Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 3024: Chapter 3025: Suspects

Vay had just finished muttering in his heart when he heard a sigh from the Black Earl.

Vay froze: Did I get it wrong?

The Black Earl was silent for a moment before speaking in Vay’s mind: "On a general level, your guess isn’t shooting entirely in the dark. But if you were Elder Yue, think about it—would you really do this?"

The Black Earl signaled for Vay to lift his head and look toward the arena not far away.

Ruins and broken walls everywhere, fire and smoke.

Some people had already fallen; some were still being rescued.

Looking at this miserable scene, Vay seemed to understand a little.

Was such a disastrous tableau really orchestrated by Elder Yue? Would she dare do this?

Even if Elder Yue harbored hatred toward the Birlos Family, if she wanted revenge, she would limit it to the Birlos Family. And the ones suffering here are far from only the Birlos Family.

If she did this, it could only be because she wanted to bring in outsiders and use their power to perish together with the Birlos Family.

But if she really wanted mutual destruction, with Elder Yue’s status she has plenty of other methods. Why use such a stupid, clumsy one? Even if outsiders were brought in, it’s not certain they could eradicate the Birlos Family root and branch.

What’s more, Elder Yue has been stationed at Bilun Tree Court for years. If she truly bore a grudge, could she really have hidden it for so many years without a trace?

No matter how you think about it, it’s hard to imagine Elder Yue as the mole.

However, to say that what happened here has absolutely nothing to do with Elder Yue is also impossible.

After all, in all these years at Bilun Tree Court, this is the first time the interior has been so hollowed out. Most Wizards went to The Garden Labyrinth, and a small portion were dragged away by Elder Yue. Only under a situation where no one could be dispatched did Bilun Tree Court suffer such a tragic disaster.

Vay knew very well that their side definitely had no problem. That means the only possible leak was from Elder Yue’s side.

So, Elder Yue isn’t completely blameless either.

But the fault might not be with Elder Yue herself, and instead lies with her subordinates or those close to her who leaked the information.

Vay voiced his analysis.

After listening, the Black Earl said, "It goes a step further than your previous guess, but it’s still not complete."

After a pause, the Black Earl added, "It’s indeed possible the leak came from Elder Yue’s side, but must it really have anything to do with Elder Yue herself?"

With the Black Earl’s reminder, Vay froze for two seconds, then reacted.

"As long as someone knows the movements of the Birlos Family’s Wizards, they can infer that Bilun Tree Court is empty inside. And the ’Wizard movement’ intel doesn’t necessarily have to be leaked from Elder Yue’s side. Even Apprentices left behind at the Birlos Family could analyze it and leak it out!"

Black Earl: "That’s right. But... on the other hand, the stay-behind Apprentices don’t have much of an advantage in intelligence, so the probability of them leaking is actually quite low. The ones with the real intel advantage are..."

Vay blurted, stunned: "Night Tree."

The Black Earl chuckled and didn’t continue, but what he meant was already obvious.

Vay also understood that the Black Earl was saying Night Tree was the most likely to have passed intel to outsiders, since they are the Birlos Family’s real intelligence organization.

But... isn’t Night Tree still under Elder Yue’s jurisdiction?!

So after all that long analysis, I ended up back under Elder Yue’s command anyway.

"I never said your analysis was wrong, only that it’s not complete." The Black Earl said blandly, "Night Tree is the most likely, but we can’t rule out that some stay-behind Apprentice also noticed the Wizards’ movements and leaked the intel."

Vay: "..." Round and round and we’re back to saying my analysis isn’t thorough enough. But if the end result is almost the same, does the process really matter?

Even though Vay thought this, he didn’t dare say it out loud and could only grumble silently.

While Vay and the Black Earl were conversing in secret, on the other side Gailuo was also speaking with Shayina via Mind Ribbon.

And what they were talking about was actually about the same as what Vay was asking: they were also guessing who the mole was.

The answer Shayina gave was more or less the same as the Black Earl’s analysis. She also didn’t think it was Elder Yue, and leaned more toward the intelligence unit.

As for who the intelligence unit here referred to, Shayina didn’t say it explicitly, but both Gailuo and Shayina knew in their hearts.

In addition, Shayina offered another hypothesis: "There might not even be a mole. Perhaps there’s a Prophet Wizard among the attackers, and they prophesied today’s lax interior at Bilun Tree Court."

