Chapter 982: 0579 Meeting Time

“Everyone, the matter of the Krook Kingdom is now beyond reversal.”

As Prince Andre, the traitor of the Kill King Society, stumbled blindly onto his final journey, the white serpent—who had left in fury earlier—had already gathered all official members of the Kill King Society, briefly recounted what he had seen and heard, then spoke in a slightly chilling tone:

“Our years of planning have been utterly ruined by that Level Three Cleaner. Not only did he rescue the traitorous Black Owl and Snow Owl, but he also completely destroyed Krook Kingdom—one of the Thirteen Kingdoms.”

Including the incident at the ‘Iron Palace,’ this is now his second time sabotaging our plans. I personally believe we underestimated Leon Lane too much; his threat level must be raised immediately.”

“I agree.”

As soon as the white serpent finished speaking, the thrush owl mask seated to his left immediately nodded, speaking with a pained grimace:

“This Leon Lane is truly bizarre. Under the circumstances—where nearly all the Cleaners sent by the Scorpio Branch were slaughtered and the Branch Director was taken control of—I truly cannot fathom how he still managed to turn the tide.”

“Indeed…”

Across from the thrush owl mask, the slender figure of ‘Black Cat’ sighed and nodded in agreement:

“The incident at the ‘Iron Palace’ aside—that was our own fault, poorly prepared and hastily executed, riddled with flaws. He exploited our weaknesses, and there was nothing we could do.”

“But in Krook Kingdom, ninety-nine percent of the royal family were already dead; the only two survivors were our unofficial members, each bound by three extremely targeted Blood Oaths. Logically, this should have been an unwinnable situation for them.”

“And even in this already assured victory, we still paid a heavy price—forcefully transmitting the white serpent’s power down to help Black Owl seize control of the Scorpio Branch Director.”

“Yet despite all that, we still failed to eradicate the royal bloodline. Even the deceased Cleaners—he pulled them back from the Realm of the Dead. Krook Kingdom itself was utterly burned to ashes… This man is truly insane.”

“Yes, this man is truly…”

“His threat level must be raised!”

“I agree—he’s far too strange.”

“Since no one objects, it’s settled then.”

With unanimous approval from all Kill King Society members, the white serpent seated at the head spoke decisively:

“From this moment forward, the threat level assigned to Level Three Cleaner Leon Lane of the Virgo Branch is to be raised by two tiers—treated as equivalent to a Director of the Twelve Zodiac Branches. Mobilize all resources to gather every piece of intelligence regarding him, and monitor him constantly for any unusual activity.”

“Furthermore, in all future plans, if there is any possibility of direct contact with him, no one is permitted to act independently. You must immediately convene a meeting, notify all official members, and reach a collective decision before proceeding!”

“I second that!”

“That’s only right.”

“I have no objections.”

“Then the first item of today’s meeting is unanimously approved.”

After delivering this final ruling, the white serpent turned his mask toward the black cat seated to his right and asked gently:

“How is your Witch Kingdom proceeding? Is the situation still stable?”

“To be honest, not optimistic.”

Upon hearing this, the black cat mask sighed helplessly and replied:

“The situation in Mifala Kingdom remains relatively stable—the Great Witch King will die soon—but the Pisces Branch has become extremely active recently. They’ve increased guard forces around the Grand Witch Court and held dozens of large-scale soul rituals.”

“If I’m not mistaken, the Pisces Branch has likely realized the Great Witch King’s daughter is a fake we planted. They’re probably using these soul rituals to search for the true Princess of the Witch Kingdom.”

“And you? Has your progress been smooth?”

The white serpent frowned, his expression slightly hostile as he pressed:

“Your Ball of Yarn Society has been operating in Mifala Kingdom for years. After so long of searching everywhere, have you still not found the missing princess?”

“It’s different.”

The black cat shook her head:

“The Pisces Branch can search openly. I, however, must act in secret to avoid drawing the Cleaners’ attention—how can my efficiency compare to theirs?”

“All I can confirm is that the true Princess of the Witch Kingdom is still alive. She did not die in the attack all those years ago—she managed to hide herself, to avoid being targeted again.”

I see…

After hearing the black cat’s words, the white serpent sighed.

“So you have no good news either?”

“There is some good news.”

After a moment of thought, the black cat replied uncertainly:

“Among those sent to attack her back then were members of the Pisces Branch. So she doesn’t trust the Cleaners at all. Over these years, she’s never contacted them, and has gone to great lengths to evade the Pisces Branch’s search.”

“Moreover, she is truly a genius witch—her power approaches that of a Deputy Branch Director. The more the Pisces Branch searches, the deeper she hides. Though we can’t find her, neither can they.”

“That’s hardly good news.”

The white serpent frowned and warned:

“Even if the Cleaners can’t find her, as long as she lives, she sustains the strength of the Watch Palace. Only by killing her outright can our plan succeed!”

“Don’t worry—there will be an opportunity.”

In response to the white serpent’s warning, the woman wearing the black cat mask fell silent for a moment, then replied calmly:

“Recently, someone in my Ball of Yarn Society was granted an audience with the Great Witch King. She is now one hundred and thirty-eight years old—her condition has deteriorated drastically compared to previous years. She likely has only one or two years left to live.”

“At this moment, as the Great Witch King’s only daughter, no matter how patient the hidden princess may be, she will inevitably return to see her mother one last time. If my people continue waiting inside the Grand Witch Court, we will surely catch her trail!”

“Good. As long as you’re confident.”

Satisfied with the black cat’s answer, the white serpent at the head nodded slightly, then glanced toward the empty seat diagonally across from her—occupied by the fox mask—and asked:

“Fox… what about the Aquarius Director? How is his preparation going? Does anyone know?”

“His progress… should be decent?”

Upon hearing the white serpent’s question, the thrush owl mask across from the black cat hesitated, then answered uncertainly:

“After that Leon departed on the airship, he immediately returned to the capital and prepared many things—likely targeting the woman from the Virgo Branch. According to the Aquarius Director, he’s found a way to deal with the Virgo Branch. Everything now waits for Leon’s return.”