Investigator

The sea breeze blew across the deck, making the bells hanging on the mainmast jingle and clang.

The setting sun shone through the clouds in the west, like a field of hellfire igniting.

A few lone fishing boats were on the sea, preparing to dock.

The three Novice Priest sat side by side on the bronze ramming horn at the bow of the ship, watching wave after wave crash against the beach below. Abbott said dejectedly:

"We went to so much trouble to repair the Black Pearl Black Pearl, what will happen to it if we move it to Gorfito?"

Jasper was also conflicted. He was reluctant to part with the Black Pearl, and even more reluctant to part with Miss Tiffany. But should he give up the temple?

"Perhaps the Goddess of Freedom Temple in Castleton won't be abolished! It's the closest port to Buenos and not far from Gorfito. It's the best outlet to the sea, so I think unless all the Goddess of Freedom Temple in the entire Elven World are abolished, the temple in Castleton won't be abolished easily."

Roy was able to speak so fluently because Harper.Gustav teacher, had just mentioned these topics in his morning geography class.

He mainly talked about the Buenos Capital, while also radiating to important surrounding cities. Apart from the seventeen satellite towns around Buenos that guarded key locations, only Castleton City was clearly marked by Master Harper. The reason was that if the Orc Tribe in the north were taken as the hypothetical enemy, Orc Tribe army secretly bypassed the Eternal Night Forest of the Dark Moon Kingdom in the north and attacked the Silver Moon Kingdom by sea, the best landing point would be Castleton City, in addition to having to occupy the Empress Ivini Islands.

When talking about Castleton Harbour, Master Harper's cane almost cracked the marble floor...

When Roy overheard other young elf students talking about Master Harper in class, he mentioned that one of his recent initiatives was to transform the Ophelia family's Seaside Manor in Castleton into a military fortress, a proposal that directly threatened the interests of the Ophelia Royal Family.

Master Harper also suggested that it would be best to station the main force of the Seventeenth Silver Pegasus Legion of the Silver Moon Elf here to deter the fleet that would appear from the north of the Endless Sea.

Of course, the Orc Tribe has yet to assemble a decent fleet.

It's also worth mentioning that it would be virtually impossible for the Orc Tribe's army to bypass the Dark Moon Kingdom's Eternal Night Forest.

The relationship between elves and orcs is like that between angels and demons; the hatred accumulated over the years has reached a point of no return.

Jasper noticed Abbott's dejected and somewhat puzzled expression...

This guy is usually very easygoing and rarely has this kind of anxious and conflicted feeling, so he said, "Don't think too much about it. Let's wait for the notification from above and then we'll make a decision."

Thinking that the Black Pearl has now been completely cleaned up, even the rotten planks inside the hull have been pried open and replaced with new ones, especially since the mainmast was shot with a large hole by the Great Elf Archer, it may need a huge copper sleeve to stabilize the mainmast.

The Black Pearl is now facing out to sea at the bow, while the second Ship Building high. When the windows of the stern Ship Building are opened, you can see the Seaside Manor on the isolated cliff. If you want to see the sea view, you have to stand in the captain's cabin or go to the rooftop terrace.

The kitchen and storage room on the first floor of the Ship Building are on the left side. Originally, the first mate's Madam Yidula, and the second mate, Nerev, had rooms with views of the sea and the beautiful Castleton Harbour.

With Jasper's careful decoration, Madam Yidula's room was almost fully furnished.

"The souls of the dead on the ship have all been cleared away. Next, we need to properly arrange these empty rooms on the ship. So, I'll go first... therefore, I want the first mate's room on the first floor. You two can't take it from me!"

"Then I'll stay in the second mate's room," Abbott said immediately, looking at the bustling Castleton Harbour.

Jasper patted Roy on the shoulder and said, "Roy, the captain's cabin is yours! Until we go to sea, it'll serve as our living room for now..."

"Oh!" Roy looked back at the Ship Building. Actually, the captain's bedroom was quite nice and very private. The only downside was that if the Black Pearl stayed here, it would never be able to see the sea view.

"When can we set sail to search for treasure?" Abbott asked.

Jasper turned to look at Roy and said with a smile, "At least one of us three needs to be able to sail the Black Pearl freely at sea. Isn't Roy studying navigation at the Elf Academy? Let's wait for him to graduate from the Elf Academy!"

"That's another twenty years. By then, they might have been poached by someone else. What will be left for us? Can't we hire a captain?" Abbott said loudly with a worried look on his face.

Jasper turned to look at Abbott. Ever since they discovered the Treasure Map, the guy had become a different person, always thinking about the Sea Wolf captain's little bit of savings.

