Chapter 413

Because it had been made clear in the notification that this was a special gathering, the vast majority of the members of the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society" did not engage in group communication, but just stood in their accustomed positions, casting their gazes at that huge, mottled stone chair.

Ten minutes after the agreed time, the president "Gandalf," wearing a linen robe, looked left and right and said in a loud voice:

"Everyone, calling you all together this time is to tell you a very important matter.

"A group of traitors has appeared among us!"

A group of traitors... "Professor" and the other members of the "Academy" group, although they had already received Lu Mi's hint, didn't expect the problem to be even more serious than anticipated.

Not one traitor, but a group!

There was an uproar in the dilapidated and ancient palace. Some members of the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society" clearly didn't believe it, some became instantly vigilant, suspecting this and that, and some thought the problem might exist but wasn't as exaggerated as "Gandalf" said.

As they talked in low voices and discussed passionately, "Hela," whose face was covered by a black veil, said in a cold voice:

"Let's first invite a victim to talk about her encounter."

This lady's voice wasn't loud, but it was like the only movement in the peaceful night, clearly transmitted into the ears of every member of the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society."

She then cast her gaze toward the area where the "Academy" group was located.

Lu Mi understood "Hela's" intention and walked up the steps without any fear or worry, coming to the side of that mottled, huge ancient stone chair.

He simulated the emotional reaction Aurora would have if she knew the truth of her victimization, and said in a slightly low voice:

"On April 1st of last year, I bought a spell named 'Soul-Calling Ritual' from 'Mad Woman' of the 'April Fool's' group..."

Without needing to use "Amplification," the Aurora voice Lu Mi imitated used the secret power permeating the "Night Country" to accurately let everyone present hear it clearly, without the slightest leakage.

Clearly, this was the help provided by "Hela." After all, Lu Mi himself wasn't a real "Witch" and couldn't use those auxiliary spells.

Hearing this, the vast majority of the members of the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society" cast their gazes toward the palace crack where the "April Fool's" group was located, discovering that not only was "Mad Woman" not there, but a large number of members hadn't appeared either.

They vaguely guessed which group the traitors referred to. Those members who had been teased by the "April Fool's" group in the past couldn't help but flash feelings of joy.

Lu Mi continued his statement. He didn't immediately tell the "confessions" of "Loki" and "I Have a Friend," first restoring the mood from Aurora's perspective back then:

The trust in "I Have a Friend"; the longing for her hometown; the persistence for clues; the heart-moving rhetoric of "Mad Woman"; the panic and unease after splitting into a personality after using the "Soul-Calling Ritual" and discovering that the residual soul found was combined with her own memory; the helplessness and fear of seeking treatment from "I Have a Friend," appearing to get better time and time again, but actually getting worse each time...

The more Lu Mi spoke, the harder it was to remain calm, gradually becoming excited, and even a bit choked up.

This partly stemmed from his own annoyance. He hadn't discovered that Aurora's state was wrong and her emotions were abnormal in advance—being too relaxed when staying with the closest person caused him to ignore the small changes. By the time he truly noticed, the problem was already very serious.

On the other hand, with the recollection and simulation, Aurora's soul fragments seemed to become active, floating to the edge of the seal, causing his spirit to be affected to a certain extent.

At the end of the narration, Lu Mi took a deep breath:

"I almost died because of this. Fortunately, I received help at the last moment and sealed the split personality. This is the reason why I haven't participated in gatherings for nearly half a year.

"After initially recovering, I wrote a letter to Lady 'Hela,' telling her about my encounter, and we started to secretly investigate 'Loki,' 'I Have a Friend,' and 'Mad Woman'."

"Hela" took over the topic:

"Up to now, 'Loki' has exposed enough problems and suffered heavy damage from us, while 'I Have a Friend' was caught by 'Muggle' and the others, and quite a bit of intelligence was asked out."

Seeing that many members of the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society" instinctively felt fear and expressed worry about their own safety, "Hela" talked about "Loki's" mockery of "Muggle's" encounter and the careful arrangement of "I Have a Friend."

This made the vast majority of the Research Society members extremely angry, starting to understand the actions of "Muggle" and "Hela."

"Hela" looked around and said:

"It wasn't just 'Muggle' who was harmed by them, but also many other members who died and went missing before.

"Now, let's invite a few witnesses to come up."

"Black Earth" and the other "April Fool's" group members came to the stage one by one, telling what they knew. This made the members of the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society" feel a chill down their spines, their hair standing on end, full of lingering fear.

If it weren't for "Muggle" luckily surviving and exposing the true face of that group of people, I don't know how many more people present would have suffered their harm!

