Chapter 261 The Villain Lady Arrives 89

Chapter 261 The Villain Lady Arrives 89

Tariq's heart sank to the bottom, and an unprecedented sense of helplessness came over him. He knew that looking for a deliberately hidden person in this huge world was like looking for a needle in a haystack. But he couldn't give up. Alice was his past and his future, and he had to find her.

"Professor, where do you think I should start looking?" Tariq's voice was soft, but it revealed an unquestionable determination.

Professor Albert pondered for a moment and suggested, "Perhaps you can start with her friends, especially those classmates with whom she has a close relationship. They may be able to provide some clues, or at least tell you about some of Alice's unusual behavior before she left."

Tariq heard this and a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes. He bowed deeply to Professor Albert and said gratefully, "Thank you, Professor. Your advice is very important to me."

After bidding farewell to Professor Albert, Tariq embarked on a difficult journey to find Alice. He first returned to the dormitory where they had studied and lived together, where they had shared countless laughter and tears. The dormitory manager was a kind old lady, and when she saw Tariq's return, she smiled in surprise.

"Tariq! You're back! It's been a long time." The old woman greeted him warmly, her eyes full of nostalgia.

Tariq smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries with her, then went straight to the point: "Auntie, I want to ask you about Alice. Do you know where she went later?"

The old woman's smile gradually faded, and a trace of worry flashed in her eyes. "Alice... She really hasn't been here for a long time. I remember that she left that night, and she seemed to be in a hurry, but I didn't ask where she went. But you can go find her roommates, maybe they know something."

Tariq thanked her repeatedly, and then based on the information provided by the old woman, he found one of Alice's former roommates. Lina was also surprised and delighted to see Tariq. The two sat down in the small living room of the dormitory and began a long talk.

"Lina, I came back to find Alice, but she is no longer in the academy. Do you know where she went?" Tariq asked straight to the point.

Lina sighed, her expression complicated. "Tariq, I don't really know. Before Alice left, she became very silent and often in a daze. I asked her what happened, and she just said that she had something to deal with, and then she suddenly disappeared. I remember that she seemed to have received a letter before she left, but I don't know the specific content."

Tariq's heart tightened again. That letter might be the key to Alice's departure. He asked, "Do you remember what that letter looked like? Or, could it be someone else's handwriting?"

Lina tried hard to recall, but finally shook her head. "It's been too long, I can't remember it clearly."

Although he did not get a definite answer, Tariq still got a valuable clue from Lina - the letter. He decided to start with the letter to find Alice's whereabouts.

Tariq said goodbye to Lina with mixed feelings.

That letter, like a ray of light in the fog, gave him hope, but also made him fall into deeper confusion. He knew that it was a pipe dream to find Alice in this vast world with only a vague memory fragment. But even so, he would never give up easily.

In the following days, Tariq went to almost every corner of the college and asked everyone who might have had contact with Alice. From the librarian to the canteen chef, from the college assistant to the visitors from afar, he did not miss any clues. However, every time he asked, it was like a drop in the ocean, and the only response he got was a shake of the head and a sigh.

He often sat alone under the old oak tree in the college, staring at the falling leaves, his heart filled with endless thoughts and melancholy. Whenever night fell and everything was quiet, he would take out the yellowed diary, which recorded every bit of his time with Alice. Those words, like messengers traveling through time and space, brought him back to that beautiful time again and again, but also pulled him back to the cruel reality again and again.

Just when Tariq was almost in despair, an unexpected news broke the peace.

It turned out that several of his close female friends - Lillian, Sophia and Elvira, decided to join forces and come to the Magic Academy to look for him after not hearing from him for a long time.

Their arrival not only brought long-lost warmth to Tariq, but also injected new impetus into his journey to find Alice.

"Tariq! You are here!" Ruth was the first to rush to him, tears of excitement flashing in her eyes. She hugged Tariq tightly, as if she was afraid that he would disappear again.

Sophia and Elvira followed closely behind, their faces also full of concern and surprise. "We thought you were in danger, so we decided to come to you." Sophia said softly, her voice gentle but firm.

Tariq was filled with indescribable emotion. "Thank you, I feel much better with you here." He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and tried to force a smile.

Afterwards, Tariq told them everything about his search for Alice. After listening to his story, the three confidantes expressed their willingness to help him. They knew that Alice was not only a friend to Tariq, but also an indispensable part of his life.

"Tariq, let's split up," Lillian suggested. "Sophia and I will ask those students who are close to Alice to see if we can find more clues. Elvira, you are good at tracking, why don't you investigate the source of the letter?"

Tariq nodded in agreement. With their help, his hope of finding Alice would be greatly increased. So the four of them quickly divided the work and each embarked on the journey of looking for clues.

With their excellent social skills, Lillian and Sophia quickly established contact with Alice's former classmates. They asked questions patiently and listened carefully, trying to capture clues from every detail before Alice left. However, despite asking countless people, the answers they got were still ambiguous and there was no substantial progress.

On the other hand, Elvira used her tracking skills to leave marks in every corner of the academy. She tried to track Alice's whereabouts through the breath and magic fluctuations left by Alice. However, as time went on, she found that the traces left by Alice became weaker and weaker, as if she had deliberately hidden her whereabouts.