"Little Sharon, you can come out now!"
Before he finished speaking, the "test tube" under the clothes began to waver and twist like rippling water, and then disappeared like a dispersing mirage, turning into a small curled-up figure.
"call!"
The figure suddenly stretched his body and stood up from the huge backpack. His long, smooth, jet-black hair cascaded down, as smooth as silk.
"Hmm~! It feels quite comfortable to sway back and forth..."
Qi Ji stretched her hands upwards, her petite body tensed, and she stretched lazily, letting out a sweet and sickly moan from her throat, like a lazy little kitten.
To save space, she took off her long cloak and wore only a light shirt and trousers.
Because the stretching movement was quite large, the top was pulled up high, revealing a small part of the snow-white and slender waist and the delicate and clean belly button, which was white with a rosy glow, moist and delicate, and very attractive.
"Gulu..."
Lina, who was closest to the girl, stared blankly at the girl in front of her as she stretched out her thin but cute and pretty little body. Her eyes widened and she couldn't help swallowing her saliva, managing not to lose her composure with great difficulty.
"Um...Xiaoxun, what are your plans next?"
After quickly calming down her inner restlessness, she said, half curiously and half trying to change the subject:
"We'll take a break and leave for Yuren Island the day after tomorrow...what about you?"
"Um……"
After stretching his limbs and waist and abdomen, Qi Ji put down his arms and pondered for a moment.
For her, the most urgent task is to investigate the "Order of Saint Hydra" whose headquarters is located in Lookout City. It would be best to find out how they went to the Gray Forest and built a city at least fifty years ago.
If she could really find a way to enter that distorted land, then she would have to go and take a look. Firstly, it would satisfy her curiosity, and secondly, the completely new and unfamiliar environment might stimulate the memories in her brain and speed up their recovery.
In short, there should be... no chance for me to travel with Lina and the others.
So, she stroked her chin with one hand and said:
"I'm not sure...but there's a high probability that I won't be able to be with you guys."
Chapter 397 Lookout City
"All right……"
Lina was obviously a little disappointed after receiving such an answer. She pursed her lips slightly and exhaled, but it didn't last long. She cheered up again in a few seconds:
"Bye then! Whatever you do, be sure to be safe!"
Amid Lina's half-concerned and half-reluctant farewell, Qi Ji waved goodbye to the three members of Frion's team.
"OK... time to get down to business."
After the three reluctant figures completely disappeared from his sight, Qi Ji reached out and grabbed the cloak in the air in front of him, took out the cloak that was put into the storage subspace, and put it on his body with swift movements:
"Let me see who this Saint Hydra Society is..."
With her right hand, she lifted the wide hood to the back of her head, covering her face.
"set off!"
She walked out of the sparsely populated alley and came to the slightly wider and brighter street outside.
This is the fringe area of the city, and it is certainly not as prosperous as the core area. There are mostly ordinary houses and shops on both sides. It is now late at night and most of the lights are turned off for rest. Only a few lights illuminate the dim streets.
Although Qi Ji had never been to Lookout City, the map of a city of this size must have been drawn by someone a long time ago and was relatively easy to obtain. It would naturally be included in the core library of the Imperial National University.
Therefore, she had a basic understanding of the layout and situation within the city, and knew that various merchant groups, chambers of commerce and other organizations generally set up their bases in the "coastal area" deepest in the city.
If you want to find the headquarters of the Order of St. Hydra, just go to the seaside area and ask a few people.
Following her memory of the map of Lookout City, she walked at a leisurely pace through the gradually brighter and more prosperous streets, moving little by little towards the area with the brightest lights.
Along the way, she paid close attention to the surrounding environment and situation, searching for possible clues.
"Although in terms of population and economy, Overlook City is not as good as Sunset Harbor and Twilight City, but in terms of the scale of urban buildings... it is indeed a little behind."
She noticed that the buildings in Lookout City were generally low, with few exceeding ten stories.
As for the cities that glorify the Plantagenet Empire... let alone a capital city of the level of Twilight City, even a small border city like Loen has a large number of buildings that are more than ten stories high and nearly a hundred meters high.
The reason for this gap is certainly not that the architectural level of the Holy Templar Empire is inferior to that of the Empire, but that the laws of the Holy Church of Grace clearly stipulate that the height of buildings in any area cannot exceed that of the Holy Grace Church under its jurisdiction.
Qi Ji glanced around casually and saw the location of the church that governed Lookout City - it was the most conspicuous and tallest one, about two kilometers away from him.
