The Inland Regions Aren't Safe Either

In her memory, this old man was always a representative of composure, wisdom, and the saying "having an elder in the family is like having a treasure."

But now this old man has shattered all those beautiful illusions.

Soon the Saltscale soup and breadcrumbs were served on the table.

Carmen took a bowl, filled it with breadcrumbs, and began to eat it with relish.

Suika felt nauseous just smelling the soup, as if thousands of ants were crawling all over her body.

She pushed the soup toward Carmen with obvious disgust, then opened the Ibuki Gourd and filled the bowl with a full glass of mulled wine.

They dropped breadcrumbs into the red wine and ate them.

Although it was a bit sour and astringent, this sourness and astringency perfectly neutralized the fishy smell of the past few days, and the Suika after eating it made me feel refreshed and relaxed.

"Is it good?" Carmen asked, staring at the half-finished glass of red wine in front of her.

"Never mind, it's just a bowl of red wine. I'll pour it for you if you want."

If others see this, they'll think I'm bullying an old man.

While cursing, Suika took a bowl from the side, filled it to the brim, and pushed it in front of Carmen.

Looking at the mulled wine in front of her, Carmen's brow furrowed slightly.

He chuckled, grabbed a handful of breadcrumbs, tossed them into the red wine, and then gulped them down in a few mouthfuls.

"It's quite an interesting way to eat it. Although the taste is a bit strange, the red wine completely washes away the fishy smell..."

I'll let the higher-ups know later; we're considering importing some red wine for sale in China. It really goes well with Saltscale.

Just as Suika was about to complain, an old woman dressed as a judge and Sister Avina walked in from outside.

At that moment, only Suika and Carmen were in the restaurant, and they naturally spotted the spot immediately.

Upon approaching and recognizing him as Saint Carmen, the old woman respectfully bowed to him.

Good day, Your Holiness.

"No need for formalities, Judge Irene... I remember you're that old man Bro's disciple, aren't you?"

After wiping the wine stains from the corner of her mouth with a napkin, Carmen turned to look at the person who had come from behind.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I was formerly a member of the Inquisitorial Tribunal under Grand Inquisitor Bro, and after the Grand Inquisitor passed away, I was assigned to come here to protect this town."

"Bro has been dead for almost twenty years... Wouldn't you think the Inquisition is being inhumane, leaving someone here inland all alone?"

Carmen sighed before asking the question.

"Of course not, Your Holiness."

I know that even among the original Inquisitorial Tribunal, I was among the least capable. If it weren't for Bro Inquisitor Bro, I might still be just an ordinary nun in the Inquisition.

Being able to become a judge and be assigned here to protect the people is also a form of protection for me by the Inquisition.

After all, my strength isn't that great. Over the years, I've heard stories from travelers about the Inquisition. Of the strong members of our group, very few survived the repeated battles with those creatures in the sea. If I hadn't been left here, I probably would have already followed Inquisitor Bro in death."

The old woman's eyes were very bright, and although her face was aged, she gave off a very energetic feeling.

Hearing the old woman's words, Carmen nodded slightly.

"It's good that you think that way."

Our situation is quite bad.

The Great Silence cost us too much of our national strength, and neighboring countries, fearing our resurgence, were unwilling to provide assistance.

As for the Church of the Deep...

You don't need to worry too much about that.

"Those guys from the Church of the Deep can't reach here yet."

Before Irene and Avina could say anything after hearing Carmen's words, Suika suddenly burst out laughing.

"Um?"

Carmen looked at Suika

Suika pulled a few photos out of her pocket and tossed them over; these were taken in the small mountain village when she first arrived in Iberia.

The photographer was naturally from Shanghai.

Upon seeing the images of Seaborn and the villagers above, their pupils simultaneously contracted.

"This happened when I first entered Iberia."

But don't worry, that village is gone.

Including those ugly things in the water, I killed them all.

Hearing Suika's casual words, Irene and the other girl finally noticed the seemingly insignificant girl beside them.

To be precise, Suika's appearance is actually quite attractive, after all, her pair of large horns are something that Iberia cannot see at all.

However, Irene and the other girl were focused on Carmen, and naturally ignored Suika was standing to the side.

Carmen didn't doubt Suika's words. From the photos, she could tell that the village only had about a hundred people, and with the Seaborn in the lake, the total was no more than two hundred.

Suika possesses the power to instantly annihilate an entire team of Inquisitors. If the Seaborn and infected ordinary people in the picture were discovered, they could be easily wiped out by the Inquisitorial Tribunal, posing no threat to Suika whatsoever.

"Are you sure no one was left alive?" But out of caution, he still asked.

"Don't worry, I've basically filled this lake in. Let alone low-level Seaborn, even two jellyfish would be completely wiped out," Suika said, sounding a little regretful.

Chapter 530 The Inland Area Is Not Safe

If it were a jellyfish, she might choose to try it.

Unfortunately, the creatures that appeared were either fish-men or fish-dogs (?), and the only advanced life form was a corrupted Seaborn.

Each one of them was oddly shaped, and their appearance was hardly appetizing.

"So, you went to town to deliver this message?"

Reflecting on Suika's journey after entering Iberia, if this had happened after her first entry into the city, her people would definitely have noticed the commotion.

