2: Chapter 0002 Police Station

Next, he had to give a statement. These jumbled memories were like being covered in fog, impossible to grasp.

He worried that he wouldn't withstand the police interrogation and might reveal the flaw of his Transmigration.

Could the [Pay-to-Win Ability] work now, just like the [Mo Zhe] chip from his previous life that could enhance memory and transmit information?

Li Size touched the old wound on the back of his neck, his heart filled with apprehension.

[Consume 2 Energy Points to Analyze Remnant Soul Memory.]

A message appeared in his mind, but Li Size currently had no Energy Points.

[Detected Host possesses 6 Silver and 67 Copper, convertible to 3 Energy Points.]

It takes 2 Silver to convert just 1 Energy Point. This truly lives up to the name Pay-to-Win!

Considering he needed to save some living expenses, Li Size converted 2 Energy Points. The silver coins on his person quietly vanished, 4 of them.

Then, he consumed 2 Energy Points to Analyze the Remnant Soul Memory...

Those hazy, chaotic memories slowly began to surface in Li Size's mind as if becoming his own.

The deceased youth was 19 years old (it had to be, as he needed to be an adult to change things), also named Li Size. He was the son of the blacksmith owner in West Town and was in the seventh grade at the Town's Junior Academy.

Establishing Junior Academies in every town was a fundamental national policy of the Crimson Soul Duchy. Children could enroll at age 7, with the aim of cultivating sorcery talent. The maximum duration of study was 9 years.

If one's Mental Energy reached 3.0 (the average for ordinary people was only 1.0) within 9 years, they could participate in the annual National Apprentice Qualification Examination.

Based on the Mental Energy score and the Sorcery Theory examination results, candidates could test into the nation's Higher Academies.

If Mental Energy failed to reach 3.0, one was almost certainly cut off from becoming a Wizard. However, understanding more Sorcery knowledge would undoubtedly make future life easier.

There were examples of ordinary people with excellent Sorcery Theory scores becoming capable assistants to Wizards.

Thinking of Mental Energy, he recalled the ethereal panel that appeared in Li Size's consciousness after the Pay-to-Win Ability was successfully activated.

It displayed his basic situation:

Li Size (Ordinary Person) | Strength: 1.8 | Agility: 2.3 | Constitution: 1.4 | Spirit: 1.7

Knight Breathing Technique | Beginner | 77 / 100

Note: A cultivation method capable of slowly increasing physical fitness.

Basic Swordsmanship | Beginner | 67 / 100

Note: The most fundamental skill for wielding a sword.

This was his current basic status.

The normal score for an adult on Blue Star was 1. The physical fitness in this world was far superior to Blue Star.

If nothing unexpected happened, the original Li Size was not qualified to be a Wizard.

However, with the Pay-to-Win Ability, every 100 Energy Points could increase an attribute value by 0.1 points. As the primary attribute for Wizards, Spirit required 200 Energy Points to increase by 0.1.

As long as he earned enough gold coins, his attributes could soar!

This made Li Size ecstatic, as if he could feel himself quickly becoming a top powerhouse in this world!

But the Pay-to-Win Ability automatically provided an explanation:

As attributes increase, the Energy Points required for adding points will increase dramatically!

Li Size pouted, inwardly complaining about how much of a rip-off this was.

Damn it, this ability is too predatory!

Li Size slapped his thigh and couldn't help but curse out loud.

After the Pay-to-Win Ability analyzed and organized the predecessor's memories, Li Size basically understood them, but more questions arose...

In the memories, the predecessor was a low-key, timid youth whose acquaintances were only classmates, tutors, relatives, and neighbors. How could he have been murdered?

Li Size scratched his head, becoming more confused the more he thought about it.

Could it be a perverted killer who murdered for pleasure?

Li Size immediately shook his head and denied it:

The attacker was a Ghost. Someone who could control a Ghost must either be a Wizard Apprentice or possess a precious sorcery item. How could a perverted killer have such capability?

