Chapter 263

"This is the irrigation water for the Jin Hui Wheat seedlings."

In front of the Kastela Volcano, Elder Grant pointed to the pool in front of him and introduced it to the two of them.

"In the Northern Realm, natural water sources basically don't exist; most of it comes from melting ice and snow. Only here at the Kastela Volcano can such a natural pool appear," Elder Grant emphasized subconsciously.

Gao De and Luo Yiqi walked closer to the pool.

The edge of the pool was covered by a layer of thick moss, which was extremely common in the Northern Realm.

This moss variety should be green moss; its lush green color and the blue of the pool formed a color combination rarely seen in the Northern Realm.

The soil around the pool was moist and fertile.

The pool water was crystal clear, and one could even see a few small fish swimming leisurely within it.

"The source of the pool water is groundwater from inside the volcano. This groundwater is filtered through the volcanic rock layers, so the water quality is exceptionally pure. Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any insect eggs present," Elder Grant said, pointing his finger toward the other side of the pool.

Visible to the naked eye, a continuous stream was flowing into the pool there.

That water flow still carried a hint of warmth, forming a sharp contrast with the extreme cold of the Northern Realm's environment.

Gao De squatted down, while Fu Luo La, who was sitting on his shoulder, observed the pool water earnestly.

One could discover that in the soil at the edge of the pool, there were still some small bubbles constantly emerging.

These bubbles were signs of an underground heat source.

Although the Kastela Volcano had been dormant for a long time, the underground heat source remained very active, keeping the pool's water temperature at a relatively stable level so it wouldn't be affected by the Northern Realm's air temperature and freeze.

Over here, Fu Luo La had also finished her observation.

"This water is indeed very pure; there are no ice-thread worm eggs present, and it also contains minerals suitable for the growth of Jin Hui Wheat," Gao De stood up and gave the conclusion Fu Luo La had reached.

"However, the ice-thread worm eggs in the Jin Hui Wheat fields do indeed come from the irrigation water. Lady Fu Luo La can be certain of this point," he added affirmatively.

This was Fu Luo La's innate ability, information obtained through "communicating" with plants.

Plants do not lie.

"All the irrigation water for the Jin Hui Wheat fields is taken from the pool before us, without exception?" Gao De confirmed with Elder Grant.

"Without exception," Elder Grant said with absolute certainty. "Although we don't understand what minerals you're talking about, we discovered long ago that using the water here to irrigate the Jin Hui Wheat allows it to grow better and can even slightly increase the yield."

"So, we have strict regulations that only water from here can be used to water the Jin Hui Wheat."

"Generally, who is responsible for fetching and pouring the water?" Gao De frowned, thought for a moment, and asked again.

Since there were no ice-thread worm eggs in the pool, but the eggs in the wheat fields clearly came from the irrigation water, then the eggs could only have appeared during the process of fetching and pouring the water.

Obviously, Elder Grant and Luo Yiqi had also deduced this conclusion.

Elder Grant's expression became unusually solemn; he thought carefully and spat out three names.

"Usually, Yisang, Evan, and Ximon are responsible for fetching and pouring the water. They have all been working here for nearly ten years; they are very reliable and also very familiar with the Jin Hui Wheat."

"Are you sure there are no omissions? Those who aren't responsible for watering but can still come into contact with the pool also count," Gao De nodded and asked again.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Elder Grant, but based on experience, in this kind of situation, an ordinary person's answer is always one-sided and will miss some special circumstances.

And often, these special circumstances are the final answer—because universal situations are too easy to investigate.

Elder Grant understood Gao De's caution. He thought for a moment and added: "There is also Thomas. He was originally responsible for Jin Hui Wheat cultivation, but later, because he injured his waist and couldn't do this work, he had no choice but to step down."

"I saw that he was conscientious and responsible when he worked, and I was worried that in his condition, it would be hard for him to get enough to eat after leaving here, so I took him in as a servant."

"Under normal circumstances, I come here at least once a day to check on the condition of the Jin Hui Wheat," Elder Grant said; he was a very responsible person. "However, there are times when I'm busy and can't get away. Thomas is a servant in my residence and has experience in Jin Hui Wheat cultivation, so at those times, I would let Thomas go to the fields to take a look for me."

