Chapter 175

After making up her mind, Ye Zheng exited the manga app. She hesitated briefly, then opened the forum once again.

It wasn’t just her imagination, there had been more and more strange comments appearing on the forum lately. Recently, a trend of calling her “Mom” had started to spread. It was something she found hard to understand, but Ye Zheng had always maintained the attitude that as long as people enjoyed it, it was fine.

After all, she couldn’t exactly post a declaration saying 【I am Ye Zheng. Could you please stop calling me Mom, wife, daughter, or spouse?】.

The system let out a laugh.

『Haha, you could try posting that declaration. Maybe it’d actually work?』

It guaranteed that doing so would only lead to an entire page filled with Zheng fans flooding in while shouting “Mom, wife, daughter, spouse.” It rather maliciously wanted to see Ye Zheng show a helpless expression.

“I’m not going to fall into the same trap again, System.”

Ye Zheng still remembered the template post the system had given her for rejecting shipping. After she posted it, she’d been met with an entire page of ridicule.

『Alright, you’ve become an internet expert now. You’re already quite proficient at using the black-and-red hype playbook.』

Previously, after the Amber Lake incident, someone had secretly stirred up negative public opinion against Ye Zheng. Instead, she’d gone along with the momentum and pushed the controversy even further. Then, with her sermon, she’d flipped the entire situation around in a single move. Both inside and outside the manga, she had successfully carried out reverse hype and torturing fans tactics. The system suspected that Ye Zheng had genuinely learned something from the forum.

Applying these real-world tactics within the comparatively simple manga world was like carrying out a dimensional reduction strike. The hearts of the empire’s people had been grasped by Ye Zheng with surprising ease.

Ye Zheng only smiled and said nothing. She typed a name into the forum’s search bar and looked up related keywords.

【Roy.】

Pei Xi’s teammate, with dazzling golden hair, a rather poor temper, and a background that remained unknown.

The Amber Lake incident had already come to an end. The victims had been compensated, and the perpetrators on the surface had received the punishment they deserved. However, Ye Zheng didn’t believe it had been an accident. It had clearly been premeditated.

The purpose behind the incident had been twofold, to frame her and to elevate Pei Xi.

Pei Xi had originally been the most the most spotlighted hero in the lower district. After going through a series of setbacks, his reputation had declined, and he had gradually lost his brilliance. But after stepping forward during the Amber Lake incident, he had once again drawn attention and expectations.

If she hadn’t handled the public opinion crisis well, the amount her reputation fell would’ve directly translated into how much Pei Xi’s rose.

Pei Xi’s coincidental appearance at the scene had to have been part of the plan. Ye Zheng had already grown familiar with the patterns of this world. The protagonist Pei Xi wouldn’t actively do anything harmful to achieve his own success, but someone would take on those sins for him to preserve his image of righteousness and integrity.

That person had been directed by someone behind the scenes. He had known the accident was about to occur and had deliberately guided Pei Xi to the workers’ residential area.

Pei Xi’s identity was special. He was X-366, a being even more mysterious than Sykes, created by the Hope Project base using the flesh and blood of the God of Hope. He had escaped from the base as a child and entered the lower district. Although the Hope Project base had failed to recapture him, over the span of more than ten years, interested parties had had plenty of time to uncover his true identity and keep him under surveillance.

There was no role more suitable for surveillance than that of a teammate who stayed by his side day and night.

Ye Zheng quickly skimmed through the forum posts related to Roy. Recently, quite a number of readers had also begun to notice the irregularities surrounding him.

【Roy once mentioned that his mother had already passed away. Whenever his father comes up, his expression clearly turns strange. It feels like there’s something big going on, aaaah】

【Speaking of strange expressions, Roy’s face was obviously off during Pei Xi’s speech at the tomb. Linking that with how Pei Xi ran into the monster attacking people while he was searching for Roy… could the Amber Lake incident be connected to him?】

【I’m begging the people above to stop with the conspiracy theories about our Cloud Soarers team. Lu Qi is already sad enough after leaving. We’re all little angels, okay?】

【Roy has golden hair, and golden hair is a symbol of the royal family. I’ve got a bold guess…】

【Isn’t golden hair pretty common? Guessing that Roy is related to Sykes by blood is one thing, but guessing that Sela and Sykes are siblings? Those two actually do look alike.】

【Don’t drag him into this. That’s insulting Sykes. Haven’t Sela fans already stolen enough of Sykes’s golden-haired puppy image?】

【The person above must be a Sykes fan who only dares to show off here because they’re getting crushed by Zheng Mom, right?】

【I’m dying of laughter. Your Sykes really does have the fate of a dog. Can’t argue with that.】

……

Ye Zheng withdrew her gaze. The discussion in this thread had already shifted focus. The conversation about Roy’s background had turned into a fan war between character stans. Ye Zheng noticed several IDs connected to her that claimed to be Sela fans while putting Sykes down.

