Obviously, the judges of the Grand Inquisition had already noticed the players' presence.
Whatever their reason for not pursuing them, the self-aware group decisively abandoned their next move and returned to their rooms with grim expressions.
Tonight's performance had ended at the cost of a second life, amid the survivors' fear.
Fang Jue and Du Xiguang headed for the same room. The chaotic auras around them visibly detoured around Cheng Shi.
The situation was far too chaotic. It was difficult not to associate everything with the followers of Chaos.
Although Cheng Shi had done nothing, doing nothing only made him more suspicious.
From the beginning of the trial until now, the group seemed to have been led around by the nose.
Wherever they investigated, someone died.
It was very similar to previous trials involving followers of Chaos. The only difference was that this time, the deaths were more coincidental—and more reasonable.
Cheng Shi could tell what they were thinking, so he did not bother trying to curry favor with them.
Like an ascetic monk, he silently went downstairs alone.
But he did not return to his own room. Instead, he went to Yun Ni's.
Yun Ni's room was very plain—almost excessively so.
Not only was there not a single thing belonging to her, even some of the tables, chairs, and stools provided by the inn had disappeared.
Cheng Shi knew that the assassin had probably used those things for Edict of Passage.
An Edict of Passage of annihilation was simply annihilation itself.
Unable to find even a single useful clue, Cheng Shi sighed helplessly.
Perhaps this was a characteristic of the followers of Annihilation. When they offered themselves to Annihilation, every trace of their existence vanished as well.
As if they had never been there.
He lay on Yun Ni's bed and stared sideways at the knife slit she had stabbed into the wooden wall, somewhat dazed.
Only a dozen or so hours had passed since the slit was created, yet today had felt so long that it seemed he had lived through several days.
He suddenly recalled the scene of Yun Ni shaking his hand. The red nails on those jade-like fingers were still vivid in his memory.
Images from his memories kept surging up. Each time he recalled another scene, Cheng Shi's brows drew tighter.
Naturally, he was not reminiscing over those fragmented details.
He was thinking.
Thinking about how this knife slit had come into existence.
If he remembered correctly, the assassin could precisely sense Cheng Shi's position on the other side of a wall.
That meant she possessed a scouting or sensory talent, and its level was not low.
If so, why had she failed to discover anything unusual in the room before entering?
Even if the judges from the Grand Inquisition had various means of concealing themselves, as an assassin—a profession renowned for caution—it was impossible for her not to receive any warning of danger.
She had clearly warned Fang Jue and the others the instant she opened the door.
But!
That warning was even more baffling.
Cheng Shi could not help wondering: if it had been him, after discovering danger in the room, he would either have done everything possible to escape or gathered himself for a head-on fight. He certainly would not have distracted himself to warn his teammates at the first opportunity.
Cheng Shi remembered all too clearly how Yun Ni treated her teammates.
She might care about her so-called fairness, but she certainly would not care whether other people lived or died.
Even joining forces with Fang Jue and the others to resist would have been more reliable than merely warning them.
So why had she done it?
Cheng Shi thought for a long time but could not come up with a reasonable explanation. He could only piece together a reluctant answer:
She had been controlled!
Most likely, it had not been long-term control, but merely an influence on her mind in that instant.
And that split-second decision had cost her her life.
Someone hidden in the darkness could control people's thoughts!
Was it the culprit, or a player?
Most likely the culprit.
Of course, Fang Jue and Du Xiguang could not be ruled out either.
Cheng Shi's expression grew increasingly solemn.
It seemed that this trial contained not only a perfectly hidden culprit, but also someone muddling through!
Danger surged through the night, and murderous intent lurked within the inn.
Fortunately, dawn was not far away.
Before long, the sky brightened.
The passengers woke one after another, and the inn once again filled with liveliness and energy.
But the good times did not last. Just as Fang Jue and Cheng Shi simultaneously opened their doors and appeared in the corridor, a group of uniformed Law Enforcers roughly shut the inn's front door.
"Announcement of the Law Enforcement Bureau's operation order:
At the request of Judge Morkius of the Grand Inquisition, all entrances and exits of Everbloom Town are to be sealed, and the Madly Growing Light of Life inn is to be sealed.
Passengers, please do not panic. The judges have already taken control of the situation, and your safety is guaranteed here.
Please leave your rooms in an orderly fashion and gather on the first floor.
I repeat: please come to the first floor to assemble!"
The Grand Inquisition had made its move!
They were far faster than expected!
The entire inn had been sealed.
