Li Wen's words fell, and the room fell into a brief silence.
Moria's eyes moved away from the glass bottle containing the dark viscous liquid. His light-colored eyes were firmly locked on Li Wen's face shrouded in the shadow of the cloak through the dim light, trying to decipher her true intentions from the deep darkness.
"Miss Mephisto," his voice was still steady, but with a trace of imperceptible concentration, "Cult of Eternal Life's goal is to release Soul Lord. Letting them go is equivalent to personally undoing the shackles that bind the monster. Port Belen, and even the land further away, perhaps the entire Kingdom of Arthur, may be devastated."
There was silence in the room, and the noise outside Port Belen seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier. Li Wen walked to the window and gently lifted a corner of the heavy linen curtain with his fingertips. In the distance, although the plume of smoke in the direction of the shipyard has faded, it still lingers stubbornly on the gray skyline, like an ugly scar.
"Shackles?" Li Wen's voice came through the hood, with an almost cold calmness, "You seem to be mistaken. The so-called shackles have long been rusted and will loosen sooner or later. The only difference is whether they are opened recklessly by idiots like Cult of Eternal Life, or whether they are silently eroded by more cunning existences."
She lowered the curtains and turned around. The eyes in the shadow seemed to penetrate Moria, looking towards a more distant and darker place. "What I saw under the church was not just a Remnant Soul from Soul Lord. It was the tentacles he stretched out, evidence of his struggle in the long seal. That guy is trying to break free all the time. Even without Cult of Eternal Life, there will be other people blinded by greed or despair who will become his tools."
Li Wen took a step closer, and the hem of his cloak silently brushed the floor.
She leaned forward slightly, approaching Moria in a very aggressive posture, observing every change in the young man's expression from bottom to top. The latter seemed indifferent to this compulsive scrutiny, and seemed to be at peace with the warm breath so close at hand.
"Preventing a voyage, destroying a ship, and killing a few leaders of the cult, what can change? It's just temporarily extinguishing the fuse, but the spark is still there, and the explosive barrel will be detonated at any time. Investigation Bureau's actions today prove that they can destroy a stronghold, but they can't eradicate the ambition of the cult, let alone touch the core of the seal in the deep sea. That guy just needs to wait patiently for the next one, or the next ambitious person."
Not to mention that there are also players mixed in among them. People can be killed, but players will never give up. At least until "Great Arrival", they are cockroaches that cannot be killed but are everywhere. They will burrow wherever the situation is chaotic, making these aboriginal people miserable.
Moria was silent. It was not that he did not understand the logic of Li Wen. The weakness caused by the curse was like a tarsal maggot, always reminding him of the limitations of his power, but this would not be a reason for him to shrink back.
"So, what's your plan?" He spoke slowly, his voice low.
"Let them go." Li Wen said firmly, "Let them help us clear the fog of that dangerous sea area. Black Reef Bay, Sunken Horn... The dangers in that place are already well known, let Eternal Life Blessing Cult Take the trouble to eliminate it, whether it is the natural reef, Demonic Beast in the deep sea, or the trap set by Soul Lord. When they are beaten to death in the ruins, and they even think they have successfully approached the core of the seal, it is the best time for us to take action."
She paused slightly, and the gaze under her hood seemed to penetrate the wall and cast her gaze toward the more distant western sea.
"Investigation Bureau's aggressive war today will only make the Cult more convinced that what they have in their hands is of extraordinary value, and will only prompt them to go to their destination faster and more desperately. Human nature is sometimes like this. The more dangerous it feels, the more desperate it is to put all its cards and power on it... And this is exactly what we want."
In fact, there is one thing that Li Wen has not disclosed, and that is that Eternal Life Blessing Cult may just be the one who was deliberately released. It is another person who is actually planning all this behind the scenes and will also release Soul Lord in the near future. The mysterious player who also appeared underground in the church is the real target of Li Wen.
Everything else is deliberately thrown out as bait, it just depends on who can't bear it and bites the hook first.
"So, what do we need to do now?" Moria asked, his tone already accepting Li Wen's layout. He is not a pedantic person. The training in the temple has taught him that when fighting against evil, strategy is often more effective than pure force.
Li Wen looked away from Moria's face. In the shadow under the hood, the corners of her mouth seemed to have a slight arc.
"There is no need to do anything earth-shattering." Her voice returned to its usual calmness, "We just need to wait for the Eternal Life Blessing Cult people to set off, and then follow them."
Outside the window, the noise of Port Belen seemed to have calmed down temporarily, but the tension in the air did not dissipate. The shipyard's plume of smoke is fading, but a new storm is brewing in the deep sea.
Moria frowned. "Follow them? According to you, we need to keep up with them and not be discovered by them. But the problem is that we have neither a ship nor a guide who is familiar with the route. Once Cult of Eternal Life goes to sea, how can we track it?"
"There will be a boat." Li Wen's tone was firm, as if stating an established fact, "As for the guide... there will be one too."
Moria's eyes became sharp. "Do you have a goal?"
Li Wen nodded slightly, and a name came out clearly from her mouth. "Adventurer."
"Captain Remington?" Moria reacted immediately. If he is the experienced captain, doing this level of things shouldn't be a problem, so he nodded slightly, "Captain Remington's Adventurer should still be in the port. Based on his friendship with Mr. Selwyn, he might be willing to help if he asks."
Li Wen then added, "And he is also the 'Wave Commander' of Calamity Path Stage Four. The ocean is his domain and the storm is his power. With him at the helm, crossing the so-called 'dangerous seas' may be safer than we thought."
With that said, she walked quickly to the door and put her finger on the cold door handle. "So now, hurry up and find Captain Remington. Time waits for no one, and Cult of Eternal Life will not wait until dawn."
Moria looked at her back and didn't ask any more questions.
He stepped to follow them, and the door of the room closed gently behind them, cutting off the growing noise of Port Belen outside the window and the undercurrent surging under the distant sea.