Kando waved his candle tears, unconsciously adopting a defensive stance. "Say it."
Teest lowered his head. The mocking in those cat eyes that wouldn't go away disappeared, and his fluffy face revealed a bit of solemnity. "Keep an eye on Golden Sword."
The flame atop Kando's head no longer flickered, and when he spoke again, his tone was as steady as if he had become a different person. "The reason?"
Teest chuckled. "No immediate complaints. It seems you've noticed too. Lord Nol is good in all respects but kills too few."
Nol was undoubtedly smart. But he lacked the instinct for life and death that came with having been through the storm of blood and wind on the battlefield—as if there was a bit of sluggishness when turning his eyeballs, a hint of chill at his ankles. It might be illogical, but it undeniably existed, and it was best not to ignore it.
Whether it was the Mad Monk Teest or Hero Drake, neither would simply overlook this sense of dissonance.
"Indeed. To put it in the words of that pair of glasses, the whole thing is too coincidental."
Kando scratched the wick of the candle with his candle tears. "You guys want to investigate the Alva Merchant Group, and Golden Sword just presents himself. Just after finding a way to investigate, a White Demon appears on the same ship, directly related to the Old Duke."
"If it weren't for Fischer Reginald's absolute loyalty to you, I'd suspect this is a setup." That said, his eyes still held doubts when he looked at Teest.
Teest's paws came together, and his tail swung back and forth.
He knew what Kando was doubting. The appearance of Golden Sword was guaranteed by a system quest, and the appearance of the White Demon was vouched for by Pope Fischer. Everything was too reassuring, so smooth that he couldn't help but be suspicious.
"If Star Stealer Sol is involved, it wouldn't use 'Mentor', a new character that raises suspicions. Moreover, the appearance of Mentor was led by Dorothy, who has always been in the Dragon's Lair, making it difficult for Star Stealer Sol to interfere."
Teest's pupils glimmered with a green glow in the darkness. "If I were it, I would tamper with Golden Sword."
"Why hide it from that Lord? Even if you are malicious, have a terrible personality, and don't trust anyone without evidence, that Lord would surely consider your opinion."
Kando spoke in a very official tone, and as soon as the words left his mouth, he was pressed hard against the floor by a cat's paw pad.
Teest didn't answer immediately. He played with Kando occasionally, seemingly deep in thought.
"…He's been in a good mood recently," Teest said after a long while, stepping on Kando.
Nol wouldn't like betrayal, and he only had vague suspicions. Billy might be related to Star Stealer Sol's conspiracy, or he might just be unlucky. Either way, Billy wasn't a threat to them now.
Before confirming the facts, he wanted to give Nol a few more days of relaxation—the pressure on Nol had been too great lately.
Come to think of it, it was the first time he had felt such a subtle emotion. Teest rolled Kando around like a scroll, savoring this peculiar mood.
"I promise you, then! I will keep an eye on Enbillick!" Kando growled discontentedly. "Stop it! Stop rolling, urgh—"
Teest continued to ponder, cruelly rolling his paw pad. After all, it was soft and not a shoe sole, so it wouldn't take a life.
"Stop—" Kando's angry cry echoed in the cramped storeroom.
...
A few days passed, and all was calm.
Nol squatted on the deck, feeling the blowing sea breeze, with Teest beside him. The morning sky and sea were merged by the mist, and the fleet sailed towards the sunrise, under which the light fluttered like broken gold.
These days, they lived like real pets, with a bit more fluffy detective work added to eating and sleeping—
During this time, Nol investigated everything about White Demon Aesop. Except for his special "system lock" status, the kid's experience was nothing special.
According to the suggestion of Golden Sword, during their visit to Ship Island, the kid could stay hidden in the room. As long as he didn't set foot on Ship Island, there would be no second identity verification. He just needed to wait for them to return and take the same merchant ship back.
When they were close to land, they could escape however they wanted.
"That's Ship Island."
Teest nudged Nol with his tail and pointed his chin towards the horizon.
Under the beautiful sunrise, the shadow of an island of moderate size gradually emerged from the mist.
Its outline was roughly square, like a castle floating on the sea. Through the mist, Nol saw the silhouette of green trees and vines and felt the traces of layer upon layer of defensive magic. The fleet must precisely follow the "safe route" left by the magic to proceed. If they charged directly towards Ship Island, they would end up shipwrecked and dead within five minutes.
What was surprising was that this wonderful island wasn't fixed in one place—it was slowly drifting with the current, clearly being steered by someone.
This made the "safe route" constantly change and the difficulty of identification even more exaggerated.
Nol curiously sniffed the sea breeze. "You said you burned the Eternal Church's ship. Did you go to Ship Island then?"
