Paavo Court... Cleves didn't directly answer the woman behind the telegraph office's door. He turned to glance at Gehrman Sparrow, waiting for his decision.
In the eyes of this former adventurer, it was a difficult task for fifteen people to get back to the White Agate safely. They couldn't and shouldn't be distracted by helping her search for someone. However, he was well aware that the current pillar of support was Gehrman Sparrow and Blazing Danitz. They were the only ones who had the right to decide on the matter.
Klein remained silent for two seconds, then he spoke in a measured voice.
"What does he look like?"
He believed that having more information would help him escape this strange, foggy city, so he casually asked in passing. As for whether he would help take note of the person's whereabouts, it all depended on what happened next.
While inquiring, Klein also warned himself not to pursue the matter too deeply or else it might risk triggering the danger dormant in Bansy Harbor.
Between understanding the situation and avoiding the risks, he had to engage in a balancing act—no more, no less, without leaning too far left or right.
This might be an easy or difficult feat, because no one knew what would happen once he took the step. He could only judge based on his experience and intuition, and he could fall into a pit at any time. This left Klein highly stressed as his mind whirled at an unprecedented speed.
In the dense darkness and thin fog, the telegraph office's door remained tightly shut. The woman inside paused and said, "He's... a very handsome... man.
"He has two eyes, two ears, a nose, and a mouth."
Why does this answer sound so scary.... Is there something wrong with this woman? According to the customs of Bansy Harbor, she shouldn't have even responded!Blazing Danitz had the urge to kick open the door, rush into the telegraph office, and check the situation inside.
It was at this moment that he saw Gehrman Sparrow put his hand on his hat and turn to the side.
"Storm cathedral," Klein briefly stated their destination.
He didn't bother with whether there was anything wrong with the woman at the telegraph office. It was just like how he didn't delve into the secrets of the owner of the Green Lemon Restaurant or the customers who had chosen to stay the night.
The wind was getting lighter, and the fog was thinning. The candlelight from the cathedral was shining through the narrow windows high above, like a beacon in a storm.
After Klein used Sun Halo again, Donna and the others regained some of their courage, like people who had fallen into the water and desperately grabbed onto the last straw. They hurriedly walked on the empty streets in silence.
Soon they arrived outside the Storm cathedral, but the doors were shut tight.
Glancing at the Storm Sacred Emblem on the door, Klein raised his hand and knocked three times.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A vigilant male voice immediately came from behind the door.
"Who is it?"
"Gehrman Sparrow," Klein replied straight away.
He could already tell that it was Captain Elland.
"Why are you here?" Elland asked again without opening the door.
Klein raised his cane and calmly said, "You helped me pay White Shark's compensation."
After a moment of surprise and amusement, Elland made an initial confirmation that it was the real Gehrman Sparrow outside. At the very least, even a monster adept at disguising wouldn't have known something that was privy only to the two of them.
He still felt hesitant until Cleves, Urdi Branch, Donna, and company sounded out in succession. Only then did he relax and allow his first mate, Harris, to unlock and open the door.
A heavy clunking sound rang out, and Klein saw Elland in his boat-shaped hat, sword in one hand, and musket in the other.
"Something happened here too?" he keenly asked, based on his conclusion from the situations from before.
Elland stepped aside to let Donna and the others in. Then he pointed at the prayer hall and said, "The priest I knew, Jayce, died in there. He was decapitated, and Bishop Millet is nowhere to be found. Same for the other priests. Also, the servants in the church are all gone."
A dead priest with a missing bishop? The whole cathedral is devoid of the living? This is a little problematic... Klein gripped the cold Azik's copper whistle, his heart sinking.
Of course, he was very clear that the priest and the bishop weren't the main force of the Church of Storm that managed Beyonder matters in Bansy Harbor. Underneath this cathedral, there was definitely a Mandated Punisher team formed out of 6–8 Beyonders, as well as an indefinite number of Sealed Artifacts. Even High-Sequence Beyonders wouldn't be able to wipe out this force in a short span of time without causing a stir.
As long as they're alive and able to use Sealed Artifacts, the problem shouldn't be too terrible... So, at this point in time, what is the Mandated Punisher team doing?Based on his previous experience as a Nighthawk, Klein made a guess of the standard operating procedures.
In the process, he followed Elland to the prayer hall and examined the body of the deceased priest.
Jayce died a tragic death, as if his head had been decapitated while he was still alive. Unlike the monsters outside, his esophagus and head were separated.
With Klein's Spirit Vision, this priest no longer had any remnant spirit. It would be very difficult to have a successful spirit channeling ritual.
Is it due to a unique killing technique, or has it been dealt with accordingly... It's different from the monsters outside. Was it because the operation happened in a rush? Combining all that he knew, Klein concluded his previous speculation.
He felt that there were two possibilities. One, there was something of local origins, perhaps a living Sealed Artifact or a Mid-Sequence Beyonder, who had lost control underground. It escaped the cathedral and killed Jayce while fleeing, causing the abnormal changes in Bansy Harbor. The bishop, priests, and Mandated Punishers were in desperate pursuit, attempting to form a seal again or get rid the perpetrator. The servants had been led underground and were under the protection of the remaining Mandated Punishers.
