The investigation led by Archmage Edgar was not going smoothly.

As a high-level mage, he was not a necromancy textbook, and he couldn’t instantly recognize the subtle differences in plague magic across various branches and individual casting styles of different mages. For an entire day, Archmage Edgar, with the flesh remnants collected from the scene, visited every high-level plague mage he knew, and not a single one claimed responsibility...

Moreover, not one offered any leads on whose magic fluctuations those might resemble.

After a day of fruitless running around, Archmage Edgar had no choice but to report back. The task had been assigned by a rotating member of the necromancy school’s review committee. Upon hearing Edgar’s plight and his request for authorization to investigate mage towers beyond the local area, the committee member grimly smiled and sighed:

"Beyond local? How far beyond? ...100 kilometers? 200 kilometers? How many necromancy school mage towers are within that radius, and how much time do you plan to spend investigating? How will you conduct the investigation? Question them one by one? Or search their premises?"

"This…"

Archmage Edgar was at a loss for words. His strengths lay in research and teaching, hence his previous involvement in the council’s elite classes. However, investigation and detective work were not his forte...

In past adventures, whenever investigative needs arose, he relied on teammates, questioning the undead, or simply overpowering obstacles. Now tasked with conducting an investigation in Nevis City without causing too much disruption, and having exhausted all tracking magic without finding the person, he was at a loss.

"Never mind, the Emergency Management Department is also on it. ...Go there, help them hold the fort. Suppress any rumors that need suppressing."

Archmage Edgar couldn’t have been more relieved by this suggestion and headed straight for the Emergency Management Department. These past few days, the department had been upheaved by the epidemic, managing quarantine zones, transporting patients, conducting city-wide searches, and overseeing the entire hospital’s logistical needs—though, they promptly delegated the last of these tasks to the city hall. Even so, the department was overwhelmingly busy.

What was most exasperating was that after a day’s hard work, they had to disinfect everything—people, horses, vehicles—not missing a spot!

The entire Emergency Management Department was filled with complaints. Upon receiving confirmation from the review committee that the epidemic had been artificially induced, their animosity towards the culprit grew intense. The department head, Johnny Colin, upon being authorized, immediately delegated hospital affairs to his subordinates and immersed himself in the manhunt.

The Emergency Management Department’s role was to maintain city order and manage unruly mages. With a wealth of experience in investigations and manhunts, Johnny Colin had a preliminary plan after listening to the archmage. He arranged for his subordinates to gather information and, along with Archmage Edgar, visited the water supply company and the owner of the 12 buildings, Viscount Calrend.

Viscount Calrend was seething when they met. After observing noble etiquettes with refreshments, he immediately voiced his grievances:

"Minister Colin, during your tenure, has my Calrend family ever wronged you? Why are you treating me this way? It’s one thing to treat the sick, but why quarantine the entire block? If word gets out, and people think my buildings are haunted, will I ever be able to rent them out again?"

"Viscount, I’m afraid these 12 buildings of yours can’t be rented out for the time being." Johnny Colin calmly lifted his teacup. The tea in the cup was still, without a ripple:

"After assessment, the water supply of these buildings has been completely contaminated by plague seeds, posing a risk of infection to the residents at any moment. We do not recommend the continuation of renting out these buildings until a thorough cleaning of the water source and supply pipes, as well as the entire building, has been conducted."

"You…" Viscount Calrend wanted to accuse him of lying but facing the real power of the Emergency Management Department’s chief officer and the high-level mage at his side, he swallowed his words, instead demanding:

"You need evidence for such claims!"

"The contamination of the pipes and water source has been confirmed by the review committee." Colin maintained a calm demeanor:

"Of course, as a noble, you have the right to request verification. We can arrange for the verification team, or you may invite a trusted mage to supervise."

His too calm and confident tone made Viscount Calrend hesitant to argue further. After thinking it over, he asked:

"What extent of cleaning is required?"

"Two options," Colin confidently outlined. "First, you find a Spring Temple—or any mage tower—to use magic or divine power to eliminate the plague seeds. If it passes our inspection afterward, the water supply can be resumed."

Viscount Calrend gasped. Finding a temple or mage tower might sound simple, but

cleaning from the water source to the building with numerous spells—how much would that cost?

"And the other option?"

Minister Colin straightforwardly presented Garrett’s plan, causing Viscount Calrend’s face to fall mid-explanation. He listened with difficulty, then slammed the table:

"You might as well have me demolish the buildings!"

...In fact, demolition might indeed be more efficient...

Minister Colin silently criticized. He didn’t argue, instead staring intently at Viscount Calrend with sharp, unwavering eyes. The Viscount felt somewhat deflated under his gaze and, considering his losses, had no choice but to continue arguing:

"How much would it cost to deal with all 12 buildings, their pipelines, and the water source? The council won’t cover this?"

"Of course not."

"So I’m just supposed to accept my bad luck?" Viscount Calrend’s anger rose again, but before he could slam the table anew, Minister Colin’s face broke into a rare smile:

"Of course not."

"Our preliminary investigation suggests that the contamination of your water company was due to someone cursing animals near the water source." Archmage Edgar, who had been silent, spoke up coldly:

"Viscount, don’t you want to know who committed this despicable act and recover your losses from them?"

"...How can I catch him?"

"The council has specialists for this." Minister Colin smiled:

"But we need your cooperation. Viscount, have you taken anyone to the water source or nearby forests in the past two weeks? If not, could we question the guards overseeing the water source to see if they’ve noticed any suspicious individuals?"

"...Well, my family has a villa there. In the past two weeks, we’ve held two parties, and many people went hunting in the forest..."

"That’s even more dangerous." Archmage Edgar sighed. "You might not be aware, but if people consume animals cursed, they could end up like those patients in the hospital—or worse. The person who cast the curse doesn’t care about your lives; why should you care about theirs?"

Fuming, Viscount Calrend voluntarily provided a list of visitors. Not only that, but he also had his steward accompany the Emergency Management Department personnel to inquire with each visiting noble family. The guards overseeing the water source were not overlooked either...

Meanwhile, subordinates dispatched by Minister Colin also obtained another list from the city’s public water source guards.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay