At the front door of the villa where Deputy Leader Reve of the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association resided, Ed stood facing the guard, who was about to inspect the items on him. Ed slightly furrowed his brows and spoke in a calm tone:

"Reve invited me here, and I'm not accustomed to being without my weapons."

The guard scoffed dismissively and replied casually, "It's the rule. Lord Reve invited you for a meal, bringing weapons might come off as a bit impolite."

Without showing any concern, Ed shrugged and spread his hands, saying nonchalantly, "Well, if that's the case, I think I'd rather go back."

The guard was momentarily stunned. The arrogant expression on his face was immediately replaced by a look of confusion.

At that moment, Reve's voice came from inside, "There's no need for inspection. The food is ready, and if we wait any longer, it will get cold."

Ed carefully listened to Reve's voice, paying close attention to his choice of words and tone, trying to detect any abnormalities, but found nothing.

For this meeting, Ed not only brought along the Guardian Scroll that Melissa had given him, but he had also brought a special item, which might come in handy!

When the Guardian Scroll was used, a Light of Guardian would form around the user, lasting for fifteen minutes. Only a Gold-level Hunter would be able to break through the Light of Guardian in a short amount of time.

Regarding the duration, Ed had asked for further clarification. A newly minted Gold-level Hunter would need at least two minutes to break the Light of Guardian.

Although Ed thought Reve probably wouldn't make a move on him now—it would be too foolish to do so—he still carried the Guardian Scroll with him. He didn't want to take any chances.

As they entered the villa with the guard leading the way, Ed took in his surroundings. Reve's residence was exceptionally simple, lacking any lavish decorations or even a lawn with greenery. It looked stark and dull.

Walking further inside, Ed arrived in the living room, where Deputy Leader Reve was waiting for him. In front of Reve was an elongated round dining table, laden with various dishes. Among them, one particular dish stood out, occupying almost half of the table.

It was a roasted calf, with its head, eyes wide open and staring, placed in an extraordinarily eerie manner. The entire head looked only about three-quarters cooked, with bloody juices dripping from it, exuding a pungent, metallic smell of blood. The bulging eyes of the cow were directed straight toward Ed's position, almost as if they were glaring at him with resentment.

Ed's face remained expressionless, unusually calm as he pulled out a chair and slowly sat down.

Reve chuckled, clapped his hands, and the servants and other Hunters quickly withdrew, leaving only Ed and Reve in the dining room. They sat across from each other at the round table, staring at one another.

At that moment, the sunlight outside filtered through the living room, casting a diagonal beam into the room. Reve's position was closer to the interior of the room, so the sunlight didn't reach him, and he sat in the shadows. Ed, on the other hand, had his back to the sunlight, and the warm rays wrapped around him completely. From Reve's perspective, for a brief moment, he couldn't make out Ed's face.

Reve squinted and was the first to speak, saying, "Ed, have you been able to adjust to being part of the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association during this time?"

Ed replied, "It's been fine, though there are some things I don't quite understand."

Reve slowly stood up, picked up a carving knife, and walked over to the center of the round table, gently bringing the knife closer to the roasted calf. He continued, "Oh? What is it that you find confusing? If you truly don't understand, you can tell me. After all, you're just like this roasted calf, having just become a Hunter and knowing nothing."

Ed leaned back slightly in his chair, observing Reve, who was half in the shadows and half in the sunlight, looking unusually relaxed as he said, "Yes, my time as a Hunter has been short, so naturally, I'm not clear on what kind of person qualifies as a true Hunter."

Reve paused momentarily as he drove the carving knife into the roasted calf. He turned his head, looking at Ed against the light, and answered, "A true Hunter? It should be someone with enough strength to do whatever they want."

Ed had heard something similar before and quickly recalled Anthony's words. He smiled and, testing the waters, asked, "Deputy Leader Reve, with that answer, could it be that you hold some grudge and wish to seek revenge?"

The air suddenly froze, and the atmosphere in the room became tense.

