Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

Seeing the information revealed on the note, Lauren couldn’t help but show a look of shock. The matter was simply far too bizarre. The Ye family was attacking the Wang family?

That was certainly possible. The three great families had never gotten along due to conflicts of interest, and five years ago they had even come to blows over that incident, throwing the entirety of Maplefall Town into chaos.

Even so, the three families had never staked everything on completely destroying one another. Because doing so was simply too difficult.

The three great families had existed in this city for centuries. Their histories stretched back even further than that of the City Lord’s Manor. One could even say that they were the true foundation upon which the city stood.

Throughout those centuries, countless families had risen to prominence like a passing gust of wind, only to vanish just as suddenly. Yet the three great families alone had remained standing, unshaken by the passage of time.

That was because they were truly powerful—so powerful that, aside from themselves, no one truly knew the extent of their strength.

Other than the immortals of the Immortal Cloud Pavilion, who descended upon Maplefall Town once every ten years, their position was virtually unassailable.

Even they found it difficult to shake one another. To exhaust all of their strength destroying a family that was just as powerful as themselves would have been an act of sheer stupidity.

That was why the final sentence shocked Lauren the most: The Wang family was losing… and might even be wiped out.

Hadn’t the Ye family been at a disadvantage during the events five years ago? How had they gained the power to destroy the Wang family in the span of a mere five years? Could it be… Had the Ye family truly produced a Saint Realm expert?

At the thought, Lauren’s face turned slightly pale. If the Ye family had truly given birth to a Saint Realm powerhouse, the entire balance of power within the city would be rewritten. The other two families would have only two choices: submit or perish.

The City Lord’s Manor would become little more than decoration. As for the Inspection Bureau, it would most likely be reorganized, or simply dissolved altogether. And most importantly… If the person who killed Adrian had really been Liana, then she would lose even the slightest possibility of revenge forever.

Thinking of this, Lauren unconsciously clenched her fists, a trace of inscrutable emotion flashing through her eyes.

……

“Did something happen?” Seeing Lauren’s expression, Lilith immediately realized that another major incident seemed to have occurred and asked curiously.

Lauren raised her head and looked at her, seemingly weighing something in her mind. In the end, she chose to tell her everything.

After hearing the entire story—

“The Ye family… is attacking the Wang family?” Lilith rubbed her chin, somewhat surprised. Not long ago, she had stayed at the Ye family estate herself. Yet she hadn’t sensed the slightest atmosphere of an impending war or any preparations for one.

Either destroying the Wang family required no preparation at all for the Ye family… Or the decision had been made on a whim, with no prior planning whatsoever. Whichever was the case, it only served to demonstrate the Ye family’s strength.

But… Hadn’t the Ye family always been the weakest among the three great families? Otherwise, Landon wouldn’t have joined forces with the City Lord’s Manor five years ago. So how had they suddenly become so fierce? Did the entire family collectively get a shot of adrenaline or something?

“Do we have any other intelligence from over there?” Lilith suddenly asked.

“No.” Lauren shook her head, her expression grave. “The Ye family isn’t even allowing information to be transmitted through the Inspection Bureau. The South District Branch has probably already run into trouble.”

“The Ye family is that powerful, yet they’re still afraid of people seeing what’s happening?” Lilith stroked her chin thoughtfully. “In other words, they’re using certain methods that absolutely cannot be seen by outsiders.”

“And that’s the reason they’re able to defeat the Wang family?” Lauren continued.

“Probably.” At that point, Lilith suddenly looked at Lauren and spoke with a faintly amused smile. “Alright. Since you’ve voluntarily told me so much, shouldn’t you tell me what your real objective is?”

Lauren’s expression remained unchanged, as though she had expected the question. “I want your help.”

“My help? I’m just an ordinary little girl. How am I supposed to help you?” Lilith raised her hands and showed off the shackles around her wrists, putting on a pitiful expression. “Besides, I’m still a prisoner of your Inspection Bureau.”

“You’re not ordinary,” Lauren said.

Lilith countered, “What makes you so sure I’m not ordinary?”

“You escaped from the prison with ease and returned without leaving the slightest trace.”

“But what if that was all thanks to Liana? She’s the Ye family’s Third Miss. It wouldn’t be strange if she possessed methods you know nothing about.”

“That was what I thought at first as well.” Lauren looked deeply into Lilith’s eyes, a faint curve appearing at the corner of her lips. “Until I visited the prison again.”

“Oh?” Lilith seemed somewhat surprised. “Did I leave some kind of clue behind?”

“Of course not. You didn’t leave any traces.” Lauren paused before continuing. “But the prisoners inside weren’t blind.”

“I see.” Lilith froze briefly. Before leaving, she had forgotten to erase the prisoners’ memories. Though ‘forgotten’ wasn’t entirely accurate. She simply hadn’t cared enough to bother.

“So all of this was a test.”

“That’s right. I also had to consider the possibility that Liana possessed some method of deceiving the prisoners as well.” Lauren stared directly into Lilith’s eyes. “That’s why I deliberately sounded you out. In the end, I discovered that you might be even more frightening than I’d imagined.”

“How so?”

“You were too calm. Whether I told you the victim’s identity or informed you about the conflict between the Ye and Wang families, you remained unnervingly composed. It was as if…”

Lauren fell silent for a moment, carefully organizing her thoughts. “It was as if… all those matters were nothing more than trivial incidents in your eyes. They were enough to pique your interest, but not enough to surprise you.”

Lilith did not deny it and merely smiled. “You’re smarter than I expected. You’re right. To me, it makes no difference whether the murdered man was the Chief Inspector of the Inspection Bureau or a beggar lying by the roadside. Likewise, whether the Ye and Wang families were slaughtering each other tonight or a few drunken thugs were brawling in an alley, it’s all the same to me.”

Lauren let out a slow breath. “It seems I wasn’t mistaken.”

Tilting her head slightly, Lilith asked curiously, “But why are you so certain I’d help you? Like I just said, none of those things matter to me. Wouldn’t it be much more enjoyable to find a comfortable spot and watch the show?”

“Because I think you want to know whether Liana is the killer too.”

Lilith raised an eyebrow. This was the third time the woman before her had managed to surprise her. “And what if I don’t?”

“No.” Lauren spoke with absolute certainty. “You do.”

She looked at Lilith seriously and continued, “You don’t care who the victim was, nor do you care about the war between the Ye and Wang families. But you care about Liana. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to refute my claim that she was the murderer.”

No matter how logical a conjecture might be, it was still only a conjecture. If someone didn’t care, who would waste so many words arguing against such an insignificant assumption?

“Fair point.” Lilith nodded.

“In that case—”

“One last question.”

Lauren’s pupils suddenly contracted. Because Lilith had suddenly appeared right in front of her. Not across from her. Directly in front of her. They were so close that they could feel each other’s breath. At some point, the shackles on Lilith’s wrists had already fallen away.

Looking at Lauren, Lilith wore a teasing smile. Then she slowly raised a finger and gently lifted Lauren’s chin. Her voice was soft and gentle, yet carried an unmistakable sense of superiority. “How can you be certain… that I’m not an enemy of your Inspection Bureau?”