Interrogation and Deciphering

High Priest Anmusu's eyes flickered.

If Bai Xiaowen had been upfront from the beginning and pressed An Musu for answers, Anmusu certainly wouldn't have revealed his connection to these three. However, Bai Xiaowen, disguised as a believer, had already subtly confirmed that Anmusu knew about these three, making it much harder for him to deny it.

"These three people... were once the high priests of the Edjo Temple, but later they betrayed the Snake God and established their own sect. To this day... I don't know if they are alive or dead."

Li Shuyi's expression changed slightly.

Bai Xiaowen squinted and said, "Be more specific."

Anmusu: "Their beliefs are different from ours. We are rooted in this land, hoping to rekindle the people's reverence for the Snake God through Edjo's miracles and wonders—this is Edjo's doctrine. But these three assert that the Snake God faith in this land is dead, and they want to find a new sanctuary to plant the seeds of faith and restore the glory of the guardian deity..."

After a pause, Anmusu said, "The three of them formed a new sect called the Silent Tongue and left. We haven't had any contact with them since."

You're lying.

Bai Xiaowen's half-closed eyes suddenly turned sharp, and Anmusu, under his piercing gaze, became somewhat flustered and dared not meet his eyes.

"I... I was telling the truth..."

"There might be some truth in the beginning, but the last sentence..." Bai Xiaowen said with a smile, "You can't possibly sever ties with them. The three of them were pioneers; once they found suitable land to spread their faith, they would ultimately need priests and monks like you. To be honest, High Priest Anmusu, otherwise I would have to consider you one of their faction and prosecute them all for treason."

One of the key reasons Bai Xiaowen was able to determine that Anmusu was lying was the disparity in their strength.

Generally speaking, when a sect splits, the influential and powerful figures within it are often opposed, each cultivating a group of lower- and middle-class followers.

It's impossible for all the big shots to stand on one side while the middle and lower-class followers stand on the other—that's not called a split, that's called a revolution.

Bai Xiaowen already knew that the three members of the Silent Tongue Sect Tiya, were all Leader Tier, while these oddballs in front of him were at most Elite Tier, without even a single Boss Tier... So, the result was that Anmusu and the lower-ranking monks occupied the temple, and the three members of the Tiya went to a distant land to establish their own sect? Was that even possible?

Of course, information regarding skill levels is outside the scope of the competition.

Anmusu stubbornly shook his head. "I didn't lie."

"Alright then... tie them all up, and I'll interrogate them one by one," Bai Xiaowen said meaningfully.

Two Elite Tier Egypt officers ordered their soldiers to bind the priests and monks.

If it were priests from those great temples, they wouldn't dare to be so presumptuous, but the Edjo Temple was so dilapidated that it couldn't inspire any piety at all.

Soon, the priests and monks of the Edjo Temple, numbering less than a hundred, were separated and imprisoned.

Bai Xiaowen began his interrogation by starting with the highest-ranking priest.

The interrogation did not involve any violence. Bai Xiaowen simply gave the other party two choices: the first was to persist in concealing the truth and be executed for treason, and the second was to reveal the truth and succeed to the position of High Priest of the Edjo Temple.

This interrogation tactic, though old, is very effective. Bai Xiaowen has always firmly believed that any organization, no matter how cohesive, will produce traitors when faced with the contrast between the temptation of power and the threat of death.

The first few priests who refused to answer were hanged in front of everyone else.

When the heavy thud of the corpse hitting the ground rang out, and the stench of incontinence filled the air, no one could remain calm any longer.

The fallen Edjo Temple had an unexpectedly large number of traitors. As everyone confessed, the so-called Silent Tongue Sect and the secrets of the Tiya trio that Bai Xiaowen was searching for were gradually revealed to Bai Xiaowen.

As Bai Xiaowen predicted, Tiya and the other two were not sectarian splitters, but rather "pioneers".

After repeated failures to revive the faith in the Snake God, the priests of the Edjo Temple were on the verge of despair. The once-benefactor of Lower Egypt was now forgotten, with few followers and fewer monks converting to Edjo, leaving the sect increasingly impoverished.

Meanwhile, the three high priests— Moaitaihe, Ahmose, and Tiya —formed the Silent Tongue organization. With the help of an ancient and mysterious artifact, they attempted to open the door to a new world and find a fertile ground suitable for the cultivation of faith.

This ancient artifact is called the Golden Snake Disc.

This is the legendary Old Kingdom era more than two thousand years ago, before Lower Egypt were unified. The crown worn by the king of Lower Egypt was a gift from Edjo, the guardian god of Lower Egypt, and possessed mysterious and powerful abilities...

As for how to use this power, or how to open the door to a new world, these traitorous priests and monks couldn't give a clear answer.

Bai Xiaowen then took out the papyrus scroll he had obtained from the Snakefolk Tiya and had the traitorous priests decipher the lines and symbols on it. Of course, this process was still carried out separately to avoid any collusion.

Therefore, Bai Xiaowen didn't mind wasting more time.

In the temple's main hall, Bai Xiaowen interrogated High Priest Anmusu once again.

"Anmusu, I'm giving you one last chance... What is the Golden Snake Disc? Where are Moaitaihe and the others hiding?"

Anmusu's aged face was expressionless; at this moment, he had come to understand many things.

"My lord, the real reason you found the Edjo Temple shouldn't be to investigate traitors, but rather for the Golden Snake Disc, right?"

Bai Xiaowen shook his head and smiled, "No, investigating traitors is an important objective. Your sect's three priests, Moaitaihe and the others, are suspected of colluding with the Hittites, so I must find them and find out what they are up to. As for you, High Priest Anmusu, as long as you answer my questions and distance yourself from them, you will be fine."

"At this point, there's no need for you, my envoy, to deceive me any longer," Anmusu. "The three high priests would never collude with the Hittites. They are essentially isolated from this world. The Silent Tongue organization carries the last hope of the Snake God Faith. When the enemy threatens death, I will remain silent. This is the principle of the Silent Tongue."

At this moment, two Egypt soldiers brought over a stack of papyrus scrolls—these were the scrolls from which the priests and monks interpreted the map of Tiya.

Bai Xiaowen flipped through the pages, extracting the commonalities. A three-dimensional structural diagram gradually took shape in Bai Xiaowen's mind.

Suddenly, Bai Xiaowen laughed, "Anmusu, your subordinates don't seem to be as resolute as you... Now, I don't need to ask you anymore."