Chapter 717, Please Send This to Gold-Silver Island
Shiyali noticed the other's gaze and looked over in confusion. "What's wrong?"
Sheila Grey's brows remained furrowed. "You think about him that much?"
"Who? What did I even say?" Shiyali looked puzzled.
"You said you wanted to go to the Island Lord's Mansion tonight to chat with Wu Heng," Sheila Grey said directly.
Shiyali widened her eyes and paused briefly before replying, "Yeah. Don't you think things have been boring since he left? When he's here, we get expos, stage plays... now there's nothing."
Sheila Grey continued to eye her suspiciously.
Though the reasoning made sense, Shiyali's tone seemed... off.
She said, "Shiyali, I think something's up with you."
Shiyali got up, walked over to the counter to make tea. "What's up with me?"
"I think you've got feelings for him."
Shiyali returned with her tea, leaned on Sheila Grey's armrest, and draped her hand on her shoulder. "Relax. Sis knows how you feel about him. I won't steal him from you."
Sheila Grey rolled her eyes. "What feelings? Don't talk nonsense."
"So, are we going or not tonight? We've got nothing better to do," Shiyali asked.
Sheila Grey frowned and thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Let's wait a few days. It's not good to keep going. Plus, Minnie said that communicator device doesn't always get through right away. Even if we go, he might not receive anything."
"Alright, you're the steward. You decide," Shiyali shrugged.
"Isn't the opera house doing shows every night? Go watch one."
"Same old boring acts. Not fun," Shiyali sipped her tea and murmured, "Why isn't he back yet?"
"He should be soon." Sheila Grey lifted her cup. "Go pour me some water."
"You're acting mighty high and mighty," Shiyali said, taking her cup.
......
The train doors opened, and Wu Heng stepped out with his skeletal attendants.
He took a deep breath facing the ocean.
The moist sea air filled his lungs with a refreshing feeling.
Gold-Silver Island felt better.
Even Netalei City's port didn't compare to this.
He released the wraiths and started walking toward the city.
"Back to Gold-Silver Island?" Glenda asked.
"Yes, we're back," Wu Heng replied.
"Yay, home again!" Xiaoxiao cheered.
Beni floated nearby and added, "Gold-Silver Island just feels better. It's like a living city."
"Yeah, and there's no bad guys to worry about."
The three wraiths hovered above, clearly feeling the joy of returning from a long journey.
Glenda floated lower and asked, "How's Rentam City doing?"
"I chatted with Wen Mansa yesterday. They've already taken two cities."
Wu Heng had kept tabs on the Rentam City battlefield.
But it had become a one-sided fight—his skeleton army kept pushing forward, while Ekow Kingdom's troops kept retreating.
Two cities and several surrounding towns had already fallen to the skeleton forces.
If the front lines weren't so stretched, fearing flanking attacks on Rentam City, they might've taken more.
Skeletons plus modern firearms had shown overwhelming combat strength.
Heavy firepower, fast speed, no need for supply wagons or rest.
Marching overnight, attacking on sight.
It felt like a blitzkrieg.
This style of warfare was unheard of in this world, completely unmanageable.
They could only retreat again and again.
"Maybe Wen Mansa's doing what you didn't want to—conquering the kingdom by force," Glenda said.
Wu Heng glanced at her. "You mean through military occupation?"
"Yeah. Once the kingdom is taken and population base increases, spreading your fame through newspapers would be enough to level up," she said.
If he controlled territory that size, fame wouldn't be an issue.
But Ekow Kingdom's lands were vast and politically fragmented.
It wouldn't be that simple.
"We'll see," Wu Heng replied.
"Still, skeletons really are born fighters," Glenda said.
They chatted as they walked into the bustling streets.
Residents were gathered on roadsides, chatting about Netalei City.
Merchant fleets had arrived at Netalei's port.
News and rumors were spreading across nearby cities and islands.
It had become a hot topic on Gold-Silver Island.
"Heard the Guild plans to replace the royal family."