In short, based on the details she’d gathered from the forum, Roy was very likely a member of the royal family. Considering that he was part of the protagonist’s team, he might even have a close blood relationship with the emperor.

With this, she could confirm that the Amber Lake incident had been the emperor’s scheme. But she still didn’t understand why the emperor wanted to suppress her to pave the way for Pei Xi.

Sykes was his biological son, the one he’d placed high hopes on. He’d even sacrificed Empress Qin Tian for Sykes’s birth. So what kind of relationship did Pei Xi have with him that was worth the emperor personally taking action for Pei Xi?

No matter what the emperor’s goal was, the hostility between her and the emperor was gradually surfacing. This meant he was very likely to interfere with the Pope’s succession ceremony.

Ye Zheng’s eyes darkened into deep, still pools. The five fingers gripping her phone tightened.

In order to seize 【Mother of All Things】, she had to prepare herself to confront the two peaks of imperial power, the emperor and the Pope.

✧✧✧✧✧

The next day, Ye Zheng received intelligence from Cheng Cheng and Cheng Che. The eldest son of the Colonna family had returned home from school, and the family had convened a secret meeting.

On the third day, the report informed her that the Si family had recalled their son, who had been serving as a priest in the South Wutong District. As soon as he returned, he went to the church to visit the Pope.

Ye Zheng knew that the other side had already begun releasing smoke screens.

On the morning of the fourth day, Ye Zheng received news that a certain prince had also been frequently entering and leaving the church. At the same time, she obtained Pei Xi’s recent itinerary.

Pei Xi’s schedule wasn’t difficult to obtain because he had to report his expenses to the school, and all sources of spending were recorded clearly.

The manga spoiler didn’t show any date. The scene of Pei Xi holding the white pigeon figurine could’ve taken place in the past or in the future.

Ye Zheng skimmed through Pei Xi’s activities over the past ten-plus days at a glance, or more precisely, the expense list he had recorded himself. Her gaze suddenly paused, stopping on the line: “November 11th, 4 PM, Sunrise Street, Eastern District, White Pigeon Equipment Store, 250 yuan.”

She remembered that in the manga spoiler, there had been a bag containing equipment at Pei Xi’s feet.

In the past, when she had mingled with the Cloud Soarers team under the identity of Zhao Mei, she had also taken part in procurement activities. Pei Xi was usually responsible for purchasing supplies, and he frequented two particular shops. However, Ye Zheng had no memory of the shop he had visited on the 11th.

She glanced at the bright sunlight outside the window, spent some time disguising herself as a blond youth, then left the Order of Sacred Conduct base alone and headed toward the equipment store.

Upon arriving at the store, Ye Zheng pushed the door open and stepped inside. While pretending to browse the equipment, she carefully observed the shop.

Most equipment stores in the lower district looked like this. From tables and cabinets to the walls, various pieces of gear were crammed together. Everything from defensive armor to small weapons was available. There were old stains on the white walls, and the air was filled with the strange smell of metal and aberrant beast hides. It didn’t look like a new shop, just an old and unpopular one.

Ye Zheng casually picked up a pair of gloves. There was no one at the counter. She was the only person standing there waiting to pay. The owner didn’t seem to be a particularly diligent person either.

After waiting for quite a while, Ye Zheng was just about to lower her voice and call out when a young woman in a pretty red dress hurried in from outside, her expression filled with surprise.

“Dear customer, are you here to pay?”

She was probably an employee or perhaps the owner of the shop. She spoke politely.

But Ye Zheng didn’t miss the vigilance and surprise that flashed across the woman’s face the instant she saw her, like a wild beast noticing an intruder who had wandered into its territory.

Why would she react like that toward a customer?

