Chapter 1148 Sinister plan
Meeting Hall:
"It's unbelievable. I don't trust this report. We must summon this kid to see whether he is lying or not," said a man in a black suit.
His name is Aaron Perry, a level-9 Bloodline Beast Wizard and one of the Elders in the Bloodline Beast Department. He radiates a cold aura.
"Humph, typical of someone from the Perry family," another man scoffed. He is an elder from the opposing faction.
"Samson, are you serious? Look at this report. How could a recently turned level-6 Wizard escape alive from a suspected level-8 Transmutation Wizard?" Aaron asked, his expression showing genuine concern and disbelief.
If people were unaware of the Perry family's actions toward newcomer Vincent Carey, they would completely side with him.
"I heard your family members tried to kill this kid. Don't tell me you care about this incident," Samson said mockingly.
Aaron's eyes flashed with coldness, but he knew the truth. He couldn't hide anything from the council elders; they were well aware of his family's actions against this newcomer.
"If you don't believe me, that's fine. But ask others if they share your opinion," Aaron said with a smirking smile.
Rustling filled the room as the elders began to discuss the matter in low tones. They were more interested in their faction's agenda than the well-being of the locals in Verdant City.
Now they saw newcomer Vincent Carey as merely a pawn on their chessboard, and the elders were likely to make decisions favoring their factions.
The only ones genuinely concerned were from the neutral faction, who wanted to catch the killer on the loose.
Stella furrowed her eyebrows, shocked by the information on the screen. She quickly copied it and sent it to her account.
She realized the actual mission was to find clues, but the newcomer, Vincent Carey, had gone above and beyond to gather information.
This information was valuable. Not only did he retrieve critical evidence, but he also saw the face of the killer and witnessed the murder in real.
She regarded him approvingly; it takes courage to go that far, and she was impressed by Vincent Carey.
However, as she glanced around the room, it was evident that no one else was genuinely concerned. She sighed inwardly.
"The worst-case scenario has happened after all," Stella murmured to herself.
Her words reached everyone's ears. The senior-level elders remained silent, while the newer elders lowered their heads in shame.
"Elder Stella, do you have a problem?" Aaron asked icily.
Stella met his gaze directly, unafraid. She remained indifferent and said, "That kid's task is to find clues; that's all." Her gaze swept across everyone before she added, "Whether his report is true or not is up to the Department Elder to review. Since someone has verified it, there's no need for us to question the credibility of the report."
"Ha... Ha... Ha..., she's right. Since an Elder from the Special Mage Department verified it, we shouldn't waste time," Samson laughed.
This response made Aaron's cold smile vanish. The other elders in his faction looked confused as well—if they wanted to support him, they needed a solid reason.
"We should not miss any details. The Transmutation Society is a powerful organization, similar to ours. We must proceed cautiously," a bulky Wizard interjected suddenly. His name is Milo, a level-9 Beast Tamer Wizard.
Milo is part of the Aristocratic Faction as well. His statement immediately brought a smile to Aaron's face.
"Elder Milo is as perceptive as always. This incident relates to the safety of our Wizard organizations. Instead of wasting time arguing, let's take a vote."
"How many of you think Vincent Carey should be investigated? Raise your hands," Aaron said with a smile.
Samson narrowed his eyes. Aaron had accused the kid out of the blue. Their faction supported the interest of the organization and could be considered aligned with the Wizard Organization Head's faction.
On the other hand, Aaron and Milo were from the Aristocratic Families, who were slowly consuming the resources of the True Elements Society.
The people benefiting from those resources were mostly their descendants. It could be said that the Aristocratic Families aimed to take total control of the True Elements Society.
Samson's eyes flickered. He wanted to support the newcomer because Vincent had the backing of the Mage Union. As long as the kid grew strong, the Mage Union would become more invested in him, allowing them to use his influence against the Aristocratic Faction.
