Chapter 338: A New Victim

That's right… How could I, a good person, make others tremble in fear at the sight of me?

With a slight smile, Lin Jie nodded his head in approval. "Oh, I heard you mention the name Joseph. I coincidentally know someone by the name of Joseph too. He’s from a special department within the Central District Police Unit and has a disciple by the name of Claude. Is he perhaps the same person you were talking about just now?”

Greg winced as he now gained a greater understanding of what Sir Joseph meant when he said the bookstore owner liked to act and speak as an ‘ordinary mortal.’

Since that additional fellow who seemed like he wasn’t up to anything good beside them was also a transcendent being, Greg reckoned that there was no longer a need for him to hide anything.

However, this demon was still putting on an act of an ordinary person who knew nothing. Yet every time someone slightly wavered and wondered if the bookstore owner was really an ordinary person, that monster would seem to see through it and inadvertently say something creepy that would cause this unrealistic imagination to come crashing down.

This is how he repeatedly toys with the hearts of people. That’s just downright sinister!

Greg felt that he had completely understood the nature of this demon. Wasn't it just cooperating? As an investigator, he needed to be able to adapt to any situation, and this sort of pressure was still something he could bear.

"Yes." Greg nodded and said, "I was just accepted as an apprentice on probation by Sir Joseph about half a year ago. Claude is considered my senior."

"I see." Lin Jie nodded. "It seems that Claude was seriously injured previously. Is he alright now? Sigh, the work at the Central District Police Unit is really dangerous, I wonder what sort of mission would cause him to get hurt so badly…"

It's all thanks to your subordinate, ‘Faceless Black-Scaled Man,’ Wilde! Greg wanted to yell out but held his lips.

As a member of the Intelligence Division, Greg had heard countless versions of intelligence reports and analysis about Lin Jie.

During the incident where Oswald had rebelled, had it not been Wilde exacerbating the situation, Claude would have been able to fight back against Oswald just based on his strength alone.

While Oswald had been the root cause, Wilde’s motive was to repair the stone gargoyle that had been originally given to the bookstore. Therefore, the mastermind that guided him must have been the owner of the bookstore, Lin Jie.

The bookstore owner loved conjuring plots and causing disputes from the shadows. This was the consensus that all transcendent beings who knew of his existence came to. It had also been because of this incident that Joseph would be clashing with Wilde on the battlefield again.

Yet, in the end, the mastermind was still pretending to be innocent…

Really, what a warped sense of humor…

Despite all that went through Greg’s mind, he chose his words cautiously. “Claude is almost recovered, but he can’t move freely yet, so he didn’t accompany Sir Joseph to… uh, carry out the mission.”

That was close. I nearly mentioned the eradication of the Corpse Devouring Sect.

In theory, the being standing before him was most probably the true leader of the Corpse Devouring Sect… If Greg had said it out loud, he would surely be dead!

Greg was terrified, every single word he uttered felt as if it possessed the power to decide his own fate.

Lin Jie did not notice the meaning behind Greg's slight pause. However, he was rather relieved when he heard the news. While Claude wasn’t a customer of the bookstore, he had contributed quite a bit. If something happened, Lin Jie would definitely be worried.

Fortunately, it didn't sound like a big problem now.

"That's good. By the way… Is Joseph on some dangerous mission again? There were some things I wanted his help with, but…” Lin Jie asked, “Do you know the specifics?”

Greg stammered, "Ah, um… well, it's dangerous, but this sort of thing can’t be discussed outside. I mean, we usually can't tell outsiders about this sort of mission." As he spoke, he glanced at Fitch from the corner of his eye. It was obvious who he was referring to as an ‘outsider.’

That smug and hostile gaze from this fellow when he said the truth about Greg being very afraid still seemed to linger.

Via his own professional sense, Greg reckoned that this fellow was probably trying to use him to show his own worth—the worth of a lackey.

If this guy tried to stir up trouble, Greg felt that his true thoughts might really be exposed. Thus, for his own safety, it was better to send this guy away first.

Lin Jie rubbed his chin and felt that this made sense. The Central District Police Unit did undertake dangerous and difficult missions, most of which had to be kept confidential.

Thus, he turned to Fitch and said, "Fitch, we can part here. It's getting late, go back to your room and rest." Then, Lin Jie added politely, “Thank you very much. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

"I…" Fitch could only manage one word before he was quickly smothered. His face was full of hurt. He wanted to say something but couldn’t. He didn’t have an appropriate reason to and he didn’t dare disobey Boss Lin. Thus, he could only groan an acknowledgment and turn to leave. However, he didn’t forget to glare at Greg as a warning before he did so.

It was all thanks to this kid that he missed the opportunity of getting to know Boss Lin better! It appeared that his intuition that this kid would hinder him from cozying up to the powerful bookstore owner had been spot on indeed. It was just that Fitch hadn’t reacted fast enough and was actually beaten to it…

Who could blame Fitch for having a strong sense for things. After all, this youngster that had shown up was the second transcendent being he had come into close contact with since the banquet started. Moreover, the way he behaved was rather strange.

The opportunity that had been solely his was now about to be stolen, so naturally, Fitch felt he needed to take action. However, it didn’t seem to be effective…

"Oh right." Lin Jie suddenly stopped Fitch, who turned around in surprise only to hear Lin Jie say earnestly, "Remember to finish reading that book when you get back. It will be very helpful to you."

“…” Fitch nodded numbly and turned to leave.

Although the only outsider had left, Lin Jie felt that it was unreasonable to discuss a conspiracy in the corridor and thus invited Greg into his room to sit down and have a chat.

Haa, my room is rather large… Lin Jie lamented as he looked around his room. This was indeed the manor of the richest man in Norzin.

He picked a chair and sat down. Turning to look at Greg, who appeared apprehensive, he said, “Alright, we can talk now.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Greg felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, and for a moment, he was confused. Say what?!

Aren’t you the mastermind?! Do you even need someone to explain the current situation for you?!

Greg was a mere insignificant investigator. While he was Joseph’s disciple, it was actually just in name. It was easy for him to obtain information, but there was no way for him to get any higher-level information. With regards to the current situation of the battlefield, he might not even know as much as any other ordinary personnel of the Intelligence Division.

Just the thought of this deflated Greg. He was a magician after all, and it was rather reasonable for him to be a little out of place in Secret Rite Tower which was dominated by knights…

Lin Jie noticed the youngster’s head droop slightly in dejection. Thus, he flashed his usual professional smile and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you troubled by something? If you really can't mention anything about the mission, you can just talk about something else. I might be able to help you."

Books can help you, too, supplemented Lin Jie inwardly.