[VRMMO] Dead One

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"Hm... This isn’t really good." – said Tail as the trio met up in the tavern located in the isolated town.

"Yeb... The odds of finding the traitor are straight up non existing right now." – said Oron.

"I’ve tried to brainstorm on my own... But I couldn’t figure out anything at all."

"I don’t see any possible way for us to narrow it all down to even just 10 people."

"We have suspects, but it maybe not enough or the enemy is just planting the evidence... Meaning we can’t do shit."

"...Maybe we should try doing this other way around?" – asked LM.

"We are focusing on the heir, but what if do it backwards?"

"What if we should look for the fallowers of the heavenly dragon or that fiancé?"

"Again, finding fiancé won’t be easy." – said Oron.

"That bitch knows how to hide and she also has mind controlling abilities, which she could use to hide he tracks or mislead us."

"..."

"But the heavenly dragon church... Honestly that will be a problem too."

"Their standing is in the empire is beyond negative."

"Just being their fallowers could result in you getting jailed here."

"Honestly, I’ve tried looking into them about the time I’ve first gotten to this empire."

"I thought maybe these fuckers tried doing something, but I couldn’t get any information from the brokers."

"So nope... I’ve already did investigation on them on the very first day I’ve came here."

"Hm... Then this is really problematic." – said Tail.

(We really can’t do anything right now?) – thought annoyed Tail.

(After everything we had done, we are really now stuck, with our hands tied?)

(No.)

(There must be something.)

(There is no way the enemy’s plan is that perfect.)

(There must be something we are overlooking, something that the enemy may not had been able to hide.)

(But what could it be?)

(Fish?)

(Already investigated.)

(Fiancé?)

(Nobody knows where she is, but she is definitely in the empire.)

(Heavenly dragon?)

(Their child, a female fallen angel dragon was found.)

(Are the two dragon rulers a liars?)

(Probably not.)

(Brainwashing of the Kai’ku’dan clan... According to them it will be hard, if anything impossible.)

(At best they can only brainwash very few people in order for no tracks to be left.)

(Brainwashing the heirs... Honestly, they did manipulated the dragon king, but there was no way they brainwashed them from the start.)

(If anything, the heir candidates are locked in competition.)

(If they realized that something is off about one of their rivals, they will definitely investigate it.)

(And if they find out about the brainwashing, then they themselves could weaponize this discovery in order to boost they are getting from their clan.)

"..."

"They will definitely not use brainwashing on large scale against their own clan, nor against other heir’s candidates." – said Tail.

"It is not like they don’t want to, but more because they can’t, since it could easily result them in getting exposed."

"Honestly, it would be nice if we at least knew how exactly that corrupting artifact works."

"Does it corrupt like what? 25? 50%? 75%? Or just entire 100% of the population of the empire?"

"True, it would be nice if we knew." – said Oron.

"If it was just 50%, then the enemy would still need to have some additional army."

"Let’s say that they have 1 clan that is loyal to them, would that be enough?"

"Probably not."

"If they wish to rule the empire, they need to dominate it beside destroying it."

"If they just destroy it, then nothing will be left to rule."

"An overwhelming power... Huh?" – said LM.

"..."

"Tch."

"This is annoying."

"We are again walking in freaking circles."

"That, I will not deny." – said annoyed Oron as he noticed the bar slowly closing.

"...Welp, we got to find new spot." – said Oron as he and his team left the tavern, before few moments later without anybody noticing quickly left the town altogether.

"...That town didn’t looked like anything was wrong with it." – said Tail.

"Nope. It was perfect. No brainwashing or scheme either." – said LM.

"Even though it was in the Kai’ku’dan clan’s territory."

"...We will be soon reaching the main city of the Kai’ku’dan clan." – said Tail.

"We need to think of something and fast, before we make our move."

"Well, you say that... But I’m really out of ideas here." – said Oron as he squadded down.

(We don’t have any means of narrowing down the list of suspects, nor we know where the enemies are.) – thought Oron.

(The fiancé and that fallen angel dragon.)

(We know nothing.)

(The full-blown investigation on the Kai’ku’dan clan called forth by the dragon empire WILL work and give us some results.)

(But we need confirmation.)

(That the culprit is part of the Kai’ku’dan clan and is possible one of the suspected heir successor.)

"How the fuck we can make a logical decision in this freaking circumstances?" – said Oron as he grabbed his head.

"..."

"Logical?" – LM asked himself.

"..."

"?!"

"Wait... Fuck." – said LM with shocked expression.

"?"

"Did you figured out something?" – asked Tail.

"I... I think I maybe did?" – said unsure LM.

"..."

"Say it." – Oron.

"..."

"Well... It is just theory, but we had been chasing after the enemy, thinking that they made all of their decision logically and planned, right?" – said LM.

"But what if the enemy did that so we wouldn’t suspect obvious thing?"

"We already thought of something like that, didn’t we?" – said annoyed Oron.

"Yes! We did discussed it once! But think about it!" – said Oron.

"What if it just a freaking heir a traitor?!"

"?"

"What the hell are you talking about now?" – asked confused Oron.

"What if the dragon king of the Kai’ku’dan clan is the traitor!?" – said LM.

"...Dude." – said Oron.

"The guy who is about to die, you are saying he is the traitor?"

"This doesn’t makes freaking sense."

"He was one of the people that even helped out in exterminating the heavenly dragon church."

"YES! BUT WHY IS HE HIDDING THE FACT THAT HE IS DYING!?" – shouted LM.

"Did nobody found it weird?!"

"With the state his clan is, he should announce something!"

"I get that he wants to clench to the dragon king’s crown as much as possible in order to prevent his children from ripping each other apart in order to obtain it."

"But think about it in a stupid way!"

"In the freaking obvious way!"

"What if the dragon king of the Kai’ku’dan clan is planning something?"

"...It would still not make freaking sense through." – replied Oron.

"Him being a culprit would be physically impossible."

"What? He use the corruption artifact to turn himself into the angel dragon or something like that? Buddy, angels and demons can still die of old age."

"It wouldn’t work."

"..."

"But then again... Maybe it would?" – said Tail.

"?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" – asked Oron.

"The dragon king... Honestly speaking, nobody would suspect already dying dragon to be the culprit." – said Tail.

"Not only that, he could also easily brainwash his people and hide it with his authority."

"And there is something far more problematic if you think about it."

"Who proposed in the first place that the artifact shouldn’t had been destroyed in the first place?"

"..."

"I wasn’t told that." – said Oron.

"Then contact them." – said LM.

"Honestly, my thinking is irrational right now and what not, there is no use hiding it."

"It is desperation."

"But... Honestly speaking, the fact that none of us even thought of something as simple as that, even just to ask that simple ass question... It bothers me."

"Please... Dude."

"I beg you."

"..."

(Well... It is freaking stupid way of thinking.) – thought Oron.

(Like, completely retarded.)

(The logic is there, but nowhere near solid enough.)

"..."

(But then again, we really ran out of everything we had.)

(So we may as well give into the desperation.) – thought Oron as he took out the communication device.

"Fine." – said Oron.

"I will contact these two lizards and find out what they know."

"Maybe they will have some answers to your questions."