In the end, they could not pry open Louis Shadow's mouth. The King of Shadowless, tortured until he was covered in wounds, never revealed a single piece of information about the Kushan Empire or Shadow Incarnation.
He was the most strong-willed person Liszt had ever seen. So, after allowing the prison staff to torture King Shadowless Louis Shadow half to death, he could only try inviting Laird Truth to act and see whether magic involving souls could search through the other's memories.
Unfortunately, no such magic existed. Not even a magus who had lived for many years could accomplish such a thing.
In the end, Louis Shadow's soul collapsed, his flesh dissolved, and he returned to the basic elemental matter of heaven and earth. At the same time, the smoke mission was finally completed.
Task complete. Reward: Bearskin Wearers Cultivation Manual.
To be honest, this mission left Liszt deeply puzzled. Judging by the reward, he should have obtained the Bearskin Wearers Cultivation Manual a month ago, when Pilov and his son confessed. Even if the mission had not been completed, it should have changed. Yet it had been forcibly delayed until now.
Only after dealing with Pilov and his son, the magus Laird Truth, and King Shadowless Louis Shadow—
Did the mission reward finally get issued.
"Why is this happening? Could there have been some change in the smoke mission, or did the power of fate deviate somehow from excessive consumption?"
This question did not perplex him for long, because the new mission's contents vaguely explained the change that had occurred in the smoke mission.
``` Mission: Two hundred and two choices of fate. Through repeated guidance and prediction, you have grown from a minor lord in the countryside into the ruler of a nation. With the Flame