When the plot-skips players into the game world

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"You could say that, Mr. Lohar. This is not a threat, but a declaration: even in death, I would bite off a piece of flesh from you. I would advise you to think twice."

Boka made no attempt to mask his hostility and aggression, "Everyone has their weaknesses. And you can't always be so lawless—someone in Avalon will eventually bring you to heel."

But Tommy only found it laughable.

"Think twice?"

Tommy chuckled, "Yes, I will certainly give it some thought."

Just because Meg forced my hand doesn't mean you can talk to me with such arrogance!

However, a thought suddenly crossed his mind—could it have been Boka's doing that led Meg to come knocking at his door?

Or was it possible that Boka was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes?

So, Tommy narrowed his eyes slightly and ventured, "The power of the Shadow Demon is quite strong, isn't it?"

"Indeed, it's strong, but I'm not weak either,"

Boka's voice was deep, "Mr. Alistair has already inquired about it. When do you plan to come looking for me?"

——Boka indeed knew Alistair!

Tommy internally screamed in excitement, feeling as if the world had suddenly become clearer.

If he started from this point, he could complete his mission within three days!

The demon possessed by the Shadow Demon was known as Alistair, and that was not something Boka should have known about, at least not so soon. Even the Grand Arbitrator Meg didn't have more information, let alone Boka with no significant ties to the Supervisory Court or the Supervisory Bureau.

In other words, Boka must have known who Alistair was all along!

It was even highly likely that Alistair was his man!

No wonder he so readily agreed to move against Aiwass.

Because from the beginning, Boka knew that Aiwass wouldn't really be harmed—why would a brutal demon opt to capture Aiwass alive unless there was a special need?

Tommy even believed that Aiwass had not actually been kidnapped, but that Vice Chairman Boka had deliberately hidden him away to give Avalon's official reason to pressure him!

——In other words, Aiwass was actually faking his death!

There was no doubt this would lead to a blow against the Noble Red Society, and the Lohar Society would also come under associated pressure. He, being the first to bear the brunt of it... and once he was cursed to death by Meg, and the Lohar Society fell apart, and then he brought out Aiwass again, he would become the hero of both the Lohar Society and Avalon.

What about public approval, topics of conversation... Wasn't Boka always harping on about this?

A clever scheme indeed, what a clever scheme!

Indeed, he had been silent, but not out of weakness. He was just brewing that fatal blow... Tommy had to admit, Boka had succeeded this time.

Even Tommy himself, at first, thought the Shadow Demon was a man of the Noble Red Society and hadn't considered Boca as a possibility. Because Boka had no motive to do so. But now thinking about it—wasn't his own death the best motive?

If he failed to realize that Alistair was Boka's man and focused on searching within The Association... he wouldn't have found anything in three days. And Tommy's displayed hostility and embarrassment could likely lead The Association to abandon him or even kill him prematurely to silence him.

What a ruthless Boka!

If he moved, it was to take his life!

He had thought his opponent was a rabbit content with just burrowing holes, not expecting it to be a crocodile pretending to be a log!

Murderous intent filled Tommy's eyes.

This half-blood giant had to carefully manage his rage to prevent himself from crushing the phone in his hand.

"Of course, I will come looking for you, Mr. Boka."

Tommy said with a low chuckle, his sinister grin like that of a demon, "Be careful... though, being careful will be of no use."

With that, he hung up the phone.

On the other end, Boka's complexion was also exceedingly grim.

Minister Drost had said the intelligence would be sent over in the afternoon, but not a single word from his mouth was true—he had sent Diomedes with the information that morning. He was so cautious that he didn't fully trust even his own allies.

It was after seeing that intelligence that Boka was certain Alistair was President Lohar's man.

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Joining the Noble Red Society without knowing the identity of one's mentor?

——That's impossible.

Drost didn't know, but Boka was very clear... Joining the Noble Red Society is not a process like this at all.

First, you must become a probationary member and study parts of the demonology and ritual studies knowledge through mail. When you've somewhat understood it, they send two official members to assess you.

