Chapter 296 - 223: The Scapegoat and the Mysterious Incident

Chapter 296: Chapter 223: The Scapegoat and the Mysterious Incident

"Cultists?" Isaac raised an eyebrow. He could read between the lines; Mensa was clearly implying that Isaac had hired these so-called cultists. After all, he was a Mad Witch.

The old Isaac might not have connected the dots so quickly, but ever since learning what happened to his older brother, he couldn’t help but overthink things.

Of course, there was another reason: that group of "Cultists" was Isaac’s own people. Or rather, they were his Dimension Apostles.

The Dimension Apostles were Immortal and Undying, making them an incredibly useful tool. So, while Isaac had been absorbed in his research, they had been actively operating throughout the Empire, developing an intelligence network while simultaneously sabotaging the Empire.

Yes, sabotaging the Empire, not just making things difficult for Prince Norns.

After all, that would have made the target too obvious. In any case, the Empire was definitely pulling the strings behind Prince Norns. Otherwise, where had his older brother Caesar’s "Boundless" Authority gone?

So, while Mensa’s reason for visiting seemed legitimate, Isaac instantly saw through to his true intentions.

Naturally, Isaac wasn’t about to admit to any of this. He asked in feigned surprise, "Cultists? Have the Cultists in the Empire grown so bold as to challenge the Empire itself?"

Cultists had always existed within the Empire. They were impossible to completely eradicate, like weeds that spring right back up after a spring breeze. It wasn’t just the Empire; even the Teaching Countries led by the True God Churches couldn’t completely root out the infiltration of the Evil God Churches.

However, the Empire was exceptionally powerful. In this Extraordinary World, the dynastic decay cycle familiar to Isaac from his past life was greatly extended. This was because the truly powerful were the world’s true rulers.

Thus, although the Empire had existed for a thousand years, it was still in its prime. Within its borders, neither disgruntled Nobility nor officials dared to have too much contact with Cultists. Without fertile soil, they naturally couldn’t grow.

Therefore, within the Empire, Cultists could only be rats scurrying in the shadows, hiding everywhere. They would occasionally pop out to cause a bit of trouble and annoy the Empire, but they were incapable of anything more.

This was why Mensa and the others had immediately zeroed in on Isaac after the incident. They knew these rats within the Empire all too well; they absolutely lacked the guts to wage open war against the Empire!

Only Isaac, the Mad Witch, had both the audacity and the motive to do such a thing.

’If he knew what happened to his older brother, Caesar...’

But in the end, there was no concrete evidence. Moreover, Solomon was no longer the fledgling noble house that could be pushed around at will. After several generations of management, the house of Solomon had become a key power among the Border Nobility. It wasn’t so easy to make a move against them anymore.

Furthermore, the Emperor’s prophecy of Isaac destroying the Terra Empire hung over their heads like a sword of Damocles.

This was the most infuriating thing about the power of prophecy. For minor matters, prophecies were generally accurate—even the process would be flawlessly correct.

But when it came to important matters...

Well, that’s when things got treacherous.

Because at that point, you could never be sure if the future you were seeing was the result of your intervention, or the result of you not intervening at all...

Even a being as powerful as a Demigod couldn’t confirm this.

This was why the Empire had been so compromising regarding Isaac, showing so much goodwill.

Theoretically, if the Emperor himself were to act, there would be no chance of failure. The vast difference in Level would leave Isaac completely defenseless.

But...

That was only in theory. In reality, there was always a "what if."

And a Mad Witch was that "what if."

The most terrifying thing about a Mad Witch—especially an old-school, utterly insane one like Isaac—was that they dared to seize the power of Outer Gods. They inherently possessed certain special abilities, and these abilities would only become more special and more powerful as they continued to plunder Outer God Power.

Under normal circumstances, killing a mere Mad Witch would be no big deal. But now that he had appeared in the Emperor’s prophecy, the situation had become deadly serious...

That was why the Emperor was sparing no effort to cultivate the Eldest Princess Philo. He was preparing to use a Mad Witch to fight a Mad Witch.

Judging by the results, however, the outcome was less than ideal...

"Indeed. We never expected this group of Cultists to be so audacious," Mensa said as a magical message floated from his fingertip. "You have more experience dealing with Cultists than most. Which Outer God do you think these Believers follow?" He gave Isaac a meaningful look. While he didn’t say it outright, the expression on his face made his meaning perfectly clear.

Isaac, however, pretended not to notice. He took the magical message from Mensa’s fingertip and, without hesitation, pressed it into the space between his eyebrows. This act of trust made Mensa’s brow furrow slightly. Although he strongly suspected Isaac, his current actions were...

Mensa’s frown was fleeting, gone in an instant, because Isaac had already opened his eyes and was looking at him.

"An Immortal and Undying nature... the power of Flesh Mutation..." Isaac’s brow knitted. "If this information is correct, then these should be Believers of the Master of Billions of Flesh..."

"Wait!" Before Isaac could finish, Mensa cut him off the moment he heard the name of the Master of Billions of Flesh. Mensa’s expression changed drastically. He waved his right hand, and a curtain of light enveloped them both. "Do you always speak the names of Outer Gods so directly?" he asked, his face grim.