Spy War

Li Lin originally planned to attack Lalia immediately after conquering Kudel. However, just as he made his plans and arrived at the border between Kudel and Lalia with great momentum, he was dismayed to find that Lalia had already fallen without a fight.

Thanks to Li Lin's potion, although the prince who killed his father inherited the Grand Duke's throne and the Book with great power, afterwards, due to the woman manipulated by Angela absorbing the power of the Five Heroes' descendants within him, coupled with the backlash from the potion, the prince was already weakened beneath his strength, and his power declined day by day. Angela's infiltration of the palace and killing of the woman was the final blow to the prince; his anger, combined with his already depleted body, finally brought him down, and he fell seriously ill. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the army, already dissatisfied with the new Grand Duke's policies, also... Rebellion broke out, with even the nobles seizing the opportunity to usurp power. The nation, already crumbling under the new Grand Duke's iron-fisted policies, accelerated its disintegration. When Li Lin led the Undying Army to the border between Kudel and Lalia, they were already embroiled in internal strife. Some nobles attempted to seize the royal city and regain control of all of Lalia. Meanwhile, powerful local nobles, unwilling to endure further oppression, withdrew to their own armies and planned to establish their own independent kingdoms. Thus, before the Undying Army even entered, internal strife had already broken out.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the orcs, who had been huddled in the northern wilderness of Lalia, launched their invasion of Lalia. Unlike the elves, orcs were rarely enslaved by humans. Firstly, they were wild and untamed, unlike the elves who were easily obeyed. Secondly, the orcs possessed terrifying strength, which could easily lead to death. Therefore, humans both hated and feared the orcs. Moreover, unlike the elves, the orcs had a much higher reproduction rate, so they never faced the same dire situation as the elves. Although humans frequently sent armies to besiege and kill them, the orcs only multiplied with each kill—realizing this, humans eventually had no choice but to reluctantly stop and maintain a stalemate.

This time, the orcs' attack was at Li Lin's behest. After going to the City of a Thousand Towers and inciting the mages in the Barbarian Autonomous Territory, he had been waiting for this day. For those mages, the current chaos and turmoil in Lalia presented the perfect opportunity for invasion. If they didn't act now, when would they?

Because of the chaotic situation within Lalia, Li Lin led his undead army to wander around the border for several days before finally deciding not to advance. Otherwise, an invasion by the undead army would unwisely unite these previously disorganized rabble. Besides, the Dark Elf were also showing signs of activity recently, so he decided to let them handle the spoils. Li Lin was prepared. As long as these guys didn't invade the area west of the City of a Thousand Towers, he wouldn't interfere.

Of course, he wasn't worried about how many survivors would remain in Lalia. The orcs' slaughter was no less than that of the Scourge Legion; they were equally filled with rage towards humans, and their beliefs didn't have as many rules as the elves'...

That's why Li Lin has so much time to study this sacred text here.

"It still doesn't work."

Li Lin shrugged, watching as Catherine removed her hand from the holy book.

"These Weapon Spirit don't seem to have any restrictions; anyone can use them?"

"That's true."

Nia nodded slightly, her tone much more natural than yesterday.

"Moreover, they don't seem to realize this, which is part of the problem with the human soul, since their connection to the weapon itself isn't strong enough."

Please forgive my rudeness.

Seeing the two of them frowning, Catherine couldn't help but make a suggestion.

"Since the master can learn about the Weapon Spirit's memories through their souls, then why not...?"

"Of course I tried, but it didn't work out."

Li Lin shrugged as he spoke.

"These Weapon Spirit are originally products of human souls fused into weapons, so even if I trace the memories I obtained from them back to the very beginning, I can only find out that they were integrated with the already manufactured weapons. Therefore, I still have no way of investigating how these weapons were actually made."

I see.

Catherine remained silent once more; with her limited magical knowledge, this was the best advice she could offer.

"Catherine, tell me again about your experience using this holy book."

"Yes, Master."

Catherine thought carefully for a moment before speaking.

"When I came into contact with this holy book, I felt my divine power being actively drawn to it. As for the divine spells, they seemed to possess sufficient power on their own, requiring only my activation. However, the amount of divine power I needed to consume varied depending on the power of the spell; some required a great deal of power, while others required very little. I'm sorry, but that's all I could sense."

Is that all?