Gailuo actually really didn’t want to believe there was a mole inside the family, so he leaned more toward Shayina’s second guess: "The possibility of a Prophet Wizard working behind the scenes is very high, and those three suspects all came out of the Starry District!"

And who stands behind the Starry District? One of the Observers of the Crown Star Church—the Preacher of Starlight!

And Gailuo also knew that the diamond members of Starlight’s Splendor had the chance to purchase a Preacher’s prophecy at trading events.

Although the attackers didn’t necessarily buy their prophecy from the Preacher, the fact that the Starry District is closely tied to Prophet Wizards is undeniable.

If the people who came really are from the Starry District, there’s a high chance they received help from a Prophet Wizard!

Shayina sensed the emotional fluctuations coming from Gailuo through the Mind Ribbon. She also understood that Gailuo preferred the possibility of a Prophet Wizard. But as far as Shayina herself was concerned, although it was she who brought up the possibility of Prophet Wizards, she still felt the mole hypothesis was more likely.

However, she didn’t refute Gailuo right now. Instead, she guided Gailuo with her words, telling him to put the Prophet Wizard issue aside for the moment.

"If there really is a Prophet Wizard backing the attackers, I’m sure Clan Chief Xingye and Elder Shu will be able to get an answer from Lucia," Shayina said.

Gailuo said angrily, "We never should have let Lucia bring that so-called Starry District into Bilun Tree Court in the first place!"

Shayina sighed inwardly. The matter of the Starry District wasn’t something that hinged on whether Bilun Tree Court agreed or not... It was the result of a three-way gambling and was destined.

In many Wizard Markets the Starry Districts just moved in as they pleased, and even the Managers of the Wizard Market could do nothing about them... The fact that Clan Chief Xingye could trade for a single prophecy from the Preacher was actually already quite a profit.

Shayina said, "Since Lucia came here of her own accord, that’s already giving Clan Chief Xingye face. We just have to wait for the result from their side afterward... Speaking of which, do you have any impression of those three suspects?"

Gailuo’s attention was easily diverted by Shayina: "I’ve never seen any of those three suspects. But the woman in the first image, I keep feeling that there’s something familiar about her temperament."

Gailuo looked at Shayina. "You’re both Witches. Do you have any impression of her?"

Shayina: "She might not even be a Witch."

Shayina had personally seen Lucia’s other identity: Lucia.

Sometimes, whether someone is male or female really is uncertain.

Gailuo: "You mean she might not be using her real face?"

Shayina: "It’s possible. But it’s also possible I’m just ignorant."

"No, it’s definitely not that I’m ignorant. Ever since I saw her, I’ve had this sense of familiarity. She’s definitely someone I’ve seen before." Gailuo: "That’s intuition."

Shayina raised a brow. "A man’s intuition is not reliable at all... What, you want to argue?"

Gailuo stared at Shayina for quite a while and couldn’t come up with a retort; after all, Shayina was his partner. In the end, he only muttered in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, "...Don’t be unreasonable, I really do feel she’s familiar."

Shayina: "With your pathetic little social circle, if you feel familiar with a Witch, then she’s probably not some nobody."

"Anyway, I don’t know her. But since you’ve got a gut feeling, we can go ask."

Gailuo was stunned for a moment. "Ask? Ask who?"

Shayina flicked her gaze at Vay. "Naturally, we ask Lord Black Earl."

Gailuo furrowed his brows. This was, after all, an internal matter of Bilun Tree Court; wasn’t it a bit off to ask an outsider?

Shayina clearly knew Gailuo well. Seeing him frown, she guessed what he was thinking. "We’re just consulting, we don’t have to get an answer."

Although Shayina had been chatting away with Gailuo in the Mind Ribbon, in the outside world she’d been constantly looking for topics to strike up a conversation with the Black Earl.

This stiff atmosphere was not what Shayina wanted.

Even if the Black Earl was unwilling to answer, it was fine; as long as she tossed out the topic first, the rest could be dealt with later.

Gailuo thought it over and didn’t stop Shayina, letting her question the Black Earl.

And if Shayina was going to ask, she obviously wouldn’t only ask about one of the three suspects. She directly asked the Black Earl what he thought of the three scenes shown by Night Tree Number Nine.

Shayina assumed her question would end up like the previous ones and get no response.

But this time, Shayina turned out to be wrong.