After the witnesses finished speaking, the president "Gandalf" displayed evidence including diaries, items, and so on, and finally said:

"According to the confession of 'I Have a Friend,' we cleared out 'Loki's' accomplices hidden in other groups. Among them, 'Pettigrew' committed suicide. He felt sorry for everyone. Sigh, he was a good person, but lacked determination and courage. If he had found me and 'Hela' earlier and used a better way to hint to us, many things shouldn't have happened, and he wouldn't have been so guilty."

Amidst sighs, "Gandalf's" loud voice became a little louder:

"Everyone, we only cleared out the accomplices that 'I Have a Friend' knew about. There might still be moles in each group that only 'Loki' grasps. I propose that we establish a 'Review Committee,' composed of me, 'Hela,' and three other companions who have already passed mutual review. The task is to confirm whether each remaining member has problems, exclude the hidden dangers hidden inside, and take action against 'Loki' and his accomplices."

The members of the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society," who were in a state of lingering fear and anger, hesitated. They were worried that this would lead to their own secrets and real-life situations being exposed to the "Review Committee."

If there were ambitious people hidden among these five, they could completely use this information to threaten and control the corresponding members to help them do things, bringing everyone a threat even more serious than the "Loki" group.

"Gandalf" watched quietly, and only after they had discussed for a while did he say:

"Rest assured, our review will not involve your personal secrets and real-life identities. The main process is for the 'Review Committee' to design a strict contract that can guarantee that Research Society members will not harm each other, and then everyone will sign it, notarized by 'Apollo.' As for which deity you believe in, what your real-life profession is, and what secrets you have, we don't care, as long as you haven't encountered contamination and become an invisible bomb. This restriction will also be reflected in the contract."

"Apollo" is one of the five vice presidents. His original nickname wasn't this, but one day later, he suddenly walked to the huge stone chair and informed all members that he had changed his nickname.

He had already passed the review of "Gandalf" and "Hela."

Compared to a detailed review from body to soul, just signing a binding contract to guarantee each other's safety was clearly more recognized by the members of the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society."

After a show of hands, the "Review Committee" was officially established with nearly a unanimous vote.

This committee had five members, namely the president "Gandalf," vice president "Hela," vice president "Apollo," "Temple" group member "Sleeve Sword," and "Academy" group member "Principal."

"Hela" originally wanted "Muggle" to also become a member of the "Review Committee," but Lu Mi felt that he was always an impostor, and it wasn't appropriate for him to be someone reviewing other members, so he refused her proposal.

When the vote passed, Lu Mi heard "Sleeve Sword" Fu Lan Ka, who was standing beside him, mutter in a low voice:

"Humans, sure enough, are still the same. If you want to open a window, a bunch of people will definitely oppose it, but if you say you want to smash the roof, they will agree to you opening the window."

Seeing "Muggle" look over, "Sleeve Sword" Fu Lan Ka muttered again:

"I didn't say this."

Next, everyone discussed the terms of the contract in groups, striving to ensure there was no excessive content while ensuring that traitors and harmful behaviors could be caught in time, with no loopholes.

When Lu Mi walked down the steps, he saw "Sleeve Sword" Fu Lan Ka communicating with a man wearing a lion mask and a quite tall build.

Just as he approached, the man turned his head to look at "her" and said with a smile:

"'Muggle,' you are also in the Market District?"

"'007,' why do you say that?" "Sleeve Sword" Fu Lan Ka asked this deliberately.

That "007" who works in an official force in Trier... Lu Mi nodded and curled the corners of his lips:

"Being active in the Market District doesn't mean living in the Market District."

"That's true." "007" turned his head to look at "Sleeve Sword," saying with a bit of mockery and teasing, "You already told me that you knew the general situation of the terrifying aura that night, and today you talked about the betrayal of 'Loki' and the others. If I couldn't guess that it was Lady 'Hela,' you, and 'Muggle' who were dealing with 'Loki' and 'I Have a Friend' in the Market District, that would be strange. Moreover, I heard that a 'Marionettist' went missing from the Eighth Bureau during that period, which fits the pathway 'Loki' displayed."

Speaking of this, "007's" suspicious gaze swept over "Sleeve Sword" and "Muggle":

"There are no Beyonders of the 'Hunter' pathway among you."

The people above all suspect that the terrifying aura was emitted by a high-ranking person of the "Hunter" pathway.

"Is that kind of terrifying aura something we can manufacture ourselves? It must be exogenous!" Fu Lan Ka said all true words, but was deliberately misleading the other party to think in directions like charms and sealed artifacts.

While "007" nodded slowly, Lu Mi looked at him and said:

"What does the Eighth Bureau say about the missing 'Marionettist'? What do they think he went missing for?"

(End of chapter)