Chapter 1091: Chapter 1089: Trial in Absentia
A few seconds later, Long Mei’er closed his eyes and opened them again, returning to his usual appearance.
He glanced at Inogova, and said in a slow voice, "I’m sorry, Inogova Wizard, I lost my composure."
As he spoke, he walked up to Inogova, extended a hand, pulled Inogova up, and said, "Where is Cheka now? Take me to see him, I need to have a talk."
"Hoo—huh—"
Inogova made a broken bellows-like sound in his throat, gasping for a few seconds before feeling his strength return. He nodded at Long Mei’er without hesitation, "Yes."
Stepping forward, he led Long Mei’er ahead.
...
About ten minutes later.
In another place in Pompeii Town, the door to an underground chamber was knocked on.
"Thud thud thud!"
"Screech!"
With a teeth-chilling sound, a moss-covered Stone Gate opened from the inside, revealing Cheka’s figure.
The gaze passed over Cheka’s figure to show a bronze candlestick inscribed with the Illumination Technique lighting up the room, and a table filled with various documents—Cheka had been meticulously browsing these documents over the past two days.
Seeing Long Mei’er, Cheka was slightly taken aback, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Supervisor Long Mei’er, is there something you need from me? Is there a problem with the application I just submitted regarding accessing your relevant documents?"
"No problem," Long Mei’er said, "If you want, you can have them all later. This time, I’ve come to talk to you about the handling of Wizard Richard."
"Wizard Richard, handling?" Cheka perceptively sensed the change in Long Mei’er’s tone, his eyes widened slightly in surprise, then he let out a sly laugh, "Oh, what’s this, Supervisor Long Mei’er, have you finally come around to my viewpoint? Weren’t you insisting earlier that Wizard Richard is an outstanding member, so why..."
Long Mei’er glanced over, interrupting Cheka with a cold tone, "Cheka Inspector, you can choose to mock my mistakes. If you wish, I don’t even mind if you initiate an investigation into my loyalty, it’s your right.
However, before you do anything or say anything, it’s best to think about the subsequent impact, don’t just pursue momentary satisfaction. Now, you can either finish what you were saying before I interrupted or let me know if you’re going to cooperate with my next actions."
Cheka was somewhat unconvinced since Long Mei’er actively sought him out, proving he was the victor and that his suspicions were correct.
Since he was correct, why should he back down?
He should be soaring with pride.
But under Long Mei’er’s gaze, Cheka felt immense pressure and finally couldn’t help but slowly lower his head, taking a few heavy breaths and gritting his teeth, "Yes."
"Excellent," Long Mei’er nodded and turned to walk outside, "Come along with me."
Watching Long Mei’er’s figure, Cheka bit his lip and followed.
...
Pompeii Town, No.1248 Residence.
Before the dismantling plan was halted by Long Mei’er, most of Zone 12’s Stone Building had already been dismantled, leaving fewer Stone Buildings around No.1248 Residence, giving it a somewhat isolated feel. Under the cover of night, it appeared like a small boat sailing in the vast ocean.
Inside the "small boat," in the first-floor living room, numerous candles were lit as Richard paced back and forth.
He was thinking.
During the two days and nights since deciding to resist, he had been contemplating how to solve the thorny situation in front of him.
Since he had decided to reject believing in the True God, the easiest solution was already dismissed. Attempting to ensure his safety and leave Pompeii according to the plan would be challenging.
He had studied the Guardian Magic set by Long Mei’er, which penetrated directly underground, forming a closed sphere with no loopholes to exploit. He also used various Spells to test the effect of the Guardian Magic, with no great confidence in ensuring a concealed escape—a risky escape attempt would undoubtedly lead to a dire and irreparable situation if exposed.
Yet, if he did not risk escaping and tried other methods to overcome the current predicament, there wasn’t much assurance—within these two days, he had devised four different plans, each offering less than a fifty percent chance for a safe exit from Pompeii.
In other words, no matter what he did, he had at least a fifty percent chance of facing Long Mei’er, Cheka, and a group of Pompeii Wizards head-on.
Thus, he was stalling for time, hoping for other variables to arise. Unless absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to use force as a solution.
Indeed, the three Implosion-type Atomic Bombs gave him a strong trump card, but these bombs were intended for research purposes, not for killing.
He just wanted to be a researcher, not a butcher.
If he chose the latter, he would be pained by not using the Atomic Bombs for the right purpose.
But then again, if things continued as they were, he’d eventually have no choice but to take the risk. No matter how he cherished the Implosion-type Atomic Bombs, he would use them when necessary.
Pacing, continuously pacing.
"Tap tap tap..."
Richard paced toward a wall, with the candlelight stretching the shadow on the ground longer and longer as his voice murmured to himself.
"Currently, the third plan seems the best. The chance of resolving the issue without conflict is as high as four and a half out of ten. But the key to this plan is to incite conflict between Supervisor Long Mei’er and Cheka or create a trust crisis between the Southern Free Federation Branch and the Truth Society Headquarters. This could deflect danger, stir the waters, and allow an opportunity to escape.
However, before implementation, the amount of trust Supervisor Long Mei’er still has in me remains a question. My delay in responding will inevitably cause displeasure, disappointment, and annoyance. To what extent will his annoyance reach? If he still harbors the slightest intent to persuade me, the plan can proceed smoothly. If he’s too annoyed and turns hostile, the plan will shift to the latter half of the fourth plan..."
"So what is their current situation?" Richard muttered as he walked to the corner.
In the corner, there was a wooden chair. He turned and sat down, leaning back against the chair. After pondering for a moment, he slowly closed his eyes.
"Buzz!"
...
At the point of affairs, in the basement’s first level.
In a scarcely known conference hall, many of the Wizards from Pompeii Town were gathered for a judgement meeting—a trial meeting in the absence of the suspect.
The one presiding over the trial was Cheka, standing at one end of the long conference table, meticulously detailing his suspicions and evidence to the meeting participants.
Long Mei’er sat in a corner of the hall, far from the conference table, listening quietly to Cheka’s words, without making any statement throughout, as if he were just an observer.
...
