Chapter 719: Overseer?

"How could it suddenly explode?" Lu Mi stared at the blood slowly seeping into the soil, holding an electric carbide lamp, and muttered with a frown.

He hadn't proposed those two questions to kill Yebusi—he merely wanted to probe the boundaries step by step.

Anthony responded calmly:

"The core principle of hypnosis is never to directly endanger the target's life."

"In other words, when faced with a question that would genuinely threaten his life, Yebusi either refuses to answer or is jolted awake, breaking the hypnosis."

"I was already prepared for him to break free," Lu Mi said, acknowledging the possibility.

At that distance, the "Heng Ha Technique" was impossible for Yebusi to dodge, and Lu Mi still had three ritual dog hides and one ritual ox hide in his "Traveler's Satchel."

—After becoming a "Hermit," he could now craft the ritual hides needed for the "Beast Creation Technique," so he had re-enchanted all the ones he'd previously used.

Jianna recalled the events just now and mused:

"Yebusi was about to answer…"

"Meaning he didn't believe answering those two questions would endanger his life. Heh, turns out it didn't go as he expected."

Franca nodded:

"Exactly. If there'd been real danger, he could've simply refused to answer."

"I just thought he'd signed some contract—reveal the headquarters of the 'School of Truth' or the name of his direct 'Overseer,' and his own shadow would launch a soul attack."

"Damn, could the contract have been quietly altered by his 'Overseer' when it was signed? So Yebusi didn't know answering those questions was dangerous? Oh my god, that's so tragic—upper deceives middle, middle deceives lower. Is this the 'Con Artist' path or the 'Broker' path?"

After Franca finished her lament, Lu Mi thought for a few seconds and uttered a single word:

"Overseer."

"'Overseer'?" Franca instantly understood Lu Mi's implication. "One of the 'Overseer's' abilities is to monitor subordinates in some way—and Yebusi didn't know this, so he triggered a taboo when answering the critical question?"

As she spoke, Jianna suddenly snapped to attention:

"Could that 'Overseer' already have noticed this place and be coming at any moment?"

"No, not likely. After detecting Yebusi's anomaly, I had Franca leave the 'Primordial Witch' statue here," Lu Mi said, smiling. "Even if our guess is right, the 'Overseer' probably only realized Yebusi had an issue—unable to pinpoint the exact location. Now, our next steps may need revision."

Jianna and Anthony understood Lu Mi's meaning:

They themselves were temporarily safe—no need to fear being tracked by the 'Overseer'—but since Yebusi, who was supposed to protect Morane Avini from behind the mirror, had failed, the 'Overseer' would inevitably deduce someone was targeting Morane Avini and take countermeasures. Their original plan was likely obsolete.

Franca sighed, gazing at the bone statue on the ground, and exclaimed sincerely:

"When the 'Black Witch' gave me this statue, I resisted. Now, I wish she'd give me a dozen!"

As she joked with herself, she bent down, picked up the 'Primordial Witch' statue, carefully wiped its surface, and praised it twice.

Lu Mi reflected:

"I should've continuously monitored Yebusi's fate streams with the 'Eye of Calamity'—maybe I could've stopped him before he answered."

He hadn't anticipated a scenario where the person himself didn't even know if he was violating a taboo—it wasn't even about faith or higher esoteric knowledge. Yebusi should've known what to say and what not to say; otherwise, he'd have died a hundred times over in daily life.

Franca recalled:

"The 'School of Truth' member I encountered with Jianna had a similar reaction when answering the question: 'Which organization used the Gatekeeper's disappearance case?'"

"From Yebusi's answer just now, 'School of Truth' shouldn't be taboo—but 'why use the Gatekeeper's disappearance case'? I doubt a man below the 'Ambitious' tier could know that."

"So it really is the 'Overseer's' ability. The taboo is dynamic—determined by environment, emotion, state—never rigidly fixed. Hey, it actually fits Yebusi's own philosophy."

Lu Mi nodded slightly and chuckled:

"At least we got the spoils early—otherwise, we'd have been seriously shortchanged."

He thought for a moment and said:

"Franca, use the contact talisman to reach the 'Black Witch'—report everything: the fixed entrance to the mirror world we created, what just happened, and Yebusi's answers. See how she reacts, what advice she gives."

"Hmm, she's probably Tamara of the 'Apprentice' branch, naturally at odds with Morane Avini, who split from the 'Judgment' branch."

