129: Chapter 0129 Retrial

The efficiency of the Internal Affairs Department was indeed impressive.

The next day, Li Size received a notification from the Transmission Node and once again stepped into the Gray Mist Mountain Town Police Station.

This was already the third time he had been brought to this interrogation room; his story with Gelia had begun right here.

Therefore, even when escorted to the interrogation room, he did not develop any aversion to the place.

The human heart is truly marvelous; once the emotions accept something, even a space previously felt as oppressive can be imbued with a layer of warmth.

The confinement runes on the wall faintly emitted a pale golden glimmer, seemingly affirming this unique sentiment.

The stone walls of the interrogation room reflected a cold, hard gray light, made of obsidian reinforced by sorcery.

Several pale golden confinement runes were etched onto the wall surfaces, and the air carried the distinct, crisp scent of sorcery disinfectant.

In the center of the table sat a bronze-colored Sorcery Lie Detector. Its casing was covered in spiraling energy patterns, its top embedded with three pearly white crystal beads, and three metal probes extended from the base, waiting to be activated.

The door was suddenly pushed open.

A tall Internal Affairs Department official, dressed in a black uniform embroidered with a silver wolf emblem, strode in. The three golden stars on his epaulets were dazzlingly conspicuous—it was Marcus.

He glanced at Li Size, a hint of undisguised contempt curling his lips, his fingers unconsciously stroking the hilt of the sorcery dagger at his waist:

"Li Size? That Mechanical Alchemy Genius from Gray Mist Mountain Academy?

I advise you to confess honestly: Was the leak of the communication center's eavesdropping technology orchestrated by you in collusion with the Feiting Federation?"

Li Size looked up, his gaze as still as water, his fingers lightly tapping the wooden grain of the tabletop:

"Lord Marcus, accusations require evidence."

Marcus slammed a palm onto the table, causing the Sorcery Lie Detector on it to shake slightly. His voice suddenly rose, carrying the intimidating force of sorcery enhancement:

"Evidence? The Sorcery Recording of you appearing near the communication center that day is the evidence! Don't think you can act recklessly just because you have some talent!

I am a Senior Specialist of the Internal Affairs Department, three full ranks above you! If you don't confess now, I have plenty of sorcery interrogation methods to make you talk!"

Li Size chuckled lightly, calmly taking out a hot-stamped leather identification document from his inner pocket. The edge of the document was inlaid with miniature secrecy runes to prevent illegal duplication. He slapped it onto the table:

"Lord Marcus, perhaps you should look at this first."

Marcus picked up the document, his fingers trembling slightly from tension. His pupils abruptly contracted. The cover was emblazoned with the national crest of the Crimson Soul Duchy, beneath which were the bold characters: 'Department-Level Confidentiality Proof'.

His face instantly flushed red, but he still forced out an imposing air: "Even if you have a confidential status, it cannot cover up the fact that the eavesdropping technology was leaked!"

Li Size pointed to the lie detector, his elbow lightly resting on the table edge, his tone composed: "Since this involves state secrets, I will only answer in a manner that ensures no leakage. Simultaneously, I am willing to cooperate and activate the lie detector."

Marcus gritted his teeth, reached out, and activated the activation rune on the lie detector. A faint hum emanated as the rune lit up.

The patterns on the bronze casing lit up sequentially, the three crystal beads emitted a pale blue radiance, and the metal probes slowly rose.

Li Size gently pressed his palm onto them, and a gentle flow of Demonic Energy immediately seeped into his body.

"I have never participated in any incident involving the leakage of eavesdropping technology that is detrimental to the Crimson Soul Duchy."

Li Size's voice was clear and firm, his throat bobbing slightly. The crystal beads on the lie detector maintained a steady blue light.

He paused briefly and continued:

"However, through my secret investigation, I discovered that on the night the communication center was infiltrated, three technical personnel from Gele City behaved suspiciously.

The sorcery props they used are identical in model to products from industries under Viscount Weisman."

The lie detector remained stable with blue light; he was not lying.

Damn it!

Marcus's expression completely changed. He stared fixedly at the crystal beads, which were emitting a steady blue light without triggering an alarm. He clenched his fists unconsciously, momentarily rendered speechless.

