Li Wen shuttled through the Port Belen night, without stopping, she ran out of the neighborhood near the church and found a secluded corner to hide. The labor pain all over her body reminded her that the explosive state of "Devotion to Light and Fire" had ended, and her body was experiencing weakness after overdraft. Although her health had been restored through Divine Prayer, the feeling of emptiness that was abundant and then disappeared could not be quickly eliminated.
The battle just now was more intense than expected. The Highland Race guard was very strong, at least as good as Stage Three. Coupled with Highland Race's unique racial advantages and curse resistance, it was almost difficult to fight against him.
If she hadn't been experienced and caught the flaw in the opponent's perception with her explosive speed, this battle might not have ended so quickly, and might even have caused more trouble.
However, this battle is not without merit. She confirmed that Eternal Life Blessing Cult indeed possessed extraordinary power and had a certain degree of organization, and that they were determined to win Black Reef Bay and Sunken Horn. They had even prepared a ship and planned to set off at midnight tomorrow.
Tomorrow is midnight, time is very tight.
Li Wen rubbed his eyebrows, his brain running rapidly. She has the Sea Chart and coordinates provided by Fu Qingyan in her hand, and theoretically knows the location of the ruins. However, the Black Reef Bay waters marked on Sea Chart are extremely dangerous and densely covered with reefs. Without ships and guides who are familiar with the waterway, going there rashly is tantamount to death.
Eternal Life Blessing Cult has obviously solved the problem of the ship, and since they dare to go there, they probably have the means to avoid risks, and they may even know the deeper secrets of the ruins.
There weren't many choices before her.
One is to forcibly follow the ship of Eternal Life Blessing Cult. This option is extremely risky. The opponent's strength and details are unknown. If you rush in or sneak across, you may encounter mishaps. And even if you succeed, you may fall into the opponent's trap. After all, they know that someone has the same purpose as them, and Li Wen was also exposed because of the infiltration.
The second option is to find your own boat and guide. This is the safest way, but time is tight. It is very difficult to find a ship willing to sail into Black Reef Bay and an experienced guide in less than a day, and also to deal with the payment issue.
The third is to obtain ship and guide information from Eternal Life Blessing Cult. This was also her purpose of sneaking into the church, but the battle just now made her understand that it was too risky to break in and arrest people directly. It would easily alert the snake and attract stronger enemies.
Li Wen weighed in her mind that a direct conflict with the cult was not the best option. What she needed was intelligence and convenience, not unnecessary consumption. Since a forceful attack was not advisable, perhaps she could find another way.
Her eyes scanned the outline of the city before her. Port Belen is a new port of Kingdom of Arthur. The order is relatively weak, but the official power of the kingdom is not non-existent. Investigation Bureau has long been active in Leicester and other places. Even if there is no branch established in Port Belen, personnel must be stationed to conduct secret investigations or maintain minimum order. Eternal Life Blessing Cult's various behaviors, promoting weird doctrines, conducting secret activities in private, and possibly even involving desecration of the dead - if those rumors are true - are enough to arouse the vigilance of official forces.
Not to mention that they had already mentioned it when snooping on the conversations of church insiders before, and Investigation Bureau had already noticed them.
Revealing the information about the divine religion to the Investigation Bureau and using official power to stir up the water may buy her time or create chaos so that she can take advantage of the chaos and act.
This is much safer than fighting alone. With the Investigation Bureau's iron-blooded approach to extraordinary events and his resolute actions, even if the cult cannot be completely eradicated, it can force it to surface and expose more information and power. It may even force them to change their plans or expose the route and means to Black Reef Bay.
This strategy of reaping profits is in line with her usual style of doing things.
Now that she has decided to take advantage of the situation, how to deliver the message is the key. It is too risky to directly show up to contact Investigation Bureau personnel, and it is easy to expose herself, not to mention that she has no means or channels to contact them.
No, in fact she does not need to personally contact Investigation Bureau... there is someone more suitable than her.
That is Princess Victoria.
Although from a personal perspective, Li Wen is not very willing to contact that kingdom Princess, it is undeniable that the other party does have enough skills and... power.
Her Highness Princess, Kingdom of Arthur, has the power and identity to contact the top officials of the kingdom and even influence the actions of the Investigation Bureau. More importantly, before the Adventurer docked, she left a message through Moria, asking her to go to Sycamore Inn to find her if Port Belen encountered difficulties.
This seemed like a friendly reminder like chatting, but in Li Wen's opinion, it was more like a premeditated overture and invitation with a specific purpose. Victoria chose to send this signal at Port Belen instead of Royal Capital, and designated a specific hotel as the contact location, which itself reveals a kind of information - she may have her own plot or needs at Port Belen, and Li Wen happens to be someone she thinks she can use or cooperate with.
Although Li Wen has always been wary of Victoria and is not sure of her true purpose, under the current situation, His Highness Princess happens to be the best candidate for the "bridge" she needs. By transmitting information to the Investigation Bureau through Victoria, you can not only use her influence to make the information taken seriously and act quickly, but also hide Li Wen's own intervention to the greatest extent, avoiding unnecessary direct conflicts with the Investigation Bureau or the core of the cult.
There are risks, of course. Revealing such important information to Victoria is tantamount to exposing part of his actions to her. But compared to the fact that Eternal Life Blessing Cult may disappear into the sea at midnight tomorrow with the clues of Soul Lord, this risk is still within the acceptable range.
After making the decision, Li Wen no longer hesitated. She needs to go to Sycamore Inn as soon as possible and pass enough information to Victoria to prompt Investigation Bureau to take action before the Cult's ship sets off.
Li Wen left the dark alley where he was hiding, and his figure blended into the noisy night of Port Belen. Her strength has not yet fully recovered, but her goal is clear and she no longer hesitates in her steps. Sycamore Inn is located in the inner block of the port area. The environment is much better than that near the dock. The people coming and going are relatively complex, including wealthy businessmen, well-dressed travelers, and occasionally nobles wearing family emblems.
The hotel's facade is not big, but it exudes a low-key sophistication, which is completely different from the surrounding architectural styles. Two simple-looking kerosene lamps stood at the door, emitting soft light and illuminating a small area on the road.
Li Wen did not walk in directly. She observed from across the street for a while, and after confirming that there was nothing abnormal, she lowered her hood, walked across the street, and walked up the steps in front of the hotel.
Pushing open the hotel door, a blast of warm, dry air hit my face, in stark contrast to the damp and cold night outside. The hall is elegantly decorated, with a crackling fire in the fireplace and a faint aroma of wood. Several travelers were sitting around the fireplace, talking in low voices. The waiter at the front desk was a young man. He looked up at Li Wen and showed a professional smile.
Li Wen did not go to the front desk, her eyes swept across the hall, and soon she saw the familiar figure near the window.
Victoria.