Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Value of Sacrifice
The next morning.
Luo Ling, arriving at the Wellington office as usual, encountered a rare visitor.
Lu Fangling, the office head, and Lu Manqing’s mother.
As the team was choosing their commissions, Lu Fangling approached them with a troubled expression. “Miss Luo Ling.”
“Hmm?” Luo Ling turned around, surprised. “Grandma Lu, long time no see.”
“Mom, what are you doing here?” Lu Manqing asked, peeking out. “Are you giving us a hidden mission?”
Lu Fangling ignored her daughter’s usual flippancy, looking at Luo Ling and delivering shocking news.
“Last night, Ms. Fiona disappeared.”
“Hmm?”
Luo Ling paused, her expression turning grim.
She knew Fiona had been investigating the past incident, her movements repeatedly captured by her intelligence network.
Of course, Fiona had been cautious. With her status and strength, and Luo Ling’s help in concealing her tracks, it was unlikely anyone else had noticed.
Unless…
There was something Luo Ling didn’t know.
Eve tugged at Luo Ling’s clothes, whispering curiously,
“Who is this Ms. Fiona? Why is Head Lu personally informing you?”
“Huh? Eve, you… don’t know her?”
Luo Ling’s expression turned strange. “Aunt Fiona is one of the Fate Society’s constellations. Didn’t you meet her when she came to see me before?”
“Really? I don’t remember…”
Eve scratched her head, then slapped Luo Ling’s back. “You must be mistaken. There are no women among the Fate Society’s two constellations, they’re both men.”
“…What?”
Luo Ling paused, glancing at her teammates.
They all looked confused, even Elsa, who whispered nervously, “Miss Luo Ling, where did you meet another ‘aunt’…”
“That’s the problem, Specialist Luo Ling.”
Lu Manqing’s voice was grave. “Most people have lost their memories of Ms. Fiona. She has been ‘forgotten.’
“Fortunately, you still remember.”
Luo Ling remained silent for a moment, then asked, “Grandma Lu, you didn’t come here just to tell me this, did you?”
“Of course not. The Company directors are very concerned. After all, she’s a peak expert capable of wielding an Authority. Her safety isn’t just a matter for the Fate Society, but for all of humanity.”
Lu Fangling said gravely, “You have a close relationship with Ms. Fiona. The directors want to know if you know her whereabouts, or if you’ve met her recently.”
Luo Ling felt Elsa’s grip on her arm tighten slightly when Lu Fangling mentioned their “close relationship.”
“I don’t know.” Luo Ling shook her head. “I’ve been on missions with the… team. I haven’t seen Aunt Fiona.”
She still couldn’t bring herself to say that ridiculous team name…
Especially since it was Lu Fangling’s daughter who had chosen it.
“Telling me is useless,” Lu Fangling sighed. “I’ll be blunt. The directors want to see you.”
Luo Ling’s heart sank. She suspected that Fiona’s disappearance was related to the Company directors.
Had Fiona uncovered something unfavorable to the Company or the directors during her investigation?
But if so, why bother informing her? They could have simply silenced Fiona…
Several thoughts flashed through Luo Ling’s mind, but she quickly replied, “Should I go to headquarters now?”
“No need, the directors are waiting for you in the meeting room.” Lu Fangling stepped aside.
“Thank you, I understand.”
Luo Ling nodded, giving Elsa a reassuring look before heading towards the meeting room.
As she passed Lu Fangling, she felt a faint breeze carrying a whispered message.
It was Lu Fangling’s voice.
“I’m sorry, Miss Luo Ling. Fiona… is likely dead. My condolences.”
Luo Ling’s eyes narrowed slightly, hearing the barely audible words.
But she quickly suppressed her emotions, continuing towards the meeting room, her steps slightly hurried, as if she hadn’t heard anything.
…….
After a knock, a cold voice echoed from within the meeting room.
“Enter.”
Luo Ling entered, her previous conflicted expression replaced by her usual calmness.
She had been to Wellington’s highest-level meeting room once before, for the joint interview with the three factions, with Lu Fangling representing the Company, Fiona representing the Fate Society, and Cheng Jianming representing the Torchbearers.
It had only been a few months, yet so much had changed.
Even Aunt Fiona might be…
“Greetings, Directors.”
Luo Ling bowed slightly.
Only one figure was present in the meeting room, the woman from the cabin, who had been sitting on the sofa.
