"What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?"
Leon tested the range of the effect of the Tongue of Truth, finding most of its influence was blocked. Noticing that the less falsehood in his speech, the less the impact on his tongue, Leon switched to the Performance Master and scolded with a feigned outrage,
"I know you investigators hold a grudge against us at the Virgin Branch, so you love to exaggerate things in your reports. But this time, you’ve gone too far!
Are you actually trying to frame us for something this big? Do you have any idea what would happen if your framing succeeded? What a massive impact this would have on me and Senior Emma? Where is your conscience? Did a dog eat it?"
*Heh, maybe my conscience did get eaten by a dog, but a dog’s stomach could never handle your thick skin!*
After desperately trying for a while and confirming that the Tongue of Truth had indeed lost its effect, the old investigator took a deep breath and started to quietly jot down notes truthfully in his notebook.
What he had retrieved using the Chronometer Pocket Watch was definitely the truth behind the Marigold Marquis’s death; compared to the easily influenced Tongue of Truth, what he saw firsthand in the past couldn’t be fake. The Marigold Marquis had to have been killed by him!
However, the Chronometer Pocket Watch had a very high Leon Value, far beyond what an ordinary investigator could wield, and it was also recorded in the bureau, created by the Aquarius Director using the remnants of the King of Time as part of the "Time Trinity." It should have been taken back by the "Aquarius Director."
So if he dared to bring it out, it would be like announcing to everyone that he had a connection with the Aquarius Director. A simple check would immediately expose his identity. Compared to the heavy news of him still being alive, killing a Marquis in violation was nothing.
To escape the effects of the Directives List and the Death Realm Street Lamp, and to keep it hidden from the Purification Bureau, he had already shed all of his Soul of Evil. If the remaining part of the Soul of Goodness were also discovered, he’d truly have nothing left.
Although the youngster in front of him had his own secrets and might obstruct his plans, it wasn’t worth risking his life for him...
*Not worth it! Not worth it!*
Weighing the pros and cons in less than a second, the old investigator, or rather half of the Aquarius Director, suppressed his inner frustration. He then asked the pre-designed questions one by one with an emotionless face.
Leon, maintaining his character, answered one question after another, mixing in some personal opinions and using plenty of vague, half-true statements to thoroughly diminish what little effect the Tongue of Truth retained.
In the "cooperative performance" of both sides, this furious "interrogation" oddly ended in complete peace. The old investigator’s notebook only held a heap of ambiguous replies and Leon’s fervent declarations of loyalty to the Purification Bureau.
"That concludes the questioning for now. We will surely continue our investigation and come back to you once we have sufficient evidence... There’s also another matter."
Closing the notebook filled with Leon’s nauseating loyalty to the Purification Bureau, the old investigator took out a document, handing it over without changing his expression.
"This is the dangerous situation discovered by the main bureau using hints from the Watcher’s Palace, employing two temporal Anomalous Objects."
Sickened by Leon’s grandiose strings of lies, the old investigator spoke with a darkened face,
"Originally it was supposed to be confirmed that you and Olivia weren’t in collusion before showing it to her directly. But since our investigation wasn’t detailed enough and wronged you, I have no face to meet her. Please, the two of you, hand it over directly!"
Watcher’s Palace hint?!
Upon hearing the old investigator’s words, Leon and Emma instinctively became serious, solemnly accepting the sealed document.
"Is the information in here for Olivia’s eyes only, or can we look at it too?"
Looking at the tightly sealed document, Emma frowned and asked,
"Also, tips from the Watcher’s Palace are usually very important. Why not use the Celestial Sphere Mirror to contact Olivia directly, instead of delivering a paper document?"
"I don’t know about that, I’m just running an errand,"
the old investigator shook his head after Emma’s inquiry,
"As for whether you can see it... The main bureau didn’t specify, only tasked me to deliver this information to the Virgin Branch, so members of the Virgin Branch should be able to see it."
Members of the Virgin Branch can see it? So... it might be a major task requiring the entire branch’s participation!
Understanding the significance of this document, Emma didn’t dare to delay. After a couple of low-key instructions, she grabbed the document and hurried off, while Leon, who had just put on a pompous show, stood up comfortably to see the guest off, saying,
"In that case, I won’t walk you out any further. Please feel free to go!"
Watching Leon say he "won’t walk you out any further," yet only shifted slightly in his seat without bothering to escort him to the door, the old investigator couldn’t help but laugh in anger, nodding slightly,
After taking one last long look at Leon, who had almost caused his death, the old investigator, who had kept a relatively kind demeanor despite provocation, finally indulged in a strange smile, saying with veiled meaning,
"Mr. Lyon, I believe it won’t be long before we meet again."
*Why did that sound like something a big bad villain would say?*
Though finding nothing wrong, Leon, exposed to similar phrases like "XXX, we have a long future ahead" in his past life, instinctively felt something amiss and immediately attempted to stop him,
"Hold on... Is your name Camus?"
Hearing Leon’s words, the old investigator turned around and asked in surprise,
"Has Mr. Lyon heard of my name somewhere before?"
"It does sound a bit familiar... Let me think..."
Spouting some nonsensical chatter, Leon eagerly leaned over, placing both hands on the old investigator’s shoulders to prevent any movement, and then exclaimed with eyes full of delight,
"Oh, so it’s you! Aren’t you the one who..."
Just as he was midway through speaking, Leon’s right leg suddenly kicked up. Using a secret combat move he learned from a policewoman, he swung his foot fiercely towards the old investigator’s crotch!
Remembering when the Chief lost his wallet, he predicted that something might happen within a week, and soon after, this old man conveniently showed up, making him extremely suspicious.
Moreover, that sentence of his just now reeked strongly of a villainous mastermind. No matter how he thought it over, something felt off, so he decided it was best to test it with a kick, regardless of any issue.
Considering he had an Undying Body, and the Chief’s office wasn’t far off, even if he somehow kicked the boss out, he probably wouldn’t get killed, so the benefits outweighed the risks—this kick was absolutely the right move!
*Why is he kicking me? Did I get exposed?*
When he noticed the leg hurtling toward his groin, the old investigator’s eyes widened in shock, as chaotic thoughts flooded his mind like a tide.
*My Soul of Goodness had been separated nearly seventy years, never once connecting with the Aquarius Director. My clean, verifiable records over the last fifty years, never hinting at corruption, surely meant I couldn’t have been exposed!*
*But if I weren’t exposed, why would he suddenly attack?*
*Could it be... just because I wrote bad things about him in the past, and couldn’t help but throw a hard word his way just now while leaving? Did he hold a grudge and ambush an old man like me? Kick me right in the nuts?*
*No way... Is this kid actually that much of a brute?!*
Unbelievably casting a glance at Leon, the old investigator felt the urge to lash out and blow this mangy mutt’s brains out, just to see what was really inside his head.
Yet, recalling his own objectives, thinking about the hassle of Leon’s Undying Body and the watchful Scarlet Hair Lady just twenty steps away ready to pounce at the first sign of unusual activity, the old investigator could only bear the agony, biting his lip and trembling as he gingerly spread his legs...
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!"