8: Chapter 8 Conspiracy and Undercurrents

Three days after returning from patrolling the East Borough, the complete investigation report regarding the remnants of the Textile Factory ritual was placed on Dunn's desk.

The report was co-authored by Lu Li and Leonard. However, Lu Li withheld two pieces of critical information.

First, he did not mention the residual fluctuation trajectory that his Marauder perception had tracked toward Iron Cross Street—this discovery was too precise, precise to a level inconsistent with the perception level of a Sequence 9 newcomer.

Second, he did not describe the sense of incongruity he had sensed from the black-robed cultist lurking in the corner of the factory.

That scrutiny peering out from the shadows of the hood, devoid of any emotion yet exceptionally focused, was completely different from the fear or fanaticism of ordinary cultists.

That look told Lu Li one thing: after the ritual at the Textile Factory failed, they had not retreated; instead, they were accelerating preparations for the next attempt.

"The Intelligence Division has confirmed the source of the iron box from the Hoi River."

Dunn announced at the third day's regular meeting, his voice as steady as ever, but his fingertips resting on the desk were slightly curled, unconsciously tapping the surface.

"The iron box originated from the basement storage room of the Tingen University library. During a routine inventory last week, the librarian discovered that the storage room's lock had been destroyed, and several Fourth Epoch document storage boxes had been pried open. The stolen items include three transcripts from the Antigonus Family era, a research note labeled related to the 'Snake of Fate,' and an unidentified silver ritual vessel."

"University library?" Daly frowned. "The notes stolen from Welch also originated from the university. These two thefts were committed by the same group."

"Not just two." Old Neil stood up from his seat in the corner, holding his notebook, and flipped to one of the pages. It was densely packed with summaries of abnormal events in Tingen and the surrounding areas over the past two weeks.

"I checked the recent anomaly records. In the past two weeks, at least six thefts targeting Fourth Epoch documents have occurred. The victims include three private collectors, the Tingen University library, the affiliated archives of the Saint Selena Cathedral, and—Baron Hoi's private vault."

The conference room went quiet for a moment.

Lu Li thought to himself that the Hoi Family was one of the oldest noble families in Tingen, with a family history dating back to the late Fourth Epoch. Although they had since declined, their family vault preserved a large number of original Fourth Epoch documents.

If even the Hoi Family had been robbed, it meant the scope of the theft operation was much larger than the Nighthawks had estimated.

"What is the list of stolen items?" Dunn asked.

"Besides Welch's Antigonus Family notes and the amulet, the remaining stolen items include two family letters from the Antigonus Family era, a piece of parchment labeled 'Ritual of the Snake,' three silver ritual implements of unknown purpose, and—" Old Neil flipped to the next page, pointing to a line with his finger.

"A sacrificial formula related to the 'Snake of Fate.' The formula records a Spirit Descent Ritual using 'Blood of the Same Origin' as a medium, which can temporarily summon a spirit body from a seal into the material world. According to the description in the formula, this ritual requires 'twelve origin sigils' as anchors."

Leonard straightened up in the chair next to Lu Li, resting his hands on the edge of the table, his voice carrying an undisguised irritation: "The murder case at the Textile Factory also had twelve corpses. It's not a coincidence."

"Of course not." Dunn stood up, walked to the map of Tingen City on the wall, and picked up red thumbtacks to pin onto it.

Each thumbtack represented the location of a theft or abnormal event. When he finished pinning all the tacks, he stepped back, and everyone present understood the pattern formed by those red dots on the map.

It was not a random distribution. All the theft locations—the university library, archives, private collection rooms, the abandoned Textile Factory—if connected by lines, formed exactly an irregular dodecagon, with the center point located at the Saint Selena Cathedral in the heart of Tingen City.

Or rather, located at the Chanis Gate deep beneath the cathedral.

"Twelve origin sigils, twelve anchors." Dunn's voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet conference room.

"They are using these thefts to set up a magic circle. Each time an item related to the Antigonus Family is stolen, a 'sigil' is left at the corresponding location. Once all twelve sigils are in place, the Spirit Descent Ritual can be initiated."

"What are they trying to summon?" Leonard asked. His expression indicated that he had already guessed the answer, but he asked anyway.

"That ancestor of the Antigonus Family who fell in the Fourth Epoch but was never completely annihilated."

Old Neil answered this question for him, his tone as calm as ever, but the knuckles of the fingers holding the notebook were turning white.

"The Snake of Fate. Its seal is placed behind the Chanis Gate—that is the only place in all of Tingen City with the ability to permanently seal a remnant of an Outer Deity. The goal of the theft gang is not the notebooks themselves, but to use the family marks remaining on the notes to activate the resonance of the seal, and then forcibly summon the spirit body within the seal out from the imprisonment of the Chanis Gate."

Behind the Chanis Gate was sealed a portion of the remnant soul of the Antigonus Family ancestor. This matter was a high-level secret within the Nighthawks.

It was not surprising that Old Neil knew this; after all, he was one of the core members responsible for maintaining the seal of the Chanis Gate.

But Lu Li knew better that, in the original work, it was precisely this understanding, deep to the point of near paranoia, that ultimately pushed Old Neil toward the depths of the Chanis Gate, taking a Sealed Artifact he had high hopes for and falling together into the Abyss of loss of control.

"We must take action as soon as possible."

Dunn pinned the last thumbtack into the Saint Selena Cathedral on the map and turned to face everyone. "There are twelve confirmed theft incidents, meaning at least eight to ten of the twelve sigils are already in place. There is not much time left—perhaps days, perhaps hours. Starting today, the entire team is on high alert."

He began assigning tasks.

