Chapter 653: The Unfulfilled Conspiracy

Inside the four-story, cream-colored building of the Patrol Unit.

Gauthier, having shaken off the influence of that playing card, saw Sohu lying in a pool of blood, torn in half by two undead creatures resembling living corpses.

In another room, a patrol unit member controlled by Tewanako was still resisting stubbornly; his other comrades had already been eliminated.

Gauthier exhaled, surprised that an assassination had occurred even within the Patrol Unit, nearly killing him.

He turned to Deputy Captain Lei Yasa, who had just arrived on the scene—the middle-aged man in a black thin suit who manipulated the undead—and asked in confusion:

"How did Sohu become a member of the Rose Sect?"

"How could so many unit members have been controlled by the Rose Sect?"

Although Gauthier had been struggling desperately against the playing card, he had still heard Jianna's cry, leaving a distinct impression in his mind.

Lei Yasa stared at Sohu's bloodied body and the undead creatures in the room, then thought for several seconds before saying:

"It must have been Tewanako."

Tewanako… Gauthier suddenly remembered the questions Louis Berry had once raised.

Could the serial killings four years ago really have been committed by Tewanako?

Is he actually a demon?

Gauthier couldn't help frowning and complained aloud:

"Keeping a 'living corpse' in the unit is itself a major hazard—you can't ignore the possibility he's a member of the Rose Sect just because he's usually restrained. He could easily wait for the right moment to indulge."

Lei Yasa, with his cold demeanor, replied in a low voice:

"But we confirmed he is a former member of the 'Temperance' faction who defected from the Rose Sect, and he worships the Fool."

"Worships the Fool? The 'Temperance' faction?" Gauthier asked in shock.

He hadn't expected such an answer.

…………

In the ancient, dilapidated palace of the Kingdom of Night, within the dream interrogation room.

Hearing Lumian's question, "Siso" laughed:

"If you seek help from the Tarot Council, I can kill you!"

As his laughter echoed, "Siso"'s black shadow seemed to come alive, projecting onto the wall and sprouting curved goat horns and massive bat wings.

Lumian sensed a conspiracy, and asked with both confusion and curiosity:

"Why would you think that?"

"Siso" stood up, his eyes filled with murderous desire as if solidified:

"If you ask the Tarot Council for help, they'll definitely assign me to assist you in the investigation."

Here, "Siso"'s lips curled into an unusually flamboyant smile.

No longer maintaining lucidity within the dream, he revealed his deepest self.

Lumian raised an eyebrow:

"Aren't you one of the Minor Arcana cards?"

"Siso" shook his head and answered with a radiant smile:

"I am a member of the 'Temperance' faction, a believer of the Fool."

Saying this, the demon burst into loud laughter, pressed his hand to his chest, and bowed deeply:

"Praise the Fool!"

Seeing this, Lumian found it absurd and amusing, yet instinctively began analyzing:

"Siso" is a member of the Rose Sect's "Temperance" faction? A flamboyant, malicious demon is a member of the "Temperance" faction?

Logically, this is clearly impossible!

But this is a dream created by "Hela"; unless "Siso" possesses special abilities, he is unlikely to be lying.

If so, only one explanation remains:

He infiltrated the "Temperance" faction through deception and fraud!

He truly appears to be a Follower of the Prisoner Path, and behaves with remarkable restraint—if he's merely a peripheral member, the "Temperance" faction may not have scrutinized him closely enough to detect his true nature.

So this is why the Matanibang Patrol Unit allowed a Follower of the Prisoner Path to join?

This happened over four years ago; back then, "Siso" was only a Sequence 8 "Madman" on the Prisoner Path—not even a mid-sequence practitioner—and could only be considered a peripheral member of the "Temperance" faction, likely overlooked.

Moreover, he must have joined the "Temperance" faction before that, when he was weaker and less conspicuous.

He later pretended he gained resources from the "Temperance" faction's support and the Rose Sect's attacks, thereby advancing—but in reality, did he rely on the Grace of the Mother of Desires? Where did those resources go? Were they secretly sold, or crafted into miraculous items? That playing card?

Why did he infiltrate the "Temperance" faction—and why did he come to worship the Fool?

His main goal clearly wasn't resources…

Worshiping the Fool…

At this thought, Lumian suddenly had a guess:

His true goal was to infiltrate the Fool's Church through some means and worship the Fool!

This revelation came from that Archduke's insight!

"'Siso' truly worships the Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun, but that Archduke is in conflict with the Fool, and clearly can also influence the paths of the Magician, the Apprentice, and the Thief…"

"When 'Siso' prays, he uses some technique: on the surface, he prays to the Fool, but in reality receives the Archduke's response? Thus he avoids the risk of false faith…"

"This is very likely… the Magician Lady said that if you don't follow the proper ritual to pray to the Fool, the response may not come from him—it could come from the Archduke…"

"What is the Archduke's purpose in having 'Siso' do this?"

