Seeing the cadres start to argue, the cadre in the Purple Cloak, who was leading them, shook his head with a headache. Initially, he wanted to discuss how to save the organization, but these guys truly had no integrity. From the moment they arrived, they had been planning how to dissolve the Eight Fingers, and now they were fighting over the division of property. Since the situation for the Eight Fingers was beyond saving, there was no point in him staying. He spoke up: "Since everyone has decided to dissolve, then let's do it. I don't want any of the profits; don't worry about my share."
"As expected of the most mysterious that one. But since you don't want the profits, then everyone else..."
"...won't be polite. I hope you don't do anything stupid, like thinking of killing us to silence us after you're done with us."
The other cadres looked at this mysterious cadre with extreme wariness. Most members of the Eight Fingers were either mercenaries or criminals; some merchants were smugglers, and the nobles were those with bad reputations. However, the one who could pull them all together was undoubtedly a high-profile figure.
Even with his identity hidden, no one was a fool. Now that the organization was dissolving, it was impossible not to worry about being silenced. They had to unite to deal with this mysterious figure. Even if they were bickering over interests now, they were united on this matter. In the past, some cadres chose to stand with the mysterious cadre, but that was when the organization still existed. Now that it was dissolving, unless they were insane, they would be wary of this mysterious cadre turning on his colleagues.
"You're overthinking it. I don't need to go that far. Compared to me, you should worry about how to clean up your own identities. You should know that many of your identities aren't secrets. Even if the organization dissolves, do you think those people hunting the Goddess Cult won't find you?"
The mysterious cadre stood up, wanting to leave.
There was no point in continuing the talk.
The meeting continued.
But the content of the conversation had changed.
The vibe shifted from a dark thriller to a marketplace brawl.
Each cadre wanted to squeeze one last big gain from the organization. At a time like this, they should have prioritized dissolving and cleaning up their identities, but they felt wasting a day was nothing.
Besides, it wasn't a waste. They knew they'd have to pay a huge price to clean their slates. Although they had been in high-profit businesses, they were also big spenders. While they all had significant savings, they probably wouldn't find such lucrative professions for a long time. So, they fought for as much as they could get.
And among them...
The Security Department had the loudest voice.
And the most arrogant tone.
They wanted half!
Yet, the other departments could do nothing about them. After all, the Security Department was the strongest combat unit in the organization, containing Kingdom-class practitioners like the Six Arms. If a fight really broke out here, the Security Department's martial power could crush all other departments. So, no one dared to argue with them... On the day the Eight Fingers meeting took place.
Ainz Ooal Gown, accompanied by three Guardians and the Imperial Sword Saint, arrived at the abandoned factory of the Eight Fingers. They didn't rush in immediately. Instead, they set up multiple layers of restrictions around the area to ensure no one could escape. Only then did they enter the factory, intending to wipe out the high-level cadres of the Eight Fingers in one fell swoop.
But before going in...
Demiurge shared intelligence beforehand.
"Eight Fingers refers to the God of Thieves. Legend says the God of Thieves, a subordinate of the Earth God, has only Eight Fingers. The God of Thieves also represents the deity of amassing wealth through the dark industries. This signifies the original intent behind the organization's founding; they are a group of criminals engaged in illegal trades for profit. However, according to my investigation, this organization has deep ties with the Noble Faction of this country. The nominal leader of the Eight Fingers is also a quite significant figure within the Noble Faction."
Tsukasa asked casually:
"Then what is the relationship between the Eight Fingers and the Goddess Cult?"
"Currently, the relationship between the Eight Fingers and the Goddess Cult seems to be one of subordination. On the surface, the Eight Fingers appears to be the one hidden in the shadows. But based on the Goddess Cult's range of activity, perhaps the Goddess Cult originally used the Noble Faction of this country to establish the Eight Fingers as a front to deceive people. At first, they pretended to be just black-market merchants, but in reality, they were secretly plotting large-scale sacrificial activities. Otherwise, it wouldn't explain why they could cause such destruction right after appearing."
Demiurge's speculation was based on evidence.
Under normal circumstances, if the Goddess Cult had just been formed, it would be impossible for it to spread to various regions in such a short time and destroy two or three cities upon its outbreak. Even an invasion by the Empire couldn't cause such damage to The Kingdom all at once. This couldn't be a sudden terrorist strike but a pre-planned operation.
Thinking logically, this was correct. But Demiurge didn't know how terrifying the Gospel's brainwashing was, nor did he know how much of a boost the Gospel gave to the Goddess Cult. A magical organization that didn't need to worry about unity or loyalty and would only grow stronger could achieve many 'impossible' things. By applying normal logic to the Goddess Cult, Demiurge was destined to never find the correct answer.
"I see."
Tsukasa nodded.
Indicating that what he said made sense.
Demiurge continued his explanation: "The cadres of the Eight Fingers aren't worth our attention; most are just merchants and nobles. In my view, they are just puppets placed on the surface by the Goddess Cult. What truly deserves our attention is a department called the Six Arms."
"This department is known within the Eight Fingers as the Security Department, primarily responsible for acting as bodyguards. It is the strongest armed department within the Eight Fingers."
"The name Six Arms comes from the six strongest experts in this department. It's said to include a martial arts genius, a King of the Undead, and a swordsman who has mastered the secret technique Spatial Slash. I believe they must all be cadres of the Goddess Cult."
Tsukasa looked at Demiurge with confusion.
The intelligence she got from the Adventurers Guild didn't say that, and she remembered the Goddess Cult's member list didn't include members of the Six Arms. In other words, this subordinate of Ainz Ooal Gown had investigated wrongly.
However, she didn't correct him. She finally understood why Ainz Ooal Gown had invited her; it was for this reason. Likely, the destruction caused by the Goddess Cult was too great, and the members of the Six Arms each had such resounding titles that this Demon God King was intimidated. It seemed their intelligence department, while incredibly powerful, was somewhat behind the times; the information they gathered was half-true and half-false, and its authenticity couldn't be guaranteed.
If she didn't know the truth about the Goddess Cult and hadn't obtained information about the Eight Fingers through the Guild's power, she might have been convinced by Demiurge.
After all, his reasoning was flawless.
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