Chapter 341, Sincerity Clay Figurine
Hearing the dwarf's words, Wu Heng tensed up.
A strange object that forced people to tell the truth—it wasn't much different from his [Speak with Dead] ability.
The difference was that this artifact questioned the living, while his power questioned the dead.
If this object were used on him, it could indeed be problematic.
If the questions leaned towards revealing his secrets, and he accidentally spilled everything, things would escalate far beyond just catching pirates.
"Is something bothering you, Deputy Steward?" Olin noticed Wu Heng's deep thought and asked curiously.
Wu Heng shook his head and continued with a casual question, "What if he starts asking random things, wouldn't that be a bit awkward?"
Olin chuckled. "I was pretty nervous too at first, but they only asked about guild-related matters—nothing personal."
"What sort of questions? Tell me," Wu Heng said, sipping his tea.
Olin thought for a moment. Given Wu Heng had just transferred in and had already taken out so many pirates,
it was clear he had nothing to do with the pirates, so Olin saw no harm in revealing some of the questions in advance.
"The questions were pretty straightforward. First, they asked if I had any connection with pirates. Then they asked if I'd ever sold guild secrets. Lastly, they asked if I'd done anything damaging to the guild's reputation."
"Only these three types?"
"Yeah, just these three. But even then, quite a few people didn't pass," Olin explained.
Wu Heng nodded, relaxing a bit.
He almost considered resigning.
If it was just those three questions, there was no major problem.
He hadn't done any of those things.
Even if he had, he didn't recall anything, and if asked, he would answer "no" anyway.
Feeling somewhat reassured, he continued, "Isn't the guild worried that the artifact might not work, or that there's a way to avoid telling the truth?"
Olin thought for a moment. "I don't know about that. Even if such methods exist, they wouldn't be in the hands of regular staff or ordinary teams. This is likely a broad sweep, not an in-depth check."
"Makes sense!" Wu Heng agreed.
They continued chatting.
Knock knock!
The door was knocked, and Andviel opened it, revealing a staff member peering in.
Seeing Wu Heng sitting there, the staff member said, "Deputy Steward, the Steward wants to see you."
So it was his turn for questioning after all.
Quickly evaluating the situation, Wu Heng felt he should go see what was going on.
Going over didn't necessarily mean it would be as serious as he feared.
"Alright, I understand," Wu Heng said.
The staff member left.
Olin also stood up, saying, "Looks like it's your turn."
"Yeah," Wu Heng nodded.
They both left the room.
Olin returned to the team's lounge while Wu Heng headed towards the Steward's office.
...…
Halfway there,
he spotted the elven Deputy Steward, Sheila Grey, leaning against the hallway wall with her arms crossed.
"Waiting for me?" Wu Heng asked.
Sheila looked at him and said, "Are you aware of the inspection?"
"Yes," Wu Heng answered. "We're both new here, isn't it enough to inspect for pirates without questioning us?"
Sheila's expression grew serious. "The guild conducts random inspections every year, and the local Steward focuses on a certain area. The Inspector will follow this direction regardless of how new we are."
Annual inspections too?
Wu Heng eyed the childlike elf before him. "So, what do you suggest?"
"We're both Deputy Stewards, after all. We can cooperate and prevent them from asking overly intrusive questions," Sheila said directly.
Wu Heng raised an eyebrow; clearly, she wasn't comfortable with the inspection process either.
"How do we cooperate?"
"When one of us is being questioned, the other must also be present. If the questions get too invasive, speak up to interrupt. Be assertive," Sheila said seriously.
It was evident that Sheila's attitude towards him had changed significantly.
When she first found out he was a necromancer, she nearly drew her sword on him.
She even said she'd be watching to ensure he didn't do anything out of line.
But now, it seemed Sheila trusted him more within the guild.
Coming to him in private to discuss the matter.
Of course, this was a good thing for Wu Heng too.
Cooperation?
As long as personal matters weren't questioned, Wu Heng had nothing to worry about.
"What counts as an intrusive question?"
Sheila rolled her eyes. "Anything outside of guild matters is private. Are you having trouble wrapping your head around that?"
"I just wanted to be clear to avoid any issues later," Wu Heng explained.
Sheila looked up. "So, you agree then?"
"Of course. It'd be better to have you there keeping an eye on things."
Sheila sighed, "Noted."
After exchanging a few more words,
they didn't waste any more time and proceeded towards the Steward's office.
They knocked gently and entered once permission was granted.
...…
In the Steward's office, five people stood.
Steward Imiro, Assistant Moya, a tall and thin middle-aged man in a purple mage's robe, and two guild investigators holding notepads.
Upon entering, the middle-aged man and the two investigators turned their gaze toward Wu Heng and Sheila.
It looked as if they were sizing them up.
Imiro spoke, "This is the Inspector sent by the guild. Everyone else has gone through the inspection except for you two."
Wu Heng and Sheila looked at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man smiled, "Just some simple questions, no need for you both to be anxious."
They both remained silent.
Imiro said, "Sheila, you go first. Wu Heng, wait outside."
Sheila turned and glanced at Wu Heng.
Wu Heng immediately spoke up, "Steward, I'm also a Deputy Steward. I'd like to observe the procedure as well."
Everyone in the room looked over.
Imiro considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. Moya, get him a chair."
A chair was brought over.
Wu Heng sat down, giving Sheila a reassuring wink.
Sheila glanced at him but did not respond.
She then took a seat across from the middle-aged man.
...…
The middle-aged man glanced at Imiro and Wu Heng.
Typically, Deputy Stewards wouldn't be allowed to stay for such matters, especially since some Deputy Stewards were more like honorary positions, entangled with many issues.
But Wu Heng was allowed to stay just because he wanted to observe the procedure.
This made it evident that Imiro valued Wu Heng.
The middle-aged man looked at the elf, took out a small clay figurine of a person kneeling with their hands clasped in front of their chest, from his space ring.
He placed it on the table.
He said, "You might feel as if your body is being controlled later. Don't worry, and don't resist—it won't harm you in any way."
Sitting to the side, Wu Heng focused his gaze on the clay figure.
[Sincerity Clay Figurine (Artifact)]
[Category: Artifact]
[Effect: Direct eye contact forces the target to answer questions honestly.]
[Side effect: The controller becomes mute for one minute after each question.]
(Description: A priestly artifact representing the faith of sincerity, compelling truthful answers from the target. High intelligence or mental resistance may exempt one from the artifact's control.)
As expected, it was an artifact.
A target making direct eye contact would be compelled to answer honestly.
So, perhaps avoiding eye contact would prevent control.
The cost was that the controller became mute for a minute after each question.
No wonder they generally only asked three questions; otherwise, this Inspector would be left speechless for weeks.
"Do you have any connection to pirates?" the middle-aged man asked.
Wu Heng immediately looked away.
He was prepared: if an inappropriate question was asked, he would interrupt or knock over the figurine.