Chapter 342, Do You Have a Grudge?
The Inspector Special Envoy spoke, directly asking the first question.
Sitting across, Sheila Grey paused momentarily, then answered expressionlessly, "No."
The middle-aged man continued, "Have you ever sold the guild's internal information?"
Sheila Grey answered, "No."
"Have you done anything damaging to the guild's reputation?"
This question was rather broad.
Wu Heng glanced at Sheila Grey to see how she would respond.
"No," Sheila Grey answered again.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh~!
As Sheila Grey answered, the two investigators standing behind began taking notes.
Though Wu Heng couldn't see what they were writing, he could hear the sound of the pen on paper.
With his time spent with Sheila Grey, he had a general understanding of her character.
She was someone with a strong sense of justice, unlike Wu Heng who had joined the guild just to have a legitimate identity.
She had that heroic vibe often portrayed in adventurer stories.
And she also paid a lot of attention to formal justice, taking guild rules very seriously.
"Did you exaggerate any achievements when you were promoted to Deputy Steward?" the middle-aged man asked again.
Wu Heng's eyebrows furrowed slightly.
According to Olin the Dwarf, there were supposed to be only three questions.
But now there was a fourth.
Moreover, this had nothing to do with pirates; it was about the time before becoming a Deputy Steward.
Wu Heng glanced at Imiro, seeing that he showed no reaction and said nothing.
Although this was a fourth question, it did pertain to guild matters.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Sheila Grey answered calmly once again, "No."
The four questions were over.
The middle-aged man picked up a handkerchief and covered the clay figurine's head. The handkerchief hung down, covering its eyes.
He gestured for Sheila Grey to finish the inspection and leave her seat.
Sheila Grey's expression remained unchanged.
She stood up quietly and walked to the side.
The middle-aged man was now affected by the artifact's side effect.
A total of four questions meant that he would be mute for four minutes.
The room fell into a brief silence.
Wu Heng and Sheila Grey exchanged a glance, and Sheila Grey subtly shook her head.
...…
Four minutes passed.
The middle-aged man signaled with his hand, "Deputy Steward Wu Heng, please sit here."
Wu Heng got up and took the seat opposite the man.
Sheila Grey sat in the seat Wu Heng had used earlier, looking like she was simply there to observe.
Imiro said nothing, tacitly allowing her to stay.
"Are you ready?" the middle-aged man asked.
Wu Heng's eyes swept towards Sheila Grey, and he nodded.
"Look at the figurine's eyes," the middle-aged man said, then removed the handkerchief from the figurine's head.
As soon as he saw the figurine's eyes, Wu Heng felt a surge of mental energy hitting his mind.
But it only hit for a moment before being blocked by a barrier, cut off from his consciousness.
However, the continuous pressure could still be felt.
His specialty, [Fortified Will], had taken effect.
[Fortified Will] was an ability he unlocked after consuming the Big-Head corpse core.
According to the description, it built a will barrier to resist and dismantle negative influences that affected one's willpower.
It seemed the clay figurine's effect also counted as a negative influence on personal will.
Wu Heng continued staring, and out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the middle-aged man. The man looked calm, apparently noticing nothing.
The Inspector then asked, "Do you have any connections with pirates?"
Wu Heng paused briefly, confirming that he wasn't affected, and relaxed further.
Following Sheila Grey's dull tone, he answered calmly, "No."
"Have you sold any guild information to outsiders?"
"No."
"Have you done anything damaging to the guild's reputation?"
"No."
The middle-aged man frowned slightly but quickly relaxed and continued, "Did you exaggerate any achievements when you became Deputy Steward?"
As expected, the same question as Sheila Grey.
"No," Wu Heng answered.
Not just now—if he were truly affected by the artifact, he hadn't falsified any achievements.
All of it came from hunting wanted criminals to earn merits.
Though most of it relied on modern weaponry, the method didn't matter; the guild didn't specify what weapon had to be used.
Wu Heng felt more relaxed.
Had he known earlier there was no threat, he wouldn't have worried so much.
After answering four questions, he waited for the end of the questioning.
He was eager to leave.
The middle-aged man picked up his teacup and took a sip. He didn't stop but asked again, "You come from the Kingdom of Eko, have you ever performed illegal necromantic experiments?"
Wu Heng tensed up. This question went beyond the scope of the guild.
