The Dwarf's Interrogation

The next day, at the Land of Ancestral Spirits of the Dragon Race.

Dressed in a sharp black suit, Su Ming leaped off Mo Yuan's broad dragon back and landed lightly with the aid of the Gossamer Wings of Darkness.

Upon his arrival, the dragon elders all lowered their massive heads in greeting, and Su Ming nodded in response.

"Good morning," Stacy greeted. "You're dressed so black, I thought there was no one on the Black Dragon's back!"

"Isn't this to be more in line with your style?" Su Ming replied.

He walked to Zijin's side and stood beside her. "Why didn't you reply to my messages yesterday?" he asked in a low voice.

Su Ming originally intended to use Mind Synchronization communication, but upon glancing at the other side, he saw Elder Zhimeng Weaver watching them with an almost effeminate smile, and a chill ran down his spine, so he gave up.

"I accidentally dropped and broke my phone," Zijin replied calmly, while reaching into her pocket to pull out a phone with a screen covered in spiderweb-like cracks and handing it over.

Su Ming took it and examined it carefully, discovering what appeared to be fingerprints on both sides of the screen frame—he strongly suspected it had been crushed by a forceful palm strike. "Don't you have a spare phone?" Su Ming asked, puzzled.

"This is the spare." Zijin said calmly, and naturally pulled out another phone. This one was in even worse shape; the body was almost twisted into a pretzel.

"So," Su Ming said, even more confused, his brows furrowing slightly, "How exactly did they get so bad?"

Zijin turned her head away, ignoring Su Ming.

She would never admit that the phone was "accidentally" rubbed like this when she sent that photo, due to a sudden surge of intense shame.

The backup phone was "accidentally" overwhelmed with excitement when she received the message from Su Ming praising her for looking beautiful in her mourning dress, and it broke down. Zijin simply couldn't imagine herself like this; she wished she could find a place to bury herself!

More dragons were arriving one after another, and the sky was almost completely obscured by their dense numbers.

The ground of the Land of Ancestral Spirits could not contain so many colossal creatures, so most of the dragons soared and circled in the air, their wings casting flowing shadows in the sunlight, a magnificent sight.

Elder Gelie Lie did not delay any longer. A deep resonance emanated from the depths of his throat, and an amplification array instantly activated. He raised his scale-covered neck and let out a long, resounding dragon roar that shook the valley, before beginning his solemn eulogy.

Su Ming maintained a polite yet slightly solemn smile as he sent a message to Zijin: [What is Elder Gelie saying?]

He couldn't understand the dragon language at all, so he could only turn to Zijin for help.

The girl curled her lip. [Your chat partner's current status: offline.]

...]

The Grand Elder of Zhimeng also delivered a speech. The two giant dragons, one after the other, continued with deep and rhythmic dragon roars for about half an hour, and the entire ceremony ended in Su Ming's complete bewilderment.

Fortunately, Su Ming's principle was to do whatever Zijin did, and he managed to get through the ceremony without any major incidents.

As soon as the funeral ceremony ended, Su Ming immediately grabbed Zijin's wrist.

"Zijin, I feel like you've been acting strange these past few days?" Su Ming looked directly into her eyes, his tone concerned. "Are you...?" He paused, "... having serious side effects from soul overload?"

"Pfft, hahaha!"

A burst of laughter, so exaggerated it was almost unbearable, exploded behind her. Stacy clutched her stomach, collapsed to the ground, her shoulders trembling violently, unable to get up for a long time.

"Hey, what's making you laugh like that?" Su Ming looked at Stacy and found her behavior baffling.

Stacy laughed so hard she nearly fell over, barely managing to catch her breath. She helped herself to her Zijin, gasping for air as she tried to suppress her laughter.

"Alright, we can talk about this later," Stacy finally said seriously to the two of them. She patted her chest to calm herself down. "Now let's both calm down. What we're about to do requires absolute focus."

With the work done over the past few days, all preparations for the upgrade plan of the White Bone Mark have been completed. The group agreed to complete the adjustment and upgrade today after the funeral, with the help of the powerful protective array of the Land of Ancestral Spirits.

Su Ming turned his gaze to Zijin, asking, "I'm ready, how about you?"