"The Thief… stealing… Could He be trying to slowly steal the Fool's identity and faith this way?"

"When many believers sincerely worship the Fool but equate him with the Archduke, doesn't the Archduke become the Fool?"

"Geez, the more I think about it, the more terrifying it becomes…"

"One person like 'Siso' alone wouldn't be enough—there must be many similar believers…"

"Brilliant. If the Archduke recruited followers normally, even a slight trace would get the Tarot Council hunting him down—but if his followers all pretend to worship the Fool, they won't be purged; they'll even be protected…"

"Truly devious…"

Lumian quickly formed a series of deductions, feeling the terrifying oppressive force of the Archduke lurking in the darkness.

If targeted by Him, one might fail and be destroyed without even realizing it.

With these deductions, Lumian now clearly understood "Siso"'s confidence when recalling the events in Pailos Port, and why he chose to stay and wait for an opportunity:

When he first arrived in the Southern Continent and Pailos Port, Lumian had no resources, no allies, and didn't even understand Dutanese—he would almost certainly seek help from his backer, the Tarot Council.

Under these circumstances, with the target still unknown and the investigation likely to take a long time, the Major Arcana of the Tarot Council couldn't possibly come themselves; they'd assign a Minor Arcana or one of their own members familiar with the Southern Continent to assist.

Under these conditions, who better suited the requirements than Tewanako Tupian—a Sequence 6 practitioner, a member of the Fool's Church's "Temperance" faction, born in Matanibang, familiar with local conditions, holding an official position, and possessing the necessary strength?

In that case, Lumian would investigate "Siso" alongside "Siso," who would gradually gain control of the situation, determine whether any traps existed, when they'd fail, then seize the moment to launch a surprise attack, shatter his mind, and ignite his desires!

Lumian imagined this scenario and realized that if he hadn't noticed "Siso"'s malice during the investigation, his probability of dying at his hands was one hundred percent—he'd only be able to watch as the demon battled Thelmirapolis in the form of a soul fragment.

And "Siso," having received information from Loki, would have prepared in advance for the dangers within the seal—perhaps relying on the devil of the Nos family, or his status as a Chosen of the Mother of Desires.

"Thank goodness the Magician Lady has always told me that Hunters can't rely on higher-ups or their organizations for everything—they must hone themselves, understand conspiracies and combat—or I might have immediately asked the Tarot Council for a guide upon arriving in Pailos Port…"

"That would have been dangerous…"

"My sister and Emperor Luo Saier both said the most dangerous places are often the safest—now I must add: what you believe is safest and most trustworthy may conceal the greatest risk…"

"This doesn't mean it's no longer trustworthy—it means enemies exploit that trust and sense of security."

"Hmm, the Magician Lady has also always said that if her orders or advice seem strange, don't obey them immediately—contact other Major Arcana to verify the situation."

Lumian looked at the flamboyant "Siso" and smiled:

"If I hadn't had a special trace expert helping me, if the 'Dagger' hadn't understood your role well, if the 'Psychologist' hadn't profiled you, and if I'd had no clues or direction, I would have indeed sought help from the Tarot Council for a local guide."

"Siso" fell silent abruptly, then after several seconds said:

"I can understand everything else—but why exactly did you have a special trace expert?"

Lumian laughed:

"Because it was a gift from a true god."

The longer Lumian spent with Ludwig, the more he felt that allowing such a dangerous individual to escape the Church's control couldn't have been decided by any high-ranking member of the Knowledge Church—it must have been an insight from the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.

Of course, Lumian couldn't be certain, because as far as he knew, the Knowledge Path—the Reader Path—became exceptionally skilled in prophecy at high sequences.

"Siso" fell silent, then suddenly screamed like a wolf howling at the moon.

Lumian reviewed the entire incident once more, deeply realizing this revenge was a clash of conspiracies—but unfortunately, "Siso" didn't understand Lumian's personality or style well enough, nor his companions, and could only rely on the Ritual of Prayer and Loki's first death as references, leading to miscalculations that caused his likely-successful plan to fail.

Huh… Lumian exhaled and asked:

"Who destroyed the Patrol Unit?"

PS: Updates may be unstable over the next two days because my wife had a minor surgery on Friday, and I'm accompanying her. My usual regular updates relied on pre-written drafts, which are now nearly exhausted. Sad.

Because of this, I had to sadly cancel attending Xiao Ke's birthday event. My wife is recovering well post-surgery and should be discharged on Monday or Tuesday. If updates are irregular, it'll likely be single updates these two days—please bear with me. Of course, I'll try my best not to take a break and hope to resume normal updates soon.

(End of Chapter)