Chapter 2293 - 96: An 'Invitation' (Part 4)

However, at the moment, Fang Hong didn't have any particular ideas either. A mere Seven Seas Travel Group was unlikely to change what was happening here. At most, he could report the situation to the military, but perhaps they were already fully aware of everything that was happening here.

Nonetheless, their principle was to never get involved in the power struggles of the natives, especially since the Crow's Claw Sanctuary had not done anything outrageous at the moment.

Among everyone, only Miss Nightingale was meticulous enough to bring back some details about the attack that had occurred in the town that morning. During that attack, the assailants appeared very professional. They used magic to blast a hole open on one side of the manor's wall, and then from that opening, they accessed the tunnels leading to the manor below.

They rescued some people from the manor's dungeon, repelled the guards who rushed over upon hearing the news, and then quickly left the same way they came. The entire process was swift and decisive. Before the people from Crow's Claw Sanctuary arrived, the attackers had already achieved their goal and left without a trace, leaving the knights with nothing but chaos.

This clean and swift operation immediately suggested that there must have been inside collaborators within the Crow's Claw Sanctuary aiding the attackers throughout the entire plan.

However, Miss Nightingale presented another perspective. After all, before this attack, they had personally witnessed the attackers' operation at the Judgement Ground.

At that time, the attackers rescued many people from there, and it was boldly speculated that some among them might have originally been imprisoned in that manor. Through their accounts, it was not difficult to gather intelligence about the defenses within the manor.

The attackers operated so swiftly, launching an attack on the Judgement Ground one day and hitting the manor the next, it clearly caught the Crow's Claw Sanctuary off guard. Perhaps their precise purpose was this unexpected action, aimed to strike before the Sanctuary could react.

"So, you're saying that rescuing people from the Judgement Ground was merely to obtain information about the interior of that manor?" Fang Hong asked after hearing Elisa's hypothesis: "Their real target was the people imprisoned within the manor?"

Miss Nightingale nodded: "But this is just my speculation, Captain."

"I think it's close to the truth," Luo Hao replied.

Fang Hong also nodded in agreement.

"But this matter has nothing to do with us, as long as we understand the situation," Fang Hong said, "I have another thing to tell you."

With that, he recounted the events that had happened recently to the others.

Regarding the armor of Dolifen, everyone in the Seven Seas Travel Group had heard about it to some extent, and later, most of them had seen the armor brought by Sophie in Dulun.

Therefore, most were somewhat surprised by what Fang Hong and the others encountered in the Monastery, but just like the previous times, they still couldn't make any sense of this armor.

But encountering such events repeatedly made some feel it was too coincidental.

As for another matter, most had no objections, and Fang Hong was somewhat surprised to realize that most members of the Seven Seas Travel Group harbored distaste towards the Crow's Claw Sanctuary. Even the Papalarians seemed to agree that the other side might not have good intentions towards the Travel Group.

Thus, the matter of keeping vigil received unanimous approval.

Winter's evening arrived swiftly. Around four or five o'clock in the afternoon, the skies quickly darkened, and the setting sun's rays passed through the forest outside the town, turning from bronze to a dim red, and then gradually fading away.

The last person to return to the inn was Tianlan, and she brought back good news. She had finally found a merchant willing to sell them some wood for ship repairs, and secured a transport team that could meet them at the town entrance the next morning.

"The price they offered is quite cheap," Tianlan said with a bit of pride, gesturing to them: "But there's a catch—we must ensure their safe passage to Gula Port, as they are eager to leave this place."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Fang Hong replied, "The wandering dragon beasts pose no threat to us, and protecting these folks should be manageable. Besides, we were headed to Gula Port anyway. But why are they so eager to leave this place? Isn't Grey Owl Town still relatively safe?"

"Safe?" Tianlan exaggeratedly shook her head: "That depends on who you ask. It might still be safe for the elderly and children, but not necessarily for young and able-bodied adults. Invokers might still be safe, but natives may not be."

"What's that about?" Fang Hong asked, somewhat surprised.

"The Crow's Claw knights are rounding people up," Tianlan explained, "Their manpower isn't magically replenished; when they suffer losses, they need reinforcements. They're recruiting from all over, forcing every able-bodied person to join the Guardian Team they've established. While they have a presence in Gula Port as well, at least there, they don't dare act so brazenly."

"Is there really something like this?"

Fang Hong was taken aback.

But just as he was caught off guard, suddenly there was a soft sound, like a pebble hitting the glass window.

Then immediately followed by a second sound, this time clear enough for everyone to hear, prompting them to look in that direction. Fang Hong, feeling a hunch, went over to the window and looked down— their room faced away from the street, with a small alley behind.

And Fang Hong clearly saw a slender figure standing in that alley, wearing a cloak, looking up at them. In the alley stood a solitary lamp, and snow was falling from the sky, obscuring the figure's features, but Fang Hong could see the figure nodding in their direction.

Fang Hong immediately realized this was the person sent by that individual. He quickly turned around, gestured for everyone to wait for him there, then walked out the door, heading to the main hall before slipping through another hallway and exiting through the inn's back door.

As he pushed open the door, he saw the shadow standing under the streetlamp in the distance turn around and head into the alley in a certain direction. The figure moved neither fast nor slow, just at a pace that Fang Hong could follow—although their steps seemed a bit stiff, like those of a puppet.

This scene corroborated Luo Hao's suspicion that the person coming was still a mind-controlled puppet. Fang Hong held a bit of disdain for such tactics, but it also provided him the space to maneuver.

He thought for a moment, then took out a Clockwork Fairy from under his coat—not a Silver Bee, just an ordinary Type-I Clockwork Fairy, unlikely to draw suspicion back to him if found in anyone's hands.

...