The Mighty Mage
Chapter 154: Grandma’s Death

Chapter 154: Chapter 154: Grandma’s Death

Gu Jin decided to investigate further.

She knew that information could be power, and she couldn’t afford to be ignorant of any threats, especially if people with high magic potential were being targeted.

Just then she noticed a group of students, including some of Zhang Fu’s close acquaintances, gathered in hushed conversation near the entrance.

Gu Jin approached them and stood on one side as if she was playing with her phone.

One of the students, a tall boy named Cheng Wei, was speaking animatedly. "I still can’t believe it. Zhang Fu was perfectly fine, and then he just disappeared. One minute he was talking about his new spell and the next, he was gone."

A girl named Xue Lan nodded, her eyes wide with worry.

"The last time anyone saw him was near that remote construction area on the edge of the academy. It’s like he vanished into thin air."

Gu Jin perked up at this information, pretending to scroll through her phone while listening intently.

"Yeah," added another student, Lei Ming.

"He was there alone, practicing his spells. The construction area is usually deserted, so it’s the perfect place to train without distractions. But now, it seems like the perfect place to get kidnapped."

Gu Jin’s mind raced.

A deserted construction site would be an ideal spot for someone to abduct powerful students without being noticed.

So was it just a normal kidnapping case?

"Did anyone find anything unusual there?" Xue Lan asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Cheng Wei shook his head. "No, the place looked untouched. No signs of struggle, nothing. It’s like he was spirited away."

One of the girls in the group, Mei Ling, looked hesitant.

She bit her lip, glancing around nervously as if she was unsure whether to speak.

Cheng Wei noticed her hesitance and gently prodded,

"Mei Ling, do you have something to share? Anything you know could help us."

Mei Ling froze for a second, looking around to confirm she was safe. After taking a deep breath, she began to speak in a low voice.

"Well, Zhang Fu mentioned something strange a few times. He said he felt like something eerie was watching him. He couldn’t see anything, but he always felt scared for no reason."

Everyone listened intently, hanging on her every word.

"He tried to shrug it off at first, thinking it was just his imagination," Mei Ling continued,

"But it kept happening, especially when he was alone. He even said that he felt this presence the most when he was at the construction site, practicing his spells."

Gu Jin’s eyes narrowed.

This wasn’t an ordinary kidnapping case.

The human body is very sensitive to an unseen force. Until and unless Zhang Fu had instinct like her, he would never be able to anticipate a kidnapping. If even Zhang Wei was able to feel that unknown force then it could only mean that the unknown force was truly menacing...

If it wasn’t an ordinary kidnapping case, there was a possibility that someone was after genius mages.

Why did Gu Jin reach this conclusion?

Well from the conversation she heard just now, she realized that orphans were missing too. Most of the orphans are talented and hence are able to enter the magic academy.

"Did he describe this feeling in any more detail?"

Mei Ling nodded. "He said it felt like cold eyes were piercing through him like an unseen force was studying him.

He even mentioned feeling cold shivers down his spine, even on warm days. It really started to freak him out.

However, whenever he turned around to find the source of feeling, he wouldn’t find anything unusual!"

Gu Jin kept standing there and heard the entire conversation.

Her only goal was to collect enough information.

As a result by the time she reached her classroom, the first lecture was already over.

However, due to the absence of the teacher, the first lecture was declared as a self-study session.

Gu Jin sat down and happened to hear her classmate who was gossiping about how the absent teacher’s daughter was missing.

To be precise they were mocking the absent teacher who often praised his daughter as a mage with good potential.

Gu Jin took out her phone and checked the news.

How can there be so many missing cases suddenly?

However, there wasn’t any news about the missing people.

Gu Jin didn’t lower her guards. She nonchalantly looked around the class and found nothing strange.

The day passed uneventfully except for the news that their practical exam would be held in the next 2 days and that they should make the necessary preparations.

Gu Jin made a mental note and returned to the Long Mansion.

....

In a burial ground.

A little girl curled up on one of the tombstones and cried,

"Gran-hic...Grandma, how could you leave me? Hic. how would I live without you, hic! Father is already gone, mother doesn’t want me anymore, and now...you too! Hic!"

If Gu Jin had been present there she would have recognized that the little girl was the girl who had sold her defensive artifact a month ago.

The little girl was only around 4 years old and cried pitifully as she hugged her grandmother’s tombstones.

However, the passersby didn’t even feel a shred of pity for the girl, they continued to walk away coldly.

Soon the rain started and everyone in the cemetery left one by one. Only a small figure remained in her position.

For a moment the girl thought of dying too.

The rain poured down relentlessly, drenching the little girl to the bone as she continued to cling to her grandmother’s tombstone.

The cold seeped into her bones, matching the chill in her heart as she grieved for the loss of the only family she had left.

Just then the guard stationed at the cemetery came near the little girl and said with a kind expression,

"Little girl you should leave and go back to your home. The rain tonight is too strong, you will fall ill if you stay here."

The little girl lowered her head with no expression.

Home?

Which home?

She was living in a shattered illusion of warmth and love. She had no one left to turn to or call family.

Not to mention, the place she used to live with her grandma was a small hut made of scraps. After this rain that ’home’ would likely be flooded and uninhabitable.

The guard, seeing the girl’s desolate expression, knelt down beside her, offering a comforting hand on her shoulder.

The guard wanted to call the little girl to his home but remembered how his financial condition wasn’t much better, so he shut his mouth.

After a while, the guard stood up and said with pity,

"Little girl I know you are sad, but I can’t let you stay in the cemetery, especially with how heavy the rain is today."

The little girl looked up at the guard with tear-streaked cheeks, her eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and resignation.

She knew she couldn’t stay in the cemetery, but she had nowhere else to go.

With a heavy heart, she nodded silently, allowing the guard to help her up from the cold, wet ground.

As they walked away from the cemetery together, the guard kept a protective arm around her, shielding her from the rain and the harsh realities of the world outside.

The little girl didn’t speak much during their journey, lost in her own thoughts and grief.

She couldn’t help but wonder what would become of her now that she was truly alone in the world.

As they reached the outskirts of the city, the guard stopped in front of a small, rundown building.

It was far from luxurious, but it offered shelter from the rain and a warm fire to chase away the chill.

"Here we are," the guard said softly.

"Little girl this is an orphanage. It’s a place where children without families can stay, be cared for, and find a sense of belonging."

The little girl looked up at the orphanage with a dull look. She had heard of such places before, but she never imagined she would end up in one.

How laughable it was...

The guard went inside to talk with the Director of the orphanage.

The director looked at the guard with a hesitant expression and said,

"It’s not like I don’t want to accept her...it is just, we don’t have space and much food left.

Due to some reason, the government has held back the funds for this month and we are hardly able to sustain the children already in our care. So how can we keep her?"

The guard sighed, understanding the director’s predicament.

"I know it’s a lot to ask, but please, can’t you make an exception this once? She’s just a little girl who’s lost everything.

She needs a place to stay, at least until we can find a more permanent solution for her."