In a lavishly decorated study somewhere in Tivian, Berlit, a high-ranking member of the Eight-Spired Nest, leans against the cold railing of a balcony. Despite wearing only a thin vest and shirt, he shows no sign of feeling the chill. His hand is slightly outstretched, and in his palm rests a large spider.
The spider’s abdomen is adorned with intricate patterns that twist and form the shape of a human face. Berlit gazes solemnly at the face-like pattern and speaks.
"What? You’re saying one of the members of the Serenity Bureau’s investigation team was transferred today?"
"Yes, Lord Berlit. According to the information provided by Mr. Adelin, during their team meeting this morning, they noticed one member was missing. When Adelin asked the leading knight about it, she mentioned that the person had been transferred to another department."
The face-like pattern on the spider in Berlit’s hand twists and contorts, emitting Donald’s voice. Hearing the spider’s words, Berlit immediately asks.
"What was the name of the person who was transferred? Where was he transferred from?"
"Reporting to you, Lord Berlit, according to Mr. Adelin, the transferred individual is named Vihan Valder, from Coset in South Lime County. He is a black dog of the Blood Shade Path at the Black Earth rank."
Through the Face Spider, Donald relays the information to Berlit. After hearing Donald’s report, Berlit’s expression darkens, and he remains silent for a moment.
"Lord Berlit, is there something wrong with this Vihan?"
Hearing Berlit’s silence, Donald continues to ask through the Face Spider. After a pause, Berlit slowly responds."No, nothing’s wrong. The next time you see Adelin, tell him his information is valuable. However, for the time being, he must remain cautious. Don’t take any reckless actions for the sake of gathering information. His safety comes first. Only after ensuring his safety should he focus on gathering intelligence. He must not leave any traces."
Berlit speaks solemnly to the Face Spider. Donald, listening through the spider, feels a hint of confusion but still responds in agreement.
"Understood... I will inform Mr. Adelin the next time he visits me."
After Donald finishes speaking, Berlit seems to remember something and adds.
"By the way, has Adelin mentioned anything about that so-called Detective? Didn’t the Black Dogs send him a letter?"
Berlit asks Donald. He is well aware that the mastermind behind Claudius’ death in the Royal Crown University ruins is the mysterious organization represented by "Detective." Over the past few months, they have conducted countless investigations into this powerful organization that caused them significant losses and consumed a considerable amount of divination resources. However, they have yet to uncover any substantial leads. Now, they are hoping to use the Serenity Bureau to catch the Detective’s trail.
"According to Mr. Adelin, Detective has responded to the Black Dogs’ letter. However, the letter bears traces of Revelation spirituality. The Black Dogs, fearing that the letter might contain traps, are handling it very cautiously. The letter is still under examination and has not been opened. The contact between the Black Dogs and the Detective may be delayed significantly."
Donald responds to Berlit through the Face Spider. Hearing this, Berlit frowns slightly. The communication between the Serenity Bureau and Detective has stalled, which means their plan to use the Serenity Bureau to track down Detective has also been put on hold. This is not good news for them.
"Understood. Tell Adelin that if there are any updates about Detective, he should report them immediately. Of course, this must be done without compromising his safety or exposing himself. If he senses anything amiss, he should withdraw immediately."
Berlit continues to speak to the Face Spider in his hand. Donald quickly responds in agreement.
"Understood. Additionally, Lord Berlit, when will the Face Spider for Adelin be delivered? If you could communicate with him directly, it would be much more convenient."
"Given the current situation, the matter of giving Adelin a Face Spider will have to wait. The complexity of his situation has exceeded my expectations. The Black Dogs might already know something. Carrying or hiding cult-related mystical items on his person or in his home could pose a risk.”
"For safety reasons, direct communication through the Face Spider is out of the question for now. You will continue to act as the contact point. The next time you see Adelin, remind him to be cautious and not to contact you too frequently."
Berlit responds seriously to Donald. Hearing Berlit’s tone, Donald seems to realize that something unfavorable might be happening and doesn’t press further.
"Yes, I understand."
After Donald’s response, the pattern on the Face Spider in Berlit’s hand stops moving. Seeing this, Berlit turns and walks back into the room, heading toward his study desk. He places his hand on the desk, and the spider in his palm crawls onto the surface, making its way into a small open box on the desk. Next to this box are other exquisitely decorated boxes.
Berlit closes the box and opens another one nearby. From this box, another Face Spider crawls out and onto Berlit’s hand. Berlit speaks to the pattern on its back.
"How is Rek’s situation? Has he contacted you?"
Berlit asks the Face Spider in his hand. After a moment, the pattern on the spider twists, and a respectful male voice emerges.
"Lord Berlit, Mr. Rek hasn’t contacted me since our last meeting four days ago. It’s been the same up until today..."
Hearing the Face Spider’s words, Berlit’s already grim expression grows even more serious. After a pause, he slowly speaks.
"Understood. It seems something has happened to Rek. Abandon your contact point and return immediately."
"Yes, Lord Berlit."
After the Face Spider falls silent, Berlit places his hand on the edge of the desk, and the spider in his palm quickly crawls back into its box.
Berlit then closes the box and, with a somber expression, walks over to his seat and sits down. After settling in, he shakes his sleeve, and another Face Spider crawls out, making its way onto the back of his hand.
Berlit gazes at the new Face Spider for a while, watching as the pattern on its back begins to change. A deep, slightly aged voice emerges from the spider.
"Has something else happened, Berlit?"
"There have been some changes in the Serenity Bureau’s situation. One of the two informants I planted in their investigation team has been compromised."
Berlit speaks solemnly to the Face Spider in his hand. After hearing his words, the voice from the spider pauses slightly before responding with a hint of surprise.