His cat knight wrapped his tail around Nol's paw. "No. That damn place is hard to break into. I destroyed the ship near the coast and escaped on a life raft."
Nol felt the fluffy, big tail. "You must have investigated."
Teest: "At breakfast, Billy told us roughly."
"I'd rather hear it from you." Nol reached out his paw. Finding it too short, he used his tail to stroke the cat's back instead.
Teest paused for two seconds, and a smile appeared in his eyes. "My pleasure, honey."
With the purring of the cat, Teest began his narrative.
"After the fleet arrives, it will be locked at the Ship Island port with magic chains and move forward with Ship Island. This island drifts randomly in the nearby sea area and can't be located by any means. Unless the visitor receives an invitation, it's basically impossible to find it."
The big white cat stretched a paw out towards the endless sea with his claws spread wide open. "Moreover, near Ship Island, the compass will be disturbed by magic, and those who leave on their own will not find the correct route—to leave safely, one can only follow the main force."
'Both entry and exit are strictly controlled,' Nol thought to himself. No wonder the curious Mad Monk didn't land on the island.
"After landing, the identity will be re-verified, and offensive magical items checked. Then comes the official auction held by the Alva Merchant Group."
"After the auction is free trade time. The overall time can be long or short, all depending on the mood of Old Duke Alva… I heard it's like this."
Teest ended his explanation with a purr, focusing on observing the splendid dragon scales under the morning sun.
Nol bit his paw tip.
It was said that Ship Island reorganized every so often, which meant each time, visitors would see a new terrain. True to an organization interfered with by Star Stealer Sol, it was hard to investigate anything with brute force alone.
Old Duke Alva was clearly a very cautious guy. Rumors had it that the Duke only showed up at the auction.
While investigating the Duke, they also needed to assist Billy in stealing the "Bystander's Tongue".
From there, they could only proceed one step at a time.
However…
The shadow of Ship Island grew larger and clearer. Nol's wings drooped, and he buried his nose into Teest's fluffy, soft chest—as a registered commodity, he had to go back into the cage.
Teest licked the tip of the little black dragon's horn. The two small animals squatted on the deck for a while longer, until the last bit of orange-red faded from the sunrise.
It had to be said that the entire process of landing on the island went smoothly to an astonishing degree. The Alva Merchant Group truly lived up to its reputation. The fleet navigated the rugged, safe route smoothly, and the inspection upon landing was quick and thorough.
Through the gaps in the trembling velvet, Nol carefully observed the outside world.
Above them was the blue sky, surrounded by uneven wooden huts and shops, with long shadows cast by sun umbrellas. The path under their feet was paved with a layer of stone, and large, fragrant flowers bloomed in the flower beds. Ripe fruits supported by lush green leaves were placed on tables for anyone to take.
Somehow, the consortium had managed to make the sea's rocking almost non-existent. Looking around, it was almost no different from a seaside town on land.
The tallest building in the "town", up close, indeed looked very much like a castle. It was built of light yet sturdy feather rock, adorned with gems and gold. The brilliant sunlight enveloped every corner, making the entire building appear luxurious without being tacky.
"White Light Castle." Billy, in disguise, touches his eye patch. "The residence of Duke Alva, the location of the auction… Mr. Cat, please be gentler. You're clawing me."
Teest, still perched on his shoulder, carelessly clutched at Golden Sword's clothing with his claws.
"Very imposing. Much larger than I imagined."
Mentor had replaced the hat he usually wore with a straw hat, and a garland had somehow appeared around his neck. Perhaps his disguise was the best among them all, Nol thought. Mentor's vibe was exactly like that of a middle-aged man on a group tour.
"We're staying over there." Billy pointed emotionlessly to a manor next to White Light Castle.
It wasn't as imposing as White Light Castle, but it looked equally comfortable. A high wall, as well as even more insurmountable magic, separated the manor from the castle.
It was obvious that treasures like the "Bystander's Tongue" must be kept inside White Light Castle. Unless Nol revealed his False God powers, they could only enter through the front door—the vault was surely monitored for teleportation magic around the clock so cheating with Kando wouldn't work.
"As per the original plan, our Mr. Dragon will first enter the auction room for investigation. After the auction starts, we enter as sellers and incidentally bring Mr. Cat along."
Mentor quietly repeated the plan.
"Um… Within the duration of an auction, find the 'Bystander's Tongue' for Mr. Billy to use. After that, you help us network to buy what we want."
"Sounds good, but now it seems, it's more difficult than we thought. This place is too big. Just walking from one end to the other takes half a day. Is there enough time for the auction?"
Billy bit his lip. "The 'Bystander's Tongue' should be in the Duke's private collection room. I know roughly where it is."
