Conspiracy

Roy boarded the Black Pearl's deck; the last person he wanted to see right now was Tiffany.

Miss Tiffany sat leaning against the railing of the Black Pearl, wearing a light blue Sharkscale Dress with a gradient of colors from light to dark and gold patterns that perfectly accentuated her figure, highlighting her slender waist and full hips.

She gripped the ship's railing with both hands, leaned over and excitedly said to Roy, "Roy, I heard you helped Xiu cut down a Nightmare Vine. This Nightmare Vine had been entrenched in that sea area for a long time, killing many Nagas. Now it's finally been cut down."

"That night was just a coincidence. Our boat was just about to spend the night by those sea reefs. If Xiu hadn't run out and cut down that Nightmare Vine, we might have been fighting those Water Ghost until dawn..."

Roy chuckled dryly and said.

Tiffany noticed that Roy's expression seemed a little unnatural. She glanced behind Roy and asked in confusion, "Where's Jasper? Why didn't he come with you?"

Then, she eagerly pulled at her Sharkscale Dress, showing off the outline of her legs, and said to Roy with a smug look:

"See? I've learned Transformation Spell. Now I can walk freely on land, but I can't stay out of the water for too long..."

Roy noticed that the pale scales that should have been on her cheeks, back of her neck, and upper arms had all disappeared, leaving behind smooth, white skin.

Except for the lack of pointed ears, she was almost indistinguishable from an elf...

Roy gave a wry smile and said:

"Tiffany, Jasper is dead."

"..."

Sitting on the gunwale, Tiffany's previously smiling face suddenly changed, and her body swayed violently, almost falling into the sea...

She stared wide-eyed at Roy, her emotions running high, gripping Roy shirt collar tightly with both hands, and asked urgently, "When did this happen?"

Roy wanted to calm Tiffany down, who was on the verge of losing control of her emotions, but he didn't know how.

He didn't struggle, letting Tiffany grab his collar, and said, "The morning before yesterday."

Tiffany seemed to have been struck on the head; her body swayed slightly, but her eyes were fixed on Roy as she asked, "How could this happen... how did he die?"

"His throat was slit."

Blue scales appeared on the back of Tiffany's neck...

Where is he now?

"The West Suburb Graveyard," Roy replied.

Tiffany asked Roy, looking dejected, "Can you take me to see him?"

"Okay, you wait here for me. I'll go to the dock to find a carriage..."

After saying that, Roy helped Tiffany sit on the deck, and then he slid down the ladder by the side of the ship and ran towards the dock.

Even at night, you can find horse-drawn carriages at the Castleton Port docks.

Roy spent a full hundred Kole to hire a carriage willing to go to the West Suburb Graveyard at this time, and even at such a high price, the Half-Elf coachman couldn't help but complain a few times.

Roy stopped the carriage next to the small square on the west side of the port dock, and then walked over with Tiffany and got into the carriage.

Perhaps noticing that neither Tiffany nor Roy had the pointed ears of an elf, the coachman glanced at the two a few more times.

The two sat in the carriage, and it was clear that Tiffany was in a bad mood, while Roy remained silent.

The only sounds were the clatter of horses' hooves on the stone pavement and the rumble of wheels rolling over it.

The West Suburb Graveyard was extremely quiet at night. There was some dim light around the Spring of Life at the entrance of the cemetery, and Roy could even see some little spirits flying around the Spring of Life.

The coachman stopped the carriage beside the Spring of Life, refusing to drive into the cemetery under any circumstances.

There was a small hut for the gravedigger. The coachman carried Carbide Lamp to the hut and sat down on a wooden chair by the door.

Roy led Tiffany up the stone steps of the cemetery, where many neat rows of cypress trees stood, each with a grave behind it, and a plaque hanging on the tree, which looked eerie at night.

Occasionally, the hooting of an owl could be heard, which was rather eerie.

When Tiffany first visited the elves' cemetery, she crossed her arms over her chest...

Whether it was from being too scared or from the cold night, her face turned pale.

As she climbed the stone steps, she took out a water pouch and poured the seawater inside over her head, instantly getting soaked and regaining some of her energy.

