“Nonsense.”
Ms. Cecil’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Her gaze was filled with blatant suspicion.
Elias was speechless. Utterly speechless.
Could it be that no one believed the truth these days?
Moreover, this ridiculous excuse about a “demon looking for a locksmith” was clearly something she had deduced herself!
Now that he was going along with it and admitting it, she had the nerve to turn the tables and call him a liar?
Was there no justice left in the world?
Elias had no way of knowing the mental gymnastics Cecil was performing at that moment.
Her mind was currently trapped in a state of intense logical dissonance.
On one hand, the various clues left at the ruins of Mester’s Treatment Room indeed only supported that conclusion.
On the other hand...
Her reason was screaming a warning.
A demon had crossed into the material world just to find a locksmith to open a cabinet for an illegal minter?
So, even though she was the one who had first voiced the idea...
That didn't mean she could truly accept the answer in her heart.
“It’s true,” Elias said, making his expression look as innocent as a choir boy.
He was the picture of sincerity.
“Besides, Ms. Cecil, wasn’t this your own deduction?”
He spread his hands, looking for all the world like a man who had been deeply wronged.
“Don’t forget who Mester was.”
Elias lowered his voice, speaking in a persuasive tone.
“He was a Moon Lord believer too!”
“The safes and hidden boxes in his treatment room...”
“They were all locked with the blessing of the Moon Lord’s holy emblem.”
“That’s why that infernal demon targeted me—someone who also carries the scent of the Moon Lord.”
The corridor fell silent for a few seconds.
Cecil stared into Elias’s eyes, seemingly weighing the truth of his words.
“Fine, let’s say that’s the case...”
She took a deep breath, barely suppressing the sense of incongruity.
Then, she urged him with a hint of impatience.
“And then?”
“What do you mean?”
Elias felt like he was being forced to swallow a bitter pill. The tearing sensation in his soul was still washing over his sanity in waves.
This was the absolute truth!
He, Elias, was being so honest!
And this dismissive attitude was all he got?!
This was blatant, open distrust!
“Lady...”
Elias looked at Cecil expressionlessly, unable to resist his instinct to be a bit snarky.
“You know, you’re acting like a real heartbreaker right now.”
“What?”
Cecil froze for a moment, her eyebrows knitting together.
She naturally didn't understand this term from another world.
“What does heartbreaker mean?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Elias didn't miss a beat, translating with a straight face.
“It’s a rural dialect from my hometown.”
“It means you are a very meticulous and rigorous lady when it comes to investigating cases.”
Cecil gave him a cold look.
Her intuition told her this was definitely not a compliment.
“Enough of your nonsense.”
Clearly, she didn't want to waste time on trivial vocabulary.
“Keep talking.”
She pressed him on the core issue.
“Since that infernal demon forced you to work for him...”
“Then why did the two of you suddenly start cooperating in the cemetery?”
“The guy even followed your orders to tear apart those puppets?”
“That brings us to the demon’s true purpose,” Elias said, lowering his voice with a feigned air of mystery.
“What purpose?”
Cecil’s attention was instantly captured.
“He also has a grudge against Wayland Capital.”
Elias dropped a bombshell.
“How so?”
Cecil’s gaze grew even sharper.
An infernal demon and a super-capitalist conglomerate of human society.
The two were worlds apart. How could they have a grievance?
“Look at it this way.”
The “nonsense generator” in Elias’s brain was fully warmed up and running at maximum capacity.
“Mester was secretly making those soul coins in the basement...”
“Who was he making them for?”
“The Mist Veil Society,” Cecil said reflexively. This was intelligence the Seventh Agency had already acquired.
“Exactly.”
“But where did Mester’s soul coin press come from?”
He didn't wait for Cecil to answer, throwing out the conclusion himself.
“The infernal demon gave it to him.”
“The demon provided the equipment and technology, and Mester provided the location and processing...”
“Then what does that have to do with Wayland Capital?”
Cecil interrupted his long-winded explanation, her brow furrowing even deeper.
“It has everything to do with them, my lady!”
Elias clapped his hands together.
“Think about it. Mester was just a psychiatrist.”
“How would he have the connections to cross realms and meet an infernal demon?”
“Naturally, Wayland Capital acted as the middleman!”
The moment those words were spoken...
The suspicion in Cecil’s eyes grew so thick it almost overflowed.
“That makes sense, but...”
She stared at Elias, her gaze like a physical blade.
