Outside the cabin door, a man named Dioro stood by the ajar door, eavesdropping on the secret conversation inside the cabin. The secret words that were inadvertently leaked caused Dioro to break out in a cold sweat upon hearing them.
'Slaughter... humans and animals... pigs... Lord Envoy... What in the world is Lord Envoy talking about?'
Listening to the words inside the cabin, Dioro couldn't help but think with fear in his heart, comparing people to pigs, mentioning slaughter without hesitation. The various implications in these words made Dioro have a very bad premonition for a moment, but he didn't dare to confirm it immediately. Now, he decided to continue standing outside the door, further eavesdropping on the conversation of the people inside.
"Forget it, forget it. It's just one loss, which is barely acceptable. We're about to dock now, and next we should consider the handover with the other side. Are the preparations for the delivery all done?"
"They're all done. They're already in place over there. As soon as we get ashore, we'll take all the blood animals over. We'll exchange money and goods on the same day, so there won't be any complications."
"Is the delivery location safe? The guards in Moncarlo won't find it, will they?"
"You can rest assured about that. The Hook Shark Gang people are the local bosses of Moncarlo. They naturally know the movements of the guards better than anyone else. The location they chose is naturally the most suitable. It is said that the guards near the trading point have all been bribed by them, and the guards turn a blind eye to whatever they do. The only thing we need to worry about now is not the guards of Moncarlo, but the Fanatics from the Church?"
"The Church? With the Church's influence in Moncarlo, what trouble can they cause us?"
"That was before, but now it's a little different. A famous Sister from the Church recently came to Moncarlo for some kind of sacred relic pilgrimage, and coincidentally, she also arrived today. Because of this Sister's visit, the security in Moncarlo has been upgraded today. It is said that after the Sister arrives, she will visit the city. I'm worried that if she wanders around in the city, it might bring some variables to our plan..."
"Sister? You mean that Sister Vannia of Prit, right? She's quite famous recently, but I think she's just visiting Moncarlo briefly. Her influence shouldn't be that great, should it? Is it necessary to respond so cautiously?"
"It's hard to say. Anyway, after we get ashore later, pay attention to all aspects. Alright, it's about time now. Let's go notify those blood animals and tell them to gather and prepare to get off the ship."
"Okay..."
The sound of conversation in the cabin came to an end, followed by increasingly loud footsteps. Hearing these footsteps, Dioro realized that the people inside were about to come out, and his heart immediately grew more panicked. He immediately turned and ran.
However, perhaps because his movements were slightly too large, the people in the cabin heard the noise, and a stern reprimand immediately came from inside.
"Who's outside!"
Hearing this reprimand, Dioro's heart jumped into his throat. He immediately quickened his pace, running away from the cabin. However, before he could run two steps, a large hand reached out from behind him and directly slapped him on the shoulder. Then, Dioro felt his shoulder sink heavily, and he lost his balance and fell directly to the ground. After falling, Dioro rolled on the ground and then looked back. What he saw was the angry face of the middle-aged man from the Food Intestine Society.
"Ah... Mr. An De, I didn't hear anything just now..."
Just as Dioro was about to say something, next to the Food Intestine Society man named An De, a young man whom Dioro did not recognize suddenly walked out, reached down, and covered Dioro's mouth. Dioro was speechless for a moment, and could only lie on the ground struggling desperately. However, his struggles were firmly restrained by the young man, making him completely unable to move.
Facing the two people in front of him, Dioro was terrified but helpless. After successfully restraining Dioro, the young man looked seriously at the man called An De beside him.
"What should we do? This blood animal seems to have heard everything we just said..."
Looking at An De, the young man said directly, and An De responded with a solemn expression.
"Since he heard it, we can't let him go back. If this gives a warning to the other blood animals, things will be difficult to handle. Before the pigs are sent to slaughter, they can't know they are going to be slaughtered... Knock him out and tie him up directly."
