Chapter 553 - 542: Traitor (2)
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
A guard knocked on the door and asked, "Mage Li Wei, are you asleep?"
Li Wei looked toward the door. He knew why Niezha was here and understood he couldn’t avoid this.
Not that he had any intention of hiding. After all, he hadn’t done it.
Li Wei responded, "Yes? Is something the matter? It’s so late, I was about to go to sleep."
The guard said, "Commander Niezha wishes to see you."
Li Wei waited a moment before saying, "Then please show the Commander in."
The guard opened the door, and after Niezha stepped into the room, he closed it and walked a short distance away to avoid any suspicion.
Li Wei sat up, looked at Niezha, and feigned ignorance. "What can I do for you so late, Commander?"
Niezha glanced around the room, a look of surprise on his face.
"What about your companion? Where did she go?" Niezha asked warily.
Someone had vanished from the room without a sound, and the guards outside hadn’t noticed a thing.
This forced him to be on high alert, and his imagination began to run wild.
Li Wei said, "Does this have anything to do with you, Commander?"
Niezha replied, "A person has vanished into thin air for no reason. I must ensure the safety of the Green Tree Territory, so please answer my question."
"Oh, is that so? She just went to her own space to sleep," Li Wei said.
Niezha frowned, not quite understanding what Li Wei meant.
Li Wei made a gesture and explained, "She has a portable spatial bubble. She prefers to sleep inside it."
Niezha was skeptical.
He said, "Then please have her come out."
Li Wei waved his hand dismissively. "That’s impossible right now. She can only come out when she wakes up on her own."
"It’s definitely not happening tonight."
Li Wei couldn’t be bothered to explain any further.
And he certainly didn’t want to reveal the Magic Cottage to him.
Niezha stared at Li Wei for a while. Seeing Li Wei’s fearless demeanor, he didn’t press the matter.
He asked, "Have you been in this room all evening?"
Li Wei nodded. "Yes, I’ve been here the whole time. Aren’t your guards well aware of that?"
"Commander, stop trying to sound me out. You’re just looking for the arsonist."
"You’ve got the wrong person. I didn’t set the fire. And it wasn’t a human, either."
Niezha stared at Li Wei. "What do you know?"
"Are you implying our own Elf Race People started the fire? What a joke!"
Niezha’s tone was tinged with anger.
This was a slander against the Elf Race.
Elves would never harm nature.
And they certainly would never set fire to a mountain.
Li Wei let out a soft laugh and didn’t argue with him.
Just moments ago, Li Wei’s Spiritual Perception had enveloped the entire Green Tree Territory.
He had seen, with perfect clarity, an Elf Race Person walking out from the site of the fire.
From beginning to end, not a single human figure had appeared.
This whole thing was a charade put on by the Elf Race People themselves, and someone was trying to pin the blame on humans.
The torch was indeed of human make.
But the one who started the fire wasn’t necessarily human.
Seeing the smile on Li Wei’s face, Niezha’s expression turned grim.
’This human is far too arrogant! He’s not taking me seriously at all.’
’He has absolutely no respect for me.’
’Damn it!’
’Arrogant human!’
Niezha stormed out of the room, flinging a threat over his shoulder. "If you did this, I will find proof of your guilt."
Li Wei watched him go.
"Take care. I won’t see you out."
After leaving, Niezha thought for a moment and then headed for the Green Tree Lord’s Hall.
That enormous baobab tree, home to the hall, radiated light from within even at night, as if it were perpetually daytime inside.
Niezha went to find Green Tree Lord Delvin to report on the matter concerning Li Wei.
He also mentioned Saint Xi’s disappearance.
"My Lord, we cannot allow this human and Beastman of unknown origin to remain in our territory. Sooner or later, they will cause destruction," Niezha urged.
He had always been prejudiced against humans.
He believed humans did nothing but destroy nature, that they were a walking disaster.