"Aren't you afraid the captain will throw us all overboard halfway back?" Jasper retorted.

Abbott paused for a moment, then said uncertainly, "No way!"

Jasper put his arm around Abbott's shoulder and laughed, saying, "Who knows! You always have to be prepared."

Roy thought for a moment. Jasper and Abbott didn't seem to have been to sea much, so he suggested, "How about this weekend, I'll talk to Duke and we can go out to sea on his boat and experience life at sea?"

"That's a great idea!" Jasper immediately agreed.

Abbott echoed, "Agreed! We should bring something with us, should we prepare a fruit basket?"

Jasper complained to Abbott, "Why eat fruit when we're on the ship? There are plenty of fish in the sea!"

In fact, plans can't keep up with changes.

Just one day before Roy, Abbott, and Jasper Novice Priest scheduled to set sail for the weekend, the Goddess of Freedom Temple finally sent an investigator.

High Priest Sandike Amos was a Silver Moon Elf whose age was hard to discern. His pale golden hair was meticulously combed back, and he wore a white Priest's robe trimmed with red. He held a silver scepter in his hand and walked with great poise.

He stepped out of the carriage, looked up at High Priest Reed at the entrance, his gaze sharp as a knife. As he walked into the temple, he questioned High Priest Reed:

"Reed, tell me how Anderson died. I need you to tell me the whole story in detail..."

As he passed by Priest Theodore, he glanced at Priest Theodore.

However, he didn't even bother to glance at Roy, Jasper, and Abbott, the three Novice Priest.

High Priest Reed quickly followed behind High Priest Sandike Amos, and the two went directly into the Main Hall of the Goddess of Freedom Temple.

"He's much more prestigious than High Priest Reed..."

Jasper whispered behind him until High Priest Sandike Amos disappeared from the entrance of the Main Hall.

"Be careful not to be overheard. I've heard that the investigators in the temple are very capable..." Abbott whispered a reminder.

Jasper knew he couldn't afford to be caught red-handed by the investigator at this time. He wasn't here for sightseeing; he was here to investigate the cause of Priest Anderson's death.

If he dislikes someone and wants to make things difficult for them, none of the people in the temple will be able to escape it...

Jasper quickly shut his mouth.

The three of them ran to the well to wash the fruit, arranged it on a plate, and then took it to the room of High Priest Sandike Amos.

Priest Theodore, dressed in a clean robe, waited anxiously outside the Main Hall, pacing back and forth on the steps at the entrance from time to time.

Roy hadn't expected that High Priest Reed and High Priest Sandike Amos would talk for so long in the Main Hall, until the sun had set before High Priest Reed emerged from the Main Hall looking exhausted.

Upon seeing High Priest Reed emerge, Priest Theodore immediately approached him and anxiously asked:

"So, is that clear?"

High Priest Reed nodded slightly before speaking to Priest Theodore:

"You may go in too. High Priest Sandike Amos would like to speak with you..."

Priest Theodore's face paled, then he quickly forced a stiff smile, wiped the sweat from his face with a silk handkerchief, and strode into the Main Hall.

"You guys help me carry the Bronze Mirror out of the warehouse, but be careful not to remove the Bronze Mirror covering it."

High Priest Reed stood on the steps at the entrance and gave instructions to Roy and the other two.

Since a Priest had died, the Goddess of Freedom Temple sent High Priest to investigate, which immediately made the atmosphere in the temple heavy.

The warehouse was dimly lit, with only four Bronze Mirror leaning against the wall, each with a lit candle, their soft light the only source of illumination.

Jasper and Abbott walked ahead; they knew the warehouse much better than Roy.

Roy followed the two men to the Bronze Mirror...

Three people, each carrying a Bronze Mirror.

Through the linen cloth wrapped around the Bronze Mirror, Roy could clearly hear a woman's voice muttering inside:

"Where do you want to move me to..."

Roy didn't say anything, picked up the mirror and quickly walked outside.

Why don't you lift this cloth? Don't you want to see me?

Roy quickly closed his eyes, imagining he was holding a flat-screen TV, and silently told himself, 'There's nothing strange about this, what could be so strange about it?'

Ignoring the voice in the Bronze Mirror, he strode out of the warehouse.

"Please lift this cloth and let me breathe! I'm being roasted by a candle every day, and I'm almost dying of heat in the mirror."

Roy, carrying the Bronze Mirror, followed behind Jasper.

He saw Jasper respond to the Bronze Mirror twice, then simply place the Bronze Mirror at the doorway and reach out to lift the linen cloth covering it.