Find a Troubled Girl after leaving the Guild-Chapter 122 - 95: Spiritual Driving

"Is that you?" the guard said, "Why are you showing off just to pull rank? Move along."

"Who is it?"

The guard had just finished speaking when a man in a light yellow uniform staggered out, reeking of alcohol.

"Two people want to see Lord Fukate."

The drunken man was indeed wearing the Sandstorm Corps uniform, but without any armor. Seeing him glance over, Li Ang flashed his Grand Knight’s Medal.

"Damn it..."

The drunk man sobered up considerably, stumbled over, and shoved the guard aside.

"Honorable Grand Knight, what business do you have with our Order Sandstorm Corps?"

"Where’s the captain of this outpost?"

"He’s...he’s on patrol."

The drunken team member mumbled evasively.

"Patrolling this late, huh?"

"You can tell me whatever it is."

Li Ang looked at the member, "Tier Four Legion Soldier, you’re not qualified to handle business at this level."

"Uh, I’m a formal member of the Order Sandstorm Corps; I have the capability to handle affairs."

Uncertain whether the consequences of leaking Fukate’s whereabouts were severe or if it was the alcohol giving him courage, this member stood his ground firmly.

Forget it, no point in arguing with him.

Li Ang took out the Divine Eye Helmet and put it on.

With the aid of this helmet, the imagery of the material world peeled away, revealing the clear flow of spirits.

Li Ang no longer needed to laboriously perceive and distinguish the complex spirit in the human body; he merely needed to operate on the result.

He hadn’t encountered any humanoid enemies before and had been living daily with young girl team members, he’d long had expectations for new witch magic but hadn’t had the chance to test it.

Seeing him suddenly put on a strange helmet, the team member moved cautiously, but his body froze, unable to move.

Li Ang used spiritual manipulation to block the spiritual control of the body, then locked down his willpower.

"I’ll ask you again, where did your captain Fukate go? And the other team members?"

"The Platinum Hall, for a banquet hosted by the Platinum King. Other members went too, I drew guard duty and couldn’t go."

As expected, they went to ’connect’ with the local leaders; this guy was left to guard and drink alone.

"What are his capabilities? Any strong equipment, summoned beasts, or energy sources?" Li Ang continued to ask.

"Tier Seven Warrior. He has..."

The man revealed all of Fukate’s impressive items, even though Li Ang could see for himself later; he wanted to check the effects of the new magic and prepare mentally in advance.

After the man finished speaking, Li Ang sealed his memory and perception; he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep on the spot. Upon waking, his memories of Li Ang’s visit would become vague.

Similar operations had been used on Imperial Soldiers on Satus Island, but back then, spiritual perception was required, and the goal was only achievable through the elimination of spiritual manipulation. In people who’d undergone such operations, that part of the spirit would be hard to recover.

Now, with the Divine Eye Helmet, the operation was convenient and efficient, with no side effects. This was highly advantageous for secret infiltration and track concealment.

Li Ang felt that this kind of magic didn’t have much effect on those above Tier Seven for now, but it was enough to consider this a new spell and name it.

It could be called "Spiritual Manipulation—Driving", abbreviated as Spiritual Driving.

Seeing the Sandstorm Corps member collapse, the guard was stunned, about to call for help, when Li Ang also threw a Driving Technique at him, letting him sleep soundly as well.

Stowing away the Divine Eye Helmet, Li Ang decided to investigate this helmet more thoroughly in the future, perhaps harness its power by other means. Wearing it was both ugly and cumbersome.

Li Ang could use the new magic without the helmet, but it would take time for perception, essentially turning an instant cast spell into a spell with a dozen-second chant.

Returning to Mort’s side, the Beast-Earkin youth asked, "How did it go?"

"Got the answers."

The two traversed the wide street, reaching the Platinum Hall.

This was the most luxurious spot in the Flashing Field, with grand and imposing architecture, drawing in local elites and celebrities, as well as welcoming wealthy outsiders and powerful people.

Ballrooms, socializing, thrilling entertainment...all could be found that night.

He and Mort initially planned to disguise themselves as travelers ready to spend lavishly on fun, but the entry imposed an equipment ban, so they revised their tactics.

