CH 35

This is really bad news.

Rode didn't even notice the peaceful and sunny atmosphere of the upper city.

The air here was clear, the buildings were orderly, and looking up, the black mist was high and far away, like a dark cloud in the sky.

Rode finally felt the atmosphere of a normal city. There were sparse pedestrians on the streets, horseless carriages like his, bakeries, hat shops, beautiful restaurants, unique taverns, and the station for horseless carriages, as well as the nearby hotel.

This was the city he understood, full of human fireworks.

Rode saw a group of people standing on the roadside with a sign and couldn't help but ask, "Do you also have public... horseless carriages?"

Lauren looked at him with gray eyes, as if saying, "Why do you still care about this now?" But he explained, "Of course, the funeral carriage is one of the important transportation tools in the royal city."

"Do they have them in the lower city too?"

"Of course, the lower city is tens of times larger than the upper city. Without funeral carriage transportation, it would be very inconvenient. However, public funeral carriages in the lower city are only open on suitable days."

"Can you change the name? Everyone in the city is riding funeral carriages. Are they not afraid of death enough?"

Rode didn't know how to comment, so he just forgot about the word and called it a horseless carriage.

The funeral carriage drove past several blocks and entered a palace-like building complex with sharp towers and thick walls, which was completely different from the light and sunny atmosphere of the upper city.

The funeral carriage drove into a central castle and stopped in an underground funeral parking lot with countless funeral carriages. Rode followed Lauren into this legendary horror organization.

The interior of the Internal Adjudication Office was not as gloomy and terrifying as it looked from the outside. The light was bright, the colors were peaceful, and the simple and straight corridors separated one room from another. Every ten steps on the walls on both sides, there was a lamp that illuminated every corner here. Most of the people coming and going were dressed in neat robes, looking like an ordinary workplace.

However, Rode saw a gloomy underground passage in a corner, and the faint sounds of wailing and screaming could be heard in the air. People with bloodstained robes were lurking nearby, as if waiting for the next prey.

When Rode approached, their unfriendly eyes turned towards him.

But fortunately, Lauren didn't stop here. They walked straight ahead and came to a huge luxurious room.The thick red carpet covered the floor. The gorgeous redwood benches were adorned with silver carvings. The air was filled with a delicate fragrance. The four great judges were waiting for him here.

They sat at the top, and a black long table was filled with paper documents and specially made crystal balls, as well as their identity badges. Rode stood behind Lauren, quietly observing them.

The rightmost one was a middle-aged man with blond hair. His facial features were somewhat similar to Kassan's, with the same blond hair and blue eyes. His badge read Mibor Prosmaul.

Next was a guy with red hair and an iron mask. His badge read Manolobana Gula. This surname reminded Rode of the fat redhead who called himself "manure."

On the left was an elderly man with black hair and light-colored eyes. He had few wrinkles on his face, a peaceful expression, and his badge read Aligeli Dan Heixiong. However, he didn't seem to have any connection with black bears.

It seemed that he was one of Lauren's mentors, one of his big supporters. Although Rode was not very clear about how they became supporters.

The leftmost was a woman whose age was unclear. She had strange blue hair, delicate features, thin lips, and narrow eyes with a cold light. Her badge read Lisha Lan Yue.

Behind them stood many black-robed guards, and their badges all read "Crow."

Lauren slightly bowed to the four people and then sat aside.

Rode stood alone in front of the long table, accepting the scrutiny of the four people. Among them, Mibor's gaze was the most complicated, full of his father's hostility, helpless friendship, relatively pure appreciation, and the cold neutrality representing the Internal Affairs Adjudication.

Manolobana's gaze was only filled with pure malice and hatred.

Black bear and blue moon's gaze were relatively calm, and nothing could be seen.

Rode knew what was going on in his heart and was not so nervous.

"Rode from Hongshi Village."

The man behind the iron mask spoke, "I'll give you some advice. Don't be clever anymore. Confess everything proactively, and I will recommend to the Chief Judge to send your bone fire to the Holy Fire."

"Why don't you confess?" Rode asked calmly.

The eyes behind the iron mask narrowed, "Do you want to say that I am your accomplice?"

"No, I am innocent, and you are the murderer."

One of the crows behind him shouted, "Watch your attitude! This is the great judge!"

