Goddess Kaleidoscope

Based on Jade's deduction, Hugo must have a close relationship with the Medicine God Cult. He even suspected that the other party was Lud and Hugo was just an alias.

According to the intelligence he possessed, Saint Rudd had received divine grace in Oyster Harbor, not only returning from the dead but also rejuvenating, transforming from a white-bearded old man in his sixties or seventies into a young man in his early twenties. Many details matched those of the man before him, Hugo. Unfortunately, Jade had neither a portrait of Rudd nor any of his subordinates who had seen him, so he could not make an accurate judgment based solely on guesswork.

Of course! Jade's initiative in contacting and befriending Hugo (Ludd) wasn't about switching sides. He simply felt that twenty-five years had been far too long and wanted to see if he could get divine assistance from another sect. He had never considered betraying the Brotherhood of the Black Hand, because as an elder, he knew better than his underlings how ruthless the organization treated traitors.

Jade couldn't possibly be associated with ordinary prestigious sects, and those high-ranking gods weren't people he could just bribe with money. Otherwise, he wouldn't have resorted to desperate measures and ended up associating with the God of Thieves.

But there are always exceptions in this world. Some people receive special favor from the gods. Some may be because of their noble character, while others may simply be favored by the gods. These people are called "chosen ones." Rud is not only a chosen one, but also a saint who has received divine grace, so his status is definitely extraordinary.

Jade hoped to use Lude's connections to see if he could get the Medicine God to help him remove the curse from his face.

At the dinner table, Jade seemed to be having a heart-to-heart talk with Lude. He told Lude that beneath the surface of Yanmu City’s prosperity lay a desolate and unsightly place, with wealth piled up on countless corpses, and the bloodshed concealed by glittering jewels.

Every year, this place attracts countless young people with dreams, who naively believe that they are blessed by the gods and can make a name for themselves through their own abilities. In the end, they only tragically become nourishment for this cannibalistic city, and are drained of their marrow until there is nothing left.

Jade's situation was different. He was originally a nobleman from the Canary Empire, but he was forced into exile due to his involvement in political struggles. Fortunately, when he fled, he took with him the wealth accumulated by his family over the years, and he was surrounded by a group of highly skilled family guards. It was with this strong foundation that he was able to settle down in Yanmu City.

Recalling his experiences over the past twenty-five years, Jade was filled with emotion, drinking one glass of wine after another, and soon showed signs of drunkenness. But Lude guessed that this guy was probably acting half-heartedly, pretending to speak the truth after drinking in order to get closer to him.

"To be honest, I also went to see the premiere of 'The Count of Monte Cristo,' but I can guarantee you that no one in the audience understood Edmund's state of mind better than me. Compared to him, I am lucky. I escaped in time and wasn't thrown into the dark dungeon. I've established myself here. But I really don't know if I will ever have a happy ending like Edmund. Twenty-five years have passed, and I can't even remember what I originally looked like!"

"Don't be sad, Mr. Jed, there will be a way."

"What method? I've tried countless methods over the years, but none of them have worked. Although I don't know who cursed me, at least one thing is certain: it's definitely not an ordinary person. Do you understand what I mean?"

"After listening to you talk for so long, of course I understand what you mean. That's why I told you... there will be a way."

"..."

As soon as Lude finished speaking, Jade, who had been completely drunk, regained his senses almost instantly.

Seeing that the guy had stopped pretending, Lude smiled and said.

"I don't really know anything about the curse on your face, so I can't guarantee it will work, but at least we can try."

"You...you really have a way?"

“I don’t have it, but I know who might, and more than one.”

Upon hearing Lude say "more than one," Jade's pupils seemed to undergo a small earthquake, and his heart nearly stopped beating with excitement.

"Is the Medicine God Cult really that powerful?"

"Above the Medicine God Cult is the Pantheon. Since it's called the Pantheon, you can understand it literally. Do you know the Steel Whip Clan who are currently settled in the north? They have all converted to Christianity and now worship the Three Goddesses of Craftsmanship. And these three goddesses also come from the Pantheon."

"But... forgive my ignorance, I really haven't heard of the Pantheon before. Do gods form factions?"

"I'm more curious, why do you think gods don't form factions? In the war of the gods three hundred years ago, hundreds of gods participated. Did they all fight each other in a chaotic mess?"

"Ah, this..."

Although what Ludd said was somewhat beyond his imagination, Jad thought about it for a moment and found it made sense and wasn't unacceptable. But Ludd's next sentence immediately exceeded his comprehension.

"By the way, Hume, the god of thieves, is also a member of the Pantheon."

"Wait a minute! Who? Who's from the Pantheon?"

Upon hearing Lude utter a familiar name, Jade's eyes widened in disbelief.

Other gods are easy to understand, as Jade isn't very clear on them, but the God of Thieves, Hume, falls into his "professional field." The Black Hand Brotherhood secretly worships the God of Thieves, Hume, and as an elder, and one who is highly trusted by the former leader, Jade actually possesses some abilities similar to those of a priest, powers bestowed upon him by the God of Thieves.

