I became a god through archaeology in the Wizarding World.

The capital city under the cover of night is like a giant beast lurking in the mist; its superficial prosperity cannot conceal the stench emanating from its dark alleys.

After leaving the academy, Rhodes did not go directly to his destination.

He circled the intricate lower city three times, using [Moonlight Mimicry] to change his form three times, until he was sure there was no tail behind him, before slipping into a high-end tavern called Gilded Rose.

This place was a den of iniquity for nobles and wealthy merchants, as well as a hub for intelligence and intrigue.

In the private rooms on the second floor, the air was filled with the aroma of expensive cigars.

A middle-aged man dressed in casual clothes, but sitting upright like a javelin, was sitting in the shadows, toying with a glass of amber brandy in his hand.

His tiger's mouth had thick calluses, marks left from years of wielding a sword.

Colonel Vance, one of the heads of the Iron Duke's intelligence network.

"You're three minutes late."

Vance didn't look up, his voice as cold and hard as iron: "And if you can't give me a reason not to kill you right now, you're not leaving this room."

"This little bit of time is worth it to make sure no one is following us."

Rhodes pulled out a chair and sat down, his face hidden in shadow beneath the hood, only a pale chin visible. "Colonel," he said, "I know the Duke wants me dead. But if you kill me, you'll never know how Kane died, and you'll never get that thing back."

"If this were before, no one would suspect that you killed Kane. But judging from the strength you displayed during the academy's assessment, it's definitely you who killed Kane."

Vance let out a disdainful snort, his hand already on the short sword at his waist: "As for the things? What could a dead man possibly have that would be of interest to the Duke?"

"I am indeed the prime suspect, but the one who killed Kane was not me, but someone who could use corpse fire."

Rhodes's voice was calm, but it made Vance's hand pause slightly.

Rhodes took out the letter tube with the Iron Duke's emblem and wax seal from his pocket, gently pressed it on the table, and pushed it to the middle.

Vance's pupils contracted sharply; he recognized at a glance that it was a secret order personally signed by the Iron Duke.

This thing should have been destroyed after the mission was completed; it must never fall into the hands of outsiders.

"I found this letter next to Kane's body."

Rhodes leaned forward, beginning to weave his carefully crafted lie: "Colonel, you really think Kane died in an accident? No, he was hunted down. Kane did intend to use that opportunity to get rid of me, and I planned to kill him as well. But before I could act, I saw green flames."

Vance's eyes narrowed: "Necromantic?"

"Mortimer's people."

Roderick spoke slowly and steadily, his logic impeccable: "They ambushed Kane. They knew Kane had the letter, and they wanted it even more. Imagine if the Necromancers got their hands on that letter, handed it to the Starry Sky Council, and accused the Iron Duke of murdering a member of the Academy… What would that mean for His Excellency the Duke?"

Vance's face instantly turned ashen; in political struggles, such leverage is fatal.

"Then why are you still alive?"

Vance stared coldly at Rhodes: "Since the necromancy faction wanted to kill and rob, why did they let you go?"

"Because I'm just a nobody teaching assistant, while Kane is the big fish."

Rhodes gave a self-deprecating wry smile: "Besides, I was lucky. They thought Kane was dead and were about to search him when they were interrupted by real monsters. I took advantage of the chaos to steal the letter using an invisibility trick, and then hid like a mouse."

After saying this, Rhodes didn't waste any more words and immediately activated [Moonlight Mimicry].

And so, to Vance's incredulous gaze, Rhodes vanished completely.

"This...this is an invisibility trick? It seems to be well concealed," Vance said in a serious tone.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Rhodes canceled the spell and looked directly into Vance's eyes: "Colonel, I am now returning the letter to you. This is my way of showing my sincerity."

Vance grabbed the letter tube, quickly checked the sealing wax and contents, and confirmed that it was the original.

The murderous intent in his eyes subsided somewhat, but the suspicion had not completely disappeared.

"You're smart, kid."

Vance put the letter away: "But what makes you think I won't kill you to silence you after you hand it over?"

"Killing me will not benefit the Duke; it will only bring pain to his loved ones and joy to his enemies."

Rhodes leaned back in his chair and threw out his final card: "Now you know, the real enemy is Mortimer. He wants to bring down the Duke. And I, as a teaching assistant in the History Department, have the opportunity to get close to the core area of ​​the Necromancer Department. I can become the Duke's eyes and ears in the academy, keeping an eye on Mortimer's every move for you."

"I just want to live."

Rhodes timely revealed a hint of desire to survive: "As long as the Duke withdraws the order to kill me, I will be your sharpest blade against the necromancy."

