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墨書 Inktalez
Cui Ming explained the situation, and Beiyue nodded. "You suspect Liu Meier is a Fire Cult Practitioner. There’s no evidence, but there are grounds for your suspicion."
Cui Ming replied, "I didn’t want to get involved, but Liu Meier is too beautiful, which means she can access resources beyond that of an ordinary spy."
Beiyue sighed lightly. "Cui Ming, you haven’t changed at all; you’re still so stingy. According to Wandering's assessment of you, you are fully qualified to participate in decisions regarding the Fire Cult. I believe you could do very well. However, you’re missing the point… It’s like two countries; you should be the Minister of Foreign Affairs or the Minister of Defense, yet you’ve become the police chief. Sure, a police chief can capture enemy spies, but don’t you think what a foreign minister does is more important? But you want to do something while also not wanting to do anything; I understand that."
Cui Ming stopped and looked at Beiyue. "I don’t even understand myself."
Beiyue said, "Deep down, you have confidence; you believe you’re smarter than many people, and that’s true. You also want to showcase some of your abilities. At the same time, you adhere to the doctrine of moderation and don’t want to be the center of attention. Showing your abilities conflicts with your beliefs because you always see yourself as a stakeholder. Why investigate the Fire Cult? Have you asked yourself if it’s really to help Eva and Raefus, or is it to assist the Alliance? Or do you see this as an opportunity to showcase yourself on a life stage?"
Cui Ming was taken aback. "Beiyue, you know me well."
"I just understand you," Beiyue replied as he turned to leave. "Earlier, you mentioned that the Alliance President's Envoy would meet with the Fire Cult Papal Envoy; you could easily volunteer for that. Put your cleverness on the negotiation table; the Fire Cultists will definitely come out worse off."
Cui Ming smiled. "You really have faith in me."
Beiyue said, "Unless you're afraid of facing the consequences of failure."
"…"
"You say you never meddle in others' major decisions not for any other reason but because you believe that regardless of the outcome, others won’t be pleased. You’re still as smooth as ever. But Cui Ming, those who achieve great things need more than just smoothness; they also need to take responsibility. I believe you have what it takes to accomplish great things; it’s just that deep down, you don’t like being in the spotlight. You only want others to know of your existence but don’t wish for yourself to shine too brightly."
Cui Ming nodded. "I hope to be someone understated yet luxurious and profound."
"…" Every time Cui Ming rambled on, Beiyue found himself at a loss for words.
Cui Ming said, "Actually, I have already guessed the general situation. The Force Alliance is holding a high-level meeting with representatives from the Four Great Families and elders from the York Clan. These are all individuals who control a significant amount of resources for practitioners. At the same time, the Eternal Alliance is convening an emergency meeting, with envoys representing the rulers of the City-State. This meeting is in response to the potential rise of the Fire Cult, and it is also a high-level conference. However, the contents of the meeting have leaked. Whether it's due to the Fire Cult Practitioners being insufficiently powerful, or because the Fire Cult has no intention of starting a war right now, or for other reasons, the Fire Cult does not wish to engage in battle with a prepared alliance. At this moment, they directly contacted the alliance to indicate their willingness for initial talks. Bufon is decent, but after years of peace in the alliance, he lacks that kind of decisiveness. He is not that type of person; he always believes that it is most important to first communicate and understand the other party's background and leverage. Hence, this meeting came about."
Cui Ming continued, "But Bufon might be disappointed. The Fire Cult will not reveal their cards; they have identified the alliance's weaknesses and will not easily initiate conflict. As long as the Fire Cult Practitioners maintain their identities and strength, without accurate information, the alliance cannot make a decision. Therefore, the key point of this negotiation lies in whether Bufon can uncover the Fire Cult's leverage. It is impossible to achieve this at the negotiation table, so where should we start?"
Cui Ming answered himself: "Liu Meier. Liu Meier is currently the only breakthrough point regarding the Fire Cult's leverage that I can think of. Liu Meier's status within the Fire Cult will not be low; she knows a lot. How can we get Liu Meier to speak? Civilized means won't work. Liu Meier is cunning and calculating. We can only choose the simplest method: coercion. Kidnapping and coercion. The greatest advantage is that neither Liu Meier nor the Fire Cult acknowledges or states that she belongs to them. The biggest disadvantage is that Liu Meier has entered the Ye Family."
Cui Ming said, "I am unsure if this plan can be implemented or if I want to implement it; I do not wish to lack resources when I think about doing something bad. Therefore, I must first investigate Liu Meier; her personal belongings will provide us with many clues. For example, there may be evidence linking her to the Fire Cult or reasons for her occasional departures from the Ye Family. We are not skilled in interrogation, but Eva and Raefus owe me a favor. If necessary, Eva's group can use various ingenious methods to get Liu Meier out of Twilight City. Considering Liu Meier's abilities, launching a surprise attack would not be difficult; however, making a move within the Ye Family would be like playing with fire—too risky for me to consider."
"..." Beiyue took a long time to digest this information; she had to admit she was wrong—Cui Ming was not stingy but rather methodically prepared. Most importantly, before deciding whether or not to do something, Cui Ming already had a plan in place and was taking preparatory steps. He was not stingy; instead, he was becoming increasingly steady—quite fitting for his beard.
Beiyue asked, "What do you think are the chances of implementing your plan?"