"Old Neil, you are responsible for reinforcing the seal of the Chanis Gate; report any abnormal fluctuations immediately. Leonard and Daly, you are responsible for cooperating with the Intelligence Division to track the whereabouts of the stolen documents, focusing on the old warehouses in the East Borough. Lu Li—"

Dunn turned to Lu Li, his gaze pausing on him for a moment.

That gaze was heavy, as if evaluating the weight of a weapon, or as if confirming whether the strength of the hilt was still worthy of the blade to come.

"You continue to patrol the East Borough, using your Marauder perception to track the direction of the spatial fluctuations. The executor of that ritual at the Textile Factory is likely still lurking nearby. Once you discover suspicious spatial traces, evacuate immediately; do not go in alone."

"Understood." Lu Li nodded in agreement.

In fact, he had already discovered more than one trace of spatial fluctuations near the Textile Factory, but he had compressed this part of his findings in the previous report.

Lu Li thought to himself that how much to report, to whom to report, and what wording to use was itself a hidden chess move played within the safe zone.

After the meeting, Old Neil put away his notebook and walked toward the basement. Lu Li followed.

In the corridor, there were only the footsteps of the two of them, one in front and one behind, with rhythms that were inconsistent yet always maintained a certain subtle harmony.

"Mr. Neil." Lu Li spoke just as he was about to push open the iron door to the basement. "Regarding that Spirit Descent Ritual—what exactly does the 'Blood of the Same Origin' mentioned in the formula refer to?"

Old Neil stopped and looked back at him. A flash of unreadable light crossed those gray eyes; it didn't look like vigilance, but rather like being asked his favorite question in a chemistry class.

His fingers subconsciously tapped the spine of his notebook in thought.

"How many documents related to the Fourth Epoch Antigonus Family have you read?"

"Only the part made public in the Nighthawks' archives." Lu Li chose a safe answer. Ambiguous, yet not entirely a lie.

"Then do you know the characteristics of the Antigonus bloodline?"

"Not much. I only know that this bloodline is known for its talents in the domains of fate and time, and most family members possess abilities similar to the 'Marauder' Pathway—but they are not Beyonders; they are natural prophets and interferers of fate."

"Correct." Old Neil's voice suddenly lowered, but every word was exceptionally clear, as if he were carving words onto the wall with a scalpel in the dim corridor. "The Antigonus Family believed that fate could be stolen, transferred, or even rewritten. They believed they possessed the talent to foresee fate, interfere with fate, and steal fate. This talent is inherited through the bloodline; the purer the bloodline, the stronger the ability. And the so-called 'Blood of the Same Origin'—"

He pushed open the basement iron door, stepped aside to make way, and gestured for Lu Li to follow him in.

The humming of the distillers in the Potion Room was cut off outside the door, leaving only a faint lingering sound like a buzzing permeating from the walls.

"—refers to the blood of direct descendants of the Antigonus Family. The blood of pure-blooded descendants can serve as a primer to reconnect the remnant soul of that ancestor preserved in the seal back to the material world. After the decline of the Antigonus Family, blood sources have become extremely rare, but that does not mean they are extinct. Since those cultists are confident in initiating the Spirit Descent Ritual, it means they have at least obtained a blood source of sufficient purity."

A character's name from the original work flashed through Lu Li's mind instantly. That person who was hidden in the deepest part of Tingen City and had an unbreakable connection with the Antigonus Family.

Ince Zangwill. Sequence 5, Gatekeeper. A senior member of the Nighthawks, one of Old Neil's most trusted colleagues. And also—a traitor.

Lu Li thought to himself, could he be that blood source? Or could he be the one who secretly handed the blood source to the cultists?

"If the blood source is activated," Lu Li asked, "what will happen to the seal?"

Old Neil was silent for a few seconds. The humming of the distillers suddenly became exceptionally loud at this moment, like a background noise amplified tenfold by the silence.

Then he extended his right hand and gently pressed his thumb against the palm of his left hand, as if warding off a phantom pain lingering in an old scar.

"The seal will be forcibly unsealed through resonance from the outside. This is not shattering the seal; it is allowing the seal to be ripped open right in front of its Guardian."

He did not continue, but the meaning was very clear. The Guardian—was himself.

Once the Spirit Descent Ritual is initiated, the seal of the Chanis Gate will be subjected to impact from the outside, tearing the seal structure through the method of spirit body resonance intrusion.

And before the first alarm of the seal being damaged could even reach the Nighthawks' command room, Old Neil would be the first to hear the cracking sound of that fissure in the Spirit World.

He would not sit and wait for reinforcements. He would pick up the ready-to-use Sealed Artifact at hand and walk alone into the depths of the Chanis Gate, attempting to maintain the entire gate from collapsing with his own strength.

And that path in the original work led straight to loss of control.

"If you need help," Lu Li's voice was lighter than he had expected, "I am available for night watch."

Old Neil looked at him, the scrutiny in his eyes lasting about three seconds.

Then he gave a short grunt, turned around to pick up the stirring rod next to the distiller, and with a very slight flick of his wrist, stirred the liquid in the retort. The color of the liquid began to turn clear at a constant speed from the murky dark purple, and his voice also lowered along with that steady stirring.

"You kid have long days of night watch ahead of you; there's no rush."

After saying this, he did not look back.

Lu Li knew that in his heart, this was not a refusal, but an assent with a sense of probing measure.

Old Neil did not want to drag a newcomer into a scene that could go out of control at any moment, but he also didn't say no. His problem was never courage or sense of responsibility, but that he was convinced that at those most critical moments, only he himself was qualified to be responsible for all the fissures of the Chanis Gate.

Anyone who followed him in, in his view, was just another life to be buried with him.

Lu Li thought to himself that to truly intervene in this dilemma, he had to prepare a trump card that would allow him to withstand that Sealed Artifact before the very moment Old Neil decided to enter the Chanis Gate alone.