“Where did you get the Soul-Shattering Howl?”
“What is that?”
Belinda's expression remained calm.
Go on, keep playing dumb.
Ain tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table and asked his second question.
“How many people are involved in this plan?”
“What plan?”
Ain ignored her feigned ignorance and pressed on. “One hundred?”
“Sure, why not.”
Belinda answered dismissively.
Ain ignored this as well.
“Two hundred?”
...
“Three hundred?”
“Are you planning to just keep guessing blindly like this?”
Ain was completely unfazed by Belinda's mockery. With a calm expression, he reached out, pinched a card between his fingers, and held it directly in front of her eyes.
On the face of the card, a deity stood on the edge of a cliff, holding a scale high. The entire illustration was rendered in stark black and white, the play of light and shadow perfectly forming a prominent number: seven.
【7】The Arbiter
Afterward, Ain picked out two more cards and lined them up after the God of Light card. The three cards formed a sequence of numbers.
784.
Belinda's pupils dilated slightly, her breathing catching for a brief moment, but she quickly composed herself.
Outside the barrier, Erich's gaze swept over the desk. The device specifically designed to monitor a suspect's emotional fluctuations actually twitched, showing a slight fluctuation.
Erich frowned deeply. He had interrogated Belinda for an entire day yesterday, yet the device's needle had remained as dead and motionless as a rock.
If he hadn't tested it on others to confirm its sensitivity, he would have suspected the device had been broken all along.
From a distance, Erich couldn't make out the patterns on the cards at all. But it was precisely that obscurity and mystery that quietly piqued an undeniable curiosity deep within him.
What did Ain just do?
Immediately after, the voice inside the room rang out again.
“In this operation, how many people are Tier 4 or above?”
“One?”
Seeing Belinda fall into a dead silence, Ain curled his lips. His gaze was sharp as a blade, carrying an undisguised aggression.
“Or two?”
“There's no need to frame me like this. This plan, the operation, the headcount—I have no idea what you're talking about.”
Ain nodded, then picked up another card from the table and displayed it before Belinda.
This time, it was the number five.
“No answer is also an answer.”
Ain chuckled, then suddenly changed the subject. “Speaking of which, it seems I don't really have anything left to ask you. After all, the toxin in Lillian's body has already been purged.”
“The academy has already implemented protective measures. You've wasted the only chance your organization had to succeed.”
Belinda glanced at Ain, her face still betraying no emotion, though she was internally evaluating the situation.
He's fishing for information!
Seeing her silence, Ain slowly stood up and leaned in close to her ear, lowering his voice to a whisper meant for her ears alone.
“Aren't you curious?”
“How is it that I know everything, from the name of the potion to your deeply hidden plans?”
Ain picked up a card from the table.
【2】Faerie Fire
Spirit Card (White Card)
Upright: A guide for the path, a beacon in the dark.
Reversed: Leading into a swamp, a false path.
The card shimmered with a faint light, and countless tiny whispers echoed in Ain's mind. In their own unique ways, they all told him that the answer he sought lay right on Belinda!
Ain's lips parted slightly as he leaned in closer, whispering each word slowly into Belinda's ear. “Is it...”
“The... Nightingale... Secret... Order?”
Belinda's body stiffened. Her pupils contracted sharply, and she could no longer control her emotions, staring at Ain in absolute shock.
“You!”
This guy... how does he know the organization's name?!
“You want to ask how I know?”
Ain met her gaze with a beaming smile.
“Why don't you guess?”
Staring at the wildly fluctuating readings on the screen, Erich's heart jolted. The hand holding his teacup shook uncontrollably, nearly spilling the scalding tea all over himself.
“What did he just say?!”
Beside him, Luke bowed his head and said in a low voice, “Apologies, Teacher. It was too quiet, I couldn't hear it clearly.”
Rosalind shook her head as well.
Erich composed himself and set the teacup back on the desk. His eyes widened, his gaze burning as he stared intently at the two inside the room.
