Having Mona bring back intelligence could only mean one of two possibilities. The first is that Bruce wasn’t controlled by the Thousand-Eyed Demon and hoped to make use of the Holy See to eliminate it.
This maneuver is devilish!
The second possibility is that Bruce had been completely controlled by the Thousand-Eyed Demon; letting Mona return with intelligence was the Demon’s idea. The devil might have an even more terrifying plan; offering intelligence proactively to befuddle the Holy See and to let their guard down.
The second maneuver is also devilish, but it has too many flaws. Gunther pondered that he had seen through it at a glance; the devil had no reason to go to such troublesome lengths for no thanks.
Er, it also doesn’t rule out that the devil had seen through his realization, and did it on purpose.
"Archbishop, Bruce asked me to provide a list, to be present at exactly eleven o’clock tonight, at my residence in the West District apartment," Mona’s words emerged on the band, and after speaking, she felt relieved.
"I’ll show you tonight!"
"Dare to touch my butt, I’ll chop off your paw when the time comes!"
Artley, Gunther watched the words that surfaced on the band and thought to himself that the child had suffered, and he would definitely give her an explanation later.
Artley broke the awkward silence, "Gunther, we already have sufficient intelligence, let her go, dispel the evil thoughts, she shouldn’t continue to suffer."
"No, the intelligence is far from enough. For instance, the teleportation gates, the Thousand-Eyed Demon still holds the initiative advantage." Gunther shook his head.
Artley felt a surge of unease, sensing something was amiss.
"I need Mona to continue her undercover mission."
"How could that be possible..."
Artley’s voice rose an octave, and to spare Mona’s feelings, he quickly lowered his voice and said, "You’ve seen it, she’s made a great sacrifice. If she continues to stay next to the devil, she might not be able to remain pure."
Artley: He dared to touch her butt last night, it’ll be her chest tonight, and by the day after tomorrow she might be bearing a child.
"Can you find the teleportation gate? If we release her now, the lead will be lost. Where will we find Bruce, and how will we stop the Thousand-Eyed Demon?"
Gunther glared at Artley, and seeing that the other was about to speak again, he cut him off, "Whatever the devil’s plan might be, even in the best-case scenario, it involves destroying the Church’s power in Lundan. What right have you to be lenient? Wait until you become Archbishop to talk like that!"
Artley was left red-faced and breathing heavily, glaring angrily at Gunther: "Sending the Heavenly Father’s children to the devil’s side, driving out the devil in such a way, how are we any different from the devil?"
The difference between one person and an entire city!
Gunther silently provided the answer but never spoke it aloud. He looked at Artley and shared his own speculation.
"Do you suspect that Bruce isn’t controlled by the Thousand-Eyed Demon? That Mona was able to bring back intelligence on purpose?" Artley was greatly surprised, and after calming down to think about it, it seemed somewhat plausible.
However, these were all speculations, assumptions without proof; they could not stand on their own.
Their whispered conversation got overheard by Mona; her body wrapped in white cloth remained silent for a moment before a line of text slowly surfaced on the band: "Archbishop, Captain, I am willing to continue the undercover mission, even if it means sacrificing myself, I have no fear."
The devil was right: since someone always had to be sacrificed, why couldn’t it be her? If many were to lose their lives, why couldn’t it be just her losing everything?
Seeing the resolve Mona showed, Artley was both impressed and angry, glaring at Gunther beside him.
This old man must have done it on purpose, knowing he could have taken him outside to explain clearly!
Gunther indeed did it on purpose. He sighed, "Mona, you are an excellent member of the clergy, your faith is beyond doubt. Rest assured, I will not let your purity be tainted by sin."
Gunther manipulated the Holy Light Array, separating and sealing the evil thoughts within Mona. The seal was perfect, ensuring that Mona could hear the devil’s whispering but would not be manipulated by it.
At the same time, since it was a seal and not an expulsion, ’Bruce’ would not realize that Mona was out of his control.
Gunther narrowed his eyes; with this in place, not only could Mona retain her independent will during her undercover mission, but she could also test whether ’Bruce’ was controlled by the Thousand-Eyed Demon.
Once the sealing was complete, the white band dispersed, and Mona stood in her place, her expression normal, without any sense of despair or hopelessness about the tragic destiny that was imminent.
"If only it was you with the spirit of sacrifice..."
Gunther murmured to himself, then asked, "How is it going at the Detective Agency? How’s the investigation?"
"Wayne is very wary of me; I can hardly find a chance to be alone with him." Mona felt helpless. Compared to the vivacious young college girls around her boss, she felt like an old woman already.
"It’s okay. Once this matter ends, I will send a commission to the Detective Agency. When you are following him, you will definitely discover something."
After finishing, Gunther gazed deeply at Mona and said meaningfully, "Your spirit of sacrifice is commendable, but the Holy See has not yet reached the point where you young people need to sacrifice. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. I’ll have the list ready for tonight, hand it to Bruce, and watch carefully. He trusts you a lot now, try to get more intelligence."
Can more intelligence even be extracted?
Mona was internally surprised but nodded her head in understanding.
"Why is there a list, do you know which heretics are hidden in Lundan?" Artley spoke unhappily, upset that Gunther had kept from him a separate, independent intelligence system.
"I know a few, not many."
Gunther glossed over, indeed having a separate intelligence system, related to the Windsor Royal Family—in fact, tied to the Liberty Mage Alliance.
The Liberty Mage Alliance would believe anything. They welcomed all comers, including those who worship Hell.