The Arm on the Shelf

41. The matter of an arm on the shelf almost needs no explanation; only souls with extreme resentment would linger in the place of their death.

This ship was a Great Sea Ship full of human Sailors, and the Elven girl had died in the captain's cabin. One couldn't just close their eyes and say that a touching love story had occurred in this room.

Jasper deftly packed the magic book into his satchel, marking the end of a Purification ritual for the ghost.

The Second Mate sitting on the soft leather sofa didn't expect it to be over so quickly; he thought it would take half the night...

He reluctantly stood up from the soft sofa, reached into the pocket hanging below his belt, and pulled out a stack of gold coins, exactly ten.

He weighed the gold coins in his hand, the coins making a series of crisp and textured clinking sounds.

"Do you want gold coins?" he asked Jasper.

Jasper quickly shook his head, forcing a stiff smile, and said:

"Just follow the previously agreed-upon transaction. Gold coins can only be melted into gold ingots and sold as materials. They don't circulate in the Elven Kingdom anyway..."

The Second Mate's lips twitched slightly, his fleshy face looking somewhat ferocious, and he put on an expression as if Jasper didn't know good stuff, saying:

"Ten gold coins on our side can buy a well-polished, complete Magic Crystal Stone, instead of a Magic Core like this, not knowing if there's any magic crystal inside."

With that, he reached into his pocket again and pulled out a dark, duck-egg-sized stone, handing it to Jasper.

Jasper took the stone in his hand, first bringing it to his nose to smell it, then taking out a small hammer and hitting it hard, then listening carefully to the sound, his eyes narrowing with a satisfied expression.

The Second Mate looked at Jasper's expression, a gentle smile appearing on his face.

However, the smile looked particularly sinister on his face.

"Actually, we can add another commission. Do you want to do it? The reward is still a Saber-Toothed Sea Beast's Magic Core."

Jasper put the Magic Core into his satchel and turned to look at Roy. He had tasted the sweetness of Roy's help and felt that this job was still worth taking.

But at this moment, Roy was breaking out in a cold sweat.

Because he suddenly thought that the Naga Assassin chasing humans everywhere on the beach was very likely related to this sea ship.

Especially when he saw the Second Mate's sinister face, he became even more certain of his guess.

"High Priest Reed is still waiting for our news at the Temple..."

Roy glanced at the Second Mate and said softly to Jasper.

Jasper tugged at Roy's sleeve and responded in an even lower voice, "I can get him to increase the reward."

Roy saw that Jasper was a little giddy after getting the black stone, and quickly put his hand on his shoulder, pulling him to the corner of the captain's cabin wall, and whispered, "Jasper, let's not take risks, I'm worried our Holy Light power isn't enough!"

Jasper didn't notice Roy's expression, and said confidently, "My Holy Light can cast Purification four more times, more than enough to deal with a ghost. Roy, it's not every time we meet such a generous employer, but I can guarantee that every time we purify a ghost, it's about the same... If you want to go home, I'll have them send you away first."

"Jasper, didn't you say you were going to pray with Abbott tonight?"

Roy said, nudging Jasper's ribs with his elbow.

The impact wasn't light, and Jasper suddenly sucked in his stomach. Although he hadn't reacted yet, he knew that Roy must have something going on, so he said:

"Oh! Now that you mention it, I seem to remember..."

There was a washbasin in this corner, neatly embedded in an iron rack extending from the wall.

And the bronze mirror was embedded in the wall opposite the washbasin, just against the side of the wooden wall, in a somewhat hidden position.

Only by standing in front of the washbasin could one discover the existence of this exquisitely designed bronze mirror.

Roy had walked around the captain's cabin eight times just now, and because he had to pay attention to every corner of the captain's cabin, he knew that there was a bronze mirror opposite the washbasin.

At this moment, Roy and Jasper, through the bronze mirror opposite, could just see the ordinary Sailors standing at the door, and behind him, a bolt had been placed across the door.

The tall and sturdy Second Mate standing on the other side of the captain's cabin, although smiling, had his hands behind his back, standing there straight, holding a black dagger tightly in his hand...

At this moment, Jasper was completely awake.

It was just that the other party didn't seem to have any intention of letting them leave...

"Since we can't cooperate, then I'll send you two off," the Second Mate said with a kind smile on his face, approaching step by step.

The Sailors guarding the door had no intention of opening it, blocking the door bolt with his body.

If it weren't for that bronze mirror, all of this would have been blocked by the Second Mate and the Sailors' bodies...

"We're not... unwilling to cooperate... If you want us to purify the wraiths again, you have to pay more!" Jasper started hesitantly, but by the end, he was practically shouting.

