The leader of the Celestial Sect was named Follett Ken, a man in his thirties with a thin face, a brown beard, and an eerie blue tattoo on his neck.
When Luan brought him before Klein, he was extremely listless, as if he had suffered severe mental torment.
"Your Excellency, during his capture, he repeatedly used his reason to gain strength, and his mind is on the verge of collapse..." The blond secretary Luan, reported the matter in its entirety, regardless of whether Amyrius could discern the specific details.
That's perfect... Klein was worried that Follett Ken would turn into a " Lunatic," resisting mental pressure and refusing to answer his questions. In that case, he would have to risk being suspected, dismiss his subordinates, and try " Spirit Channeling."
With a cold gaze fixed on Follett Ken, Klein's left hand, concealed by the desk, subtly acquired a golden hue.
The " Creeping Hunger " has switched to the soul of the " Interrogator "!
And the " Interrogator " is Sequence 7 of the " Arbiter " pathway, which is where Amyrius is!
Deep within Klein's eyes, two lightning-like points of light immediately flickered, completely overlapping with the reflected image of Follett Ken.
" Spirit Piercing " is poised to strike!
However, Klein did not use this extraordinary ability directly, because it was only at the Sequence 7 level. If he used it in front of Luan, the blonde secretary would immediately see through his disguise.
Using the spiritual pressure brought by " Spirit Piercing," Klein sat there, like a true Amyrius, and spoke in a low voice:
Do you know Cynthia?
As he spoke, he raised his right hand, letting the miniature rhinoceros horn-like black pendant he held in his palm slide down, swaying in mid-air:
What is its purpose?
The dejected Follett Ken trembled, feeling as if a sharp dagger was pressed against his spirit, ready to pierce it at any moment.
He couldn't help but lower his head and stammered as he answered:
"Know.
" Cynthia Cynthia to have a child with Your Excellency the General, and her parents introduced her to me."
"That's a ' Necklace of Procreation ' made with the essence bestowed by the gods. As long as you ingest its powder and wear it for a long time, it will... it will make you, General, unable to resist..."
Klein listened in silence, half believing and half doubting Follett Ken's explanation.
He believed part of Cynthia's intentions. This beautiful lady, perhaps out of her own volition or perhaps pressured by others, genuinely wanted to have a child with Amyrius, as evidenced by her obsession with certain things after her mutation.
Although the nobles of the Kingdom of Loen do not like or even reject illegitimate children, it depends on the circumstances. A child who inherits many of his father's Beyonder Characteristic and is born successfully will also receive sufficient attention. Ancient families that know many secrets value this even more, including the Levitt Family.
Moreover, Amyrius is a man who appears serious and rigid but is actually very sentimental. Even if it's an illegitimate child, he would definitely love and cherish him... This is perhaps the real reason why Cynthia so desperately wants a child... Klein sighed inwardly.
His skepticism toward Follett Ken's answer focused on the true purpose of the " Necklace of Procreation " and whether the Celestial Sect had intentionally misled Cynthia on the matter.
Klein intensified the pressure from the " Spirit Piercing " bit by bit, silently staring into Follett Ken's eyes until the other could no longer bear it and lowered his head again.
"What use is this necklace now?" Klein shook the broken pendant in his hand again.
His tone was calm, as if he already knew all the secrets and was only asking questions to get final confirmation.
Overwhelmed by indescribable pressure, Follett Ken mental state was already on the verge of collapse, could no longer bear it and collapsed to the ground with a thud, shouting almost frantically:
It can even pollute you!
"As long as Cynthia consumes the powder ground from it and devoutly recites the name of the ' Mother Tree of Desire,' she can corrupt any man who has had relations with her and conceived a child!"
"That will make you a believer in the ' Mother Tree of Desire '! A Blessed of Him!"
So that's how it is... Klein suddenly understood the whole story and had no more doubts about the events of tonight.
The Celestial Sect's goal is to use Cynthia's " Necklace of Procreation " in its ordinary form to corrupt Amyrius, turning this high-ranking military figure from the Kingdom of Loen into a devout follower of the " Mother Tree of Desire," thus ensuring the cult's growth and even providing him with protection.
The key to the success of this method is its secrecy and normality; it has no direct relation to words like force, attack, or terror.
"Therefore, Cynthia, who was rejected by me three times, gradually exceeded the limit of the pollution power of the ' Necklace of Procreation ' powder in her body because she could not get rid of it. Eventually, she became connected with the ' Mother Tree of Desire ' and underwent a seemingly sudden mutation..."
"Therefore, the mutated Monster she became couldn't actually pose a enough threat to the real Amyrius. Even I could easily deal with her using the ' Ninth Law ' talisman, because this is not the result the Celestial Sect wanted at all. They only hoped to subtly corrupt Amyrius, rather than confront and fight against Demigod..." Klein glanced silently at his blonde secretary, Luan.
Luan had roughly figured out the whole thing, and immediately lowered his head and said in a deep voice:
"Your Excellency, this is our Error."
"We only monitored Miss Cynthia and the servants here, not their families, relatives, and friends."
