Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 1223 - 1228: Miracle

Chapter 1223: Chapter 1228: Miracle

Yang Yi’s heart was pounding; now he knew that Petra truly had discovered something, and Aaron had sent him here not simply to sabotage a marriage agreement.

A trace of caution arose in his heart, which quickly transformed into a severe sense of crisis.

Why did Yang Yi feel such a crisis? Because he had always regarded himself as a schemer, orchestrating a long-term, comprehensive plan targeting Aaron.

But now it seemed that Aaron’s arrangements concerning him had begun long ago as well.

This was troubling. Most importantly, it left him feeling incredibly insecure.

Petra shrugged. "Yes, but this historian obtained a diary—more like a record—from one of the descendants of the Knights Templar. It documented an important member of the Knights Templar dying and then resurrecting. He personally witnessed this general’s death in battle, only to see him alive again, returning to the battlefield. He recorded it and treated it as a miracle of God. Yet this miracle wasn’t extensively publicized. Isn’t that peculiar?"

Petra, of course, was unaware of Yang Yi’s inner turmoil. She simply finished her explanation and looked at Yang Yi. "What do you think? In the religious fervor of the Crusades at the time, under such a zealously religious climate, why would a miracle be deliberately concealed rather than glorified?"

Yang Yi glanced at Petra, smiled slightly, then shook his head. "I know you’re a conspiracy theorist, but relying on just a diary-like record—it can’t even be called a historical document—using it as evidence seems a bit overzealous."

Petra nodded. "Of course, that’s what we all thought. But we couldn’t investigate further. I am intrigued by that historian’s..."

"Amateurish."

"Uh, I mean that amateur historian’s theories and research methods. I wanted to discuss them seriously, and he said he had more evidence to show me."

"Why did he show it to you?"

"Because I invested a lot of funds into the website."

"Oh, well, go on."

"And then he died—a traffic accident, tragically. He died, such a pity."

With a regretful sigh, Petra continued, "Let’s move on to talk about the diary. What’s fascinating is that this diary wasn’t actually written by the ancestor of the family who possessed it. The person who wrote the diary died in battle; his comrade kept it on his behalf. But that person was illiterate, and the diary remained preserved until now."

"Hmm, does that matter?"

"It does, because the Knights Templar strictly reviewed anything written by literate individuals. The diary mentioned that someone instructed them not to publicize the miracle. The diarist expressed confusion at this directive."

Yang Yi nodded. "Hmm, that is interesting. A group of fanatics decides to hide a genuine miracle. That in itself is abnormal. So where is this diary now?"

Petra sighed and said, "It disappeared. Gone. Oh no, I mean the diary still exists, but its contents are different."

"Erased?"

"No, rewritten. What I heard about and what I saw don’t match. What I read appeared as if written by a fanatic, using almost delirious language to describe the miracles witnessed. But when miracles are too numerous, they cease to be miracles, don’t you think?"

Yang Yi nodded slightly.

"My uncertainty lies with the fact that the historian communicated very differently with me before. He believed the diary’s account was highly credible. Yet, what I saw seems like something a madman would produce."

Yang Yi said in a low voice: "Turn a sane man into a lunatic, and naturally, the words of a lunatic wouldn’t be trusted."

Petra shrugged. "Unfortunately, he truly was mad. That amateur historian shouldn’t have taken the words of a lunatic seriously, yet he discussed them seriously with me for so long. It’s genuinely disheartening. If he were alive, I could still continue our discussion. But alas, he passed away. While he did leave me his research findings, mainly his relics, the diary itself holds no value."

Suddenly Yang Yi said, "You’re a conspiracy theorist. Haven’t you considered this might be a conspiracy? The person you knew truly uncovered the truth, and then someone... killed him!"

Petra glanced at Yang Yi. "Oh yes, I’ve certainly thought of that. But I authenticated the diary—it’s legitimate, authentically written during the Middle Ages. It hasn’t been tampered with. The whole thing is verifiable—its ink, its writing style, its paper. There are no issues, not a single one. A worthless diary—who would care? Who would kill for it?"

Yang Yi merely smiled. He just smiled.

Now Yang Yi was certain. Petra had discovered something—or more precisely, that amateur historian had discovered something. The Grey-cloaked People sensed danger, acted preemptively, and eliminated them. But that wasn’t all—they swapped the authentic diary for a forgery.

This forgery might have even been created by the Knights Templar themselves, meticulously fabricated from every angle—indistinguishable archaeologically. The issue, however, lay in its content.

Or perhaps it wasn’t so complicated; perhaps the Grey-cloaked People had simply created a fake diary. And given their methods, how could regular archaeological analysis possibly discern its authenticity?

As Yang Yi had said, turning a sane man into a lunatic ensures their words won’t be credible. And as Petra had said, when miracles become excessive, they cease to be miracles.

Aaron was monitoring Petra but not intensely. Now, a logical explanation presented itself.

He was monitoring Petra because she had indeed stumbled upon a shred of truth. Yet, she hadn’t delved deep enough, otherwise Yang Yi doubted if she’d even still be alive.

Why continue to monitor Petra, then? Because Petra might not have abandoned her investigation. If that were the case, the Grey-cloaked People would need to take further action. However, being the daughter of a banker made the Grey-cloaked People reluctant to eliminate her outright.

As Yang Yi thought this, he felt confident in his speculations. But then a new question arose.

Why would the Grey-cloaked People hesitate to target the daughter of a banker? If they wanted to, killing a banker wouldn’t be a problem for them. If no evidence could trace it back, there’d naturally be no issues.

Now Yang Yi entertained a new thought: perhaps Aaron’s approach wasn’t about investigating or surveilling Petra. Instead, Aaron’s decision to have him monitor Petra seemed more like an intentional hint.

A hint for Yang Yi to glean certain information through Petra—information that Aaron wanted him to know.

As things stood, this possibility seemed increasingly plausible.