Someone once said the power of ordinary folks is mighty.

Mei Yige never forgot that truth. When faced with thorny problems, she knew mobilizing the masses was key.

As the Magic Consultant of the Association—and the Void Witch who lived to serve residents by easing their worries and solving their troubles—she decided to seek clues about Mr. Hans or his fragments from the townsfolk.

"Hans? The Association’s coachman?" An elder Mei Yige approached from the earlier crowd scratched his head. "That lad came from north of Severpeak Mountain. Not local. Barely mixed with anyone. I only know him ’cause he led the merchant convoy that delivered fertilizer to town last time."

*Not many acquaintances… but surely he did something memorable?*

"Respected mage," the elder sighed, "we’re just small folk. What earth-shattering deeds could we possibly do? Ah, if you’re asking about *that*—we wouldn’t know the first thing!"

Mei Yige finally understood: it wasn’t just Larin. The people of Tata Town and its outskirts all spoke this way.

"Nonsense!" Her voice turned sharp. "A missing chicken in a village yard gets gossiped about for months. And *you*—joking while I investigate a disappearance? You deserve punishment!"

Fuming, Mei Yige whipped out her Magic Wand. Not at the stunned elder before her—but at every onlooker smirking with schadenfreude nearby.

"And *you* lot—same goes for you!"

"W-wait, Mage!"

"We’ll cooperate! Aaah—"

"I’m flying?!"

Twirling her wand with an icy expression, Mei Yige watched the troublemakers soar. Only then did her foul mood ease slightly.

"Mage… please let them down," a small voice piped up. "I… I know something about the coachman…"

*Ah, children are sensible.*

Smiling, Mei Yige released the spell. Ignoring the residents still grinning from their airborne thrill, she crouched before the wild boar girl from earlier.

"You’re Aisha, right? What would you like to tell big sister~?"

She deftly pulled a sugar cube from her pocket and pressed it into the timid girl’s palm. *If I make my voice a little sweeter, I’ll sound like a kidnapper. Perfect.*

"He… likes drinking."

The gentle big-sister act worked. Seeing Mei Yige held no grudge over their earlier collision, Aisha relaxed. She pointed toward a nearby tavern. "I’ve seen him go there many times."

"Oh? You’ve helped so much. Thank you."

*Fox ears are adorable. That shy head-dip when touched… Better not risk grabbing her tail. Beastkin tails are sensitive, right? Must avoid seeming like a creep. Law-abiding citizen here.*

"You *must* come to the Jiu Niang Festival! I’m sorry about last time…"

"What happened? I don’t remember~ Just eat the sugar before it melts."

Mei Yige strode toward the tavern, not glancing back at the flustered girl or the idle onlookers.

*This life… really isn’t bad.*

A retired person’s ease settled over her.

"Raspberry special with light syrup? Ice included? Thanks to you, we’ve got plenty of ice now!" The bartender perked up seeing yesterday’s scene-stealing mage.

"Who drinks at this hour? I’m here for information. Did that coachman visit yesterday?" Mei Yige slid onto a barstool, her gaze drifting to the painting on the wall again.

*Ugh. Bad luck.*

"Hans always orders a Flantrum here," the bartender said earnestly. "But the owner banned him after he caused trouble. Yesterday, he only had juice—right after you left."

"Banned? What did he do?"

*There’s the lead.*

*Service workers always know the gossip. Unlike those clueless residents trying to ‘help’.*

"He drunkenly crashed his carriage into old hunter Bob," a breakfast-eating hunter chimed in, face flushed. "Bob’s been hiding since Hans vanished. Even the mayor couldn’t find him this morning."

*…So there are morning drinkers.* Mei Yige retracted her earlier thought.

"Was Bob badly hurt?"

"Took him half a month to get out of bed. Serves Hans right if some monster *did* eat him. Heh…" The hunter’s laughter slurred.

"Where does Bob live?"

*Hit-and-run. The town blames Hans, but he never admitted it. Why the indifference?*

*…Could they be covering for someone? Something feels off.*

*Definitely not Bob’s doing. That’s obvious.*

"Haaah~" The hunter face-planted onto the table.

*A pathetic attempt to fake sleep.* Mei Yige wasn’t surprised.

"And you?" She turned to the bartender, who shrugged helplessly.

"Alright then. Case closed~"

Mei Yige beamed, clapping her hands. The fake-sleeping hunter and glass-polishing bartender both froze.

"Wait, Mage?" The bartender blinked. "How is it closed? Do you know who took Hans? I don’t—"

"Simple." Mei Yige’s smile deepened as she spotted curious faces peeking through the tavern door. "Hans was eaten by his own horse. Only his steed remained at the scene. I’ll tell the Association head to compensate his family with the horse."

"But—"

"But *what*? You think a townsfolk did it? Ridiculous. No one would kidnap him over a crash that happened days ago. So—no worries~"

*If they want to keep their secrets, why should I care?*

Mei Yige swiftly called off the Association’s search. Smiling, she bid farewell to Water Fungus Town under the stunned stares of every resident.

"Mage, I—" An Association member trailed after her, bewildered. *How can she say Hans was ‘eaten by a horse’? Is she… unwell?*

"You know where Bob lives, right? And the nearby hunting grounds. Never trust locals for this kind of thing." Mei Yige pursed her lips, glancing at the sky.

*I wonder if Miss Shiren’s eaten the dessert I left for her… Will she like it?*

*Work really is less cozy than home. Sigh…*