Chapter 297: Same Side

Karon looked at the golden retriever, which was facing the sea. The dog’s posture was clearly hostile. Karon then looked up at Kevin’s puppet that stood beside him. “Kevin, can your puppet not speak?”

Pu’er’s puppet replied, “His can’t.”

“That function wasn’t included?” Karon asked in confusion. “Yours can speak.”

Pu’er replied, “There’s nothing wrong with the puppet. He just can’t speak.”

“He can’t speak?”

“You can think of it as like a ward, or perhaps a curse.”

Karon shook his head. “But I’ve heard Kevin speak before. It was that time.”

It was when Rhanedar had tried to seize Karon’s body, only for the contingency Tiz had prepared to pull Rhanedar from Karon’s chest, after which Mr. Hoffen had sealed the heretical god in the dog’s body.

“Maybe his state was different. The stupid dog has a physical body now. When we were given the puppets for testing, stupid dog had no way to use his puppet to speak.”

“So that’s how it is. Was it a curse placed by some god?” Kevin turned back at this moment and looked at Karon. The dog, which had still been baring its teeth and snarling earlier, now revealed an honest, simple smile. He even made a point of running to Karon’s side and rubbing against his leg.

“What does a fundamentalist believer of the Sea God Church mean?” Karon brought the topic back.

“Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof!”

“Kevin says this is the most primitive and purest method of advancement for followers of the Sea God Church. According to that church’s myths, the Sea God originally took the form of a sea beast, so in order to follow in His footsteps, believers transform their bodies. They believe that only by doing so can they draw closer to the emotions of the sea, perceive the sea’s might, grow more attuned to the ocean itself, and comprehend the true essence of the sea preached by the Sea God.

“From these eggshells, it can be seen that this group of believers completed that transformation not long ago.”

Karon asked, “Was the Sea God like this as well?”

When peering at Rhanedar through the third window, Karon had seen him suppress and kill the Sea God. The Sea God’s body had been incomparably enormous at that time, to the point that both the giant beast Torathos and the sea beast Aseros would seem miniature in comparison.

“Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof!”

“Kevin says yes, but also no. The Sea God shed his body several times. His original appearance and body were something not even Kevin ever saw. It should have been sealed somewhere, or perhaps it was long ago, like a snake shedding its skin.

“The true Sea God Church has already collapsed and fractured, just like Light vermin. They can hardly even receive oracles from the God of Light anymore. The Sea God Church is even more broken. The main line of their faith was severed long ago, so logically speaking, for these fundamentalists, this path of theirs should have been blocked to them for years.

“Now, they’ve reappeared, and they have completed their bodily transformations, which means that certain matters have already changed. Given the broader backdrop of the gods’ forthcoming return, this one also wants to return!”

“The Sea God was already suppressed and killed, wasn’t he?” Karon asked. “Can he still return?”

“Woof!”

“What gods fear most is not death, but... being forgotten.”

Karon nodded. “Alfred, how many eggs are there?”

“Young Master, there are nine in total. One died while emerging, so there should be eight that broke free of their eggs.”

“Will those eight all look like this?” Karon asked Kevin.

“Woof, woof!”

“They look like this when they first hatch, but after a few days, their bodies will be covered in a layer of gelatinous matter that will allow them to look almost the same as ordinary people.”

“Eight. In other words, these eight fellows controlled Rudd’s family and attacked Gendi’s squad. So, generally speaking, what level of strength do these newly hatched ones have?”

“Woof, woof!”

“There’s no way to measure it specifically. This is merely a process, just like how the gap in different Inquisitors’ strength can occasionally be very large.”

“Alfred, cut off that thing’s head. We’ll take it back for the captain to see. Be careful.”

“Yes, Young Master.” Alfred slid down into the pit, took a dagger from his sleeve, cut off the failed evolution’s head, and then climbed back up.

Karon said, “I don’t think there’s any need for us to continue investigating. Let’s head back and wait for everyone to return.”

They returned to the meeting point. None of the other three groups were back yet.

“When we act later, will your two puppets become a burden?” Karon asked.

