Death… And Me

Chapter 4363: At The Core

There wasn’t a need to wait much longer. Due to the importance of this project, the guild masters themselves had also joined in the construction of the Godly Creatures Farm. After all, they were considered among the very best in their respective fields throughout the Besgol Region. If a project involving a Godly Crystal was being built, no one found it strange that the guild masters wanted to oversee part of the work personally.

Flugel, as well as the Blacksmith, Talisman, and Alchemist Guild Masters, soon gathered with Tobao and Arcis. As for Rean, he simply watched from the side. He had already done what he came here to do, so there was no reason for him to take center stage unless someone specifically asked for his opinion.

Naturally, Arcis and Tobao explained everything they had found, including the existence of the hidden backdoors. The revelation immediately made everyone present nervous. All sub-occupations shared some degree of connection with arrays. Blacksmiths often used Array Inscriptions in their creations. Alchemists relied on arrays for many concoctions and refinement processes. Talisman Masters were essentially creating a different type of rune system that achieved other effects while still following similar principles. Because of that, none of them could be completely excluded from suspicion.

That was especially true for the guild masters themselves. Although arrays weren’t their primary field of expertise, all of them possessed at least a respectable amount of knowledge regarding arrays. They might not be able to create something on Flugel’s level, but they certainly knew enough to understand what had happened.

Janzen, the Guild Master of the Blacksmith Guild, was the first to react after hearing the explanation.

”That absolutely wasn’t me. I know plenty about arrays because I need them for inscriptions. However, most of my role and my guild’s role in this project was providing a stable structure for the farm itself. None of my blacksmiths participated in the conception of the arrays. We didn’t make a single inscription in this project”

Lasto, the Alchemist Guild Master, quickly followed.

”I also want to know who tried to sabotage this project. However, the Alchemy Guild’s responsibilities were completely different. We were responsible for providing the proper alchemical support and pill supplies for the cultivators who would eventually work here. We haven’t even touched the central area where the protective arrays were constructed.”

”The same goes for me,” Congrel cut in. ”Look over there. We built an entire Talisman Drawing Facility for ourselves. Have you seen even a single Talisman Master getting anywhere near those arrays? How could any of us have created that backdoor?”

With that, everyone’s eyes naturally shifted toward Flugel, the actual Arrays Guild Master.

Of course, Flugel had expected this from the very beginning. His guild was the main force responsible for all the protective arrays that had just collapsed. Rebuilding the entire system would likely take at least a month, perhaps even longer if they decided to thoroughly inspect every layer before reconstructing it.

Naturally, he wasn’t willing to simply sit there and accept the blame.

”Isn’t this all a little too convenient?” Flugel immediately argued. ”The arrays contained backdoors, therefore it must have been the Array Masters. Is that really all it takes to decide who’s responsible?”

Tobao and Arcis narrowed their eyes. The biggest problem was that they genuinely lacked a way to directly identify the culprit. The arrays themselves had already been destroyed after Rean dismantled them through the hidden framework. Most of the evidence had disappeared together with the arrays.

Eventually, Tobao turned to Rean. ”You discovered the backdoors. Do you have any ideas about how we can find whoever created it?”

The guild masters all looked at Rean as well. As some of the most influential figures in the Besgol Region, they naturally knew who he was. They knew he had created the Godly Pressure Disguise Array and was also responsible for introducing the concept of using Godly Pressure for teleportation. Regardless of cultivation, nobody present underestimated his abilities when it came to arrays.

At the same time, they knew Rean was clear of suspicion. Until an hour ago, Rean had never appeared in this place during the entire project. How could he have done anything? Above all, he is still an Anchor God, and many of the runes required one to be at least an Aura God to craft.

Rean clasped his hands behind his back and walked around for a moment while organizing his thoughts.

”Hum... hard to say. To be honest, I also initially thought of blaming the Arrays Guild. After all, every design had to be approved by Guild Master Flugel and his people. However, that doesn’t necessarily prove anything. The backdoors were hidden very well. Even I found them difficult to notice, so it’s entirely possible they simply slipped past everyone.”

His gaze shifted toward Flugel. ”If you truly want to get to the bottom of this issue, then the first thing you should investigate is the origin of the designs.”

Flugel immediately became somewhat nervous. ”But... although I received help from other masters within my guild, I was ultimately the one who designed the entire system.”