Li Lin still couldn't glean any clues from Catherine's words. It seemed that the God of Justice had truly given him a difficult problem this time. However, he quickly shook his head and put the matter aside.

"Catherine, I have a new task for you."

"Please speak, Master."

"After lunch, Nia will take you to a dungeon."

At this point, Li Lin glanced at Nia, who immediately understood what he meant.

"There you will see a Weapon Spirit, but don't worry, it's not one of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys Masters."

Upon hearing this, a glint of light appeared in Catherine's eyes; she seemed to have grasped the true meaning behind Li Lin's words.

"Now that you are an archangel, you inevitably need powerful weapons to assist you. I don't have the time or energy to create new weapons for you right now, but since someone has already made them for me, I won't be polite... Catherine, your task is to completely transform this Weapon Spirit into an existence loyal to you within the next few days. Her soul wasn't naturally born, but rather human, so I think you should have a way, right? After all, you've personally experienced Angela's teachings."

"Please rest assured, Master."

Upon hearing this, Catherine immediately understood what Li Lin meant.

"I will definitely train her into a loyal bitch for you, Master, to see, but..."

At this point, Catherine surprisingly blushed slightly.

"I wonder if you, Master, could teach me this... spell?"

As she spoke, she walked to Li Lin's side and whispered something in his ear. Nia watched as Li Lin's expression became somewhat strange, before she smiled slightly.

"Of course, no problem, as long as you don't use it on me."

Then, Li Lin replied with a wry smile.

"Is this alright, Master?"

Watching Nia and Catherine leave, Suoxiate, who was tidying up some things, asked a question.

"No matter what, it's still Weapon Spirit..."

"It's just a cheap, low-quality product anyway."

Li Lin raised an eyebrow, revealing a hint of disapproval.

"While the ability to freely use divine magic is still somewhat puzzling, so what? As a Weapon Spirit, Nia is far more valuable than her. Catherine needs help right now, and if she can complete this task, giving her the weapon as a favor is a perfectly good option. For now, all we need is an understanding of her power. If that God of Justice can only create Weapon Spirit through such a pointless method..."

At this point, Li Lin's lips curled into a smug smile.

"Even if ten thousand of them came, they still wouldn't be a match for me."

Suoxiate didn't comment much on this, since it wasn't something she, as a maid, should do anyway. So after finishing her chores, she placed another piece of information in front of Li Lin.

"This is?"

"Information from the academy. According to the twin sisters' investigation, fifteen people within the academy have been behaving strangely recently, and they are very likely spies."

"... snort."

Hearing this, Li Lin snorted coldly.

He had long suspected that this day would come sooner or later.

Although Li Lin has insisted since the establishment of the magic academy that only hybrids and orcs are allowed to enroll, and humans are absolutely not allowed to enter the Ringwraith City, this has only reduced the chances of spies appearing, and has not been able to completely eliminate them. Although those hybrids have half non-human blood, the other half also flows with human blood.

That's the problem.

Li Lin certainly wouldn't overlook such a problem. In fact, the massive barrier covering the Ringwraith City had already been imbued with new spells, so anyone attempting to harm Ringwraith City would be immediately detected. Of course, this kind of mental manipulation and perception magic was also quite proficient in Li Lin's style, so he wasn't worried about giving himself away.

Back when another batch of students arrived, Li Lin had already noticed some problematic individuals among them. As more and more people moved into Ringwraith City, the screening process for entering the academy was no longer as strict as before, requiring a thorough investigation of political background and identity before a conclusion could be reached. This was precisely the problem, so he had informed Nia at the time to be careful of any potential issues that might arise within the academy.

However, I didn't expect the problem to arise so quickly.

Let me give you a brief introduction.

Li Lin did not pick up the intelligence report, so Suoxiate wisely did not touch it either.

"These ten are all mage apprentices who have only been in the academy for half a month. There are six men and four women, and they are all mixed-race. I have already investigated them; they have been in City of a Thousand Towers for some time now."

"So, the Five-Nation Alliance has suspected our relationship with the City of a Thousand Towers for a long time?"

Li Lin's smile was somewhat cold, but what Suoxiate said next made him pause slightly.

"They don't seem to be from the Five-Nation Alliance. According to the sisters' investigation, they seem more like spies sent by the Temple."

"Oh? Why?"

"The sisters were also priests of the Temple. They noticed that the gestures and codes used by these targets were very similar to those of the Temple's members, and that they got up at the same time every day—that was the time for prayer inside the Temple."

