The September wind gently caressed the land, rolling up layers of wheat waves.
This village, far from the madding crowd, was isolated from the world.
Its geographical location was extremely remote, surrounded by continuous mountain ranges and dense forests, making transportation very inconvenient.
The only connection to the outside world seemed to be a rugged path, winding through fields and hills, leading to an unknown distance.
Entering the village, one would find that the architectural style here was simple and rustic, mostly built with wood and stone, appearing somewhat old.
However, the most striking feature was undoubtedly the huge windmills on the roof of every household.
These windmills slowly turned in the breeze, making creaking sounds, as if they were the guardians of this village, silently witnessing the passage of time.
They also gave the village its name.
From this village to the next, it would take at least twenty li.
Such a remote geographical location made communication between this village and the outside world extremely difficult, and to some extent, it preserved its primitive appearance and way of life.
Perhaps it was precisely because of such remoteness and backwardness that disappearances like this occurred here.
In this relatively isolated place, once someone went missing, finding them would undoubtedly face many difficulties.
Ezreal and his companions stood under the creaking windmill at the entrance of the village.
The Evil Wolf's massive size was not suitable for appearing before ordinary people, so it consciously transformed into black smoke and disappeared into Ezreal's shadow.
Ezreal looked up at the sunlight filtering through the leaves, thinking that if it weren't for the missing person's case, perhaps this place would be very suitable for reclusion.
"That's the house," Gray pointed to the wooden house down the slope, interrupting Ezreal's thoughts.
The golden-haired young man looked in the direction Gray pointed; faint cooking smoke wafted from the chimney, and a few pots of withered geraniums sat on the windowsill, making it look like an ordinary, cozy little home.
Cana, with a blade of grass in her mouth, sauntered over and knocked on the door; the woman who answered had eyes swollen like walnuts, and her husband, with flour still on his palm from the kitchen, supported her shoulder, evidently having rushed over.
Cana pulled out the commission from the Magic Council from her Pregnant, which had portraits of two people, "Mr. Parker, Ms. Ellie, right?"
The male host, Parker, stepped forward to shield his wife, his face a mix of bewilderment and wariness as he looked at the three young strangers at the door, "Yes, may I ask who you are?"
Just then, Mr. Parker's wife, Ms. Ellie, stepped forward, her eyes full of anticipation as she looked at Ezreal, who was leading the group, "Are you… are you from the Magician Guild?"
"It must be, it must be, please help us!"
"Elina… she's only fifteen…" The woman grabbed Ezreal's wrist, her fingernails almost digging into his skin, "She said she went to pick wild berries three days ago, and she hasn't returned since…"
Mr. Parker looked at the somewhat overly young faces of the group, his expression slightly hesitant.
But very quickly, as if having made up his mind, he solemnly pulled a crumpled handkerchief from his apron pocket, which contained a wisp of light golden hair: "This is what fell from her comb, and also…"
His Adam's apple bobbed, "Her usual green dress was found yesterday at the edge of the woods on the east side of the village. With these, can you find Elina faster…?"
Cana took the handkerchief and, looking at the haggard Mr. Parker, said in a gentle tone, "Don't worry, we will find your daughter."
The woman turned and grabbed Cana's hand, "She's only fifteen… please save her…"
But before Ms. Ellie could finish her sentence, she went limp and slowly collapsed.
Cana, quick as a flash, caught her, then reached out and touched Ms. Ellie's neck and forehead twice, before gently shaking her head at the anxious Mr. Parker, "Don't worry, she just fainted. She's probably been too stressed. She'll be fine after some rest."
The male host, Parker, whose face had been deathly pale, regained a little color, and he muttered blankly, "It's good that she's alright…"
Cana gently handed Ms. Ellie to Parker, who helped her into the house.
After settling his wife, Parker turned back, but saw that Ezreal and the other two had no intention of entering the house, and was about to say something.
Ezreal, however, smiled and raised his hand to stop him, "Leave the rest to us. You and your wife both need rest."
Ezreal closed the door.
Parker watched the golden-haired young man's gentle smile disappear with the closing door, and for some reason, he felt a sense of relief. He sat back down by the bed, looking at his unconscious wife, and couldn't help but raise his sleeve to wipe his eyes.
Outside the door.
Ezreal snapped his fingers, and the shadow behind him immediately erupted in black smoke, forming a giant wolf head, half a man's height, with blood-red eyes, twitching its nose twice at the handkerchief in Cana's hand.
Ezreal asked, "Can you track it?"
The wolf head, formed from black smoke, nodded slightly, opened its large mouth, and spoke in human words, "The tears and sweat are a bit of a disturbance, but the owner's scent is very strong, no problem."
Ezreal nodded, "Then let's go."
The black smoke wolf head lowered, followed by a deep wolf howl, and thick black smoke erupted from Ezreal's shadow.
The massive amount of black smoke directly dimmed the surroundings.
The black smoke transformed into a giant, winged black wolf, and Ezreal and his two companions vaulted onto the Evil Wolf's back.
"Hold on tight." Before Ezreal finished speaking, the Evil Wolf shot into the air like an arrow from a bow.
Its dark wings spread, covering the sky, and with a gust of wind, it instantly transformed into a black streak and vanished into the horizon.
After leaving the village, the Evil Wolf's speed gradually increased.
Its sense of smell was extremely keen; even though the scent had faded, it could still accurately pinpoint the direction.
"Go north, through this wheat field." The Evil Wolf whispered, "The scent is faint, but I can still follow it."
Cana leaned next to Ezreal, tilted her head, and asked, "Do you think this is related to the 'Moon Demon' cultists from last time?"
Ezreal shook his head: "I'm not sure. This time I didn't find any traces of black magic near the Parker couple's house, but the method is very similar—they both quietly took the target, with almost no signs of struggle at the scene."
Gray frowned: "If it really is the same group of people, then their range of activity is wider than we imagined."
The Evil Wolf suddenly stopped, its ears twitching slightly: "Someone is ahead."
The three followed the Evil Wolf's gaze forward.
In the twilight, a wooden house sat by a stream, and smoke with a strange burnt smell rose from its chimney.
Several men in brown cloaks stood around, conversing in low voices.
"This batch of goods must be shipped tonight, the boss is pressing hard," one of them said.
"Tsk, things are tense lately, the Magic Council is investigating everywhere, it's really troublesome," another complained.
Listening to their conversation.
Ezreal narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice: "Looks like we found the right place."
Cana pulled a card from her waist, her fingertips gently caressing the card face: "Direct assault?"
Gray flexed his wrists, and ice-blue magic power condensed in his palms: "Quick and decisive."
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