Li Lin's truth serum wasn't based on a system formula; instead, it was something he concocted himself by combining his existing knowledge.
This serum utilized nano-gene technology, employing nanobots to stimulate the brain and compel the subject to reveal the truth about anything they were asked.
In practice, Demacia's interrogators had already used the serum on over a hundred individuals without any errors so far.
The colorless, semi-transparent serum—resembling ordinary water—was injected into Newman's neck. He shrieked and struggled to get up, but Li Lin and Xin Zhao firmly pinned him down.
Within seconds, Newman's expression went blank, his body noticeably relaxed.
Guided by Li Lin and Xin Zhao, he sat back in his chair, now significantly calmer.
Camilla, watching his sudden change in demeanor, felt a sense of foreboding. Hurriedly, she asked, "Lord Zachary, are you… are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Camilla," Newman replied, his voice devoid of emotion, resembling a synthetic robot outfitted with an AI chip.
Hearing him address her by her first name rather than her surname, Camilla's face grew paler.
On the surface, her relationship with Newman—and by extension, the Zachary family—was far from close.
Noticing the king's puzzled gaze, Camilla's heart sank into despair. It was far too late to flee now.
Wallace, puzzled, stroked the greying stubble on his chin and asked, "Do you feel any discomfort?"
"No, I just feel… much lighter," Newman answered.
Wallace frowned, clearly unable to grasp Newman's meaning.
"Enough chatter. The effects of this serum don't last long," Jarvan III interjected, giving Li Lin a brief nod. His gaze turned icy as he fixed his eyes back on Newman, speaking with a sharp edge. "Are you connected to the riots in High Silvermere?"
Without hesitation, Newman answered, "Yes."
His admission was like a thunderclap in the council chamber. A moment of stunned silence quickly gave way to chaos.
"My god! Did I hear that right?"
"Lord Zachary is involved in the riots?"
"The Minister of Law, engaging in rebellion?!"
"This is treason—colluding with Noxus, no less. How is this possible?!"
"Hmph, the Zachary family has been arrogant for years, flaunting their senior status. A family that's barely risen in the last few decades—did they forget how the Crownguard handles such matters?"
"But… can this so-called truth serum truly be trusted?"
"…"
Even Jarvan III's breathing momentarily stilled before his expression hardened, fury blazing in his eyes.
He had already tested the truth serum himself and held absolute faith in its efficacy.
That one of his Shield Councilors had plotted treason…
Jarvan III could hardly fathom it.
On Tiyana's orders, more soldiers rushed into the hall—not the king's personal Dawnkeep guards, but fully armed vanguard troops of the Dauntless Vanguard.
The elite shield formation soldiers swiftly moved through the crowd, arresting all of Newman's attendants who had come to the Shield Council. Their protests and cries of innocence were ignored as Tiyana, her expression stormy, waved her hand for her subordinates to take them away.
Tiyana then addressed Jarvan III and Barrett before hastily leaving the hall.
She didn't lower her voice, clearly announcing her intent to mobilize the Dauntless Vanguard to detain all members of the Zachary family for interrogation. Should anyone resist, they were to be executed on the spot.
The gathered audience erupted in shock once more.
Before leaving, Tiyana cast a sharp glance at Camilla, whose face had turned ashen.
Seated at the Shield Round Table, Jarvan III's face was a mask of cold detachment. His voice carried a terrifying chill as he spoke again: "Are you the mastermind behind this?"
The king's words plunged the council chamber into an oppressive silence.
Everyone held their breath, every passing second stretching into what felt like years.
"I'm just one of the planners," Newman confessed.
"As expected… as expected!" Jarvan III resisted the urge to draw his sword and execute Newman on the spot. Gritting his teeth, he demanded, "Who else is involved?"
"Eldred, Camilla Carter…"
Before Newman could continue, Camilla sprang to her feet, pointing at him and shouting, "Lies! These are baseless accusations! Your Majesty, I have never—"
"Shut your damn mouth!"
Since ascending the throne, Jarvan III had never cursed in court, let alone lost his composure this way. It was a testament to the depth of his rage.
Camilla, cowed by the king's aura, stood frozen with her mouth agape. Whatever defense she intended to make remained stuck in her throat, leaving her unable to say a word.
Moments later, she collapsed back into her chair, defeated, her eyes filled with despair as she turned toward Clement's seat—only to find it empty.
Frantically scanning the room, she spotted him near the exit, attempting to sneak away while everyone's attention was on Newman.
However, under the constant surveillance of the AI, his escape plan was doomed from the start.
"Where do you wish to go, Lord Omar?"
Li Lin's voice made Clemens' heart feel as though it had plunged into an icy abyss.
In the next instant, as Newman revealed his name, Clemens' eyes flashed with hatred. He swiftly drew the short sword he always carried and stabbed fiercely at the Ionian who had appeared before him, the one who had ruined their entire plan...
Even though he was clad in intricate battle armor.
The sharp, screeching sound of metal clashing filled the air as Clemens' hand was jolted back, his palm torn and blood seeping from the wound. His short sword snapped with a sharp, brittle crack and fell to the ground.
"You truly are a mere ant trying to shake a tree," Li Lin sneered.
Without needing to lift a finger, the Dauntless Vanguard, who had been waiting at the door, quickly subdued the Minister of Land Resources, pinning him to the ground and restraining him.
At this sensitive moment, even if Clemens was truly "slandered," the fact that he had entered the Shield Council with a weapon was enough for King Jarvan III to easily accuse him of attempting to assassinate the king, should he so choose.
Inside the hall, Newman had already revealed the names of all those involved in the Great Uprising of Demacia.
When King Jarvan III heard the name Eldred, his expression shifted to one of realization.
Without the orders of the highly controlling Mageseeker leader, how would the Mageseekers have dared to plot rebellion?
Pieter, the head of the Crownward family, hurriedly rushed out from the spectator seats, falling to his knees before the king and begging for forgiveness. After all, Eldred had married into the Crownward family, making him, in a sense, half a member of the family.
Unlike his treatment of Camilla, even though King Jarvan III was furious, he refrained from venting his anger on the Crownward family.
He knew that the Crownward family had always been loyal to the Lightshield Royal Family. With the Buvelle family's bloodline dying out, if he couldn't trust the Crownward family, he wouldn't have anyone else in Demacia to rely on to defend the royal family and safeguard the kingdom.
At Barrett's signal, several soldiers from the Shield Array rushed into the hall, arresting the attendants of all the related families present.
The effect of the truth serum still hadn't worn off, and King Jarvan III took the opportunity to ask Newman the questions he most wanted answered.
For example, whether they had colluded with Noxus, what the deal was with the assassin Jemira, who had assisted in Sylas' breakout from the Mythril Vault dungeon, and whether they had any other plans.
Newman had not been involved in much, mostly unaware of the details, but he shared his own suspicions: Eldred had likely orchestrated everything and was the one who had made deals with Noxus.
Finally, unable to suppress his anger any longer, King Jarvan III bellowed, "Rebellion! It's rebellion through and through!"
The king's roar reverberated through the council hall, making Tiyana, who had just finished overseeing the sealing of the Zachary family, pause for a moment.
"Tiyana, you're just in time," King Jarvan III said, his eyes bloodshot. "Immediately arrange for a team to seal the Catrel and Omar families, and Barrett, take your men to seal the remaining four families."
"Yes!" The two responded in unison, ready to carry out the orders.
"By the way," the king added just as Tiyana was about to leave, "send me another Dauntless Vanguard squad. I'm going after Eldred myself!"
(End of Chapter)
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