Temple...

Li Lin frowned. Indeed, this was more in line with practical needs. Compared to the Five-Nation Alliance, which was too busy to even take care of itself (now only the independent Lalia and the reunited Xialuo and Dideyasi remained; the Five-Nation Alliance had effectively disappeared), the Temple certainly had the leisure to engage in such annoying little tricks. After all, religious beliefs can sometimes transcend race. If the Five-Nation Alliance sent hybrid spies to infiltrate its countries, it would be a terrible idea, since the Five-Nation Alliance was purely human, and hybrids would not receive good treatment there. But the Temple was different. Fairness, freedom, truth, love, and so on... well, these were all things that transcended race. It wasn't surprising that it would occasionally attract some strange believers. Wasn't there a precedent of the Goddess of the Forest taking in the Dark Elf? So it wasn't surprising that the God of Justice would also win over hybrids.

Despite the sighs, there's no way to skip any of the tasks that need to be done.

What is the current situation?

"Based on observation, they are still lying low, clearly not intending to begin their mission immediately for fear of revealing their identities. Moreover, their actions are impeccable, leaving no evidence against them, at least not so far."

"It doesn't matter if there's no evidence; let Anna and her men handle it."

Li Lin quickly issued the order.

"The Temple's spies have even gotten involved with me. We need to eliminate them all before they become too close to others, leaving no loose ends. We should nip the seed in the bud. I think you know what to do."

"Of course, I understand. Should we leave any survivors?"

"If the Dark Elf are willing to reenact their race's most renowned interrogation and torture techniques on them, I have no problem with it. Remember, obtain the most detailed information possible. Of course, I'll also ask Catherine to see if she knows anything about this. Remember, be swift and decisive; those who disappeared can be dismissed under the pretext of being expelled for violating the academy's rules."

"I understand. I'll inform Anna immediately."

With that, Suoxiate stepped back and then vanished silently into thin air.

Espionage?

Looking at the intelligence data on the students on the table, Li Lin couldn't help but reveal a mocking smile.

Temple engage in espionage? How interesting... But let's leave it at that.

After finishing his day's lessons, the young apprentice mage walked out of the classroom, a hint of dissatisfaction showing in his eyes as he looked at the bustling crowd around him.

What do these people know? They have no idea that while they live a happy life here, innocent people below are under the threat of the Magic Empire. They haven't seen the mountains of corpses, nor the dilapidated, burned houses. These people only know how to enjoy their current peaceful life, and do they have absolutely no interest in anything else?

They never imagined that their happiness was built on the suffering and death of others.

If we can persuade those whose eyes are blinded by darkness and evil by the glory of the God of Justice, they will surely understand what they are doing and will no longer be content to live a false life of peace in this evil capital. Justice has given us the right to know the truth, and it is also our duty to spread it.

The young mage apprentice opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't speak. He knew his current status made it inappropriate to say such things. His mission was to be sent by the Temple to spread the truth to the public, but that would have to wait until after he integrated into the academy. After a short period of observation, the young apprentice discovered that although the academy didn't seem very secure, the security was exceptionally thorough. Not only were various detection spells vigilantly observing public areas and the library, but according to their predecessors who had arrived earlier, there were also two elusive guardians in the academy. Although they had never seen these legendary figures, as executors trained by the Temple, they understood that it was best not to act rashly before identifying their trump cards.

Otherwise, my momentary excitement could very well bring disaster to them, not to mention that the mission might also fail.

For the sake of the great, radiant, God of Justice, I bear the responsibility of guiding these lost sheep back to the right path. Although it is a perilous and thorny road, as long as you have unwavering faith, the God will protect you until the very end.

But now, I have no other choice. I can only wait quietly for the right moment to arrive.

Thinking of this, the young apprentice sighed. While he was pondering, most of the other apprentices had already left, and the empty corridor was almost deserted. With that thought in mind, he strode off and hurriedly followed the crowd.

He was unaware that a pair of cold eyes were staring at him from not far behind him.

As the young apprentice and the book turned the corner of the stairs, intending to join the others for the next activity, a mysterious Black Mist attacked from behind, enveloping him. Then, a sharp dagger easily severed his throat, cutting off his unwilling scream along with his life, before floating away and disappearing.

When the apprentices returned, they had no idea that someone among them would never appear again.