As he pondered this, the elders began raising their hands in support of Aaron's suggestion, all from the Aristocratic Faction.
In the blink of an eye, the council elders from the Aristocratic Families had all raised their hands, prioritizing their faction's interests over the organization's well-being.
Aaron and Milo exchanged satisfied glances, both smiling, as those from the Aristocratic Faction were clearly in agreement.
Numbers are tied with Head Faction, and it is now up to the neutral faction to decide the outcome.
None of the council elders from the neutral faction raised their hands, leading everyone's gaze to shift towards the neutral faction.
Among the council elders from the neutral faction, some prioritised professional interests. A few benefited from the Aristocratic Faction, while others were aligned with the Head Faction.
Unlike before, Aaron was serious this time, anticipating that the elders from the neutral faction would support him. This expectation was evident to them.
After a moment of contemplation, several elders raised their hands in favor of both the Aristocratic Faction and the Head Faction. Apart from one individual, everyone showed their support.
Yet, the vote resulted in a tie once again. It all came down to the last person—Stella.
Samson and Aaron turned their attention to her.
"Sh!t," she cursed inwardly.
She had always remained neutral, not wanting to take sides. Now, the situation is to make a choice.
Glancing around, she said, "My position remains the same. There's no need to trouble the kid. It's our responsibility to find the culprit as soon as possible."
"As the head of the intelligence department, I'm going to use this current information to track the killer," Stella added.
Gasp!
A small exclamation escaped the crowd.
"Ha... Ha... Ha..., well said," Samson laughed.
Aaron's expression shifted drastically, and Milo clenched his fists, both casting unkind glances at Stella. However, they quickly withdrew their glares.
Stella was one most of the powerful level-9 wizards in the organization. Offending her over "that kid" wouldn't be wise.
Therefore, Aaron controlled his emotions, while Milo suppressed his anger. The intelligence department was not to be trifled with; any conflict with Stella could jeopardize their illegal dealings.
With the decision made by the vote, everyone began to leave the room.
Shortly afterwards,
Stella arrived at the Intelligence Tower. She returned to her office swiftly and took a seat behind her desk, accessing her device.
A blue holographic screen appeared before her, showing the copied message. The report was clear, especially regarding the killer's details.
"An old man with parasitic organs residing in both of his palms. He used the organs to devour the mana cores of level-6 guards," she muttered to herself.
There was no doubt that the killer was a Transmutation Wizard. Aside from the Transmutation Society, few wizard organisations practised Transmutation.
She understood that it wasn't easy for a wizard to implant foreign organs into their body and make them functional. After gathering some ideas, she quickly issued a task to her members for swift action.
"Let's go and examine the foreign organ tomorrow morning," she thought.
Meanwhile, two dark figures lingered on the outskirts of the main city—Council Elders Aaron and Milo.
"Elder Aaron, what do you need?" Milo asked with a smile.
"It's about that kid. We can't allow him to live any longer. The more time he has, the more support he'll garner," Aaron replied coldly.
Milo nodded. His backing was from the Clonius Family, which also wanted the kid dealt with.
"Do you have any plans?" Milo inquired.
"I'm considering finding the killer and passing that information along to him. The second foreign organ is held by the Special Mage Department."
"According to that kid's report, the Transmutation Wizard was searching for that exact item," Aaron explained.
Milo's eyes brightened. "Do you mean...?"
"That's right; help me find the Transmutation Wizard," Aaron said, a cold smile spreading across his face.
Aaron is making a dangerous choice by prioritizing his family's interests over those of the organization. He seems indifferent to the Head and the others involved.
Milo squinted his eyes, recognizing that the idea could also benefit him. The Clonius Family would be pleased to hear about this, so he agreed to assist.
His expression is full of excitement.
"Alright, I'll send people to track down that killer," Milo replied.
"Good, then we will do our part as well," Aaron said with a smile.
Shortly afterwards, both of them left the area. The locals were unaware that such a dangerous plan had been devised there.