Chapter 268: Chapter 43: The Mole and Rumors

“Are you referring to the one in Sky City?”

Upon hearing this, the black-robed figure sitting in the second seat on the right took up the conversation.

“Perhaps.”

The Prophet in the grey robe nodded slightly, neither denying nor confirming.

“I, however, feel that the likelihood of him taking action in this matter is small, but I wouldn’t exclude the possibility that the True Knowledge Society has offered a price enticing enough to move him.”

At this point, the shadowy figure of the black-robed person in the second seat on the left shook their head, not very optimistic about this assumption.

“So, Grey Mist, what do you think?”

The black-robed figure at the head of the right side of the table now spoke, looking at the only real person present in the room, their voice that of a somewhat androgynous female.

“I cannot fathom his thoughts, after all, he is the Continent’s sole Ninth Rank Prophet. I do not know what he has seen, nor can I determine the reasons and patterns behind his actions.”

The Prophet known as Grey Mist shook their head, choosing not to express any opinion on this matter.

“Is it just like those foreigners?”

The third black-robed figure on the right spoke up, and while speaking, his pitch-black face turned slightly as if to inadvertently glance at the black-robed person at the far left.

The others likewise glanced his way more or less, and the latter, acutely aware of everyone’s attention, said nothing but simply placed a hand on his chest and nodded slightly to the group.

“Roughly speaking, Abyss, I think you can understand it in that way,” Grey Mist nodded carelessly in response to the question.

“To many, a Prophet’s behavior might seem inscrutable. But in fact, it’s merely because they see things that are vastly different.”

“Just like an ordinary person who suddenly learns that his house will be struck by lightning and catch fire tonight. He will then immediately move his possessions outside the house.

His neighbors, unaware of the news, will think he has gone mad or been cursed when they see him frantically moving things out of the house.”

“Only when lightning strikes the house and flames burn brightly that evening, will they deeply regret their earlier judgement, but by then, it’s already too late.

For us, ‘he’ is like that person who alone knows the news, while we are his uninformed neighbors.”

“Alright, Grey Mist, we get your point.”

The black-robed figure with the Dark Gold emblem at the head of the table gently raised a hand, signaling for everyone to quiet down.

Then, he turned to look at the black-robed person at the far left of the table, who had been the focus of everyone’s attention before.

“Zero, what is your opinion on this matter?”

Facing the invisible scrutiny of the Leader and others, the black-robed person called ‘Zero’ showed no sign of nervousness; instead, with interlocked fingers, he spoke calmly.

“Firstly, I must clarify one thing: my understanding of High Rank Magic is limited. Hence, I will not analyze from the perspective of magic.”

“What I want to say is, perhaps we could consider from a different angle.

Reaching the effect of unveiling Grey Mist’s concealment without leaving behind magical traces doesn’t necessarily require profound Prophecy Magic, nor some other lost magic. What if we have a traitor within our organization!”

Zero’s words dropped like a depth charge, causing an immediate commotion among the crowd.

It wasn’t that no one had thought of this possibility; on the contrary, more than half of those present had considered it, yet no one had truly voiced it.

“I know that there are certain high-level Contracts in this world that may restrict betrayal, but I believe you too might have ways to circumvent or release these constraints.”

Unlike the others, Zero spoke without caution, even implying with a hint that the traitor might be among them.

“Of course, all of this is but my personal speculation. The actual likelihood is up for each of you to judge. But I suggest that perhaps a thorough internal investigation of our organization should be considered.”

Although he used ‘everyone,’ Zero’s gaze was always directed at the Leader.

He understood very clearly that as long as his existence was beneficial to the Leader, and he didn’t offend anyone, then there would always be a place for him here.

As for others who can’t stand him, or even play dirty tricks?

As a Player who doesn’t care about level, that’s what he fears least!

“Let’s put aside this topic for now. Whether it’s personal action by that person, an insider among us, or the enemy employing some special mysterious object, these are not issues we can resolve through simple discussion.”

The Leader glanced at the reaction of those present and remained impassive.

“Star, how about I leave the investigation of the mole to you? I will grant you temporary special authority to harness all the resources of the organization unrestrictedly.”

“Understood, Your Excellency the Leader.”

Upon hearing these words, the shadowy figure in a black robe on the right nodded.

“Grey Mist, is there any way to deal with the issues with Prophecy Skill? I’m not asking to block that person’s peeping but at least to ensure timely detection and advance warning.”

Then, the Leader’s gaze shifted to Grey Mist.

“I have some new ideas. Perhaps we could use fate grafting to introduce false Mirror of Destiny images into the interfering mist. Even if breached, they can serve to disguise and provide an early warning.

However, this Spell is not yet perfected and may require some time to develop and research.”

The shadowy figure of the Prophet in a grey robe spoke indifferently.

“Good—”

The Leader nodded.

“Then, until Grey Mist develops the new stealth magic, please ask everyone to remotely notify other members. For now, we should avoid gathering in person to prevent sudden attacks from enemies.”

“Now, since Grey Mist has initiated the summoning early, there’s another matter everyone needs to be aware of.

Due to the unexpected exposure of our Silver Wind City base, those medium-sized Nobles we contacted in the Empire have grown very suspicious and distrustful of us.”

“The time for changes in the Net of Destiny is approaching quickly. We need to cause chaos within the Gloria Empire faster. Does anyone have suggestions for this?”

As the Leader finished speaking, everyone began voicing their opinions.

“How about we continue to support organizations like the Shadowless Secret Meeting to carry out indiscriminate attacks on cities throughout the Empire? As long as we don’t personally go to the Empire, the Ninth Rank of True Knowledge Society can’t do anything to us.”

“Maybe we could manipulate some minor Nobles to attack students at the Professional College, creating panic.”

…

“Everyone, I have an idea.”

After everyone slowly expressed their opinions, Zero once again spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention.

“We had cooperated with the Shadowless Secret Meeting before, hadn’t we? I’ve also heard about their recent attacks on several major cities in Gloria Empire.”

“Why don’t we spread rumors among the Empire’s common folk, saying that the recent attacks were not as the officials claimed, carried out by the Shadowless Secret Meeting, but were conspiracies by the high-level Nobles!”

“They fabricate a non-existent organization and under its name, use the lower class citizens as sacrifices and subjects for all kinds of unspeakable evils, to fuel the conflict between the upper and lower classes—”

About this suggestion, the opinions among the crowd were divided.

“What’s the use of inciting conflict between the lower and upper classes? Even if we gather all the lower class people in the city, wouldn’t they still be easily suppressed with a wave of a high-level Professional’s hand?”

It was still ‘Dark Abyss,’ the third black-robed figure on the right who spoke up. He had long been irked by Zero, who only had First Rank strength but managed to seat at their council table, yet he was unable to act out due to the Leader’s pressure.

Seizing the opportunity, he directly picked on Zero.