“So impressive…”
Even from a considerable distance, she could clearly see the large amount of precious metal decorations inlaid on the church tower, the large clock with a complex and luxurious structure that seemed to be showing off, and the religious reliefs with a clear historical atmosphere...
It is hard to imagine how much manpower and material resources it would take to build such a luxurious and exquisite building.
When she passed through the middle of Lookout City and was about to enter the most prosperous core area, the seaside area, a building that she was very familiar with suddenly came into her sight.
It was a five-story Western-style building. On the first floor, there was a traditional double-opening lattice wooden door similar to the door of a bar. Chaotic noise and chaotic spiritual fluctuations poured out from it.
"...Adventurer's Guild?"
Qi Ji recognized at a glance that this building had the same purpose as Stio's "Guild of the Fearless": an intermediary platform for issuing and accepting various commissions for adventurers.
"There's actually an Adventurer's Guild in a place like this? That's really strange..."
In her opinion, adventurers and adventurer guilds can only exist in relatively turbulent border areas.
It is basically not seen in large cities with developed economies and large populations.
Like Sunset Harbor and Twilight City, she had never seen an Adventurer's Guild in such a place.
"It seems that the situation in Lookout City is a bit special..."
Although I have a map in my mind, the collection of the core library is not comprehensive, and the updates are not immediate, so it is normal to have omissions and deviations.
Although her primary purpose for this trip was to investigate the Order of Saint Hydra, it was perfectly fine to try to figure it out if she came across something that was clearly out of the ordinary along the way.
Maybe there is some kind of connection between these seemingly unrelated "unusual things"?
This is not the first time she has encountered such a thing.
So Qi Ji walked straight towards the Adventurer's Guild and pushed the door open.
"Wow, they're exactly the same!"
The scene that came into her eyes gave her the illusion of returning to the place where she started: a long counter, a board of orders hanging on the wall, a noisy, messy, and crowded wooden table...
Apart from the fact that its area is a bit larger than Stio's "Guild of the Fearless", there are almost no other differences.
They are two organizations that are thousands of kilometers apart and have no connection with each other except for being of the same type, but they have such amazing similarities... It's quite amazing.
As soon as she entered the door, she went to the panel where the order forms were posted, and quickly scanned the densely packed order forms, taking in all the contents.
She was curious about what kind of missions could be left for adventurers in this city? Stio basically commissioned various missions such as conquering alien species, eliminating wild beasts, and escorting herbalists into the Great Forest of the East.
It's impossible for a big and economically developed city like Lookout City to be frequently invaded by alien species, wild beasts, and monsters, right?
Even if there is, are the church and the local nobles just there to eat? Why would they entrust such an important task related to the production of urban livelihood to adventurers who may not be reliable?
However, when she finished reading the contents of the order, all these doubts disappeared.
[Commission Difficulty: Level
[Client: Navigator Robert, who is temporarily staying at Villa D16, Xiangjin Mansion, Dele Street, Seaside District.
[Commission content: Mr. Robert's double-decker paddle boat "Enterprise" loaded with special products of the Church will set sail at the beginning of the month to the southern continent for trade. It will stop at Jie Lian Island for supplies on the way. The two voyages are expected to take three weeks and five weeks respectively, and the return journey is also the same. Now three to five righteous warriors are needed to protect him from pirates, sirens and other dangers during the voyage. Special requirements: Applicants must have more than one year of sailing experience.
[Remuneration: Basic salary 180 AL/person, details to be negotiated]
The format and level system are slightly different from Stio's Fearless Guild, but the basic information is still the same.
Qi Ji looked at a few more commissions and found that most of them had similar content, recruiting guards for merchant ships and fleets on the road.
In fact, if you think about it carefully, this is a very normal thing. As a seaport city, Lookout City is also one of the important ports to Jielian Island in the South China Sea and the "Giant Island" in the South Continent. It handles a large number of domestic and foreign commercial ships every day.
The sea conditions in this world are different from those on Earth. In addition to loneliness and storms, the dangers sailors face include the frequent appearance of pirates.
In addition...under the deep sea, there are powerful monsters called "Sirens". They exist in groups, are fearless of death, endless, and can easily tear apart a 20-meter-long ketch.
Once they gather in large numbers, even the steam ironclad ships of the Theocracy's "Sea Knights" dare not take it lightly - the sharp claws and exaggerated strength of these monsters can completely destroy steel structures!
A very small number of powerful sirens can even lead thousands of minions to cause casualties to an entire fleet.
