Bad News

"This is the Nightmare Vine?"

Although Roy had never seen it, he had seen information about Nightmare Vine in a picture book.

This is an extremely rare Magic Herbs. Magical apothecaries can use Nightmare Vine to concoct Wizard Oil, Special Shadow Energy Potion, Hypnotic Potion, and more, making it highly valuable in the magical market.

However, Roy didn't know the exact value of it.

Klayr covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, then plucked a few small, dark purple buds from the short section of Nightmare Vine. She carefully placed them in a glass jar, tightened the cork, and then removed the handkerchief, saying to Roy:

"These are the Nightmare Vine Flower Bud. This Nightmare Vine has actually bloomed! No wonder it could plunge all the elves on our Nautilus into nightmares. It turns out we inhaled the Nightmare Vine's pollen. If only we could collect this pollen, it would be much more valuable than the Nightmare Vine itself!"

After Klayr finished speaking, she tossed the glass bottle to Roy, pointed to a piece of Nightmare Vine in Roy's hand, and said:

"Just this piece is enough to sell at Potion Shop."

A knock sounded, and Klayr walked to the hatch and opened it.

Edith, dressed in leather armor, stood outside the door with her hands behind her back, smiling as she peeked into the cabin. Seeing Roy sitting on the bed, she said to him:

"Klayr told me that a Naga Sea Clan warrior took you away."

Roy quickly stood up and invited Edith in.

"Yeah, he wanted to cut some Nightmare Vine, on those rocks over there not far away..."

As Roy spoke, he showed Edith the piece of Nightmare Vine on the table.

Edith never expected that her sea voyage would not only result in a ship attack by Water Ghost, but also in the discovery of such rare Magic Herbs.

"Nightmare Vine? This stuff actually grew on those sea reefs. No wonder all the elves on our ship fell into a deep sleep; it turns out this was the culprit..."

Edith immediately identified the culprit that had plunged all the elves on the ship into nightmares.

"That Naga Warrior led you to the Nightmare Vine Nightmare Vine, and you cut it down?"

Edith was curious, so she asked Roy.

Roy said, "Yes, there are still quite a few Naga Sea Clan warriors trapped in nightmares on the reef island. Let's find the Nightmare Vine and cut it down."

"It's still the Nightmare Vine in its flowering season."

Edith picked up the Nightmare Vine and saw a flower bud on it, exclaiming in amazement.

Edith, Roy, and Klayr came to the deck. The Nautilus had already raised its sails and was heading towards Castleton City. By this time, the tide had risen, and the reef island had long since disappeared into the sea.

From afar, all you can see is an endless expanse of azure sea.

"This Nightmare Vine actually grows in the sea..." Klayr was still somewhat surprised at this moment.

Edith gripped the ship's railing with both hands, gazing at the disappearing sea reefs in the distance, and said, "The reason this Nightmare Vine can control the Water Ghost is probably because those Water Ghost are the fertilizer for this Nightmare Vine. Last night, a group of the Naga Sea Clan happened to want to cut down this Nightmare Vine. It was during the Nightmare Vine's flowering season, and as the tide receded, it emerged from the sea reefs. Our Nautilus happened to be near the sea reefs, and it considered our Nautilus to be a huge threat as well. That's why it spread pollen and released Cloud of Slumber to plunge us into nightmares, and then controlled the Water Ghost to try to kill us in our dreams."

"But in the end, all our efforts were in vain. The Nightmare Vine, which was in full bloom, unfortunately couldn't be cut down," Klayr sighed.

Edith turned to look at Klayr and said, "If you two hadn't woken up in time, our entire ship of elves would probably have turned into a ship full of Water Ghost last night. There are so many Water Ghost here; they might all be crew members killed by Nightmare Vine."

When Klayr and Roy heard Edith say that, they realized it was indeed possible...

Calmness returned to the Nautilus; the deck had been carefully scrubbed and the nauseating stench was gone.

The elves' breakfast was simple: fruit tea, various fruits, and some Elf Biscuit.

Roy tasted the elven military rations, which were said to keep you full for five days. They tasted like soda crackers and had a crunchy texture.

Having fought all night, the Silver Moon Elf were quite exhausted, and few were willing to get up for breakfast.

However, during breakfast, Roy and Klayr saw Martina and Sherry, so the four of them sat down at a table and talked about their dangerous experience the night before. Martina and Sherry were very grateful to Roy and Klayr.

He even subtly suggested that if they attended a similar dance party again, he could be their date.

While eating breakfast, Martina kept staring at Klayr, her gaze so blatant it was as if she wanted to devour Klayr whole.

After finally finishing breakfast, Klayr quickly made an excuse and slipped back into the cabin with Roy.

The elves were more willing to thank Klayr than Roy.