Rode calmly said, "If you don't allow me to speak, then I can shut up."The iron mask sneered, "I don't think there's a need to interrogate him any further. Let's use special interrogation. I'll carefully pry open his soul and dig out every secret he has."

The black bear beside him spoke softly, "Gura, let's hear his reasons."

Mibor said coldly, "Go ahead."

Rode spoke loudly, "As you all know, I only recently ignited the soul flame. Before that, I was just an ordinary person. Why would the Apocalypse Cult choose an ordinary person as an accomplice to murder hundreds of people in the migration team?"

The iron mask sneered, "Although you weren't a flame bearer before, you still had extraordinary power."

Rode wisely avoided this unfamiliar territory, "Lord Ma, could you please use your small brain to think about it? If I did this, why would I stay in one place alone? And the wise and beautiful Miss Blue and White..."

Lauren coughed, "It's Guardian Aligeli Green Feather."

Rode immediately corrected himself, "Then, why would the Guardian Green Feather, who combines wisdom and beauty, let me go even though I was a major suspect? Why did she even allow me to have some freedom in the royal city? Doesn't she fear that letting an Apocalypse Cult member move freely in the city will cause great destruction?"

The iron mask coldly stated, "Perhaps there's something shady going on."

Rode sneered, "Yeah, everyone else is bad, only you are good. Do you think you're running a distillery?"

Although the iron mask didn't understand what running a distillery meant, the sarcasm in his words was clear. His tone became even colder.

"Your smooth-talking won't work here. You're the only survivor on the scene, yet you claim to have amnesia. And a letter with your name was found in the pocket of the Apocalypse Cult member, Grey Cat Alley. You also killed the lying priest Bass to silence him and cut off our most important lead. All the evidence points to you. I don't understand why Guardian Green Feather would protect you. Perhaps I should propose to the king to re-examine her candidate's identity."

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere became very awkward, and everyone's expressions became somewhat unnatural.

But Rode was certain in his heart.

Indeed, this was not just a dispute over the case, but also involved deeper things.

So, he wouldn't give up easily.

"I think we should return to discussing the case."

The black bear's calm and slightly old voice broke the awkward silence."Catching the trail of the Pollutionist Sect is our most important task. I don't think any of you would want to see them destroy our warm home and our only place of survival, right?"

His light-colored eyes swept over everyone, and there was a strange power in his calm gaze that made everyone calm down.

Mibor nodded and said, "I agree with Lord Black Bear's words. The Royal City and the Holy Fire are everything to us. Unless someone steps over my dead body, no one can destroy our home. We need to be cautious about Rode's trial. We, who have great power, carry a mountain of responsibility. Any small act of caprice can fall on one person. If our only home no longer loves him, there are only two ways out: suicide or throwing oneself into the darkness."

Blue Moon said appreciatively, "Mibor said it well. This is also what our King advocates, to make every home belong to everyone, not just some people."

Iron Mask's eyes flashed with disgust as he said coldly, "There is still much we need to do. Let's get straight to the point."

Black Bear nodded slightly and turned his gaze to Rode, saying calmly, "Rode, please answer truthfully to all my questions."

Rode nodded.

"Do you remember your relationship with Gray Cat Alley's clerk, Gray Cat Arley?"

Rode shook his head.

"Do you remember living in Baker Street in the Outer City District for three years?"

"I don't remember."

"Why did you kill Bass?"

"I didn't think that much at the time. I was dragged into an unknown space and was very scared. I didn't know his importance. Lord Lauren's battle was not going well. He was surrounded by many glass-like giants, and I was worried he would be killed. So when I saw Bass's figure, I shot at him."

Iron Mask's cold voice interrupted, "How were you able to see Bass, who was hidden by advanced spells?"

"Because my fire seed ability can help me see through illusions."

Iron Mask sneered, "But your fire seed's name is Black Rice Bucket, which is an ancient technology used by the Mechanical Research Institute. It can recognize the slightest waveforms in your soul, find the essence of your soul, and display it in the most suitable words. You can't fool us."

Mibor frowned and said, "Lord Manolobana, the tools of the Mechanical Research Institute are not very reliable. They often have strange malfunctions. My soul characteristic is the Shock of Spirits, but the first time I was tested, it displayed 'Sprayer'. It was only after the scholars in the Great Library found relevant records that it was corrected. This cannot be used as evidence."Blue Moon suddenly asked, "What is your clairvoyance level?"