Reve forcefully cut a piece of blood-dripping beef and placed it on the plate, then slowly walked over to just in front of Ed, setting the plate down on the round table. He stared at Ed and spoke, one word at a time:

"Ed, you must be a smart person. You know what you can do and what you should never even touch."

"The one-eyed man issue is over. There's a task that needs to be done outside the city. You should go take care of it."

Reve's tone was exceptionally firm, carrying an unmistakable air of authority, as though the matter was not open for discussion.

Ed slowly shook his head, pushing the plate of beef toward Reve's side of the table. He then replied, "As I said before, my time as a Hunter is too short, so I don't believe there's anything that can't be done."

"The one-eyed man was killed by a ghost spirit, what does that have to do with me?"

"As for you, Deputy Leader, why did you send Anthony away at this time? Are you afraid something might happen to him?"

In the next instant, Reve abruptly moved from his position and appeared beside Ed. Ed was seated in his chair, while Reve stood, looming over him in a posture that exuded an overwhelming sense of pressure. He stared at Ed, his voice cold as he said:

"You're looking for death!"

Ed was not the least bit intimidated. His expression remained calm, and he met Reve's ferocious gaze without flinching. He answered without fear:

"Not at all. I just don't want the people of Dorey City to die."

Reve casually flung the carving knife, striking the cow's eye dead center. The splattering juices hit Ed, and he continued:

"Put away your recording stone, Ed. Everything that happens here cannot be recorded by it."

"You have no idea what's going on. I'm simply ensuring that the guilty get what they deserve. You'd better think carefully about the outcome of continuing down this path—you should know what that will be."

Ed sighed softly. He had hoped to make Reve reveal some key information so that he would have enough evidence to convince Finniel Morton and the others that a huge crisis awaited them in Dorey City.

But to his surprise, Reve had realized his plan. It was likely that there was something in the restaurant capable of detecting recording stones.

Ed stood up quietly, stretched, and looked at Reve nonchalantly. He spoke with some regret:

"Sigh, Deputy Leader, I had hoped to give you a chance, but it seems you're too stubborn."

"There are no perfect plans in this world. The more intricate the plan, the more likely there will be a flaw somewhere. You've all been too confident—confident to the point of foolishness."

Listening to Ed's words, Reve's brow furrowed instantly, and a thought flashed through his mind—had one of Vil's other agents made a fatal mistake during their actions, which Ed had caught onto?

No, that couldn't be right. If that were the case, why would Ed attempt to use the recording stone to document what was happening right now?

As Reve pondered this, the next words Ed spoke completely enraged him.

Ed said, "No matter what, the ones we care about can never come back. It would be better to let go of the hatred, and forgive those people..."

Before Ed could finish his sentence, Reve suddenly roared, "Shut up! What right do you have to say such things! Get out!"

With his back to Reve, Ed allowed the faintest of smiles to briefly appear on his face before it vanished just as quickly.

Once Ed stepped outside the villa, he let out a deep breath, fully relieved.

The plan to mock the enemy earlier was designed to provoke Reve's emotional response, making the following words all the more likely to enrage him. Ed wasn't some saint who could forgive his enemies. He would ruthlessly ensure that his enemies suffered endless pain before dying miserably.

Some mistakes, once made, could never be undone, and there would be no chance for atonement or repentance.

The words he had just spoken were based on a simple analogy with Anthony's father's situation, but Ed had kept it vague, only referring to "the ones Reve cares about." As for the enemies, he hadn't named anyone specifically. It was all about making Reve feel like Ed truly knew the details, thereby making it easier to provoke him.

The goal, of course, was to get Reve to make a move on Ed.

Ed took a deep breath. He had done his part, and if Reve didn't act, it would be hard to make any progress. While risky, the risk was manageable for Ed.

Now, all that was left was to wait.

Ed glanced back at Reve's villa, then left without hesitation.

Time passed, and Jade's investigation into Reve showed little progress. All they could find were details about his initial involvement in the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association.

During this time, two fires had occurred at Hurricane Horsewalk and the town's pharmacy, both of which had resulted in numerous deaths.

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