Chapter 444 - 346: Where Did the Paladins Go?
Chapter 444: Chapter 346: Where Did the Paladins Go?
"After I rescue the people from the Holy Order Army, I’ll help you find Fourth Uncle. The Alchemy Workshop isn’t going anywhere, anyway."
"Huh? You want me to get reinforcements? Are you kidding me? Those guys have been in the forest for two days. I’m heading to the docks right now to ask around. I have to rescue them by tomorrow at the latest."
At this, Diana tried to stuff a nearby Healing Potion into the pack on her hip, but it was too full to make room.
"What? Gather more people before entering the forest? By the time I find the Paladins, they’ll either all be dead or they’ll have been driven mad and turned into idiots."
"An Evil God is nothing. If worse comes to worst, I’ll unleash my full Abilities. I can at least go a few rounds with it."
"Say no more. I promise I’ll find Fourth Uncle, but I have to save the Holy Order Army’s Paladins. The word ’flee’ isn’t in Diana’s dictionary."
With that, she muttered to herself, carrying the Healing Potion as she strode nonchalantly toward the Yangjiao Town docks.
...
Captain Byron sat in his cabin with a troubled heart as laborers loaded sack after sack of supplies onto the ’Retire When You Have Enough Money’.
’I never would’ve guessed... The goblins’ inside man in Yangjiao Town is actually Miss Mary from White Shell,’ he stared at a list on the table, muttering to himself.
Yesterday, he had returned to the Yangjiao Town docks, wondering how he was supposed to confirm which pile of goods he was meant to transport. That was when Mary had appeared before him, completely out of nowhere.
There had been no one there. The door to his cabin had simply opened on its own, and Miss Mary had appeared right in front of him.
The shock nearly made Byron jump out of his skin. He stumbled back several steps until his back was pressed firmly against the wall.
Fortunately, Miss Mary hadn’t done anything malicious. She had simply given Byron a list of the supplies he was to transport.
Once her business was done, Mary had vanished into thin air, as if she had never been there in the first place.
As a captain who frequently earned his keep in Yangjiao Town, Byron certainly knew Miss Mary of White Shell. He also knew she was the receptionist for the Alchemy Workshop. But her unbelievable entrance had left Byron terrified.
’So Miss Mary is also a powerful Mage?’ he murmured. ’These goblins are incredible. To think they could get tangled up with a Mage.’
’Wait, isn’t the Drink Undying workshop where Adventurers buy their potions?’ Byron frowned, sensing that things weren’t so simple. ’Miss Mary sells potions to Adventurers, the Adventurers take them into the Nightmare Forest, and then...’
He hesitated for a moment. ’...and then those Adventurers are killed by that goblin Race. Which means...’
’Miss Mary and the goblins are working together to rip off the Adventurers, squeezing them dry of not just their money, but their gear, too.’
’I wonder if these goblins eat people. If they do...’ The hair on Byron’s neck stood on end, a chill running down his spine as if he’d been plunged into an ice cave. ’The goblin said they don’t, but how can you believe a word a goblin says? Maybe they’re only not eating me and my crew for now because I’m useful to them.’
At this thought, Byron’s face twisted into a grimace. ’Dad, why’d you have to be so greedy for a few drinks? If you hadn’t been, maybe you’d still be the captain.’
’Then again,’ he thought, ’maybe Dad really would have made enough to retire by now, and he’d most likely have handed the ship over to me. Dammit, I’d probably still be the captain of this ship either way.’
Byron slapped himself hard across the face. ’This is what you get for being greedy!’ he berated himself. ’So insistent on earning the Holy Order Army’s Gold Coins. And look at you now. The goblins have fed you Poison, and there’s a Mage in town watching you like a Ghost. Where could you possibly run?’
He rubbed his stinging cheek, filled with regret.
But his suspicions had been confirmed, and his new partners were clearly powerful. He could only take things one step at a time. ’I just hope there are no more surprises when this is over. Even if the goblins pay me with a few dried rats or some fat, wriggling worms, I’ll just have to take it.’
He didn’t expect to get any decent payment from doing business with goblins. He even suspected the contract was just a copy of the Holy Order Army’s commission notice—the payment amount was identical, a clear sign it had been plagiarized, and the handwriting was a sloppy scrawl.
