Mage Manual
Chapter 412 - 342 The Mist Disappeared_3

Chapter 412: Chapter 342 The Mist Disappeared_3

Decades ago, the Time Discrepancy Office firmly held a spot in the top five, but in recent years, falling to tenth place, enough to reflect the rapid evolution of the Gospel.

However, before the Time Discrepancy Office was completely eliminated, every service they provided meant an unexpected blow was imminent for a group of people.

"Confirm the mission target," Cleos picked up the walkie-talkie and said, "Ash Heath, regardless of who captures him, the credit will be divided at seventy-thirty, seventy percent for me."

"Then there are Hanna Doran and Banjee Doran. Although they still have no criminal records, they are close to Ash. It’s possible they will appear as criminals in the upcoming Weaving Festival. Tomorrow is the day the second list is published, and we plan to detain them for 48 hours under the guise of aiding the investigation. That way, any slight movements will allow us to arrest them immediately."

"This isn’t what we agreed on!" yelled a staff member from the floating car, "Ash goes to the Red Hat; Hanna goes to the office!"

"After the second list comes out, if Nabistin doesn’t issue a bounty for Hanna and Banjee, I’ll release them. Then you offices can deal with your disputes."

The staff member grumbled something, but ultimately did not have the courage to confront the Red Hat.

When Cleos turned off the walkie-talkie, ’Sniper Red Hat’ Lait glanced at her, "Are you trying to protect the Purple Moth?"

"My target is Ash Heath," Cleos replied, "Not Hanna."

"But she can create turmoil that affects the Weaving Festival. What if—"

"Isn’t that better?"

Cleos sniffed and laughed, "Capturing Ash alone would make me the prime Red Hat, but unfortunately, your involvement cuts into that...I just need another Ash, and then I’ll be the top Red Hat for the next fifty years!"

"The world is going to end, and you still care about rankings?"

Cleos paused and said, "But...I am a Red Hat...I definitely care about my ranking."

Lait was silent for a moment then waved his hand, "Forget what I just said...but keeping Hanna safe won’t be easy."

"Hanna is still a lawful citizen; who would dare hurt her?"

"The one in the car behind us," Lait said quietly, "Don’t forget who dispelled the dense fog that had enveloped Vatican Mura for centuries. Nabistin’s secret guard is a judicial disaster that not even the Gospel Book can restrain."

Through the rearview mirror, Cleos could see the figure in the next car: an armored guard. Dressed in a fully covered Black Knight outfit, not an inch of skin was exposed, eyes hidden behind a visor.

It sat in the back seat like an ancient tombstone.

Ever since gun technique became the dominant faction, armor was naturally relegated to the scrapheap of history, with hardly any Mages still wearing such heavy armor unless rooted in stubborn ancient traditions.

And the Secret Guard are indeed bearers of centuries-old traditions. They are the most loyal shields and sharpest blades of the Yisu royalty, and from the day they first appeared, they walked in the Kingdom of Gospel in the guise of dark guardians; no one knows who they are, or even if they are human—considering their traits of not eating, drinking, excreting, or engaging in entertainment, many Mages think the Secret Guards are merely animated armors.

Yet these walking armors represent the supreme authority of the Yisu royalty.

Not just in position, they could directly mobilize royal resources for any purpose—like dispelling the great fog over Vatican Mura.

Neither the office nor the Red Hats had the capability to dispel the fog.

Just a few days ago, Lait and Cleos were waiting outside Vatican Mura, hoping Ash and the others would leave voluntarily. That’s when the Secret Guard approached them, claiming it would dispel the fog and assist in capturing Ash Heath.

Clearing the city’s fog instantly without harming the city wasn’t just any miracle, it could only be a Wonder bestowed by the Gospel.

Indeed, it was. Once the Red Hats and the office were ready, the Secret Guard summoned the Gospel Book, performed a procedure, and the white fog over Vatican Mura vanished.

Cleos couldn’t imagine how many Gospel Points this Wonder consumed, maybe even her lifetime savings wouldn’t cover it, but she would never be so wasteful.

The points that a Holy Sanctuary Mage might not earn in a lifetime were used so easily on a city environmental project; only the wealthy and extravagant royalty could afford such splendor.

Cleos initially thought the Secret Guard was there on behalf of Yisu royalty to capture Ash and Hanna, yet the Secret Guard shook its head, indicating it would not interfere with the capture operation.

It had another task.

"To be honest, the Secret Guard really helped a lot," Cleos said, "Clearing the fog not only paralyzed all of Vatican Mura but also, with Senheiser’s Clan Leader probably still in the dreamscape at this moment and no fog as a medium, she can’t return from the dreamscape. At least for an hour, we only need to deal with a Senheiser that even lacks a Commander."

"As payback to the Secret Guard, we’ll make as much noise as possible, diverting all of Vatican Mura’s attention to us. That way..."

"The Secret Guard should also have an easier time locating its target."