Pavo Court... Krivis didn't directly respond to the woman behind the telegraph office door, but turned to look at Gehrman Sparrow, waiting for him to make a decision.
In the eyes of this former adventurer, it was already quite a difficult task for a group of more than a dozen people to return safely and smoothly to the " White Agate." He could not and should not be distracted by helping to find people at such a time. However, he also knew very well that the current Pillar were Gehrman Sparrow and " Blazing " Danitz, and only they had the power to agree or not.
Klein paused for two seconds, then spoke in a neither loud nor soft voice:
What does he look like?
He believed that gathering more information would help him escape this mysterious and enigmatic town, so he casually asked. As for whether he would help keep an eye out, that depended entirely on what happened next.
While asking the questions, Klein warned himself not to delve too deeply, lest he trigger the hidden danger in Bansy Harbor.
He must walk a tightrope between understanding the situation and avoiding risks, striking the perfect balance—neither too much nor too little, neither too far to the left nor too far to the right.
This could be easy or difficult, because no one knows what will happen when they step on it. They can only make judgments based on experience and intuition. They could fall into a pit at any time, which made Klein's mind highly tense and his thoughts faster than ever before.
In the dense darkness and thin fog, the telegraph office doors remained tightly shut. The woman inside paused for a moment before speaking:
He was a very handsome man.
He has two eyes, two ears, one nose, and one mouth.
This answer is so creepy... Could this woman be a little strange too? According to the customs of Bansy Harbor, she shouldn't have responded at all! " Blazing " Danitz had a strong urge to kick open the door, rush into the telegraph office, and check the situation inside.
Just then, he saw Gehrman Sparrow raise his hand to adjust his hat, turn around, and walk to the side.
" Storm Church," Klein stated his destination briefly.
He didn't care what problems the woman in the telegraph office had, just as he didn't bother to investigate what secrets the owner and overnight guests of the Green Lemon Restaurant were hiding.
The wind subsided, the fog remained thin, and the candlelight inside the church shone faintly through the narrow windows high up, like a lighthouse in a storm.
After Klein used the " The Sun Halo " again, Donna and the others regained some courage. Like drowning people, they desperately clung to the last straw and walked quietly and hurriedly on the deserted streets.
Soon, they arrived outside the Storm Church, but the two large doors were tightly shut, not a crack in the door.
Klein glanced at the Storm Emblem on the door, then raised his hand and knocked three times.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A slightly wary male voice immediately came from behind the door:
"Who?"
" Gehrman Sparrow," Klein replied directly.
He could tell that the one asking the question was Captain Elland.
"Why did you come here?" Elland asked again without Door Opening.
Klein, holding his cane, calmly said:
"You paid the compensation to ' White Shark ' for me."
Elland was taken aback at first, finding it somewhat amusing, and then, after a preliminary confirmation, realized that it really was Gehrman Sparrow. At least, even the most skilled Monster at disguise shouldn't know that this was something that only involved the two of them.
He hesitated for a moment, but after Krivis, Urdi Blanche, Donna and others spoke up, he felt relieved and had First Mate Harris unlock the door and open it.
The heavy clattering sound echoed far and wide, and Klein saw Elland wearing a boat-shaped hat, holding a straight sword in one hand and a musket in the other.
"Is there a problem here too?" he asked astutely, considering the previous situation.
Elland first stepped aside to let Donna and the others enter, then pointed to the prayer hall and said:
"The priest I knew, Jies, died inside, his head separated from his body, and Bishop Miller is nowhere to be found, as are several other priests. Also, all the church servants have disappeared."
A priest died, a bishop went missing? The entire church is deserted? This is a serious problem... Klein gripped the cold Azik Copper Whistle, his heart growing increasingly heavy.
Of course, he was well aware that the priests and bishops were not the main force in managing the extraordinary events in Bansy Harbor under the Church of Storms. There must be a team of " Mandated Punishers " consisting of 6 to 8 Beyonder in the basement of this church, as well as an unknown number of Sealed Artifact. Even High-Sequence powerhouses might not be able to eliminate this force in a short period of time with almost no movement.
As long as they are still alive and can use the Sealed Artifact, the problem won't get too bad... So, what is the " Mandated Punishers " team doing at this time? Based on his experience as a former Nighthawks, Klein began to speculate based on the normal procedures.
During this process, he accompanied Elland to the Great Prayer Hall to examine the body of the deceased priest.
Jies died a gruesome death, as if his head had been severed while he was still alive. Unlike the Monster outside, his esophagus and head were separated.
In Klein's Spirit Vision, the priest had no remaining spirit, and even if he wanted to Spirit Channeling, it would be difficult to succeed.
Was it the unique nature of the murder method itself, or were there some special measures taken...? Unlike the Monster outside, was it because the action was taken too hastily? Klein, combining the situation at the scene, completed his previous guess.
