"A disaster is about to occur in Bakerland?"
Silas repeated the Queen's words.
"Yes."
"And the form of the disaster, its source and mastermind, you're all unclear about."
"That's correct."
The Queen said.
"..."
Silas hesitated, then asked, "Since you don't know anything, how can you be certain that a disaster will occur?"
Generally speaking, this process should be reversed.
One should first know that someone is planning a disaster, then move to prevent it from happening, not like this, knowing about a disaster without any reason, then working backward to figure out who's brewing it and where.
Then he heard the Queen speak calmly.
She said:
"Because this is a prophecy."
A prophecy?
Silas noticed the other party's attitude was extremely serious, as if solemnly making a proclamation.
Accompanying this voice, it seemed as though invisible fate was tracing its path, witnessing events occurring one after another.
Could her extraordinary pathway's unique ability allow her to foresee the future?
Silas thought silently.
"I understand."
He stopped questioning her and instead asked, "You just said this disaster is related to human trafficking... Is that also part of the prophecy?"
"Yes."
The Queen gave an affirmative response.
"Specifically, I saw in the prophecy that commoners were being captured from the Southern Continent, from islands in the Violent Sea, from the lower classes of various cities in Loen... All being gathered in Bakerland... They are part of this disaster."
Human trafficking coming from the Southern Continent...
At this point, Silas became more certain that all of this was likely related to the human trafficking incidents he encountered back in Tingen and Port Enmat.
Ma'am M might have known some inside information, but she was already dead, leaving only a hallucination that couldn't speak.
"Your Majesty, why would someone as powerful as you need my help with the investigation?"
Silas thought for a moment and asked.
"Because this is Bakerland. There are too many factions and powerful individuals here. I cannot act rashly."
The other party answered. "If I cause misunderstandings with related factions, that wouldn't be good for me."
"It's not just you. Since hosting the gathering, I've already given this commission to many people...
Among them, some found nothing at all, some disappeared without a trace during the investigation, and others had investigations going smoothly only to encounter inexplicable coincidences at crucial moments that caused the investigation to fail, making all their prior efforts completely wasted."
The Queen said.
In other words, the resistance was great. Although many Beyonders had been sent to investigate, none had achieved results.
Silas nodded thoughtfully.
At the same time, he felt a sense of familiarity with the "coincidences" the Queen mentioned.
Back in Tingen, Mr. Azik had said there were discordant elements in his fate.
Could it be that the mastermind behind what happened to him was also in Bakerland now, and was connected to the human trafficking case?
If so, he had even more reason to investigate.
He came back to his senses and spoke:
"Your Majesty, if I can help you find leads on the human trafficking case, you're willing to give me that Beyonder item 'Agony,' correct?"
"Yes."
The Queen said. "As a Sequence 5 Shepherd, your survival ability and Beyonders capabilities far exceed theirs.
You should be different from them. You're worth me paying a price to obtain your help."
In other words, she has high expectations for me?
"I understand."
Silas couldn't help but smile faintly.
The Queen had guessed correctly. At this moment, he already had some directions for the investigation in mind.
Just then, Sophia finally returned. From the satisfied expression on her face, she must have obtained what she wanted.
"Thank you very much, Your Majesty."
She bowed in acknowledgment.
"No need. We made a fair trade."
The other party said indifferently.
With a rustling sound, the pea wall behind them began to descend.
The separated space merged again, but the previously lively hall had become deserted. The people who participated in the gathering had all left.
The gathering's over? I was hoping to participate in the Beyonder gathering and collect some materials...
Silas thought with some regret.
Speaking of which, he wondered how Cecilia's digestion of the "Assassin" potion was going. It was about time to start preparing for her advancement.
A pea vine descended before him. The pod on it opened, spitting out a pea that fell into his palm.
This pea looked a full circle larger than Sophia's, and its color was more emerald green, approaching gemstone quality.
Silas picked it up to observe carefully and seemed to see vague mystical patterns on the pea's surface.
"Before the gathering, this pea will shake to remind you. Let it be bathed in moonlight and it will guide you."
The Queen said.
"Additionally, if you encounter irresistible danger during your investigation, you can crush it and it will teleport you back to me."
Something that can save lives in critical moments... She probably learned from the lesson of previous investigators being killed.
Silas put it away.
After he and Sophia expressed their gratitude once more, they were sent out of the castle by a vine gondola.
After a bout of mist and colorful lights, their feet landed on solid ground, with a pungent fishy stench blowing toward them.
Looking around, he discovered they had returned to the starting point, the bridgehead of Bakerland Bridge.
About an hour had passed. The night wasn't too late yet.
"Well, this settles our contract."
Sophia said to Silas. He could tell she was still somewhat dissatisfied. "...Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I'm just a bit curious."
Silas asked.
"Your background is obviously excellent. Why would you need to obtain Sequence 6 and Sequence 7 potions on your own?"
"Relying on my family wouldn't be interesting."
Sophia said with great momentum. "I want to prove myself to them!"
But you were able to snatch that manuscript so easily largely because of all those Beyonder items on you.
Ordinary Beyonders don't have those kinds of resources.
Silas thought silently, shaking his head.
"Alright, then this is where we part ways."
He said decisively.
This female hunter was a bit unstable. Getting entangled with her might lead to troublesome matters.
"That's my line!"
Sophia said forcefully. "It's best if we never meet again!"
With that, she turned first, descended Bakerland Bridge, and walked toward the district on the other side.
Silas watched her figure gradually disappear into the darkness, then turned himself and walked toward his apartment.
On this evening, he had gained a mirror and a pea.
Besides that, he had also accepted a commission to investigate a human trafficking case.
The Beyonder item "Agony" offered as payment was powerful and extremely suitable for him, making him eager to complete the commission.
In any case, he had a new goal for the near future.
---
The plot of the previous two chapters has been partially revised, modifying the reward the protagonist requested and adding detailed setting explanations for "Agony."
If any readers finished the previous two chapters before 12 AM last night, please refresh to get the latest revised version.