In the not-too-long maritime history of the human world, there are precedents of ironclad ships being sunk by these crazy monsters.
Not to mention ships sailing on the sea, even coastal cities are occasionally attacked by them, and special coastal defenses need to be deployed to deal with the crisis.
There are so many dangers. Without the protection of extraordinary people, I am afraid that not many ships can return safely.
No matter how far the reach of the Grace Holy Church extends, it is impossible for it to take care of the voyage safety of so many domestic and foreign ships. The captains can only figure out a solution on their own.
In this case, the navigators in charge of ships and fleets will definitely hire extraordinary people with certain strength as bodyguards, and adventurers with sailing experience will of course come upon hearing the news.
The huge demand market provides sufficient soil for survival for adventurer guilds and adventurer groups.
"When I have time, I can take a try and experience the thrilling sailing adventure. I have never been on this kind of classic wind-powered ship..."
But she had to wait until the current affairs of the Saint Xudela Society were dealt with. A sea voyage could take ten days, half a month, or even longer, and she didn't have that much free time now.
Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly noticed the people in the guild...
Seems like they are talking about something worth paying attention to?
Chapter 398: Saint Hydra Headquarters
"Hey, Yeke's fleet has been out of contact for three weeks... After such a long time without any news, it's probably already..."
"Yeck? You mean Captain Yeck of the 'Advance'?"
"Yes, that's him. Last month he and his fleet set out from here to the Star Confederation, saying they would be back in half a month, but there has been no news since then."
"It must be a siren... or maybe it was pirates who killed him."
"Wait... you're talking about Yeke?! He has eight three-masted Vulture-class galleys under his command! He always brings at least twenty righteous thoughts with him every time he goes out to sea. There are not many captains in Lookout City who are more generous and willing to spend money on security than him. To say that his entire army was wiped out is too..."
"You've just arrived, haven't you? Things haven't been peaceful lately. The sirens are getting more and more aggressive. Not to mention the merchant ships, even the pirates are almost forced to stop doing their business."
"You know Yorktown, right? It's a small fishing village over 300 kilometers to the east. There were over 200 people. Not a single person was left overnight... The scene was extremely tragic... It happened last week."
"A few days ago, the church's armored fleet said it was going to repel the enemy. When it went out to sea, it was so impressive. It gave a long speech. Who would have known..."
“Could it be… also…?”
"That's not the case. But we sent out five ships, and only four returned, all of them damaged... This kind of loss is something the Ironclad Fleet hasn't seen in at least ten years."
"Ha, the expressions of those normally arrogant knights when they entered the port... It's a pity you didn't see it..."
"Hey, hey, calm down! This is the territory of the Holy Church of Grace, aren't you afraid..."
"Okay, okay..."
Qi Ji paused slightly, but did not stop. He just walked out of the Adventurer's Guild with caution.
The following events were uneventful. Although the Saint Xudela Society was only a small to medium-sized merchant group with little reputation in Lookout City, since it was here, it would be easy to find its location by simply asking a few more locals.
More than half an hour later, in the early hours of the morning when the night was darkest, Qi Ji finally arrived in front of the headquarters of this mysterious business group.
"Is this the organization that appeared in the Gray Forest? It doesn't look special."
Standing about ten meters in front of Qi Ji is a relatively simple four-story building. On the first floor there is a slightly old double door, which is now closed.
It looks unremarkable from the outside, and the block is full of buildings that look similar.
On the lintel of the gate was nailed a wooden plaque with some signs of decay and dampness, on which was carved the words "Order of St. Hydra" in a bold and wild cursive script.
This strange organization, which most likely knew how to enter and exit the Gray Forest dozens or hundreds of years ago and had a close relationship with the sacrificial ritual of Baron Stiol the Lionsmith and the mysterious evil god "First Creator", had nailed its name on the door without any hesitation.
It was as if it was really just a small caravan selling fish, without any strangeness or mystery at all.
"So ugly..."
Since the main business is seafood and it is close to the sea, there is a very strong and pungent fishy smell in the air. The wet and smelly smell makes Qi Ji feel a little nauseous.
"If I didn't want to find out what was going on, I really wouldn't want to go to a place like this..."
Qi Ji stood in front of the gate, looking at the plaque unwillingly. He was stunned for a long time, and suddenly he exhaled slowly and shook his head helplessly:
"I hope I can gain something... otherwise this sin will be in vain."
Mumbling, she took a step forward, came right in front of the sticky door, and activated the "Barrier Crossing".
