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Chapter 272: Piercing Through the Fog
🕑 Added 2024-10-01 05:35:43 +0000 UTCRhett furrowed his brow as the situation became increasingly perplexing. Such highly confidential information should be known to only a select few individuals. Besides the Commander-in-Chief, the Deputy Commander, and the person he had initially informed, no one else should have had access to this intelligence.
He could rule out the Commander-in-Chief and the Deputy Commander as suspects. These positions were selected through an unimaginably rigorous process, and the Commander-in-Chief was a Saint-level powerhouse—defection was simply out of the question.
Even the Deputy Commander, if they were a traitor, would have had many opportunities to sabotage their own side long before now.
"Could it be one of the other Saints?" Rhett's eyes widened in shock as this thought crossed his mind. The idea sent a shiver down his spine. If that were true, the possibility of a traitor among the Saints from other kingdoms was terrifying.
He didn’t want to believe it—such a scenario seemed almost impossible. But right now, there were no other leads.
The only ones left to investigate were the other Saints.
“Shall I... give it a try?” Rhett’s heart was filled with unease as he reopened the system.
“Do you want to start a text simulation? Each year of simulation will consume 5 Destiny Points.”
“Yes, simulate for one year.”
[Year 481 of the Kingdom’s Calendar, October 10: After returning to camp, you hurriedly contacted Third Prince Hoggus, claiming that you had received another letter from the mysterious informant. The orcs were planning to concentrate their Saint-level forces by withdrawing from other battlefronts to launch a surprise attack on the Coldstream Line. You also mentioned that there might be a spy among the human Saints. Prince Hoggus was shocked and believed you, promising to report this immediately.]
[December 9: You received intelligence that the orcs had reinforced the Coldstream Line with nearly a thousand Shadow Tigers, adding to your sense of foreboding.]
[Year 482 of the Kingdom’s Calendar, January 7: You led your forces in a fierce battle against a unit of Shadow Tigers. Both sides suffered heavy losses, and you were forced to retreat strategically. While resting at a forward base, you received a scout’s report that the orcs had gathered five Saint-level warriors, and ten human Saints—including three kings and several key figures—prepared a counter-ambush. Four of the orc Saints were killed on the spot, leaving only one to flee in disgrace.]
[January 8: King Milan personally approached you, declaring that your contributions had made you the greatest hero in the history of the Kingdom of Gillon and that you would be granted a duchy after the war. You humbly accepted and then inquired about the names of all the Saints from the three kingdoms, expressing concern that one of them might be a traitor. King Milan was startled but quickly provided you with a list of over a dozen names, including Mansour, Betula, Mike, Bradley... Sherman, Yuliu.]
[January 19: While on a patrol mission, you suddenly felt the world around you collapse. The next moment, you lost consciousness and died instantly.]
“The text simulation is over. Would you like to continue simulating?”
“No!”
“Was I assassinated?” Rhett’s eyes widened as he pondered the outcome of this simulation. It seemed he had been ambushed, and the attack was so swift and overwhelming that he had no chance to react. He began to think deeply:
“This result could only mean that a Saint-level powerhouse was involved. No one below that level could have killed me so easily without giving me a chance to fight back.”
The outcome was both shocking and revealing. His warning had apparently been effective, as the Saints had taken extra precautions when coordinating with one another, which had prevented the orcs from learning about the plans and staging a deadly ambush.
As for the assassination, Rhett was unfazed. In fact, he scoffed, “It seems that someone found out I was the source of the intelligence and came after me for revenge.”
Saints had numerous means at their disposal, and it wouldn’t be difficult for one to trace the origin of the information and exact retribution. But Rhett wasn’t worried. Now that he had confirmed there was indeed a traitor among the Saints, he could systematically test each one until he identified the culprit.
With over a hundred Destiny Points remaining, Rhett felt confident that he could root out the traitor.
He reopened the system for another simulation.
“Do you want to start a text simulation? Each year of simulation will consume 5 Destiny Points.”
“Yes, simulate for one year.”
