Chapter 234: The Secret Behind the Organization

"You... really want to know?" Hypaster asked as he looked directly at Rhett.

"Of course!" Rhett nodded. He had been curious about this for a long time.

Hypaster hesitated for a moment before slowly beginning, "This secret is something I rarely share with others. By all rights, someone of your standing shouldn't be privy to it. But if you're willing to give me the Blood Origin Orb and help me investigate those who framed Lien, I can tell you."

"This..." Rhett showed a hint of reluctance on his face. Since this was just a simulation, he was naturally willing to agree, but at the same time, he needed to find the best approach for reality. So, he pretended to hesitate.

"If you're unwilling, I have other ways to get the Blood Origin Orb. While I won't harm you, you certainly won't be able to avoid it," Hypaster said confidently.

Well, there's no need to be coy now... Rhett thought with a bitter smile. "It seems that, for the sake of punishing evil, you've gone to great lengths, Hypaster Tower Master!"

He paused and then said, "Alright, I agree. When I return to my territory, I'll send you the Blood Origin Orb. Now, can you tell me the secret?"

Satisfied, Hypaster smiled, and he didn't think Rhett would dare to deceive him. Whether he received the orb sooner or later didn't matter much.

After considering for a moment, Hypaster asked, "Do you know the name of the organization I'm part of?"

Rhett thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm not sure. Black Star never mentioned it to me."

"Haha, that's because even they don't know. After all, I'm the only one who knows the organization's name. It's called Willis," Hypaster said with a smile, though there was a trace of sorrow in his eyes.

Rhett had been closely observing Hypaster's expression and, sensing something unusual, asked, "Oh? Willis? That sounds more like a person's name."

"Indeed, it is. It's my father's name..." Hypaster sighed.

Rhett's face stiffened immediately, and his curiosity urged him to listen further.

At this point, Hypaster's expression became much calmer. His eyes reflected memories as he looked up at the sky and began to speak:

"This story begins in my childhood. Back then, my parents and I lived a hard life—three of us in the slums, always hungry, always cold, with no decent clothes to wear. My father and mother begged for a living, as did I..."

"But despite our poverty and the hopelessness of our lives, my parents were honest and upright, never stealing or robbing. But I disagreed with them."

"Even at a young age, I tried to persuade my parents to do things that weren't clean. After all, everyone who left the slums did so by doing such things..."

Hypaster paused midway through his story, as if to gather his emotions.

Rhett seized the moment to offer comfort, "Poverty does not diminish integrity. Your parents were admirable, Hypaster Tower Master."

Hypaster gave Rhett a faint glance before continuing on his own, "But later, my mother was taken by a local gang to become a prostitute. Unable to bear the humiliation, she took her own life."

Rhett immediately fell silent.

"My father, upon learning of this, was furious beyond words. His emaciated frame wielded a wooden stick, and it seemed he was ready to seek revenge at any moment. But under my dazed gaze, he held back."

As Hypaster spoke, his words slowed. These painful memories, etched into his soul, were hard to forget.

Rhett considered offering comfort, perhaps praising the father's strength, but worried about saying the wrong thing, he decided to remain silent and just listen.

Hypaster's voice remained calm as he continued:

"My father's name was Willis. That entire day, he seemed lost, like a ghost. At night, he comforted me to sleep. Before bed, he told me many things—most of which I've forgotten. But his last words are still fresh in my mind.

My father said, 'Never be a good person in this life. Good people are the easiest to bully. Be a villain, the greatest villain in the world. Villains aren't easy to bully. Even if they're as weak as an ant, they'll be the last ant to be bullied...'"

As Hypaster finished, Rhett looked at him with a newfound sense of pity.

Despite being a Saint, the man had endured a tragic childhood...

Hypaster paused briefly before continuing, "The next morning, I woke up to find myself hidden in a haystack outside the city. I tried to return to the city, only to see a cart transporting corpses. One of them was my father's..."

"Was it that gang?" Rhett asked, though he had already guessed the answer.

