Lin Mu's eyes hardened.
He walked to the central shelves where the thickest tomes lay, their covers marked with the crescent insignia. Each one contained the records of the Drowned Crescent Cult's leaders, their rituals, their plans. He placed his hand over the shelves and swept them all into his ring without hesitation.
"These," he said, his voice low but resolute, "will tell me everything I need."
The cultist, Lame Yu, trembled and dropped to his knees again, kowtowing so hard his forehead split anew. "M-Master Lin, I've shown you everything! Please… please spare me! I have been loyal only to survival, not the cult!"
Cattaleya tilted her head, her blade glinting as she rested it casually across her shoulder. "He's a worm, Lin Mu. Shall I cut him down now?"
Lin Mu shook his head. "Not yet. A worm can still be useful if it burrows through the right earth. He will live... for now. When I have wrung every truth from him, then we will see if he deserves to remain breathing."