An De stated the method of dealing with Dioro. After hearing An De's words, the young man beside him immediately took action. Dioro only felt a pain in the back of his neck, and then his vision went black and he fainted, lying on the ground completely unconscious.
After seeing Dioro completely unconscious in front of them, the young man and An De exchanged glances. A slight smile appeared on both of their lips. Then, after fumbling around on his body, the young man took out a quill pen. After pulling down the clothes on Dioro's back, the young man began writing on Dioro's back with the pen.
...
Time passed quickly. Soon, the huge cruise ship, guided by the pilot boat, traveled through countless reefs and small islands, moving forward between reef fortifications and watchtowers, finally arriving at the main island of the Moncarlo Islands.
Amidst cheers, the tourists on the front deck of the cruise ship finally saw their destination for this trip, Moncarlo City. Looking forward from the deck, they saw the city in the distance with its towering buildings arranged like scales, and the bustling and orderly docks. Giant letters made of steel frames were erected on a row of tall buildings facing the sea, spelling out the Iweig word for City of Opportunity, showing a hint of ostentation.
Under professional guidance, the cruise ship sailed into the bustling dock and stopped at a berth. Then, as the gangway was connected, the passengers who had packed their luggage began to disembark in an orderly manner. Of course, not all passengers disembarked through the normal procedure.
"Kid, you are officially arrested for murder. You dared to cause trouble on a ship coming to Moncarlo, you really have a death wish."
On the rear deck of the cruise ship, several police officers in uniform and iron helmets were standing here. The leading police officer handcuffed the wrist of a young man and said in a stern tone, while the young man glared at him in response.
"Hmph... These guys who were originally pirates are now acting so smugly and enforcing the law here? I just killed a drunkard who was speaking rudely after drinking. This kind of behavior was nothing in your place a few years ago, but now I'm going to be arrested and thrown into jail. It's truly ironic that a bunch of savage bandits are learning to wear suits... Ugh..."
The young man spoke disdainfully to the police officer in front of him. However, the response he received was a heavy punch to his abdomen. The young man bent over in pain from the force of the blow, his expression pained as he hunched over and fell to the ground.
"Quite arrogant, kid... You dare to talk to me like that. It seems I need to educate you more when we get back. Take him away." Looking at the young man on the ground clutching his abdomen, the police Captain said viciously, and the police officers standing beside him also obeyed his words, lifting and dragging away the young man who had fallen to the ground. After watching the young man leave, this Captain turned to look at the two figures beside him, Captain William and Detective Ed.
"I didn't expect that a murder case on your ordinary cruise ship could be solved by yourselves. You're quite capable. Anyway, this saves us a lot of trouble. It would be great if other ships could manage themselves like you."
"Being able to solve the murder case so quickly is mainly due to Detective Ed." Listening to the police Captain's words, Captain William immediately turned to Ed beside him and said, while Ed replied modestly with a smile.
"It's nothing. I just solved some simple common cases. I'm just doing my job."
"Mr. Ed is too modest. In this case, you were able to find the murderer just by listening to a few confessions and flipping through a few rosters. It really opened my eyes." Captain William continued to say admiringly, and Ed continued to reply.
"Hehe, after compiling information from multiple sources, the system can analyze many hidden clues. This analytical ability is the basic skill of a Detective."
Listening to Ed's words, the police Captain beside him also became interested. He looked at Ed and said with interest.
"Oh... So you solved this case? Being able to solve a case so quickly, your ability should be quite good. So, do you, the Detective, have any thoughts of staying in Moncarlo to work? There are countless cases waiting to be solved here, and if you do well, you can be appreciated by important people. Wealth and prosperity are not a problem."
"Haha, thank you, Captain, for the invitation. I am a Prit person, and I am just here in Moncarlo for a trip. I currently have no plans to emigrate abroad. I'll consider it later when I have such a need."
Ed continued to respond to the Captain, and the Captain obviously didn't take his casual words seriously. He waved his hand and spoke.
