As evening approached, the Wizard Apprentice Dormitory was already dim inside, and with the external light sources weakening, the interior grew even darker.
Originally, after sending John away, An Luo had planned to start a fire.
But now, with the unexpected incident, An Luo himself lay unconscious on the bed, and the remaining two had no intention of lighting a fire.
Night fell quickly, and before long, visibility inside the room dropped significantly.
Meieruita stood by the bedside, looking down condescendingly at the flustered John, a faint pleased smile playing on his usually icy face.
“John, right?” Meieruita tilted his head slightly. “You’ve learned something you shouldn’t have. What are we going to do about that?”
A chill ran through John’s heart.
Even someone as slow as him realized it now—he had fallen into a trap.
Lan Lian had fainted for no reason, yet Meieruita had arrived so quickly. Clearly, this was all his doing.
He had deliberately waited outside the door, waiting for John, out of concern, to lift Lan Lian’s disguise and reveal the true face beneath the mask before pushing the door open.
What was Meieruita’s goal?
What did he want to do?
John had been in the Wizard Tower for nearly three months and had a general sense of the atmosphere here. He quickly thought he had figured out Meieruita’s purpose.
Lan Lian… First of all, there was definitely something wrong with Lan Lian, so Meieruita had discovered it and immediately acted against him.
But Lan Lian wasn’t dead—his breathing was steady, and his expression peaceful.
Suddenly, an idea struck John’s mind like a thunderbolt.
He recalled those people who couldn’t pay their Wizard Apprentice identity monthly rent each month. They directly lost their Wizard Apprentice status and became experimental subjects for the Wizard Lord.
Meieruita had deliberately waited for John to discover Lan Lian’s true appearance before coming in, likely to use him as a cover.
He might claim that he had heard from John that Lan Lian had been secretly replaced.
That way, John would be thrust into the spotlight, facing all sorts of investigations, while Meieruita could perfectly hide in the shadows and reap the rewards of the report.
As for Lan Lian’s situation…
“Don’t hand him over to the Wizard Lord as an experimental subject!”
John nervously stood in front of An Luo. “He’s not bothering you or anything. Let him go, okay?”
He frantically pulled out his Wizard Apprentice Credential from his pocket. “I can give you Contribution Points. Except for next month’s identity rent fee, I can give you everything else I have!”
John had thought that upon hearing this offer, even if Meieruita didn’t agree, his expression would soften a bit.
But unexpectedly, Meieruita’s face suddenly turned cold.
The earlier pleasure vanished, the faint upward curve at his lips flattening into a tight straight line.
Those gray-green eyes narrowed, staring coldly at John.
John was first startled, then thought he understood the reason:
Meieruita was so angry because his plan had been exposed?
He quickly said, “I don’t know anything, really. I won’t tell anyone!”
However, after his assurance, Meieruita’s expression grew even more terrifying.
Fury brewed between his brows, his face frosted over like it was encased in ice.
What was going on?
Could it be… could he really be determined to report it?
Of course. After all, John was just a lowly Wizard Apprentice. He couldn’t offer anything valuable.
But if Meieruita reported it, he might receive direct commendation from the Wizard Lord.
He could even be promoted straight to Mid-Level Wizard Apprentice.
Compared to that, how could he care about the meager Contribution Points in John’s hands?
John was extremely anxious.
If it were anyone else, he might have slipped away sensibly by now, but Lan Lian was his lifesaver. He couldn’t abandon his benefactor like this and let him fall into such a horrific fate.
“You call him Lan Lian?”
Suddenly, Meieruita’s voice rang out.
He still had that gloomy demeanor, and when John met his gaze, he suddenly felt like a frog on an experimental table about to be dissected.
Meieruita’s gaze was that silver scalpel.
Cold, sharp, merciless, cruel.
John heard Meieruita ask, “You don’t know his real name? He didn’t tell you?”
John felt his heart about to leap out of his chest, his voice hoarse. “No, he didn’t tell me.”
A name could trace one’s origins, and even if John knew, he wouldn’t tell Meieruita.
Besides, he really didn’t know.
Strangely, upon hearing his answer, Meieruita’s expression softened a little, and some emotion flashed quickly across his face—gone in an instant, too fast for John to discern.
The heavy air lightened somewhat, and John gasped for breath, realizing he had unconsciously been holding it.
The anger faded from Meieruita’s face, returning to the composed demeanor he had upon entering.
He said calmly, “You’ve discovered a secret you shouldn’t have.”
John was utterly bewildered now.
He could only instinctively sense the malice radiating from Meieruita, but he couldn’t figure out his true intentions.
What exactly did he want?
To report Lan Lian’s situation? Or did he have some other plan?
John regretted it deeply.
If he had known Meieruita was lurking in the shadows, he never would have rashly uncovered Lan Lian’s disguise, putting him in such danger.
His thoughts were plainly written on his face.
Those usually innocent, emerald dog-like eyes were now filled with wariness.
“Stupid dog.” Meieruita said coldly. “Who do you think you are? A glorious, righteous knight?”
“Know your place.” He continued. “You’re just a thief who took advantage of someone’s misfortune to peep at their secrets. What loyalty are you performing here?”
“You don’t even know his name.”
John: “…?”
He was a bit stunned, unsure what this turn of events meant.
Meieruita didn’t sound like he wanted to report Lan Lian and hand him over to the Wizard for experimentation to profit from it.
Instead… he seemed to harbor strong hostility toward him?
“If I hadn’t arrived in time.”
Meieruita no longer looked at John. He sat directly on the edge of the bed, gazing at An Luo’s sleeping features, his voice soft, as if talking to himself:
“The secret you’ve hidden for so long would be carried out of this room by a fool, passed to those with ulterior motives like a bird flying out of its cage.”
“Would he carelessly leak this secret out of stupidity? Perhaps. Would he use it with ulterior motives to profit himself and betray you? Possible. Or would he use this secret to threaten you, forcing you to hand over something? The odds aren’t low.”
“So, to eliminate that possibility.”
Meieruita, sitting by the bed like a shadow, shifted his gaze to John. “What should we do?”
“After all, only the dead can keep secrets, right?”