Guided by his memory, Roy found Jasper's grave, where a plaque for Jasper still hung on the newly transplanted cypress tree in front of it.

Roy squatted down in front of the cypress tree and showed the plaque to Tiffany...

The name ' Jasper ' was engraved on the plaque. Tiffany covered her mouth with one hand, suppressing her sobs, and squatted down beside the grave. She bent down, pressed her face against the grass of the grave, and murmured:

"Jasper, I'm back. Didn't you promise to wait for me...?"

Roy stepped back a few paces, letting Tiffany and Jasper, who was lying in the tomb, whisper to each other.

After a long while, Tiffany walked out of the tomb with a cold face and came to Roy.

She asked Roy:

"Who killed him?"

Roy led Tiffany back the way they came and replied, "The Elf Ranger suspects Abbott is the murderer."

"I'm asking you."

"Abbott is the prime suspect; he's been missing for two days now." Roy hesitated for a moment, then continued, "I think if he's still alive, he should come looking for me."

Tiffany's eyes flashed with anger:

"I don't care who killed Jasper, I want revenge!"

As the carriage left the cemetery, Miss Tiffany sat in the carriage, her mood slightly calmed down.

Tiffany turned her gaze to Roy and asked him:

"I want to know what exactly happened between you two while I was away."

Roy sighed softly and said:

"The three of us found a Treasure Map and a Golden Key on the Black Pearl. We made a pact to go treasure hunting together in a few years. We divided the Treasure Map in two, giving one half to Jasper and keeping the other half with Abbott..."

Tiffany asked, "Do you have the Golden Key?"

"Yes, I hid it," Roy replied.

Roy didn't tell Tiffany that Jasper wanted to go to the Dark Land; he only mentioned the growing tension between Abbott and Jasper.

He said Abbott might come back to get the Golden Key from him.

Tiffany, head bowed, said to Roy:

"I'd like to stay on the Black Pearl for a while..."

Roy readily agreed, "Oh, sure. Almost no elves ever come aboard this ship."

The carriage stopped on the west side of the port. Roy opened the door and jumped down, then helped Tiffany down.

After paying the fare, the driver cracked his whip and drove away.

Tiffany walked silently toward the Black Pearl on the West Beach.

Roy didn't leave immediately. He lingered on the dock for a while, looking at the ships docked at the Deep Water Dock, wondering if Abbott had obtained the entire nautical chart, was on one of those ships.

Deep Water Dock.

On a Great Sea Ship named ' Mothra ', in cabin '07' on the first deck.

The magician Benjamin and Abbott were huddled around a narrow square table, their opinions slightly divided on their next plan of action...

"The problem we need to solve now is how to sail away from the Black Pearl, not to risk seizing the Golden Key!"

Benjamin placed his hand on the nautical chart on the square table and spoke to Abbott.

He brought Abbott in with the intention of obtaining the Black Pearl, rescuing some of the crew of the Golden Tangerine from Prison Island, and finally setting sail into the Endless Sea.

But now Abbott has made a complete mess of things...

Even now, Abbott firmly believes that the Welsh magician is helping him go to sea to find treasure. Therefore, Abbott not only wants the half of the nautical chart in Jasper's hands, but also the Golden Key in Roy's hands.

"Welsh, listen to me, the Golden Key is also very important."

Abbott's throat was getting dry from talking, so he picked up his cup, took a sip of water, and continued:

"As for how to sail the Black Pearl, it's very simple. We just need to hire some Half-Elf fishermen from a nearby fishing port. They have experience at sea and becoming crew members will be no problem."

"But they don't know how to fight. However, if we could hire a group of Half-Elf willing to go to sea with us, it might not be a bad idea..."

Benjamin blinked and said.

At that moment, however, he was calculating in his mind:

How exactly can we rescue the crew members from Parrham Prison Island?

To return to the Roland Continent, one must cross the Endless Sea. Without a group of experienced veterans, relying solely on recruited Half-Elf fishermen is not enough.

However, it wouldn't be a bad idea to make use of the Half-Elf fisherman for the time being!

Once I rescue the old crew members from Prison Island and transport these Half-Elf back to the Roland Continent, it will be a considerable fortune.