"... That's fine too," Zijin replied softly.

The Grand Elder of Zhimeng Weaver descended from the sky, flapping his wings, and the resulting wind pressure caused everyone's clothes to flutter wildly.

Zijin and Stacy immediately reached out and pressed their hair down.

"I'll preside over the Ancestral Spirit Magic Array!" She lowered her enormous head, squeezing into the middle of the group. "Shall we begin?"

"Certainly!"

Security Investigation Department, Saluo City, the capital of the Dwarf Kingdom.

Wanshi, dressed in a light maroon priest's robe, strode into the granite hall on the first floor.

"Holy Shepherd!" A staff member saw him and immediately rushed forward.

"That guy, finally willing to talk?" Wanshi asked in Wanshi low voice. There were too many people here, so using the word "that guy" was deliberately vague. The staff member nodded vigorously and leaned closer. "He said he would only reveal the details of the case if you were present in person and promised to ensure his safety. As a highly reputable and respected Saint Rank priest, Wanshi was indeed the best person for "that guy" to seek a guarantor."

"It's alright, he's worth the trip," Wanshi said Wanshi, nodding.

The two then passed through the heavy archway and descended the spiraling stone steps into the underground. Several large doors, forged from fine steel and engraved with intricate defensive runes, opened and closed one after another with the heavy creaking of hinges, operated by the guards.

After the search, they finally arrived at an interrogation room located at the deepest part of the underground.

This is a plain-colored cell with almost no decoration. The walls are smooth, cold, and hard. Apart from a few metal chairs and a long table that are firmly nailed to the floor with large rivets, it is completely empty.

The room was filled with a suffocating, oppressive atmosphere.

The investigation minister was already seated in a chair, and Wanshi sat down next to him. A short while later, the scraping of chains across the granite floor could be heard outside the door. A hunched figure in a thin gray prison uniform was being carried in by two expressionless guards.

Generally speaking, unless someone is extremely old or terminally ill, the word "hunchback" would never be used to describe a race like dwarves, who are known for their sturdiness and strength.

However, the dwarf criminal before them, though in the prime of his life, had sunken shoulders and every step seemed exceptionally difficult. Clearly, he had "enjoyed" rather "thoughtful" hospitality from the Security Investigation Department during this time.

Looking at the other person's haggard and withered face, a faint Healing Touch light instinctively emanated from the tip of Wanshi's fingertips. However, he only slightly raised his hand before pressing it back onto his knee.

This dwarf absolutely deserved it!

More than ten days ago, Su Ming, the leader of the Final Bone Mad Machines, was attacked in a dangerous assassination attempt. Although the assassins were the "Dark Side of God" assassins from the Temple of Light, it was the dwarven Traitor Barak and Shenyan who helped them get close to their target.

Although Barak Shenyan was killed on the spot, the Security Investigation Department quickly identified three spies from the Temple of Light through an investigation that followed the incident.

The one with the most illustrious status and the most crucial position is the dwarf court minister standing before the Wanshi.

"Long time no see, Wood; Ailu," said Wanshi, his voice echoing in the cramped interrogation room.

The dwarf known as Ailu raised his head, and a glimmer of light finally appeared in his weary eyes.

"You've finally... arrived!" he said, his voice hoarse.

During this time, he endured relentless and inhumane torture. The reason he was able to grit his teeth and persevere was not out of any so-called loyalty to the Temple of Light, but purely to fight for his own chance of survival in this desperate situation.

Only if Ailu shows enough "tenacity" and endures until the interrogator is willing to concede will he have a chance to grasp at a straw.

Ultimately, the Minister of Investigation agreed to the deal: he was allowed to exchange the value of his intelligence for a clemency decree personally signed by the King, which would change Ailu's original death sentence to spending the rest of his life in a dark and hopeless prison.

Although the objective was achieved, out of caution, Ailu insisted that Hughes and Wanshi act as guarantors for the deal. This is why we are in the current situation.

The guard led Ailu to a thick metal chair specially made for prisoners and pressed him down. The heavy shackles clicked shut into the sturdy latches on the chair legs, and then the guard left the room.

Clang!

With a dull metallic clang, the metal door closed behind them, isolating them from the room.