[Year 481 of the Kingdom’s Calendar, October 10: After returning to camp, you hurriedly contacted Third Prince Hoggus, claiming that you had received another letter from the mysterious informant. The orcs were planning to concentrate their Saint-level forces by withdrawing from other battlefronts to launch a surprise attack on the Coldstream Line. You specifically mentioned that Saint Mansour was a spy planted by the orcs and requested that all operations be concealed from him to prevent the orcs from altering their plans. Prince Hoggus was shocked and believed you, promising to report this immediately.]
[December 9: You received intelligence that the orcs had reinforced the Coldstream Line with nearly a thousand Shadow Tigers, adding to your sense of foreboding.]
[Year 482 of the Kingdom’s Calendar, January 7: You led your forces in a fierce battle against a unit of Shadow Tigers. Both sides suffered heavy losses, and you were forced to retreat strategically. While resting at a forward base, you received a scout’s report that the orcs had gathered five Saint-level warriors, preparing to ambush your Saints. Nine human Saints prepared a counter-ambush, but when they revealed themselves, they were shocked to find sixteen orc Saints. Three human Saints were killed, and the remaining six were gravely wounded and barely escaped. A retreat was ordered immediately.]
[January 9: Ten Saint-level warriors led an orc army to assault your camp. Your six remaining Saints, still wounded, fought desperately.]
[January 11: The battlefield was awash with the colors of elemental magic and combat energy, and blood flowed like rivers. After two days of intense combat, two orc Saints were killed, but all of your Saints perished. Your forces were massacred.]
“The text simulation is over. Would you like to continue simulating?”
“No!”
This simulation returned the same grim result: the orcs had somehow obtained the intelligence and adjusted their plans accordingly, rendering Rhett’s information useless.
Rhett had only tested one potential traitor, and if that person wasn’t the spy, then others still had access to the intelligence, allowing the orcs to alter their strategy.
Despite the setback, Rhett hesitated momentarily. His original plan was straightforward: use the process of elimination to exclude each Saint from the support list and see which simulation showed no orc interference. The one left out would likely be the traitor.
Logically, this method should work. But as he reflected on the simulation, something didn’t add up. According to the simulation, every Saint had ultimately died in the conflict. So how could the spy have infiltrated and then perished along with the rest?
Had this spy willingly sacrificed themselves for the orcs?
This revelation left Rhett bewildered. He pondered it for a few more minutes but ultimately sighed in resignation.
With no other leads, he decided to continue his simulations. Clues would only come from investigation, not from waiting idly.
The outcome would only be clear after he had tested every Saint.
And so, Rhett initiated simulation after simulation.
The Eleventh Simulation.
[Year 481 of the Kingdom’s Calendar, October 10: After returning to camp, you hurriedly contacted Third Prince Hoggus, claiming that you had received another letter from the mysterious informant. The orcs were planning to concentrate their Saint-level forces by withdrawing from other battlefronts to launch a surprise attack on the Coldstream Line. You specifically mentioned that Saint Sherman was a spy planted by the orcs and requested that all operations be concealed from him to prevent the orcs from altering their plans. Prince Hoggus was shocked and believed you, promising to report this immediately.]
[December 9: You received intelligence that the orcs had reinforced the Coldstream Line with nearly a thousand Shadow Tigers, adding to your sense of foreboding.]
[Year 482 of the Kingdom’s Calendar, January 7: You led your forces in a fierce battle against a unit of Shadow Tigers. Both sides suffered heavy losses, and you were forced to retreat strategically. While resting at a forward base, you received a scout’s report that the orcs had gathered five Saint-level warriors, and ten human Saints—including three kings and several key figures—prepared a counter-ambush. Four of the orc Saints were killed on the spot, leaving only one to flee in disgrace.]
[January 8: King Milan personally approached you, declaring that your contributions had made you the greatest hero in the history of the Kingdom of Gillon and that you would be granted a duchy after the war.]