Cui Ming smiled and replied, "The likelihood of implementing this plan does not depend on me; I do not like being a pawn and have never been great enough to tarnish my reputation for a group. Right now, I am considering who to drag down with me."
"Do you have any candidates?"
"Yes, the first candidate is Yellen—she has natural advantages and demonstrates a mature perspective on larger issues while possessing a good character for enduring humiliation and bearing burdens. However, Yellen is also strong-willed and has her own principles; without evidence proving Liu Meier is a Fire Cult Practitioner, her chances of being dragged down are very low—no more than 20%."
Cui Ming continued: "The second candidate is Jayce; he also has some advantages but lacks Yellen's moral integrity and decisiveness—he is quite slippery and difficult to lead into action; his chances won't exceed 20%."
Cui Ming added: "The third candidate is Ye Xin; as an outsider with Yellen's rigidity, she is willing to endure humiliation for loyalty to the Ye Family and would sacrifice everything for its honor and reputation. However, because of this loyalty to the Ye Family rather than the alliance, her chances are also no more than 20%."
"The fourth candidate is Balance Sect; I believe their approval likelihood is very close to 100%. Ashen would definitely be willing to take on blame for Balance Sect. He possesses strength and dares to take responsibility with minimal side effects—he should be the perfect choice."
Beiyue responded, "But?"
"But Mi Xiaonan is from the Balance Sect. Once Ashen's kidnapping and murder of Liu Meier is exposed, Mi Xiaonan will inevitably be implicated, because it was Ashen's connection to the Balance Sect that led to this."
Beiyue questioned, "Are we going to kill Liu Meier?"
"Of course. Killing her to silence her is necessary; otherwise, Ashen won't be able to bear such a heavy burden. Liu Meier is from a prominent family, the first beauty, a renowned singer, and she is also a woman who might marry Ye Wen," Cui Ming said. "In the end, I thought of a very suitable person who has little to do with me. His moral compass isn't too high in certain aspects, yet he is very capable and willing to sacrifice for the alliance. Even if I ask him to take the blame for me, he wouldn't agree. Would he approve? There's a 50% chance; I don't know him well."
"Who?" Beiyue asked.
"Wandering."
Beiyue was taken aback; Wandering was the alliance's emblem, the first hero among living practitioners. Indeed, Wandering sometimes employed cunning tactics and tricks. If it concerned the safety of the alliance and a world war, Wandering would be willing to take risks.
Cui Ming continued, "Wandering would definitely find it difficult; he might do it or he might not. At this time, we could pull in an Alliance Hunter as a scapegoat. I don't support Wei Wei; I know him well. There are several other Alliance Hunters with good reputations who possess virtues like integrity, bravery, and justice. Who would they sacrifice for someone else?"
Beiyue found herself at a loss for words after Cui Ming's remarks. This guy was fully equipped to set traps; he clearly told you it was a trap, yet you still had to jump in. After a long pause, Beiyue said, "It's best not to; what if Liu Meier doesn't have that many stories? Cui Ming, think of another plan." She didn't want any hunters to bear this heavy burden.
"Ah... I wasn't prepared." Since he hadn't planned on implementing anything, how could he come up with multiple plans?
"Think now."
"..." After three minutes of deep contemplation, Cui Ming said, "Then we can only cut off the source. The effect is decent but can't compare to my previous plan."
"How do we cut it off?"
"Kill Liu Meier and frame Lion Dog for it. The alliance will be furious, the Ye Family will be furious, and they'll pressure the Fire Cult. The Fire Cult will have no choice but to reveal their cards to prove their innocence or respond with force, igniting the prologue of the Fourth World War." Cui Ming stated confidently, "I understand Lion Dog's characteristics well enough; I can manage to disguise the crime scene as one created by Lion Dog."
“Why did the Lion Dog kill Liu Meier?”
“I’m not sure, Beiyue. You’re missing the point; our goal is to make the Fire Cult show their cards.” Cui Ming said, “It seems you’re just as anxious as others. This matter is up to you, Beiyue. Decide which plan to implement, or whether to implement one at all.”
Beiyue pondered for a moment. “Can you be certain that Liu Meier is definitely one of the Fire Cult?”
“I can’t be certain; right now, it’s a subjective judgment based on her beauty.”
Beiyue replied, “If you have evidence, I can take the blame.”
“Then I refuse,” Cui Ming answered. “I can help the alliance, but asking me to harm friends and family for the alliance is impossible; it goes against my principles.”
Beiyue said, “What if I do it myself?”
“Beiyue, you’re overthinking this. Even if I fully explain the plan to you, it will fall apart when you try to execute it,” Cui Ming shook his head, smiling with a mix of helplessness and regret.
Unable to contain himself any longer, Beiyue punched Cui Ming on the head. “So you think you’re so great?” It wasn’t that he denied what Cui Ming said; he was just dissatisfied with that kind of smile. Suddenly, Beiyue said, “Actually, I could kidnap you first and force you to help me kidnap Liu Meier.”
Cui Ming was stunned. A genius! This was true genius—how had he not thought of that?
Beiyue blushed; how could he say something that only Cui Ming would shamelessly come up with? He restrained himself from hitting Cui Ming again; that would be too familiar. Beiyue walked ahead without looking back. (To be continued.)
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