Bullets

Yebus, who was about to explain what "Dark Box" meant, paused for a moment and said, "We are working hard to control the Carbonari, and we have made great progress so far."

As he spoke, the member of the "School of Truth" laughed:

"They are trying to overthrow the government and establish their own order, which is something we are happy to see and want."

"But isn't your goal to gradually gain control of the government through people from high society like Moran Avignon?" Jenna felt that Yebus's current statement contradicted his previous account.

Yebus chuckled in a didactic tone, "A shrewd businessman doesn't put all his eggs in one basket, and neither does a great Ambitious Man."

Upon hearing this, Lumian suddenly changed the subject:

"Based on your description, the ' Ambitious Man ' primarily enhances the body, senses, and spirituality, seemingly without involving the mind?"

Before Yebus could answer, Franca chimed in with a knowing smile, "No one says that Ambitious Man need brains."

"This is different from Conspirer. Ambitious Man emphasizes ambition, not the ability to achieve it. An outstanding mind is not an essential quality for Ambitious Man."

"Throughout history, we have often seen foolish and Ambitious Man."

Their back-and-forth questioning left Yebus unsure how to respond.

Fortunately, Lumian didn't continue this topic, instead shifting the focus back to the Carbonari:

"Albert Goncourt is already one of yours?"

"I should," Yebus replied somewhat uncertainly, "The Carbonari's affairs are not my responsibility."

"The ' Dreamseekers ' Charitable Organization was able to establish connections with the Carbonari because of you ' Broker '?" Lumian thought of General Philip's affair.

Yebus smiled again:

"Philip was a very ambitious man and a book-like figure. He wanted to unite various Concealment organizations from a very early age. As a ' Broker,' as a ' Shadow Merchant,' as an ' Ambitious Man,' we naturally had to help him. Unfortunately, his plan succeeded, but he was used by others and disappeared in that ancient city sealed Underground. Hmm, I don't know if you know, but that was actually Trier of the Fourth Epoch."

"You guys..." Franca seemed to be thinking of something, but didn't say it aloud, only letting out a sigh.

Lumian then inquired about the "Dark Box" matter:

"What new abilities have you gained by Sequence 5?"

Yebus's gaze continued to shift back and forth between the two Witch:

It only has one capability: ' Dark Box ', but it has two ways of being implemented:

"One approach is to create an invisible, peaceful, Dark Box deal during combat or in an emergency. By giving the enemy valuable items, you force them to fulfill your demands, but you cannot harm them or affect their other states. You must also appear normal yourself, otherwise it will be easy for the enemy who has 'agreed' to the Dark Box Transaction to realize the problem and come to their senses."

"Well, these kinds of Dark Box Transaction aren't guaranteed to succeed. The more the target has a tendency and experience in the gray area, the higher the success rate. This can be judged by the ' Broker ' Sequence's ability to ' Perceive Gray.' If you're dealing with a ' Sunless from the Sun Pathway, even without Divinity suppression, success is almost impossible."

"The Sunless" is the name of Sun Pathway Sequence 4.

"You asked me to let you go before, was it through this kind of ' Dark Box Transaction '?" Lumian suddenly realized.

"Yes," Yebus stated frankly, "You have a great deal of experience involved in the gray areas, and a strong inclination towards it."

"You have a good eye for people!" Franca praised Yebus on Lumian's behalf.

"Although ' Perceive Gray ' is an ability gained at Sequence 9 ' Broker,' it's really useful," Yebus said, feigning objectivity while actually boasting.

Jenna pressed further, "What about the other kind of ' Dark Box Transaction '?"

Yebus smiled and replied, "That would take some time and cannot be used in combat or emergency situations."

"Simply put, it means using a barely enclosed space as the object of operation to create a real Dark Box. In this Dark Box, you are one party to the transaction, and the mysterious creature or dangerous entity hidden in the shadows and darkness is the other party. However, we will not know who the other party is beforehand, nor will we be able to detect who the other party is during the transaction. It may be an entity we have dealt with before, or it may come from the unknown."

"In short, in this Dark Box state where you don't know who the trading partner is or how the demand will be met through the transaction, you can make a request and give the other party the item they want, and you might get the desired result. How this is achieved is not important."

"Can a transaction only involve two parties?" Jenna asked with a keen curiosity.

"No, it can be a three-party transaction, a four-party transaction, or even more, as long as it conforms to the rules of Behind-the-Scenes Manipulation." Yebus didn't hold back his knowledge of the Mysticism. "Such Behind-the-Scenes Manipulation are not guaranteed to succeed either. It depends on the difficulty of the target and is limited by the items provided in the transaction. Also, don't assume that those mysterious creatures or dangerous beings will keep their promises. Many of them are Swindler who have ways to escape the constraints of Dark Box."

"After accomplishing something quite difficult through such Behind-the-Scenes Manipulation, are there any additional risks?" Jenna thought of her own "Power Broker’s Black Box."

