As Marshal Zhao finished speaking, it was Zhou Huai's turn to be surprised.
"Anticipated?"
"Marshal, you already guessed it?"
Marshal Zhao shook his head, his weathered face showing little emotion.
"Not exactly guessed."
He picked up the cup of long-cold tea on the table but didn't drink it, rely tracing the rim with his finger.
"These past few days, I've reviewed all the information the military intelligence departnt sent about you."
"Including your performance during the National Examination and at the Imperial Capital Academy."
"I surmised that your 'Gandalf' is likely just a Puppet-like entity."
Zhou Huai's heart tightened, but he remained silent.
Marshal Zhao continued, "This explains why Zuo Daolin, who is skilled in manipulating Souls, was helpless against you during the National Examination."
"Wei He's skills also had no effect on you."
"A Puppet without a Soul naturally wouldn't be affected by such ntal-level skills."
"Therefore, I concluded that behind Gandalf, there must be a powerful Puppeteer."
"At least an SS-Class Profession."
"Although it differs slightly from what you called a Clone, it's probably not far off."
Marshal Zhao's gaze fell on Gandalf, as if trying to see right through him.
"The reason you were so eager to have Gandalf return to Donghai City must be because your main body is in Donghai City, right?"
Zhou Huai was speechless for a mont.
But he never expected that the other party, based on seemingly unrelated clues, would deduce seven or eight parts of the truth on his own.
He truly lived up to his reputation as a pillar of the Great Xia Country.
This level of insight and ntal fortitude was truly terrifying.
Marshal Zhao looked at his shocked expression, and his deanor softened slightly.
"In fact, from the very beginning, I had little suspicion of you."
"How could soone who had just colluded with an enemy country and hard fellow compatriots then rush to save a city in crisis, engulfed by a beast tide?"
"These two actions are inherently contradictory."
"After hearing your explanation today, it perfectly aligns with my previous thoughts."
"So I can trust you eighty percent."
At this point, Marshal Zhao stood up, walked over to Gandalf, and his calloused hand heavily patted his shoulder.
"You've been wronged these past few days."
The huge stone that had been weighing on Zhou Huai's heart finally slowly settled at this mont.
He secretly sighed in relief.
He thought, as expected of a pillar of the Great Xia Country; this insight and courage were far beyond anyone else's.
He quickly said, "It doesn't matter if I'm wronged, but Principal Lin Zhu and all mbers of the exploration team cannot have died in vain!"
"And the pendulum of life! It must also be recovered!"
ntioning Principal Lin, the weariness on Marshal Zhao's face deepened, and he let out a bitter laugh.
"How can it be that easy?"
He slowly leaned back on the sofa, looking as if he had aged considerably in an instant.
"Now Principal Lin is dead."
"Of the SS-Class Professionals in the Great Xia Country, only you and I remain on the surface."
He paused, his voice growing heavier.
"It won't be long before they co for you."
"However, the good news is that they don't know Gandalf is just a Puppet. I've already had all information about Gandalf destroyed. As long as your main body doesn't expose itself, you are temporarily safe."
Zhou Huai sharply caught the key information in his words, and his eyes instantly narrowed.
"They?"
"Who are 'they'?"
He was currently within the borders of the Great Xia Country; even if the enemy wanted to act against him, it would be no easy feat.
Unless...
Marshal Zhao quickly provided the answer, his voice laced with deep weariness.
"The Great Xia Country is now in turmoil; the military is no longer a solid block."
"Underneath, quite a few high-ranking military officials have already defected to enemy countries."
"Before, they might have been hesitant, but now that Principal Lin is dead, it has sent a clear signal to them."
"Now, if they also kill you, the Forbidden Spell Mage hailed as a rising star of the Great Xia Country..."
"Then I'll be the only one left, and I'm afraid I truly won't be able to stand alone and will be at their rcy."
Zhou Huai understood.
No wonder Marshal Zhao seed so weary at this mont.
With powerful enemies lurking outside and woodworms (corrupt elents) festering within.
This old man carried the fate of the entire nation on his shoulders.
In such a situation of internal strife and external threats, where he could barely fend for himself, how could he talk about recovering the pendulum of life or avenging the exploration team?
But all of this was based on the premise that Zhou Huai only had one Gandalf Clone.
Compared to Marshal Zhao's worries, Zhou Huai's heart was not so heavy.
Since soone wanted to deal with him, why not find all the people who wanted to deal with him and kill them all?
Simple, direct.
"Marshal Zhao... do you know who has defected to the enemy country?"
Marshal Zhao slowly nodded, then shook his head weakly.
"Currently, I have clues about so individuals, but they are all insignificant small fry."
"The real big fish are still hidden behind the scenes, very deeply."
"For a short ti, I cannot act against them, lest I tip them off and allow them to completely disappear."
Hearing this, a aningful smile suddenly played on Zhou Huai's lips.
"Marshal Zhao, why don't you leave the matter of dealing with the traitors to ?"
Marshal Zhao looked at Gandalf suspiciously.
"Leave it to you?"
He frowned.
"Currently, this Gandalf Clone of yours is still under suspicion. Even if I trust you, other people in the military won't."
"How can you deal with the traitors?"
He looked at Gandalf and suddenly thought of sothing.
"Could it be that you have other SS-Class Puppets?"
As soon as he said this, Marshal Zhao himself imdiately dismissed this conjecture.
"The Profession of Puppeteer is inherently ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) rare and mysterious."
"Even if you are the most top-tier SS-Class Puppeteer, creating an SS-Class Puppet is already a miracle that requires exhausting one's life's work and countless Heaven And Earth Treasures."
"To be able to create a second SS-Class Puppet would be utterly fantastical, unheard of."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Huai shook his head, correcting, "Marshal Zhao, I never said I was a Puppeteer."
"Gandalf is indeed just my Clone."
He slowly stood up, calmly looking at the perplexed old marshal, and spoke clearly, word by word.
"And, Clones as powerful as this..."
"I have many more."
The mont his words fell, the shadow beneath Gandalf's feet began to violently twist and writhe.
Like a pool of living ink.
The next second, a white-haired man silently rose from the shadow, appearing in the office.
It was Moria.
Marshal Zhao looked at the suddenly appearing Moria, and for the first ti, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.
Before this, he hadn't even noticed that Gandalf's shadow was hiding another Professional.
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