After Franca agreed, Lu Mi turned to Jianna:

"You go to the safehouse and write a letter to the 'Judgment' Lady. The 'Judgment' path is the path of order—I think we must report the 'School of Truth' matter to her immediately."

"I'll take you there."

"Alright." Jianna was used to Lu Mi assigning tasks at such moments.

Lu Mi turned to Anthony:

"You and I will go wait outside the Palace of Brotherhood and observe Morane Avini—see if he shows any anomalies."

The Palace of Brotherhood, located in the Boulevard of Shade, was the presidential residence of the Intis Republic. Morane Avini was attending a ministerial meeting chaired by the President today.

Anthony gave a slight nod, indicating no problem.

Observation was the 'Audience's' strength.

…………

Inside the abandoned quarry hollow containing the fixed entrance to the mirror world.

Franca, with her darkvision, leaned against the corner, pulling out a compact mirror and a talisman made of gray-white rock.

Franca gripped the talisman, infused it with spiritual energy, and chanted the opening incantation in Hermesian:

"Eye!"

The gray-white rock talisman ignited with black flames, then Franca pressed it against the glass surface of the compact mirror.

The mirror's surface instantly became void, losing all solidity.

The black-flame-wrapped talisman pierced through, falling straight down, vanishing.

Soon after, Franca suddenly sensed something new in the air.

Then she saw a thick mass of jet-black hair emerge from within the mirror.

The black hair drifted upward, obscuring Franca's vision.

First, her palm felt heavier—then the hair fell away, revealing Clarisse standing opposite her.

The 'Black Witch's' black hair remained neatly coiled; the grotesque, elongated black strands were gone.

Though she'd met Clarisse before, Franca still genuinely marveled at her allure.

A creature whose beauty alone could lure one to ruin and drown the soul.

Clarisse gazed at Franca, her voice soft and melodious:

"Success?"

Franca steadied herself and recounted: from suspecting contamination might leak in underground Trill, carrying the 'Primordial Witch' statue to survey specific zones, finally locating the target site, using the statue to petition the Primordial, receiving a response, and establishing the fixed mirror-world entrance.

Clarisse showed a rare expression of approval:

"You have sharp intuition and decent wisdom—you conceived this possibility and seized it."

"Perhaps one day, you'll become a witch named after a color."

"The 'Yellow Witch'?" Franca muttered to herself.

She then described her and Lu Mi's plan, omitting any mention of the 'Tarot Society' and portraying the 'Mirror Mark' as the ability of some artifact.

Clarisse listened silently, without interruption.

Franca recounted at length how Lu Mi had been ambushed during reconnaissance, turned the tables to capture Yebusi, and used the 'Audience' to extract vast amounts of intelligence.

The 'Black Witch' nodded slightly:

"Your lovers are all quite good—especially that 'Hunter.'"

Here, the 'Black Witch' chuckled softly:

"The 'Hunter's' flavor is also quite delightful—the higher the rank, the more vigorous."

This… Great Emperor, your secret history has even high-ranking witches read it… Maybe every witch has a copy! Franca didn't know whether to mock Emperor Rosel or pity him.

"It is quite good," Franca replied with a smile, striving not to show her unease.

The 'Black Witch' continued:

"But you and he made a mistake."

"You should've stopped once you'd gathered enough—go lie in wait for Morane Avini, capture him, then interrogate him thoroughly."

"Understood." Franca didn't deny the 'Black Witch's' criticism.

Looking back, the headquarters of the 'School of Truth' and the name of its 'Overseer' weren't urgent intelligence. At the time, they could've turned Yebusi into a dog, left Lu Jianuo and Ludvig to watch him, then hidden behind the mirror while the 'Overseer' remained unaware, waiting for Morane Avini to 'voluntarily' enter—plenty of time to deal with two captives afterward.

But this was Lu Mi's style.

Franca had long noticed Lu Mi's habit: he always insisted on extracting all information on the spot—never delaying unless absolutely necessary, as if fearing some accident might rob him of the chance to obtain it.

The 'Black Witch' Clarisse said no more, nodded, and said:

"Wait here for me. I'll go investigate—it may take some time."

"Yes, Madame Clarisse." Franca didn't hide her smile.

…………

Outside the opulent Palace of Brotherhood in the Boulevard of Shade.

Lu Mi brought Anthony into the reporters' crowd once again.

(End of Chapter)