In the memories, only the Police Station and the Academy in Gray Mist Mountain Town had Wizard Apprentices, right?

Li Size recalled the watchtower at the town entrance embedded with a sorcery crystal, feeling even more certain.

I don't know any high-ranking officials at the Police Station, and the Patrol Officers saved me, so it definitely wasn't them.

The most likely answer is:

The murderer came from the Academy!

Li Size clenched his fist, his gaze sharpening.

This also explained why the murderer attacked with a Ghost without showing his face.

It wasn't just caution; he was afraid of being identified by the police's Corpse Questioning Sorcery!

Li Size slapped the table, suddenly understanding.

There were over a dozen tutors in the Academy, all of whom were either Intermediate or Junior Wizard Apprentices. He knew more than half of them.

But who exactly was it, and what was the motive?

Li Size frowned, cold sweat breaking out on his back.

If he couldn't solve this problem, Li Size could face a second murder attempt at any moment!

He quickly sat up straight, his heart pounding fiercely.

In the police office within the Gray Mist Mountain Town Police Station of Gele City, the rune papers hanging on the wall fluttered slightly, and the air was filled with the faint smell of sorcery potions.

According to procedure, a Ghost attack incident should be reported to someone with the Rank of Deputy Director or above. However, out of professional habit, Perisman did not fully trust Li Size.

There were always a few people who filed false reports every year. He stared into Li Size's eyes, his face full of suspicion.

Tifflin retrieved a dark pill from the logistics room and tossed it to Li Size:

"Exorcism Medicine, 5 Silver Coins! Pay within 10 days. Take it with alcohol."

Li Size took the pill and sniffed it. A scent of herbs mixed with rune energy rushed straight into his nostrils.

Immediately, a wail of "Uh, Ah" seemed to echo in the void, and a puff of black smoke emerged from Li Size's body.

He quickly covered his nose; the smoke smelled acrid, like burning hair.

[Absorbing unknown wave band, Mental Energy leaps, Mental Energy + 0.1]

Li Size was overjoyed. At the same time, the three officers, seeing the black smoke rising from him, finally believed him.

Perisman explained:

"The Exorcism Medicine can dispel the residual negative energy on you. Otherwise, you might fall seriously ill or even encounter other strange occurrences."

Li Size nodded and tossed the remaining pill residue aside.

Since the Ghost attack was confirmed as real, it had to be reported.

Under Li Size's gaze, Perisman activated the communication device.

This was a Level 0 communication node, usable for real-time calls within the small town, and it was quite expensive: an installation fee of 10 Silver and a monthly fee of 1 Silver. It wasn't something ordinary people could afford.

The runes on the device flickered with a light blue glow. Li Size stared at it for a while, and knowledge and memories about communication nodes surfaced in his mind.

Above Level 0, higher-level communication nodes could cover wider areas. Legend had it that great nobles possessed flying message nodes capable of nationwide communication, which ordinary people might never see in their lifetime.

Half an hour later, a slender young female police officer kicked open the office door with a 'dong,' her black high heels adorned with rune patterns. The doorframe shook slightly.

Her skin was as white as freshly polished sorcery crystal. Even though her hair was messy, it couldn't hide her exquisite features. Below her high nose bridge, her lips were pressed into a straight line:

"Who the hell released a Ghost in the middle of the night? I was sleeping!"

Gelia, the Deputy Director of the Gray Mist Mountain Police Station, was an Intermediate Wizard Apprentice and the famous 'Flower of the Police Station' in Gray Mist Mountain.

Her waist was slender yet held up the crisp police uniform perfectly, and her shoulders were as sharp as the rune dagger in her hand.

She was so tall that even the burly male officers in her squad had to look up to talk to her. Her beauty was such that even the flower shop owner in town was willing to give her two extra magic roses.

She had a fiery temper. The force she used to kick the door just now made even the strong men in the patrol team gasp. She remained single to this day.

