Chapter 551

Chapter 406: Stay

On the northern shore of Conquer Sea, at Vanaha.

As the sun gradually set, Vanaha entered night. Due to the sudden arrival of the church escort fleet, today was an unusual day for this ordinary seaside town.

Although Vanaha wasn’t too far from the main shipping lane, due to other ports along the Castia southern coast having better geographical advantages, Vanaha, with its poor location and conditions, didn’t attract much attention. Normally, the number of outsiders here wasn’t high.

However, today, with a large number of warships suddenly docking in the port and a wave of foreign tourists flooding in, the small city immediately became bustling. While merchants welcomed the travelers with smiles, the residents of the small city eagerly discussed this strange phenomenon. During dinner time, most conversations at the tables revolved around the church warships that almost filled the entire port and the foreigners who had disembarked from them. The residents speculated about the sudden events.

At night, on the huge cruiser docked in Vanaha’s harbor, Commander Jorde, wearing his uniform, sat at his captain’s cabin. Standing before him was a slightly plump middle-aged man in a suit, with a fawning demeanor. He stood in front of Jorde’s desk, reporting to him in relatively unfluent Iwig language.

“Respected Knight Sir, the supplies you need are currently being arranged. By tomorrow afternoon, all the materials will be delivered. Additionally, I’ve sent people to find suitable accommodations for those passengers who couldn’t find places to stay; no one will be sleeping on the streets tonight.”

“Thank you, Mayor. The fleet’s supplies shouldn’t be your concern, but your sudden visit is indeed a trouble.”

After hearing the man’s words, Jorde briefly responded. The man standing in front of him was none other than the mayor of Vanaha. Upon learning that a sudden arriving church fleet had almost filled the entire port, he had rushed over with a group of municipal officials, actively cooperating with Jorde’s work and understanding the situation.

“Not at all, not at all… It’s my duty to assist the Knight Sir in showcasing the Holy Mother’s grace in saving. How could it be considered troublesome?”

The mayor quickly said after hearing Jorde’s words. Then Jorde chuckled and continued.

“Hmm, so the mayor is also a loyal person. Rare indeed. I’ll remember your full cooperation today. You must be tired after a whole day, go back and rest.”

“Oh… Of course… But before I leave, may I ask a question, Sir? When is your fleet planning to depart again?”

The mayor asked Jorde such questions. After listening to Jorde’s response, Jorde looked at him and slowly replied.

“Mayor, you have some concerns about us staying here, but there’s no need to worry too much. I’ve reported the situation to Sacred Summit, which has informed the Castia government about our temporary stay. The costs for supplies and any long-term disruptions to your port operations will be covered by someone else. There’s no need for you to worry.”

Jorde said this, thinking it was normal for his fleet of warships to cause unease when docked in this small port. After hearing Jorde’s explanation, the mayor continued.

“No, no, no… Knight Sir, I have no reservations about your arrival! I just want to confirm how long you plan to stay so I can arrange some matters for the municipal government.”

“Alright… This time we came here temporarily, intending to replenish supplies and then leave. However, some issues have arisen, so we might be delayed for a day or two, but not for long.”

Jorde responded, and upon hearing this, the mayor continued.

“Some issues? Hmm… Did something happen to you? I saw quite a commotion at the port this afternoon, and many areas were severely damaged when I arrived. Did anything happen?”

“In that case, Mayor, you don’t need to worry about these details. You just need to know that we will stay for no more than a day or two.”

In a slightly stern tone, Jorde told the mayor, who stepped back nervously after hearing this.

“Oh… In that case, I won’t ask further. Knight Sir, I shall take my leave now.”

After saying this, the mayor bowed to Jorde and then turned to leave the captain’s cabin. After watching the mayor leave, Jorde turned back to his paperwork. Shortly after, there was a knock on the door of his cabin. Jorde responded with “come in,” and as the door opened, a deputy entered the cabin and reported to Jorde.

“Sir, we have searched the coastline around Vanaha thoroughly, but found nothing out of the ordinary. We apologize, but we couldn’t locate the escaped cultist.”

“Couldn’t find them? It’s a pity, but it was expected. Once a member of the Order of the Waves enters the sea, they’re hard to catch. I sent you to look because he was injured and might not have been able to swim far. It seems we underestimated him.”

“Even though we didn’t find anyone, there’s no need to blame yourselves. Our investigation skills aren’t our specialty anyway.”

After hearing the deputy’s words, Jorde said, and the deputy nodded in agreement.

“Thank you for your understanding… The incident happened too suddenly. No one anticipated that the two individuals were cultists worshipping the Abyss Serpent. We were unprepared, leading to one dead and one escaping. If we had noticed earlier, both could have been captured!”

The deputy said regretfully, and Jorde put down his pen, sighing deeply.

“Yes… Who would have thought that these two individuals, who seemed fine before, would suddenly expose themselves? The situation this afternoon was unexpected not only for us but also for the two cultists. Their exposure was too convenient… Perhaps the reason you couldn’t find that individual isn’t just because he escaped, but also because he was eliminated by someone else…”

Hearing the subtle meaning in Jorde’s tone, the deputy paused momentarily and then continued.

“Are you suggesting… These two cultists were deliberately exposed by someone? And the one who escaped… might have been eliminated?”

“Otherwise, why would they suddenly be unable to hide? It can’t be because their ‘shadows’ weren’t calculated properly. The design of this exposure was too obvious. Clearly, someone involved in secret affairs is keeping an eye on them. This person is hostile to the Abyss Cult and is likely among the passengers on the Shining White Pearl. They might even be connected to the so-called thief K. Regardless, we were used as pawns in this situation.”

Jorde said, his tone clearly expressing dissatisfaction. Upon seeing Costa and Massimo exposed, he realized that the Shining White Pearl might have deep-seated secrets, possibly involving a struggle between two secret forces. The theft incident and the mysterious sinking of the Shining White Pearl were likely deeply linked to these secrets. At this moment, Jorde blamed himself for not identifying the problem in time.