"Well, let's talk about it when you have an idea later. Alright, I'm busy with official duties now, so I'll take my leave. Today, that celebrity Sister from the Church who has nothing better to do came, and we've become much busier. Really, wouldn't it be better to just stay in the Church and pray? Why do they have to come running to a place like Moncarlo when they have nothing to do..."
The police Captain said with a hint of complaint, and after hearing the Captain's words, Captain William also asked curiously.
"Sister? Could it be the Adus emissary from the Church, Sister Vannia? She's already arrived?"
"Yes... she's already here, just over there. That little Princess Sister even wants to have a parade and tour before going to the hotel. It's so troublesome."
The police Captain complained like this, and while complaining, he also stretched out his hand and pointed into the distance. Over there, where the Captain was pointing, a ship flying the Church's flag was docked. On the pier opposite the ship, an honor guard was lined up, a military band was playing music, and countless onlookers were crowding the periphery, a lively scene indeed.
Looking at the scene over there, Ed said with emotion.
"Sister Vannia, the new star of the Church, has come to this city of desire holding a saint. How much sin does she intend to purify here?"
...
In the afternoon, Moncarlo.
Somewhere in the vast city of Moncarlo, in a remote alley away from the main road, there was a small, secluded bar. Several burly men were standing guard in front of the bar's entrance at this time. On the exposed skin of these men, there were shark tattoos pierced by iron hooks.
Pedestrians passing by the bar couldn't help but subconsciously keep their distance after seeing the tattoos on these fierce-looking men. They knew that this kind of tattoo was only owned by a certain type of person in Moncarlo; they were members of the Hook Shark Gang, one of the most troublesome gangs in Moncarlo.
Not far from the bar's entrance, a large black carriage was parked, guarded by several men around it. Inside the heavily guarded bar, an evil transaction was taking place at this time. In the dimly lit bar hall, several figures, both male and female, were tied up tightly and lying on the ground, their mouths sealed, struggling and crying out in terror. However, two or three Hook Shark Gang members were pressing down on each of them, making their struggles completely ineffective.
The Hook Shark Gang members on the scene used syringes to draw blood from the tied-up people on the spot. After the blood was drawn, it was immediately tested. After the Hook Shark Gang's pharmacist busily obtained the test results, he immediately ran to the bar counter and reported to a burly man sitting there, wearing a leather jacket and pants, a leather hat, and with a scar on his face.
"Mr. Glass, these goods are all fine, they are indeed top-grade blood livestock..."
The pharmacist reported this to the man named Glass, and Glass nodded after hearing the pharmacist's words. He then took a deep puff of the cigarette he was smoking, and after exhaling a cloud of smoke, he looked at An De, the Food Intestine Society member sitting in front of him, and then spoke.
"The goods are fine, but why are there only five here? Where are the others?"
"The others are in the carriage outside. These here are just for you to inspect. After the money is settled, I'll bring the rest in."
Looking at Glass, who was puffing out smoke in front of him, An De said calmly, and Glass directly retorted.
"How many more are in the carriage?"
"There are seven more."
"Seven? Then including these, there are only twelve. Where's the other one?"
"One more had a slight accident during transportation and died. Corpse blood spoils quickly if not processed within a short time, so it was dumped into the sea. You know, Hook Shark's second-in-command, it's normal to have some losses during long-distance transport."
An De said with a normal expression, and Glass's eyebrows twitched slightly after hearing An De's words, then he continued to speak.
"It's normal to have losses, of course, and it's also normal to deduct some money after losses. I'm sorry, I can't give you the full amount of 68,200 pounds originally agreed upon. How about a maximum of 42,000?"
Glass gave his offer. The pound here is Iweig's currency, and the exchange rate with the pound is roughly 21:1. 68,200 pounds is equivalent to 3,250 pounds, while 42,000 pounds is only 2,000 pounds. Each blood livestock here is equivalent to 250 pounds.