"Yes. I later found out that my father had gone alone that night to seek revenge against the gang..." Hypaster's tone was flat, the years having washed away any outward anger.

Rhett opened his mouth to say something but hesitated several times before finally offering a sincere apology. "I'm sorry, Hypaster Tower Master. I shouldn't have pried into these painful memories. But if your parents were still alive to see you become a Saint, they would surely be proud of you."

"It's all in the past..." Hypaster waved his hand dismissively. A thousand years had passed, and he had long since moved on.

The air fell silent for a while before Hypaster spoke again, "Now you understand why I created this organization?"

"To prevent such tragedies from happening again?"

"That's part of it, but the most important reason is to fulfill my father's last wish—to become the greatest villain." Hypaster chuckled as he spoke. His parents had only ever asked him for one thing in his life: to be a villain.

How could he not fulfill that request...

Rhett nodded thoughtfully and said softly, "So, you didn't want to become a villain by bullying the weak, because, in a way, those weaklings were like your parents. Instead, you chose to eliminate all other villains, making yourself the last one—the greatest villain..."

At this moment, Rhett's eyes sparkled as he recalled his first encounter with Black Star. The young man had earnestly declared his intention to become the world's greatest villain and had explained how and why.

It all clicked into place, and Rhett was filled with mixed emotions.

"Hypaster Tower Master, you are truly admirable," Rhett said solemnly.

"Is that so? It's because my father was admirable too," Hypaster replied with a faint smile.

"Indeed, both of you are admirable..." Rhett took a deep breath, then glanced at the unconscious Black Star and asked, "So, do any members of your organization know that you're the master of the Circle Tower? And what about Black Star? How will you explain his fainting when he wakes up?"

"No worries. Some of the higher-ups in the organization are aware of my identity, but many of the lower-level members do not," Hypaster replied with a smile. "I have high hopes for Black Star. He's an orphan with a story similar to mine—his parents were framed and killed. So, I've secretly given this innocent and tragic child a lot of help."

"As for how to explain things when he wakes up, I believe you'll find a way. You've always been clever, haven't you?"

With that, Hypaster looked at Rhett with a smile.

"You really think highly of me," Rhett said with a bitter smile.

"By the way, Rhett, I have one more question. How did you end up with two bottles of Rock Lizard bloodline potion?" Hypaster suddenly asked.

The abruptness of the question caught Rhett off guard, but he had anticipated this and had prepared an explanation. After pausing for a moment, he replied calmly:

"Oh, that? Actually, I obtained another Earth-element bloodline potion by chance from another source. In fact, I deceived Master Neeru when I was at the Circle Tower. The potion I used wasn't the Rock Lizard bloodline potion. After all, if word got out that I had two bloodline potions, it would be too shocking. People would start wondering if I had some lucky encounter or if I had found a treasure trove of bloodline potions..."

Hypaster pondered this for a moment before nodding slowly. "That makes sense. Being cautious is understandable."

The two of them exchanged a few more words before Hypaster ended the conversation, saying that he would come personally to retrieve the Blood Origin Orb in a few days. Rhett, satisfied, ended the simulation.

Buzz.

Ripples spread across his vision as the scene shifted.

A familiar screen appeared before his eyes.

[Real Simulation Ended. Please choose one attribute to retain.]

[1. Constitution]

[2. Battle Qi]

[3. Mental Power]

"Choose Mental Power."

During the simulation, Rhett had taken his conversation with the Circle Tower Master seriously, using it to verify potential outcomes.

After all, in reality, he would face a similar situation and needed to find a safe path forward.

Fortunately, Hypaster had proven to be an incredibly virtuous person. Rhett felt relieved to have encountered a Saint of such character.

Not only had Hypaster not made things difficult for him, but he had also been quite reasonable.

The only downside was that Hypaster remained adamant about obtaining the Blood Origin Orb.

However, Rhett had already formulated a plan. He could use an excuse—perhaps claiming urgent business at the royal palace—to delay the exchange. Once he delivered a note to the Third Prince and the royal family passed the message to the kingdom of Rem, Hypaster would surely understand the gravity of the situation and might no longer need the Blood Origin Orb.

