There was no opportunity to board the ship, and the Navy was also present, so Lex circled once and decided to return.
Unable to enter the ship's interior, it was difficult to investigate whether this ship was a type of sealed artifact, but to avoid suspicion, Lex patiently listened to Uchidi's endless chatter, repeating various rumors about the 'black star' that he had undoubtedly told tourists countless times.
After staying in Devil's Throat for nearly an hour, when he felt beads of water condensing on his skin and there was nothing new left to say, Uchidi tried to suggest: "Sir, would you like to continue the tour? My suggestion is that it's getting late now. After lunch, I can take you to other places to visit this afternoon. What do you think?"
"We also have many fun places on our Sea Island, like the 'Botanical Museum', 'Pearl Beach', and 'Wave Street', which are all must-visit spots for tourists."
So you also have internet-famous check-in spots here?
Lex chuckled: "I'll follow your advice."
He had wanted to leave a long time ago; it was too humid here, and staying a bit longer made one uncomfortable. If the Navy guarding the ships here were ordinary people, they would probably get rheumatism after serving here for a long time.
Leaving the cave and returning to the hotel, it was already eleven in the morning. Lex agreed to meet Uchidi at one in the afternoon and then leisurely walked to his room. He planned to rest a bit, go out for lunch at eleven-thirty, have some tea afterward, and continue exploring the Sea Island in the afternoon.
Then he would have to leave tomorrow, purchase a ship ticket to Bayam at the previous port, and everything would proceed as planned.
Arriving outside the room, Lex took out his key to open the door when his spiritual intuition suddenly told him there was someone inside!
He paused, then gently inserted the key into the lock, slowly turned it, and watched the door open a crack.
The reason he didn't turn around and leave or rush in directly was that he didn't feel any danger, as if someone was just playing a prank inside.
However, Lex cautiously stepped back two paces, one hand reaching into his embrace to grasp the hilt of 'blood praise', and the other hand raising the 'staff of resentment', using the hard and sharp tip of the staff to gently push open the door.
The door slid open silently and smoothly, allowing Lex to see the dimly lit small living room due to the drawn curtains, and on the floor covered with a thick carpet, a small figure crouched like a puppy.
Its hair, tangled together from not being washed for who knows how long, hung down, and its innocent little face was tilted upwards, looking towards the ceiling and letting out one or two soft laughs.
Harry.
The child of the writer who was researching the 'black star' was currently in Lex's room, staring at the living room ceiling, as if he had discovered something interesting.
But because the door was blocking his view, Lex couldn't see what was on the ceiling, only that the light and shadow there suddenly shifted. Then the boy on the floor looked at Lex alertly, and like a startled wolf cub, he scrambled out the door on all fours, running downstairs like a gust of wind.
Lex stood at the doorway, unsure whether to go in, then heard footsteps, and Harry's mother arrived.
The woman named Dalena said with an apologetic expression: "Sir, did Harry run into your room? I'm so sorry, this child means no harm; he's just very timid and always needs to be in enclosed, dark spaces. So sometimes he'll sneak into guest rooms. Please wait a moment, I'll tidy up for you."
She quickly walked into the room, so fast that Lex didn't have time to stop her, but seeing Dalena skillfully wiping the table in the room without any danger, Lex followed her in.
He looked at the ceiling.
There was nothing on the ceiling, not even a spiderweb, but just now, Lex was certain there was something there.
That thing caught Harry's attention but didn't harm him. What could it be?
With a whoosh, the curtains were pulled open, and Dalena looked at the open window, shaking her head and saying: "He must have climbed in through the window."
When light filled the room, Lex saw a drop of water on the ceiling; it fell, landed on the carpet, and disappeared.
Tap, tap, tap.
A knock sounded behind him, and Lex turned to see the young Storm Priest who had greeted him last night.
"Good noon," the Priest said with a smile, "Mr. Rayleigh, have you had lunch yet? If not, our Bishop would like to invite you to join him for lunch."
"Your Excellency Duvale? All right, I'll be right there after I get ready." Lex was very curious, what did the diocesan Bishop want with him? Of course, it wouldn't be as simple as just eating, nor could it be solely for the bounty.
The Storm Priest, having received a reply, said he would wait in the lobby and then left.
Seeing that the Bishop of the Storm Church wanted to invite Lex to dinner, Dalena's face was full of respect. It seemed that although the residents of this Sea Island had not converted to the Lord of Storms, the Storm Church still held a certain prestige here.
That was indeed the case.
As long as it was on the Sea, the influence of the Storm Church would not be weak anywhere.
Unless that place didn't even have a church.
Lex went into the washroom to wash his face, tidied his clothes slightly, and hid the 'staff of resentment', not intending to carry it with him, so as not to let Duvale see anything.
A moment later, he met the tall diocesan Bishop in one of the rooms at the 'Blue Dolphin Restaurant'. Duvale, wearing his Bishop's robe, gestured to the Priest who had led the way, and the young Priest picked up a briefcase from the corner of the room and walked over to Lex.
"Here is 2250 pounds in bounty money, please count it." Duvale leaned back; he was so tall that he towered over the back of the chair, making one worry he might fall.
The Priest opened the briefcase and took out two wanted posters, handing them to Lex: "These are two of the great pirates from the group you hunted yesterday, who were wanted by multiple kingdoms."
Lex took the wanted posters and, looking at the photos, confirmed that one was Captain Iron Hook and the other was the First Mate who liked to play cards. Their bounties were 1800 pounds and 450 pounds respectively.
The Storm Church actually paid the full amount, without deducting any handling fees, which was much more generous than White Shark at Damir Port. As expected of one of the Three Great Churches of the Loen Kingdom.
Lex smiled as he took the briefcase and said directly: "Is there anything you need me to do?"
Duvale did not respond immediately. He waved his hand, and after the young Priest exited the room, he said: "Our Church recently received a request for help, but for certain reasons, it's inconvenient for us to handle it."
"After meeting Mr. Rayleigh last night, I suddenly had a solution. Mr. Rayleigh, would you be willing to help us out?"