Chapter 38: The Divided Green Flame Brotherhood

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Just as Silas was caught in his dilemma, a few somewhat jarring clapping sounds rang out.

Without even turning his head, Silas said calmly, "As expected, it's related to you."

With Silas's current mastery of sound, about half a minute ago, just as he killed the black-robed man, he had heard Bart's distinctive breathing.

Bart emerged silently from the shadows, smiling. "My dear Silas, I can see that you need help."

"You can help me?" Silas didn't refuse, turning to ask calmly.

Bart walked over and raised his hand.

Whoosh!

A ball of eerie green flame ignited in his palm. With a casual flick.

The green flames burned on the corpse, yet Silas felt no heat, only a sinister coldness.

Silently, with no black smoke, no acrid smell, not even any remains, the corpse, along with its blood and fallen flesh, was quickly incinerated, leaving nothing behind.

And the white snow beneath the corpse was completely unaffected, remaining as pristine as before.

Seeing this incredibly bizarre scene, Silas's eyes narrowed slightly. He stared at Bart and asked, "Are you friend or foe?"

Bart chuckled. "For a merchant, there are no enemies or friends, only interests."

With that, Bart stared at Silas and asked, "So, my dear Priest, do you have any interests for me to profit from?"

Silas gently held his cane in front of him, his expression peaceful. "That depends on what kind of interests you wish to obtain."

Bart turned slightly to the side. "I believe you wouldn't mind changing locations to talk."

Silas looked down at the blood on his palm, took a deep breath, and said, "That would be for the best."

The two quickly disappeared into the night.

Fifteen minutes later, accompanied by the ringing of bells, three Night Watchers appeared at the scene.

"There seem to be mystical traces here," Marx said, brushing aside the snow on the ground, looking at the footprints that were now completely indistinguishable.

Logan looked around, then said, "There's a faint smell of blood in the air, but unfortunately, it has been concealed by some special method."

Poppy said nervously, "Could the Death Cult have returned?"

Logan shook his head. "It can't be confirmed yet. It might also be a battle between other supernaturals, but the level isn't high, probably just two apprentices. The threat isn't significant. Just record it for now."

In a coffee shop on Tulip Street, Silas, having cleaned off the bloodstains, sat in a chair, drinking strong, unsweetened coffee.

Bart looked at Silas with a touch of awe and sighed, "They say all geniuses are freaks. Now I believe it. You can actually stomach this kind of coffee."

Silas put down his cup. "I often have headaches. This coffee has a good pain-relieving effect. I've gotten used to it over time."

The two were now quite familiar with each other. After some simple pleasantries, Silas asked first, "Has your esteemed organization fractured?"

Bart was taken aback, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "How did you know?"

Silas said unhurriedly, "I have some understanding of your organization. And that person just now said you were a traitor, and that they were the orthodox Green Flame Brotherhood. But judging by your code of conduct, you align more with the impression I have in my mind."

"Oh!? When did you figure that out?" Bart became interested.

Silas said casually, "I recognized the attendant who came to pick you up that day. Gick, right? He was kidnapped by three members of the Green Flame Brotherhood a few days ago. I was present when they were rescued. He didn't see me."

"Based solely on that?" Bart looked incredulous.

Silas continued, "You said you were an investor, and the attendant who received you happened to have connections with the Green Flame Brotherhood. According to my impression, the Green Flame Brotherhood isn't exactly an evil organization. They control vast resources, enjoy investing, and look forward to humanity's technological progress, operating very discreetly in the shadows."

With that, Silas said with a half-smile, "Besides, isn't the name 'Tulle Investment Company' a bit too obvious? The name of that powerful entity symbolizing primordial life and death contains those two characters."

!!!!!

Hearing this, Bart's heart suddenly pounded twice, and he almost jumped out of his chair.

"Who on earth are you!?" Bart struggled to keep his voice calm.

This fellow's knowledge of them filled him with immense fear. He even knew the name of that deity who existed only in legend!

Only a few core members of the Green Flame Brotherhood knew this name. In the outside world, apart from a few powerhouses at the Dominator level or above, few were aware of it.

Silas calmly took a sip of coffee. "Just a little Priest who knows a bit more."

Bart narrowed his eyes, a somber aura gradually emanating from him. "I can see you're not from the Church of Holy Blood. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you for so rashly revealing such a secret? You should know very well that I possess such an ability."

Silas didn't answer, saying calmly, "I've answered your question. Now it's your turn to answer mine. What do you intend to do here?"

Bart didn't press further either. His demeanor changed, and he said with a smile, "I actually came here this time to help you all."

"Help us!?" Silas was taken aback.

Bart said, "The Green Flame Brotherhood is an organization with a long history of inheritance and development. In the long process of development, divisions arising from differing development paths are inevitable."

Silas nodded. "Yes, that's understandable."

"I received intelligence this time that a certain branch of our Green Flame Brotherhood is preparing to conduct an evil ritual to summon some terrifying entities. We desire low-profile development and don't want to attract too much attention. If this incident occurs, we will once again be thrust into the limelight. Therefore, my purpose in coming here this time is to stop their evil ritual and minimize the negative impact of the matter. It would be best to deal with it quietly before it even happens."

Hearing this, Silas stroked his chin. "So, the one who attacked me just now was a member of your branch organization? Because I've been guiding you these past few days, they thought I was your accomplice, so they wanted to kill me?"

Bart grunted in affirmation, then said apologetically, "Although I anticipated they might launch an attack, I didn't expect them to send out a Zealot."

"Zealot?" Silas was taken aback. This profession wasn't in the books Jeros had given him.

Bart explained casually, "Zealot is a profession born from religion. Through devout faith and sacrificing part of their sanity, they lose fear and gain enhancements in other aspects."

"The Zealot apprentice who attacked you just now had his physical attributes enhanced, bringing his physical capabilities to the level of a Pugilist apprentice."

Silas pondered this information, then said with a displeased expression, "So you've been using me as bait these past few days?"

Bart smiled. "It's a win-win for everyone. You helped me draw out the tail, and I can provide you with intelligence, allowing you to achieve great merit in this matter and gain the Church's favor."

Silas immediately shook his head upon hearing this. "No need. I don't want to attract too much attention right now. Merit is something that should come naturally."