"One of the informants in the team has been compromised? What caused it?"
"I don’t know yet. It’s possible he made a mistake during his infiltration and was discovered, or it could be something else. In any case, he has lost contact with us. According to the other informant’s report, he was transferred. It’s clear that Misha has noticed something. We underestimated this Royal Knight. She is far more capable than we thought.”
"Right now, if we want to figure out how the informant was compromised, we’ll have to use Influence. Unfortunately, Influence is currently unstable. It will take some time to uncover the truth."
Berlit speaks gravely to the Face Spider in his hand. After a moment of silence, the voice from the spider responds slowly.
"Does the exposure of your informant pose any risks to our upcoming operation? Should we report this to the High Priest and consider canceling the operation?"
"It shouldn’t. To avoid exposure, I carefully selected the two informants I planted. They know very little, and they don’t even know each other, let alone more about us. Even if the Black Dogs interrogate them to death, they won’t get anything. So, the exposure of one informant won’t affect us much. At most, we lose a contact point. Our operation can proceed as planned."
Berlit speaks with certainty, and the voice from the Face Spider responds slowly.
"In that case, the operation will continue. That Duke has been researching a bit too diligently lately. If we let him continue, it could have serious consequences for our overall plan. We can’t afford to let him live..."
"Indeed... Despenser must not recover the secrets they lost so easily. Barrett’s death is necessary. We’ve already planned this far; we can’t back out now."
Berlit nods as he speaks, and the Face Spider on the back of his hand agrees.
"Indeed, everything is almost ready. I’ve even found a scapegoat. If the operation is delayed, all my efforts will be wasted."
"A scapegoat? You’ve already found one? That was quick... How did you find them? Are they reliable?"
Hearing the Face Spider’s words, Berlit looks somewhat surprised. The spider responds.
"Haha... I found them through Coffin’s connections. As you know, one of Coffin’s White Ash-rank members was recently captured by the Black Dogs. They were furious when they confirmed the capture through the information I provided. They believe the Black Dogs set a trap for them and want revenge. Unfortunately, their core operations are far from Tivian, so they can’t do much here."
The Face Spider in Berlit’s hand speaks with a hint of mockery. After listening, Berlit continues.
"So, you told them you could help them get revenge?"
"Something like that. I mentioned that we were looking for people to deal with the Black Dogs, and they immediately recommended some very suitable candidates. Those who like to operate on the fringes of civilization certainly have interesting connections."
The voice from the Face Spider responds, and Berlit nods.
"I hope the people you mentioned are reliable. This operation cannot afford any mistakes."
"Of course. But based on the current situation, everything is going smoothly. That Duke won’t escape death. Recent Influence has been focused on this matter."
The Face Spider speaks, pausing for a moment before continuing in a serious tone.
"Moreover, according to the High Priest, to ensure everything goes perfectly, he will deploy Night Demon."
"Night Demon..."
Hearing the Face Spider’s words, Berlit’s eyes widen slightly, and his expression shows clear surprise. He speaks to the Face Spider.
"Deploying Night Demon in such a situation could be too risky! It might lead to unpredictable consequences..."
"That’s why we’ll only use him if absolutely necessary. According to the High Priest, this is just an idea for now and hasn’t been finalized. We don’t need to worry too much. As long as our plan goes smoothly, everything will be fine."
The Face Spider continues, and hearing this, Berlit nods silently.
Afterward, Berlit exchanges a few more words with the Face Spider. Once the conversation ends, the silent spider crawls back into Berlit’s sleeve. Berlit sits in his seat for a while before slowly standing up.
Berlit surveys the study and walks over to a bookshelf. After touching a candlestick on the side, the bookshelf slowly rotates, revealing something behind it. A wave of blood smell hit his face.
It is a man, firmly fixed to the back of the bookshelf. He is tightly bound to a sturdy wooden board with numerous leather straps. He has no hair on his head, and his mouth and nose are sealed shut. The parts of his body not covered by the straps are covered in horrifying wounds of various shapes and sizes. One of his arms is densely pierced with fine needles, and his entire body is covered in dried or semi-dried bloodstains.
The man, who had been in a dazed state, suddenly widens his eyes upon seeing Berlit’s face. He struggles violently, making muffled noises, his pupils constricted with fear.
The man, tightly bound to the bookshelf, struggles futilely. Berlit glances at the fine needles embedded in the man’s arm and speaks with a puzzled expression.
"So... where did we leave off with the needles last time? I can’t remember... Let’s start over.”
"By the way, my earlier promise still stands. If you can endure 500 needles, I’ll let you go."
With that, Berlit reaches out and pulls out the dozen or so fine needles embedded in the man’s arm, then reinserts them one by one in new locations.
Amidst the silent screams that cannot be voiced, the room is filled with pain and terror.
…
Across the ocean, in the New Continent.
Deep in the wilderness, far from colonial cities, in the tribal settlement of the Tupa people, Kapak sits at the entrance of his home as usual, treating his fellow tribesmen. After finally bandaging a tribesman’s wound and sending him on his way, a young tribesman runs up to him, panting heavily.
"Kapak... the Shaman wants you to come over now!"
"The Shaman wants me now? But it’s still my clinic hours..."
Kapak looks at the clock nearby and frowns. Usually, Uta wouldn’t call for him at this time.
"Gacha, tell me honestly, has something happened?"
Kapak asks the young man, who immediately responds.
"It’s Sado! Sado seems to have disappeared with Gangkulu and a few others! We can’t find them anywhere!"
"What?"
Hearing the young man’s words, Kapak recalls the hunting captain who once took him on hunts.