Chapter 720: Like a Hero
Faced with the curses from below, Saban wasn't angry.
After quickly relaying intelligence from surrounding regions in the newspaper, he continued, "The Island Lord's Mansion intends to roll out electric lights—similar to the street lamps—to provide illumination for shops and residents' homes. The City Hall will soon conduct a public opinion survey."
Casual listeners in the tavern froze.
"Survey what?" someone shouted.
Saban shrugged, "The paper doesn't say. But within the next few days, someone will come to ask. You'll all find out then."
The tavern quieted for a moment, then filled with murmurs.
"Electric lights like the street lamps? Magical devices—they're way better than glowstones."
"Street lamps are too bright. If you put one in your house, who could sleep?"
"Put a shade over it! Even glowstones get covered at night, right?"
"Hell, I've never used a glowstone."
"They're not just giving them out for free, are they? There must be a cost."
"If they charge for it, I can't afford it. These are noble luxuries."
"Yeah, we appreciate the Island Lord's thought, but one of those things costs a few gold coins. Who can afford it?"
The tavern turned rowdy.
Compared to news from outside, people cared more about things that affected them directly.
Electric lights sounded great, but it all depended on the price.
If it really cost several gold coins like other magical tools, who could afford it? Might as well worship it like a treasure.
Realistically, it would likely be installed in shops first.
To extend their hours—after all, the island was lively at night.
Saban waited for the chatter to die down.
He clapped the table again, signaling quiet, then said, "Today's new short story from the Island Lord's Mansion: 'The Disappearance of the Netalei City Steward.' Many of you have heard of it—I'll now tell you the real details of the whole case."
Time for the story.
Instantly, the crowd fell silent.
Saban recast two buffs on himself and began, "The murder of the Netalei City steward alarmed the five heads of the Guild. A new investigation team was formed, including three level-18 professionals, sent to Gold-Silver Island to assist Detective Wu Heng..."
"Damn, no wonder they came from Gold-Silver Island to pick up the Island Lord."
"Three level-18s assisting? The Island Lord's really something."
"Even the top brass knows he's the great detective."
Right from the beginning, the tavern buzzed again.
......
Guild, Steward's Office.
Bang!
The door slammed open, startling Sheila Grey, who had been checking the marks on her neck in the mirror.
She tugged her collar up.
Looking up, she saw Shiyali walking in with the freshly published newspaper.
"It's so hot out. Wu Heng needs to do something to cool down the whole island," Shiyali said, lowering the AC two degrees with the remote.
Sheila rolled her eyes, "You think he can do everything? Cooling down an island—get real."
Shiyali clicked her tongue, "You've changed. One night together and now you're defending him against your own sister."
"Ridiculous," Sheila said, then added, "So what's in the paper?"
Shiyali half-reclined on the armrest and opened the paper. "I skimmed it on the way back. He really plans to give everyone electric lights."
"If he said he would, he'll do it."
......
Golden Sail Tavern.
"Speed is essential in war! The investigation team received the intel and rushed to the City Lord's Manor, led by a level-18 professional. At the same time, military reinforcements approached. A standoff began."
"City Lord Darsil stepped out politely and asked their intent."
"Wu Heng presented the evidence: 'City Lord Darsil, your commander murdered the local steward. Please hand him over for interrogation.'"
"Darsil frowned but replied, 'If it's true, I won't protect him.'"
"He ordered a search of the barracks for the person named in the intel."
As Saban narrated, low murmurs rose again.
"So it really was the city's military."
"They used to be pirates—recruited because the city lacked soldiers."
"The City Lord's quite cooperative."
"With level-18s present, even an army wouldn't stand a chance. He wouldn't dare refuse."
After some discussion among the tavern-goers...
Saban continued, "Soon after, soldiers returned, reporting, 'City Lord, the target served as a commander but died in battle. His body was cremated.'"
To appease the investigators, the City Lord handed over two surviving gang members.
They were taken to the Guild for interrogation.
Under immense pressure from the high-level professionals, the two confessed everything.
It was confirmed: they had been pirates.
There were still inconsistencies, but the intel largely matched.
"With everyone's efforts, they admitted their pirate past and the mission they carried out while hiding in the city."
"Though the case had flaws, it was enough to report back and consider it closed."
"The investigators wrote their report. Elder Tapani ordered the return trip with the culprits."
......
"Those gang members were ruthless—killing a steward."
"Weren't you listening? They were pirates."
"The problem is, the city gave them official positions, ruining leads and trying to cover things up."
"Yeah, but at least the culprits were caught. That's something."
