Chapter 30

【Side Quest Trigger: Interrogation by the Heresy Tribunal.】

【Mission Description: As soon as you enter Mitra Academy, you've caught the attention of the Heresy Tribunal; please respond carefully and do not reveal your true identity.】

【Mission Reward: Experience +100%, Unlimited Equipment Item Experience Card (3 min) x1】

At the same time those uninvited guests from the Heresy Tribunal arrived, Ying Duo saw the newly triggered side quest pop up before Ying Duo's eyes.

So, that's why he left so obediently with someone.

Hmm... it's definitely not because he just "accidentally" bumped into someone, saw that black-haired man's ID, and discovered the man was level 43, over thirty levels higher than him.

The experience from the quest was just enough for him to level up once, but what intrigued him more was the Unlimited Equipment Item Experience Card later on—although only three minutes long, just hearing about it sounded like a good thing.

After all, he entered Mitra Academy undercover, so it was only a matter of time before his identity was questioned; however, it happening this quickly was still somewhat unexpected.

Ying Duo followed the Heresy Tribunal personnel into a black armored vehicle with no markings, which slowly drove away from Mitra Academy.

Along the way he kept spacing out; although the Heresy Tribunal people had taken him away, they hadn't put any handcuffs or other restraints on him.

Of course, it could also be contempt.

After all, players nowadays are really terrible.

The black-haired lead man sat opposite him, having completely shed the cold hardness he'd just put on, now staring in amazement at Ying Duo's head of self‑luminescent Ying Guang Lu.

"Where did you dye your hair?"

Finally, the man couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked.

Yang Yixie also hadn't expected that the NPC's first question would be this.

As expected, the player's charm is endless.

So, he decisively typed a few characters.

"I don't know."

The man's eyes widened instantly, as if he hadn't expected Ying Duo to answer so bluntly, and he threw those three perfunctory words at him.

He pursed his lips and scratched his head.

"If you don't want to say it, then don't."

According to intelligence, Ying Duo suddenly rushed to the Church that night's early morning to undergo an Aberrant Arts check.

Because that daytime was Mitra Academy's final admissions exam, the Church didn't delay either, even helping him complete the paperwork at that ungodly hour.

And at that time, Ying Duo still had a completely normal head of black hair.

So Ying Duo must have changed to that eye‑catching, self‑luminescent green hair sometime after that.

Based on the intelligence they've gathered so far, those invaders all invaded the world precisely at midnight that day, so even if Ying Duo were truly one of those invaders, he couldn't possibly not name the hair‑dye shop.

"If you don't want to say it, then don't."

"Tch, he doesn't even want to dye such a weird hair color."

The man reluctantly glanced at that vibrant green hair, then ultimately chose not to speak to Ying Duo anymore.

He'd still been worrying whether Ying Duo would be scared, originally thinking he could kindly comfort him for someone's sake, but once the man sat down, it was as if he'd disconnected from the game.

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After passing through layer upon layer of guards, they finally entered the church area located on the upper tier of the Heavenly Crown, heavily guarded.

The vehicle slowly entered a stark‑gray stone fortress‑style building, and the minimap showed this was a temporary interrogation point set up by the Heresy Tribunal headquarters.

The interrogation room's four walls were smooth metal that could reflect a person's silhouette, with no windows; only a single lamp overhead emitting a pallid light shone on Ying Duo's face, exposing every expression in its glow.

The furnishings were equally simple—just a metal table and two chairs.

Ying Duo was told to sit in the chair on one side of the table; he felt nothing of this oppressive environment, merely sweeping his golden eyes around the room as a matter of routine.

The black‑haired man sat opposite him, while another Judge stood by the door like a statue.

The black‑haired man opened the file folder on the table and pulled out a few thin sheets.

The recorder's red light lit up with a humming sound; a stone with strange patterns was placed on the tabletop, quietly glowing with a soft white light while emitting a faint energy fluctuation.

【TruthStone: capable of distinguishing truth from falsehood, turning scarlet when someone lies.】

【Scout】skill gave the answer.

"Ying Duo."

The man spoke slowly, his voice echoing in the empty room, the setting lending it extra oppressive weight.

"I brought you here today to conduct a routine inquiry into a recent special incident; I hope you can answer truthfully."

Ying Duo sat upright opposite him, his vacant, lifeless gaze seeming detached; he nodded slightly, which counted as a response.

"Please answer verbally." The man's face was stern, his tone slightly unfriendly.

"Oh, all right." Ying Duo replied perfunctorily.

The man picked up the first document.

"According to the records, at 2:17 a. m. three days ago you registered an Aberrant Arts awakening at the first district's Church outpost, correct?"

"Probably? I don't know the exact time."

Ying Duo's voice carried confusion; he recalled that the certificate seemed to show that time, but how could a player possibly remember such details?

"And that same daytime—when Mitra Academy's final admissions exam began—your appearance, especially your hair color, underwent a noticeable change."

The man's gaze uncontrollably flicked to that head of Ying Guang Lu.

"Can you explain why, in such a short time, your appearance—especially your hair color—has undergone such a drastic change?"

"I woke up, and it changed."

The man: "......?"

He furrowed his brow, instinctively glancing at the TruthStone on the table, "What do you mean 'I woke up and it changed'? Explain clearly."

Ying Duo added expressionlessly.

"I woke up in the morning, and my hair was green."

The man's mouth twitched, and he forcefully suppressed the urge to retort.

What kind of explanation is this? Could it be that he went sleepwalking to dye his hair?

Surely he can't have a girlfriend? Looking at the data, this kid isn't even an adult.

He couldn't help but glance again at the TruthStone on the table, confirming that it was indeed operating, and its target was undoubtedly Ying Duo.

The stone showed no abnormal reaction, indicating...... that this guy is telling the truth, or at least, from this kid's perspective, he genuinely believes that.

The man leaned more toward the latter.

Right, this kid has a mental issue.

Because Ying Duo's earlier performance had been fairly normal and he could communicate normally, he almost forgot that the Academy's provided materials had specifically emphasized this point.

Tsk, this kid's situation is quite similar to that of some bastard.

He took a deep breath and decided to change direction.

"Alright, let's set aside the hairstyle for now—do you feel that your understanding of the world's basic rules differs from that of ordinary people? For example, suddenly forgetting some common sense?"

This is the focus of the Judgment Court's suspicion.

One of the most prominent features of those "invading souls" is a lack of common-sense knowledge of this world, and their behavior patterns differ greatly from the original individual.

Ying Duo listened to this question, and his thoughts began to stir.

Cognitive influence? Different from ordinary understanding? Isn't this just describing a player's game perspective?

He thought for a moment, then answered seriously.

"Yes."

The man's spirit lifted, and his body leaned forward slightly.

"Where does it manifest specifically?"