Rode thought for a moment and answered, "It seems to be eighty."

Blue Moon flicked her slender finger, and a small mist appeared in front of her hand. "What number do you see on my hand?"

Rode activated his clairvoyance and then his soul eye. He looked up and saw that the mist had turned into a faint sparkle, and her glowing hand was making a "two" gesture.

"Two."

"And now?"

"Six."

Blue Moon removed the mist and revealed a bright smile. "It seems that Kimberly Academy has another shining star rising."

The three of them smiled slightly, but the masked man's eyes were cold and stern.

"The stronger the enemy, the more dangerous it is for us," he said coldly. "This interrogation is meaningless. We should find the item transported by Gray Cat Alei as soon as possible. In the face of ironclad facts, sophistry is useless."

He got up and left, leaving only the three of them behind.

The masked man's departure did not affect them. The three of them looked at Rode with smiles, as if they were looking at a treasure.

Mibol suddenly said, "Do you mind if I talk to him alone?"

The two of them stepped aside slightly, indicating to go ahead.

Suddenly, Rode found himself in a white space, with only him and Mibol.

He immediately came to his senses and bowed politely. "Uncle Mibol, hello. I am a member of the tenth group of the tenth department of Kimberly Academy. I'm sure that Kassan, the leader of our group, is your daughter. She inherited your beauty, your wisdom, your kindness, your tolerance, and all your outstanding qualities. It's clear that she is your daughter."

Although his words were too straightforward, Mibol couldn't hide his smile.

"Young man, don't just talk the talk..." He stopped halfway through his sentence.

Rode had a sudden thought and immediately said, "I admire your daughter Kassan very much. As the leader of the tenth group, she has helped me a lot. We are students now, and our studies are the most important thing. Sister Kassan is very outstanding and understands our current mission, which is to study hard and become the successor of the Fire King City, and contribute to the cause of fire. I fully agree with her ideas and respect her will. Please rest assured."

Mibol's expression was very complicated. After a long time, he sighed and said, "I have only one request: don't let Kassan get pregnant. Wait until after graduation."

The white light dissipated, and Mibol walked out with a sad expression.

Rode found himself still standing in the same spot, with Black Bear and Blue Moon looking at him.Blue Moon's eyes sparkled with cunning, and she seemed to have guessed something. She smiled and said, "Little one, it seems like you're not just a pretty face. You're very talented too."

Rode smiled and replied, "No matter how talented I am, I'm still not as deep and mysterious as you, sister."

Blue Moon laughed heartily, "You're such an interesting little guy. I can't believe you're a member of the Apocalypse Sect."

The light-colored eyes of the black bear looked at him seriously and said, "Lisha Blue Moon is our Grand Judge. She graduated from Kimberly Academy in 1301. You should call her Auntie."

Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original.

Blue Moon covered her forehead with her slender hand.

"Uncle Black Bear, this is why you can't win over Auntie Moon Moon."

Rode interjected, "As long as your heart is young, you'll always be young. Sister Blue Moon's heart will always be that of an 18-year-old girl. I really can't tell how old she is."

Blue Moon laughed like a blooming flower, "With just that sentence, unless you can prove otherwise, I won't believe you're a member of the Apocalypse Sect. Keep it up, I really want to see a new star rise. The Royal City has been silent for too long, and everyone needs a new hope."

She playfully winked at Rode and walked out, not at all like a high-ranking Grand Judge.

The crows followed her out, leaving only Black Bear and Lauren in the room.

Both of them were scrutinizing him with a new look.

But Black Bear soon smiled, easing Rode's slightly nervous heart.

"Hello, little one. Don't be nervous. I just saw a shadow in you..."

He didn't finish his sentence and said instead, "I hope you can really bring us surprises. Seeing young seedlings like you grow strong is the happiest thing for me."

He patted Rode's shoulder gently and left.

Only Lauren remained in the room.

He praised, "Rode, you exceeded my expectations and gained support from three Grand Judges. But don't take it lightly. If they find concrete evidence against you, they won't show favoritism. The governor of the second largest district in the outer city is a crucial witness, and it affects your fate. Let's go see him now."

This statement made Rode's heart cool down a bit. I worked so hard, can't they give me a get-out-of-jail-free card?

But what made him even more disappointed was that he found out that the governor of the second largest district in the outer city was a very beautiful woman.

He had seen her before.

In the crystal ball in Karamon.