Without further ado, the Wanshi drew his sacred book, held it in his palm, and solemnly declared, "In the name of Hughes; the Wanshi, I swear before Moradin, the patron god of the dwarves, to bear witness to this covenant!"

"Alright, we've met all your requests." The investigation minister clasped his hands together and placed them on the table.

"I'll confess everything right now!" Ailu readily.

The investigation minister slightly raised his hand to signal the start. The stenographers listening in the next room immediately began taking notes.

Ailu began by briefly recounting his journey to becoming a spy.

The Palace Department manages the internal operations of the royal family, handling various ceremonies, receptions of foreign guests, and cultural activities related to the royal family. In his youth, Ailu was one of the best in the department, and was therefore selected to go to the Western Continent for cultural exchange and study. It was during that period that he was targeted and "corrupted" by the Temple of Light, and developed into one of their "friendly" members.

Initially, he only provided these people with some trivial information, but under the lure of their generous rewards, he gradually slid into the Abyss. "As a department head, you would do this just for some money..." Wanshi couldn't help but sigh softly, his tone filled with deep disappointment. "I wasn't always in such a high position," Ailu argued, "Back then, I could only afford to go to the tavern three times a week..." The investigation minister interrupted impatiently, "Get to the point! The assassination attempt on Chairman Su Ming."

"That technical officer named Shenyan was indeed someone I personally placed into the team supporting the Red Ridge Mine." Ailu didn't hide anything, explaining the details in detail, and also implicated a person in charge of the labor dispatch department—that dwarf was also an undercover agent "corrupted" by the Temple of Light. This person is currently still at large, and the staff next door quickly notified the execution team of this information, and immediately launched an arrest operation.

"But Shenyan's involvement in the assassination attempt on Chairman Su was not arranged by me," Ailu continued.

The investigation minister's face revealed a cold, mocking smile, "Ailu, don't even think about clearing your name! Whether you did it or not, you deserve to spend the rest of your life in jail!"

"No, no, I'm not trying to absolve myself!" Ailu explained. "I sent Shenyan to the Dragon Kingdom only to have him gather intelligence about Su Ming and then provide it to the Temple of Light —I'm not stupid, why would I risk getting myself involved in such a direct way?" "So, you mean," the Investigation Minister leaned forward slightly, "That the Temple of Light bypassed you and contacted Shenyan directly?" "Either they contacted him directly, or they forged my orders," Ailu. "I even suspect that Shenyan himself probably doesn't know that the people he brought in were assassins from the ' Dark Side of God '!"

At the assassination scene in Red Ridge Mine, Shenyan was the first to be silenced by these assassins, most likely because a dispute arose after Shenyan discovered their true plan.

The Minister of Investigation fell into a brief silence, but he was mostly convinced. Based on his understanding of the court official before him, if he had truly orchestrated the assassination, he would have devised a more sophisticated strategy and would never have allowed himself to be exposed so easily.

At the very least, when the plan was about to be executed, Ailu should have fled immediately instead of foolishly waiting to be caught.

"However!" A smile appeared on Ailu. "The Temple of Light does indeed have a formal plan to assassinate Su Ming, called ' Deboning.' They've been planning this for a long time and have even completed most of the preparations."

Ailu stopped halfway through his sentence, as if something was stuck in his throat.

The investigation minister sighed helplessly, bent his knuckles, and tapped three times on the side wall.

Ailu licked his chapped lips. "Give me some more snacks to go with my drinks!"

Soon, a staff member came in carrying a wooden tray. On it was a glass of frothy ale, a small dish of roast meat and mushrooms. "Please excuse my poor palate; I'm afraid I won't be able to enjoy this kind of food again." Ailu eagerly picked up the glass of ale, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing violently as he made a satisfied gurgling sound.

He knew when to stop, so he put down his glass, wiped his foamy beard, and continued his story, his voice softened by the wine.

"The Temple of Light's official plan is to assassinate His Majesty Star Pickaxe during his formal meeting with Su Ming!" Ellen stated. "Those vile scum!" the Investigation Minister cursed. This was clearly another of those charlatans' scheme—an assassination attempt combined with framing, a two-birds-with-one-stone plot.