"I heard there was a fight between the team and the army. Didn't happen, huh?"
With the case wrapping up, chatter resumed.
The pace clearly picked up once the Snake Emblem clue appeared.
Demanding the suspect, interrogation, resolution—it all happened fast.
After a while...
They noticed Saban still standing on stage, smiling.
"Saban, you're not leaving? Planning another story?"
"Do the new demon hound one!"
"Yeah, we love your stories."
Normally, bards would leave after the tale.
But Saban remained.
"The story isn't over," he said, gesturing for silence. "The investigation team still had doubts. Based on evidence, the real killer was that supposedly dead gang leader."
The room fell silent.
The story wasn't done? A twist?
Saban continued.
They prepared to capture the White Wings Gang boss—the one trafficking women and children.
But before the arrest, they found the Snake Emblem elder. Realizing something was wrong, they captured both.
Then the city's military mobilized to surround the Guild.
Wu Heng performed a corpse interrogation, revealing the chief commander was a cultist and had orchestrated the deception.
The City Lord's cooperation was praised.
But with the revelation, the army surrounded the Guild.
The crowd's eyes widened in shock.
There was a twist.
The commander was with the cult.
The polite City Lord? A sly old fox.
How could that be?
The biggest coastal city in Ekow—taken over by a cult?
If it weren't public knowledge, they'd think this story was fake.
But they all knew—it was real.
Saban's tone grew stern, pace quickened.
"The army surrounded the Guild. Elder Tapani shouted, 'Janvito, take the investigators and Wu Heng and go—preserve the evidence!'"
"He drew his sword and rushed the cultist commander."
"Janvito tried to flee with Wu Heng and the team, but Wu Heng said, 'Hold on. I'll find the City Lord and kill him. Wait for me.'"
"Without waiting for a reply, he charged off alone."
The team fought bitterly.
Meanwhile, Wu Heng found the City Lord's hiding place—alone—and stormed in.
As Saban spoke, gasps rose.
"Just as the team was about to fall, Wu Heng flew in on a carpet—"
"Holding the City Lord's corpse, he shouted, 'The City Lord is dead! Surrender and live!'"
"The army panicked, threw down their weapons, and fled."
"Thanks to Wu Heng, everyone was saved."
"The Guild formally took over Netalei City."
The story ended, but the crowd was silent.
A cult commander. A smiling City Lord. An army that tried to kill the Guild's best.
......
Unbelievable!
More outrageous than the Pirate King's assault.
But the most memorable?
Wu Heng.
Unlike before—when he solved cases with wit—this time, he fought alone, killed the enemy leader, and saved everyone.
Everyone could picture it: the black-haired, black-eyed Island Lord dragging out the corpse.
A detective story turned action epic.
And earned the crowd's respect.
He wasn't inferior to any level-18.
"Saban, that's the end? No sequel?"
Saban rose and bowed. "That's the end."
"Damn, the Island Lord's amazing!"
......
Opera House, backstage.
Several costumed women gathered, listening as a literate girl read the newspaper aloud.
When she reached a certain name...
The women suddenly got excited.
"Brittany? Isn't that the same name as the Fifth Princess?"
"It should be her. The time she went missing matches when the Guild's investigation team left the island."
"Oh my god, we actually rehearsed with the Fifth Princess all that time."
"Yeah, and we always used to talk about her. Do you think she'll come back for revenge?"
"No way. If she had a problem with us, she would've stopped rehearsing long ago. Why wait till now?"
"True."
"It wouldn't be bad if she inherited the Kingdom. The paper says she cried secretly when she saw the state of Netaru City."
The women huddled together, gossiping.
From the front came a call, "Your turn to perform. Get ready."
The group hurriedly tidied up, adjusted themselves, and went on stage.
......
Island Lord's Mansion.
Wu Heng sat in the radio room, holding a wireless handset.
On the other end, Wen Mansa spoke while soothing a crying child.
"Master, our army has pushed through two more cities. Most of the garrisons fled. We faced very little resistance," Wen Mansa said softly.
The Ekow Kingdom had clearly kicked an iron wall trying to challenge Rentam.
After crossing the border, the skeleton army was unstoppable, steamrolling all the way.
In this world, every city's population is limited. Tens of thousands make up a major city.
Villages and towns usually have just hundreds or a few thousand people.
Small resistances were just new recruits for the skeleton army.
After being killed, the accompanying necromancers converted them into skeletons.
At this point, it had become a closed loop.
The more they resisted, the larger the skeleton force became.
If they didn't resist, they could only run.
"Keep those Orcs in check. Don't let them act like bandits and harass civilians," Wu Heng instructed.
