Iwanaga Kotoko shook her head and corrected Luo Shu's cognitive errors:
"How should I explain it? Although my ritual was completed six years ago, I am still in the process of the ritual and have not yet been promoted to a demigod."
This doesn't seem like a topic that can be discussed with me, right? Luo Shu raised his eyebrows when he heard this, but did not interrupt rashly. Instead, he waited quietly for an explanation.
At this time, Iwanaga Kotoko raised her index finger and said:
"On the one hand, the general environment six years ago did not allow the birth of a demigod, so it was delayed until recently. On the other hand, I still lack some resources for advancement."
"In fact, I have already completed the demigod ritual at the elite level, but due to these reasons, I have not been able to fully advance."
"So, even though I have completed the ritual to become a demigod, I am still in the realm of mortals."
"...Can the demigod ceremony be completed ahead of time?" Luo Shu couldn't help showing his surprise. It was the first time he heard that the promotion ceremony could be completed ahead of time.
Iwanaga Kotoko shook her head and explained:
"Most rituals are not allowed. After all, during the promotion from hero to demigod, the most important function of the ritual is to allow the promoted person to truly feel and grasp the exaggerated power of 'concept'."
"Not to mention that such opportunities are often very short-lived and difficult to control, the fact that the 'conceptual active state' created by the promotion ceremony will fade over time is enough to make the idea of completing the ceremony ahead of time bankrupt."
"If a hero fails to grasp the concept when it activates, the best outcome is failure to advance. The worst outcome is... he will lose control of his power and be transformed into something inexplicable by the power he failed to transform successfully."
"It's already so difficult to complete the ceremony on the spot, let alone completing it in advance."
"The reason why I was able to complete the ritual ahead of time and maintain its effectiveness is because the conditions of my ritual are: 'Sacrifice an eye and a limb to the Fountain of Wisdom, and be devoutly served by hundreds of lives of different races.'"
Having said this, Iwanaga Kotoko paused, touched her lifeless right eye, and smiled:
"You have seen my current situation. Until now, I have not yet recovered my eye and left leg from the Fist of Wisdom."
"But at the same time, hundreds and thousands of monsters are still serving me and treating me like a princess."
"Although my ritual is not completed, it is still running. This is why the effect of the ritual is still maintained."
After hearing Iwanaga Kotoko's explanation, Luo Shu lowered his head slightly, stared at the slightly childish face, and asked the petite girl in front of him:
"So, the reason you joined the Phoenix Society was actually to obtain materials to become a demigod?"
Chapter 231 Sir, you don’t want to...
After hearing what Luo Shu said, Iwanaga Kotoko showed a look of realization:
"Has SDS understood my situation to this extent?"
"Did Shim do this?"
"Although I have never underestimated her intelligence gathering ability, she was able to find my fake identity in the Phoenix Agency. It seems that I still underestimated her."
Luo Shu remained silent upon hearing this, with no intention of explaining clearly.
It's okay to tell the family members about the cheating-like search ability of the Whispering Volume, but as for outsiders, it should be kept as secret as possible.
On the one hand, the souls of the clans are protected by the divine system and cannot be read by outsiders. On the other hand, the sense of security brought by the contract makes Luo Shu willing to trust them.
But Luo Shu had no interest in explaining to outsiders, even someone like Iwanaga Kotoko who had the qualifications to be a family member.
After all, a candidate is just a candidate after all. As long as he doesn't become a member of the family, Luo Shu will remain wary.
As for Luo Shu's silence at this time, Iwanaga Kotoko thought a lot, but all her thoughts did not come out in her mouth.
In order to deal with Luo Shu's silence, Iwanaga Kotoko smiled brightly:
"You seem to have misunderstood something?"
"I have never admitted that the promotion materials I need exist in the Phoenix Society."
"In fact, anyone who knows a little about the truth of this world will prepare materials for promotion in advance. After all..."
Iwanaga Kotoko looked at Luo Shu with a happy smile:
"After all, no one can be sure whether the world's lifting of promotion restrictions will only last for a very short period of time."
"It could be six months, three months, or even a month. It's all possible. No one is going to bet on how long this window period will last."
"Therefore, anyone with a bit of ideas will prioritize collecting materials for promotion. Those with better conditions will even try to test whether the environment has changed."
"Even someone like me who doesn't have strong combat abilities has collected most of the promotion materials, leaving only a few things that are really hard to get."
At this point, Iwanaga Kotoko paused and said with a playful smile:
"Come to think of it, the last person who tried to test us seemed to be the great Onmyoji Makura Ye Wang, and the trouble he created in Kyoto was solved by you SDS~"
Seeing Iwanaga Kotoko distance herself from the matter, Luo Shu showed a look of contempt:
"...Do you think I will believe what you say?"
"You can't believe it if you don't want to. Besides, I didn't expect you to believe it. I just explained it briefly out of politeness."
Iwanaga Kotoko spread her hands, shook her head, and then said:
"Come to think of it, I also heard some of the conversation between Minister Luo Shu and the police chief just now."
"From what we can see now, Minister Luo Shu seems to be planning to give up holding the Phoenix Society's grassroots accountable and direct the Metropolitan Police Department to focus on the top leaders? So that he can more easily take over the Phoenix Society's resources?"
"You're right, I do have such an idea."
Luo Shu picked up the coffee and said with a smile:
"So, do you need my help to get out of the Phoenix Society?"
"The princess of the monster is a member of the Phoenix Society. I don't think you want to expose this news, right?"
"I do need to get out, but, unfortunately, my identity is not a problem for me."
Iwanaga Kotoko quickly pulled out a blue leather ID from under her skirt:
"Jiang Jiang!! An undercover certificate issued by a senior cabinet official!"
