Chapter 703: I'll Go Over
The five questions concluded, and the corpse lay back on the deck.
Wu Heng waved his hand, and the skeleton beside him rolled up the corpse and carried it away.
"Elder, have you heard of the Holy Veneration Sect?" Wu Heng asked.
On this side, they had come across several sect names.
Just like the Destiny Sect they encountered last time—level 18 Professionals had formed sects, using this method to raise their own fame.
From the sound of it, there really were quite a few sects.
It was just unclear whether the Guild had heard of this particular one.
Tapani shook his head. "Many sects are only well-known in certain places. It's difficult for the Guild to make full contact."
Janvito said, "So, in other words, the instigator of this matter is this sect's Protector."
"Mm." Wu Heng nodded and mentally reviewed the whole event before saying, "Lord Darsil is a supporter of the crown prince faction of the Ekow Kingdom, and the crown prince has gained the sect's support, sending the Protector to assist in Netarei City."
"After this Protector became the supreme commander, for some reason, the local steward discovered the sect's identity or something else. If word of this had reached headquarters, it would've been treated as a heretical cult and purged. So, they killed to silence the witness."
"With the steward dead, Darsil had no choice but to help cover it up, whether he wanted to or not."
"After that, we arrived and got accurate clues. They intended to kill again to delay time."
"In other words, Darsil was coerced into this matter. After taking the first step, he could only continue forward."
Wu Heng combed through the case and recalled what Darsil had said before he died.
From his perspective, there was only one path, and he had no choice but to walk it.
The Guild members nodded in agreement, and Tapani said, "Record what Wu Heng said as well."
The investigators quickly took notes.
They wrote everything down.
Tapani continued, "We'll go write the report. Wu Heng, you take the Fifth Princess and directly take control of the city. The Patrol Guild will start operations first."
"Alright!"
...…
Knock knock knock~!
Wu Heng knocked on the door.
"Enter!" came the voice of the Fifth Princess from inside the room.
Wu Heng pushed the door open and entered. Brittany and the young maid were both in the cabin.
"The case is clear now. The entire matter is connected to a heretical cult."
Brittany asked, "What happened?"
"From the intel we've gathered, the crown prince received support from the heretical cult. The one who killed the local steward was the Protector sent by that cult..." Wu Heng explained everything he had sorted out.
"He really colluded with the cult." Brittany was a bit shocked, but also had a feeling this would be the result.
Wu Heng said, "You said Darsil wouldn't do something as stupid as killing a steward—and you're right. But the issue is, in some things, he doesn't have a say. He could only clean up the cult's mess."
Brittany took a deep breath and sighed lightly.
The young maid sighed along with her.
Wu Heng continued, "I told the Guild to let you manage this city. Get ready—I'll take you to the city hall. There will be a meeting with the officials, so be sharp and don't look so dispirited."
Brittany looked up with a hesitant gaze. "I'm afraid I won't do well."
"Even poorly done is better than how Netarei City is now. Pull yourself together," Wu Heng said.
The young maid also persuaded, "Princess, Lord Wu Heng will help you. He even built up Gold-Silver Island from scratch. Netarei City will be fine too."
"Let's go. If there's a problem, we'll deal with it then," Wu Heng added.
Brittany nodded. "Alright."
The three of them walked out of the room together, bringing a few skeletons with them to the city lord's mansion.
...…
City Lord's Mansion.
By the time they arrived, the entire mansion was already deserted.
Servants, guards, even female family members—no one was in sight. Only the empty house remained.
Valuables that were easy to carry had already been taken. What remained were things that were hard to move.
Fortunately, the chandeliers, tables, chairs, and cabinets were still there. At least it was livable.
"Too late." The young maid checked room by room, speaking angrily.
"It's better that they left. Saves us the trouble of evicting them and complicating things," Brittany said.
Wu Heng said to the young maid, "The Princess and I will go to city hall to meet the local officials. I'll leave a few skeletons here—clean the place up."
"Ah? I'm scared!" The young maid lowered her head.
"What's there to be scared of? They're just dead people."
"I'm not a necromancer," the young maid muttered.
Brittany said, "Come with me. We'll clean up together afterward."
"Mm-hmm, I'll follow your lead, Princess."
Wu Heng didn't say much more. He stationed skeletons there to keep watch and prevent further looting.
Then they went to the city hall and had the local officials summoned for a meeting.
Elsewhere in the city, Philipa had taken control of the naval port. The Guild took over the walls. Skeletons patrolled the streets.
Bringing a gradual calm to the whole city.
...…
Evening, after dinner.
Wu Heng sat in a study room within the city lord's mansion, sealing a finished letter into an envelope.
He opened the door and called, "Philipa!"
Tap tap tap~!
Philipa ran over. "What is it?"
"Take this letter to the Guild and send it to headquarters with Elder Tapani's report," Wu Heng instructed.
"Oh, okay!" Philipa took the letter and then asked, "Are we staying in the mansion tonight?"
"Yes, we'll stay here in case anything happens," Wu Heng replied.
Not for his own safety, but for Princess Brittany's.
She had shown her face in the city today and was preparing to officially take over.
But there was still concern—perhaps some loyalists of the previous city lord or cult members remained.
If someone killed her tonight, that would be a disaster.
So, Tapani and the others stayed at the Guild. The level 15 Professionals rotated shifts to guard the city and patrol.
Wu Heng stayed at the mansion, searching the former lord's quarters for any other evidence, while also protecting the Fifth Princess.
"Alright, I'll be back soon." Philipa ran off.
She hopped on her bike outside, with a skeleton servant jogging behind her, heading to the Guild.
...…
Wu Heng returned to his room.
He pulled out a radio, quickly assembled it, and picked up the mic. "Minnie, can you hear me?"
After waiting a moment, Minnie's voice came through the radio. "Master, where are you now?"
According to the plan, today was supposed to be the day they returned.
"There were some unexpected developments. This morning we discovered new clues involving the city lord and a cult. We fought the local army."
Ah~!
Upon hearing this, a clamor broke out on the other end.
It wasn't just Minnie. Robe, Annette, and even Shanaila's exclamations could be heard.
Then Shanaila's voice came through. "Is it safe now?"
"It's safe. The city is now under the Fifth Princess of the Ekow Kingdom. Actually, the Guild is controlling it," Wu Heng explained.
Shanaila followed up, "Tell us everything."
"Alright!" Wu Heng proceeded to tell them everything that happened along the way in detail.
After a while—
Shanaila finally said, "So now, the people of Netarei City—dead or fled—are few left?"
"Yes. It may take years to recover," Wu Heng said.
Unlike Gold-Silver Island.
On Gold-Silver Island, it was pirates who died, and the island's population didn't suffer too badly.
But Netarei City was different. They fought local troops during recruitment and now clashed with the Guild.
A lot of people died.
"The valuables in the city lord's mansion have been stripped. The city has only its name left—no money, no people," Shanaila confirmed.
"It sounds like you're exaggerating… but yeah, that's basically it," Wu Heng said.
Shanaila said again, "I'll come over tomorrow."
"Huh? What are you coming here for? It's dangerous."
"I'm bringing money to buy local assets. You don't understand—just wait for me to arrive."