Chapter 3638: Detained
Chapter 3638: Detained
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The player team’s ships came to a stop in the temporary anchorage zone within the bay.
The Empire Bay Guard boarded the ship, and after presenting the royal family’s assistance and investigation document, they began carrying out the inspection.
Several of the guard soldiers had clearly come prepared and headed straight for the cargo hold.
The moment they looked inside, they saw the hold packed full of sapphire crystal ore. For a moment, they were dazed. They rubbed their eyes, almost suspecting they had seen it wrong.
High-concentration crystal ore!
And so much of it!
"Quick! Report to the captain! We found something unusual!"
Cao Ge and the others returned to the shoreline first and waited there for a while, but they found that the Empire guards still had not given permission to proceed.
The group exchanged glances, each of them feeling a growing sense that something was wrong.
In the past, ship inspections had mostly been routine formalities. Why was this one taking so long?
Soon, the sound of commotion rose from several of the ships.
Realizing something was off, Cao Ge began walking toward the hold and asked, "What’s going on over there? I’ll go take a look."
"Hold it."
Two soldiers from the Empire Bay Guard immediately stepped in front of Cao Ge.
"You will remain here until the inspection is complete."
Before long, as the noise aboard the ships grew louder, a group of soldiers hurried over.
Cao Ge’s expression gradually darkened.
He recognized the man leading them.
Captain Casbin of the Empire Bay Guard.
He oversaw the entire bay port’s daily security operations.
Back in the early phase of the player’s mission, their team had spent considerable time and effort building favor with Casbin.
Even now, they still paid him off every month.
"Captain Casbin! What’s all this today? Why have you brought so many men? Why make such a big scene?"
When Casbin saw Cao Ge, a smile appeared on his face as well. He stepped forward and held out a document in front of Cao Ge.
"Cao Ge, so it was you. My apologies, but official business is official business. Your ships have been temporarily impounded. This is the seizure order."
Cao Ge took the document stamped with the royal seal, and his heart sank.
The document was genuine.
"Why? On what grounds?"
"Your cargo bears a strong resemblance to a shipment that recently went missing. The Empire suspects there is a problem with this batch of goods."
At the side, Howell was the first to lose his composure and shouted, "Impossible! We just gathered this cargo ourselves! How could it be stolen?"
"Is that so? Then that is rather strange. Not long ago, the Seth Chamber of Commerce reported to the Empire that a shipment of sapphire crystal ore had been seized by the Skeleton Pirate Crew while en route."
"And by coincidence, your ships just happen to be carrying a shipment of sapphire crystal."
"What is even more curious is that our inspection found that your ships have undergone illegal modifications. We also found markings belonging to the Skeleton Pirate Crew aboard them."
Casbin turned to Howell and asked, "Can you explain these discrepancies?"
Howell did not think much of it and answered honestly, "We were attacked by the Skeleton Pirate Crew while gathering ore. We defeated them. These ships are our spoils of war."
For a brief moment, the shoreline fell silent. Then the Empire’s soldiers broke into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
"Did you hear that? They said those ships were their spoils?"
"They defeated the Skeleton Pirate Crew? Hahaha... that’s hilarious."
They defeated the Skeleton Pirate Crew?
With just them?
The soldiers felt as though they had heard the greatest joke in the world and burst into laughter.
The Skeleton Pirate Crew had dominated the bay region for so long. The Empire had sent troops countless times to suppress them and failed every single time. And this little squad had defeated them?
What a joke.
If they were going to make up an excuse, they could at least have made a better one.
Even Casbin struggled to suppress his amusement. The corner of his mouth curled into a smile as he said, "Enough. Regardless of where your ships and sapphire crystal came from, whether you were deceived or merely picked them up, this batch of ships and cargo will be temporarily confiscated by the Empire."
"Once we complete our investigation, if the missing goods have nothing to do with you, your cargo and ships will naturally be returned."
"How can you do this? Those are our things!"
Howell panicked and, together with several crewmen, blocked the entrance to the ships.
Casbin turned to Cao Ge and said, "What? Or would you prefer to come back with us? I suggest you think very carefully. Prison is not a pleasant place."
"Captain Casbin, please believe me. There must be some misunderstanding here."
Cao Ge signaled for Howell not to act rashly, then stepped beside Casbin and discreetly passed him a pouch.
"My apologies, but this order came directly from the Grand Duke. I must handle this officially."
Casbin chuckled and did not take what Cao Ge offered. With a wave of his hand, he gave the order.
"What are you all standing around for? Seal the ships!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Stay calm, all of you. Give me some time. I’ll handle this."
The situation had erupted too suddenly. Cao Ge hurried forward to stop Howell and motioned for him to stay calm and avoid direct conflict with the Empire’s soldiers.
Fang Heng stood on the shore, watching as the Empire’s soldiers took temporary control of the ships in the bay. He narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in a low voice, "What? Someone is trying to steal our things?"
It had been a very long time since anyone had tried to take something from him.
Hearing Fang Heng speak from behind him, Cao Ge’s heart immediately tightened.
D*mn it.
He had forgotten that among them was an even more unstable time bomb than Howell.
Fang Heng was someone who had dared to confront the Holy Court head-on.
What was a mere Empire in comparison?
If they angered him, the Empire itself might be wiped out.
Cao Ge quickly turned around and looked at Fang Heng.
"Your Majesty, please wait a moment longer. If we come into conflict with the Empire, it will greatly affect our current mission line. Please leave this to me. Trust me, I can resolve it."
"Fine. I’ll leave it to you, then. Handle it quickly. I also happen to need to head back for a while."
Fang Heng shrugged.
It did not matter.
He would let them deal with it first.
If they could not resolve it, he would clean up afterward.
It was only an Empire. At worst, he would simply wipe them all out.
It would just mean taking a few extra detours.
For now, he could return to the Martial Apex Tournament and check on the progress of his zombie clone’s idle farming.
Come to think of it, after entering the Black Sea game, he had tried summoning Abe Akaya, but spatial interference had blocked the teleportation.
Fang Heng could tell the interference came from the game itself.
"Huu..."
Hearing that, Cao Ge let out a long breath of relief.
People outside always said Fang Heng was difficult to deal with, but Cao Ge actually felt Fang Heng was quite reasonable.
"I will not fail your expectations. Your residence has already been arranged. I’ll have someone escort you there."
"There’s no need for the trouble."
Fang Heng lightly shook his head and quickly formed a seal with both hands in front of him.
Whoosh!
A phantom alchemy magic array rapidly condensed beneath Fang Heng’s feet and solidified into form.
Shadows poured out from the magic array and quickly enveloped Fang Heng.
A breeze passed by, and Fang Heng disappeared from where he stood.