He believed there were two possibilities. One was that some local, living Sealed Artifact or Mid-Sequence Beyonder had gone out of control and escaped into the church. It then ran away and killed Jies along the way, causing the anomaly in Bansy Harbor. The bishops, priests, and " Mandated Punishers " were trying their best to search for and catch it, in order to reseal and cleanse it. The servants were led to a certain area underground and protected by the " Mandated Punishers " who stayed behind.
But this cannot explain the strange behavior of the residents of Bansy Harbor.
The second possibility is that the original ritual of the " God of Weather " has been revived among some people in Bansy Harbor. The flying head and the headless Monster are consistent with the description of sharing flesh and blood and burying the head in the altar in the ritual. For some temporarily unknown reason, this group of people attacked the church and killed the priest Jies. The other residents knew more or less about the situation, but they all chose to remain silent.
They might have already breached the underground, battling fiercely against the Mandated Punishers, priests, and bishops aided by the Sealed Artifact, and transforming all the servants into Monster. Or perhaps they were pushed back out and are being hunted by the Beyonder of the Church of Storms, fleeing while the servants went underground for protection, to prevent any accidents... Judging from the fact that Jies's corpse wasn't used, the latter development is more likely... Going underground to check the situation at this time would definitely be met with an attack, after all, they are unfamiliar Beyonder... Moreover, the forces left behind might not be enough... Klein looked at the priest lying on the ground and noticed that his Beyonder Characteristic had condensed at the neck, like a blue gemstone.
He looked away, not wanting to pick it up, not wanting to provoke the furious retaliation of those hot-tempered men from the Church of Storms for such a small gain. Instead, he said to Elland and First Mate Harris:
"Go back to the ship first."
He casually tossed some gold coins aside to confirm there was no fighting underground.
Regardless of whether or not a " Mandated Punishers " remains, the ground floor of the church is no longer suitable for prolonged stays. After all, Klein wasn't sure if his guess was correct, so he could only make the safest choice.
"Alright!" Elland was also unwilling to stay here, anxiously awaiting the change to come.
Once back on the " White Agate," he has many cannons and many Sailor, enough to withstand a certain degree of unforeseen events.
After a short rest, the group left the Storm Church.
With the addition of Elland and Harris, the defenses around the team became significantly tighter, and Klein no longer needed to throw the bronze whistle to attract Monster, so he put it back in his pocket.
"Should we send a telegram to the Church of Storms headquarters to report on the situation in Bansy Harbor?" After taking a few steps, Elland cautiously offered a suggestion.
In this way, even if a major change occurs, as long as we persevere, we can always be saved.
Klein did not object, and walking calmly through the thin mist ahead, he said:
"It will pass by the telegraph office."
"Phew," Danitz breathed a sigh of Blazing, then his heart tightened again.
What he feared was that the Church of Storms would send people to investigate the whole affair and discover that a well-known pirate had played a significant role in it, while he might still be trapped on the " White Agate " at that time.
Although I saved someone, the " Mandated Punishers " are not friendly to those who are not of their kind, especially since I am a pirate... Danitz was in a dilemma and decided to get through the immediate danger first.
They walked for a while, and as they came into view of the telegraph office, a dim yellow light suddenly appeared on the side street, approaching from the depths of the fog.
It was a middle-aged man carrying a lantern.
He wore a dark blue bishop's robe embroidered with Storm symbols, his head was bowed, his face was pale, his breathing was rapid, and his steps were somewhat unsteady.
Elland stared intently for a moment, then blurted out:
"Bishop Miller?"
The middle-aged man raised his head, held up the lantern, and said:
"You are, Elland?"
At this moment, Klein took a slight step back, highlighting Elland's position and preventing the bishop of the Church of Storms from taking him seriously.
Danitz shrank back, using Uldi's obese figure to hide himself.
"Yes, Your Excellency, I saw Jies dead. What happened?" Elland was no novice and did not rush over directly.
Bishop Miller coughed twice and said:
"Ancient customs are reviving, and a group of cultists with tainted blood have begun to sacrifice living people and share flesh and blood again."
" Jies discovered their problem, and as a result, they killed him first."
"The truth could no longer be concealed. They used the ritual to change the weather and attempted to attack the church, but were defeated by the Mandated Punishers and fled to the mountains and the cave where the altar was located."
"I was wounded in battle and couldn't continue, so I had to slowly return."
As soon as he finished speaking, a bright light suddenly burst forth from the distant fog, as if countless bolts of lightning were intertwined and striking down.
With the help of this light, Klein and the others could see the mountain range on the shore shrouded in mist, and the peaks that connected to the thunderstorm scene.
This, to some extent, confirms Bishop Miller's statement.
Just as Elland was about to step forward to help the Storm Archbishop, he saw Gehrman Sparrow take out a gold coin and whisper:
He harbored ill intentions.
bite!
The gold coin flew up, then turned and fell down, landing in Klein's palm with its head facing upwards.
This means yes!
Bishop Miller stared intently at the scene, a dark red light suddenly surging in his light brown eyes.