Chapter 59: The Hopeful Gale

After helping Konelia and the others move their belongings, Bing Zhiyan said goodbye and went to think about how to deal with Qin’s situation. Although Qin had been taken away, he was not worried that she would reveal him; even if she did, he wouldn’t be afraid. However, after so much time had passed, no one from the academy had come to find him, so it seemed that Qin had not said anything.

Bing Zhiyan thought that the members of the Gale Thieves were just thieves, not heinous criminals, and Qin was just a little girl. The Moon Empire was currently at odds with Saint Bicar, and the two countries had been at war for a long time. This was a time to win over third-party forces. Although the Gale Thieves were just thieves, they had caused chaos in several small countries and were quite powerful. Therefore, he believed they would not do anything too extreme to Qin; they might just want to know about her accomplices, or even have intentions of recruiting her.

It was known that the magic academy also selected and trained political talents, and the Imperial Center of the Moon Empire, which was the largest and best magic academy, naturally had the intention to cultivate such talents. Many students would be sent to the front lines at certain times to be trained as excellent military and political talents, and this was especially true for the children of noble families.

Although Bing Zhiyan was young, he was cautious in his thinking. Although he did not understand politics, his reasoning was sound. The Moon Empire and the Kurotante Academy had no reason to harm a young girl who had failed in a theft.

To get Qin out, Bing Zhiyan thought he should try to work through Sophina. As he walked to the office building, he happened to run into the red-haired woman, Blanch, who was the one who had switched clothes at Sophina’s house.

Blanch was surprised to see Bing Zhiyan: "Young man, I finally found you."

"Looking for me?" Bing Zhiyan was puzzled.

"Since there’s nothing much going on at your academy these days, let me take you out to play," Blanch said, pushing him without waiting for his agreement.

Outside the academy, Blanch bought many snacks for him, and as they strolled, she said, "I liked you the moment I saw you. I wish I had a cute little brother like you. Would you like to play with your sister?"

"Sure," Bing Zhiyan smiled and happily ate the cotton candy, asking, "Where are we going to play?"

Blanch pulled him along: "Of course, we’ll go where you like. Tell me where you want to go, and I’ll take you there."

Since she was a friend of the academy teachers, it was normal not to be on guard. Bing Zhiyan thought this and smiled, "I have many places I want to go. I want to see magic performances, go to the old tavern to listen to stories, visit the 'Monster Park,' and eat lots of good food, and more..." As he spoke, he lowered his head, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Ha ha ha..." Blanch laughed, "You’re so cute. Don’t be shy. Even if I don’t have much money, I’ll still make sure you have a great time."

"Really?"

"Really."

Bing Zhiyan happily held her hand, following her closely, looking at the shops on both sides and eating the sweets in his hand.

Seeing his happy face, Blanch thought, "Kids are kids, even at 14, they wouldn’t be suspicious when invited out by a friend of their teacher."

They played all afternoon, and Bing Zhiyan naturally returned with a lot of small gifts. He shared them with everyone in the dorm, and they were all very happy, laughing with joy.

Vain couldn’t help but envy, "Bing Zhiyan, you’re so lucky. Teacher Sophina likes you, and Aunt Blanch likes you. When will a teacher be so nice to me and take me out to play?"

Luo Kan laughed, "Not likely. You’re a big, rough, and ugly guy, and not an excellent student. Of course, they like Bing Zhiyan."

"Hehe, that’s true..." Vain suddenly paused, angry, "Who are you calling an ugly guy!"

Bing Zhiyan watched them play and knew that Xeno Blanch was not just being nice but had a purpose. He thought it was probably related to the handwritten copy of the "Sdebarte Gaitbalon Dark Magic Notes." Such an important book wouldn’t be given to a child so easily, which made him suspicious.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Bing Zhiyan opened it and saw Qin!

"Hello," Qin greeted Bing Zhiyan and the others.

Vain and Luo Kan, who were playing, immediately surrounded her and asked, "You’re finally back. Karol, did you cause any big trouble? Why did the teacher call you away in the middle of the night?"

Qin hit them both, angry, "I was reading in class and hanging out with you after class. How could I cause any trouble? You’re talking nonsense."

Luo rubbed his chest, "It’s good you’re fine. By the way, why did the teacher call you? To take you away in the middle of the night must have been something urgent."

"It’s nothing. A relative of mine came to find me in the middle of the night, so the teacher called me away."

Vain was relieved, "Oh, I see. We thought something had happened to you. The academy really is troublesome, calling people in the middle of the night."

Luo hit him, "Idiot, it must have been something urgent for her relative to do that."

"Wow, so many things." Qin saw the pile of candies and gifts on the table and, as usual, played happily with them.

Bing Zhiyan watched from the side, not asking a single word.

In the evening, after Luo and Vain returned from their intense training in the forest, they were so tired that they fell asleep as soon as they hit the bed. Bing Zhiyan jumped out of bed and went to the balcony. He saw Qin performing a mind-healing spell on herself and did not disturb her.

Mind control magic was a relatively special type of magic. Although Bing Zhiyan only knew a little, he understood it well. Mind control was like hypnosis, using magic as a medium to continuously suggest to the subject, making them forget their true self and accept the suggestions as reality. For example, if you repeatedly tell someone they are a pig, they will truly believe they are a pig and lose their sense of self.

Of course, mind control magic was not that simple, but it all came down to mental suggestion. The effectiveness of the suggestion depended on the mental strength of the caster and the mental resilience of the subject, while magic served as a medium and amplifier. Therefore, those who practiced mind control magic needed to have strong mental and spiritual power.

Mind control magic involved the fusion of one’s mental and willpower to influence the consciousness of external beings. Besides humans, it also affected magical creatures. Advanced mind control mages could control nearby magical creatures to fight for them, with the range of control depending on the spread of their magic, and the number of creatures controlled depending on their willpower. Willpower could be cultivated through constant training, but mental power was determined by innate ability. After studying for some time, Bing Zhiyan felt he was not suitable for this type of magic. Of course, mind control had many techniques, but that was a different story.

Qin gradually woke up. During her capture, she had continuously suggested to herself, which had caused mental trauma. She needed to use mind control to regulate herself to recover faster. Seeing Bing Zhiyan nearby, she knew he had something to ask and said, "They let me come back."

Bing Zhiyan didn’t speak, just listened.

Qin said, "You’re right, they won’t do anything to a little girl. But they captured all my brothers and hope that Gale will come to get them."

Bing Zhiyan said, "Kurotante’s intentions are clear. Stealing from the Blue Crystal Tower is a serious matter. If they let you go this time, it’s a sign of goodwill. First, they hope you won’t target the Blue Crystal Tower again. Second, you owe them, and debts should be repaid."

"I know. They want to talk to my brother. He’s a powerful person, and they want to use him," Qin said.

Bing Zhiyan asked, "Do they know you’re Gale’s sister?"

Qin shook her head, "I don’t think so. My subordinates don’t know either. If they did, they probably wouldn’t have let me go so easily, even though I’m a little girl."

Bing Zhiyan said, "What should you do then?"

"I don’t know..." Qin shook her head and suddenly shed tears, "I messed up. I got them all captured. I... I want to ask my brother first and see what he says."

"Is your brother still outside Gale’s City?"

Qin said, "He should be. He usually doesn’t leave there."

Bing Zhiyan didn’t speak.

Qin took out a piece of paper from her room, wrote down what had happened, summoned her guardian beast 'Lingyi,' and attached the message to it before letting it fly away.

---

End of Chapter 59