Mist Empire’s Rise: Fake Noble to Fog Queen

His respectful demeanor made Luo Wei feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Had she criticized Troy too much, making him feel inferior?

Though he looked pitiful, Luo Wei still had to reprimand him: "I only asked you to follow him and see who he contacts. Why did you capture him?"

Wasn't this like startling the snake in the grass by striking rashly?

Troy lowered his head and explained: "I caught him because he was heading to the temple to deliver a message."

"The temple?" Luo Wei's expression grew serious. "Is he from the Church?"

"He's Prince Alfried's man," Troy took out a copper tube from his waist. "This was found on him."

Luo Wei took the tube and glanced around. "Let's discuss this inside."

The two walked into the courtyard and sat down in the garden.

Luo Wei pulled out the wooden plug and shook out a roll of linen cloth from the tube.

Unfolding it revealed dense records of dates, names, and daily events.

This person had been tracking Hol, Laura, and Theodore - their names filled the cloth.

From January 5th to January 20th, for a full half month, every move of these three had been under his surveillance.

Since returning to Siria, Hol came daily to teach Rosie black magic. The cloth recorded his arrival times and duration of each visit.

Laura and Theodore worked part-time at the Escore Dessert Shop daily, living in the staff dormitory behind the shop. The cloth detailed their work schedules and even what they ate for each meal.

Even Laura's mulberry tree cultivation and silkworm raising in the dormitory were recorded. Unable to identify what she was raising, he had speculated on the cloth that it was some kind of magical insect.

Worse still, based on the relationships between Laura, Theodore and Hol, he had deduced that the Star Luo Residence and Escore Dessert Shop shared the same owner.

"This person cannot be allowed to remain," Luo Wei said immediately.

Troy: "I'll go kill him!"

"Wait," Luo Wei stopped him. "He can't die yet. If he dies, Alfried will likely send someone else."

With one death, things wouldn't be so easy to settle.

And who knew if the replacement would be even more troublesome than the current spy?

"We still don't know Alfried's purpose. This person can't die yet."

Troy asked in confusion: "But didn't you just say he couldn't remain?"

"Not being able to remain doesn't necessarily mean killing him. We can also make him lose his ability to act," Luo Wei's eyes flashed with cunning.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Troy hesitated: "Should I cut off his limbs then?"

"No, Troy. We need to make him appear physically intact while actually being unable to do anything," Luo Wei said mysteriously.

Troy didn't understand her meaning. What did she mean by "appear intact"?

Luo Wei returned the tube and cloth to him: "Wash this cloth with water, put it back inside. Whatever he intended to deliver it to, throw it into that person's room."

With unclear information, the higher-ups would surely reply. Then she would know Alfried's purpose.

"Understood." Troy nodded.

Luo Wei ordered further: "Bring that fellow here and throw him in the cellar. I'll interrogate him personally later."

"Yes."

As Troy left to carry out her orders, Luo Wei called for Bella.

"Has Hol arrived?" she asked.

"Yes, Mr. Felix arrived even earlier than you. He's having lunch in the outer kitchen now," Bella replied.

These guests the mistress brought back were all bigger eaters than the last. That Mr. Felix looked so thin and weak, yet he could match the Swordsman in bread consumption. He would appear punctually in the kitchen at every mealtime.

Bella was deeply worried. Other housekeepers always had surplus in their accounts, but she spent every gold coin the mistress gave her.

A housekeeper who couldn't save money for their master wasn't a good housekeeper, but these people simply ate too much. She wanted to economize but simply couldn't!

Luo Wei had no idea of Bella's concerns. She simply instructed: "After Hol finishes eating, bring him to the cellar. Tell him I'm waiting below."

"Mistress, aren't you going to eat?"

"Hmm... I will, but not too much. I'm not very hungry."

After the meal, Bella went to fetch Hol while Luo Wei headed down to the cellar first.

Troy had already thrown the man into the cellar. The merchant with an ordinary face was tied up with his mouth stuffed full, making muffled sounds as he cast pleading looks their way.

Luo Wei gestured for Troy to remove the cloth from his mouth, then sat down: "Do you know why we brought you here?"

The man shook his head with tears and snot running: "Miss, sir, I really don't know. I'm just a small merchant!"

Luo Wei studied him with interest, leaning forward: "Because you look too ordinary. It's quite rare - I've never seen someone so utterly unremarkable."

The man's face stiffened, then he cried out loudly: "Miss, is looking ordinary a crime now?!"

"Looking ordinary isn't a crime, but a small merchant daring to talk back after being caught - now that's interesting," Luo Wei said, resting her chin on her hand. "You're not afraid of me. You want to shout and scream to attract people outside, don't you?"

The man's cries faltered. He smiled bitterly: "Miss, you've captured me here. Can't I even cry out in fear?"

"A real merchant would be so frightened they could barely speak coherently in this situation. Who would dare argue so boldly like you?"

"Miss, you're slandering me! You look down on us commoners, I really-"

"So noisy!" Luo Wei impatiently raised a finger. "Troy, gag him."

"Yes, Miss." Troy grabbed his hair and swiftly stuffed the cloth back in.

"Mmph..." The man sensed trouble and quickly nodded vigorously, seemingly willing to confess now.

Luo Wei looked down at him: "I hate people who beat around the bush when talking to me. You've lost your chance to speak."

The man's expression suddenly turned sharp as he struggled violently, his eyes conveying threats.

Luo Wei leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes to rest.

A while later, Hol came down.

"Miss Luo Wei," the youth's gaze quickly swept the cellar before looking innocently at her. "Did you need something from me?"

Luo Wei opened her eyes and tilted her head: "Yes, Hol. Can black magic turn someone into an idiot?"

Hol glanced at the man on the ground and said plainly: "It's possible, but I can't control the power well. I might turn him into a dead idiot."

"However, Miss Luo Wei, there are many types of black magic. I'm most skilled at nightmare spells, memory erasure, heart-piercing agony, and soul extraction."

Black magic spells were almost all extremely vicious and cruel. Those under the spells would often suffer unbearable pain, tormented both physically and mentally.

The man on the ground visibly paled, no longer looking as defiant as before.

Luo Wei considered: "Please help me erase his memories of these past two days. Are there any side effects?"

"It depends. Temporary erasure isn't much problem - he'll recover after some rest. But permanent erasure will cause frequent headaches afterwards," Hol answered honestly.

"Ah, how cruel. I really can't bear it," Luo Wei covered her eyes with her hand. "Well then, let's go with permanent erasure. Make it thorough. Since he has to suffer anyway, might as well make it severe."

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