"Water stains?"
Lex quickly grasped the key point in the writer's words: "You mean, the water stains that appeared around Harry are the same kind you saw on the ship. You suspect something from the 'black star' is entangled with Harry?"
Trollope gave him an approving look: "Now I know why Your Excellency Duvale entrusted this matter to you. Your mind is very quick."
There's nothing difficult to guess about that. Perhaps you don't know, but in my previous life, I watched many horror movies. I especially liked the 'Insidious' series. Not getting carried away by the writer's praise, Lex then thought of other questions.
"Actually, you don't need to worry so much. If there was really something on that ship, I mean, things like undead. If those things were there, the Storm Church and the Royal Navy wouldn't stand idly by."
"Since they haven't acted…"
"No!"
Trollope forcefully interrupted Lex, agitatedly raking his light brown hair: "You don't understand, there are other reasons why they aren't interfering."
"Other reasons?" Lex gave him an 'please explain' look.
Trollope stood up, paced a small circle in the room, took a book from a drawer, and flipped to a page: "I found some letters on the 'black star'. These letters were prepared by a passenger on the ship to be sent out, but they never got to send them, so they were preserved."
"These letters claim that Ms. Mania collected a secret treasure, and that item is related to Emperor Roselle. From the description in the letters, the passenger who wrote them was colluding with a certain organization, a certain power."
"This was a spy. His mission on that ship was to find this secret treasure, and then at the right time, coordinate from inside and out to take down the 'black star' in one fell swoop."
"But unfortunately, this Mr. Spy had been on the ship for almost a month and still didn't know where Ms. Mania had hidden that secret treasure, which was said to be related to Emperor Roselle."
"And before he could send out the letters, the ship was attacked. A lady who might be a Beyonder, also the mistress of a certain dignitary in Intis, and who also collected a secret treasure related to Emperor Roselle – the events that once occurred on this ship are far more complex than we imagined."
Lex finally understood: "So, both the Storm Church and the Royal Navy want to obtain that secret treasure, which is why they're turning a blind eye to what happened on the 'black star'?"
"That's one reason. Another reason is that, apart from Harry's disappearance, nothing particularly terrifying happened on that ship. But you're right, both sides hope to gain something, but for certain reasons, they haven't participated in the research."
Looking at Trollope, Lex let his thoughts wander.
The Kingdom and the Storm Church didn't participate, likely because they had secretly reached some agreements.
Both sides checked each other until the arrival of Trollope, the writer. He came from Backlund and was a noble; his status was relatively neutral. Trollope was able to board the ship, probably not because of his noble uncle, but because the Kingdom used him to bypass certain issues, thereby indirectly researching the 'black star'.
What could that secret treasure related to Emperor Roselle be, existing on that ship?
Silence temporarily fell in the room. Suddenly, they both heard a knock at the door.
Bang, bang, bang!
It was very violent, very heavy, almost as if someone was trying to smash the door open!
Who could it be?
Lex looked at Trollope, who was briefly confused, clearly also unable to imagine who would be knocking so forcefully on his door.
Soon, they heard a woman's voice from downstairs: "Trollope, Trollope, open the door quickly."
It was Dalena!
Trollope's… mistress?
It should be his mistress.
Trollope's expression changed. Without bothering to avoid the clutter on the floor, he rushed out and was at the stairwell in a flash.
Lex quickly followed him downstairs. He arrived in the living room to see Trollope open the door. Dalena rushed in anxiously, not even greeting him, but instead running towards various rooms as if searching for something.
"Dalena, what are you looking for?" Trollope called out to her.
"Harry."
"Harry is gone!" Dalena's voice changed with anxiety, and she didn't even notice Lex, an outsider, in the living room.
Trollope was stunned for several seconds upon hearing this. After a while, he said, "How could he be gone? Wasn't he with you?"
Dalena clutched her hair and said, "Am I supposed to watch him 24 hours a day? I've been keeping a close eye on him, but I can't put him in a cage, can I?"
"Just a while ago, I only stepped away for a moment, and when I came back, I couldn't see him. I thought he had run off to a guest's room again, like he usually does, just like this morning…"
"But I've searched all the rooms in the inn, and I can't find him. I even went to the basement, but no, Harry isn't in any place I know of."
Dalena suddenly rushed forward, somewhat losing control as she grabbed Trollope's collar: "It's you, it's you who hid him again, isn't it! When Harry was born, you said that one day, you would take him to Backlund."
"But he's my child! You can't take him away from me, you can't!"
Trollope forcefully pushed her away and said, "He's my child too! He deserves a better life! What can Skye Island give him? I want to take him to Backlund, let him receive the best education. What's wrong with that!"
"No, no, no…"
Trollope waved his hand and said, "Dalena, I don't have time to argue with you right now. I'm telling you, I didn't hide Harry, and he didn't come here. You can ask this gentleman; he's been with me all afternoon. If Harry were here, he would have noticed."
Only then did Dalena look at Lex and exclaim, "It's you, sir."
Lex nodded and said, "Ms. Dalena, Mr. Trollope is right, we haven't seen Harry. Please think carefully again, where else might Harry go? I can help look for him."
Trollope, however, jumped up as if electrocuted, grabbing Dalena suddenly: "Tell me, at the last place Harry disappeared, did you see any water stains?"
Dalena was startled at first, then said, "Yes, water stains. Also, I saw a handprint. Now that I think about it, it looked like a woman's handprint."
Trollope exclaimed, "Mania! It must be her, she came to get Harry back!"
The writer pleaded with Lex: "Help us, Mr. Lex!"