Chapter 383: Chapter 383

Matsumoto Mina gritted her teeth and said venomously, "The materials I had you fetch! The vehicle has been retrieved, but it was empty inside! Nothing was left!"

Kirihara Jiro looked at her in shock. "No, that’s impossible. Miss Meina, I personally checked everything. After loading it onto the vehicle, I even affixed your Talisman. You should have faith in your own Talisman, shouldn’t you? Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to open the cargo compartment at all."

"That just proves you’re the thief! Kirihara Jiro, as long as you return the materials obediently, I guarantee your actions won’t implicate your brother. Otherwise, not only you but Kirihara Ichiro will go to hell with you!"

"Miss Meina, you know what kind of person I am. Even if you lent me several times the courage, I wouldn’t dare," Kirihara Jiro pleaded, tears and mucus streaming uncontrollably down his face as he desperately tried to recall the situation. "I remember now! It was Saori! When the car accident happened, I saw Miss Saori! She must have stolen the materials!"

"Matsumoto Saori? Wasn’t she at the Royal Palace at that time?" Matsumoto Mina frowned.

"I don’t know how she appeared there, but I really did see her. Knowing she bore ill will towards you, Miss Meina, I deliberately avoided her. Who would have thought that while I was changing lanes, a car suddenly darted out from the side? I had to swerve sharply, and then..."

"Shut up! Do you think I’ll believe you just because you concoct more details?"

Kirihara Jiro became even more anxious. "Everything I’m saying is true! I didn’t make it up!"

"You didn’t make it up?"

Matsumoto Mina took out a Talisman. "Didn’t you?"

Kirihara Jiro’s face changed drastically. "Miss Meina, please believe me! I really didn’t lie! Everything that happened is true; I’m telling the truth! The items in the vehicle truly just vanished—"

The moment the Talisman Paper made contact with his body, Kirihara Jiro began to howl in agony. The pain was so intense that a broken leg would have felt like nothing in comparison.

"Speak! When did you defect to Saori, and where are the materials now?"

"I haven’t defected to Saori! Miss Meina, I truly didn’t touch the items. I don’t know why they’re missing. I have always been loyal to you!"

Kirihara Jiro curled his body, desperately trying to alleviate the pain. "I really didn’t lie! Really!"

"Still stubborn at death’s door?"

Seeing Matsumoto Mina raise her hand again, an idea suddenly flashed through Kirihara Jiro’s mind. "Miss Meina, haven’t you considered that Saori might also possess abilities similar to yours?"

How could she possibly have them? Saori is a good-for-nothing; how could she possibly manage such a feat? Even she, Matsumoto Mina, couldn’t make an entire vehicle’s worth of items disappear without a trace.

Initially, she had taken note of Kirihara Ichiro’s capabilities and wanted to recruit him as a trusted subordinate. It was only to appease Kirihara Ichiro that she had agreed to take Kirihara Jiro under her command as well. Who would have thought? Who could have ever anticipated that this Kirihara Jiro would dare to betray her! Ha! Unforgivable! The most update n0vels are published on NoveI-Fire.ɴet

Matsumoto Mina narrowed her eyes and slowly recited an incantation.

Kirihara Jiro’s eyes suddenly bulged, his body convulsing and spasming irregularly. Blood flowed from his eyes, ears, and nose. In the blink of an eye, he became a man drenched in blood! Yet, his body remained bound by the power of the talisman. Unable to escape or break free, he could only despairingly experience the encroaching presence of death.

"Why such a heavy hand, Miss Meina?"

A voice sounded from behind her. A bald man in white monastic robes stood there, an enigmatic smile on his face.

"Why have you come?" Matsumoto Mina frowned.

"I came to see if you need assistance. After all, you are a member of our Guiyi Faction!" the monk said with a laugh.

"Alright." Matsumoto Mina nodded. "Since you’ve heard everything, I’ll be direct. My materials are missing. Could you please use the Guiyi Faction’s influence to help me find them?"

With those words, the monk turned and departed gracefully.

Matsumoto Mina squinted as she watched him leave.

The Guiyi Faction. She had actually always looked down on it! Ever since she was reborn into Matsumoto Mina’s body, the Guiyi Faction had attempted to curry favor with her numerous times. Although she hadn’t outright rejected them, she hadn’t explicitly agreed either. Her initial plan was to establish her own power base, much like Li Tianyao, to become a true wielder of authority. She didn’t want to find herself reliant on a host of patrons. However, the loss of the materials at this moment made her realize that operating alone was not feasible. She couldn’t carve out her own domain in this world of cultivators with a group of underlings possessing only ordinary skills. Since that was the case, why not join the Guiyi Faction? Her abilities were more than sufficient to secure a high-ranking position within it. With capable individuals at her disposal, future endeavors should become somewhat easier, shouldn’t they?

Matsumoto Mina cast a cold glance at the now-deceased Kirihara Jiro, then left the hospital as if nothing untoward had occurred.

The Guiyi Faction was indeed formidable. In less than half an hour, the results of their investigation were reported back to Matsumoto Mina. They even managed to obtain the surveillance footage from the scene, something Matsumoto Mina herself had been unable to acquire.

The footage showed the car carrying Matsumoto Saori stopping due to the accident. Saori then exited the vehicle and mingled with the crowd of onlookers. Then, judging by the change in the vehicle’s tire compression, it appeared to suddenly become lighter at a specific moment.

"How did she do that?" Matsumoto Mina murmured. She didn’t want to believe it, but the evidence was undeniable.

"Is Miss Meina aware that something called a Storage Space exists in this world?"

The monk in white robes produced a ring. With a wave of his hand, the tea set before Matsumoto Mina vanished. A few seconds later, the monk waved his hand again, and the tea set reappeared on the table, completely intact.

"This is called a storage ring. It contains one square meter of space inside. Anyone capable of stealing items from a vehicle in such a manner must possess a similar storage device, and its capacity would undoubtedly be quite large."

Matsumoto Mina fell silent for a moment. "Then what are you waiting for? Go find Saori! Retrieve the items! With the Guiyi Faction involved, Saori wouldn’t dare to deny it, would she?"

The monk shook his head. "She doesn’t need to admit anything. Our people have already confirmed that Matsumoto Saori is not implicated. This means the one who took the items wasn’t Matsumoto Saori, but..."

The monk enlarged the image, freezing the frame on the driver who had taken Matsumoto Saori home!

"This individual is a Ninja from the Tianyuan Sect who has always served close to the Queen. For such a person to be dispatched by the Queen merely to chauffeur a princess not yet recognized by the Royal Family—don’t you find that unusual?"

"Are you saying he took the materials?"

The monk nodded. "Precisely. The Tianyuan Sect has always opposed the Guiyi Faction’s expansion plans, believing that by remaining secluded, they can avoid casualties. To weaken our strength, they have stolen our resources on multiple occasions. Matsumoto Saori being placed in the Matsumoto Group by the Royal Family was likely also orchestrated by the Tianyuan Sect. This time, they must have set their sights on the Matsumoto Group’s resources."

Matsumoto Mina was speechless.