Super Righteous Player
Chapter 722 - 263: Fragments of the Truth_1

Chapter 722: Chapter 263: Fragments of the Truth_1

As Annan looked at the spy list, various actions of Niusel flashed before his eyes.

...No wonder.

"His attitude towards me became so affectionate after he found out I was Annan Winter..."

He even nuzzled my face.

Annan muttered to himself sarcastically.

Didn’t anyone tell him not to peck his superior’s lips... or nuzzle his superior’s face?

No wonder he always addressed Annan as "Your Majesty" instead of "Your Highness"; it was because he had known all along that only Annan would inherit the duke’s position. This was indeed something one would only understand if they were acquainted with the upper echelons of Winter.

Even the Noah royal family couldn’t be certain of this—not even the frigid brotherhood, a group of Winter nobles, could grasp it.

"...So that’s how it is."

Annan murmured to himself.

That’s why, when Annan left previously with his childhood friend Naifertali, Niusel was so assured, and his reaction so calm...

That’s why he sold his collections, to provide lodging and travel expenses for the players; that’s why the Sporogenesis Mill, an Underground City directly beneath the Duchy of Winter, was so close to the Winter people.

It seemed that Niusel, a child not from a Digger or a Wise family and without much wealth, was able to become a "Digger" and discover multiple underground cities, probably because he was funded by Winter’s Hands...

There was even another possibility...

That was that Winter’s Hands had directly sent professionals with sophisticated equipment for underground exploration... and then transferred the cities they found to Niusel, who had the status of a "Prospective Digger."

Therefore, Niusel became a Digger at such a young age, yet still remained in the Sporogenesis Mill, a small town steadily declining due to nightmares—most likely, that was his mission as a planted agent.

If Winter did not activate this planted agent, he would keep living in the Sporogenesis Mill. Living a normal life as a Digger, working, marrying, having children, maintaining his ordinary life trajectory... until Winter’s Hands needed him.

Which means...

Annan’s lips slightly lifted upwards.

He put the paper back.

—Just pretend I never saw it.

As one of the few senior personnel infiltrated into the Underworld, Niusel was still very important to Winter’s Hands. He wasn’t the type of low-level intelligence agent you could just send over in any quantity you desired.

The Wise ones of the Underworld were very tricky to deal with—not because they were inherently superior in race or education, but because they were constantly engaged in high-level, high-frequency life-and-death gambits.

One crucial difference in the Underworld was that the laws of different cities did not apply to one another, and cross-city pursuits were extremely difficult. This allowed killers, swindlers, and thieves to run rampant in the Underworld, with crimes difficult to punish.

The Wise ones often wove conspiracies, set traps, fabricated false evidence to vie for power, and eliminate adversaries, using these tactics to attack each other.

If it weren’t for the fact that they devoted a considerable part of their wisdom to infighting—between Wise ones of the same city, overt and covert struggles between Wise ones and Diggers, as well as conflicts within and between cities, factions, and factions... Perhaps the smart people of the Underworld would have been numerous enough to alarm the monarchs of other countries.

Once Niusel was activated, and he started making moves in the Underworld... he would quickly be discovered by the Wise ones. With some luck, he might be able to evacuate; without luck, he would meet a swift death. You could say he would be a one-time consumable.

In order to prevent posthumous discovery of important memories, spies were almost never Transcendents... This was also one way to identify spies. But it also left these agents nearly powerless when faced with assassination.

Although there were many Diggers, their significance was actually equivalent to that of other feudal nobles. To activate such a higher-level spy, an order directly from Winter’s Hand of the "Right Middle Finger" grade was required to avoid waste.

Now, only Annan could command Niusel.

But Annan had already decided.

—He wouldn’t do it.

The Duchy of Winter did not lack such an individual... and Niusel was not just a spy; he was also a friend to Annan. A companion worthy of trust.

"...Let him live his life in peace for now."

Annan whispered.

Even though he had recognized Annan’s identity long ago, he hadn’t said anything... Next time they met, he would give him a scare.

A slight smile, warm and light, played at the corners of his mouth.

"Your Grace, what did you say?"

Zoya asked with some confusion at his side.

"I was just looking for information on the Winter Reverser."

Without any concealment or deception, Annan straightforwardly explained to Zoya, "I suspect that in the ’defection’ incident involving the Winter Reverser years ago, there might still be other truths hidden.

"For instance... could it have been an exercise? Did we actually need the Winter Reverser to openly betray the Winter Duchy and infiltrate other powers under the identity of ’Winter Reverser’?"

In other words, was this a counterespionage maneuver?

Upon hearing Annan’s question, Zoya showed neither anger nor bewilderment.

"This is only your second day on the throne."

She simply looked subtly at Annan, "I didn’t expect you to speak so directly so soon..."

"That’s because Aunt Zoya was the person involved. If Ivan had any speculations, Zoya would likely be aware of them too."

Annan spoke calmly, with a rational voice, "I am currently the best choice for the Winter Duchy, and while this question may be a bit awkward, it’s not sensitive. Even if I were to ask the other ’Ten Fingers’, at most I would be laughed at.

"But if I were to fear being ridiculed, worry about saying or doing the wrong thing, that’s when I would miss the right timing."

Zoya, who had handled Ivan’s internal affairs for many years, was among the Winter’s Hands, the one with the longest contact time with Ivan.

Without a doubt, her opinion was highly valuable—if out of distrust for her or thinking that "there is no need to inquire about this matter," one were to be secretive and cause information errors or misunderstandings, leading to delays, that would be nothing but self-inflicted trouble.

Ever since Annan was very small... when the teacher said "Raise your hand if you don’t understand," Annan never hesitated, regardless of the atmosphere or the gazes of others.

If he did not understand, he would definitely raise his hand.

If he did not know, he would definitely ask.

When confronted with ambiguous answers, Annan never guessed on his own. Instead, he would have a serious talk with the person, confirming their true intentions and deducing their mindset and reasons for their responses at that moment.

It’s precisely because of the skills developed during those times that he can now smoothly see through the hearts of others.

"So, what’s the answer?"

Annan pressed on, "Is the Winter Reverser really one of us?"

Although Zoya responded, she had not answered directly just now. She could not be someone who was slow and soft, who didn’t know the importance of timing in her words and actions... so she wasn’t changing the subject but was intentionally trying to divert the topic.

But Annan was not so easily fooled.

"...this question may be a bit complex."

"Then take your time. As the Duke, I should have the right to know about this now, shouldn’t I?"

"—Of course."

Zoya replied seriously, "You naturally have the right to know everything... but what I wanted to say is that what we know is only about the former ’Winter Reverser.’"

After saying this, she paused for a moment to gather her thoughts.

Then she answered:

"You guessed correctly. At least initially, the ’Winter Reverser’ did indeed defect on purpose. And his defection plan...

"...was decided by you personally."

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