Chapter 254: Arrangement

Hood stopped in his tracks as though an electric current had zipped through him, sending a shuddering tingling throughout his body.

A thought popped up in Hood’s mind the instant their eyes met.

That's him!

Despite being separated by a crowd and standing in a corner, Vice-Chairman Andrew remained especially conspicuous.

Even though he had aged considerably, Andrew who was a lady's man in his younger days still looked quite good. Standing among the Truth Union scholars who were typically unmindful of their appearances meant he stood out like a sore thumb.

Secondly, that was something uncannily telepathic that had made Hood meet his eyes right away.

Andrew’s profound blue eyes emanated an indistinct, faint radiance when their gaze met, exuding great wisdom. This glow was the sort that would induce an unexplained sense of awe and fear in others.

An ordinary person meeting Andrew’s gaze would probably be paralyzed by fear, faint, or even hallucinate. One with a weaker will might even lose their mind.

Though he amounted to nothing much in the presence of a higher being like Boss Lin, this was the influence of a peak Pandemonium-rank transcendent being's level of mysticism.

He could 'kill' someone just by merely standing there.

Yet, Hood could feel his third eye emitting a burning heat as though it was calling out to Andrew.

This innate feeling was as if it was exclaiming that Andrew was friendly and there wasn't any need for suspicion.

The other party was likewise also a believer of the Lord!

The feeling of 'meeting a fellow countryman abroad' made Andrew both elated and excited.

Previously, while Hood knew Andrew, he didn't have a favorable impression of this Vice-Chairman.

Firstly, Andrew wasn't a Truth-Seeker and, in fact, greatly despised them; having condemned them for their extremity in his many public speeches.

Of course, this was the stance for the majority of the Truth Union. Even Hood’s aunt, Chairman Maria, didn't support the Truth-Seekers.

Hood's original intention for joining theTruth-Seekers wasn’t because he agreed with the ideology but instead stemmed from his teenage rebellious phase… which resulted in him wanting to try something different and unique.

But after joining for some time, he had gradually integrated himself into their culture of extremity.

Secondly, Andrew, an aristocratic man conscious of his demeanor, was always debonair and elegant.

To an extreme and hot-blooded teenager like Hood, Andrew was the epitome of 'greasy' and naturally was a turn off.

Yet, right now, he had only a single thought—

A comrade!

Furthermore, Hood had just been thinking that he needed someone powerful and influential to support the growth of his 'Wisdom-Seekers.'

And the perfect candidate appeared before him at the very next moment was coincidentally also a fellow follower of the bookstore.

This definitely wasn't a coincidence. Surely it was the bookstore owner's arrangement and the will of the mighty Lord!

Andrew, who was on the opposite end, felt pretty much the same way.

He had never expected Hood had already become a follower of the bookstore earlier on!

The old Andrew had always viewed the bookstore with animosity. Revealing information and coercing the Truth-Seekers to 'steal' knowledge from the bookstore led to Andrew meeting the greatest waterloo of his life.

Having his authority stripped and put under surveillance meant that Andrew's whole world turned upside down and it was as good as being placed under house arrest. Throughout this trial period, Andrew had endured it all while looking for an opportunity to strike back. He also came to understand the power of the bookstore during this time and sought to redeem himself.

But when he ordered the Truth-Seekers to cease all operations, the order was intercepted by Jerome and it hadn't been passed down.

Andrew was extremely depressed and in dire straits himself during that period. After learning that those Truth-Seekers led by Hood had returned unscathed, he no longer bothered about it.

It was rumored that this bunch of kids had become a little strange, frequently babbling among themselves, while some internal conflicts arose within the Truth-Seekers.

Andrew initially reckoned that they had been taught a lesson by the bookstore owner, but to his surprise, he now realized they had been converted to followers of the bookstore!

Through the crowd, the two faithful followers of the bookstore seemingly found a sense of camaraderie.

But now isn't the time… thought Andrew.

He had only just gotten the chance to make his comeback after identifying the mole and having his grievances addressed. He had managed to somewhat strike back by ridiculing Diamante and seizing the incident's investigation authority back in domineering fashion.

However, he would still require time to regain his prestige.

At this time, if the two of them who had no prior interactions appeared close, it would lead to the suspicion of others. Diamante especially, who would capitalize on such an opportunity to pull some tricks if he noticed.

They couldn’t do it in public at the very least.

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In the split moment their gazes met, both Andrew and Hood seemed to have understood each other’s intention.

Hood pressed a finger to his forehead and the third eye blinked. With a smirk, he gradually retreated and disappeared into the crowd.

Seeing this, Andrew turned and spoke a few words to others, instructing them to disperse the onlookers. Next, he ordered someone to guard the entrance as he entered the room and shut the door.

Creak… Bam.

Andrew surveyed the entire room and didn't find anything strange. An ordinary table, chair and shelves, the standard Truth Union-styled leather sofa, a smooth marbled floor, and a white carpet.

There weren't any traces of blood present on the ground or carpet. On the side was a chalk outline of a body which was where Jerome had been initially found.

A crystal clear philosopher’s stone was placed on the table, perfectly intact.

Judging from the scene, it seemed that Jerome's neck had been snapped instantaneously by someone before having his life force siphoned dry and converted into a philosopher’s stone.

That's right. The raw material of this philosopher’s stone was Jerome.

This was a terrifying but undoubted fact.

It seemed like the perpetrator wasn't even concerned about Jerome from the looks of the bag of skin and the philosopher’s stone; all of it appeared to be an act of convenience, and this office hadn't been the first crime scene either. Perhaps, he had been lacking material for his experiment and decided to turn Jerome into his raw material for refining.

When Andrew recalled how the bookstore owner instructed him to “bring Jerome over to discuss compensation of the door,” he suddenly came to an understanding.

What this meant was to have Jerome himself be the compensation!

Therefore, this was the reason Andrew had called the bookstore right away and mentioned bringing the philosopher’s stone over.

This was all the bookstore owner’s will!

Now that Andrew was seeking to regain his foothold, he needed to recruit a new band of trusted aides as his previous team had already been dissolved.

And now, Hood was bringing those Truth-Seekers right to him.

Boss Lin had everything arranged to perfection!

“Heh.”

Hood’s voice came from behind Andrew. He turned around and saw the teenager remove the grating and leaped out from the vent in Jerome’s office with a radiant smile plastered on his face.

“Vice-Chairman Andrew, I think we can speak now.”

Andrew extended his arm with a smile as he looked at the third eye on Hood’s forehead. “Yes, we should talk about how we are going to gift the Truth Union to our almighty Lord…”