Vance remained silent for a long time, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

He was weighing his options. Killing Rhodes would be easy, but an inside man who could survive a necromancer ambush and was smart enough to trade intelligence for his life was definitely more valuable.

Moreover, the Necromancers' attempt to intercept the Duke's secret letter crossed their bottom line.

"very good."

Vance stood up and tossed down a heavy purse: "I will deliver this letter to the Duke. From today onwards, all actions against you are suspended. But if you dare to try anything..."

"I dare not." Rhodes lowered his head. "I value my life more than anyone else."

"As for the necromancy faction..."

A ruthless glint flashed in Vance's eyes: "Hmph, since Mortimer wants to play dirty tricks, the military will play along with him."

Watching Vance's departing figure, Rod smirked in the shadows.

The first step was a success.

The Iron Duke's anger has now been directed at Mortimer.

He finished the brandy in his glass, put his cloak back on, and disappeared into the night.

Half an hour later, a black carriage without any insignia stopped at the other end of the capital.

Inside the carriage, Rhodes faced a man in black wearing a silver mask.

"His Majesty is very dissatisfied with the progress of the excavation."

The black-clad envoy's voice was magically altered, making it impossible to discern whether he was male or female: "You've wasted far too much time on the academy's infighting."

"That's to clear obstacles."

Rhodes remained calm. He pulled out the Lionheart Seal Ring, which was wrapped in layers of lead, from his sleeve, but he did not hand it over. He only showed the envoy a glimpse of the faint outline of the emblem through the lead.

"This is..." The envoy's aura instantly became disordered.

"The missing royal guard is in the necromancy furnace."

Rhodes retrieved the ring, then made a startling statement: "But I discovered more than just that. Mortimer risked kidnapping a guard with royal blood because he was preparing for a ceremony."

"What ceremony?"

"Sacrifice".

Rhodes's eyes darkened, and he began his second lie: "He's gathering the resentment and royal bloodline power from beneath the capital. He's trying to bypass the council's oversight to create an artificial mythical creature under his control. And that underground ruin... is the ritual node he chose."

This is a lie that is half true and half false.

Mortimer is indeed conducting experiments, and there are indeed things in the underground ruins, but the two are not as closely linked as Rhodes claims.

But this was enough to touch the most sensitive nerve of the royal family.

"Is he coveting the underground of the capital?" The envoy's voice carried a hint of murderous intent.

"Yes. And he's already realized we're digging."

Rhodes sighed, "If Your Majesty doesn't cause some trouble for the Necromancers, our excavation will soon be exposed. Then, that god-slaying weapon will fall into Mortimer's hands."

"He dares!"

The envoy slammed his hand on the carriage wall.

"We need time..."

Rhodes earnestly suggested, "I've heard that the Iron Duke is quite dissatisfied with the Necromancers lately. If the royal family could secretly give them a push and get the military to distract the Necromancers... I could take advantage of the chaos to speed up the excavation and present the weapon to His Majesty before Mortimer discovers the truth."

The envoy remained silent for a moment, clearly weighing the pros and cons.

Finally, he nodded: "Your suggestion makes a lot of sense. I will pass it on to His Majesty. Also..."

The envoy handed Rhodes a black crystal rune: "This is the highest-level pass to the Royal Treasury. Take whatever materials you need. Remember, we want results. If Mortimer is indeed conducting some kind of sacrificial ritual… we don't mind giving the Necromancer a new master."

……

When Rhodes returned to his luxury suite in the history department building, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

He stood by the window, looking at the perpetually dark clouds over the necromancy tower in the distance, and then at the faint lights illuminating the direction of the Iron Duke's mansion on the other side.

In one night, he met with two groups of people and told two outrageous lies.

He told the Iron Duke that the Necromancers were involved in assassinations and double-crossing.

He told the royal family that the necromancers were plotting a rebellion and sacrifices.

His threat to Mortimer made the Necromancers hesitant to take action against him.

Now, the Iron Duke, in order to protect himself and seek revenge, will relentlessly cause trouble for the Necromancers. The royal family, in order to stop the sacrificial ritual and seize the underground weapons, will secretly support Rhodes and suppress Mortimer. With enemies on both sides, Mortimer must accelerate the plundering of resources in order to complete his experiments and maintain his position, thus further intensifying the conflict.

The three forces were like three hungry tigers locked in a cage.

Rod is the zookeeper who walks around outside the cage with a piece of meat, yet he also holds the key to the cage door.

"Go ahead and hit them, the harder the better."

Rod took out the list he had bought on the black market, which contained Mortimer's dirty secrets, and gently lit it over the candlelight.

The flames consumed the paper, and also the last trace of hesitation in Rhodes' eyes.

"The safest place is the one in the eye of the storm."