“A little.” Pu’er nodded. “So we promise we’ll stand far away. If there’s a major change in the situation, stupid dog and I will immediately abandon the puppets and flee. We won’t become burdens.”

“Woof!”

Clearly, Pu’er was very worried that Karon might force her and Kevin to return to Aseros’s stomach first.

“Judge the situation yourselves,” Karon reminded them, but did not force the two to take shelter first.

The three groups returned one after another. When Nio saw the head beside Alfred, he immediately reached out, picked it up, and toyed with it in his hand. “A Sea God Church fundamentalist?”

“Captain, that thing is a Sea God Church believer?” Fannie asked in confusion.

“Mhmm. That’s right.”

Nio then proceeded to explain matters to everyone. Upon finishing, he turned to Karon and asked, “How many eggshells?”

“Nine. One got stuck emerging and didn’t make it. That’s the one you’re holding.”

“Oh, is that so? In other words, there are eight Sea God Church believers roaming this island.”

Karon was very curious as to how the captain recognized what they had encountered, but it was not convenient to ask at the moment. Still, he could roughly guess that it was probably from Phileas’s memories.

After that, each group summarized their own investigation. The smugglers’ ships that used the port were still docking to unload and load goods. Even the town’s brothel was operating normally. The docks were normal. The town was normal. There were no signs of any invasion.

Nio analyzed the situation. “My guess is that these eight Sea God Church fundamentalists approached Kerona Island because of some accident. That reasoning is simple, as Kerona Island is too close to Veyn, which has always been within the sphere of influence of our Church of Order.”

Paige asked, “But does our church have any feud with the Sea God Church?”

Nio glanced at Mr. Kevin... or rather, at the golden retriever the man was leading. He then said, “The Sea God Church collapsed at the end of the previous epoch. There’s no need to dig too deeply into whether our church has a feud with them or not. After all, the orthodox Sea God Church has long since ceased to exist. As for the current Sea God Church, we can attach the suffix ‘vermin’ to such believers, just as we do with the Church of Light.

“The fundamental reason is that nurturing these eggs requires human blood to be sacrificed. At regular intervals, fresh human blood needs to be smeared over the egg bodies to ensure that the things gestating within them obtain sufficient nourishment. This kind of conduct is not permitted by our church. If there’s a choice, why commit murder right next to a police station?

“Combining that with the current situation on the island, I suspect that they did indeed attack Gendi’s squad. What they wanted was the goods Gendi’s squad was escorting. As far as I know, it was a batch of natural pulp that was being imported. It’s a specialty product of the Berai Church, and while that church has a very poor reputation, to the point that believers are not even permitted to preach in most regions, they produce some materials that are genuinely needed. Since open trade is not possible, such things have to be smuggled in this way, with a Whip of Order squad receiving and transporting the goods.

“That pulp may be exactly what these fundamentalists need right now. With the example of one of them failing to break out of their shell due to malnutrition, the others that emerged successfully are likely also malnourished.

“However, when they launched the attack, they may not have known that the goods were being escorted by a Whip of Order squad, because I don’t believe anyone would dare to actively attack the Church of Order within Veyn, especially at a time like this.

“After that, they controlled the mayor, Mr. Rudd, who is the person in charge of this smuggling island. I suspect that they should have controlled his wife and daughter, and are using them as leverage.”

Memphis concluded, “They want to escape.”

“Yes. I think that should be their purpose in controlling the mayor. They want to use his connections to help them arrange for a ship that is capable of long-distance travel, and to do so as quickly as possible.”

Gray asked, “Captain, that doesn’t make sense. Shouldn’t they have fled right away? If there are only nine of them, no, eight of them, then even a small boat should be enough for them to leave at once.”

“Nine eggshells and eight hatched doesn’t mean there are only eight people. Did those nine eggs form a group by themselves and drift here from across the sea? Someone had to drag those eggs here.

“Moreover, we’ve only seen eggs that have already hatched. It’s possible that there are more which haven’t had the time to fully develop yet.

“It’s likely not that they don’t want to leave immediately, but that they need a ship that is large enough, and that it also needs to be stocked with sufficient supplies... They might even need living people to serve as a blood bank.