"Hehe, I'm an official undercover agent in the Phoenix Agency~"
Hearing Iwanaga Kotoko's confident words, Luo Shu looked at her with a subtle expression.
Iwanaga Kotoko leaned back somewhat unnaturally, slightly distanced herself from Luo Shu:
"Why do you look like that?"
"Nothing, just a little weird."
Luo Shu touched his chin and said thoughtfully:
"The Metropolitan Police Department went crazy trying to capture the Phoenix Agency personnel because of the terrorist attack on Manager Kuroda by the Phoenix Agency, but there was no news until I took action and the situation was alleviated."
"But someone in the cabinet arranged for you to be an undercover agent in the Phoenix Agency, and you were even undercover at a high level, with sufficient sources of intelligence, but you didn't say a word."
"Don't you think this is interesting?"
"So that's what you were thinking about~"
Iwanaga Kotoko waved her hand nonchalantly, then said casually:
"That's because that official would never rashly sell out my identity without my permission~"
"Oh? I can't pretend I didn't hear that." Luo Shu picked up his coffee with a malicious smile: "You know, controlling cabinet officials is a rare big news in the circle."
Hearing this, Iwanaga Kotoko still maintained her innocent and sweet smile, but her eyes were now teasing:
"What if I were to say that this cabinet member is my father, how would Minister Luo Shu respond?"
"Are you still planning to report me to the higher-ups at the Metropolitan Police Department?"
Luo Shu didn't respond when he heard this, but just calmly drank a sip of coffee, as if he was planning something big.
However, before he finished his coffee, Iwanaga Kotoko said with a smile:
"I was just joking~"
"Just judging by that handsome guy's face, Minister Luo Shu is definitely not the type to tell tales~"
Luo Shu touched his chin and smiled, "I never thought my face could prove something for me? This is really strange."
Although he said this, Luo Shu felt a little regretful.
I originally thought that the identity of a high-ranking official of Phoenix Society would be a leverage for Iwanaga Kotoko, but I didn't expect that the other party was so foolproof and had already made preparations.
This made Luo Shu a little disappointed.
Although the identity of Phoenix Agency is troublesome, if Kotoko Iwanaga is really the daughter of a cabinet bureaucrat, the Metropolitan Police Department will not be able to pursue her too much.
The Tianlong people were ruthless enough to go undercover. Even if they failed to deliver any intelligence, it was still a great achievement. What else do you, the Metropolitan Police Department, want?
The ancient aristocratic system of the island nation can make most of the senior officials shut up, and the few who cannot shut up will not offend a mysterious person with an official background.
Therefore, Luo Shu's previous plan to use the identity of the Phoenix Society to try to bring Iwanaga Kotoko to his side has failed.
"But if we miss out on a demigod who has already completed the ritual and is likely to be promoted in a short period of time, it would be a shame."
'Perhaps, we can talk more...'
Thinking of this, Luo Shu pondered for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"¨I think we should be more honest with each other."
"Candid?"
Iwanaga Kotoko glanced at Luo Shu suspiciously, then hesitated and said:
"Could it be that Minister Luo Shu likes girls like me? I see, lolita~ This is really a good hobby~"
Luo Shu paused for a moment, then forced a smile and said:
"...It seems that Ms. Iwanaga has no intention of cooperating."
As he spoke, Luo Shu stood up from his chair, took out his wallet, put the coffee money on the table and said:
"Well, I'm sorry to bother you this time. If we meet again, I'll treat Miss Iwanaga to a simple meal."
Luo Shu was about to leave, but before he could walk out of the table, Iwanaga Kotoko suddenly said:
"Several high-ranking members of the Phoenix Society have claimed that a pure-blooded Phoenix exists in the abyss near the Akihabara area!"
"If I remember correctly, Minister Luo Shu, the base of the Secret Management Department you are in should be inside Akihabara, right?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu turned around and looked at Iwanaga Kotoko with an expressionless face.
At this time, Iwanaga Kotoko propped her chin with both hands and said with a playful and cunning smile:
"Minister Luo, you don't want the Phoenix Society to summon a pure-blooded demon to wreak havoc in your base, right?"
Chapter 232: Crazy Iwanaga Kotoko
Hearing that variant of 'Madam, you don't want to...', Luo Shu felt quite complicated.
For a moment, Luo Shu wondered what would happen if he just left?
After all, judging from the words that Iwanaga Kotoko just said to him that made people unable to help but complain, it seemed that there was still room for negotiation between him and the other party.
However, according to Kotoko Iwanaga's attitude just now, in the next negotiations, she will definitely want to take a lot of initiative.
Thinking of this, Luo Shu paused for a moment, then turned around and continued to leave.
"Wait a moment!"
When Iwanaga Kotoko saw that Luo Shu was really planning to leave, she could no longer sit still. She grabbed the crutch beside her, held it backwards, and pointed the tip of the crutch in the direction of Luo Shu.
She seemed to want to use the bent head of her crutch to hook Luo Shu's clothes to stop him from leaving.
But Luo Shu simply dodged such an action by turning sideways.
As a result, after Kotoko Iwanaga, who only had one leg that could exert force properly, failed to catch the air, her center of gravity suddenly became unstable, and she fell on her buttocks on the sofa, which made her head buzz for a while.
Compared to Iwanaga Kotoko, Luo Shu, who dodged the pull, stood beside the table, leaning sideways, looking at her with a half-smile:
"Can I regard the stick just now as an active attack?"
"It is reasonable that someone who attacks SDS members without authorization will be attacked back, right?"
Hearing this, Iwanaga Kotoko put her cane on her right hand and said with a depressed look:
"Of course this is not an attack! 950"
"Really? There's no progress in the negotiations, but you want to just leave?"
“Shouldn’t it be common sense to bargain at the negotiation table?”