He controlled his expression to avoid showing any change in his eyes.
Wu Heng answered calmly, "No."
No?
The middle-aged man's brow furrowed visibly.
He even glanced to see whether Wu Heng's gaze still met the figurine's.
A necromancer, so young, sitting in the position of Deputy Steward, behaving so well?
How could that be possible?
Thinking it over, he asked again, "Have you done anything against the guild's principles?"
Damn it!
Wu Heng cursed internally.
This question was way too broad.
Even Special Agents, let alone Imiro, wouldn't dare claim they always followed the principles to the letter.
Did this guy have a grudge against him?
Was he trying to make him confess to a crime?
Wu Heng was just about to answer "No."
Sheila Grey abruptly stood up, covering the figurine's eyes with her hand, and said, "Does the Inspector know Wu Heng? Why are the questions so targeted?"
The questioning was interrupted.
"Mmm mmm~!"
The Inspector entered a state of muteness, suddenly standing up with eyes wide open, unable to speak.
His eyes bulged, his face flushed, and he looked extremely angry.
The two investigators standing behind still continued to take notes.
They showed no intention of speaking up or intervening.
"Why are you interfering as an observer?" Imiro chastised slightly, then said, "Your inspection is over. Apologize to Inspector Kalema."
Sheila Grey bowed in apology, "I apologize, Inspector Kalema."
The middle-aged man still looked angry.
Imiro spoke directly, "Alright, both of you can go. The guild staff will be reorganized soon. You will take turns overseeing the guild."
"Yes." The two saluted and left directly.
...…
After walking a fair distance at a brisk pace,
Wu Heng said, "Thanks!"
Though he hadn't been affected by the artifact, he still appreciated Sheila Grey's help.
She had directly covered the figurine's eyes—swiftly and decisively.
"What's there to thank for? We agreed on this." Sheila Grey responded, then asked, "Do you know that Inspector?"
"Never seen him before."
"Then why was he asking you so many questions?" Sheila Grey asked.
Wu Heng found that odd as well.
He also suspected the man's motive.
The way he asked was clearly meant to incriminate him.
"If we hadn't passed today's inspection, what would've happened?" Wu Heng asked.
Sheila Grey thought for a moment, "We'd likely be investigated, but at the very least, we'd be suspended for a while."
Suspended...
Wu Heng still frowned.
Sheila Grey smiled, "No matter what, we passed the test, and that's a good thing."
"True," Wu Heng said, "Let me treat you to lunch at the tavern as thanks for helping me."
"Uh... okay, let's celebrate passing the inspection."
...…
Six minutes passed.
The Inspector emerged from his state of muteness.
His face was still flushed, and he spoke seriously, "Steward Imiro, guild members must cooperate with the inspection. Interrupting and interfering is against the rules."
Imiro looked at him, "I will punish both of them. You can rest assured, Inspector Kalema."
"Punishment? Interfering with an inspection is a serious violation." The man continued.
Imiro replied, "An Inspector's questions should not pertain to personal life and privacy; otherwise, the person being questioned has the right to refuse to answer. You must know this."
The man's eyes narrowed, "Do you think my questions were improper? Don't forget, it was you who requested the guild conduct an internal investigation."
The investigators have made their notes. If there's a problem, we can have it reviewed by the higher-ups.
"Hmph!" The man snorted coldly and continued, "Tomorrow, I will inspect the member records. Have everything ready in advance."
"Understood."
The man put away the clay figurine and left the office directly.
The two investigators also closed their notepads and left after saluting.
...…
A private room in the tavern.
One dish after another was served, placed in front of them.
Sheila Grey said, "You could've just gotten something simple; there was no need to order so much."
"It's rare for me to treat you, eat more." Wu Heng said courteously, then asked, "That artifact had quite a unique effect. It reminded me of my corpse interrogation."
Sheila Grey said, "This type of artifact is auxiliary in nature; it's not very useful in combat."
"True, making someone tell the truth doesn't help much on a battlefield."
"That's not what I meant. This artifact doesn't control your body—it makes you express your true thoughts. If you don't want to, you can avoid looking at the figurine's eyes or cover your own eyes to easily counter it," Sheila Grey explained.
"True enough."
"That's why it's only used under guild arrangements. Otherwise, this artifact wouldn't even work well on regular team members."
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