Although Jodeson had lowered his voice, many pirates in the restaurant still heard him, and they looked thoughtful, some even nodding directly.
Danitz frowned his sallow brows, about to step forward and say something, but saw the Captain turn around, Edwina's gaze calm, sweeping over the surrounding pirates, and slowly said.
"Rayleigh assisted us in Bayam to disrupt Blood Admiral's plan."
"He rescued Danitz."
"He participated in the breakout operation that morning and assisted Danitz in hunting Marco."
"He contributed a compass that could help us find the death god's treasure."
"He retrieved the great sea travels."
"So, he is my crew member, and I will not kick him off the ship just because he is in trouble."
Iceberg Admiral looked at Jodeson: "I can understand your thoughts, but don't bring this up again."
"Yes, Captain." Jodeson lowered his head, smiling helplessly.
Only then did Danitz let out a breath, looking at the Captain, looking at Edwina, his eyes full of smiles as Fourth Mate.
This is the Captain I know!
A moment later, Lex arrived with the second half of the great sea travels, and seeing the unusual atmosphere, he couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"
"Nothing."
"Is this the second half of the great sea travels?"
Taking the book, Edwina nodded and said, "You did very well, Rayleigh. Go rest, you must be tired too."
Lex had no objection to the Captain's arrangements and chose to obey.
---
Bayam, the capital of the Rorsted Archipelago.
In the Sea Wave Cathedral, the white-haired but spirited diocesan bishop was reviewing some files when a priest walked in and bowed, saying, "Your Excellency Chogo, you have a telegram."
The old man looked up, his gaze falling on the telegram in the priest's hand, and nodded.
He took the telegram and read it. After finishing, he was slightly stunned, then asked, "Is there a 'Captain' nearby recently?"
The priest thought for a moment and said, "There is one, Captain Alger is nearby."
A man with hair as messy as seaweed flashed through Chogo's mind. He nodded almost imperceptibly and said, "Notify Captain Alger to secretly go to Yedgar Island."
"There are evil activities there; have him investigate."
"Understood." The priest immediately left.
Chogo looked out the window, at the distant sky. After a moment, he continued to flip through his files.
---
Tingen City, Zotlan Street No. 36.
Blackthorn Security Company.
Thump, thump, thump!
Warren, with slightly curly brown hair and a shy appearance, nervously pushed open the door and saw the classical sofa, soft-backed chairs, and log-colored coffee table used for reception in the room.
His gaze roamed to a table directly opposite, and behind the table, a brown-haired girl with her head bowed, engrossed in reading a copy of the Tingen City Honest Man's Daily.
"Roxanne, is the Captain in?"
"...To welcome the upcoming New Year, the city government has introduced a series of new year policies, including but not limited to improving urban sanitation, combating crime, and rectifying illegal operations..."
The girl, who was reading the newspaper, heard Warren's voice and quickly looked up. Today, she was wearing a light yellow Loen-style long dress, decorated with lace in many places, making her look gentle and beautiful.
"The Captain... is in. I just made him coffee, and he complained that I added too much sugar, but he forgot that he himself told me not to add too much sugar..."
While Roxanne was chattering non-stop, Warren had already entered the inner room through the side door. She made a face and then picked up the newspaper to continue reading.
In the Captain's office, Lewis took off his black-framed glasses and rubbed his slightly sore eyes.
Suddenly, he heard the door open, followed by Warren's voice: "It's bad, Captain."
"Willis is dead!"
Willis was the Aurora Order member they had captured two days prior. After the Night Watchers apprehended him, he was sent to St. Selena's Church, where the personnel there were responsible for interrogation and investigation.
Upon hearing the news, the brown-haired, blue-eyed Captain put on his glasses and said, "How did he die?"
"Suspected loss of control..."
"I heard the people from the church describe that Willis, who had been very quiet, suddenly started laughing wildly and cursing everyone present with vicious language."
Warren gestured as he spoke, "Not long after, dense flesh buds grew on his face and hands, and then his head exploded. The scene was reportedly terrifying; I saw many people still vomiting."
Lewis lightly tapped the table with his fingers: "Originally, we had hoped to extract information about other Aurora Order members and their whereabouts from Willis's mouth."
"Now, the clue is broken again, and he refused to say a single word before."
"He is a Listener, able to directly hear the whispers of the Creator they worship. He may have prayed to that Creator, which is why he lost control..."
Lewis looked up, a movement that deepened the lines on his forehead: "Call Martha over."
Not long after, the Seer with fiery red hair walked in: "Captain, you called for me?"
Lewis nodded: "Regarding the investigation into individuals who had contact with the Moretti family in recent months, what is the current progress?"
"It's mostly sorted out, but the possibility of those people being from the Aurora Order is not high."
At this point, Martha paused, then smiled: "However, among those individuals, there's an old friend we all know. Captain, guess who he is?"
Lewis's gaze was deep, his face devoid of a smile or any expression, as he simply looked at Martha.
"Alright, I admit, I shouldn't ask you such questions."
Martha clenched her fist and cleared her throat: "It's Lex, that young master from Enki Town. He came to Tingen in August and didn't leave until September."
"During this period, he paid a visit to the Moretti family."
Lewis said, "Oh," his expression unchanged: "How did he get to know the Moretti family?"
"I know what you're thinking, Captain, don't worry, I've already checked."
Martha chewed on a candy and said, "The young master invested in Tingen City, collaborating with the Pigeon Telegraph Company to invest in the development of a new communication technology."
"The Tingen University was responsible for developing this technology, and there was a student in that development team at the time named Melissa, Melissa Moretti."
"She is Klein Moretti's sister."
Lewis was then relieved: "I see."
"It's a pity we were only transferred to Tingen City in late September; otherwise, we could have met the young master."
Martha lightly covered her mouth, smiling at Lewis: "He's a bit young, but he's very handsome, don't you think, Captain?"
Lewis said expressionlessly: "Continue to investigate other individuals who have had contact with the Moretti family. We cannot overlook any possibility, and we cannot allow the Aurora Order to have another opportunity."
"Alright, alright." The red-haired girl shook her head, swayed her hips, and left the Captain's office.