I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

For example, she said that Steel Finger colluded with outside traveling merchants to spread poison for his own benefit, but she did not deny whether Steel Finger's interests were consistent with her own. Since this person could be pushed out as a scapegoat, he must have been prepared to sacrifice himself. His interests were naturally Cleopatra's interests.

At the same time, Cleopatra said that these were all her responsibilities, which seemed like she was taking responsibility, but in fact it was the absolute truth.

Many people were deceived by Cleopatra's truth.

"So that's how it is. It seems that Lady Cleopatra was also a victim."

"I knew it! How could the Yellow Sand Brotherhood betray us?"

"This Steel Finger usually seems like a decent person, I never expected him to be so wicked!"

"That's outrageous! Thank goodness I didn't eat those foods. This guy with the steel finger should be punished by law!"

"You think you can just sever ties like that? I don't believe a saint can be so easily deceived!"

"Listen to me, everyone! Lady Cleopatra would never want us to be harmed. It was Steelfinger, who was hiding the true purpose from her and concealing all the facts from her!"

Everyone was talking at once, and many had lost their previous indignation, now only believing that Cleopatra was also a victim kept in the dark.

After all, it's hard to believe that a utopian saint would want to poison ordinary people.

Upon seeing this, Ares of the Wild Wolf Guard frowned slightly. He whispered a few words to the person next to him, then looked at Steelfinger, who was kneeling on the ground.

"If you tell the truth, the Wild Wolf Guard can consider vouching for you and will only expel you from the city, without subjecting you to extreme punishment."

He persuaded.

"Was Cleopatra truly unaware of this?"

Steel Finger looked up and glanced at Ares.

“This is all my doing. You have no idea what Utopia is going through. Only the most extreme changes can save it.”

"Steel Finger said."

His voice did not tremble; on the contrary, it was high-pitched and loud.

“Think it over carefully. This is not something you can absolve alone. Everyone involved in the distribution, everyone connected to this food, will be punished by Utopia. Justice resides in the hearts of the people.”

Ares added.

Steel Finger did not answer.

The next moment, he suddenly moved.

The two men who were holding him down seemed to suddenly lose their strength and were pushed away by the steel fingers. The superhuman's fingers flashed with a metallic light and went toward Ares's throat, trying to take his life.

Before the gasps of the crowd could reach him, Ares raised his right hand.

His right hand, unremarkable in appearance, gripped Steel Finger's wrist, the sharp, dangerous finger hovering in mid-air, only half an inch from Ares's throat.

Why bother?

Ares sighed, and then Steel Finger's expression twisted.

His veins bulged all over his body, as if he had been poisoned. With a thud, his steel fingers fell to the ground, and instantly, his flesh and blood exploded.

The splattered flesh and blood suddenly burst into flames and evaporated, leaving only a dim human figure in moments, as if frozen in time by the sunlight.

Undoubtedly, he was punished by Utopia for his failed attempt to kill Ares.

Chapter 872 Fifteen Throws

Ares did not expect that Steelfinger would not choose to reveal who was behind it, but instead would end his life by attacking Ares.

In utopia, premeditated murder is naturally punished.

Ares glanced at the two men who had brought Steelfinger up and had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

It is likely that Cleopatra knew beforehand that things might fail, and thus orchestrated this elaborate scheme.

Now that Steelfinger has been punished and died, those who were involved and knew a little about the inside story have probably been wiped out of Utopia long ago.

Cleopatra truly lived up to her reputation as a queen; her ruthlessness was in no way inferior to the most vicious insects in the desolate desert.

He looked at Cleopatra, the woman who was presenting a pitiful image to deceive everyone.

It's not that I'm lying, but sometimes part of the truth is equivalent to a lie.

"To make up for everyone, if any of you feel unwell in the future, you can come to the Huangsha Brotherhood for free check-ups and treatment. We will cover all the costs. This was our mistake, and I should make amends for it."

Cleopatra continued, which drew nods of agreement from many residents of Utopia.

Now, even if people haven't tried those foods before, they'll still go to the Sand Brotherhood for a free check-up, and maybe even some snacks.

Seeing this, Lu Ban fell into deep thought.

"It seems Cleopatra already knew that relying solely on the people of the Fog City wasn't necessarily reliable. From the moment I went to find her, she made two preparations... no, perhaps she had already made preparations even earlier."

Regardless of whether the poisoning plan succeeded or not, it seems that Cleopatra has gained a wave of public goodwill.

For many people, a leader who is willing to take responsibility even when they did not make a mistake is more dignified.

On the contrary, Ares, although the "sanction" just now was not his doing, the horrifying scene still made many people fear him.

In this back-and-forth, Cleopatra not only did not lose the hearts and support of the people, but went even further, gaining the trust of a wider range of Utopian residents.

Was this also part of her plan?

In contrast, Ares of the Wild Wolf Guard is like poor Tom, being manipulated at will.

It's likely that even the clues he discovered about these foods were deliberate flaws deliberately revealed by Cleopatra.

Otherwise, given the character of this cunning old businessman, it's impossible that he would attend this meeting without any preparation.

Now, Ares's Wild Wolf Guard has not only failed to gain anything, but has also become a foil for the Brotherhood of the Sands, truly doing all the work for someone else.

"It doesn't seem that simple."

Lu Ban sighed.

