Chapter 855: Luo Xi's Conspiracy

Lei En did not reach out to take it.

The All-Seeing Eye saw through the envelope; it was just an ordinary sheet of paper, with no spells or anything else attached, completely safe.

An invisible telekinetic hand opened the letter in midair, and he read through it quickly.

The handwriting was very neat, and the content was short.

This letter, signed by Du Bositan, was addressed to Anxiwodasi; it said that Consul Ge Nie Wu Si, in the past two years, had grown too close to Ryan Augustus, and this time the Consul's choice had even received the full backing of the Mo Du faction, thus arousing suspicion.

At the same time, Ge Nie Wu Si resolved to achieve something in his final term.

He had already served four terms and would have no next term, so in the last ten years he intended to do real work for the Empire, and with Mo Du faction's support, to carry out sweeping reforms, no longer having to obey Duke GreyEagle as before.

He did not expect the news to leak.

A little over a month ago, when Ge Nie Wu Si went to Flaniss Floating City, he was rebuked in person by Duke GreyEagle and returned with a grey, dusty face.

However, this not only failed to change Ge Nie Wu Si's mind, but made him decide to go all the way dark, fully allying with the Mo Du faction.

Lei En saw this and thought the timing matched.

A little over a month ago, when he himself invited Ge Nie Wu Si to attend the inauguration ceremony, the other party hesitated for a few days but ultimately accepted the invitation.

Now he realized that this was the reason.

The latter part of the letter said that Duke GreyEagle seemed to have sensed the Consul's betrayal, and after that had no further contact with Ge Nie Wu Si.

Ge Nie Wu Si and Du Bositan speculated that Lord Duke might fully support Ou Ti Lu Ke's bid for Consul, but they were not worried; as long as the Mo Du faction backed by Master Anxiwodasi was present, according to the Empire's election procedure, Lord Duke could not prevent it.

Unless the Consul meets an accident!

The two discussed this privately; Ge Nie Wu Si thought the matter would not reach that point, but Du Bositan dismissed it, so he kept this card.

The letter was read through quickly.

Lei En pondered for a few seconds, glanced at Ai Xi Lei, who had clearly already read it, and asked, "Is this Du Bositan's handwriting?"

"It's his," Ai Xi Lei replied. "No mistake."

Whether the handwriting is genuine or not is irrelevant; disguising it with spells is very easy, and Lei En asked again, "How much of the letter's content do you think is true?"

Ai Xi Lei shook her head. "I don't know."

The letter's accusation pointed straight at Duke GreyEagle, claiming he was the mastermind behind the Consul's assassination, which also meant Duke GreyEagle was colluding with Luo Xi's followers!

Such a shocking secret involved the three big heads; Ai Xi Lei dared not take part and deeply regretted that her curiosity had driven her to read the letter.

"You can speak straight, it's fine."

Lei En stared at Ai Xi Lei; as Finance Minister and Ge Nie Wu Si's confidant, she had been in the core power circle of He Palace for decades and could not have heard nothing.

"Chairman Lei En, I truly don't know," Ai Xi Lei said, clenching her teeth and refusing to speak.

"Is it that you cannot say? Or that you dare not say?"

Ai Xi Lei hesitated, then sighed, "What the letter says is true. These past months the Consul has been under great pressure from all sides; the main reason behind it is that Lord Duke no longer trusts the Consul and intends to replace him."

The Soul Eye confirmed she was not lying.

Thirty years ago, Ge Nie Wu Si was nominated by Master TimKainanMaster to become Consul, and ever since the Empire's upper echelons have regarded Ge Nie Wu Si as a centrist.

If Ge Nie Wu Si switched to the Mo Du faction, Master Tim*Kenan would naturally not be pleased.

He might even become angry.

However, Lei En's and Ge Nie Wu Si's judgment was the same: Master Tim*Kenan would not act against the Consul because it meant little. The Supreme Council is now half‑controlled by the Mo Du faction, and even if the other two factions unite, it is still hard to elect a new Consul.

Even if one is forced through, the new Consul is more likely to come from the Nai Se faction.

Most crucially, although Master Tim*Kenan is an extremely strict person, he acts openly and would never resort to assassination.

Moreover, it would mean betraying the Empire and the God of Magic, and secretly colluding with Luo Xi's followers.

Of course, those who have never met Master Tim*Kenan might not understand his character, and others lack a Soul Eye to verify whether his faith in the God of Magic has wavered.

Lei En had just met Master Tim*Kenan today.

The other party's belief had not changed; he remains a shallow follower of the God of Magic, with low devotion, but there is no problem.

