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The moment he stepped inside, he felt the Magic Compass in his possession begin to tremble violently, with an intensity even greater than what he experienced at the Battle General\'s residence!

His steps paused momentarily, and Dean Bruce turned back to ask, "Has anyone else entered this place before us?"

Hearing this, Miranda Joy glanced at the soldiers standing guard by the entrance. One of them quickly responded, "Since we arrived, no one has gone in. As for before that, we\'re not sure."

Dean Bruce looked over at Dinode DeLange.

Despite being somewhat intimidated by Dean Bruce\'s youthful appearance and having doubts about his abilities, Dinode DeLange dared not contradict him in this situation. He immediately replied, "Elder, I went in once. After I realized something was wrong, I rushed back out. No one else has gone in since then."

"At least, no one has entered through the main gate."

Nodding slightly, Dean Bruce carefully sensed Dinode DeLange\'s aura before turning and proceeding further into the mansion.

Miranda Joy quickly followed behind and asked curiously, "Elder, did you discover something?"

"There\'s a dense magical energy within the mansion. I\'ve sensed it. Dinode DeLange isn\'t even a Grand Magus, so it\'s impossible for him to have this kind of aura."

Dean Bruce spoke calmly, "There was definitely a battle here, or a powerful spell was cast. This is definitely the work of someone."

"Huh? There\'s a strong magical presence?"

Hearing this, Miranda Joy was taken aback.

She had to admit, whoever acted from the shadows possessed unique techniques. That magical energy was concealed exceptionally well. If not for the Magic Compass, even Dean Bruce wouldn\'t have sensed it.

Dean Bruce mentioned this detail to observe Miranda Joy\'s reaction. He was extremely wary of her.

Unfortunately, the shock on her face and in her eyes seemed genuine, not the least bit feigned. Dean Bruce couldn\'t discern anything suspicious from her expression.

Compared to the Battle General\'s mansion, the Treasurer\'s residence was much smaller, with fewer servants and buildings. Walking along the corridors, Dean Bruce\'s gaze swept across, taking everything in at a glance.

Signs of daily life still lingered—brooms and water buckets lay scattered across the floor—but the servants had all vanished without a trace.

Thick white smoke still billowed from the kitchen.

But when Dean Bruce actually stepped inside, he found the flames long extinguished, with only a few faint sparks still glowing.

The ground was free of fallen leaves and surprisingly clean. Although the footprints were scattered and chaotic, there didn\'t seem to be anything out of the ordinary.

It wasn\'t until they entered the inner courtyard that the sounds of livestock could be heard. Looking up, Dean Bruce noticed that the stables and cowsheds were packed with animals, all huddled inside.

Seeing this scene, Dean Bruce furrowed his brow slightly and murmured, "Only the people have disappeared, but the livestock are all still here? Was it the same with the previous mysterious disappearances?"

"Yes," Miranda Joy confirmed with a nod. "We moved the livestock and horses from those households into the palace for special care and found nothing unusual."

"I\'ll have someone move these animals to the palace as well," she added.

Hearing this, Dean Bruce became even more convinced that this was a man-made incident, not some supernatural haunting.

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If it were truly the work of ghosts, would they have spared the livestock?

It was highly likely that a type of magic specifically targeting humans had been used!

Lost in thought, Dean Bruce approached the cowshed. A quick glance revealed that the various types of livestock were clustered together, their bodies trembling as if gripped by an overwhelming fear, much like people caught in a perpetual state of terror.

Sensing Dean Bruce\'s presence, the animals began to grow restless. One of the cows even charged directly at him.

Miranda Joy\'s expression shifted. She quickly leapt in front of Dean Bruce and shouted, waving her hand, "Back off, all of you!"

"Elder, I\'ll immediately have these animals removed, so as not to dirty your presence."

"…"

Dean Bruce didn\'t respond. He swept his gaze over the area, confirming that there was nothing unusual here. The Magic Compass\'s trembling was the same as before, so he paid it no more mind and turned to leave.

Aside from the livestock, there was no other living creature in the entire residence, making the place feel eerily lifeless.

Upon entering the living quarters, the intensity of the Magic Compass\'s vibrations increased again.

Dean Bruce observed the room carefully. It was rather orderly, not chaotic at all. Several cups of tea sat on the table, still emitting steam, as if people had been sitting there drinking not long ago.

On the sofa in the living room, two books lay open, their pages rustling slightly in the breeze.