The Second Mate stopped, his eyes narrowed, revealing a cold glint. He slipped the dagger he was holding back into his sleeve, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly in a grin. "The reward is negotiable, as long as you can help me clear the wraiths in the lower cabins."

Jasper bit the bullet and said, "Two Magic Cores per wraith purified."

"Deal!"

The Second Mate agreed without even thinking.

Jasper and Roy exchanged a quick glance. Jasper continued, forcing himself to speak, "Then take us over there to see the situation..."

The Second Mate waved at the Sailor by the door, and they heard the sound of the door opening...

Roy and Jasper followed the Second Mate out of the captain's cabin, sandwiched between him and the Sailor, who walked behind them with his right hand on the hilt of his knife.

They exited the captain's cabin, went down the steps, turned right, and entered the lower-level cabins beneath the captain's quarters. This cabin was above the deck.

Only then did Jasper realize that the Sailors sitting on the deck were looking at them with smiles that clearly held a hint of mockery.

The Second Mate walked down the narrow corridor. The scent of pan-fried sea fish lingered in the air. Wooden shelves lined the corridor, filled with hard, dry whole-wheat bread and stacks of baked wheat cakes, each stack taller than a person.

So, the ship's kitchen was located here, one of the few decent rooms above deck.

The Second Mate paused at the kitchen door, exchanged a few casual words with a fat cook inside, and took a string of copper keys from the cook's hand.

He led Roy and Jasper a few more meters forward, to the end of the corridor at the stern. Through the arched windows, they could see outside the ship, but it wasn't facing the dock; it was pitch black outside.

The Second Mate used the copper keys to open the last cabin door. Inside, the shelves were filled with boxes of vegetables and fruits, including pumpkins, onions, carrots, and tomatoes. The fruits were oranges, pineapples, and watermelons. These vegetables were hard to find in Castleton, but the fruits were in season here.

Roy didn't see any Breadfruit, a common food for Elves. Not a single one...

Roy had heard the mage Benjamin say that a Great Sea Ship like this would definitely have a plant cultivation room.

This room wasn't the cultivation room; it was a warehouse for storing vegetables. It was cool and well-ventilated.

"There's a wraith in this warehouse that always comes out to scare our head chef late at night. I need you to purify it..."

The Second Mate said to Jasper.

He didn't even bother to hide it, using a commanding tone and an expression that said, 'I've got you cornered.'

Roy and Jasper exchanged another look and entered the storage warehouse one after the other.

The Second Mate and the other Sailor stood guard at the warehouse door, which was left open, but they didn't squeeze inside.

The warehouse wasn't too big, and it was filled with vegetables. There was only one door, and it was pitch black inside...

Roy cast the Glimmer Illumination spell again. Only when a ball of light floated above their heads did the warehouse have a bit of light.

There were many shelves inside, filled with vegetables and fruits, with rows of tilted wooden boxes on the shelves.

Roy suddenly realized a problem. They loaded so many seasonal vegetables and fruits onto the ship, but this wasn't a cold storage. These fruits and vegetables couldn't be preserved for long unless they were about to set sail. Otherwise, there was no need to store them in the warehouse...

The two walked to the deepest part of the warehouse. The calm expression on Jasper's face was gone.

He was a little flustered, but he said to Roy in as low a voice as possible:

"Roy, we can't get out of here. It's all my fault! I should have been the one to take this risk. I didn't expect to drag you into this."

Roy stood next to a shelf, put his arm around Jasper's shoulder, and said, "Jasper, don't be so pessimistic. As long as we stay calm, we should still have a chance!"

"This is the port of the Elven Kingdom. As a foreign sea ship, all their actions will be restrained."

Moreover, Roy knew that the tide tonight wouldn't come until around 3:00 AM in the second half of the night. Without relying on the high tide, this Great Sea Ship couldn't leave the port at all.

"Jasper, can you swim?" Roy asked Jasper.

Jasper nodded quickly.

"Later, we'll find a chance to go to the oar room and say that the wraith escaped there. As long as we get there, that room has a row of windows. Usually, when the Great Sea Ship needs to row, the oars are extended from the windows. Then we'll rush to the windows and jump into the sea."

"As long as we can safely run to the dock, we'll be safe. I bet they won't dare to chase us out!" Roy continued.

As Roy said these words, he felt something on the left shelf seemed to be reflecting light.

He subconsciously adjusted the Glimmer Illumination, and a few scales sparkled in the light. At first, he thought it was a sea fish, but then he immediately realized that something was wrong. It seemed to be a section of an arm!