With things developing like this, Wu Heng couldn't exactly call for a retreat.
If Ekow saw them as weak, they might start provoking again.
All they could do now was keep marching forward and reassess later.
But he still didn't want things to get too bad for ordinary civilians.
He never intended to kill people indiscriminately.
The skeletons, once commanded, would only act on orders. But the Orc allies...
They were crude by nature. Letting them go unchecked could be worse than bandits.
Wen Mansa said, "Don't worry, Master. We've formed a supervision unit. Anyone suspected of misconduct will be detained and dealt with."
"You always think things through." Wu Heng praised with a smile.
Wen Mansa replied with a chuckle, "You're leveling up so fast, Master. I won't let your name be stained."
"Good girl."
Wen Mansa continued, "We'll reach Blackstone Town in two days. I want to see what expression Madam Slater has. When I first became a lord, she kept calling me a gang leader."
"Ekow folks do have stereotypes about gangs. Don't take it personally."
Actually, Rentam's gangs were worse.
So the stereotype wasn't entirely wrong.
Most of them weren't exactly good people.
Wen Mansa said stubbornly, "I still want to see if she's scared. I'll have the skeletons circle her Guild three or four times to spook her."
Wu Heng tried to dissuade her, "Don't. Slater is a bit uptight. She might really think you're trying to attack her."
"See? You always take her side."
"No, I just don't want you two to fall out."
Wen Mansa wanted to say more, but a child's cry interrupted.
"Master, I'll go take care of the baby. I'll report again if there's any news."
"Alright. Let's talk again later."
The call ended. Wu Heng handed the seat back to the skeleton investigator.
He leaned against the desk, thinking about the situation.
With the skeleton army advancing, and the enemy fleeing, taking cities wasn't hard.
It all depended on when Ekow would regroup and fight back.
On his end, he needed to keep Rentam supplied with ammunition.
......
"Who was that?"
Lost in thought, Wu Heng looked up as Glenda flew down from the rafters.
"Wen Mansa. Her troops are steamrolling forward—they're almost at Blackstone."
"That fast?" Glenda floated aside, then said, "Send her more support. Let her march straight to the capital and conquer Ekow. Wouldn't that be quicker?"
Uh...
Wu Heng had just been thinking about that.
"Ekow's territory isn't small. Even if every city offered no resistance, it'd still take months to reach the capital. That's assuming skeletons and gear are fully stocked."
From recent battles, the skeletons clearly had the advantage.
But conquering Rentam by force would still be tough.
The closer they got to the capital, the stronger the resistance.
It might even rally Ekow's fractured leadership.
That would just prolong everything.
And there was also the chance the Guild would step in and mediate.
It wasn't going to be that easy.
Still, they could try.
Let Rentam's army keep pushing while they continued supporting the Fifth Princess.
Whichever worked best, they'd go with that.
Glenda nodded. "You really are the skeleton expert."
Wu Heng shot her a look. "How's the new newspaper doing?"
"Not bad. Especially the part where the army surrounds the investigation team, and you singlehandedly kill the city lord—that part's really popular." Glenda grinned.
"All thanks to your writing."
"You actually did it. I didn't make anything up," Glenda laughed.
Just then, Xiaoxiao and Beni floated back in.
"Uncle, we're back!" Xiaoxiao cheered.
She stared up at him expectantly.
Seeing her look, Wu Heng asked again, "How's the newspaper doing?"
Glenda smiled.
Xiaoxiao answered, "Everyone thinks you're amazing for saving the team. They say you killed the city lord and came back to rescue the others—just like a hero from a story."
Beni added, "People don't believe the Guild's hero stories, but they believe this. It's really effective."
Uh...
Comparing him to those propaganda heroes felt like too much.
"They're giving me too much credit."
"Uncle, you're only one level away. Don't be discouraged. You're the best in my heart!" Xiaoxiao snuggled against his shoulder.
"You're so sweet, Xiaoxiao."
"Hehe!"
Wu Heng continued, "What about the electric lights? Any reaction?"
Beni replied, "I checked around. People are open to it, but they're worried about the cost. Everyone's afraid it'll be too expensive like other magical tools."
"I see. Then it should be fine."
The plan was to charge by usage, set a fair price, and with Flame Furnaces providing power, there wouldn't be much cost.
"Uncle, I also went to the port. The newspapers and books have been shipped out."
"Good. Everything sounds great," Wu Heng said, checking the time. "Let's go check on the zombie world and come back early this afternoon."
"Okay!"
The three ghosts replied together.
One by one, they entered his body.