Ai Xi Lei lowered her voice, "After the evening Empire council adjourned, Lord Duke went to He Palace and summoned the entire cabinet for a talk. Du Bositan also attended, and after the session he had a private discussion with Lord Duke. When he emerged his face was terrible, and he killed himself after returning home."

"So you think Lord Duke forced him to commit suicide?" Lei En asked.

"I never said that," Ai Xi Lei quickly denied.

She denied it verbally, but clearly thought so inside.

Du Bositan is merely a high‑rank ranger, not even a legend; a Holy Soul wizard could kill him more easily than crushing an ant, and fabricating a suicide is just a cover.

Lei En, however, did not think so.

But his solitary thought is useless; the key is how others perceive it.

"What about the servant who delivered this letter to you?" Lei En asked.

"He's dead," Ai Xi Lei replied with a doubtful expression. "He was Du Bositan's death knight; if it weren't for today's incident, I wouldn't have known Du Bositan had been watching me in secret. That person handed me the letter and then immediately poisoned himself to death."

"What about the corpse?"

Ai Xi Lei pulled a male corpse out of a dimensional space.

He wore a servant's garb, had an ordinary appearance, was in his thirties, and black blood dripped from his mouth, already coagulated into clots.

An ordinary person ingesting a potent toxin acts extremely fast, leaving almost no chance of rescue.

He died within half a minute.

Lei En used the All-Seeing Eye to see through the corpse's interior; the soul had long since dissipated, and no useful clues were found.

He withdrew his gaze, "Why did Du Bositan leave the letter to you?"

"I'm not sure; I only have a colleague relationship with him, not close personally," Ai Xi Lei said, her expression blank, speculating, "He's extremely paranoid and meticulous; I guess he didn't write just one letter, he handed many out, perhaps Lord Duke also got a copy."

"Hmm…"

Lei En nodded, "Anything else?"

Ai Xi Lei immediately pleaded, "Chairman Lei En, could you publicly visit my house? It would be best if the outside Rick Guard could see it."

Lei En gave her a glance; the female sorceress still believed TimKainanMaster had killed the Consul, so after receiving Du Bo Si Tan's letter, she dared not hand it to Tim*Kenan, but kept it herself.

"I'm appearing at your house; aren't you afraid the Duke will know?" Lei En asked.

If others also got the letter and gave it to Duke GreyEagle, then as soon as he learned he appeared in Ai Xi Lei's house, he would instantly know she had also received the letter. Even if Duke GreyEagle had no prior grudge against her, he would grow displeased; as the Finance Minister she shouldn't think she can keep going.

"I'm afraid…"

Ai Xi Lei looked pitiful, yet her eyes showed resolve, "The Consul is dead, I don't want to stay as Finance Minister any longer; anyway I'll leave sooner or later."

There was another sentence she didn't say.

She knew Lei En was running for Consul, so giving the letter to Lei En was also a token of allegiance, befriending Lei En in advance.

Lei En saw through her thoughts at a glance.

Putting aside the sorceress's power, her ability in finance is strong and her seniority deep; otherwise Ge Nie Wu Si wouldn't have kept her as Finance Minister for so many years.

If I become Consul, there would be no better candidate for the Finance Minister position at that moment.

"Fine."

Lei En opened a portal and tossed the letter into it.

A few minutes later, a Mirror Image appeared in Ai Xi Lei's home; the two Rick Guards recognized it, dared not block it, and the Mirror Image sat for a moment before leaving.

At the same time, Lei En returned to Weizelan and handed the letter to the teacher.

Anxiwodasi's complexion changed the instant he read the letter's contents, "Where did this letter come from?" After hearing Lei En's source, he shook his head: "GreyEagle is indeed dissatisfied with Ge Nie Wu Si, but he would never use such a method to kill Ge Nie Wu Si, absolutely not."

"I think so too," Lei En said calmly. "This letter may have been written by Du Bo Si Tan, but perhaps not of his own volition."

"Then who could it be?" Anxiwodasi mused.

"The purpose of this letter is to sow distrust between us and TimKainanMaster, even to cause infighting within the Supreme Council," Lei En had thought before arriving, "but any member of the Supreme Council would know this tactic is ineffective."

"You mean exclude Kai Er Si Tong?" Anxiwodasi retorted.

"Yes."

Lei En nodded, "This conspiracy must come from someone outside the Supreme Council, who knows little about Holy Soul Wizards, perhaps even has misconceptions."

"Luo Xi's followers?" Anxiwodasi guessed.

"Possibly."

Lei En thought further; he had already felt Ge Nie Wu Si's death wasn't simple, with contradictions and illogical gaps.

