2787 Stench Of Rotten Currents
A lingering silence settled in the room, broken only by Lin Mu's asured breathing. The ruthless glint in his eyes receded as he turned his attention to the office. His gaze swept across the chamber, searching for anything of value.
He knew ti was of the essence, but information was just as valuable as any weapon he wielded. If he could unravel the deeper secrets hidden within these walls, he would have more than just brute force on his side.
A drawer, locked but hastily secured, caught his interest. With a flick of his fingers, he forced it open, revealing a stack of official docunts.
"Docunts of the investigation?" he murmured, scanning the contents.
A cruel smirk curled his lips.
'I didn't expect to find this so easily.'
The docunts detailed the disappearances, and to Lin Mu's interest, Inquisitor Bernard had been involved—though not directly. He was rely kept in the loop, with another inquisitor handling the primary aspects of the case. Still, the fact that Bernard had these docunts in his possession ant he had been keeping a close watch on the case, perhaps more than he had been allowed to.
Lin Mu's brows furrowed as he flipped through the pages.
There were indeed traces of 'heretics' involved, though their identities remained unknown. At least, that was the official stance. Yet, when he examined another docunt, suspicion took root deep within him.
"They ordered the inquisitors to halt their investigation?" Lin Mu's voice was a sharp whisper, his fingers tightening around the parchnt.
That made no sense.
Even Bernard had questioned it. There were further correspondences between the inquisitor involved and so high-ranking clergy mbers of the church. Lin Mu's gaze darkened as he read through them. The orders had co from above.
"Who sent these?"
He flipped to the signatures at the bottom of the letters. Several nas stood out.
"Archbishop Andros, Archbishop Kane… and Cardinal Cavendish."
Lin Mu's expression hardened. These were not re bureaucrats. These were so of the highest authorities in the church, n who wielded power almost on par with the ruler of a kingdom. The two archbishops were among the four that governed the city, ranking far above the bishop Lin Mu had encountered earlier.
But the cardinal…
Cardinal Cavendish was on an entirely different level. One of only two in the city, he was a man who stood just beneath the Grand Inquisitor and the Pope himself. If the Pope was the sovereign ruler, the cardinals were his left and right hands.
"Why would they stop the investigation?" Lin Mu muttered, his mind churning through possibilities.
Even Bernard had asked that question multiple tis, but the archbishops had evaded answering. The only response that had co with authority was from the cardinal himself. And that was enough to make Bernard—and every other inquisitor—fall in line.
Lin Mu could sll the rot in this from a mile away.
'They know sothing the inquisitors don't… and they don't want it getting out.'
His expression darkened further. Secrets of this scale never led to anything good.
He scoured the office for more clues, thodically checking the desk, the shelves, the locked cabinets—anything that could hold more pieces to this puzzle. But aside from the docunts he already had, there was nothing.
Lin Mu pulled out the inquisitor's spatial storage, his fingers making quick work of the rudintary restrictions placed on it. The formations securing it were far beneath his level, trivial to bypass.
His instincts proved correct.
Within, he found another set of correspondences, but these were addressed to soone else.
"Head Inquisitor Carlisle."
Lin Mu's eyes narrowed. That was a na he hadn't co across before. Unlike the clergy, the identities of high-ranking inquisitors were not openly known. It made sense. The less people knew about those who operated in the shadows, the easier it was to maintain control.
He scanned the letters quickly.
Bernard had been running a two-way investigation. He had found the cardinal's interference suspicious and had reached out to his superior, Head Inquisitor Carlisle. To Lin Mu's interest, it turned out that Carlisle had already been investigating the recent actions of the church. He had also found inconsistencies in their decisions and was trying to uncover the truth.
Carlisle had advised Bernard to comply with the cardinal's orders for now, stating that he would handle the matter personally.
'So this has already reached the Grand Inquisitor too…'
No na was ntioned, only the title, but that was enough.
This was no small conspiracy.
Lin Mu's mind moved quickly, piecing together the implications. If the inquisitors themselves were questioning the church's orders, then whatever was being hidden had to be significant.
'This delay in our departure… it wasn't just bureaucratic stalling. They never intended to let us leave in the first place.'
His jaw tightened.
If he hadn't taken the initiative to investigate, he and his people would have been trapped—caught in a web they hadn't even realized was tightening around them.
Lin Mu didn't dismiss it this ti. For once, they were in agreent.
"I suppose I should."
The presence within him chuckled approvingly.
"But tell , will you simply flee now that you have a way out? Or will you remind them why they should have never interfered with you in the first place?"
Lin Mu's fingers curled into fists.
"That remains to be seen."
But even as he said it, the choice had already been made in his heart.
He had never been the type to let injustice pass unanswered. He had endured much in the past, let certain things go for the sake of keeping the peace. But this…
This was different.
They had not simply been rude. They had not simply obstructed him.
They had sched against him. They had conspired to trap him and those who followed him under false charges. And if that were true, there was only one thing he could do.
'I will burn this place to the ground before I let them threaten my people.'
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