"It seems you hold a high position in the consortium," Mentor said calmly. "But that makes it more difficult. Just the outer wall's defenses are comparable to the palace, let alone entering the residence of Duke Alva."
"Sir, what we want is indeed expensive. But they're not worth the risk we're taking—I think, besides a bit of a discount on the purchase, we need a higher price."
Indeed, Nol curled up slowly in the cage.
He and Teest were too powerful, and they felt some sympathy for Billy, almost forgetting this point. Normally, their input and reward were slightly disproportionate. At this moment, Mentor acted more like a pragmatic Player.
But what could Mentor negotiate? Completely free materials?
Mentor's demands were mere bluffs. He and Teest didn't actually need curse-removal items. It was unclear what Mentor wanted by raising the price at this juncture.
Nol tried to stretch out a claw tip, prying open a bit of the velvet, and pricked up his ears to listen.
Billy sighed heavily, showing no surprise in his reaction. "Sorry. I did shortchange you a bit."
"Ha, we won't take advantage of someone in trouble." Mentor stood smiling, his hands elegantly propped on his cane. "We just need a fairer price."
Billy's eyebrows twitched. "Name it."
"Since you know Duke Alva so well, you must also recognize some treasures. We'll be entering the Duke's private vault anyway. In addition to the previously agreed price, we'll take a few rare artifacts."
"However, we have limited knowledge of those private treasures. We'll need you to explain and recommend them at that time." Mentor continued, "How about it? You won't have any actual losses."
"Taking a step back, suppose we break into the vault and leave traces, yet nothing is lost. Those people will suspect you sooner or later, so it's better to openly act as thieves."
Billy fell silent. His facial muscles were twitching, showing clear signs of struggle. After a while, he tugged at his lips somewhat dejectedly. "Deal… Just don't go too far."
Strange request. Golden Sword was indeed willing to take the risk. It seemed protecting his family was far more important to him than loyalty to the consortium.
Nol withdrew his claw tip and glanced at the smiling Mentor, then at the ashen-faced Golden Sword.
Forget it. If Mentor wanted something, let him take it. Truth be told, Nol would rather steal Duke Alva himself.
Wait, could the "Essence" and "Blood Potion" mentioned by Fischer also be in the private collection?
Nol bit his claw, lost in thought.
Outside the cage, Teest raised his tail. The grand White Light Castle reflected in his pupils.
Soon, the clear blue sky turned into a night sky studded with stars.
Billy sat in a corner of the room, peeling fruit. The bright red peels quickly flowed from his fingers. Mentor sat in an armchair, calmly reading a book.
In the center of the room, Nol fiddled with the edge of the cage, patiently counting the passing time. Teest sat obediently outside the cage, sneakily sticking his tail into the cage, the tip touching the dragon scales.
A lavish dinner was coming up, followed by an auction that would last the entire night. Before the dinner, staff would come to check the auction items, sending them to the auction room in advance.
Nol had already been pre-registered and was just waiting to be carted backstage.
"Good evening, Mr. Doe. Sorry to disturb you."
A young man in the consortium's formal attire knocked on the door. Nol and Teest both peeked out but didn't see a cart behind him.
Mentor closed his book. "You're here to verify the auction items?"
"No."
The young man showed remorse, gracefully bowing. "I regret to inform you that the Duke has adjusted the standards for auction items. Your registered 'Alchemical Pet' no longer meets the auction threshold and can only be traded freely. As an apology, the Consortium will compensate you with one hundred gold wheels."
"It was fine when we registered. How can it change just like that?" Mentor raised his eyebrows.
Billy slowed down his fruit peeling, and a sudden shade of blood red appeared on the bright red peel.
"Sorry, sir, the Duke sometimes makes last-minute adjustments before the auction. We people at this level don't know the specific reasons."
The young man said respectfully, "If you're not satisfied with the compensation, we can negotiate further. Please believe, the Alva Merchant Group will not let you be troubled."
Trouble had already begun.
Nol gently pressed Teest's tail tip, who returned a solemn gaze.
Auction sellers could enter without conditions, but buyers needed to provide proof of assets in advance—let alone whether they could produce a large amount of proof of assets. It was too late now.
The auction started tonight, and their plan had been completely overturned.
They needed to come up with a better idea quickly. Otherwise, they wouldn't even be able to enter White Light Castle, let alone investigate.
In the backpack behind the little black dragon, Kando stuck out a candle tear. Through a small gap, he watched Billy in the corner—Golden Sword cut his hand and was frowning as blood beads emerged.
The blue eye rotated, scanning towards Mentor talking with the young man. Mentor maintained a polite smile with just the right amount of regret on his face.
"Tsk." Kando muttered silently. "I don't like coincidences either."
Everything was just… too coincidental.