Cthulhu Gonfalon

“I never knew that Xiao Xiyu already knew about this.” Madame Teague said. What was even more surprising was that when Ray told Madame Teague about Zesheng, she was not surprised at all. Instead she sighed, “This kid is too smart!”

“Ah? Madame Teague, you knew about this?” Ray was surprised.

“Of course, my husband’s death in the sea is still a mystery to me; I am his wife and I need to carefully do some research about this,” Madame Teague said calmly. “I didn’t think this was just coincidence from the very beginning. It is a conspiracy, and I believe that whoever benefits most from an incident is the most suspicious. So I started my research in the Noble Maids Church, and I quickly got the clue.”

She smiled, and said, “Although I have been living in retirement for many years, I was once a very experienced adventurer. In fact, I was very famous for being an adventurer who travelled all over the place. Besides, I am much more efficient than that green hand, Xiao Xiyu.”

Ray finally understood, and laughed.

All this time, he had underestimated Madame Teague’s ability, and it never occurred to him that how could it be possible for an ordinary woman to be so lively and talk so jovially with a bunch of powerful adventurers. Knight Parne himself was an advanced knight, and Madame Teague was at least an adventurer of the intermediate level; so there was a great chance that she could be as strong as her husband!

“If you knew everything, why have you kept silent all this time?” He was confused.

“Who do you think I could talk to, then?” Madame Teague sighed. “My children are still very weak, and knowing this would do them no good. Besides, all my old friends have either died together with my husband, or defected to the Noble Maids Church. I had no choice but to bury this secret at the bottom of my heart, settle my children in other places, and then ask someone to research this.”

“Still, you should have told me this!” Ray said. “Since I have already gotten involved in this business, I should do something about it! Besides, I am really powerful. If I cannot help you, I can get my companions to help you. If they can’t help you either, I can even ask His Majesty to help you.”

“You are a real knight! I don’t want to get others into danger for me.”

Ray could not help but laugh, and said, “Madame Teague, since you have already admitted that I am a knight, I am sure that you know that it is normally the knight who decides whether he should get himself into a certain business or not.”

He stood up and became very serious. “As a knight myself, I have to do something to destroy this vicious conspiracy! And I swear on my honor that I will try my best to destroy every conspiracy and punish the guilty!”

Hearing these words, Madame Teague was totally persuaded by Ray. Once a knight had sworn on his honor to help someone, one could never refuse the offer. If one was still not willing to accept his offer, they would insult the knight’s honour.

Now that the two had reached a consensus on this key issue, things would go smoothly in the future.

Madame Teague told Ray the information she had already collected. Compared with the information Zesheng had collected, hers was much more detailed, especially on some critical issues, which made Ray feel very excited. For example, she got the information about the man who had made some contact with the businessman who sailed away.

That man was called Sean Riley, the son of the castellan of Garth Town. He was in charge of the business activity in Garth Town. To create a new business route, he sailed to the Mifata Federation and happened to meet with the businessman who was doing business in the White Pagoda Bay. Since then, they had become friends.

If there was any conspiracy behind Madame Teague’s husband’s death, this Sean Riley must have had something to do with it; and there was a big chance that he was the co-partner of the officiant.

Ray nodded and said, “This piece of information is really crucial! I have thought this through! I will immediately make my departure with Steele to find this Sean Riley, and talk with him.”

“He is not here. He is either in Garth Town or Cloud Pagoda Bay.”

“Cloud Pagoda Bay? Hadn’t they met each other at White Pagoda Bay?”

“White Pagoda Bay is the most important bay in our Federation, and the good and the bad are mixed here together. There are countless powerful figures and organizations here. To make sure of their own security, they would definitely choose White Pagoda Bay as their transit,” Madame Teague said. “Cloud Pagoda Bay is not that big, but for a merchant fleet, it is big enough. More importantly, the ruler of the Cloud Pagoda Bay is an advanced wizard, and when Sean Riley got into a fight with him, it would have been much easier for Sean to deal with him than with a legendary wizard. Besides, he had got a small appetite.”

Ray nodded, and asked her what he should mind.

“There is only one thing that you should be careful with,” Madame Teague said. “My whole family and me, who will come with you two.”

“What?!” Ray was stunned. “This is impossible! I know you are very powerful, and Miss Liv is also capable to have a fight, but how could you make Miss Nice to join us too?”