But this didn't explain the strange behavior of the residents of Bansy Harbor.
The second possibility was that the primitive sacrifice ritual to the God of Weather had been resurrected in a number of people in Bansy Harbor, and that the flying heads and headless monsters were in adherence with the descriptions of flesh and blood consumption in the sacrificial rituals and the burying of heads in the altar. And due to some unknown reason, this group of people had raided the cathedral and killed Reverend Jess. The rest of the population had more or less understood the situation, but they had opted for silence.
They might've already assaulted the area underground and are currently engaged in an intense battle with the Mandated Punishers, priests, and the bishop, who are aided by Sealed Artifacts. They might've transformed all the servants into monsters or thrown them out. It can also be that they're under pursuit from the Beyonders of the Church of Storms, and the servants have been sent underground to receive protection to prevent any accidents... From the fact that Jayce's corpse hasn't been used, there's a possibility that it's the latter development... If I were to head underground to confirm the situation, I'll definitely be attacked since we're unfamiliar Beyonders... Besides, the remnant strength might not be sufficient... Klein looked at the priest on the ground and realized that his Beyonder characteristic had condensed into a blue sapphire by his neck.
He retracted his gaze and didn't pick up the item. He didn't want to attract the violent retaliation from the short-tempered Church of Storms so he turned to Elland and Harris.
"Let's return to the ship first."
He casually tossed the gold coin and confirmed that there was no battle currently going on underground.
In any case, regardless of whether there were any Mandated Punishers present, the cathedral grounds were no longer suitable for prolonged stays. After all, Klein wasn't sure if his guess was right, and he could only make the safest choice.
"Alright!" Elland had no desire to stay here either, being in a situation where he waited nervously for any changes to befall him.
As long as he returned to the White Agate, he would have many cannons and many sailors that could withstand accidents to a certain extent.
After a short rest, the group left the cathedral.
With the addition of Elland and Harris, the team's defense clearly became much tighter. Klein no longer needed to toss the copper whistle to attract the monsters, so he stuffed it back into his pocket.
"Shall we send a telegram to the Church of Storms's headquarters to report on Bansy Harbor?" After a few steps, Elland made a cautious suggestion.
This way, even if there were major unforeseen events, as long as they held on, they would eventually be saved.
Klein didn't object. Walking through the thin fog ahead of him, he calmly said, "We'll pass by the telegraph office."
Phew. Blazing Danitz breathed a sigh of relief, then his heart skipped a beat.
He was afraid that the Church of Storms would perform investigations and discover that an infamous pirate had played an important role in this matter, and by then, he would probably still be trapped on the White Agate.
Although I saved people, the Mandated Punishers aren't friendly to those who don't belong to them, especially when I'm a pirate... Stumped for a moment, Danitz decided to get over the immediate danger before considering other matters.
After walking for a while, they saw the telegraph office in sight. A faint yellow light suddenly emerged from the side street and approached them from the depths of the fog.
It was a middle-aged man carrying a lantern.It was a middle-aged man carrying a hurricane lamp.
He wore a dark blue bishop robe embroidered with the symbol of the storm. His head was bowed and his face was pale. He was wheezing as he staggered while walking.
Elland focused and blurted out, "Bishop Millet?"
The middle-aged man looked up, raised his hurricane lamp and said,"Elland, is it?"
At this moment, Klein took a step back, letting Elland stand out. He didn't wish for the bishop of the Church of Storms to pay notice to him.
Danitz even shrunk his neck back, using Urdi's plump body to block himself.
"Yes, Your Excellency. Jayce is dead. What happened?" Elland wasn't a novice, so he didn't directly step forward.
Bishop Millet coughed and said, "An old custom has been revived, and a group of heathens with dirty blood running through their veins are beginning to offer live sacrifices and are consuming their flesh and blood.
"Jayce noticed that they were problematic and ended up being killed by them.
"The matter can no longer be covered up. They used the sacrificial ritual to change the weather and tried to attack the cathedral. They were defeated by the Mandated Punisher and fled to the mountain. They escaped to the cave where the altar is.
"I was injured in combat. Without being able to hold out much longer, all I could do was slowly make my way back."
Just as he finished speaking, a bright ball of light burst out of the distant fog, as if countless bolts of lightning were striking down.
With the help of this light, Klein and the others could see the fog-covered mountain range by the shore, as well as the peak which was connected to thunderstorms.
To a certain extent, this confirmed Bishop Millet's claim.
Elland was about to step forward to support the Storm bishop when he saw Gehrman Sparrow take out a gold coin and mutter in a low voice, "He has ill intentions."
Ding!
The gold coin flew up and then tumbled in the air before landing in Klein's palm, heads facing up.
It meant a positive result!
Bishop Millet stared straight at this scene, his light brown eyes suddenly flashing with a dark red light.