She was still dressed in luxurious furs, her youthful face framed by old-fashioned spectacles with a chain.
“There’s no need for formalities, relax.”
The woman gestured for Luo Ling to sit, then asked directly,
“Miss Luo Ling, have you been in contact with Ms. Fiona in the past month? This is very important, it might help us find her.”
She stared intently at Luo Ling, her beautiful eyes filled with urgency and concern.
“I… haven’t.”
Luo Ling shook her head, a hint of sadness in her usually indifferent expression.
This wasn’t an act, but suppressed emotion.
Upon hearing the news from Lu Fangling, Luo Ling had immediately tried to contact the spores she had planted in the Victoria Opera House.
But they were gone, she could no longer sense them.
Some unknown power had annihilated them without a trace.
This could only mean… the perpetrator was incredibly powerful. Although she didn’t want to believe it, Grandma Lu’s whispered words were likely true.
Who had killed Aunt Fiona?
…Anyone was possible.
But at this moment, Luo Ling could only express a hint of sadness, powerless to act.
The woman studied Luo Ling for a moment, then said,
“Miss Luo Ling, don’t worry too much, Ms. Fiona is merely missing. With her strength, few in Victoria could kill her… even among the Grotesque factions, it would require a top-tier Agent.”
“I… understand. Thank you, Director.”
Luo Ling nodded, suppressing her emotions.
“Did you tell her about our previous conversation?”
The woman asked abruptly.
Luo Ling felt her voice escape her control, answering with her first thought.
“No.”
“…Very good, Miss Luo Ling, you’ve kept your promise.”
A strange expression flickered in the woman’s eyes as she nodded slightly.
“However, I must remind you, some knowledge is poison, knowing too much isn’t always a good thing. Ignorance can be a blessing… I believe you understand.”
Meaning, their previous conversation was for Luo Ling’s ears only. Revealing it… could be dangerous.
So, had the Company directors killed Aunt Fiona because of this?
But the directors had told her without any restrictions, likely anticipating that she might reveal it to others. They wouldn’t resort to killing a high-order Awakened One capable of wielding an Authority just for that.
Besides, if that were the case, there would have been no need to ask her that question.
Luo Ling knew she was now inevitably caught in Victoria’s brewing storm, Aunt Fiona perhaps the first casualty.
“I understand.” Luo Ling nodded, then hesitated. “If you have any news about Aunt Fiona, please inform me immediately.”
“Of course, Miss Luo Ling.” The woman nodded, her form gradually fading. “If you have anything else to tell us, just come to headquarters.
“Farewell.”
The woman’s shadow vanished completely, but Luo Ling remained there, her expression indifferent.
A moment later, a faint white strand of hair fell from her head, dissipating into nothingness.
The sealed memory returned, and a wave of guilt washed over her, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Perhaps it’s because I told Aunt Fiona the truth that she…”
Before entering the meeting room, Luo Ling had anticipated a memory probe, sealing that part of her memory within a strand of hair.
No matter what methods the directors employed, they would only find that she hadn’t contacted Fiona recently.
Only now, recalling everything, and considering the woman’s behavior, did Luo Ling understand the likely reason for Fiona’s demise.
But perhaps… she wasn’t dead yet.
The Company directors’ behavior was unusual, the situation still unclear.
Leaving the meeting room, Luo Ling suppressed her grief.
At the same time, her intelligence network throughout Victoria sprang into action, searching for any clues.
“At least… I have to see Aunt Fiona again, even if it’s just her body.”
…….
Within the cabin, the woman’s figure reappeared, the elderly man and the young man waiting for her.
However, they both looked pale and weakened, seemingly injured, which was why they hadn’t accompanied her to meet Luo Ling.
“She knows almost nothing, and likely… hasn’t revealed anything about the Taboo disaster.” The woman said concisely.
“Heh… not as I expected.” The elderly man said slowly. “However, even if that girl is a blabbermouth, revealing it to Fiona wouldn’t matter. What I’m worried about is…”
His cloudy gaze sharpened. “Those who shouldn’t know, know more than just that.”
The reason they had revealed the Taboo disaster to Luo Ling was because it wasn’t a complete secret. The Harbingers and several other Awakened Ones involved were aware of it.
But…
If someone had discovered other secrets, combined with this information and their knowledge of Victoria, they might have stumbled upon the closely guarded secret of the Company’s “old man” and the Harbingers’ Philosopher.
