Free Web NovelChapter 341: Chapter 190: The Flayed Puppet (Part 3)
If it were stolen or forged, it wouldn’t have such a glow.
With this method of verification, it’s difficult for anyone with ulterior motives to pose as a follower of the Orthodoxy.
Upon seeing the badge,
the man’s pupils contracted, and he drew in a sharp breath.
An expression of someone granted amnesty appeared on his face as tears slid from his eyes.
Lu Cang calmly put the badge away. "You can cry later. Tell me everything in detail."
CRASH—
With a casual wave of his hand, Lu Cang shattered the entire cage and its shackles.
He tossed the man a set of clothes.
The man choked back tears of relief, clutching the clothes and glancing around nervously. "This isn’t the place to talk. We have to go!"
"He could come back at any moment."
Lu Cang glanced outside.
’Actually, that guy probably won’t be back for a while.’
’But if I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t want to linger in the enemy’s den either.’
Lu Cang led the man out of the secret room.
His name was Vidal, the Prince of Ailuotis. He had watched with his own eyes as a Skin Taker killed his father and stripped off his skin.
Witnessing this, he had cried out in shock.
The Skin Taker discovered him and dragged him into this secret room.
Hearing his story,
Lu Cang was speechless. ’Could your discovery have been any more cliché?’
’Though, with your strength as a Level 2 Warrior and Level 2 Scholar, it’s not like the enemy needed you to cry out to be found.’
’He likely sensed you with his Perception long ago and was just toying with you.’
Lu Cang walked with a confident swagger.
He made a series of turns, left and right.
Vidal, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck, terrified of being discovered.
To his surprise, their path was completely clear as he followed Lu Cang. They didn’t see a single soul.
It was eerily quiet.
Reincarnators only unlocked their Perception Ability at Level 3.
Vidal had no Perception.
"So you’re saying the current King... is actually the Skin Taker."
"Yes..."
"How long have you been imprisoned?"
"For about a year now."
"That long?"
’It seems Ailuotis has been completely infiltrated, inside and out.’
Determining whether someone was a Skin Taker wasn’t a simple matter.
Unless you saw them shedding their skin in public,
it was nearly impossible to tell. They could disguise themselves as an ordinary person, and unless your Perception was powerful enough to probe every corner of their body, you’d never know.
Even discovering a Reincarnator hiding their true strength required a careful inspection.
A Warrior was the easiest to identify, as their physical strength could be sensed.
But what about Professions like Archer or Assassin?
They walked around like ordinary people, their bodies not possessing the telltale strength of a Warrior. How could you tell them apart?
Perception could never reveal someone’s Profession with a single glance.
And that was before considering that Skin Takers were naturally skilled at camouflage.
"Heh... that monster."
"He trapped me in a cage but never killed me."
"Instead, he would bring people back here from time to time, kill them right in front of me, and strip off their skin."
Vidal said, gritting his teeth.
"My uncles... I watched with my own eyes as that monster killed them."
Lu Cang said in the voice of a middle-aged man, "My condolences."
"Do you remember what your uncles looked like?"
’If his uncles were all killed...’
’...and if they’re still in the Imperial Palace, that would prove they’ve been replaced by Skin Takers.’
’Just how many Skin Takers are there?’
’Aren’t Skin Takers one of the Secret Scroll Professions?’
Lu Cang handed him a stack of paper.
"This is Telekinesis Paper. It can project the images you picture in your mind."
Vidal understood immediately.
He focused on the paper and began to recall the faces of those who had been killed.
Soon,
images had materialized on over a dozen sheets of paper.
The faces of the people in the images were all twisted in pain to some degree.
Vidal found it impossible to forget their agonized expressions.
Perhaps it was because these memories were so profound that he hadn’t forgotten them, even during the Forgotten Moon.
Still, some of the faces were a bit blurry.
Most likely due to the influence of the Forgotten Moon.