What on earth does he know? Why did Belinda react so strongly?!
Could it really be divination? Or are those cards just a distraction, and Ain is actually gathering information through some other means?
Erich could be sure of at least one thing now.
Once Ain's interrogation was over and he compiled the records, this entire case would undoubtedly reach a critical breakthrough!
Erich began to re-evaluate Ain in his mind.
He had to admit, he had severely misjudged the boy.
Belinda took a deep breath, trying her best to calm herself.
“Don't try to fool me with your fabricated nonsense. You know nothing about me. You don't even know if I have a contact nearby.”
“Oh?”
Ain met Belinda's gaze.
“Still refusing to face reality, are we?”
Twirling the cards in his hand one by one, Ain said unhurriedly, “It's the Echo Forest, isn't it?”
“The intersection of the abandoned mine shaft on the outskirts of the forest... Heh, you guys certainly have good taste.”
Belinda's hands trembled uncontrollably. She had absolutely no idea how Ain had come up with that answer.
Could he have pieced together the entire truth just from the few slips of the tongue I made?
Erich shared the exact same thought.
Could a simple card divination really yield this much information?
Is he really just a Divination Scholar?
“As an information drop point, it is indeed a decent choice.”
Ain's gaze hardened, and he said in a low voice, “But as a handoff point, it doesn't seem quite hidden enough.”
Belinda's heart clenched. Her right hand clenched instinctively, her knuckles turning slightly white, but she quickly released her grip as if suddenly realizing something.
Ain, of course, caught this reaction.
A moment later, another card found its way into Ain's hand.
【5】The God of Wisdom
God Card (White Card)
Upright: The all-seeing eye, perceiving past and present.
Reversed: The curse of knowledge, secrets that should not be pried into.
“In the third climate-controlled garden in the northwest corner of the greenhouse.”
“Am I correct?”
Suppressing her emotions, Belinda said flatly, “If you want me to say yes, then so be it.”
“You're more than welcome to go look for yourself.”
Ain leaned in closer, staring intently into Belinda's pupils as he spoke word by word.
“Do you really think I can't find it?”
“Between the fourth and fifth rows of hydroponic racks on the second basement level... digging that secret passage must have taken quite a bit of effort, didn't it?”
The chains of Belinda's magic handcuffs suddenly snapped taut. She stared at Ain in disbelief, her hands clenching into tight fists.
“How do you—!”
Like a prey being closely watched, Belinda's face was a mask of terror.
Mind reading? I hadn't even thought of that place in my head!
How is this possible! How could he possibly know?!
Seeing the needle on the dashboard swinging wildly, about to break past the limit, Erich leaped to his feet and roared at Luke beside him, “Luke! Quick! Call Team Three over immediately!”
“Get as many of them as you can!”
“Ten minutes—no, three minutes! Assemble at the entrance!”
“Yes, sir!”
Erich didn't even spare Ain another glance as he immediately bolted out the door.
The contact's handoff point was undoubtedly the most critical piece of information!
Soon, very soon, he would achieve a more vital breakthrough than any of the other Arbiters!
An indescribable rush of excitement instantly surged in his chest, and Erich screamed fanatically in his mind.
Letting Ain in to conduct the interrogation was absolutely the best decision I've ever made!
“Mr. Ain! Should I also...”
Rosalind looked anxious. She was naturally well aware of what Erich was planning.
She had to find that stronghold first to dispel all the negative rumors circulating about Sevis.
But halfway through her sentence, Rosalind froze.
That mysterious, faint smile remained fixed on Ain's face. His expression was leisurely and calm, as if nothing around him could disturb him in the slightest.
“From beginning to end, your performance has been truly spectacular.”
“A forbidden curse that allows you to control your own emotions at will? Your people really went all out.”
“That terrified look on your face... you can stop faking it now, can't you?”
“Miss Belinda?”
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