"It feels just like the General\'s mansion," Nicholas William exclaimed in surprise. "How is this possible? It\'s as if the people just left moments ago! But quite some time has passed—how can the tea still be hot?"

Miranda Joy sighed. "That\'s exactly why so many people believe this to be the work of ghosts! It\'s been a month now, and despite all our efforts, we haven\'t been able to come up with any plausible explanation! You have to understand, there are Grand Archmage-level powerhouses in our empire!"

Dean Bruce wasn\'t surprised by this. For an empire to maintain its rule for many years, it was only natural that it would have powerful individuals among its ranks.

If even the powerhouses couldn\'t discern what happened, then there were only two possibilities:

The first was that they were secretly colluding with the ones acting in the shadows!

The second was that the magical technique used was extraordinarily unique, unrelated to sheer strength, rendering those powerhouses helpless to comprehend what was going on despite their immense power.

After meticulously inspecting every room and finding nothing, Dean Bruce furrowed his brows even deeper.

This was absurd!

Aside from the livestock, the people of the entire residence had seemingly vanished into thin air.

Even with the presence of strong magical energy, there were no visible traces left behind, leaving one completely baffled.

After a moment of contemplation, Dean Bruce left the room and headed toward the stables and cowshed.

Nicholas William and Miranda Joy quickly followed, but when the three of them arrived, they saw that the soldiers had already started herding the livestock, driving them toward the entrance.

Seeing this, Dean Bruce turned and looked intently at Miranda Joy.

"Elder, is something the matter?" Miranda Joy asked with a puzzled expression.

Just as Dean Bruce was about to speak, his gaze shifted abruptly toward a shadowed corner. His heart stirred as a surge of intense magical energy began to ripple through the air.

Unlike the previous magical energy fluctuations that could only be detected by the Magic Compass, this wave was so powerful that everyone within the mansion could feel it.

Even the soldiers who were herding the livestock sensed something was wrong. They turned around, eyes wide open, staring in confusion at the corner.

Weapons were drawn instantly, and everyone, including Dean Bruce, was prepared for battle.

Buzz—

The magical energy continued to intensify, and from within the shadow, a massive figure suddenly began to materialize.

"Roar!"

The figure emerged from the shadows, seemingly traversing space itself, and landed abruptly in the center of the mansion, causing the ground to quake violently.

Focusing their gaze, they were greeted with the sight of an enormous creature with the body of a human and the head of a ram. Its limbs ended in hooves, and its entire body was covered in thick, matted fur.

"What… what kind of monster is this?!"

The soldiers\' pupils constricted sharply, filled with shock and horror.

They had seen many creatures before, but they were monstrous beasts through and through. The sudden appearance of a creature with a human body and a ram\'s head was something entirely different and terrifying.

"Roar!"

As everyone stared in stunned disbelief, the ram-headed monster launched its attack. It leapt forward, and as its hooves struck the ground, a surge of sickly green flames erupted, roaring toward Dean Bruce and his companions.

In an instant, Dean Bruce activated The Compassion of Heaven and Earth spell. The ground quaked, transforming into a series of earthen shield walls, shielding him and Nicholas William from the oncoming flames.

Simultaneously, Dean Bruce shifted his gaze to Miranda Joy, curious to see how she would respond.

Buzz—

Miranda Joy didn\'t cast any spells. Instead, she raised a jade pendant, summoning a white barrier that shimmered into existence around her like a protective shield.

While the three of them reacted swiftly, the ordinary soldiers struggled. In the blink of an eye, the green flames surged toward them, forcing them to retreat in panic.

Two soldiers who moved too slowly were caught as the flames licked their boots, causing them to catch fire instantly.

"Ah!"

Agonizing screams filled the air. One soldier tried desperately to pull off his boots, but as soon as his hands touched them, the green flames flared up once more, enveloping his entire body in a blaze.

"This is bad!"

Miranda Joy\'s expression changed dramatically. She quickly pulled out a scroll from her robes. The next moment, a powerful wind rose, and blue light coalesced, forming a water sphere that floated above their heads.

Boom!

The water sphere exploded violently, sending torrents of water rushing in all directions, instantly dousing the green flames.

With the force of the water\'s impact, the soldiers were thrown back, creating some distance between them and the ram-headed monster. However, the two soldiers who were already ensnared by the green flames remained rooted to the spot, as if bound by an invisible force.

To make matters worse, the water quickly evaporated under the intensity of the green flames, which continued to burn fiercely across their bodies, eliciting heart-wrenching screams of pain!