"I am willing to accept any punishment for this, even if you send me to a military court."
How would the real commander respond? Klein once again immersed himself in the role of Amyrius, experiencing the pain, helplessness, sorrow, and anger he had recently endured.
He maintained his upright posture and said with a serious expression:
"We'll talk about this later."
The hidden meaning behind this sentence is "Let's see how you perform next."
Luan paused for a second, seemingly unable to believe that the punishment given by the general was so lenient.
Klein half-closed his eyes and said in a low voice:
"My father, the late Earl Rieveldt, once taught me a piece of advice."
He said, "Forgive your subordinate for the first Error."
" Luan, you, and those guards, should thank him for his mercy."
Luan's eyes flickered, and he silently took a breath. No longer so calm, he said quite sincerely:
Your magnanimity earns my respect.
"You will be the only thing I pledge allegiance to, besides principles, gods, and kings."
"Your Pride is truly outrageous..." Klein said calmly, seemingly unconvinced.
"That sentence also has a second part: 'Severely punish them for making the same Error a second time.'"
Luan nodded, not surprised by this.
Klein turned his gaze back to Follett Ken, who was slumped on the ground, and asked without changing his expression:
"Who ordered you to do this?"
In his mind, Follett Ken's answer must have been something we planned ourselves. After getting in touch with Cynthia, understanding her needs, and knowing who her lover was, the Celestial Sect boldly conceived the idea of corrupting Admiral Amyrius.
Wright looked around nervously, then hesitantly began to speak:
"Yes, it was the ' Mother Tree of Desire.' He instructed us to do this in the dream. At first, I only intended to lend the ' Necklace of Procreation ' to Cynthia for Cynthia to wear; I had no intention of having her ingest the powder."
" The Mother Tree of Desire " is directing things? This is tantamount to a divine oracle in some way... Klein almost frowned.
Although General Amyrius is a high-ranking figure in the Loen military and one of the highest rulers of the Central Sonia Sea, holding a very important position and wielding considerable power, it shouldn't attract the direct attention of an evil god... However, I am not an evil god, and I cannot understand their thought process. Perhaps there are more plans after corrupting Amyrius... Hmm, the possibility that Follett Ken. I'll confirm it later... Klein thought for a moment and asked seriously:
When did you have that dream?
Wright forced a fearful smile and said:
"Yes, it was February 4th, last Friday night. I remember it very clearly. I had just performed a Spirituality liberation for a lady."
February 4th... Klein pondered the date, unable to recall anything particularly special about it.
After a two-second silence, he turned and asked:
What is your relationship with the Rose School of Thought?
What is the relationship between the ' Mother Tree of Desire ' and the ' Chained God '?
He wasn't worried that Amyrius actually knew about this, and that his blond secretary Luan, also had some knowledge of it, because this could be interpreted as a question of confirmation.
Follett Ken revealed a fanatical expression that he was trying hard to suppress:
"We are a branch of the Rose School of Thought, and my mentor is Saint Zatwin of the Rose School of Thought."
"' The Chained God ' is an incarnation of the ' Mother Tree of Desire '."
"' The Mother Tree of Desire ' is the true, the only, and the only deity that transcends the Seven Gods and the ' True Creator '!"
"Your Excellency, you are the chosen one of His Blessed!"
Anyone can boast... Could it be understood that the " Mother Tree of Desire " is a disguise for the " Chained God "? According to the description of the Evil Spirit suspected to be the " Red Angel " Medici in the underground ruins, the " Prisoner " pathway and the " Devil " pathway are interchangeable. Therefore, it's normal for the " Chained God " of the Rose School of Thought to amplify the various desires of living beings. They also have a distinction between "Temperance" and "Indulgence" factions within them... This matches the situation on the ground... Klein thought for a moment, then turned to Luan and said:
"Please go out for a moment."
He planned to ask Follett Ken about the bad things he had done, to see if the man could be food for his " Creeping Hunger."
"Yes, Your Excellency General." Without asking why, Luan strode out of the study and closed the door behind him.
With a soft click that echoed, the entire study suddenly fell silent, as if isolated from the outside world.
The " Baron of Corruption's" extraordinary ability? Distortion the meaning of "closing the door" to seal off the study? How thoughtful... Klein for a few seconds, recalling a previous association, and suddenly asked:
What did you do on Sunday evening, February 6th?
Follett Ken paused for a moment and said:
"We, following the revelation given by the ' Mother Tree of Desire,' and using the ' Necklace of Procreation ' and a piece of hair from a homeless man provided by a believer, performed a ritual to amplify the other person's appetite."
So they really did kill Amyrius's original homeless body double! All to prevent the Admiral from leaving, thus trapping him, causing him to have relations with Cynthia, and be corrupted? Klein instantly connected all the dots.
My appearance offered another possibility, coincidentally disrupting this plan... coincidence... no! As the word "coincidence" flashed through his mind, Klein suddenly remembered something special about February 4th, the day the " Mother Tree of Desire " gave Follett Ken a dream revelation.
That was his first day on Oravi Island!