Lu Cang’s Perception unfurled, instantly sweeping across the entire Imperial Palace.
He quickly located several individuals whose faces matched the ones Vidal had described.
’So they really are here.’
’If I’d just hastily grabbed the first few I saw, I wonder how many fish would have slipped the net.’
"Is there any other important information?"
"There is..."
"There is!"
Vidal seemed to recall something suddenly. "Six months ago, someone came to this secret room to visit him. They mentioned Ruijia."
"They said they wanted to replace the King of Ruijia and take control of the entire Ruijia Kingdom."
Tsk.
’They’re involved in that, too?’
’Another incredible piece of intel.’
Lu Cang clapped Vidal on the shoulder.
As he did, the prince’s information flowed into his mind.
Level 2 Warrior, Level 2 Scholar.
’He’s telling the truth. The Prince of Ailuotis. Father dead, mother still alive.’
’She’s still the current Empress.’
...
’I wonder if this Empress has even noticed her husband is a different person.’
"Is there any other information?"
Vidal racked his brain.
Finally, he shook his head.
Lu Cang nodded. "I understand."
"I’ll take you somewhere safe."
Lu Cang gripped Vidal’s shoulder.
The next second, they shot up into the air from the dark Forest outside the Imperial Palace!
...
He brought Vidal back to the inn and got him a separate room.
He warned him not to leave the room under any circumstances.
Then, Lu Cang returned once more to the Imperial Palace.
He went back to the secret room.
His fingers brushed against the human skins hanging on the wall.
He touched the tools used for Skin Stripping, the knives for dismemberment.
His hand swept over the massive table.
’This must be where they do the killing.’
Lu Cang couldn’t help but think,
’These bastards planned to trap me in a cramped, bloody basement just like this.’
’They wanted to tie me to a table just like this.’
’To use these bloody tools to gut me, maybe even flay me alive, taking my skin while I still breathed.’
Tsk...
Within his Perception, fine threads spread out in every direction. Information on one Skin Taker after another materialized in Lu Cang’s mind.
Every time he touched a relevant object, a corresponding piece of information surfaced.
These bits of information began to Puzzle Together.
They linked up in his mind, forming a complete timeline of events and evidence.
It was as if everything that had ever happened here was replaying in Lu Cang’s mind.
THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP—
The sound of footsteps descending the stairs echoed.
The steps were hurried.
Lu Cang looked toward the entrance and saw a man in black night clothes standing face to face with him.
He was gaunt, but he radiated a murderous aura.
"Well now, why aren’t you playing the part of your pot-bellied King?"
Lu Cang’s tone was flat, his gaze like he was looking at a dead man.
"Who are you?"
"Why are you in my secret room?"
the man asked in a cold, sinister voice.
Lu Cang replied nonchalantly, "What do you mean, *your* secret room?"
"This is *my* secret room."
The man was about to attack,
but the world suddenly spun around him!
BOOM!
The next thing he knew, the blood-red floor was level with his eyes.
Coming to his senses, he realized his entire body had been slammed flat against the ground.
"The skin of a Level 5 Assassin, is it...?"
The man tried to stand up with all his might.
But his body wouldn’t budge. He was pinned firmly underfoot.
’Such immense strength.’
’It’s impossible to struggle under his foot.’
His Perception flared out!
He tried to activate the room’s Restriction to send out an alarm!
However—
the Restriction he had set in the room gave no response!
It completely ignored his command.
"I told you."
"This is *my* secret room."
Lu Cang crouched down, pressing his hand firmly on the man’s head, pinning it to the floor.
The man’s information flowed into Lu Cang’s mind.
"Oh..."
"Your parents were Skin Takers, too?"
"I didn’t realize this Profession was hereditary."
"Ruijia...?"
’Tsk, so they really are in Ruijia?’
’If all that is true, then Ruijia really is just an empty shell occupied by Skin Takers.’
Lu Cang asked, "Let me ask you, is the current King of Ruijia truly under your control?"
