Chapter 123: Chapter 123

The video conference in the office had ended.

The Minister of the Security Department had already made the final decision.

Three matters were settled in this video conference.

First, continue executing Agent Norton's Crisis Transfer plan, and continue observing and analyzing Las Loren's behavioral patterns.

Second, raise the confidentiality level of all intelligence related to Las Loren to the highest classification—Federation Level.

Third, spare no effort to reduce Las Loren's hostility towards the Federation, and strive to draw Las Loren into the Federation's camp.

After the Minister of the Security Department finalized these three matters, this impromptu meeting also came to an end.

In this meeting that began in a flurry and ended hastily, no one cared anymore about how to handle Councilor Osman.

It was as if the fate of this Jadeite Council member was no longer important.

Even if that person was a member of the Jadeite Council.

In the past, the Security Bureau hadn't moved against that Councilor Osman simply because arresting him wouldn't yield the maximum benefit.

Or perhaps, what Councilor Osman had done was still within the Security Bureau's tolerance limits.

Of course, there was another, more important reason: even if the Security Bureau tried Councilor Osman, they couldn't guarantee that the person replacing him in the Jadeite Council would perform better than Councilor Osman...

Given the current general environment of the Federation, it was highly likely that the newly appointed council member would be inferior to this Councilor Osman in many aspects...

In this chaotic era, there were already very few people who still held ideals for the Federation.

The Security Bureau had many matters to handle every day; there was no need to apply the highest standards to everything. The stability of the Federation was paramount.

At the very least, aside from having ambiguous ties with remnants of the Justice Party, this Councilor Osman only had the hobby of supporting those underworld gangs under his command.

His conduct even seemed cleaner than that of most Federation officials.

For a vast Federation with over 7,000 years of history, this was an era of chaos and also an era of decay.

Simultaneously, for the Security Bureau, this was also an era of helplessness.

Arrest them? No, it's impossible to arrest them all...

If someone wanted to attack the Federation from the outside, the Security Bureau could always find a way with some thought.

But when people's hearts and ideals rot, they are very difficult to mend.

Perhaps the Security Department was the last piece of relatively unspoiled soil within the Federation.

But it was only "relatively" unspoiled, not completely untainted.

At least in the past, agents of the Federation Security Bureau wouldn't abuse their power to frame others just for a bit of operational funding...

Thinking of this, Abel Norton stood up and walked out of the office alone, feeling somewhat desolate.

Thankfully, most agents of the Security Bureau still held ideals for the Federation...

It was all the fault of that damned Energy Department, always withholding funds. The Security Bureau had no choice...

Recruiting informants, training new agents, pensions for deceased agents, maintaining generous compensation to prevent agent betrayal, and activities like turning enemy agents—all required a massive amount of Spirit Stones...

Right, the intelligence about that assassin Luca Brown just obtained... hopefully, his superiors could sell it to the Energy Department for a good price...

At the very least, don't let those guys in the Energy Department withhold our funding anymore...

With a tangle of chaotic thoughts, Abel Norton returned to his own office and slammed the door shut with force.

He leaned most of his body back into his office chair, crossed his feet on the desk, closed his eyes, and began contemplating another matter.

Why did that dangerous fellow, Las Loren, possess characteristics that made him unobservable by the Gods?

No, he shouldn't call the other party by name directly anymore; that was dangerous.

Why did that fellow possess characteristics that made him unobservable by the Gods?

Was he a special God's Favored One under the protection of a certain deity?

Considering he was from the Nature Sect, was he a believer of the Moonlight Goddess? Or a believer of the God of Nature?

Judging by his behavioral patterns, he probably wasn't a moderate follower of the Moonlight Goddess, but rather a radical follower of the God of Nature...

But this level of protection could even resist high-level Precognitive psychic abilities. Was he the "God of Nature's" own son???

Sigh, the Security Bureau's understanding of these God's Favored Ones was still far too lacking...

Or perhaps, was he an alternate persona used by a certain deity walking in the Star Realm?

According to intelligence records within the Bureau, some bored deities with nothing better to do loved doing this sort of thing...

But judging by that fellow's performance, he didn't seem like someone with such a boring personality...

Or, was He Himself a major deity?

Using His true form to come to the Federation located in the Star Realm, to work as an Interstellar Hunter???

No, that was somewhat hard to believe. Better to rule out that possibility for now...

There was one more, smallest possibility: his Psychic Ability naturally countered Precognitive-type abilities and inherently possessed an unobservable quality.

A never-before-seen Rule-Based Psychic Ability?

Thinking this far, Abel Norton began recalling the bizarre abilities Loren had displayed...

No, it seemed more like a Rule-Based Psychic Ability leaning towards the mental aspect, not one that could counter Precognitive abilities...

So, based on the analysis, the greatest possibility was that he was a follower the "God of Nature" valued most?

But then a new problem arose: why would the God of Nature bestow that level of protection upon that fellow??

Weren't the Federation and the Nature Sect still in their honeymoon period??

Wait, could it be that an unprecedented division had emerged within the Nature Sect?!!

The moderate faction, followers of the Moonlight Goddess, wanted to maintain good relations with the Federation.

While the radical faction, followers of the God of Nature, did not think the same?!!

Could the God of Nature have sent that fellow to destroy the honeymoon period between the Federation and the moderate faction?!!

Analyzing to this point, Abel Norton opened his eyes, which emitted a startlingly sharp gleam!

He abruptly sat up straight, feeling he had analyzed the truth.

Immediately, he quickly turned on the computer on his desk.

After a series of operations, he used the Security Bureau's internal network to log into a secret database.

This place contained outdated intelligence collected by the Federation Security Department over the last few centuries.

Due to the passage of time, these once top-secret pieces of intelligence were no longer as important, yet they hadn't reached the point of needing to be declassified to the Federation public.

The Security Department still retained these outdated classified intelligence files.

First, to commemorate the agents who obtained this intelligence, hoping that future members of the Security Bureau would remember the contributions of these predecessors.

Second, believing that this outdated intelligence might someday prove useful, helping some agent understand the historical context of the time.

For example, right now.

Abel Norton needed this outdated classified intelligence.

He entered "Nature Sect" into the search bar and clicked confirm...