109: Puppet Faction, Tin Book

At this moment, Clay’s cheeks, which had been incredibly pale from excessive blood loss, now held a hint of bewilderment in addition to his guilt and embarrassment.

He had, after all, secretly held back a move after Ron emerged from the study, waiting for the perfect moment to spray him with the potion.

At the time, Clay had been absolutely confident.

He believed that with his technique, not even a Fourth-Tier Mage would detect it, let alone a low-tier puppet!

But now… the final outcome had been a harsh slap to his face.

“What, is there a problem with me wanting to kill him?”

At this moment, Ron looked at Beruke and asked with a half-smile.

Beruke’s eye twitched, and he gave Clay a speechless look.

Then, gritting his teeth, he said in a low, humble voice.

“I apologize, Vice President, this matter is indeed Clay’s fault.”

“However, his crime is not punishable by death, and that shot you fired earlier has already punished him.”

“How about… for my sake, you let him off this time? I guarantee he won’t dare to do it again.”

Hearing this, Clay also quickly bowed down in gratitude.

Meanwhile, the puppet opposite them remained silent, merely looking down at the two of them.

It wasn’t until the tense atmosphere had persisted for dozens of breaths that Ron finally spoke, breaking the silence.

“Beruke, you owe me a favor.”

At these words, Beruke was stunned, his mood becoming somewhat complex.

However, he didn’t say much, merely nodding in agreement.

Seeing this, Ron chuckled lightly, as if he had forgiven Clay.

Clay stood up, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and quickly expressed his gratitude to Ron.

However, Ron paid him no attention.

He simply stepped closer in Beruke’s direction.

At this point, the distance between them was less than a step.

Ron leaned forward, close to Beruke’s shoulder, and whispered in his ear.

“Beruke, you wouldn’t think…”

“I really didn’t notice your earlier hint to Clay, did you?”

Hearing this, Beruke’s pupils involuntarily constricted.

After stepping out of the room earlier, he had glanced at Clay.

Although that look had seemed completely normal.

But relying on years of accumulated tacit understanding and experience, Clay naturally understood, and thus he secretly made his move against Ron.

“…”

Beruke didn’t speak, merely slowly exhaling a turbid breath.

He had experienced Ron’s unfathomable methods more than once today.

Therefore, he wouldn’t humiliate himself by asking how the other party knew.

“Oh, and I’ll tell you some good news.”

At this point, Ron continued.

“Just as you guessed, I am not an extreme self-modification faction member.”

“Instead, like my father, I belong to the puppet control faction.”

“So, your decision not to act was a very smart one.”

Upon hearing this, Beruke, whose face remained expressionless, slowly clenched his fists inside his sleeves.

The so-called self-modification faction and puppet control faction were the two major factions within Mechanist Arts.

As the name suggests, the self-modification faction uses various secret arts to modify their own bodies, replacing internal organs, flesh, tendons, and bones with mechanisms.

The slogan, “Flesh is weak, machines ascend,” perfectly encapsulates their faction.

However, this behavior was too insane, so only a very small number of people joined this faction.

The puppet control faction, on the other hand, creates and manipulates various puppets, and is the most common Mechanist Arts faction.

Earlier, when Beruke and Ron were in the study.

The reason he didn’t act rashly was because he couldn’t tell which faction Ron belonged to.

After all, just based on Ron’s erratic state.

Beruke felt that Ron must belong to the self-modification faction.

If that were truly the case, then this puppet in front of him.

It was very likely the true body of Uz.

Therefore, Beruke had then harbored murderous intent, wanting to silence him directly.

But the problem was, according to the characteristics of the self-modification faction.

Since they chose this path, they would definitely use the best materials and the most excellent techniques to modify themselves.

And Uz was Uld’s son; even if he himself wasn’t strong, with a good father, he shouldn’t lack in materials and techniques.

Therefore, after self-modification, he should at least be a Third-Tier puppet or higher!

However, Beruke could see that this puppet in front of him… seemed to be only First-Tier?

In that case, his speculation had a contradiction.

Beruke struggled several times, unable to determine whether the puppet in front of him was Uz himself.

But in the end, he still felt that the latter had a greater chance.

Therefore, he had not acted rashly.

Now, the puppet’s words confirmed his guess.

Beruke was relieved that he hadn’t acted, but also somewhat disappointed.

“Also, even if you find my true body, it’s useless.”

Ron chuckled and continued.

“Do you think your secret will spread far and wide when I die?”

Beruke’s eye twitched, and his face turned ashen.

Guess?

What the hell am I supposed to guess?

How could a devil like you, who is skilled at playing with people’s hearts, not leave any contingencies?

Beruke cursed inwardly, roaring and raging madly.

However, on the surface, he gritted his teeth tightly, not uttering a single word.

“Sigh, you’re cursing me in your heart again, aren’t you?”

Ron, as if he had mind-reading abilities, patted Beruke’s shoulder and said.

“Wrong, wrong, you should praise me in your heart and pray for my safety.”

“Only if I live well can your secret remain unknown to others forever, understand?”

Beruke’s mouth twitched, and he smiled very unpleasantly.

“Understood, understood, I wish you health and safety, and eternal life.”

Ron nodded with satisfaction, then straightened up, his voice returning to normal.

“Alright, since we’ve cleared things up, I’ll be going now. See you tomorrow?”

“Yes, yes, see you tomorrow…”

Beruke’s voice was dry, and the two by his side, Pete and Clay, also quickly bowed their heads to bid Ron farewell.

As Ron took his leave, passing by Pete and Clay.

Pete and Clay immediately tensed up, their heads bowed even lower, as if they were about to break.

“Heh.”

Ron chuckled, then suddenly reached into Clay’s jacket pocket and pulled out something.

It was a thin little book with a tin cover.

The reason Clay hadn’t died earlier, besides the Shield Spell.

This small book also played a big role, blocking several splashing iron filings for him.

“Interesting…”

After putting the book in his own pocket, Ron leisurely departed.