Ye Zheng lowered her gaze slightly and stared at the woman’s hands. Her movements while handling the payment were clearly clumsy. The way she counted the change made it obvious she was a complete novice.

“Did this shop only open recently?” she asked.

The young woman handed over the change. When she heard the question, she forced out a rather strange smile and replied with a question of her own, “Is that question very important?”

Ye Zheng’s hand paused as she took the money. Soon after, she looked at the woman with a trace of anger and complained in a dissatisfied tone, “What kind of attitude is that? No wonder your shop doesn’t have any customers. You make guests wait for so long, and the staff’s attitude is terrible…”

“If it hadn’t been for that guy Pei Xi recommending this place, I wouldn’t have bothered coming all the way out to such a remote location…”

At the mention of Pei Xi’s name, the young woman’s expression shifted slightly. She immediately put on a friendly smile, and most of her vigilance faded away.

“You’re a friend of Pei Xi?”

“Not really.” The blond-haired Ye Zheng snorted. At that moment, she looked just like an ordinary young man venting his frustration about a friend.

“Wait, from the way you’re talking, are you actually very close to Pei Xi? I’ve never seen you before. What’s your name?”

Noticing the suspicion on the blond youth’s face, the young woman tilted her head slightly and offered a cryptic smile. “Perhaps it won’t be long before you learn my name.”

Ye Zheng exaggeratedly tugged the corners of her mouth downward, making her displeasure with the whole mysterious act obvious. She clicked her tongue in impatience and said, “Fine then, Pei Xi’s mysterious friend. I’m leaving.”

She waved her hand, picked up the newly purchased gloves, and turned to go. The moment the shop door shut with a dull thud, the exaggerated expression on Ye Zheng’s face disappeared instantly, like receding tidewater settling back into calm.

Her gaze shifted faintly to the right, but in the end, she didn’t turn her head. Carrying the bag, she walked away with steady, natural steps.

As Ye Zheng moved along, she replayed the scene in her mind. She hadn’t been mistaken. In the instant the young woman tilted her head, she had clearly caught sight of a distinctly visible Adam’s apple.

Women could have Adam’s apples too (one of the members of the Order of Sacred Conduct had a particularly prominent one), but the young “woman” just now had been far too suspicious in terms of movements, demeanor, and even manner of dress.

The red dress was simple in design, but the fabric was expensive. No woman would wear something so costly while working in a grimy equipment store.

It was also possible she had just returned from some gathering with friends. If that were the case, her first reaction upon seeing a customer should’ve been guilt or embarrassment, not vigilance and veiled hostility.

However, one thing was certain: Pei Xi’s white pigeon figurine had come from that person’s hands.

That unmistakable air of arrogance clearly belonged to someone from the Colonna family.

“‘You’ll know my name soon’? That line is quite intriguing too.”

Ye Zheng recalled that person’s expression and gave a soft shake of her head with a quiet laugh.

After hurrying back to the base, Ye Zheng removed her disguise and issued two assignments:

The first was to investigate the daughters of the Colonna family, including any illegitimate daughters living outside the household.

The second was to send someone with a sharp memory to walk along Sunrise Street in the Eastern District and record the names of every equipment store there.

“But I remember there aren’t any equipment stores on that street at all. Did a new one open?”

The knight who received the assignment scratched her head. She was from the Eastern District and, as a knight, she was very familiar with the equipment stores in the area.

“But don’t worry, Saintess. I’ll observe and record everything carefully.”

Ye Zheng nodded and offered her an encouraging smile, but her heart sank slightly. As expected, that place had appeared out of nowhere.

That person had been genuinely surprised by her sudden arrival. In their eyes, it seemed that no one should’ve been able to enter that shop.

It was highly likely that the shop and that person’s ability were linked, and that some sort of barrier had been set up that ordinary people couldn’t see or even perceive.

But barriers always had conditions that could be broken. Ye Zheng suspected that she might’ve accidentally broken those conditions and entered the shop, which was why that person had been so startled and on guard.

“White Pigeon Equipment Store.”

Ye Zheng silently repeated the name to herself. She hadn’t told the knight the shop’s name, because she wanted to test whether the barrier was connected to awareness of the store’s name.

What kind of ability did that person, who might be the Pope’s successor, actually possess?

It really made her look forward to it. The one Wen Jian and the others had placed such high hopes on must possess something significant.