Chapter 653: Captured
“I will now ask some questions. I ask all three of you to cooperate fully.” The visitor, who identified himself as an assistant from the Blood Light Punishment Institution, spoke with a smile.
Moments later, the smile vanished from his face.
He had gained no valuable intelligence.
The big guy was clueless and had been looked after by the fishman youngster, so he didn't utter a word.
Da Dou, the big guy's slave, had his own suspicions about the earth elemental army's ambush, but there was no way he'd speak up.
Hong Zhu, attached to both the big guy and Da Dou, naturally followed their lead.
“Gentlemen, your complete ignorance makes my job rather difficult.”
“How am I supposed to report this to the Blood Light Punishment Institution?”
Da Dou remained expressionless: “We've told the truth. Are you suggesting we fabricate intelligence and distort facts?”
“In my view, reporting the facts as they are is the most responsible course of action.”
The visitor sighed and continued, "What I mean is, I request the three of you remain on Magnet Archipelago for now. Until the follow-up investigators arrive, it will allow me to fulfill my obligations."
How could that be possible?
Da Dou didn't hesitate, shaking his head flatly in refusal.
The visitor's expression grew solemn. “Then at the very least, this lady cannot leave. She must stay.”
“We have reliable intelligence that this lady once fought alongside a necromancer on Two Eyes Island.”
“Are you two also accomplices of the necromancers, having traveled with her?”
“To be frank, the reason Lord Tu Ji came to the Magnet Archipelago was to capture Hong Zhu and uncover information about the necromancers.”
“As a representative of the Blood Light Punishment Institution, I must inform you: Hong Zhu is a major suspect who absolutely must remain here!”
The visitor's tone grew unyielding.
Da Dou's expression wavered.
Hong Zhu had indeed been helpful, especially when the big guy was snatched by the Earth Elemental Chieftain.
But Hong Zhu had also made a fortune.
Da Dou owed her nothing. On the contrary, it was Hong Zhu who had attached herself to Da Dou, to the big guy.
To risk offending the Blood Light Punishment Institution for someone as insignificant as her?
That was precisely Da Dou's hesitation.
Seeing his hesitation, Hong Zhu's pleading eyes filled with growing despair.
She knew all too well that once she became a prisoner of the Blood Light Punishment Institution, even if she truly had no connection to the necromancer, she would be finished.
One of the Blood Light Punishment Institution's principles was to err on the side of caution, better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free!
Just as Da Dou remained silent and Hong Zhu's despair deepened, the big guy abruptly stopped eating and drinking, lifting his head.
“No.”
“Don't take her away.”
“She is mine.”
The big guy extended his greasy fingers, pointing at Hong Zhu.
In that instant, Hong Zhu's eyes flashed with the glimmer of hope born from the depths of despair.
Da Dou looked puzzled and hesitated.
He wondered silently: did the big guy's words reflect his own stance, or the will of the deity he served?
After a moment's silence, Da Dou said, “Hong Zhu must come with us. We cannot hand her over to you. Though I know little of her past with that necromancer, she did fight alongside us."
"You can investigate yourselves or ask us questions in the future."
Da Dou chose to protect Hong Zhu.
He could not discern the big guy's true situation. Was it the deity's decree?
Moreover, having signed a slave contract, Da Dou simply couldn't defy the big guy's orders. Therefore, it was better to state his position clearly and stand firmly with the big guy.
The visitor's brows immediately furrowed deeply, his gaze darkening. “In that case, don't blame me.”
“Oh? What do you want?” Da Dou instantly grew wary.
The next moment, Hong Zhu's face paled dramatically. She let out a deep, involuntary sigh before collapsing completely.
Da Dou sensed something was terribly wrong and immediately channeled his battle qi.
But the moment he activated it, the battle qi he'd just begun to accelerate abruptly dissipated, and instead, a sigh escaped his lips uncontrollably.
“What's going on? I've been poisoned! When did this happen?!" Da Dou's expression changed dramatically as he slumped into his seat, his face frozen in disbelief.
Ever since escaping the battlefield, he had never let his guard down against the imperial spy who had rescued them. Whether it was potions or magic delicacies, he had meticulously inspected everything, always on guard.
“But I clearly...”
A sudden realization struck Da Dou, his gaze locking onto a dish on the main table.
The visitor laughed heartily, clapping his hands with satisfaction. "Truly worthy of a gold level magic chef, you've immediately identified the culprit. Indeed, it is this very dish."
“On the surface, it appears to be merely a silver level dessert. Yet in reality, it bears a far more renowned name—Deep Sigh of the Blue Sea.”
“Deep Sigh of the Blue Sea?!” Da Dou's heart jolted.
He was immobilized, yet his mind raced. Relevant intelligence flashed through his thoughts.
Long ago during the Age of Exploration, the renowned goblin explorer Ge Zi Bu led his fleet to the very edge of the Main Plane.
At that moment, a sea god intervened, halting their progress.
Disguised as a stranded magic chef, the sea god was rescued by Ge Zi Bu and offered to prepare a delicious magic dish as repayment.
That magic dish was Deep Sigh of the Blue Sea.
Ge Zi Bu adored fine cuisine, a weakness exploited by the deity.
Even as a legend level being, after consuming this delicacy, his fighting spirit vanished. He let out sigh after sigh, losing all desire to continue forward and ordered a return voyage.
Ultimately, he never reached the world's edge. Nearly a decade of exploration ended in failure at the very last moment.