The appearance of this letter further proves that.

Now it seems Kai Er Si Tong most likely participated, but he wasn't the mastermind—perhaps just one of the co‑conspirators, having obtained some information in advance to exploit, going with the flow, hoping to trap himself.

"Luo Xi!"

Anxiwodasi suddenly shouted the Deceiver's true name.

"What?" Lei En was momentarily taken aback.

Anxiwodasi sneered as he explained, "Luo Xi likes to manipulate conspiracies and stir up conflicts. Back then the Empire was in chaos, the Emperor and Holy Soul Wizards fought endlessly, from nobles down to commoners, countless casualties, all behind Luo Xi's plot; at that time they were still mortal, seizing the chance to ascend to godhood."

"However, after they ascended, they suddenly went mad, their mind unstable; although their divine power is great, they can no longer devise proper conspiracies."

"I was still doubting before."

Anxiwodasi grew more certain as he spoke, "The moment I saw this letter I understood."

"This kind of conspiratorial trick looks complex and inscrutable, yet everywhere it reeks of clumsiness; no need to overthink—it must be Luo Xi's followers pulling strings behind the scenes, perhaps even Luo Xi themselves."

Lei En jumped in fright: "Luo Xi's conspiracy?"

The Deceiver's might is undeniable; otherwise they wouldn't have so many enemies, including several of Ai Lun E Si's most powerful benevolent gods—if their strength were insufficient, they would have been eliminated long ago.

Being targeted by a deity, even an evil god, no mortal can remain calm.

"Is Luo Xi targeting me?"

"It should be incidental; you're not worthy," Anxiwodasi shook his head, saying gravely, "Only a god can qualify as a god's opponent. The Deceiver's target is the entire Oriense Empire, and the goddess behind the Empire."

Lei En let out a sigh of relief.

He still didn't want to confront a deity head‑on now, even if it's just an avatar of a saint; the threat to him would be huge.

But then again, Luo Xi's scheme also involves him.

Getan City's God of Magic caused such a commotion that it attracted countless mortals' attention, even drawing the notice of deities.

If Getan City were allowed to expand and explore the New Continent, the God of Magic's divine power would surge accordingly.

When the enemy grows stronger, I become weaker.

The Deceiver Luo Xi's mortal foe certainly cannot tolerate it; they'd immediately stab the Empire's heart, then devise another plot to eliminate themselves, crushing the God of Magic's most effective mortal missionary.

It might not be only Luo Xi.

Other enemies of the God of Magic probably also see him as a thorn in their side.

Lei En couldn't help but pull his neck back.

"I suggest you don't go to Banbei City, wait another ten years," Anxiwodasi said seriously, "Anyway, you won't miss those ten years."

"Since we already know it's Luo Xi's conspiracy, does the Empire still need to dispatch troops to Banbei City?" Lei En retorted.

"There's no turning back on this matter."

Anxiwodasi sighed, "The resolution formed by the Supreme Council must be carried out. Moreover, GreyEagle has announced it outwardly; the Empire's public opinion is fermenting, the people need a target to vent their anger, to avenge Ge Nie Wu Si; it cannot be changed."

In fact, Lei En also understood that once the bow is drawn, there is no arrow returning.

He suddenly figured something out.

Why does the Master of Deception Luo Ke Li Ang insist on going to Banbei City? First, it might be the headquarters of 'Shadow Blade'; second, it relates to King Vickramatia II.

King Vickramatia II likely defected to the Black Emperor Ban Er Ke, the 'Tyrant King' who is also an unending foe of Luo Xi; the hatred between them runs deeper than Luo Xi's enmity with the God of Magic, spawning countless murders and wars across the Subcontinent.

The Gu Pu Ta Kingdom has been expanding its territory in recent years, aiming to conquer the entire Subcontinent, forcing all its peoples to submit beneath the Black Emperor's feet.

The Subcontinent is the main source of Luo Xi's followers, so the Black Emperor must not succeed.

They lure the Empire's army to Banbei City to divert disaster eastward and reap the fisherman's profit.

Lei En felt the mist before his eyes disperse!

He immediately told these things to the teacher, Anxiwodasi's face grew solemn, just as he was about to speak, he received a magical message, stood up and said: "GreyEagle also received a letter, wants to talk with me, likely to convene a meeting of the Holy Soul wizards."

"Teacher, do not reveal Luo Xi's conspiracy on the Supreme Council, be careful of Kairsi's secret notice." Lei En reminded.

Anxiwodasi nodded solemnly, "I understand."

After saying that, he walked into the projection room.

I am at fault! Tomorrow I will continue with double updates!

(End of chapter)