“So, the next round of investigation. Karon, you know Mr. Rudd, right?”

“Yes.”

“Take your two friends and your valet into town and try to make contact. Everyone else comes with me. We’ll investigate the docks again, focusing on ships with damaged hulls that have been docked for a long time without leaving port. It shouldn’t be hard to find. Smuggling ports generally prefer fast entry and quick exits. They don’t like delays. Long-term berthing is rare.”

“Captain, if I make contact right away, what if I alert them?”

“Then we alert them. We still don’t know their exact numbers or strength. Maybe, if they’re alerted early, we’ll have time to withdraw from the island and call for reinforcements. In short, act how you see fit. They just might be the ones who get scared. If they retreat, their first reaction will definitely be to go for their original ship. I might be able to take that chance to set up an ambush on my end.”

“Understood, Captain.”

“Alright. Let’s resume this operation. Remember to use the signal flares to communicate. Fannie, give some to Karon.”

Fannie handed three flares to Karon. He could fire them with his Arts pistol.

“Firing one signal flare means the enemy is too strong and we need to withdraw. Firing two or more means we’re capable of taking them down, so everyone can cut loose.”

“Understood, Captain.”

***

The town remained very lively even at night. The people who stopped or worked in this place neither lacked money nor hesitated to spend it. Money fueled the clamor.

Karon and the others entered a tavern and booked a private room on the second floor. This tavern stood diagonally across from Rudd’s office.

“Your captain really knows a lot.” Pu’er ate as she spoke. “And the way he assigns tasks is quite strange.”

“He’s always been like that, but his methods have also always been effective.” Karon watched the office building as he spoke.

“One signal flare means run. If one isn’t a genius commander, they really wouldn’t consider such a setting.” Pu’er held a piece of fried dried fish in her mouth as she jumped to the windowsill, where she immediately spat it out. “Oh, someone’s coming out.”

Two black-robed figures walked out of the office building and walked straight for the tavern. Soon, each of them carried a large barrel of alcohol back out.

At this moment, another four or five black-robed figures emerged from the office building. When the two sides passed each other, they exchanged a few words. At this time, it could be seen that both sides had bandages wrapped around their faces, leaving only their eyes exposed.

A while later, the four or five black-robed figures each carried two large baskets of food out of the tavern.

“The captain was right. There should be quite a few of them. The eggs in that pit may have only been one batch.”

“Should I go in and observe?” Pu’er suggested.

Karon shook his head. “I’ll go myself.”

“I’m a cat. It’s more convenient for me. Who cares about a cat walking past the window?”

“I’m not comfortable with that.”

“You care about me that much, Little Karon?”

“If something happens to you, we won’t be able to call Aseros when we withdraw.”

“...” Pu’er.

“Young Master, more people are coming out. How many are hidden inside? Was that food and alcohol still not enough?”

“They may be holding surviving captives inside as well. Alfred, come down with me.”

Karon stood, placing his pistol and signal flares on the dining table. Pu’er nodded at him, indicating that she understood.

Karon and Alfred then left the private room.

***

“We are guests who were invited here by the mayor. As for our identities, don’t ask carelessly. Unnecessary curiosity can sometimes bring you great trouble.”

“Yes, yes, I understand.” The tavern owner immediately smiled apologetically. Earlier, he had asked one unnecessary question about why these people had been the ones coming in and out of the office building in recent days.

“Do you still have alcohol?”

“Yes, yes. It’s in the storeroom. I’ll move it out now.”

“Xander, wait here. I’ll head back first.”

“Yes, Chief.” Only Xander remained standing in the hallway beneath the stairs. The owner personally went to the storeroom to transport the alcohol.

Suddenly, Xander’s body trembled, and his hands instinctively clutched his head.

At a turn on the staircase, Alfred, whose eyes had flushed red, immediately said, “Young Master, he has a very strong will to resist. I cannot completely suppress him and remain silent.”

Karon was a bit surprised. Even someone who was merely a grunt hauling things around and running errands could resist Alfred’s mental control? In that case, what was this group’s overall level of strength?

