182: Chapter 0182 Arrest

Li Size had already heard the sound and hurried out to meet him. Payne clapped him on the shoulder without saying a word.

Though the gesture was steady, it carried an undisguised weariness.

"Kid," he began, his voice rougher than usual, "I have two things this time; one is about the profit distribution for the little sorcerer donkey, and the other is to bring you something."

The two walked into the office one after the other. Payne sat down on the leather sofa and accepted a cup of hot tea handed to him by Li Size. The rising steam briefly blurred the lines around his eyes.

He skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point:

"The Police Department and Police Departments across the provinces have discussed your proposal and agreed to a six-four split, but with an added condition: one-tenth of the profit must be handed directly to the Duchy's Police Headquarters. The local authorities are unwilling to bear this extra expense, so it must be deducted from your share. Ultimately, you get four-tenths, we get six-tenths, and one-tenth of that six-tenths belongs to Headquarters."

Li Size frowned slightly, unconsciously tapping his fingertips on the wooden desktop.

He quickly calculated in his mind: Although it was one-tenth less profit than initially expected, gaining official support from the Police Headquarters was undoubtedly a worthwhile investment in the long run.

He looked up and said sincerely, "I accept this arrangement, Father-in-law. However, I hope the Police Department can provide us with reasonable corresponding support in terms of resources and authority in the future, such as permits for operations in certain special situations. Furthermore, I hope this four-tenths can first be settled using the Materials I need."

Payne nodded, a slight smile appearing at the corner of his mouth: "You can rest assured about this; I will formally request it from Headquarters. Moreover, the Materials from Magic Monsters hunted by Patrol Officers everywhere are piling up, and selling them has always been a problem. Your suggestion is exactly what they need! Haha!"

As soon as the profit distribution matter was settled, Payne took out two talismans from the black briefcase he was carrying.

They were pitch black and cold to the touch, inscribed with earth-yellow 'Stone' runes on their surface, the edges faintly shimmering with an imperceptible halo, heavy and deep like the earth itself.

He handed the talismans to Li Size and Gelia, who had just arrived at the door.

"These are the 'Stone Talismans,'" he said slowly, "they can withstand three full-strength attacks from a Second-Level Wizard. I had an old friend specially make them for you."

His gaze lingered for a moment between Li Size and Gelia, and his voice lowered slightly: "It hasn't been peaceful around you lately... I worry about you."

Gelia gently accepted the talisman, a flicker of emotion crossing her ice-blue eyes. She traced the raised lines of the rune with her fingertip and murmured, "Thank you, Father."

Li Size also grasped the talisman in his hand, immediately feeling a warm, firm energy spreading up from his palm. He nodded solemnly: "Thank you for going to the trouble, Father-in-law."

The day before Isabella arrived...

Lina brought Li Size to the 'Black Iron Tavern' in Graystone Town on the border of Monte Province.

Members of the Miners Brotherhood responsible for the smuggling route, disguised as a passing merchant caravan, would have Isabella stay here for one night.

Lina's ivory skin had a healthy, tanned sheen, and the cuffs of her black tight-fitting jeans were rolled up, revealing Martin boots dusted with mining soil. A revolver Li Size had made for her was tucked at her waist, and she held a roll of worn sheepskin parchment map, pointing to Isabella's room location as she respectfully said:

"Great Master, there is a ventilation grille in Room 201 on the second floor of the tavern. I will arrange for two brothers to be outside the ventilation grille, injecting the 'Sleeping Vine Extract' through the hidden slot. At low concentrations, this potion smells sweet like fermented ale, and it can put targets below the level of a Formal Wizard into a deep sleep for two hours without side effects."

Li Size ran his fingertip across the map, the dim light of the magic chandelier casting flickering spots on the paper: "The dosage must be precise; Isabella cannot detect it beforehand. Also, how is the preparation going with that witch Selena, assigned by Sven from the Internal Affairs Department and skilled in disguise?"

Lina replied:

"Selena is already calibrating the 'Mimic Skin' potion and familiarizing herself with Isabella's daily intonation and habits, ensuring her appearance, aura, and voice are consistent with Isabella's, so she won't be easily recognized. Furthermore, according to our investigation, Isabella's accompanying personnel this time do not include anyone very familiar with her."

One day later, Isabella was arranged by Wiseman to be sent to Feiting as planned. That night, the men from the Miners Brotherhood injected the Sleeping Vine Extract into the hidden slot...

A faint sweetness drifted from the ventilation grille into Isabella's room, and she soon fell into a deep sleep. Her golden-brown curls were scattered on the pillow, her amber eyes tightly closed, and the silver iris pattern on her nightgown faintly glowed under the moonlight.

Li Size condensed a pale blue 'Lockpicking Technique' rune on his fingertip and gently touched the lock cylinder of the door. With a soft 'click,' he pushed the door open...

Immediately afterward, he cast 'Light Body Technique' and 'Feather Fall Spell' consecutively on himself. Then, he carefully picked up Isabella, quietly jumped out of the second-floor window, and floated down to the end of the street behind the tavern, where a witch box from the Internal Affairs Department was waiting.

At that moment, Selena, the Internal Affairs Department witch who originally had short silver-gray hair, dark green eyes, and wore a dark purple wizard robe, was standing in the center of the room.

She traced her cheek with her fingertip, applying the 'Mimic Skin' potion to her face. The silver-gray short hair rapidly grew longer and curled into golden-brown, her dark green eyes shifted to amber, and even the curve of her eye corners perfectly matched Isabella's.

She silently recited the 'Vocal Mimicry' spell, and her voice changed from its original cool tone to Isabella's soft, sweet inflection.

Finally, she put on that light purple crystal hairpin, and the scent of Isabella's characteristic lavender essential oil filled the air.

After the replacement was complete, the 'Isabella' was put into the carriage heading to Feiting, beginning her journey of disguise...

The night was like ink. Li Size, holding Isabella, slipped into the Internal Affairs Department's witch box.

It was a black witch box carved with mysterious runes, filled with the faint scent of lavender essential oil, blending perfectly with the aroma from Isabella's hairpin.

The witch box emitted a slight hum as it activated, and soon they appeared at the entrance of a hidden underground base outside Gele City.

The base entrance was hidden at the roots of an ancient thousand-year-old oak tree.

Li Size traced the dark patterns on the tree trunk, activating the 'Camouflage' rune. The oak bark slowly split open, revealing stone steps leading downward. The walls flanking the steps were inlaid with pale blue luminous magic stones, illuminating the damp stone surface, and the crisp scent of magic disinfectant filled the air.

Sven was already waiting in the base's conference room. He wore a black uniform embroidered with a silver badge; the gold stars on his epaulets glittered under the dim light of the magic chandelier, and a look of anticipation was on his refined and elegant face.