CHAPTER 1004: CHAPTER 523: THE BATTLE TO BREAK THROUGH THE SIEGE OF FATE (PART 2)

Rod’s heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly asked in a low voice, "Who is it? How do you know?"

This was not what he had imagined. He originally thought at least until the battle began, they could catch the traitor’s tail.

Lucian whispered, "Olivia..."

Poof!

Rod looked at him in shock, almost thinking he had misheard.

But Lucian’s face showed no sign of joking, and he said solemnly, "Sir Rod, I know this sounds extremely unbelievable, hard to accept, but we are facing an extremely cunning and wicked individual; nothing is impossible. We should break conventional thinking, go beyond boundaries, abandon fixed thought patterns. In this war with him, nothing is impossible."

Rod frowned and said, "Judgment Chief, what you say makes some sense, but if we completely disregard caution and suspect everyone recklessly, isn’t that exactly what the Doomsday believers would love to see?"

Lucian said seriously, "I understand very well, but please think carefully. During the Starry Sky City battle, the Archbishop who was least likely to betray did so at a critical moment. If not for the Ominous Mephit’s mind control that was beyond his comprehension, what do you think the consequences would be?"

Rod’s face darkened. At that time, Horus was responsible for using the Silence Stone to suppress and eliminate the battle’s disturbance. After being controlled, he not only stopped suppressing the disturbance but also reversed the operation of the Silence Stone.

At that time, Starry Sky City was filled with terrifying disaster. If Mephit had not stopped him, they were almost certain to face total annihilation.

This timing was chosen so precisely, it could not possibly be a coincidence.

It was a meticulously planned conspiracy, and the plotter was most likely the Ancient Evil Thought known as "Demon of the Source," Amon.

Lucian continued, "The reason the Archbishop was compromised has not yet been fully investigated. We cannot rule out the possibility of the same trick being used again. Among everyone, Olivia is most likely to cause the entire team to collapse. This is the suspicion I mentioned."

Rod’s expression was solemn. Lucian’s words made some sense. Although there was no evidence to support it, in this struggle, following the routine conventional thinking would not lead to victory. Precaution must be taken against potential disasters.

"I understand, I will be cautious."

Lucian spoke with caution, "Sir Rod, please inform Mephit of this matter. If necessary, we may also need her help."

Rod glanced at him, "You don’t suspect Mephit?"

If there were anyone here resembling a Doomsday believer, it would be Mephit, who constantly wore a hood, hidden in shadows, and remained silent.

In fact, many Judgers suspected her, making her a key figure to watch.

Lucian candidly said, "The Ominous Mephit, the taboo of the Silver Oath, protagonist of the prophecy of destruction, suspect of the Stone Street case; from any angle, she appears the most suspicious, but for this very reason, I believe she absolutely cannot be a Doomsday believer."

"Why?"

"Her soul is too unique, possessing three soul traits, extremely unstable. The Ancient Evil Thought would never form such a soul; its mortality rate is too high, and igniting the Soul Fire would attract too much attention, hindering actions in secrecy."

Lucian’s gaze swept over the edge of the group, where a person cloaked and seemingly non-existent silently followed.

"More importantly, she has been constrained by the Silver Oath for many years, her soul imprinted with multiple dangerous curses, time and again skirting the edge of disappearance. If she were an Ancient Evil focused on the destruction of humanity and all living things, she would never have done so."

"Therefore."

Lucian concluded.

"I trust her, just as I trust you."

At this moment, Rod was truly taken aback.

His interactions with Lucian were limited. In his impression, the Judgment Chief of the Internal Affairs Court, Lucian, was a stubborn old man, unwilling to listen to anyone else’s opinion except the King’s.

Unexpectedly, he turned out to be so wise, not at all like a brainless dullard.

"That’s excellent, Sir Lucian."

Rod smiled and said,

"I’m glad you think this way. I’ve tried to explain to everyone that Mephit is not a Doomsday believer, but very few listened."

Lucian said calmly, "Hatred has blinded their eyes. Most people only wish to believe what they want to believe. Mephit has committed too many blood offenses in the Royal City, and Stone Street isn’t all of it. I don’t like her either and believe her end should be in the fire. But as Judgment Chief, I cannot be swayed by hatred."

Rod felt pleased, considering Lucian should be a reliable teammate.

"Very well, continue observing, and report any suspicious situation to me."

Lucian bowed slightly, not minding that he was much older than Rod.

Strength and talent are always more respectable than age.

——

After a moment walking along the streets damaged beyond recognition, the group arrived at a collapsed circular building.

Olivia informed them that this was a stronghold captured in a previous operation. It appeared free of monsters now and should be safe.

Therefore, the group temporarily settled down here.

Non-combatants began rebuilding the camp. Firelight was necessary, and the placement of lanterns was crucial to expanding the firelight’s range as much as possible, while not allowing any gaps for the Black Fog to exploit.