"You’re trying to ask me about those three people’s identities?" The Black Earl’s voice echoed in the air.

Shayina froze for a moment, but her solid mental composure quickly restored her calm expression. "That’s part of it, but I’m guessing those three may not have been using their real faces. Just from the images alone, it might be hard to determine who they are."

"So, rather than asking who they are, what I’d really like to know is: how does Lord Black Earl view the way the three of them behaved in the images? In Lord Black Earl’s eyes, which of them is most likely to be the culprit?"

"Ah, that..." The Black Earl paused. He didn’t answer immediately, but instead turned to ask Vay, "Vay, what do you think?"

Shayina hadn’t expected the Black Earl to suddenly toss the topic to his junior.

Though she didn’t think Vay could give much of an answer, she still turned her gaze to him... As long as they didn’t let the conversation die, they could talk about anything.

Vay, however, wasn’t surprised by the Black Earl’s question.

Because when Shayina was asking the Black Earl, Vay happened to be asking him about those three scenes as well.

This was also why the Black Earl suddenly spoke up to answer Shayina.

It was pure coincidence.

Vay thought for a moment. "In the first scene, that woman’s behavior is indeed very suspicious. She’s smoking while watching the Shallow Sea Strongman rampage, like a spectator completely outside the situation."

"But precisely because of that detached attitude, I feel she’s very likely not the instigator."

Black Earl: "Your reasoning?"

Vay scratched his head with an innocent expression. "As for reasoning, I can’t really explain it clearly. But if I were the one who caused the disaster, even if I stayed on site, I don’t think I’d act like I was just watching a show."

This look of watching a show was too "aloof and beyond it all," like watching kids fight. In Vay’s view, that mentality didn’t really fit an attacker’s mindset.

On the side, Shayina didn’t speak, but she actually agreed somewhat with Vay. However, attitudes can be put on as a Disguise, so Vay’s judgment wasn’t necessarily entirely correct.

The Black Earl didn’t comment on Vay’s assessment and simply said, "Continue."

Vay: "The second scene shows a normal Apprentice who wasn’t injured or killed. There are suspicious points, but they could be coincidences. If I put myself in that girl Apprentice’s place, I might react the same way, so just from her reaction, I don’t think she’s the problem."

Black Earl: "Continue."

Vay: "The third scene, personally, feels most like the attacker. His position happens to be at the top of the Signal Tower, allowing him to look down over the chaos below. His behavior is also strange. Watching the disaster caused by the Shallow Sea Strongman, he isn’t on guard; instead, he’s smiling."

"Either he has absolute strength and can crush the Shallow Sea Strongman, or he’s the one who orchestrated all this and knows the Shallow Sea Strongman won’t pose a threat to him."

"That’s what I’m thinking."

After Vay finished his analysis, he asked cautiously, "Is there anything wrong with what I said?"

Shayina shook her head. She felt Vay’s analysis was fairly on point, but her judgment didn’t count for much; what mattered was what the Black Earl thought.

Shayina looked over at the Black Earl.

Black Earl: "I happen to know the woman in the first scene. I won’t say who she is, but she really doesn’t seem like the attacker. As for the second scene, whether that girl Apprentice is acting or not can be found out with a bit of checking."

"As for the third scene, just judging from his expression whether he’s the attacker or not, that’s hard for me to say. However..."

The Black Earl suddenly fell silent and didn’t speak for a long time.

Shayina looked at him with some confusion. "However... what?"

"However, the man in the third scene is right nearby. If you suspect him, you might as well go ask him directly."

As the Black Earl said this, a strange force pulled Vay’s head up.

Vay knew this was the Black Earl making him look up. He didn’t resist, letting that force guide him as he raised his head and, following the Black Earl’s direction, looked into the distance.

The direction Vay was looking in was a building that hadn’t completely collapsed yet.

The Sky Tower Registration Office.

Not the Sky Tower itself, just the registration place. Even so, it was still one of the tallest buildings in the arena.

Because the night was deep and shrouded in smoke, Vay didn’t notice anything at first.

Until a special surge of Energy merged into his eyes.

In that instant, his sight was like it had just unlocked the cheats of piercing illusions and a telescope, instantly breaking through the Mist and seeing the top of the Sky Tower Registration Office.

A refined man in a suit slowly lifted his gaze.

In that moment, their eyes met.