Li Ang spotted numerous Sandbone Group members, alongside various adventurers and Sky Knights.

The former carried weapons, some didn’t purely for convenience, while most latter seemed aware of the rule, arriving in casual wear or suits.

It was the Sandbone Group handling security seemingly for the first time; while the latter felt hesitant about venturing unarmed into their perimeter, previous incident-free experiences led them inside after consideration.

Some inquired, explained by a door attendant supervisor as: "Recently someone attempted to harm the esteemed Platinum King, prompting him to raise security."

Mort said, "Let’s infiltrate."

Li Ang agreed; knowing there could be Excellence Realm enemies inside, entering unarmed wasn’t an option, but the Sandbone Group wouldn’t notice a thing, making infiltration the best bet.

Mort pulled two long robes from his bag, favored by wealthy desert dwellers for their roomy fit, concealing weapons and equipment within.

Foreseeing an investigation, Li Ang left behind even the Dragon Sealing Staff, bringing only the Silver Heart Sword. As a Beast-Earkin, Mort’s gear was already lightweight and close-fitting.

[Name: Mort Dureger]

[Race: Beast-Earkin]

[Profession: Swordsman, Tier Seven. Shielder Knight, Tier Four]

[Summoned Beast: Blood Horned Eagle, Tier Five]

[Energy Source: Ancient Light-Capturing Cage, Tier Seven]

[Equipment: Blade of Strife, Tier Seven. Battleworn Aegis of the Endless Fields, Tier Seven. Magic Scale Light Armor Set, Tier Seven]

[Secret Technique: Professional Secret Technique—Phantom Guard, Comprehensive Secret Technique—Counterattack Storm]

[Skills: Swordsman [Master Swordsmanship, Suppressing Slash, Counter Slash, Swift Swordsmanship], Shielder Knight [Defense Mastery, Assembly Shout], Weapon [Battle Inspiration], Shield [Transformational Healing], Set [Swift Physique, Physique Tenacity, Magic Clone]]

[Combat Power Amplification: 39%]

Once donned in the robes, they hardly looked different, just a tad more bulky perhaps.

With gemstone and pearl-adorned headscarves neatly arranging their hair, Mort disguised the color well, only a hint of his beast ears showed.

Circling the palace walls were almost guards at every spot; selecting an unmonitored angle, they flew over and subdued guards, smoothly slipping inside amidst the recreational crowd.

Passing through the ballroom, posing as tourists with a brief casino jaunt, overhearing waiters introducing exciting performances in private rooms...after making the rounds, they roughly pieced together the internal layout.

Unsurprisingly, the Platinum King resided within his palace, typically staying in the expansive rear garden, while the front hall indulged in nightly hedonistic entertainment, occasionally gracing his private suite.

During these times, assorted individuals sought an audience for myriad reasons.

With the impending Platinum Racing and Flowing Silver Martial Arts Competition, the Platinum King would frequent his private suite.

It seemed, then, approaching the Platinum King required no elaborate schemes—just queueing up.

Arriving at the long corridor leading to the suite door, Li Ang mused that a "suite" undersold it—calling it a throne room was more fitting.

A several hundred square meters room housed a grand seat, two to three times larger than a typical sofa, occupied by a man over twice an ordinary person’s size.

The massive curved horns on his head identified him as of the Horned Race; in youth, likely robust and powerful, nearing three meters tall, but now entirely overweight, sinking deeply into the chair like an inflated mass of flesh.

Beside him, numerous maidservants attended him: wiping sweat, fanning, feeding fruit, monitoring IV drips attached to his swollen arm, some even atop him.

That was the Platinum King, ruler of the Flashing Field.

Outside, the queue had grown into a long line, with each person called in approaching with trepidation akin to an audience.

"A classic petty emperor," Li Ang whispered.

Seeing this, Mort frowned, doubting when their turn would come, much less the Platinum King’s willingness to see so many.

Li Ang stated, "I’ll cut in line using a little witch technique."

Planning to use Spiritual Driving to replace someone in line, he unexpectedly noticed a familiar face seen not long prior.

In the queue was the "Platinum Ace" Andasu.