He had been a member of the Black Hand Brotherhood for twenty-five years and a believer in Hume, the God of Thieves, for twenty-five years. He had never heard of the God of Thieves coming from the Pantheon before, but seeing Lude's confident expression, Jade, who had seen countless people, vaguely felt that he might not be lying.

End of this chapter

Because he suddenly heard something that conflicted with his existing beliefs, Jade's mind was in a state of confusion for a moment, and he was trying hard to sort it out.

Jade remembered clearly that in his conversation with Rude, he had only mentioned that he had also had times when he was not in control of his own destiny in Flamewood City, but he had not mentioned a word about his affiliation with the Black Hand Brotherhood and his belief in the God of Thieves.

The fact that Lu De suddenly mentioned the name of the God of Thieves in front of him was clearly not unintentional; it was obvious that Lu De knew him better than he had expected.

"Mr. Hugo, I'm curious, what's the basis for your claim that Hume, the god of thieves, came from the pantheon?"

"Based on what? Does the God of Thieves' own words count?"

"...You're not kidding me, are you?"

"Of course not. Here's what I'll do! I'll call a friend in. We haven't known each other for very long, so it's normal that you don't trust me. But he's known you for a long time, so his words will definitely be more convincing than mine."

"Who?"

"See for yourself, come in!"

No sooner had Lu De finished speaking than the door to the private room suddenly opened, and a person wearing a dark gray robe walked in from outside.

Jade was startled by what he saw. This upscale restaurant was his property, and everyone inside and out was his man. There should have been two guards at the door of the private room, but this gray-robed man entered without any hindrance, which was clearly abnormal.

At this moment, the gray-robed man raised his head, revealing a face wearing a mask with vertical pupils. He was none other than the necromancer who had been appearing and disappearing mysteriously in Yanmu City recently.

Seemingly sensing what Jade was worried about, the necromancer spoke in a very hoarse voice.

"Don't worry, I've only temporarily immobilized your men. They're safe and will be able to get up in a little while."

As the necromancer spoke, he pulled up a chair and sat down. Jade couldn't help but sized him up. Although he and the necromancer were both members of the Brotherhood and had met quite a few times before, they weren't really close. So, it was difficult for him to judge whether the necromancer was genuine or not based on his expression, actions, or other details.

But he quickly noticed the necromancer's hands. The man's left hand, placed on the table, was clearly deformed, with fingers bent like chicken claws. This unusual physical feature perfectly matched the necromancer he remembered. Since the man could suddenly and silently enter the private room, his strength must be considerable.

The appearance of the necromancer, in a sense, confirms a previous guess by Jade that this guy also has ties to the Medicine God Cult. Perhaps his survival and increased strength are thanks to that saint.

Fortunately, neither of the two people in front of him seemed hostile, which reassured Jade somewhat, but also increased his doubts.

"Since the necromancer is here, I guess Mr. Hugo must also know my other identity, right? Forget it! I'll stop pretending. I'm negotiating. I am 'Faceless,' an elder of the Black Hand Brotherhood, and also a follower of the god of thieves, Hume. So now I really hope you can explain clearly what the relationship is between the god of thieves and the Pantheon you just mentioned?"

"That's a long story..."

Taking a sip of tea to moisten his throat, Rudd, like a storyteller, introduced the origin and philosophy of the Pantheon. But that wasn't the point. The point was that Rudd earnestly stated a shocking fact: their Black Hand Brotherhood might have been fooled by a conman for decades.

Upon hearing this, Jade immediately interrupted.

"This is impossible! If I believe in a fraudster, then what is my source of power?"

As Jade spoke, he suddenly raised his hand and made a grabbing motion in the air. His entire palm, along with half of his forearm, instantly turned into a shadow. Then, Jade's palm suddenly extended from Lude's right rear, his nails becoming as sharp as claws, stopping less than five centimeters from Lude's face.

This move is called Shadow Strike, one of the signature divine arts of the Thief God, a surprise attack. Hume himself, whose divine power is currently sealed by the God of War's curse, can no longer use it, but the counterfeit version remains unaffected.

Lud looked at the claws that were so close at hand and said calmly.

“Brother Jade, I’m not saying that the God of Thieves you believe in is fake. The power you possess is absolutely real. But have you ever thought that with your piety and the contributions you’ve made to the Brotherhood over the years, you could have received so much more? The God of Thieves is not a stingy deity. He has always been very generous to believers who have made contributions. However, all your efforts over the years have not been fully conveyed to the God of Thieves. Where do you think things went wrong?”

"You...you mean...the president..."

Lude nodded; Jade had unknowingly fallen into the trap.

Lude did not choose to reveal the truth right away and directly state that the Black Hand Brotherhood believed in a fake, because that would be tantamount to forcibly subverting Jade's knowledge and common sense over the past twenty-five years. He would definitely feel unable to accept it and would easily develop a resistant mentality.

So Ludwig changed to a milder, more acceptable reason, pointing the finger at the mysterious leader of the Black Hand Brotherhood.