As the person responsible for protecting the Godly Crystal, Flugel had refused to leave anything to chance. He personally designed every major array involved in the project and only allowed other Array Masters to review the work afterward for validation or possible improvements.

The revelation immediately caught everyone off guard.

Wasn’t Flugel practically turning himself in?

Of course, Flugel had no such intention.

”But I did not create any backdoors!” he exclaimed. Immediately afterward, he accessed his RC and transmitted copies of his original designs to everyone present. ”Look at them yourselves! There is no such thing hidden in my plans!”

Everyone immediately began reviewing the files, including Rean. Naturally, most people would require significant time to examine everything properly, especially those who weren’t Array Masters.

Unfortunately for the culprit, Rean wasn’t alone.

Sister Orb reviewed the designs alongside him, and together they reached a conclusion within only a few minutes.

”He’s not lying,” Rean finally said. ”If these are truly the designs he distributed, then there were no backdoors in them.”

Several people frowned upon hearing that. Wasn’t that a little too fast? Well, for now, they wouldn’t doubt the very same person who found the flaws.

Rean looked toward the destroyed arrays and pondered for a moment before continuing.

”Which means the backdoors weren’t introduced during the design phase. They were added later, during construction or just before it started. At the same time, whoever did it possessed a very high level of expertise. The modifications blended perfectly with the original framework and remained hidden until activation. I’m sorry to say this, Guild Master Flugel, but there probably aren’t many Array Masters in the region capable of modifying your work to this extent without drawing attention.”

Flugel narrowed his eyes. ”Are you insisting it was me?”

Rean shrugged. ”I didn’t say that. I only said the culprit must be someone at least as capable as you.”

At that moment, Tobao suddenly realized something. ”Wait. The arrays weren’t built by a single person. Multiple Array Masters worked on the construction simultaneously. It would be one thing if a single individual had been responsible for implementing the entire design, but that wasn’t the case.”

Everyone immediately understood what he meant. ”Which means...”

Tobao didn’t waste any time. ”Bring every Array Master who participated in constructing the protective arrays here.”

The order was carried out immediately.

Not long afterward, more than twenty Array Masters, all of whom had been waiting nervously ever since the incident began, were brought before Tobao, Arcis, Flugel, and the others.

Tobao went straight to the point.

”Bring out the designs you received. As most of you have probably already noticed, I temporarily blocked your IDs within the network. Any modifications made after receiving the designs have been frozen and cannot be altered. The history logs will reveal every difference between what you received and what currently exists inside your RCs.”

No one dared to delay.

The Array Masters immediately opened their RCs and transmitted copies of the designs they had received.

Rean and the others quickly began examining them.

Sure enough, every single copy contained the hidden backdoors.

The Array Masters had simply followed the instructions they were given.

”This is ridiculous!” Flugel exploded. ”Those are absolutely not the designs I distributed! Where the hell did those modifications come from?!”

The Array Masters looked equally confused. ”But... those are the exact designs we received, Guild Master,” one of them replied. ”The logs will prove it. Every single one of them came directly from your ID.”

”I KNOW!”

That was precisely why Flugel was so furious.

The records clearly showed that the files had originated from him, yet he knew with absolute certainty that those weren’t the designs he had created. Well, they were, but with the backdoors modifications. The evidence pointed directly at him while simultaneously contradicting everything he knew.

Once again, suspicion naturally returned to Flugel.

After all, logs didn’t lie.

Yet, while everyone else focused on Flugel, Sister Orb had already started considering another possibility.

[Rean... I think it would be better to investigate the people responsible for maintaining the Besgol Network instead.]

Rean’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’Yeah. I was thinking the same thing.’

If Flugel’s original designs were clean, yet every Array Master had received altered versions directly from his ID, then there were very few places where such tampering could have happened. More importantly, it would require access to a system capable of intercepting and modifying data without alerting either side.

The others couldn’t hear Sister Orb and obviously didn’t know she existed. Naturally, Rean had to voice the theory himself.

The moment Tobao and the others heard it, a bad premonition immediately formed in their hearts. Arcis’s expression darkened, while the guild masters exchanged uneasy looks.

”Could it be...” Tobao muttered.

”Someone at the core of the Besgol Network System?!” Janzen finished for him.