[January 19: While on a patrol mission, you suddenly felt the world around you collapse. The next moment, you heard the violent roar of elemental energy, the sound of explosions ringing in your ears. King Milan and five other Saints appeared, shielding you. Through the wind, you glimpsed a distorted figure in the sky, their true form obscured. The ambush failed, and the Saint who had tried to kill you fled in disgrace.]
“The text simulation is over. Would you like to continue simulating?”
“No!”
As the light faded from the simulation, Rhett’s face lit up with realization.
He had finally found the result he had been searching for. The lack of leaked intelligence and the subsequent attempt at revenge both confirmed that this time, the person he had targeted was indeed the traitor.
“The culprit is him…” Rhett muttered to himself, his eyes wide with disbelief. Sherman, a Saint of the Light element from the Graylor Kingdom, was the betrayer.
After countless simulations, Rhett had finally uncovered the traitor. The fact that this individual was a Light-element Saint explained how they could hide so effectively and create the illusion of dying alongside the other Saints in the simulations.
The key was the Light element's “Illusion” principle.
Rhett remembered reading about it in the notes left by the Water Saint Mage Mozasi. The Light element had five principles: Light, Penetration, Illusion, Purification, and Vitality.
Illusion was particularly unique, offering a wide range of abilities. Unlike other principles, it didn’t directly cause damage but allowed for incredible versatility in battle. It could alter attacks, defenses, and other actions, confusing opponents while leaving the underlying reality unchanged.
Even outside of combat, the Illusion principle could twist light to alter the environment or disguise someone as anyone they wanted, making it nearly impossible for others to tell the difference. Unlike other principles, Illusion sacrificed much of its combat power in exchange for unparalleled functionality.
“No wonder… If someone had mastered the Illusion principle, everything makes sense…” Rhett murmured to himself.
With the crisis on the Coldstream Line resolved, Rhett felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He reviewed the events of the first simulation, realizing that he had also uncovered another crucial piece of information. In the process of recruiting the White Hat painter, Rhett learned that the Graylor Kingdom might have been infiltrated by the Blood God Cult, heightening his vigilance.
Rhett hadn’t forgotten the first time he and Black Star had teamed up to eliminate the evil alchemists in Clear Spring Town. The leader of that group had been a former member of the Blood God Cult, having fled a great distance to escape.
The Graylor Kingdom was located northeast of the Kingdom of Gillon, making it a plausible location for the Blood God Cult’s headquarters. While Rhett couldn’t be certain of the precise location, the general area seemed to align with what he knew. He couldn’t rule out the possibility that the cult’s base was in the Graylor Kingdom, though it wasn’t so far as to be entirely out of reach.
Based on the information he had gathered, Rhett suspected that the Blood God Cult’s main base was even farther north. The Graylor Kingdom might just be a highly infiltrated region rather than the cult’s headquarters.
Rhett narrowed his eyes, realizing that the Blood God Cult might target the Coldstream Line in the future, causing further chaos.
He considered simulating two years at once but decided against it. The trajectory of events was about to shift, and it wouldn’t hurt to wait a few months before simulating again.
Three days later, at the Green Estate.
Riley had already invited White Hat to the estate, and even Aura had come along with her mentor. Aura was dressed in a light gold dress, her hair flowing over her shoulders. Her long, slender legs were bare, exuding youthful energy.
Three golden carriages rolled down the gray stone road, kicking up a thin layer of dust.
Aura sat in the last carriage, her body gently swaying with the vehicle's movement. She gazed out the rolled-up window at the rapidly changing scenery, her bright eyes tinged with a hint of melancholy—she was thinking of Lawrence.
The horses neighed as the carriages came to a stop, waiting in position.
Aura turned to look out the other window, seeing vibrant flower beds surrounding pristine white walls and towering buildings—the Green Estate had come into view.
Riley was the first to step out of the lead carriage, surrounded by knights, giving him a rather grand appearance. After adjusting his collar and sleeves, he first escorted White Hat from the second carriage, then walked over to the third, his voice carrying through the window:
“Aura, we’ve arrived at the Green Estate. You may step out now.”
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