First comes an interview, then a written test. After passing both, there's the joining ritual.

"——We all are fists of creation, hands clenched in blood, blades without scales."

You have to kill someone with your bare fists to demonstrate your resolve——killing with fists is different from using cold weapons, and the feeling of using cold weapons is also different from using firearms. Killing someone with your fists takes a long time; there will be pleading, wailing, and screams until you beat them to death at last.

This ritual brings a strong shock. It also fully awakens a person's evil thoughts. It's to prevent someone from suddenly "discovering their conscience" and deciding to quit after studying for a long time.

After all, many are merely interested in mysticism or just have the potential to transcend Path. But they don't realize what being a Demon Scholar entails... If they haven't completely fallen into darkness before joining the Noble Red, it's possible they could suddenly regret it.

After that, you must use a small knife to remove the deceased's organs, performing your first ritual with your own hands – the person you killed – officially stepping onto the first Path and becoming a Transcendent of the Path.

Once all these are completed, you can receive the "Noble Red" ring and be recruited by a mentor without an apprentice, to continue studying the relevant knowledge under your mentor.

Unless it's a situation like Aiwass——as a wild Demon Scholar, killing the ring's bearer and being directly pulled in by a senior member. In that case, there's no need for a joining ritual.

But that's a Demon Scholar, not a Demon.

Demons are very dangerous; even the Noble Red Society is extremely cautious about them, and joining is not so casual. Take, for example, the lawyer from the Hermes family; it took him a lot of effort to join the Noble Red Society.

And the joining process Drost talked about is basically all wrong. In other words, the Demon named "Alistair" must have been deceived——he was never really part of the Noble Red Society, but someone knew the society's philosophy and got a ring. That indicates the deceiver must also be a member of Noble Red, and definitely a mentor.

They wanted to use the Shadow Demon but didn't want to introduce him properly into The Association; as a mentor, they dared not tell the apprentice their name; and most critically, there weren't many mentors with spare rings recently.

The Noble Red Society is planning something big recently; personnel near Glass Island are basically just two-person fixed teams. The mentors who are unoccupied are those of the Lohar Society.

He knew he wasn't the one, and Lawyer York had been killed.

——Doesn't that leave only President Lohar?

After all, there were no other possibilities.

When Boka first heard the phrase "Mr. Lohar sends his regards," he was somewhat skeptical, wondering if this could be an attempt to deliberately lead him towards President Lohar. He really didn't want to provoke that bastard who always loses his sanity so easily——he never reasons and loves to force others to submit to him.

But after receiving intelligence from Minister Drost, Boka immediately realized that he should no longer harbor any hope.

If he retreated any further, he would be dead!

Lohar's murderous intent was becoming unmasked; he was planning to seize this opportunity to kill him and then throw all the blame onto him!

Alistair must be Lohar's man!

But his ally had already been killed...

Boka felt heavy-hearted.

Lohar was a Demon Scholar of the fourth energy level, just a step away from becoming a Demon Incarnation; and he had enlisted the help of Alistair, a Demon possessed by the Shadow Demon, to aid him. They could attack him at any time, and the rituals he had set up in advance were very likely to be discovered and broken——after all, Lohar might bring in people from Noble Red.

There are official researchers of rituals in The Association.

It is said that there used to be a lineage of Curse Ritual Magicians in The Association, not completely controlled by the royal family as it is now. Even though the lineage of Curse Ritual Magicians has been broken today, the ritual knowledge and curse knowledge left by the predecessors still exist.

In other words, he had fallen into an extremely dangerous situation.

So he had nothing to fear anymore.

He only had one chance... For the sake of his life, he was willing to take a dangerous risk.

But if handled properly, perhaps he could also come out clean.
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As long as he could rescue Aiwass——

With a do-or-die attitude, he made that phone call:

"Respected Guardian, this is Bran Boka."

"Yes, I want to turn myself in. I also want to formally report President Tommy Lohar of the Lohar Society for committing the grand crimes of murder, kidnapping, extortion, and thirty-six others... and request the witness protection program."

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