"A few days ago, because I was busy with the matters your Saintess entrusted, I let Thomas watch the Jin Hui Wheat fields for me for a day."

Gao De and Luo Yiqi exchanged glances.

The timing was too perfect; it was truly impossible not to be suspicious.

"Then we must trouble Elder Grant to call Thomas over; we have a few questions to ask him," Luo Yiqi said.

"Alright." Elder Grant's expression was heavy, but he nodded in agreement.

Thomas was a middle-aged man, not yet old.

When he was called over, he appeared somewhat timid.

When he saw that besides Elder Grant, there were also two outsiders, Luo Yiqi and Gao De, waiting for him, a flash of unease and nervousness crossed his eyes.

And before Thomas arrived, Luo Yiqi cast a spell first to prepare for the upcoming questioning.

He extended his right index finger, drew a circle in the air, and then pointed at the ground.

Following Luo Yiqi's gesture, magic power rippled in the air.

An invisible ripple accompanied the magical fluctuation, covering a spherical area with a 15-foot radius centered on him.

Second-circle Enchantment spell.

【Domain of Honesty】.

A rare general spell—the spells mastered by these Ice-born were mostly very different from outside spells; it was a spell Gao De hadn't learned in his general spell class.

Gao De looked at Luo Yiqi with slight surprise.

"This is a spell formula I purchased from you outsider mages," Luo Yiqi explained casually to Gao De. "That was an outsider mage who wanted to come to the Northern Realm to make a fortune. He almost died in the jaws of a wolf, was saved by me in passing, and even followed me for a stretch of the road."

Luo Yiqi didn't elaborate further.

【Domain of Honesty】 is a functional spell; it possesses no lethality and is of no help in combat, but in terms of interrogation, it possesses powerful spell efficacy.

Because within the Domain of Honesty, the subject cannot intentionally lie.

However, the Domain of Honesty still has many flaws and is not omnipotent.

The most prominent point among them is that the subject can realize the existence of the Domain of Honesty, and therefore, he can actively avoid answering questions that would usually be answered with a lie.

He can even be evasive and downplay the importance when answering questions, because as long as it doesn't exceed the scope of the truth, there is no problem.

After all, this is only a second-circle spell.

Of course, in most situations, 【Domain of Honesty】 is sufficient.

The moment he stepped into the Domain of Honesty, Thomas's body stiffened—he had already realized the existence of the Domain of Honesty.

"Thomas, they have some questions they want to ask you. Just cooperate with them and tell the truth," Elder Grant advised.

"I... I understand, Elder. I will cooperate with them," Thomas answered somewhat constrainedly and nervously.

"Ask away." Elder Grant folded his arms and stood to the side.

Luo Yiqi didn't avoid suspicion either; he went straight to the point in front of Elder Grant: "Is the pest problem of the Jin Hui Wheat related to you?"

He was too lazy to ask step-by-step about ice-thread worm eggs or irrigation water; he pointed directly at the core issue.

"What?" Thomas was stunned for a moment, as if he hadn't reacted.

"You only need to answer yes or no; don't say anything else," Luo Yiqi said with a light reprimand.

"No..." Thomas shook his head repeatedly, looking flustered, and couldn't stop explaining: "It has nothing to do with me..."

Hearing this answer, Luo Yiqi looked at Gao De and then shook his head.

The meaning was that the other party wasn't lying.

Thomas is unrelated to the pest problem?

Gao De frowned slightly, always feeling that something was wrong somewhere.

He began to ponder in his mind.

Soon, Gao De raised his head again.

It was very obvious that the mastermind behind the scenes was a high-level member of the Snowfield Guardians.

Therefore, this mastermind knew Luo Yiqi's abilities very well; when framing Catherine, he had erased all scents at the scene to cut off the possibility of Luo Yiqi tracking the culprit by scent.

Then likewise, this mastermind perhaps also knew about the 【Domain of Honesty】 mastered by Luo Yiqi.

So, is it possible that at the very beginning of planning the pest matter, this mastermind had already considered the 【Domain of Honesty】 and made corresponding arrangements?

For example, using a "white lie" from the beginning to make Thomas do certain things, and Thomas believed it to be true? Within the Domain of Honesty, the subject cannot intentionally lie.