"Sixty thousand... This is too much, second-in-command Doggs. We're only short one person, and you're directly deducting twenty thousand pounds. Isn't this a bit excessive..." Listening to Doggs's words, An De replied with a serious expression, while Doggs continued to speak dismissively.
"Excessive? Hmph... I'm being very generous, alright? You need to know that Moncarlo will be busier than usual in the next few days. I've already taken on a lot of orders, but you're only providing one batch. This will cause us to be short on how much goods, and breach how many contracts. The loss to our reputation is immeasurable. Only charging you this small compensation fee now is already considering our long-term cooperation."
"How many orders you've taken is your business, I don't care about that! I only know that you get what you pay for. I want the money for these twelve; not a single cent less!"
Listening to Glass's words, An De sternly refused. Hearing An De's words, Glass's expression darkened. He then extinguished the cigarette in his hand and continued to speak, arguing with An De with an even tougher attitude.
While the business negotiation inside the bar was proceeding intensely, in the carriage outside the bar, seven figures were tied up in the large carriage at this time, collapsing powerlessly under the influence of some drug. They were the blood livestock that An De had specifically left outside, and among them was Dioro.
Dioro was left in the carriage with the other blood livestock, and while scanning the situation outside the carriage, he continuously tried to break free from the ropes binding him. Ever since he slowly woke up in the carriage, he had been trying non-stop to get rid of the restraints on his body.
Through the previous eavesdropping, Dioro already knew what kind of person the emissary they originally respected was, and what they intended to do by bringing him to Moncarlo. Driven by the desire to survive, Dioro was struggling desperately at this time, trying to break free from the ropes binding him. What was rather strange was that among the bound blood livestock in the carriage, only he seemed to have the strength to do so. The others were all slumped in place, unable to do anything except helplessly roll their eyes.
'Untie... Untie!'
With a shout in his heart, Dioro struggled even harder. Finally, with a final burst of strength, the rope that had bound him to the carriage was actually broken directly by him. This couldn't help but cause a surge of ecstasy to suddenly well up in Dioro's heart.
After breaking free from the restraints, Dioro quickly calmed down again. He then observed the environment outside the carriage through the window, confirming the arrangement of the guards around the carriage. After repeated confirmation, he found that only the alleyway in front of the carriage had no guards blocking it; his chance of survival was there.
After confirming the direction, Dioro took a deep breath, then suddenly opened the carriage door and rushed out, galloping towards the only escape route. Immediately, a shout rang out behind him.
"Stop! Don't run!"
Dioro, having gained freedom, naturally couldn't stop. He exerted all his strength, sprinting forward at high speed without stopping for a moment. He could clearly hear the sound of footsteps echoing behind him; it was the sound of pursuers.
Dioro ran forward wildly without daring to stop for a moment. Before long, a fork in the road appeared in front of him. Just as Dioro was hesitating which path to take to escape, he saw a man on the right fork, dressed similarly to the pursuers, running towards him head-on, while also shouting "Stop!" Seeing this, Dioro chose the left fork without hesitation.
Just like that, under the pursuit of the pursuers, Dioro ran all the way through the complex alleyways of Moncarlo. Whenever he faced a fork in the road and had to choose, some of the forks were either blocked off due to accidents or had suddenly appearing pursuers blocking him. He had no choice but to choose the only path forward each time. Finally, just as Dioro was exhausted, he miraculously rushed out of the alley and onto the bustling main road where people were coming and going.
As soon as he reached the main road, a figure immediately attracted Dioro's attention. It was a white figure surrounded by a group of people on the sidewalk not far from him. Looking closely, it was clearly a beautiful young girl wearing a white Sister's habit, talking with the people beside her and admiring the street along the way, protected by many guards.
Seeing the appearance of that Sister, the words Dioro had overheard before losing consciousness surfaced in his mind one by one. Dioro immediately ran towards the Sister's group without hesitation, waving his hands and shouting loudly.
"Help! Help!"