Yebus nodded solemnly:

"Yes, it depends on who the mysterious creature or dangerous entity is that is providing you with Dark Box assistance, and whether they have malicious intent. Once, I had a whole week of bad luck and almost got caught by the ' Purifier ' for something unusual."

Jenna nodded thoughtfully, muttering to herself:

From this perspective, the "Power Broker’s Black Box" is a Corruption and Mutation version of the normal "Dark Box." Instead of the counterparty making demands, we directly provide valuable goods. However, it can only simplify complex matters and make difficult matters easier; it cannot directly accomplish anything and has significant limitations...

The cost of using it is fixed at the following time: encountering a deal with Devil or other Evil creatures...

"What do you know about the ' Supervisor '?" Lumian asked a new question, seeing that the "Dark Box" conversation was almost over.

Yebus looked troubled and did not answer.

Seeing this, Lumian changed the subject:

What items do you have on you?

Yebus glanced at Franca, then took out a few odds and ends from Hidden Pocket in his clothes:

"These are Healing Potion traded from followers of the ' Great Mother,' and these are ' Sleep Gas,' ' Awakening Gas,' and ' Confession Potion ' traded from followers of the ' Mother Tree of Desire '..."

Healing Potion, sleeping pills, Mysticism Smelling Salts, and "Truth Serum"—these are all good stuff... Lumian looked at the four Metal Vial with different labels and nodded slightly.

His gaze then shifted to Yebus's other palm, where six bullets lay:

All six bullets were made of brass, but their surface patterns and colors were different. One looked ordinary, one had a bright tip, one looked as if it had been corroded by strong acid, one shimmered with a faint green light, one seemed to have a bit of Starlight, and one had a dull luster, as if it had been matte-finished many times.

Yebus enthusiastically introduced, "These are Pregnancy Bullet, Toxic Bullet, Rotting Bullet Weakening Bullet Implosion Bullet bullets, and Deprivation Bullet. I traded them all with believers of different Deity."

Franca pointed curiously at the ordinary-looking bullet from a distance and asked, "Is that the Pregnancy Bullet '?"

"Yes, people and animals hit by it will inevitably Pregnancy, and the symptoms will appear very quickly," Yebus said, somewhat fearfully.

"No distinction between men and women?" Franca pressed.

"No distinction." Yebus was very certain.

"Eh..." Franca made a sound that was a mixture of disgust, fear, and eagerness.

Jenna asked with concern, "It looks just like Ordinary Bullet. What if we get the wrong one?"

Yebus shook his head and said, "There's no mistake, it's very light, like it's made of wood or clay."

Whew... Lumian and Anthony both breathed a sigh of relief.

Lumian then pointed to the matte bullet and asked, "Is this Deprivation Bullet? What's its purpose?"

The effects of the other bullets sound quite clear, but it's unclear what the Deprivation Bullet Deprivation of.

"Anyone hit or grazed by it will lose an Beyond Ability within fifteen minutes, the specific type of which cannot be predicted beforehand," Yebus replied truthfully.

This can be combined with the "Fate Hunter's" abilities, allowing for targeted Deprivation... Lumian looked Yebus up and down a few times and said, "No other items? As a ' Shadow Merchant,' you don't even have a single Mystical Item?"

Yebus explained somewhat embarrassedly, "I only recently received the ' Dark Box ' Gift. Before that, in order to complete the corresponding Ritual and please the Truth, I traded away all the items I obtained, leaving only these."

"A businessman's principle is: anything can be bought and sold!"

"Poor wretch... "Franca scoffed, clearly disappointed.

She then said to Yebus, "Give us all these items. It's because of them that you've been repeatedly drawn into danger and embroiled in Deity battles. Hand them over, and you'll be relieved, safe, and able to start a new life."

This was similar to the hypnotic words Anthony had just spoken, and Yebus chose to believe them, handing everything he was holding to Franca.

After Franca put away the items, Lumian looked around and asked, "Where is the headquarters of your ' School of Truth '?"

Who is That One direct Supervisor?

Upon hearing these two questions, Jenna, Franca, and Anthony all quietly moved to Lumian's side.

Yebus hesitated for several seconds, about to answer, when his expression suddenly Distortion.

Seeing this, Lumian immediately said to Franca, "Throw the Statue over Past!"

Franca chose to do as instructed, taking the Bone Statue of the "Primordial Witch" from the "Traveler’s Bag" and throwing it at Yebus.

At the same time, she, Anthony, and Jenna all grabbed Lumian's shoulders, arms, and other areas.

The next second, the four figures disappeared from the spot.

Boom!

Yebus exploded from the inside out, its shattered flesh combining with pale mist to form a strange blood mist.

The blood mist slowly settled, bypassing the Bone Statue of the "Primordial Witch" and seeping into the soil.

A few seconds later, Lumian and the others were "Teleportation" back.