Chapter 189

### Chapter 189: Thistle

“Thistle? Does your interest society still use codenames during meetings?”

Hearing this name, Dorothy controlled Brandon to ask Nephnis, who nodded in response.

“Well… It is said that a previous president mentioned that true members of a secret society all have codenames. So from then on, the Secret Knowledge Society imitated this, wearing masks and referring to each other by codenames during regular meetings. But in reality, aside from the initial novelty, everyone soon found it cumbersome. Since we’re all in school together, even while wearing masks, we still know who is who, so this rule was not seriously followed by anyone.

“But Thistle is different. Since his initiation, he has always worn a mask and dressed very conservatively whenever he makes an appearance. Although he is also a student at the school, no one has ever known his real name; we can only refer to him by his codename.”

After listening to Nephnis’s words, Brandon pondered for a moment before continuing.

“Then, let’s talk more about this Thistle.”

“Okay.” Nephnis nodded and continued.

…

Thistle joined the Secret Knowledge Society over half a year ago, and from the moment he joined, he demonstrated an extraordinary level of mysticism, far above the level of the hobbyists originally in the society.

Not only did Thistle have a high level of mysticism, but he was also eager to guide others, quickly becoming the focus of the society. In a short period, he gained a high status among its members. More critically, he showcased true extraordinary abilities in front of the society’s students, proving himself to be a genuine Extraordinary Being, which earned him the respect of many students in the society.

After that, Thistle frequently guided students in mysticism knowledge and exhibited his abilities, which elevated his status as a newcomer and garnered more support from society members. Moreover, Thistle even offered his precious collection of mystical books for students in the society to borrow and study.

…

“Mystical book collection?”

Hearing these key terms, Dorothy controlled Brandon to express confusion, and Nephnis explained.

“Well… According to Thistle, these are valuable books that allow us to glimpse deeper mysteries and even seek the extraordinary. There are about eight volumes in total. He has lent these books to us for study, and they contain many mystic knowledge topics we are genuinely interested in. After reading them, we want to continue; no, to be exact, we are very eager to read the next one, and the more we read, the more we want to keep going…

“To be honest, those members who have read a few of the books are overly eager for new ones, to a frightening extent.”

Nephnis finished with concern, and hearing her words, Dorothy furrowed her brow. She understood what this phenomenon was; it was clearly Poison Recognition infection.

Those eight books were, after all, Secret Transmissions, highly diluted into eight volumes. That individual named Thistle seemed to want to use Poison Recognition to corrode the Secret Knowledge Society.

“After reading those books, did the members exhibit any strange psychological symptoms? And do they get worse the more they read?” Dorothy controlled Brandon to ask. Upon hearing Brandon’s words, Nephnis was slightly taken aback.

“Ah… Yes, it is as you said. Those who have read the books feel increasingly cold and detached… Usually easy-going people seem to have turned somewhat violently extreme, often resorting to violence over trivial disputes, which was impossible before.

“What’s critical is that they seem to respect Thistle more the more they read. Eventually, this respect even reached the level of worship. There was once a member who hadn’t read the books who complained about Thistle during a gathering, and he was then attacked by several people; it was truly terrifying…”

Nephnis spoke with lingering fear, and Dorothy silently contemplated.

‘Is it a Poison Recognition that turns people violent and makes them worship someone?’

…

Later, with his abilities, knowledge, and collection of books, Thistle obtained unparalleled status within the society. Under semi-coercion, nearly everyone in the society had read his books and had been influenced to develop a sense of admiration for him. Following this, Thistle, a newcomer who had joined the society just two months earlier, logically took the position vacated by the former president and became the president of the society himself.

Once he became the leader of the society, Thistle began to overhaul it, implementing numerous rules and regulations, establishing ranks, and organizing regular meetings, transforming it from a loosely organized hobby group into a tightly-knit society.

Subsequently, Thistle began to command society members to undertake various tasks, such as hiding large numbers of outsiders on campus. For example, after showing members several mystical symbols, he instructed them to search the entire campus for traces of those symbols. He also coerced them into carrying knives or even firearms into the school. He forced donations to the society and secretly lured others to join under the guise of that collection, many of which violated school regulations.

At this point, the nature of the Secret Knowledge Society had completely changed, becoming a tool for Thistle to carry out certain objectives. Most of the members had already read his books and became his worshippers, executing his tasks without complaint. However, there were exceptions: two male students once resisted the semi-coerced reading actions and did not acknowledge the changes in the society. They publicly confronted Thistle, claiming they wanted to withdraw from the society and threatened to expose him for violating school regulations.

The next day, those two students disappeared without a trace. No one knew where they went, and the police found no clues after investigating. All the members who worshipped Thistle remained silent about the disappearance of their former companions, offering no leads to the police. Some attempted to report him in secret, but the result was the same.

And it was at this moment that Nephnis truly recognized the danger posed by Thistle.

…

“At that time, I finally realized that Thistle was using us as tools. After completely controlling the society, he tore off his disguise and revealed his true nature, growing increasingly violent. He often interacted with many outsiders, bringing them in, and he trusted those outsiders more than us.

“For us original society members, the only way to get closer to Thistle was to read those eight books more; at least four were needed to earn his trust. Unfortunately, a friend of mine in the society couldn’t resist the temptation of those books and has now read five of them, becoming an ardent worshipper of Thistle, but thereby drew closer to him and learned more of his secrets.

“I discovered the true name of Thistle’s organization through secretly reading my friend’s diary; it is called Eight Pinnacle Nest. It seems they came to King Campus to look for something…”

After finishing, Nephnis took a sip of tea and inhaled deeply, her expression filled with helplessness. Seeing her like this, Brandon asked.

“The situation with your friend and the original society being destroyed by Thistle, and even companions going missing—does that explain why you want to resist Eight Pinnacle Nest?”

“Pretty much… Because of Thistle, I am currently very uncomfortable in the society. Given the previous cautionary tale, I dare not withdraw or report him; I live every day in fear, so I want to do something, even if just a little.

“I saw your lost belongings notice published by Mr. Brandon in the school newspaper. The eye symbol you described is almost identical to the symbol Thistle once had us search for all over campus, so I assumed that the item you found was what Thistle wanted.

“I didn’t want Thistle’s wishes to succeed, so I came up with the idea to retrieve the item before him; however, I didn’t expect that you, Mr. Brandon, are also an Extraordinary Being and that you have a secret society behind you. This lost items notice was actually a trap you set, and I, along with Thistle’s people, fell right into it.”

Nephnis finished speaking and then fell silent, looking at Brandon in front of her, aware that she had said all she needed to say.

After hearing Nephnis’s words, Brandon nodded and slowly said.

“Well, you’ve generally clarified the situation for me, and I have reached some conclusions. Thank your own conscience, Miss Boyle, for that; because of it, there’s still a chance for a turnaround.

“However… there is still one thing I am puzzled about and would like to ask you. You said all the society members were semi-coerced into reading Thistle’s books, and those who didn’t read have gone missing. You, as a member of the society, are here; may I ask how you resisted the influence of those books?”