Fang Jue and the others exchanged glances with Cheng Shi and went downstairs without a word.
Cheng Shi obediently followed.
The Grand Inquisition's target could not be the players.
Since they had spared them last night, they would not make such a grand show of force to trouble them again today.
Their target was the culprit.
As the players descended, their thoughts churned:
If the culprit really fell into the Grand Inquisition's hands, would the clues end there?
Regardless of whether he was ultimately the sacrifice, no one could interrogate a criminal after the Grand Inquisition had taken custody of him.
Much less a judge who had slain Yun Ni in an instant.
The passengers were astonished by the Law Enforcement Bureau's announcement, and chaos spread through the inn.
Everyone was uneasy, whispering and discussing among themselves.
"What's going on? Why are they sealing the inn? Where's the innkeeper? He should go protest to the autonomous council!"
"You've got rocks in your head. This is an order from the Grand Inquisition! Do you even know what the Grand Inquisition is? How could those lofty judges seal the inn without evidence?"
"Oh my god, the culprit is in the inn? Praise Prosperity, I'm actually still alive!"
"What? The judge leading them is Morkius? My god, I've always wanted to see him, even if only once."
"Who? The Thunder Child?"
"That's him! He's a first-rank judge of the Grand Inquisition, the student of Grand Executioner Altare, the most gifted Elemental Judge in history, and the Child of Order with the greatest hope of inheriting the title of Grand Judge!
"Even if!
"Even if I could only look at him once, tonight would become the wonderful dream I remembered for the rest of my life."
"You're terrifying when you act so horny. Maybe to Morkius, looking at you once would give him nightmares!"
"Are you looking for a fight?"
"Prosperity above, the judges have already identified the culprit. I'm not afraid of you now."
"..."
The scene was a complete mess. The players spread out among the restless crowd, solemnly scrutinizing everything suspicious around them.
On the eve of being judged by the Grand Inquisition, they still wanted to find some clues first.
But there were too many people and the noise was too loud. In such a chaotic situation, it was difficult to find anyone who was "not suspicious." Many passengers' behavior had become distorted and reactive from panic.
Cheng Shi sighed softly and began to change his approach.
At the same time, four judges from the Grand Inquisition quietly appeared in the four corners of the hall. With only the four of them, they surrounded and enclosed the entire inn.
Not long afterward, amid the frightened, uneasy discussions, a purple-eyed judge in a judge's robe appeared at the inn's entrance.
Morkius!
The Grand Inquisition's Elemental Judge, and the most popular first-rank judge in history!
"You know him?"
Du Xiguang stood among the crowd and asked in a low voice.
Fang Jue nodded.
"The Child of Order who died young. I saw his name in the Grand Inquisition's history books.
"After his death, the Grand Inquisition was gradually dragged into the quagmire of war and slowly declined."
"Died young... War?"
Du Xiguang was somewhat bewildered, but he quickly understood.
"Is this the middle of the Civilization Era?"
"No, even earlier.
"It should be the end of the early era. At this time, the civil war has only just begun, and the war has only just begun to turn its attention to this land; it has not yet arrived. As for Chaos, even its divine name has yet to spread."
"!"
A flash of insight crossed Du Xiguang's mind, and he suddenly understood why, despite a follower of Chaos being right outside the door last night, the judges of the Grand Inquisition had not come to arrest him.
So this was the early Civilization Era. By this time, Order and Truth had descended several thousand years ago, and their followers had practically unified the surface world, while War had only just noticed the Isle of Hope.
"How did he die?"
"The Grand Inquisition's records are vague. I never joined them, so my understanding is limited."
"What is the Child of Order?" Du Xiguang asked again.
This time Fang Jue did not answer him. Instead, he asked in return:
"What did you trade your memories for?"
Du Xiguang's face tightened. He pressed his lips together and said nothing.
Fang Jue seemed to have guessed something and did not speak again.
The judge whose eyes flashed with purple lightning walked toward the crowd step by step. He tapped the floor with his staff, signaling everyone to be quiet.
Perhaps because of the pressure of Order, or perhaps out of respect for the Grand Inquisition, the hall quickly fell silent.
He had yet to speak. He merely performed a salute in the manner of a follower of Order, and an idea of "obeying the law and keeping order" instantly infected Cheng Shi, causing an urge to "turn himself in" to arise in his heart.
"..."
This was far more impressive than Fang Jue's confession last night.
Just as everyone lowered their heads, preparing to "accept judgment," Morkius spoke.
Before you continue