Chapter 178

The ancestors of the Twelve Kingdoms' royal houses… were all former Seat Keepers of the Watch Palace?

Originally, he had just gotten himself into a bit of trouble and felt too embarrassed to mention it to the Director, but upon hearing this secret, Li Ang fell silent for a moment before couldn't help asking:

"So… is the Lord Taurus also…?"

"Lord Taurus has no descendants."

The red-haired Director replied:

"But if she had descendants and held such an intention, the Cleanup Bureau would be willing to offer certain conveniences—including supporting her descendants in establishing a kingdom. If all goes well, over a hundred years from now, the Twelve Kingdoms might once again become the Thirteen Kingdoms."

"Li Ang, this world is far larger than you imagine. Human habitation isn't limited to the lands of the Twelve Kingdoms, and the Watch Palace is the final shield protecting the world. Given the Seat Keepers' service in guarding the world, such conditions are not beyond the Bureau's acceptance."

"…"

Even so… ancestors saved the world and then ruled it? What kind of heavenly dragon aristocrat trope is this…

After hearing the red-haired Director's words, Li Ang couldn't help but open his mouth in disbelief, wanting to complain—but after thinking it over, he closed it again.

Compared to heavenly dragon aristocrats, the royal houses of the Twelve Kingdoms were still quite normal. Though some acted recklessly, since most weren't absolute monarchies and their power was somewhat checked, they at least hadn't stepped beyond the bounds of "humanity."

The Cleanup Bureau itself operated in secrecy with a scattered structure, punishing severely any "anomaly" that interfered with "normalcy," and each branch held immense autonomy—it was not a tightly controlled power organization.

Aside from granting certain special privileges to royal houses due to their status as descendants of Seat Keepers, it didn't seem to openly defend the Twelve Kingdoms at all, so the relationship between the Twelve Kingdoms and the Cleanup Bureau felt more like mutual benefit.

The former had no direct power competition with the latter and relied on it to resist anomalies; the latter needed the former to maintain stability in the surface world and provide support when necessary, maintaining a relatively stable equilibrium.

"Also, you need to be more careful in the coming period."

As Li Ang was pondering the true situation of the Twelve Kingdoms, the red-haired Director hesitated, then spoke uncertainly:

"I think this incident might also be connected to the Aquarius Director."

Aquarius Director again?

Li Ang frowned and probed cautiously:

"Is it because the rebels' ability comes from the Aquarius Director? Do you suspect the attack was orchestrated by him?"

"There is some truth to that, but more importantly, it's the sheer strength of the ability."

The red-haired Director frowned tightly:

"If it were merely erasing a commoner's existence from memory, such abilities aren't rare. But to erase a kingdom's princess from everyone's memory—requiring immense ability strength, anomaly rank, and an enormous cost—there are barely a handful of branch directors capable of it."

"And yet, despite the disappearance of such a crucial figure, no one noticed anything amiss. Everything was forcibly 'rationalized,' as if the kingdom had never had a princess… Doesn't this ability strike you as familiar?"

Everything forcibly rationalized…

After frowning in thought for a moment, Li Ang suddenly realized something, his eyes wide with shock:

"You mean… the God of Erasure—the one responsible for wiping traces of anomalies?"

"More precisely, it's the God of Erasure and the 【Illusion Jar】 that contains it."

The red-haired Director narrowed his eyes:

"This forgetting ability exceeds normal thresholds. I suspect someone with deep knowledge of the 【Illusion Jar】's operating rules exploited its power to cut a corner."

The forgetting ability likely only initiated the process; afterward, it piggybacked on the 【Illusion Jar】's trace-erasure function, misleading the Jar into judging the event concluded and the princess vanished, triggering a large-scale erasure of all traces—only then could this effect be achieved."

"Otherwise, if it were merely a forgetting ability, someone flipping through old newspapers or receiving official documents signed by the princess before her erasure would immediately notice the discrepancy. Only the Bureau's 【Illusion Jar】 can forcibly rationalize such inconsistencies."

Otherwise, if it were merely a matter of forgetting, anyone who flipped through old newspapers or received official documents signed by the Princess before she was forgotten would immediately notice the inconsistencies—only the Bureau's 【Illusion Jar】 could forcibly rationalize all these issues, and the one capable of doing so…

The only people capable of doing this? Isn't that exactly the Aquarius Director?

As one of the Twelve Directors, he must understand the 【Illusion Jar】's rules intimately, and given his suspected ties to the rebels, his involvement isn't merely suspicious—it's practically confessed his ID number!

Instantly grasping the Director's logic, Li Ang felt a chill crawl over his skin, as if an ancient, cunning mastermind had fixed him with a predatory gaze.

"Director…"

Glancing at his mere 4. contamination level, confirming his frail frame couldn't withstand further strain, Li Ang couldn't help complaining:

"After the Lyon Blood Night, the General Bureau reviewed me within a week. But since we reported possible issues with the Aquarius Director, how many days have passed? Why hasn't the General Bureau reacted at all?"

"What reaction do you expect? Arrest the Aquarius Director and have you drag that sheep in to interrogate him?"

The red-haired Director glared at him, exasperated:

"He's still a Director! You, a rookie who's been in the Cleanup Bureau for only a month, suggesting an investigation against him is like a shepherd from Lyon County accusing the King of stealing sheep from his pen—no one will take it seriously."

"Even with my backing, getting this taken seriously is hard enough—but actually initiating an investigation requires approval from at least three Directors. Most of our Directors keep their identities secret, and some may not even be in this world."

"So just wait."

"Year-end review is coming soon. Every year, three Directors oversee the year-end review. With Lord Taurus returning soon, I'll be able to notify at least four Directors next week—then the review of Aquarius should be approved."

A week…

Li Ang considered this, then relaxed slightly—but just as he opened his mouth to speak further, a faint creak came from the drawer behind the red-haired Director.

"It's probably news from the General Bureau."

Noticing the sound, the red-haired Director returned to his desk, pulled open the drawer, rummaged briefly, then withdrew a sheet of ink-smeared form, scanning it quickly.

"I thought it was something else—turns out your investigation results are in. You… hmm?"

As if seeing something unbelievable, the Director's eyelid twitched violently, then his brow furrowed involuntarily.

"Li Ang…"

Having skimmed the form in seconds, his gaze lingering on evaluations like "Suspicious!" "Dangerous!" "Crazy!" the red-haired Director took a deep breath, his expression grim:

"Your investigation results… are not optimistic…"