The old man and Philosopher had jointly erected a barrier throughout Victoria, at great cost, to protect or obtain the same secret.
If anyone touched upon this secret, even just a fleeting thought, they would be instantly detected.
…Clearly, Fiona had touched upon this secret.
Therefore, she had to die.
Although… Fiona’s current status was technically “missing.”
After detecting the barrier’s activation last night, the old man and the young man had immediately acted.
However, killing a peak expert so hastily required a heavy price, hence their current injuries.
But instead of Fiona’s death, they had only received news of her disappearance.
“The Harbingers also acted.”
That was the only conclusion they could reach.
Philosopher was also monitoring the secret, but the old man didn’t know his intentions. Perhaps he also wanted to kill Fiona, or perhaps… he wanted to obtain more information from her.
The former was fine, as the directors also wanted her dead, but the latter was unfavorable to the Company.
Lacking any leads, the Company directors could only try to inquire with Luo Ling, Fiona’s closest acquaintance, hoping to deduce how she had learned about the taboo secret.
They weren’t sure how much Luo Ling knew about the past incident, or whether it was a fragmented piece of information from her that had led Fiona to the taboo secret.
The result was nothing. Luo Ling claimed to know nothing, the woman’s ability ineffective.
This matter couldn’t be left unresolved. If this secret were revealed, the entire Company would face a catastrophic disaster.
…Or rather, Company headquarters.
The Company in Victoria consisted of sixteen offices, with the London office as its headquarters, controlling all other offices and branches in various Boundaries.
But originally… these offices hadn’t all belonged to the Company, but various Awakened factions, gradually merging into the current Company.
The same applied to the branches in other Boundaries.
The Company was essentially an alliance of Awakened organizations, though this alliance was tightly controlled and heavily reliant on the three directors.
If this secret were revealed, the consequences for the directors would be devastating, a fact even the Harbingers understood, though they hadn’t learned the secret yet.
Whether Fiona, dead or alive, had revealed it…
The three directors’ expressions were filled with unease.
“Cough, cough… let’s begin early. We can’t wait any longer.” The old man coughed, wiping the blood from his lips.
“But we’re not ready yet.” The young man frowned, his injuries no less severe than the old man’s, though his Myriad path abilities alleviated the pain.
“Just a few more sacrifices,” the old man said indifferently. “If we wait any longer, until the Harbingers make their move, we’ll all be dead.
“We have to prepare for the worst. If the Harbingers obtain this secret… heh, they’ll learn even more, their capabilities increasing significantly.
“Remember how the Harbingers obtained the ritual for stealing Grotesqueries’ Authorities? Wasn’t it thanks to… us?”
The atmosphere in the cabin turned grim.
His meaning was clear. The ritual had been leaked by one of them, the traitor among the three directors.
Who was Historian?
Even the directors didn’t have a definitive answer.
Even the old man could only say he was the least likely candidate, but he couldn’t rule it out completely.
One thing was certain: Historian would never allow either side to gain absolute dominance, wouldn’t reveal the secret in a matter of fundamental importance.
However, what no one expected was that…
Not only the Harbingers, but also the Company directors possessed the ritual for stealing Authorities.
In fact, the Harbingers’ ritual was merely a crude imitation.
“By the way, just kill her. Remember to extract her soul. We need her to answer some questions, there might be unexpected gains.” The old man said casually, as if suggesting something trivial.
The directors were also concerned about the Grotesquery capable of annihilating Boundaries.
As long as this Grotesquery remained hidden, the Company’s most powerful weapon, the ability to forcibly trigger Boundary collapses, would be unusable.
With Fiona still alive, they had hesitated to kill Luo Ling and search her soul. They could wait.
But now, the old man had lost his patience. They needed answers, and they needed them now.
“That’s not a problem. Let’s add her team to the list of sacrifices, a small contribution to humanity. But… who will do it?” The young man pondered.
“Cheng Jianming of the Torchbearers will do. A bloodied knife is always more effective.”
The woman shrugged indifferently. “However, let’s spare the two second-generation members. Linna’s death caused enough trouble already.”
“Hmm… there’s still a high-order Awakened One among them, enough to activate one of the ritual’s focal points.” The young man nodded.
“Let’s do that.”
The old man stared into the fire, finalizing their decision.
It was just the sacrifice of a few insignificant specialists.
They had made similar decisions countless times.
…All for the sake of humanity’s uncertain future.
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