“You are doing all this for me, and you are willing to take the risk to find out the reason why my husband died. Of course I can’t not allow you to take the risk while I stay at home and do nothing about this. Thus, I have to come with you two,” Madame said peacefully. “If I go with you, Liv and Nice will not be strong enough to protect themselves. Leaving them behind means I am giving them away to the enemy. So I have to take them with me.”

“There is really no need for you to come, please have faith in yourself.”

“It has nothing to do with your ability. Like you said, you are a knight and have your own principles and honor. I, as the wife of Parne, also have my own principles and honor,” Madame Teague said gently but in a very determined way. “If you think we three are a burden, we can follow you two behind. I promise I won’t make any trouble for you. But to be honest, I think the best choice is for us to go together.”

Ray frowned and looked at Steele, who was carefully listening, hoping to get some support from her.

Steele said, “I think Madame Teague is right. I think we should better go together.”

Ray hadn’t thought Steele would agree with Madame Teague, so he turned to Sui Xiong.

“I don’t see any problems with her coming with us,” Sui Xiong said. “Is there anything wrong with a wife wanting to avenge her husband and finding the reason for his death? And it is also right for a daughter to do so for her father. As for young Nice, do you think we should leave her alone?”

“But… it is too dangerous! There may be a big fight!” Ray was very mad. “Haven’t you thought about how dangerous this may be? And Nice is still too young!”

Sui Xiong finally got what he meant and began to curse. “Sh*t! What’s wrong with you? Are you doubting my power? If you can’t protect her, you still have me! No matter how big a fight we may face, I can definitely protect her!”

Ray was heavily criticized by Sui Xiong, and he forced out a smile.

Things were settled then. Madame Teague and her family would go together with them. Madame Teague was indeed a vigorous and resolute person. She immediately began to pack with Nice, and put all the valuable objects or anything that was memorable away. When Liv came back home after paying all the debt, she was stunned to see that her house had been emptied.

“What… what is going on?” she asked. “Are we moving away?”

“No, we are going to Cloud Pagoda Bay.” Madame Teague felt there was no need to hide anything anymore, so she explained it all to Liv. “Your father’s death, as well as other people’s, is actually not that simple. There is some conspiracy behind it. Mr. Ray has promised us that he and Miss Steele will come with us together to Cloud Pagoda Bay, and help us to find the one who knows about this, and uncover the truth.”

Liv was totally stunned while watching her mother, who was wearing leather armour, a longbow, a bag full of arrows, and a longsword. Her sister Nice was also wearing a small leather armour and holding a toy-like small shield in her hand, and ran happily around. She couldn’t believe her eyes. What on earth was going on? She never knew her mother was an adventurer! And the armour her sister was wearing: her mother must had prepared in a long time ago!

“…You said that our father was sneak attacked by the ‘Dark Tide’ Thom Sal, hadn’t you?” Liv asked.

“Things are a bit strange, and there is conspiracy behind it,” Madame Teague said. “Since there is conspiracy behind it, I shall find the truth!”

Liv frowned and nodded, “Fine. We shall make our departures immediately!”

Sui Xiong was very impressed by this girl, and said to Ray secretly, “This girl is also very vigorous and resolute; she has received very good family education!”

“Yes; still, I am a bit worried.” Ray forced out a smile. “I don’t know why, I just have a really strange feeling.”

“My god! You are a knight; when did you become a seer? ‘strange feeling’…even I do have this sort of strange feeling, just be sensible!”

Ray was speechless and felt self-mockery; then he stopped being worried.

His Majesty is right. We will be safe with His Majesty around us. If there is still danger when we are accompanied by a God, then there will never be a safe place in this world.

“Maybe I am thinking too much…”

“Of course!” Sui Xiong sneered, and then practiced a divination spell.

Unfortunately, because of the conspiracy behind this business, the divination spell failed to show the good or ill luck of their journey.

“The spell does not work. How inconvenient!” Sui Xiong murmured. “Alas! In the past, I was just muddling along without aim. I couldn’t do the divination spell either, but I never felt like this. Now I can do the divination spell, and whenever I can’t predict the future while facing a big thing, I feel very unsettled…”

He then thought of the spell he did before. At that time, he wanted to know whether his journey would be smooth or not. The result was that the journey would be smooth, and have some good surprises.

Judging from now, Ray and Steele were the ‘good surprises.’ But if the original purpose of his journey was never realized… then what did this ‘smooth journey’ really mean?

Alas! Being a seer was a difficult job both for the immortal and the God!