In the memories, 'he' had even fantasized about her. Seeing her in person now, she was even more beautiful than the rumors suggested.

Li Size quickly lowered his head, not daring to look any further.

She was clearly in a bad mood. With cold eyebrows furrowed, she asked Li Size:

"Name, age, basic personal information..."

Li Size answered honestly, but this information clearly couldn't help the police. The more Gelia asked, the more confused she became. She tapped the table:

"So, little fellow, you don't even know why you were attacked? Think again. Have you offended anyone recently? Or seen any strangers?"

Li Size sifted through the memories. The original 'he' hadn't offended anyone; at most, there were minor conflicts and friction among classmates.

The person he disliked the most was Little George—this hatred stemmed from their fathers or even grandfathers. Little George's father was the owner of the East Town Blacksmith Shop.

Li Size bit his lip and recounted this information.

But this hardly warranted murder, and besides, the blacksmith owner didn't seem to have the means to hire a Wizard Apprentice, did he?

Li Size shook his head, thinking it unlikely.

As for the Sorcery Pharmacy Tutor Snape, who had transferred to the Academy just over a year ago...

That tutor was always wrapped in a black robe washed until pale but spotless. His hood was pulled down extremely low, revealing only a pointed, pale chin and a hooked nose. His gaze was as cold as ice.

His Laboratory always reeked of a pungent odor mixed with a strange sweetness. The door curtain hung low year-round, occasionally allowing the faint sound of bursting test tubes or low chanting to escape. No one dared approach while he was working.

It was rumored that he could concoct a nerve-paralyzing poison using just a withered leaf, and the fluctuations of his Mental Energy could even cause the surrounding candlelight to twist unnaturally.

Some students had seen him use his own blood for experiments; the liquid in the test tube suddenly transformed into black vines that clung to the glass walls.

Li Size recalled how the original owner always walked around his Laboratory when passing by, sending shivers down his spine.

Although he was only an Intermediate Wizard Apprentice, the sorcery fluctuations he released were suffocating. No one dared to guess what he was thinking, much less suggest that he absolutely would not do anything extreme.

And today, when he went to the plaza to watch the sorcery performance, all the performers were unfamiliar outsiders. Could it be them?

It didn't quite add up, but he couldn't completely rule it out.

The props held by those performers all flashed with rune light. Who knew if they were truly just performing?

As for the Academy tutors he had guessed earlier, he had encountered several of them at the plaza today:

Snape, Court, Felina, Mary... Seven or eight tutors went to watch the performance together.

Could one of them be the culprit?

Li Size clenched his fist, feeling uneasy.

Li Size stated his guesses:

"Right now, it seems the murderer is most likely one of the visiting sorcery performers or an Academy tutor."

Gelia frowned, tapping her fingers on the table: 'But the motives don't fit? Boy, did you do something bad to provoke someone?

If so, speak up quickly. Don't wait until you're dead in a few days with no chance to talk.'

Li Size frowned and spread his hands: 'I really didn't! Except for today, I haven't left school much recently.'

Perisman stroked his chin, staring at the Exorcism Talisman on the wall and guessing: 'Could it be that he encountered a pervert who purely enjoys doing things like this?'

Gelia rolled her eyes: 'Where are there so many perverts!'

After asking around, none of them found any useful clues, but the whole affair seemed strange no matter how they looked at it.

Attacking someone with a Ghost for no reason—Gelia and the others felt there must be a secret hidden behind it.

Gelia leaned forward and asked: 'Perhaps it's to hide a secret? Think again. Has anything strange happened recently, or did you accidentally see someone else's secret?'

Based on her professional experience, she said that murders committed to protect secrets were very common.

Li Size felt a flash of inspiration upon hearing this, but he couldn't quite grasp it.

This possibility was very high. It seemed he needed to thoroughly sort through those memories and find the murderer quickly, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to live peacefully.