Investigating the Judgment
"Hikari, judging by your expression, that must be true?" Orf said mildly. "Can you tell us why you changed course? Where were you really headed, and why did you run into Augusta and the others?"
Hikari looked conflicted. After weighing it carefully, he told them the truth. "I was originally going to pass through the Divine Plane created by Lord Lincoln. My destination was the Baru Plane, where a Thunder Sovereign Spark was rumored to exist. I never changed course. But Lord Lincoln also has a Light Divine Clone, and this place is remote, with few Chief Gods passing through. I had my reservations and didn't dare get too close to Lord Lincoln, so I took a detour."
As he spoke, Hikari clenched his fists. "Who would have thought I'd survive Lord Lincoln, only to die at the hands of another Light Sovereign!"
Lincoln raised his voice slightly. "Do you think I'm such a ruthless and cold-blooded person?"
Hikari hastily explained, "Of course not. I'm simply wary by nature, and I'm cautious around every Chief God with a Light God Clone!"
Lincoln smiled without comment. Just then, Uterede spoke. "These are all pointless arguments. Augusta, Koriate, tell me this: Hikari said he learned about the Sovereign Spark from a Deity-level being. How did you learn about it? And how did Ninisha learn about it? Three factions learned of such a treasure at the same time, likely through different means. Hah..."
Lincoln, Orf, and the others all turned to look. Uterede's suspicions were plain enough without him spelling them out.
Augusta seemed surprised by how seriously Uterede was taking this. He gave Koriate a look, signaling him to explain.
Koriate stepped forward and carefully rehearsed the explanation he had prepared. "My lords, I discovered this information. To be