Chapter 116

Chapter 116: The Situation

“Betrayal? You mean that Viscount Field was used as a scapegoat by the true mastermind?” After listening to James’s words, Gregor thought for a moment before asking.

“It’s obvious. Field didn’t expect this situation either.”

James said, clearly. From Field’s behavior just now, it was evident he wasn’t ready to d*e and hadn’t anticipated his mutation. In his mind, he shouldn’t have mutated yet.

Why? Thinking about this, James recalled that before they left, a butler-like figure had given Field a cup of tea.

If…that cup of tea was a drug to suppress mutation, then his mutation wouldn’t have come so quickly. Field had felt secure enough to follow them to the An Yin Bureau after drinking that tea.

But what if that cup of tea actually triggered the mutation instead?

As a scapegoat, Field’s mutation in the An Yin Bureau released toxic gas, destroying the bureau. This would reduce the threat against the true mastermind.

Thinking this through, James, despite feeling uncomfortable, looked at the hunters lying on the ground groaning. He couldn’t help but frown.

Now, although the toxic gas didn’t completely destroy the An Yin Bureau, it temporarily paralyzed it. Under these circumstances, neither the hunters nor James himself could act. They could only hope the church would arrive soon, doing what they could to restore some order and catch the mastermind as quickly as possible.

James’s intuition told him that since even Field, a pawn, had been discarded, the mastermind might be planning something big.

…

In the afternoon, in the northern mountains of Igewent, deep within a dense forest, stood a large mansion.

This four-story mansion, though not tall, was very spacious. On either side of the main entrance were nearly ten windows. The red walls and sloping roof had sharp corners, with long iron fences enclosing a wide courtyard. Inside the courtyard, there were trimmed shrubs and a small fountain, with gardeners and security personnel moving around.

This was one of Viscount Field’s villas in the northern mountains, the most secretive one. It had been built and passed down by the previous Viscount Field. In fact, the real owner had secretly changed six years ago.

In a spacious room overlooking the window, an elderly man named Lu’e, dressed as a butler, sat in the main seat of the sofa, flipping through a green-covered book. Next to him, a servant was carefully brewing tea.

Though dressed as a butler, Lu’e had taken on the role of a master. This was the norm in this mansion, unknown to the citizens of Igewent. Here, he had long been the true owner.

Six years ago, while being pursued, Lu’e met Field, who was traveling. Lu’e corrupted him using “the Cup,” turning him into a puppet and disguising him as Field’s butler. Then, he followed Field back to Igewent, using Field’s influence to develop his own power base, creating the Crimson Eucharist, preparing for his ascension.

Now, the time was right.

At that moment, a knock echoed in the room. Lu’e, who had been reading, spoke directly.

“Come in.”

The moment Lu’e finished speaking, the door opened, and Bill, dressed in a neat suit, walked in. He bowed before Lu’e and said, “Master, the ritual site is ready. We just need to wait for the sacred numbers.”

“Hmm, well done. Years of preparation have led to this day. It’s time to settle matters in Igewent.” Lu’e nodded in response, a hint of malice in his eyes.

“When I ascend to White Chalk, I will make those people in Tivyán pay.”

Bill straightened up, looking at Lu’e with a worried expression. “Master, I’m still a bit concerned about that mysterious organization. Could they take advantage of this opportunity?”

“Don’t worry. That organization is nothing to me. Much of their success against Buck was due to the power of the An Yin Bureau. Now that Field has mutated in the An Yin Bureau, even if they haven’t been destroyed, they’ve been severely weakened. Without the An Yin Bureau’s support, I don’t believe they can do much.”

Lu’e closed the book in his hand and placed it on the table. The cover read “Adventure Log of the Voodoo Forest.”

“The Master spent three years slowly turning Field into a toxic monster using poison recognition, all for this moment. With Field’s mutation in the An Yin Bureau, James included, they must be in trouble…”

Looking at the secret transmission on the table, Bill sighed. Due to different types of poison recognition, the final mutation would vary. Like Field, who was cursed to become a poisonous plant, just like the author of this adventure log.

“Field was the best pawn I’ve ever used. Even if I achieve eternal life in the future, I won’t forget him.” Lu’e smiled slightly, then continued to look at Bill. “Alright, night is falling, and the sacred hour is approaching. Let’s prepare for the final moments.”

“Yes, Master.”

Then, Lu’e and the others slowly left the room. On the wall by the window where they had been talking, a gecko was sticking out its tongue.

…

Two kilometers away from Field’s villa, in a forest, a carriage was parked. Dorothy sat inside, her brow furrowed.

Through the tracking symbol, once she confirmed the destination, Dorothy parked the carriage at the edge of the zombie puppet’s control radius. She then used the crow puppet to carry other small zombie puppets to the distant villa, landing on the roof and beginning a comprehensive detection.

With the passive effects of the identification technique, Dorothy could directly see items with high spirituality in her field of vision. Thus, she bypassed the few Radiance Lamps in the mansion and meticulously gathered intelligence from every corner, preparing for a surprise attack. However, the intelligence she had just gathered surprised her greatly.

‘Oh my god, the butler is actually the master? Viscount Field was just a puppet?! And a puppet capable of mutating into a toxic bomb?! Now the An Yin Bureau might be paralyzed…’

Dorothy thought, starting to worry about Gregor. She hoped he would be safe during this wave of toxic gas attacks.

Regardless, the current situation was far beyond what Dorothy had expected. Her original plan was to use the An Yin Bureau to hold off the mastermind while she dealt with the henchmen in the hideout and rescued the children, then gather resources before the An Yin Bureau could intervene. But now, her plan was in disarray.

The mastermind successfully escaped using a clever ruse, and the shell he shed temporarily crippled the An Yin Bureau. Now, the hideout she faced wasn’t just filled with henchmen; the mastermind, a Black Earth Tier Extraordinary Being, was personally overseeing it, along with a few apprentices and many ordinary people. What a mess!

Thinking this, Dorothy’s face turned grim. Vania, standing beside her, couldn’t help but feel worried.

‘Ah…what’s wrong with her? Did her reconnaissance fail? Indeed, probing such a distant location is difficult. Even I, as a Clear Guide, can’t manage it. Though I don’t know what kind of Extraordinary Being she is, she’s really pushing herself too hard…’

Vania thought, looking at the young girl with a serious expression. When she first heard that Dorothy wanted to probe such a distant location, she was shocked.

“Um…Miss Dorothy, did you see anything in that villa? Did you find the children? If we can’t gather any information, why don’t we go back, report this place to the An Yin Bureau, and let them and the Church work together to destroy this bl**d-sucking cult’s hideout.”

Vania said to Dorothy, still a bit afraid of the ruthless bl**d Drinkers sect. She thought that since they had confirmed the location, they should quickly report it and let professionals handle it. She was just a clerical nun and preferred to stay away from dangerous places.

Hearing Vania’s words, Dorothy gave a bitter smile and said, “Go back? Ha…it’s probably too late. The ritual is about to begin, and the children are in grave danger. Even if we go back now to tell the An Yin Bureau, they likely won’t have the ability to handle this situation.”

“Now…the only ones who can save the situation are you and me.”

“Huh…”

Listening to Dorothy, Vania’s expression froze.