Lord Delvin said, "Niezha, don’t overthink this. I will handle the matter of those two. You need not concern yourself with it."
"Have there been any leads on the fire that suddenly broke out tonight?" Delvin asked.
Niezha shook his head. "None."
"That human said he didn’t do it. He even claimed it wasn’t done by a human... Ridiculous. A human-made torch was found at the scene. If a human didn’t start the fire, are you telling me one of our own Elves did?"
Niezha criticized Li Wei without reservation.
Upon hearing this, however, Delvin revealed a thoughtful expression.
He knew that Li Wei’s power was unfathomable.
’Perhaps Li Wei really does know something.’
Delvin said, "Alright, I understand. You may leave."
"Yes, my Lord."
Niezha gave a salute and turned to exit the Lord’s Hall.
Back in his room, Li Wei scratched his head and muttered, "How strange... how did I get blamed for this fire...?"
"No, I absolutely can’t take the fall for this."
Li Wei had no desire to be a scapegoat, much less have that Niezha fellow investigating him relentlessly.
With a flicker of thought, he cast the Illusion Technique, and a small bird flew out the window.
The guard stood his post diligently, not sparing a single glance for the small bird that flew past.
Li Wei controlled the bird—an Illusory Body—and flew it toward a corner of the Green Tree Territory.
In his earlier perception, the Elf Race Person who had walked out of the fire had eventually entered a large tree-building on the edge of the Green Tree Territory.
With all the Elf Guards busy searching for traces of humans, no one had discovered that the real arsonist was right here.
Even when guards passed by, they would at most knock on the door and ask if any humans had been seen passing through.
They never suspected a thing.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
The small bird flew onto a branch, perching on a thin twig near the treehouse, its remarkably human-like eyes staring at the window.
Through the window, Li Wei saw the scene inside.
The arsonist had no sense of caution whatsoever.
He had just finished dealing with a passing Elf Guard.
Thinking he was in the clear, he sat down to drink some fruit wine and calm his excited nerves.
Li Wei’s controlled bird watched him quietly from outside the window.
After a while, the passing Elf Guards outside also disappeared.
The male Elf inside took a blue crystal from his pocket.
Li Wei recognized it at a glance—it was a Communication Crystal.
The male Elf spoke into the Communication Crystal in the human tongue, "It’s done. You can come get the people in two days."
"They won’t be able to find anyone and will just assume they went missing in the fire."
A human voice came from the Communication Crystal. "How many this time?"
"Three."
"Good. See you at the old spot in two days, at dusk."
The brief conversation ended.
The male Elf carefully put the Communication Crystal away.
Sitting in his room and controlling the bird, Li Wei’s eyes narrowed slightly.
’It seems I’ve stumbled upon something big.’
A few related theories began to form in Li Wei’s mind.
He controlled the bird, making it fly into the male Elf’s home.
Hearing the sound of wings beating the air, the male Elf turned to look at the bird that had flown into his room.
He grabbed something nearby and waved it through the air, shouting, "Get out! This is no place for you."
The bird was exceptionally agile, flitting about the room.
The male Elf was left panting for breath but still couldn’t drive the bird out.
Seeing this, he turned and left the room.
As he opened the door to leave, Li Wei caught a glimpse of figures lying on the floor in another room.
Flying to the door, the bird transformed into an insect and crawled through the crack underneath.
Li Wei saw three Elf Race People lying on the floor, unconscious.
The culprit himself was lying in bed, preparing to sleep.
The perpetrator and the proof of his crime were all in one place.
Next, Li Wei lured the Elf Guards to the treehouse where the missing Elf Race People were being held.
When the arsonist was discovered, he tried to escape.
His escape attempt failed, and he was surrounded by the Elf Guards and apprehended.
When Niezha saw that the arsonist was indeed one of the Elf Race People, his mind went blank, buzzing in disbelief.
"A human’s Communication Crystal was also found on him."