According to the intelligence Hume had gathered, the fake had never actually shown his face to the believers within the Brotherhood of the Black Hand. All of God's will was conveyed by the leader, who was also a masked man. No one had ever seen his true face, and no one even knew whether he was male or female.

So when he saw that Jade was not doing well, Lude improvised on the spot, following his train of thought, and first pretended to be the Seer, thus tainting the Chairman's reputation.

At this moment, the necromancer standing nearby also chimed in, telling Jade the "truth" he had encountered in the north of the kingdom.

According to the necromancer Dick, the Brotherhood's leader has been deceiving his superiors and subordinates for years, concealing the demands of the followers from the God of Thieves, while appropriating the blessings bestowed upon them by the God of Thieves. As the God of Thieves' agent, he has betrayed the god he worships.

What's even more despicable is that this person also altered the doctrines of the god of thieves, distorted and concealed the complete divine position of Hume, the god of thieves, and dared not tell the believers about the part concerning the contract, because he himself was the one who broke the contract.

Dick knew all this because he found the legendary artifact of the God of Thieves and was able to communicate directly with the God of Thieves through it. That's when he learned that all the brothers and sisters of the Black Hand Brotherhood had been deceived.

The God of Thieves was furious when he learned of the guild leader's despicable actions. However, the gods had an agreement after the war that they should not easily interfere in the mortal world. So the God of Thieves took the initiative to contact the God of Medicine, who was also in the Pantheon camp, and asked Saint Rudd to save Dick, who was on the verge of death.

So Dick returned this time with the will of the gods. The God of Thieves did not intend to punish these traitors with just a few bolts of divine lightning, because that would be too lenient on them.

End of this chapter

After being bombarded with a series of messages, Jade felt like his brain was about to explode, but he remained cautiously skeptical.

"Do you have any evidence that the chairman is deceiving his superiors and subordinates?"

"No, or rather, not yet. I came to Yanmu City specifically to conduct an investigation. If possible, I hope to receive Lord Jade's assistance. Whether they are loyal or treacherous, we can always find out. What is your opinion?"

Faced with Lud's question, Jad fell into a brief silence. Lud could see that he was still struggling internally, but there were already obvious signs of wavering, so he decisively delivered the final blow.

"After this is accomplished, I will truthfully convey your true achievements to Hume, the God of Thieves, through the Pantheon's communication channels."

In the end, Jade relented slightly and agreed to provide limited assistance to Rudd and the necromancer. However, he also emphasized that he would not betray the Black Hand Brotherhood. He still had a strong attachment to the organization, which was also his foundation in Flamewood City. If he destroyed the Black Hand Brotherhood, he would be severely weakened.

Thus, an agreement was reached. The necromancer rose, saying he had some urgent matters to attend to and would be leaving first. Lude also rose to leave, leaving Jade a communication orb that was said to allow for constant communication, so they could stay in touch.

Lud felt he had gained a great deal from the meeting; they had successfully won over Jad, causing him to begin to lean towards their side. Next, he planned to contact the other two elders besides Huen Navarro to see if he could also persuade them to change their stance.

However, when Ludwig returned to the theater, which served as his base, Hume, who had gone out to gather information, brought him back a very strange message—the eldest son of the Navarro family had suddenly woken up that morning.

"Who? Which eldest son?"

"Who else could it be? Trin! The Navarro family had never announced Trin's death before, only saying that he was seriously injured while exploring in the north of the kingdom and needed to recuperate at home. Today, they suddenly said that he had recovered."

"That's not right! His guy, Trin, is awake, so who's this one on our side?"

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? Oh, right, besides this news, there's another bombshell from the Navarro family: the current patriarch, Hu En, suddenly fell ill today and needs to stay in bed. The one who woke up, Trin, can now officially fulfill his duties as the eldest son and take over the management of family affairs. Both of these things happened today. Isn't that a coincidence?"

"You suspect there's a connection between the two?"

"Isn't it obvious!"

Upon learning of the unexpected turn of events, Ludwig frowned, realizing that things were not as simple as they seemed.

When Rudd first retrieved Trin from the maze, he initially thought that when Dick was using necromancy to extract Trin's soul, the old butler's surprise attack caused an accident, resulting in Dick's soul being severely injured and dying, and Trin's soul conveniently taking over the vacant body.

As for Terlin's own body, it was just an empty shell that was still alive in a physiological sense. He was taken back to Yanmu City by the old butler and his group.

Now it seems that Lude may have misjudged the situation. Trin's body was not an empty shell; it contained the souls of other people, perhaps even the necromancer Dick.

Since the news had just come out and was not yet entirely clear, Hume instructed Fallen Leaf to continue tracking the situation. If necessary, she planned to infiltrate the Navarro family's castle to see if she could make any unexpected discoveries.

But Lude strongly opposed Hume's plan, not because she was afraid of alerting him, but because she worried that Hume's current physical condition, which was prone to twitching, might cause some trouble during the infiltration. If she were to accidentally get captured, that would be a real mess.

"During this time, you shouldn't be thinking about running around. Just stay at home quietly."

"Oh! Are you worried about me?"