“Why would Wayland act as a broker for Mester?”
“Even if Wayland Capital has the foundations to potentially contact the infernal realm...”
“Logically, it doesn't hold up!”
As an experienced investigator, Cecil keenly caught the flaw.
It didn't fit the nature of a capitalist who wouldn't get out of bed without a profit.
Elias remained unfazed, continuing his high-level fabrication.
“Don’t forget,” he reminded her.
“Wayland Capital and the Mist Veil Society have a concrete partnership.”
This sentence was like a bolt of lightning, splitting through the thick fog.
It actually caused Cecil to fall into deep thought.
She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of her coat.
“That’s true...” Cecil murmured to herself.
Tonight, the undercover agent Luke had been almost like family with the Mist Veil Society; that was ironclad proof.
“And the Mist Veil Society, for whatever reason, desperately needs a large quantity of soul coins.”
Elias guided her further, step by step.
“So here’s the question.”
“Mist Veil needs the coins.”
“Who is responsible for minting them?”
“Mester.”
“And who acted as the middleman, bringing in the equipment from the Abyss to set up the production line?”
“Wayland Capital.”
Elias spread his hands, offering the final conclusion.
“Isn't the production chain obvious?”
“I still feel like something is wrong.”
Cecil frowned, her mind racing.
“What does Wayland Capital stand to gain?”
“Why go to all this trouble and risk being targeted by the Dawn Church just to do someone else’s dirty work?”
“A legendary Fifth Element is hidden in the heart of Moon Bay.”
“Do not speak of this to anyone,” Cecil warned cautiously.
Even though Elias already knew, he still feigned a shocked expression.
Cecil continued her analysis.
“So, who will that Fifth Element eventually belong to?”
Was it Wayland?
Or the Mist Veil Society?
Neither of these giants seemed like the type to settle for being a supporting character.
“Well, we wouldn't know about that,” Elias said with a shrug.
“How could the division of spoils agreement between big shots be made known to us?”
He said this, but in his heart, he breathed a massive sigh of relief.
He was safe.
At the very least, Cecil’s train of thought had been successfully derailed.
She was no longer obsessing over whether there was some dirty private contract between him and that infernal demon.
That was enough.
The topic had been perfectly shifted to the high-level game between Wayland Capital and the Mist Veil Society.
As for how they fought each other, what did that have to do with a lowly lighthouse keeper?
“So...”
Cecil took a deep breath, seemingly accepting this premise.
But then.
Her tone suddenly shifted.
“Why did the demon take Luke in the end?”
How the hell did it circle back to this?!
Elias was screaming internally.
The stinging pain in his soul made him want to perform a dramatic fainting spell on the spot.
However, this question wasn't hard to answer.
He just had to follow the logic he had already established.
“What else could it be for? Debt collection!”
“Because that quack Mester owed the demon money!”
“The contract the demon signed with Mester originally called for a cut of the soul coins produced.”
“And the result? Mester defaulted on the debt.”
Speaking of which, he realized that Mester had seemingly been taken by the Mist Veil Society.
He didn't know what kind of inhuman torture that guy would endure.
Just looking at the tragic state of Aaron’s sister gave him a glimpse of Mester’s fate.
What a pity—the real Mester was dead, and it was Herm who had to suffer all of this instead.
“And demons are restricted by certain rules; they can't personally descend to mint coins themselves.”
Even though his mind was wandering, Elias continued the conversation.
“So, seeing his investment go down the drain, wouldn't the demon be anxious?”
“Every debt has a debtor. Mester is dead, so he has to settle the score with the middleman who set up the deal—Wayland Capital.”
“As the only Wayland member on the scene, who else would he grab but Luke?”
After hearing this long-winded explanation...
Cecil didn't speak immediately.
Just as Elias thought he had finally bluffed his way through and was preparing to lean back on the bench for a breather...
Without warning.
Ms. Cecil suddenly leaned forward, closing the distance between them!
“So...”
Cecil stared intently into his eyes, her voice dropping to a low whisper.
“Where is the Soul Pendulum?”
The dagger was finally revealed!
This unexpected strike made Elias’s heart jump in shock.
She knew?!
How was that possible?!
In that instant, countless thoughts exploded in his mind.
But his mouth was always faster than his brain.
The expression on Elias’s face didn't even flicker.
He widened his eyes in pure simple-mindedness, his face a picture of absolute confusion.
“What Soul Pendulum?”
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