He has never been good at dealing with humans, and now that Cleopatra is in such a state, the Academy practically has no one who can fight him.

Fifteen throws were considered too long.

As the meeting adjourned, Lu Ban glanced at Cleopatra from afar.

He discovered that the saint was also looking at him.

Cleopatra's eyes showed no surprise, but rather a hint of approval.

It seems she had anticipated that Mad Poison would fail.

Even though Mad Venom comes from another land and is a mysterious and unknown chosen one, Cleopatra is still able to utilize him and make him part of her plan.

To be honest, even someone like Mad Poison wouldn't be as powerful as a saint in the wasteland, let alone in Fog City; he'd be easily manipulated.

This aligns quite well with the actions of the Cleopatra, who inherited her name. After all, the real Cleopatra single-handedly navigated the relationships between the heads of various empires, winning over powerful figures and perpetuating Egyptian history.

After leaving the debate square, Lu Ban returned to the academy's library.

Du Danping was writing something at the table.

The ink of the wasteland is made from the body fluid of an insect about the size of a finger. When using it, the insect is taken out of the jar, its juice is squeezed out, and mixed with the sap of a plant to create a writing ink. This ink does not fade even when it gets wet or exposed to sand and is quite common.

Explorers sometimes find pens from ancient civilizations in ruins, most of which are no longer usable. Pencils, however, can still be used to write, but these treasures are expensive in the wasteland and only a few people can afford them.

Of course, the illiteracy rate in the wasteland is also extremely high. Many people cannot write their own names. In a world where the average level of education is only prenatal education, to not only master the common language but also be able to decipher the old-fashioned script is an astonishing talent that even genius cannot describe.

"The Yellow Sand Brotherhood won this round."

After listening to Lu Ban and the others' description, Du Danping said.

"The Wild Wolf Guard has been strengthening security in the city recently and has uncovered many spies from outside the city-states. However, despite this, these actions have had little impact on ordinary residents. After this incident, their influence will diminish. The Quicksand Council should be taking action next, and we must be careful."

"Why the Quicksand Council?"

Lu Ban asked, in his opinion, the Quicksand Council was at least on friendly terms with the academy, so why was Du Danping now telling them to be wary of the Quicksand Council?

"There are no saints among the members of the Quicksand Council, and for this reason, they are extremely eager for the position of leader of Utopia. Moreover, although they are the descendants of some of Utopia's former heroes, they do not have enough military strength and wealth themselves, and simply inherit the titles of their ancestors."

Du Danping explained.

"This group of people is extremely eager to prove themselves. Due to their lack of strength, they initially adopted the strategy of associating with the Academy in an attempt to counter the Yellow Sand Brotherhood and the Wild Wolf Guard. However, now that the Yellow Sand Brotherhood is dominant, the Shifting Sand Council's policy will change. Simply put, they may choose more extreme actions to reshuffle the status quo."

Just like playing chess with a mischievous kid, it's perfectly normal for you to seriously counter their moves. But once they find themselves in an irrecoverable disadvantage, the kid usually doesn't think about how to turn the tide or counterattack; instead, they just flip the chessboard over.

Therefore, when the four forces were relatively evenly matched at the beginning, the Quicksand Council was able to form alliances and struggle for a while.

Now, it's clear that even their biggest rival, the Wild Wolf Guard, has been largely suppressed. If the Yellow Sand Brotherhood can dominate the game, then there's no point in continuing.

Furthermore, since the Council of Quicksands has no saint, the time left for these young people in their twenties is truly running out. They cannot continue to wait for the next change of saints. If they want to rule Utopia, they only have the opportunity now.

Under all kinds of pressure, they are the most likely to explode.

"Based on my investigation over this period of time, I suspect that the Quicksand Council is colluding with certain cultists."

Chapter 873 Insect Burrito

When it comes to cultists in the wasteland, the one that comes to mind is "Godfather".

The god's followers spread disease across the desert, plunging the entire city into terror, and eventually became His followers.

Lu Ban's mission also mentioned the possibility that alien gods might try to take over Utopia.

From this perspective, the Shifting Sands Council is indeed the most suitable entry point.

However, Lu Ban did not take immediate action. Instead, he sent Ke Cheng into the city to inquire about the Quicksand Council, including their recent activities, their connections with the outside world, and their relationship with ordinary citizens.

Ke Cheng certainly couldn't find out the details. Rather, his current actions were very likely to be noticed and discovered by other factions, especially the Quicksand Council.

This is exactly what Lu Ban wanted.

Sometimes, if you want to know what a mischievous child is thinking or what they are secretly doing, forcing them to talk about it might not work. Instead, try the opposite approach: use some other means to misinterpret what they are doing, and they are more likely to jump out and refute you on their own.

Even assuming, as Du Danping claims, that the Quicksand Council was indeed involved with the "Heavenly Father," the worst that could happen is that they would be eliminated by the other side.

When that time comes, with Leopard around, there's no need to worry about Kecheng's safety; those people will finally show their true colors.

Although Lu Ban felt that the Quicksand Council shouldn't be that stupid.

As for Lu Ban, he has now inevitably caught Cleopatra's attention, and the Sand Brotherhood will keep a close eye on his every move. Acting rashly would be a thankless and arduous task.

With that in mind, Lu Ban decided to eat something first.