It's only possible that a small earthquake did occur there previously, and according to intelligence, it did happen then.

However, because it was far from any town and close to a deserted area, they didn't bother with it.

"Yeah, I was actually planning to ask you for the reward money after killing the Great Swarm of those things."

Just like those bounty hunters.

But isn't this like dying before even getting started?

In the end, it turned out like this...

Suika said to Carmen in a tone that said, "It's all your fault."

"Why didn't you take it out before?" Carmen grinned, feeling a bit of a stomachache.

"You didn't ask," Suika replied, returning the favor in kind.

"Then why are you taking it out now?"

"Because you said the inland areas are safe!" Suika grinned mischievously, giving off an expression that said, "I wasn't planning on saying this, but since you said it, I have to prove you wrong."

After speaking, Suika suddenly looked outside.

"Besides, how do you know there aren't any members of the Church of the Deep here?"

"What did you find?" Carmen looked towards the door after hearing Suika's words, but didn't find anything unusual.

"You can't see it with your eyes, you have to smell it..."

"Once you've eaten Seaborn, the smell on your body is impossible to hide."

After saying that, Suika suddenly rushed out of the house.

A dozen seconds later, she dragged someone in like a dead dog.

Everyone saw what she did. This guy didn't care about the many ordinary people around him at all. He rushed into the crowd, grabbed one of them, pinned him to the ground, knocked him unconscious, and dragged him into the house.

That practiced manner clearly indicated he was a seasoned killer and robber.

Those around him recognized him and initially wanted to stop Suika's actions, but upon seeing Judge Irene inside the room and another dignified-looking elderly judge sitting next to her, they decisively backed down.

After all, in Iberia, you might survive if you mess with bandits, but if you mess with the Inquisition, a single arrest warrant can wipe out any chance of survival in the country.

Moreover, Irene has lived in this place for decades. The people here may not know Carmen, but they definitely know this town's judge.

Since she didn't stop it, the person who was arrested must have committed a serious crime.

"Isn't he a guard from the merchant guild?"

As the superior Irene couldn't possibly know everyone, but Avina, who was in charge of import and export, recognized him at a glance as a guard from the town's trading company.

"Are you sure he has a problem?" Irene looked at Suika, because all communications in Iberia had been cut off after the Great Silence and could only be carried out on foot, so she was unaware of the girl's deeds.

"I don't know, but he smelled of the sea... just like the people in that village."

Suika didn't know how she had discovered the other person.

To be precise, even though the people in Terra look all sorts of strange, they are still "people" in her eyes.

But life corrupted by Seaborn is different; in her eyes, it's more like a "demon."

Of course, they are not the famous youkai of Gensokyo, nor do they possess any powerful youkai energy; they are simply "non-human" beings.

Just as Irene was about to ask something, Carmen untied the lantern from her waist.

The lantern, which had been extinguished, emitted a bluish-white light when he picked it up.

The light sizzled as it shone on the man, and then everyone saw tiny scales appear on his neck.

Now no one would doubt the identity of the person lying unconscious on the ground.

"Avina, immediately lead the Inquisitorial Tribunal to surround the business, and take away all those closely associated with this person for questioning."

Without Carmen needing to say anything more, Irene immediately spoke to her daughter beside her.

"Yes!"

Knowing something serious had happened, Avina didn't linger and quickly threw herself out the door towards the church. The Inquisitorial Tribunal that Irene had formed after arriving in this town was almost entirely stationed near the church, except for the guards at the entrance.

"Can others learn this skill?" Carmen asked, her initial surprise followed by curiosity.

Suika shook her head. She didn't know how she could distinguish between the two; she could only attribute it to her innate talent as a demon.

"That's such a pity." Carmen with some regret. If this skill could be learned, it would be too easy for them to deal with those scum of the Church of the Deep hiding among the people.

It should be noted that even he couldn't detect anything wrong with the other person with his naked eye before he used magic to discover that this person was different.

Suika, on the other hand, could spot the person corrupted by Seaborn in the crowd with just a glance, even if the other person was merely passing by.

"Why don't you stay and help me?" Even though the two sides were somewhat opposed in their positions, Carmen thought these were minor issues.

Because he knew very well that if Suika was willing to help, it would be a serious blow to the Church of the Deep in Iberia.

Perhaps those "bishops" who have been hunted down but never caught can finally be brought to justice.

"That won't do... I'm an official of the Great Yan." Suika shook her head.

Later, Doctor comes to Iberia, she could get involved.

After all, it's impossible to turn Titi into Red Titi.

But staying in Iberia is out of the question.

This place is too desolate; it's not fun at all.

"Official of Dayan? Aren't you from Rhode Island?" Carmen asked doubtfully.

"These identities don't conflict, and although I haven't taken office yet, the environment there is much better than Iberia." Suika pointed to the wasteland along the way.

Carmen had nothing to say about this.

If it were the Iberia of the past, he could proudly say that it was rich in resources, had a beautiful environment, and was unparalleled in Terra.

But now, Iberia is full of salt flats.

The desolation, poverty, and disease that plagued the Iberia certainly held little appeal for outsiders.

"Don't be discouraged, old man. Those people in the Church of the Deep are treacherous; they don't want to be good people, they insist on becoming monsters and joining some the Great Swarm."