The interrogation room was filled only with the subtle hum of flowing Demonic Energy; the air seemed to solidify.

For Li Size, this was the second time he had faced the Sorcery Lie Detector; the first time was during the interrogation to help Gelia.

In reality, he had long since figured out its operating principles:

One only needed to slightly modify the language, adding a few seemingly innocuous qualifiers, which was enough to hide the true intention within a seemingly candid statement.

For example, if he had directly said, 'I did not participate in the eavesdropping technology leak,' the lie detector would certainly have sounded an alarm, because he indeed participated.

But he cleverly added the qualifier, 'that is detrimental to the Crimson Soul Duchy.' Thus, what he said was the truth.

Because what he participated in was ultimately deemed 'beneficial' by the Duchy.

Therefore, the lie detector remained undisturbed.

Because from beginning to end, every sentence he spoke was 'true'.

Marcus stared at Li Size for a long time before finally realizing he couldn't pry any more information out of the young man.

He suddenly stood up, his chair scraping the floor with a harsh sound. He threw the Department-Level Confidentiality Proof back onto the table, his voice laced with suppressed rage:

"You had better pray that your reason for secrecy holds up!"

With that, he turned and strode out of the interrogation room. The door slammed shut behind him with a 'bang,' causing even the confinement runes on the wall to tremble slightly.

Walking down the corridor, Marcus's face shifted from pale to red, then slowly returned to calm.

He touched the leather notebook in his pocket, rubbing his finger over the rune imprint on the cover.

Jotted down hastily were the clues Li Size mentioned: 'Gele City technical personnel' and 'industries under Viscount Weisman.'

A calculating smile curved his lips:

"Li Size, oh Li Size, do you think using confidentiality can shut me up? These clues are enough for me to report to the branch office."

He quickened his pace, already calculating in his mind:

If he could follow this lead and find evidence of Viscount Weisman's involvement in the theft of the eavesdropping technology, that would be a massive achievement!

Not only would it erase the embarrassment he suffered in front of Li Size today, but he could also advance rapidly within the branch office, perhaps even earning the appreciation of the Duchy's upper echelon.

Thinking of this, Marcus's eyes lit up, and even his steps became much lighter, emitting faint Demonic Energy fluctuations as he trod on the sorcery floor tiles of the corridor.

"Viscount Weisman... you just wait, this time I will definitely bring you down!"

Marcus muttered to himself, his figure quickly vanishing behind the light screen of the Transmission Node at the end of the corridor, leaving behind only the lingering scent of sorcery disinfectant in the air and the echo of his ambitious aspirations.

Watching Marcus's back disappear, Li Size let out a breath, his shoulders relaxing slightly. He thought:

Now they will have something to keep them busy; they probably won't bother me anymore.

But recent events made him keenly aware that the risk of war was escalating sharply. He had a premonition that Gele City, situated on the border, and even Monte Province, were becoming increasingly unsafe.

A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall.

Considering the Wizard Academy qualification exam scheduled for a few months later, he felt that perhaps after passing the exam and getting into a Wizard Academy, he would move his entire family to a new location.

If war were to break out at any moment, staying on the front lines with his family would definitely not be a wise choice.

While he was thinking, seeing that Marcus was already far away, the charming Gelia quietly slipped into the interrogation room.

She moved her steps extremely lightly, afraid of triggering the vigilance runes at the door, and playfully stuck her tongue out at Li Size...

Her crimson uniform was pressed so smoothly there wasn't a single wrinkle. The silver star runes on her epaulets shone with a cold light in the dim interrogation room. The cinched waist design made her slender waist appear even more delicate.

The straight trouser crease extended down her long legs to her black leather boots. The heels striking the floor made crisp 'tap-tap' sounds, yet she deliberately softened the force.

Her ice-blue eyes were clear and bright; the slight upward curve at the outer corner carried a hint of unintentional allure. Her red lips were pursed into a straight line but were tinged with some warmth from her earlier playful tongue-out gesture.

This was Gelia, the most untouchable, cold beauty in the Gray Mist Mountain Town Police Station, yet at this moment, she appeared somewhat playful.

Her fingertips still hooked onto the metal handle of the interrogation room door, she cautiously glanced left and right, her ears twitching slightly as she listened to the sounds outside.