Death Game: Starting as a Trickster, Pretending to Be a God

”Your Excellency the Inquisitor, it’s exactly as you predicted... those bastards couldn’t hold back and made a move.”

Inside the Tribunal of Heresy’s archive room, listening to the deputy Inquisitor’s report, the Lilee Inquisitor, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.

”After all, even among the dark race, that snake lineage has the worst patience. I said it would only take a month or two before their anger drove them to extreme measures.”

”In any case, this is precisely what we wanted. The final Merits you need to return to headquarters will be filled by these snake descendants themselves... It’s been over fifty years since a dark race launched a large-scale attack on a city like Lilee!”

The deputy Inquisitor said, a look of enjoyment spreading across his aged face, like someone who had just drunk wine.

”Right, everything is going according to plan. Using that ’underground’ bastard as bait will push these snake descendants to the brink,” the Inquisitor mused. ”However... the fact that they chose this timing to act does concern me a bit.”

”You mean that Demon Hunter with the medal... Are you worried he’s also after the snake descendants, here to steal the Merits?”

The deputy Inquisitor asked, puzzled.

”No. If he were just here for the snake descendants, or even if he eliminated them, that would still be fine.”

”The fact that the snake descendants made their move as soon as he arrived... What worries me is whether there’s another possibility behind this coincidence—like maybe he picked this specific timing but isn’t after the snake descendants at all.”

”Or even... he might be colluding with the snake descendants.”

The Inquisitor said calmly, and the deputy Inquisitor was shocked: ”How is that possible? If what you say is true, this holder of the Golden Cross Medal has spent a long time hunting in the Abyss. How could he possibly collude with the dark race?”

”Anything is possible. But these are just low-probability scenarios. The more likely possibility is that he’s simply after the low-ranking, filthy dark creatures and cultists that the snake descendants are manipulating and seducing,” the Inquisitor said.

The deputy Inquisitor nodded.

”That makes sense... Anyway, rest assured, Your Excellency. I’ll keep a close eye on him.”

”Whether he’s here for the snake descendants or colluding with them, at least he’s definitely not here for us!”

The deputy Inquisitor said, and the Inquisitor nodded in agreement.

”Exactly. No matter where he comes from or why he’s here, this Lilee city is our turf. There’s no way he knows our greatest secret and our strongest asset. Even if those snake descendants are cooperating with him, they would never tell him about the secrets hidden deep underground...”

Just as the Inquisitor was speaking, the archive room door suddenly swung open.

A clerk from the Tribunal rushed in, looking panicked.

”Your Excellency... that ’Golden Cross Medal’ holder has come to visit, along with an adventurer who caused a ruckus at the city hall earlier and another unidentified supernatural being who appears to be a member of the Holy Relic faction!”

”He’s requesting access to the ’Black Prison’ for an investigation, claiming he suspects the criminals locked up there are connected to the dark race and the mysterious barrier currently appearing above Lilee.”

The Inquisitor’s expression shifted.

”What?”

The deputy Inquisitor muttered, ”Damn it, Your Excellency... It looks like he really is here for us!”

But the Inquisitor quickly regained his composure.

”As expected of a ’Golden Cross Medal’ holder... No, looking at it now, he must be one hundred percent the true meritorious warrior who earned that medal.”

”I really did underestimate these heroes who ended the Dark Age...”

The deputy Inquisitor looked at his superior, somewhat at a loss: ”What do we do now?”

”Don’t rush. We may have underestimated him, but this is still our turf—we’ll just toy with him!”

……

Outside the Tribunal of Heresy, Fish, who was squatting on the steps, took a sip of water and looked at Lin Yu.

”Schreiber, those cookies were pretty good. Got any more?”

”Nope. That was a [Consumable], not a [Reusable Item],” Lin Yu shook his head. ”Sis Fish, didn’t you just eat Roasted Meat earlier?”

Although both Lin Yu and ”Schreiber” were a bit older than Fish, Fish seemed to really enjoy being called ”Sis Fish” or ”Boss Lady” or titles like that.

Naturally, Lin Yu catered to her preferences.

”I get hungry fast,” Fish put her hands in her pockets and explained casually. ”But speaking of which, aren’t you holding that ’Golden Cross Medal’? Why are they being so disrespectful, just leaving us waiting out here?”

Lin Yu found it strange too.

Last time they came, the Tribunal rushed them through the process and sent them away. Now this time, they were left cooling their heels at the door again.

What was up with this Tribunal of Heresy?

Raymond, the Night Valley native and Fish’s junior, thought about it and offered, ”Could it be that with the lockdown all over Lilee, the Tribunal is short on personnel?”

”Then they should prioritize receiving us! After all, we’re here to lift the lockdown... or at least that’s our stated reason!”

Fish still trusted her fellow disciple Raymond quite a bit. Even though she hadn’t revealed the whole truth to him, she had told Raymond that their main goal was to go into the Black Prison and kill some imprisoned dark race creatures.

Raymond lived up to Fish’s trust. Even after hearing about this clearly unorthodox plan that bordered on provoking the ”Tribunal of Heresy,” he still chose to board the pirate ship without hesitation.

He didn’t even raise any objections.

This made Lin Yu gain some serious respect for Fish’s sect in Night Valley—even though the ”Holy Relic faction” was a group he’d never heard of on the forum, not even in the exclusive materials Shen Bingmiao had given him, and seemed to be a very small supernatural organization, its members had strong cohesion.

”I say, why don’t we just go in first and worry about it later,” Raymond pulled out his flask, took a swig for courage, and suggested. ”After all... with His Excellency Schreiber here, they probably wouldn’t dare blame us!”

Raymond proposed, and Fish fell into thought, seriously considering the feasibility of this plan.

Of course, Lin Yu wasn’t very optimistic about it.

After all, once they went in, they were very likely to stir up trouble in the Black Prison. If they tipped off the Tribunal people that something was off and they kept a close watch on their group, their mission difficulty would skyrocket.

But just as Lin Yu was thinking about how to dissuade them...

The doors of the Tribunal of Heresy finally swung open!

”His Excellency Schreiber, and you two, I really apologize,” the Inquisitor said, wearing his robe and rushing over personally with a flustered look. ”The investigation team found some leads, and I was just communicating with the frontline team, which delayed things... With the special circumstances right now, you understand!”

Fish stood up and waved her hand: ”No problem, we understand... But old man, we’re also here because of these special circumstances, so please hurry up and let us into the Black Prison for the investigation!”

”No problem,” the Inquisitor nodded, then said, ”Three of you... please allow me to personally escort you there!”