“So this is the famed Deep Sigh of the Blue Sea?” “No, it doesn't taste anything like it,” Da Dou shook his head in denial.
The visitor nodded. "The genuine Deep Sigh of the Blue Sea is a legend level delicacy. What you consumed was certainly not that."
“However, this recipe does indeed originate from the Deep Sigh of the Blue Sea, though it has been modified by a magic chef.”
Da Dou's face darkened.
His primary focus had been entirely on the potions they had consumed. Frankly, regarding these magic dishes, he’d trusted his own expertise. After inspecting them and confirming they were flawless, he hadn’t given them another thought.
“Still, the Deep Sigh of the Blue Sea recipe must be incredibly intricate.”
"Back then, the sea god himself cooked it, using ingredients from Ge Zi Bu's ship. He even stir-fried it right before his eyes. Even Ge Zi Bu, a legend level figure, couldn't detect any tricks."
“There's a reason I couldn't see through it either.”
“What do we do now?”
Da Dou could barely move a finger, leaving all hope pinned on the big guy.
Hong Zhu also shot the big guy a pleading look.
Nom nom.
The big guy buried his head in his meal.
Though he'd consumed a fair amount of the modified Deep Sigh of the Blue Sea, he hadn't channeled battle qi. Without that crucial element, the Deep Sigh of the Blue Sea's effects hadn't been triggered. Thus, he still possessed full mobility.
Hong Zhu and Da Dou: ...
The Blood Light Punishment Institution's support staff watched the big guy with smiles, waiting patiently for him to launch his attack.
Nom nom.
The big guy remained focused on eating, continuously shoveling food from the table into his throat.
After waiting a moment, seeing only the big guy stuffing his face, the smiles on the Blood Light Punishment Institution's support staff gradually faded.
Hong Zhu and Da Dou stared intently at the big guy.
He kept eating, completely oblivious to the tension.
The room grew uncomfortably awkward.
Hong Zhu couldn't hold back any longer, “Lord!” she shouted. “This man is our enemy!”
The big guy froze, “Huh?”
A huge ham hock stuffed his mouth full.
The big guy looked at the Blood Light Punishment Institution's attendant, who smiled back at him.
The big guy hesitated.
Da Dou sighed, “He wants to stop us from leaving the Magnet Archipelago.”
The big guy frowned immediately. He desperately wanted to reunite with the dragonman youngster, anyone trying to keep him from leaving the islands was a villain!
Thus, the big guy swung at the enemy.
Thus, the big guy suddenly lost all strength mid-swing, let out a sigh, his legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground.
The visitor from the Blood Light Punishment Institution explained with a smile: “This is an improved Deep Sigh of the Blue Sea. Any intense activity triggers it.”
“Guards, take all three of them away.”
Da Dou sighed helplessly.
This time, it was a genuine sigh.
After the big guy and the other two were taken away, the head of the Imperial Secret Spy Agency responsible for the Magnet Archipelago finally entered: “Lord Su Xing, how should we handle these three?”
The so-called “auxiliary member of the Blood Light Punishment Institution” was, in truth, the head of the Imperial Secret Spy Agency.
His level was high; originally stationed on Feng Awakening Island, he had immediately been granted the highest authority upon arriving at the Magnet Archipelago.
Su Xing said, “I never expected that Tu Ji actually died in battle.”
"The people of the Blood Light Punishment Institution are madmen. For a mere clue, they dared to defy the gods. Sigh..."
Su Xing sighed deeply as well.
This was a significant complication for him, forcing him to temporarily set aside affairs on Feng Awakening Island and rush to the Magnet Archipelago to personally oversee matters.
He pondered for a moment: "Treat them well. Keep a close watch on Hong Zhu. She is the answer we're giving to the Blood Light Punishment Institution."
“That big guy was specifically requested by headquarters, take good care of him.”
“As for Da Dou... keep him under close watch. After I report this, await further orders from above.”
They were unaware of the slave contract between Da Dou and the big guy.
Su Xing handled Da Dou with particular caution, for Da Dou hailed from Eruption Island. a powerhouse of legend level that demanded his utmost attention.
After issuing his orders, Su Xing added, “My purpose in rushing here isn't merely to capture these three. More importantly, I need to investigate the cause of this joint uprising by the earth elementals.”
“Have the specific rumors begun circulating?”
The Magnet Archipelago Chief nodded immediately. “They were officially released early this morning and have already sparked widespread discussion.”
"Naturally, the combined forces of the earth elemental tribes mobilizing on such a large scale created immense commotion. Compounded by the divine intervention at the time, nearly every transcendent on the island could sense that terrifying aura."
"Thus, after the rumors were released, they were swiftly accepted by the masses and received a very positive response. Some have already begun calling for treasure hunters to unite their efforts."
Su Xing nodded. “The various earth elemental tribes have been forcibly brought together by the Main God this time, creating a certain tendency toward cooperation.”
“Feng Awakening Island is quite close to the Magnet Archipelago, but the Main Earth Elemental God has already turned its attention to these seas.”
“Moving forward, we proceed according to plan.”
“Let our people fan the flames, uniting the transcendents to launch a preemptive strike and annihilate the earth elemental tribes here!”
As long as there were no believers, and the statues and altars were destroyed, no matter how powerful the deity, it would be difficult for them to project their power.
“With a group of earth elemental prisoners, I believe we can uncover the secrets behind the previous joint military operation.”