As he recalled the events of the simulation, Rhett felt increasingly confident about his next steps.

The night passed peacefully.

"Hmm... Huh? Why did I pass out?"

Black Star groggily woke up, squinting against the bright morning light. Realizing it was already daybreak, he instinctively muttered a question.

Then, as memories flooded back, Black Star looked around and found Rhett lying beside him, unconscious on the grass.

"Oh no!" Black Star's face turned pale as he muttered to himself, "We must have been ambushed last night!"

"Rhett! Rhett, wake up!" Black Star rushed over, kneeling beside Rhett, and began shaking him, shouting loudly.

"Ugh..." Rhett groaned and gradually regained consciousness.

Upon waking, Rhett appeared equally "shocked," scanning the surroundings with a wary gaze and frowning as he asked, "What happened last night? Black Star, how did we both end up unconscious?"

"Wait, no! My belongings are gone too!" Rhett exclaimed in panic as he frantically searched his body.

He looked at Black Star with anger and said, "This is bad. Many of my valuable items have been stolen!"

Hearing this, Black Star patted himself down and then, with a somber expression, admitted, "I didn't have much on me, but my things were stolen too."

Feeling ashamed, Black Star looked at Rhett and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Rhett. It's all my fault for dragging you out here, causing this disaster. If we had been any less fortunate, we might have died..."

"Sigh, it's not your fault. Blaming other victims for the actions of villains won't help," Rhett said magnanimously, trying to comfort him.

"Rhett, you're too kind!" Black Star's eyes filled with tears, deeply moved by Rhett's words.

Rhett smiled slightly, observing Black Star's reaction. There was no trace of evil in the young man—he was more like a little guardian of justice. It was clear that Hypaster's indoctrination of the organization members had been quite effective, subtly shifting their mindset...

"Rhett, let's go into town and take a look. After I finish this mission, I'll make sure to repay you properly!" Black Star said earnestly.

"It's alright. If you really want to repay me, just make sure to put in extra effort when gathering information on the spirits for me!" Rhett said with a smile, then glanced toward Dahar Town and added, "But there's no need to go now. Those villains you were targeting—they're already gone."

"Gone? Where did they go?" Black Star asked, stunned.

"Maybe the same person who robbed us took care of them too?" Rhett suggested casually. "Think about it—if someone robbed us of our valuables, why would they leave the wealthier villains in the town untouched?"

"That makes sense." Black Star nodded in realization, then gritted his teeth in frustration. "Damn it! Who could be so wicked as to steal my money and take the villains I had my eye on?"

Rhett glanced at Black Star, his lips twitching slightly. Of course, the one responsible was none other than Hypaster, Black Star's boss! If only Black Star knew who had done this, would he still dare to complain...

"I have to see for myself in Dahar Town!" Black Star declared angrily, staring at the distant town's silhouette.

"Alright, I'll accompany you," Rhett replied nonchalantly.

"Thank you, Rhett!" Black Star looked up at Rhett, now genuinely considering him a friend.

Rhett's smile widened slightly. "No problem."

The two of them chatted as they walked, eventually reaching Dahar Town and confirming that the villains were indeed gone. Of course, given that a Saint had dealt with them, there was no trace left behind.

In the end, Black Star reluctantly parted ways with Rhett.

"Until next time, Rhett, my good friend! I promise I'll do my best to find information on the spirits for you!" Black Star said, his voice filled with determination. He didn't ask why—after all, he had his secrets too...

"Thank you!" Rhett said with a smile, patting Black Star on the head.

Black Star blinked, then turned and walked away, his voice returning to its usual cold tone. "Until next time, Rhett!"

"Until next time. Safe travels!"

Rhett waved as he watched Black Star disappear into the distance, becoming a shadow that faded into the air.

With a shake of his head, Rhett then whistled to summon Firebird, and after mounting it, he flew toward the royal city.