All the clues pieced together in his brain, and the Stonemason instantly guessed one possibility for the background of this mission.

At this moment, it was not the Reindeer God manipulating the embryo, but William!

As a member of a secret organization, the Stonemason was no stranger to mystical studies.

In mysticism, deities are divided according to the strength of their self-consciousness—into Nature Gods and Personality Gods.

Nature Gods, or Conceptual Gods, refer to deities born of natural phenomena and are representations of natural laws—such as gales, the sun, torrential rains, tsunamis, fierce fires, and even clouds and rainbows.

Nature Gods don't possess objective self-awareness; they are simply natural phenomena. They show no sorrow or joy, being foolish and blind, and do not respond to their worshipers in any way.

Personality Gods, on the other hand, are deities with self-awareness. They can perceive their own condition, possess emotions like happiness, anger, love, and hatred to a certain extent, and react subjectively to the outside world.

Some Personality Gods are extraordinary beings (like the heroes in Greek mythology) who, through the worship of believers, gain Divine Power, ignite the Divine Fire, and thereby achieve Divine Enthronement.

Others were originally Nature Gods, but their consciousness was "polluted" by the faithful's beliefs, giving rise to self-awareness.

These Personality Gods must rely on collecting the worship of their believers to maintain their existence.

A decrease in the number of worshipers not only weakens the god's power but also causes the Personality God's self-consciousness to fade, becoming foolish and dull.

According to the information provided by the script, the ugly and ferocious reindeer was originally Roanoke Island's Nature God, which, after receiving worship from the indigenous inhabitants nearby, developed self-awareness and became a low-level Personality God.

As time passed, the number of indigenous inhabitants dwindled, and the Divine Power they offered to the reindeer also became insufficient.

Not until the British Colonizers arrived did the reindeer start receiving Divine Power again.

The Lesley family intended to use the Divine Power of the Reindeer God's priesthood to alleviate the Petrification Curse in their bloodline. But when resurrecting the Reindeer God, a part of William was also reawakened. He had been hiding within the mansion, enduring for who knows how long. Having not absorbed worshipers' faith and Divine Power for many years, the Reindeer God had become foolish and blind, its self-consciousness significantly faded. William seized this opportunity during the resurrection ritual track, using some method to replace the Reindeer God and intending to use the embryo to complete his own resurrection.

The Stonemason clenched his teeth. No wonder, no wonder the embryo could create such a precise and perfect golem. William, with the knowledge and wisdom of a Mysterious scholar, is far more difficult to deal with than the foolish Reindeer God.

In mid-air, the mud pillar arm smashed down fiercely towards Dong Fengpo, who activated his 3D maneuver gear, his left Hook Claw latching onto the left wall, and his entire body flying out sideways, narrowly avoiding the mud pillar's strike.

Li Ang also paused the music playback, stopping the BGM skill, and fell to the ground.

He watched as the mud pillar arm collapsed to the ground, mud splashing high up like wild, raging waves. Just as the mud was about to fall, it abruptly contracted, curling up like a non-Newtonian fluid, and tightly wrapped around the embryo.

The Stonemason, having just melted the last stone giant, shouted to his teammates, "It's William, not the Reindeer God!"

Most players present were sharp-minded, especially Forest Cat, a fellow expert in mysticism, who immediately thought of this possibility after the embryo began to speak.

Killing a non-personality god with little self-awareness is a completely different concept from killing a cunning Mysterious scholar with the power of a deity.

The deep and raspy voice of William resounded from the stationary mud ball, "You are not descendants of the Lesley family."

Li Ang's heart stirred, and he stepped forward. Holding his long spear casually with the blade touching the ground, he said nonchalantly, "The Lesley family? What's that, something edible?"

"Hmm?" William, whose revival ritual track was interrupted, became less irritable and asked solemnly, "Then who are you? Why did you intrude into this mansion and disturb my ritual track? Do you know how long I have planned for this day, how long I have endured, and what price I have paid?"

"Do I care?"

Li Ang shook his head and said coldly towards the mud ball, "I am part of the armed forces of the IRS Department. I'm here at this estate to investigate its history of tax evasion."

"..."

William was stunned for a moment. "What?"

The IRS is the tax authority of the United States, established during the Civil War period, and is one of the most feared departments in the country.

Regardless of whether one is a U.S. citizen, and regardless of whether the income is legal, no one must evade taxes. From mafia bosses and multimillionaires down to the middle class and ordinary citizens, all shudder at the mention of the IRS.

U.S. tax regulations are complex, and citizens are required to fill out forms themselves when filing taxes. Consequently, the IRS is responsible for auditing tax returns. These audits primarily target the middle class. The wealthy have accountants to help them avoid taxes, and there's little to collect from the lower echelons. However, the middle class has money and is more prone to tax evasion. This is especially true for members of the Chinese middle class who may not fully understand the regulations and might inadvertently evade taxes.

Once the IRS discovers illegal tax evasion, not only must the offender pay a hefty fine several times the amount of the evaded taxes, but they may also face jail time. One might end up with several months or even years of imprisonment for a few hundred US dollars' worth of evaded taxes.

"What, don't want to pay taxes?"

Li Ang frowned. "There are only two certainties in this world: death and taxes. This large estate has not paid its due taxes since the 1930s. According to North Carolina state law, the state has the right to seize the property of tax delinquents, regardless of the amount owed, and all auction proceeds go to the state. This house already belongs to the state of North Carolina. If you have any sense, leave quickly and don't cause us trouble."

"..."

William did not know how to respond. In fact, Li Ang's nonsense was targeted—

In 2013, an eighty-three-year-old engineer in Oakland County, Michigan, had his property seized over an unpaid partial property tax of $8.41. The following year, Oakland officials froze his property for $277 (including compounded interest) in owed taxes.

Local officials auctioned the property six months later, receiving over $20,000, and refused to hand over the remaining funds to the engineer after deducting the owed taxes.

Michigan tax law allows officials to seize the property of tax delinquents, regardless of the amount owed, and all auction proceeds go to the officials. This rule was originally intended to combat mafia groups. However, Oakland officials more often used it against ordinary citizens. Between 2006 and 2015, a period spanning ten years, they made as much as $20 million from auctioning the properties of tax-delinquent individuals.

How shameless. You've really outdone yourself, United States!

William, having been trapped in the mansion for many years and completely out of touch with the times, didn't know whether Li Ang's fabricated information was true or false.

His silence, however, confirmed Li Ang's guess—the latter's nonsense was meant to test who, exactly, was in control of the embryo at this moment: the Reindeer God, William, or something else entirely.