Return of Salazar Slytherin

161- Intelligence of the Secret Order

"Oh?" Ravenclaw's excitement surged when she heard that an experimental subject had been brought to her.

While the dark creatures in the dungeon were sufficient for her research, one could never have too many test subjects.

What's more, judging by the looks of it, the subject Rhys brought her this time was a living, breathing, speaking creature, which made it all the more valuable.

Rhys glanced at his old friend, whom he hadn't seen in a few months, and noticed she seemed to be in good spirits. Her soul appeared clearer, and the Horcrux of Voldemort on her shoulder had grown even darker. It seemed that since regaining her sanity, she had been diligently transferring the corruption from her own soul into Voldemort's.

But why had she been lingering near the seal?

Rhys couldn't quite figure it out—was there something special about this place?

After taking Vigo, whose eyes were filled with terror, from Rhys, Ravenclaw noticed something unusual about this test subject.

"Fusing a human with fragments of a false god's corpse to allow an otherwise mediocre wizard to comprehend advanced magic... what a genius idea!"

After observing for a moment, Ravenclaw reached a conclusion and couldn't help but praise it.

In her eyes, the concept was incredibly creative.

Killing powerful enemies and then using their corpses to enhance one's own forces—if she and her companions had possessed such wisdom a thousand years ago, the situation for wizards would have been far better.

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After all, there were plenty of false god corpses back then.

Thinking about it now, it seemed like a terrible waste to have used such precious materials just to make crowns and wands.

"It's called fusing with a god-corpse," Vigo corrected Ravenclaw instinctively once Rhys restored her ability to speak after bringing her into the sealed area.

"It's all the same," Ravenclaw waved dismissively, seeing no fundamental difference between their terms.

"How exactly did you fuse with the god-corpse?" Ravenclaw eagerly inquired.

Vigo, of course, had no intention of answering that question.

Ravenclaw glanced at Rhys, who sighed and pulled a small vial from his pocket.

"Veritaserum. Just a tiny bit left, so use it sparingly." Rhys didn't believe the serum would be very effective. Any valuable information would likely be locked away by magic—assuming the leaders of the Cult of the Secret Order weren't complete fools, they would have taken such precautions.

"No problem," Ravenclaw said as she took control of her body and swiftly snatched the vial from Rhys.

She opened the vial and forced the Veritaserum down Vigo's throat.

After administering the serum, she didn't rush to interrogate Vigo but instead cast several spells on her. Ravenclaw froze in shock after casting the spells: there was no trace of any binding or restriction magic on her.

"How is this possible?" Ravenclaw was perplexed. "Salazar, didn't you say the Cult would place binding spells on anyone they collaborated with, even their potion masters?"

Rhys was equally stunned. He turned to look at Vigo, eyes filled with disbelief.

"Those who are blessed by the gods and fuse with the god-corpse should not have the Soul-Lock Curse placed on them," Vigo explained honestly. "Because those who inherit power from the gods are recognized by them, arbitrarily applying the curse would be an act of blasphemy."

Rhys frowned, interpreting this explanation in simpler terms: any wizard capable of fusing with a god-corpse belonged to the higher ranks of the Secret Order. The Soul-Lock Curse, a method of control, was only applied from above, meaning the higher-ups wouldn't place such a curse on themselves.

Despite Vigo's relatively weak abilities and shallow experience, it was clear she was already considered part of the Cult's upper echelons, and as such, wouldn't have the curse placed on her.

Even if there had been a curse earlier, it would have been removed.

Rhys thought about it and found it fairly reasonable.

Ravenclaw, however, wasn't interested in the technicalities. She only wanted to know how the Cult members fused with the fragments of false gods.

"Each year, the trusted ones in the Cult are taken to the organization's headquarters, where they are granted the opportunity to observe the god-corpse. If they resonate with the corpse, they are allowed to remain at headquarters to spend more time with it and attempt fusion. Failing the fusion isn't an issue—they are still granted unrestricted access to observe the god-corpse. Through this process, they can also learn advanced magic and increase their personal power."

Once someone successfully fused with a god-corpse, they would rise to the upper ranks of the organization and receive a title. The titles in the Cult were all based on the zodiac signs.

"Of course, there are some god-corpses that are different, ones passed down within families. The god-corpse I carry is one of those. Compared to the ones stored by the organization, these family-inherited corpses are more likely to resonate with members of the family. When a god-corpse is inherited in this way, the zodiac title is passed down as well. I am the sixth generation Virgo."

Vigo slowly unveiled more of the Cult's secrets to Rhys and Ravenclaw.

Rhys described the small booklet he had received earlier to Vigo, and learned that it was a communication tool used by the lowest-level members of the organization. These lower-level members were generally referred to by the higher-ups as "ants," meaning their contributions were as insignificant as those of ants.

It took an extremely long time and sufficient contributions for someone to be promoted from an "ant" to a "trusted one," a status that couldn't compare to members like Vigo, who were born into families tied to the Organization.

Vigo explained that both she and Sagittarius inherited their god-corpse, while Capricorn had climbed up from the status of "ant." He was a prodigy, not only capable of fusing with the god-corpse but also having comprehended the "Fog" domain, which earned him one of the twelve most valuable titles in the Cult, placing him above both Vigo and Sagittarius in terms of rank.

"It seems this organization isn't as corrupt as we thought," Rhys remarked with a shrug.

The true measure of an organization's health was its ability to promote talent from within, its "blood-making" ability. In other words, the ability for internal members to climb the ranks.

From Capricorn's experience, the Secret Order wasn't entirely rotten—while members from established families had higher starting points and better conditions, anyone who could fuse with or resonate with a god-corpse was promoted immediately.

This was not unlike the dynamic between pure-blood and half-blood wizards in the magical world.

"It seems like brute force is the only method for fusing," Ravenclaw remarked, unsatisfied with Vigo's answers. The Cult didn't have a secret formula for the fusion; members simply had to try and hope for success.

"But what is their ultimate goal in doing all of this?"

"To allow the light of the gods to shine once again upon this land," Vigo responded, her face full of reverence, her tone filled with devotion.

Rhys and Ravenclaw: "…"

Both fell into silence.

"This organization cannot be allowed to continue," Rhys and Ravenclaw agreed after a moment.

"I need you to provide information about the organization—its bases, its headquarters, and everything else!" Rhys demanded of Vigo.

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