberates through the devastated bamboo forest until his entire soul body is completely drawn in.
After everything is finished, the Enforcer brings out a container. This metallic container is designed to hold the crystal that just absorbed Cyrus's soul.
"What were all those lengthy rituals and operations for? I understand that mages have a bad habit of staying dead, but why are they dissecting him like that? Isn't imprisoning his soul enough?" Daniel asks Pride, who is standing beside him.
"When it comes to the Hightower execution order, there is also the process of recycling. If possible, the Enforcer execution team needs to collect their target's mana vein and make the soul become one of the crystals used to grant additional origin element to other mages.
"Hearing this, Daniel remembers the nerve-like thing that got ripped out of Cyrus's soul and how his soul was corroded and sucked into the blue crystal. He also notices the similarity between this ritual and the one he had been subjected to before—both require something to be placed within the victim's body.
Also, the crystal shape looks like the pillar, and he recalls the engravings on it. Is it possible that these mages are trying to take over his mana vein and origin element?
"Pride, even when a normal person's mana vein is not activated, is it possible for mages to steal their mana vein and Origin Element?" asks Daniel.
"Huh? Yes, they can, but not many people do that because the dormant mana vein, when ripped out of the soul body, will stay dormant and not develop as much as a mage's. As for the Origin Element? I think it's possible, but they need to have a lot of intricate artifacts and a large magical ritual—larger than what you saw—to preserve a normal person's Origin Element.
Otherwise, their origin element would just shatter because normal people, with their dormant mana vein, will not strengthen their power enough for their origin element to exist after their mana vein is stripped out.
It would be easier to strip both their mana vein and origin element in one package, but that would hinder the origin element, since the origin element is the only thing that normal people could attract mages with," Pride explained.
"How so? isn't it easier?"Daniel inquired.
"It's easier, but the whole point of stripping the Origin Element is to add another Origin Element to a mage. However, the mana vein that was stripped along with the Origin Element in one package will remain attached to the mana vein and can't be separated.
If they're not separate it at the moment they decide to mess with the origin element and mana vein, the mana vein will stay undeveloped.
This is something mages loathe, as mana veins work differently than origin elements. They can't be added to the existing mana vein; mages need to change their mana vein if they want to use the origin element that got permanently stuck into that mana vein set.
Unless that mage gets their mana vein disabled or burnt to a crisp by overusing their magic, no one would want to change their mana vein to the inferior one that just got stripped from normal people," Pride explained.
"I see…" Daniel uttered as he nodded in understanding. He remembers that the whole pillar should have a lot of artifacts inside it, and the pillar also has some runes engraved. It should be used to extract his mana vein and origin element while he's still a normal person.
While Daniel is contemplating this information, the three Enforcers use their magic to cremate Cyrus's corpse on the spot and disable the magic shield, then turn toward Daniel.
They look at each other, and the leader nods, signaling his two subordinates to spread out and surround Daniel in the middle.
"Ms. Pride, please stay out of the fight, or better, help us catch this criminal. Otherwise, we will need to eliminate you according to the Hightower protocol," the Enforcer leader said.
Pride hesitated, looking at Daniel and then at the Enforcers, as if deciding what to do. She wants to help Daniel, but they are facing the Golden Scale Enforcers.
"What is the crime he did to warrant such action from the Golden Scale Enforcers?" Pride asks the Enforcer, trying to find a way out for Daniel.
"Intent on exposing the Curtained World to the masses, since he's not at least a Councilor that warrants immediate execution without trial," the Enforcer leader said in a menacing tone.
Pride still hesitated; she couldn't decide whether to help Daniel or not. Of course, she had already decided not to assist the Enforcers against Daniel.
"Pride," Daniel called, "You can sit this one out. It's not good for you to be caught in the middle of this."
Daniel said that and walked in front, trying to separate himself from Pride to avoid complicating things for her since she's still an acquaintance.
"Sorry," Pride said with a bit of reluctance in her voice before she retreated from the place and stood not far from the bamboo forest clearing.
With Pride observing from the side, Daniel faced the three Enforcers alone. The leader Enforcer then began channeling his mana.
"Before we begin," said Daniel, "I suggest you take a step back, return to your boss, and deliver your item first. Don't try to bite off more than you can chew. Otherwise, you'll lose it all." Daniel warned.
"Heh…" The Enforcer leader snorted. "Henceforth, thy magic shall be restricted," the leader said with power behind his words.
The moment Daniel heard such a word, he felt that his mana had been restricted and could not be used as he wanted. Daniel looked at the unfeeling mask of the Enforcer leader once again, not knowing what was behind that mask. Would this guy feel smug?
Daniel immediately moved out of the way, and the moment he moved, a hand punctured the tail of his trench coat.
Daniel didn't say anything, and his trusty hand cannon appeared in his hand.
"Henceforth, thy artifacts will have no effect against us!" The Leader quickly spoke in a hurry.
Bang!
Daniel fired at the leader, and the bullet clashed against the magic shield of the leader before getting deflected.
Clank!
"That… The Word of Power!?" Pride uttered, recognizing the spell that the leader used against Daniel.
Daniel looked at the magic shield once again. The shield was clearly the anti-projectile shield spell; no wonder the power behind his bullet was completely negated. If all of the magic factors were ineffective due to the 'Word of Power,' then the factors about physics would be rendered completely useless against that shield.
Then a sense of danger struck him. He quickly ducked down and then jumped with an evasion maneuver that was only possible for a gymnast. His body bent at a great angle to avoid the strike from both of the Enforcers attacking him simultaneously from different angles.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he quickly retreated out of the encirclement, but the two quickly followed him like shadows.
Daniel quickly struck one of them with his feet, sending one of them flying and crashing against the nearby bamboo, while another tried to shove his hand into Daniel's chest, but Daniel quickly bent his body, causing his soft armor shirt to be cut.
Daniel quickly caught the arm of the second one and threw him to the ground.
Boom!
The power of the throw stunned the Enforcer who attacked him before Daniel used his leg to stomp on the armpit of the fallen Enforcer and pulled his arm up.
Crack!
"Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggghhhhh!!" The Enforcer cried out in agony as his shoulder dislocated.
Daniel had managed to neutralize one of the three Enforcers.
"Your instinct is quite sharp, and your physical fitness is top-
notch, beyond normal humans, even when your magic is being restricted. You'd be a very good battle mage if you were not to break the iron law of the Hightower… pity." The leader said with a pitying tone.
The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr𝒆e(w)𝒆bnovel