This is the spell effect of 【Domain of Honesty】, but it is also its limitation.

The Domain of Honesty can only restrict the subject's subjective conscious act of lying.

What if the subject himself was also deceived and thought he was telling the truth?

Even if in fact it was a lie, as long as he believed from the bottom of his heart that it was true, he could pass the judgment of the Domain of Honesty.

"Five days ago, when you checked the condition of the Jin Hui Wheat fields on behalf of Elder Grant, did you do anything outside the scope of your duties, regardless of whether it was good or bad?"

Gao De stared into Thomas's eyes, weighed his language, and after ensuring there were no loopholes, he asked.

Luo Yiqi, standing to the side, was stunned for a moment, and then revealed an expression of sudden realization.

He looked at Gao De with slight surprise—he had already guessed Gao De's thoughts from Gao De's current question and felt surprised that Gao De could think of these things in such a short time.

And the moment he heard Gao De's question, Thomas's expression changed instantly.

"What counts as something outside the scope of duties..." Thomas tried to remain calm.

"Answer yes or no, don't change the subject!" Elder Grant had also seen where the problem lay, and his gaze became cold.

He was a person who cherished old feelings; it was precisely because he saw that it wasn't easy for Thomas to have worked in the Jin Hui Wheat fields for so many years that he took him in as a servant after he was injured.

The result in return was... If it weren't for Gao De's intervention, the withering of the Jin Hui Wheat would be a major event, enough to make him fall from his position as an Elder and lose his reputation in his later years.

Thinking of encountering such a backstab, Elder Grant's heart felt like it was burning.

Looking at Elder Grant's cold gaze, Thomas's feigned calmness collapsed instantly, and tears streamed down his face.

"Elder, Elder, I really didn't do anything; the pest matter really has nothing to do with me... You kindly took me in, and these years you've been nothing but good to me. Even if I had no conscience, I wouldn't do anything to betray you!"

"Elder, you must believe me..."

"Then answer his question directly first." Elder Grant remained unmoved and said coldly.

No matter how much Thomas said, it was useless; his current reaction and attitude were actually enough to explain everything.

Hearing Elder Grant's cold tone, Thomas's face turned ashen. He looked at the young Gao De, stared fixedly at his face, and then nodded in despair, "Yes."

"What did you do?" Elder Grant asked next.

Since he had already confessed, Thomas simply gave up and stopped hiding it, "I... I was entrusted by someone, five days ago, to bring a magical pet into the volcanic fields."

"I only did this; as for the subsequent pest matter, I really know nothing about it..."

"What magical pet?" Elder Grant had no heart to pay attention to Thomas's pale explanation and continued: "Who entrusted you?"

"A toad magical pet..." Thomas answered: "I don't know who is behind it either. They threatened me with my family, and usually, they contacted me through letters; I couldn't see anyone at all."

Sure enough, even at this link, the mastermind behind the scenes hadn't left too many flaws.

Gao De said to himself in his heart.

"Threatening you with your family... How long has this situation been going on?" Elder Grant asked again.

"Nearly ten years..."

"What about that toad magical pet?" Elder Grant's expression became even uglier—anyone who knew they were being watched like this, with a nail inserted by their side for nearly ten years, wouldn't feel good.

"That person just told me to bring the toad magical pet in when I entered the volcanic fields; I didn't need to do anything else. After I came out, the toad magical pet left on its own."

"I don't know what happened in between at all, or what the intention of that person asking me to do this was..."

"Is Catherine's arrest related to you, as she was the other guest Elder Grant received the day before yesterday besides him?" Here, Gao De had already skipped over the pest matter and jumped straight to the Catherine matter he was more concerned about.

"I..." Thomas's struggling explanation came to an abrupt end, as if he had jammed.

Seeing this reaction, Luo Yiqi's expression immediately brightened—obviously, even if Thomas wasn't a participant in this matter, he clearly knew some inside information.

Finally found a useful clue.

"I can't say, I can't say. If I say it, my wife and children are finished..." Thomas suddenly screamed in despair.

The next instant, black blood and white foam suddenly began to emerge from his mouth, and then his head tilted, and he just fell down like that.

(End of chapter)