Chapter 751

Hearing Sylph’s explanation, Li Chen’s eyes flickered with a hint of satisfaction.

This information was crucial!

It seemed that merely playing the role of a half-elf with ancient Elf King bloodline would effortlessly win the loyalty of the Whispering Family and even more half-elf elites, turning them into his sharpest scouting assets.

Moreover, this identity might become the “thread” connecting key clues.

Li Chen’s mind raced: if the Pope’s disappearance was truly a carefully orchestrated conspiracy by Emperor Charles, whether through assassination or imprisonment in some secret heavenly realm, Charles’s cunning and preparation would have erased every trace, leaving no trail to follow.

The Church was filled with capable people, its believers spread across the empire, even within the imperial palace—yet after so long, not a single concrete clue had been found, which in itself spoke volumes.

Charles must have laid a flawless plan; otherwise, those fanatics in the Church would have killed him the moment they uncovered the truth.

Murdering the Pope—even if Charles were Emperor—would lead only to death.

Li Chen believed Charles understood this better than he did.

Therefore, the breakthrough might not lie in “searching,” but in “attracting.”

If Charles had truly done this, he would urgently need to recruit more elites and factions to consolidate his gains and counter the Church’s inevitable retaliation.

Supporting the half-elves, long marginalized by the Church’s influence, to balance the Church might well be one part of Charles’s plan.

Although the half-elf race as a whole could not rival the deeply entrenched Church, if a “King” with “Elf King bloodline” and a cultivation base at the Saint Realm suddenly emerged among them—even if only nominally—it would surely draw Charles’s intense interest.

He would very likely send emissaries to make contact, or even come himself to test and woo them.

At that moment, Li Chen, as this “Half-Elf King,” could naturally extract from Charles or his confidants the core intelligence regarding the Pope’s disappearance!

“Rather than wandering aimlessly like a headless fly through this vast empire searching for clues, let the clues come to me,” Li Chen decided inwardly—this move was masterful.

To portray the “Elf King bloodline” convincingly, Li Chen decided to study and imitate it seriously.

He was naturally meticulous and cautious, fully aware that details determined success or failure.

After returning from the tavern, the two went back to Sylph and her mother’s secluded villa.

Birodis had just woken up, lazily leaning against the pillow, savoring the intensity and helplessness of last night, when she saw her daughter enter with a flurry of packages, carrying tempting food boxes filled with alluring aromas.

Learning these were gifts from the “Cleric” himself, Birodis was overwhelmed with gratitude, secretly thinking: ‘All my efforts last night were not in vain—this lord still remembers the favors done for him.’