Karon transformed into black mist that descended the stairs, reforming behind Xander. At this moment, the man was resisting Alfred’s mental attack and was thus unable to even react to Karon’s sudden appearance.

Karon reached forward and pulled the man’s hood down. As he did that, the Aelius Sword slashed to the side, removing the man’s head. The faintly red Darkmoon power on the blade seared the wound shut, preventing any blood from spilling out.

Immediately afterward, Karon threw the sword and head upward, where they were caught by Alfred. Karon hoisted the corpse while running up the stairs as well.

Not long after, the owner moved out a barrel of alcohol. “Hm? Where did he go?”

Karon, who had already changed into the black robe and wrapped bandages around his face, walked down the stairs, picked up the barrel, and left the tavern.

***

“It’s hard to imagine that he can put up with having that person’s bandages on his face.” Pu’er peered at Karon through the window as he walked towards the building across the road. She let out a sigh.

The bandages around the man’s face had not actually been used to hide his appearances or identity. Instead, what lay beneath the bandages was a distorted, rotting face.

“During missions, Young Master does not have such restraints. I also did my best to wipe it all down for Young Master.”

“Alright, but this method of infiltration really is cliché.”

“Young Master wants to first confirm Mr. Rudd’s location and safety.”

“Mhmm. I know.”

Pu’er’s puppet began loading the signal flares.

“Young Master’s steps seem a little strange?” Alfred asked in confusion.

“Heh.” Pu’er glanced over and snorted. “That barrel must be too heavy for him.”

***

The barrel was too heavy. Without using Arts to reinforce his strength, it would be rather difficult for Karon to carry the barrel of alcohol.

Halfway there, he was still forced to set the barrel down and catch his breath.

At that moment, a pair of hands came over and grabbed one side of the barrel. Karon looked up to see another person in black robes with bandages wrapped around their face. The person shook the barrel, and Karon grabbed it again. The two of them lifted it together, which was much easier than before.

Is the atmosphere between the members of this group really so good? Do they all enjoy helping each other? Then why did no one even collect the corpse of the fellow who got stuck in the eggshell?

Karon noticed another five or six black-robed, bandage-faced individuals approaching from different parts of the road. Each one carried barrels of alcohol or food.

Karon and his partner pushed the door open and carried their barrel inside together. The others followed them.

Two more black-robed figures stood in the large foyer behind the door, both leaning against the wall. When Karon’s group passed by them, one of the pair said, “Hm? Why do I feel like there weren’t this many people when they went out?”

The other figure shouted at the group with Karon, “Stop for a moment.”

Suddenly, the black-robed people beside him all pulled out guns or knives from their robes and attacked the two gatekeepers.

However, blue armor immediately appeared on the bodies of the two gatekeepers. Arts bullets and weapon strikes merely forced them back, yet failed to actually take them down. The commotion in the foyer instantly alerted the entire building.

“Boss, we’re here to save you!” Karon heard the black-robed man who had helped him carry the barrel shout. At the same time, the man showed no hesitation as he attacked Karon.

Fuck! You people are disguised too! Karon’s figure rapidly retreated, avoiding the blade.

At this time, nearly ten black-robed figures immediately rushed down the stairs, up from the basement, and from other rooms on the first floor. They swiftly attacked the intruders.

The true black-robed figures were all quite strong. After covering their bodies with the Sea God’s Armor, their offensive grew extremely sharp. Very quickly, the impostors were all cut down.

They could consider themselves successful for infiltrating the place and launching a surprise attack, but they had neglected the enormous gap between their own strength and that of their opponents.

Karon could not help sighing inwardly. The captain truly had exceptional foresight. These invaders really were not run-of-the-mill opponents.

Of course, if it were only the people in the room with him, Karon would not have been particularly afraid. However, as soon as the fighting had begun, he had sensed the spirituality of three powerful people sweeping down from upstairs. Upstairs were far stronger opponents.

After dealing with the other impostors, the two black-robed figures serving as gatekeepers started walking towards Karon, preparing to attack him as well, since he had entered with the impostors.

The Sea God’s Armor immediately appeared on his body, and he very calmly stated, “We’re on the same side.”