The Nautilus zigzag back through the sea, heading back to Castleton Harbour against the sea breeze.

Klayr was rewriting the melody in the cabin, and after she put down her pen, she didn't forget to say to Roy:

"No wonder Instructor Nora wanted to bring you into her Adventure Group, she really has an eye for talent..."

Roy smiled but didn't say anything.

In fact, he didn't understand what the Holy Light Seed inside his body was.

The Nautilus docked on time at the beautiful Castleton Harbour, where a row of carriages were already waiting.

The young Silver Moon Elf disembarked from the Nautilus, boarded the carriage, and left Castleton Harbour...

Sitting in the carriage, they were still talking about last night's battle.

Roy said goodbye to Klayr at the dock, but instead of going straight home, he walked to the entrance of the Goddess of Freedom Temple.

Roy noticed several carriages parked at the temple gate, one of which bore the insignia of the port Guard Squad. A bad feeling welled up inside him, and he quickly pushed open the gate and stepped into the courtyard.

Right in front of the Main Hall, two Elf Ranger were talking to High Priest Reed.

Roy hurried over and asked High Priest Reed, "Teacher, what happened here?"

High Priest Reed turned to look at Roy and said to him, "Roy, you're back."

He casually pointed to the Side Hall of the temple and said, "Let's go see Jasper!"

Roy felt as if he had been punched hard in the chest.

He felt his legs go weak and quickly walked toward the Side Hall.

If Jasper were merely injured, he wouldn't be in the Side Hall of the temple.

Upon entering the Side Hall, one sees a coffin placed in front of a high platform. Just as Roy had expected, Jasper lies pale-faced in the wooden coffin.

Roy held onto the doorway to calm himself before slowly walking to the wooden coffin.

Jasper had a red line down his throat, which must have been cut open by some sharp weapon. After the blood had drained, his body was completely bloodless.

Apart from this wound, Jasper had no other injuries. He closed his eyes as if he were asleep, and there was no contorted or painful expression on his face.

High Priest Reed must have performed the baptism for him; he was wearing a Novice Priest's robe, and his hands were clasped at his chest in a prayerful gesture.

Roy gripped the edge of the wooden coffin with both hands. A familiar voice came from behind him. The Elf Ranger walked over and said, "There were no signs of a struggle. Someone secretly slit his throat. He didn't even struggle. He died on his bed in the dormitory. Blood soaked the sheets and blankets. You went out to sea to attend a ball yesterday at noon?"

The Elf Ranger stared at Roy.

Roy nodded and said, "I left port yesterday afternoon aboard the Nautilus and just docked..."

The Elf Ranger nodded. "Your suspicion has been temporarily cleared, but we will verify the situation further later."

Roy remained noncommittal, instead asking, "Any clues about the killer?"

The Elf Ranger spoke frankly:

"The Novice Priest Abbott is currently a prime suspect. We are searching for his whereabouts. Someone saw him leaving the temple this morning."

"Abbott?" Roy was taken aback.

He and Jasper had been friends for many years, and Abbott had always been Jasper's best friend. Abbott always liked to chime in with whatever Jasper said...

The two of them had a minor disagreement recently, all because of the Gray Dwarf pirate treasure.

Jasper thought the treasure was a trap, but Abbott was somewhat obsessed with it...

Roy lifted Jasper's Priest's robe, and sure enough, Jasper's Magic Pouch was gone.

Roy was a little confused. He knew Abbott had always wanted to go treasure hunting, but he didn't expect him to be in such a hurry.

"Have you thought about where Abbott might be hiding?" the Elf Ranger asked Roy.

"The three of us jointly owned a ship called the Black Pearl, which was located on the beach west of Castleton Harbour."

"I know that. Our captain personally told Jasper that we were giving you this shipwreck. We hoped that you three Novice Priest could purify the spirits inside the shipwreck. Otherwise, those spirits would run onto the beach and scare people every night, and we would have to ask you to deal with them!" The Elf Ranger said, "Would you mind if I went to see your ship?"

Roy nodded.

The two arrived at the Black Pearl. The Elf Ranger inspected the ship, paying particular attention to Abbott's room, but found no trace of Abbott's presence.

Abbott has hardly visited the Black Pearl recently.

Without any clues, the Elf Ranger left the Black Pearl.

Upon returning to the Goddess of Freedom Temple, the carriages that had been parked at the temple entrance had already left.

High Priest Reed sat by the pool in the front courtyard. Originally, water could be sprayed around the Goddess of Freedom Statue in the middle of the pool, but now a layer of moss had grown in the water.

The Goddess of Freedom Statue also looks somewhat dilapidated.

The temple was very quiet, Roy's leather boots made clear footsteps on the stone path.

High Priest Reed glanced back at Roy, a wry smile on his face...