’After this job, I have to find a Church immediately. I’ll pay whatever it takes, but I have to get them to treat me. A normal doctor probably can’t do anything about this strange Poison.’ Byron clenched and unclenched his fists, his heart heavy with worry. ’I’m never coming back to Yangjiao Town again, no matter who asks. Business might be tough over in Black Lion City, but it’s better than losing my life here.’
BANG, BANG, BANG! Someone was pounding on the wooden door of his cabin. Whoever was out there was using a lot of force.
"Who is it?" Byron jumped up.
"Is the captain in?" An unfamiliar female voice called out.
"The captain... He’s not in," Byron stammered. A thought immediately flashed through his mind: ’Miss Mary sent someone to hurry me along.’
"The captain’s not in?" The person outside paused for a second. "Then who are you?"
"Me?" Byron said instantly. "I’m the first mate."
"First mate?" The person outside chuckled. Then, with a loud CRACK, the wooden door was kicked open. A panicked Byron stumbled backward, his eyes glued to the person standing in the doorway.
It was a woman in white Armor with her hair tied in a high ponytail. She wasn’t tall—about the same height as a goblin. And dangling from her hand was the first mate of the ’Retire When You Have Enough Money’, who appeared to be unconscious.
"W-Who are you?" Byron asked, his voice trembling.
"Don’t worry about who I am. Why do you and your first mate keep asking the same question? I just want to know when you’re heading into the Nightmare Forest."
"Me? Go into the Nightmare Forest?" Byron shuddered, his eyes fixed on the arrogant-looking young woman before him. "I... I’m going soon. Very soon..."
"What does ’soon’ mean?" the girl demanded, frowning, clearly dissatisfied with his answer. "Interesting. This one’s incoherent, too."
She glanced down at the unconscious first mate on the floor, then fixed her gaze on Byron. "I’ll ask you one more time..."
Just as the young woman was about to demand an answer, a commotion erupted from the docks. "Where is she? Where’s that violent little runt?"
"The patrol?" The young woman frowned. She had just spent ages asking around to find the ship the Holy Order Army had hired. Everyone she questioned just stammered and mumbled. When she finally found the first mate, the guy started spouting absolute nonsense, stuff like, "What lovely weather we’re having. See those clouds? Don’t they look just like goblins?" and, "The Holy Order Army is loaded. The Gold Coins they hand out should have goblin heads engraved on them."
His bizarre answers had infuriated her, so she’d knocked him out with one chop, grabbed his body, and started searching for the captain’s cabin.
’Someone must have seen me.’ The young woman stomped her foot, her tone dripping with impatience.
"What do you mean, ’of course you’d be seen doing that’?" she suddenly snapped, as if arguing with an unseen person. "I didn’t want to! But every single person I’ve talked to has been the same! How could I not get angry?"
As the shouting grew closer, the young woman shot Captain Byron an annoyed glare. "You just wait. If you’re still here when I get back from my little run, I’m going to have a proper talk with you."
With that, the young woman turned and dashed out.
"Who was that?" Byron murmured.
"Captain, just now, someone was..." A sailor came running over in a panic, only to freeze on the spot when he saw the first mate lying on the floor.
"Let’s move," Byron said with a sigh. "Is everything loaded?"
"There’s still a bit left," the sailor stammered. "N-not much, though."
"Pick up the pace. We’re setting sail immediately."
...
"The ’Retire When You Have Enough Money’ took off?" Diana froze when she heard the chatter at the docks. She immediately ran to the edge of the pier and scanned the Darren River.
A cargo ship was rocking unsteadily on the water’s surface. Unlike the other vessels, however, this one was sailing north—toward the Nightmare Forest.
Luckily, it was winter and the wind was against it. The cargo ship had adjusted its sails and was tacking, moving slowly upriver.
"Damn it, I didn’t make it," Diana fumed, stomping her foot. That patrol had chased her like a rabbit, even trying to corner her. She couldn’t afford to get caught. Who knew if there was a warrant for her arrest from Torch City? If a wanted poster for the person suspected of "Vandalizing the Holy Oak Cathedral" had made its way here, even her title as Grand Commander of the Saintly Army probably wouldn’t do her any good.
’Now what do I do?’ She frowned, watching the cargo ship sail into the distance. Then, she stopped short.
’That’s right! Third Uncle, I can chase it on a Griffin!’
Meanwhile, Shire was frowning as he listened to the Paladin before him recount what had happened.
"You’re saying a merchant visited your Vice Commander?"