"Who said that? Based on the timeline, they haven't even reached the capital. Besides, the Guild doesn't meddle in domestic politics. They can't just swap royalty."
"That's what people say. Colluding with cults and killing an investigation team? The royals are finished."
"I heard the current prince is a cultist, switched at birth."
"That's fake. My source says the ministers are cultists, and the prince's just a puppet."
"Wasn't there a rumor about royal blood sacrifices to gain immortality?"
"Which of these is real?"
Wu Heng and his wraiths slowed to listen.
Hearing the chatter, Wu Heng frowned.
Where were these rumors coming from? So many versions?
So far, they only had information from corpse interrogation linking the First Prince to a cult—how did it jump to blood sacrifice?
That's a pretty big leap.
It got worse—someone claimed Wu Heng was the old king's illegitimate son and had a claim to the throne.
It was absurd.
Seeing no useful intel, Wu Heng quickened his pace.
"Uncle, Beni and I are going to the tavern to hear stories," Xiaoxiao said.
"Go ahead. Don't stay too long," Wu Heng replied.
"Okay." Xiaoxiao led Beni across the street into the tavern.
Wu Heng hailed a carriage and returned to the Island Lord's Mansion.
......
A ways from the mansion, he paid and got off the carriage.
Removing his mask, he walked with his skeleton attendants.
Along the way, he saw patrolling skeletons, even hidden ones on rooftops and alleys.
This was the island's most heavily guarded area.
Wu Heng pushed open the gate and entered.
Minnie came running with Robe and Annette. Seeing Wu Heng, she beamed, "Master, you snuck back again?"
"What do you mean snuck? There's nothing left for me to do in Netalei City," Wu Heng replied.
"It's over?"
Wu Heng put his arm around Minnie's shoulder as they walked, "It's over. Aren't you happy I'm back?"
"Of course. We're always happy when you're back." Minnie asked, "Are you leaving again?"
"Probably not. The Guild assigned tasks I can handle from here," Wu Heng said.
They entered the living room.
The maids helped him take off his coat.
"Would you like lunch, Master?" Minnie asked.
"Prepare lunch. And a bath."
"Yes, Master." The three maids bounced off cheerfully to prepare.
......
Wu Heng enjoyed a nice bath and lunch.
After chatting with the maids, he went upstairs to the study.
As he opened the door, Xiaoxiao and Beni also returned.
"Uncle, there's a new detective story! About a demon hound! I've never heard this one," Xiaoxiao said excitedly.
The detective stories were already up to the third installment.
"Your aunt wrote it. Draft's in the drawer. You can read it," Wu Heng said.
"No way! I want to hear someone tell it. I hate too many words," Xiaoxiao whined.
"What about you, Beni? How's the new story?" Wu Heng asked.
"Pretty exciting. When Xiaoxiao and I went, it was halfway through. The story was hard to follow," Beni said.
"A couple more days and you'll catch up."
"Yeah, we'll go out tonight once the streetlights are up," Beni added.
The four of them chatted briefly.
Then they split to do their own tasks.
Wu Heng pulled out a blueprint and started studying it.
......
Evening.
The maids called for dinner.
Wu Heng came down. Andviel had also returned and was waiting in the living room with Minnie.
"Master, you're back!" Andviel greeted him with a smile.
Wu Heng nodded and joined them at the table.
After eating a bit—
Wu Heng said, "Andviel, the investigation team needs supplies from Gold-Silver Island sent to Netalei. I'll leave it to you."
He handed her a list.
Andviel glanced at it. "I'll start tomorrow."
"No rush. Three days from now is fine."
"Understood, Master."
After dinner, the skeletons cleaned up.
Sitting in the living room, Minnie asked softly, "Master, why'd the Guild reassign you? Weren't you the one who solved the case?"
"Maybe they have special reasons," Wu Heng replied, biting into a piece of fruit Annette handed him. "Honestly, I'm fine with it. The Ekow Kingdom might be more complicated than it seems."
"What's complicated? Tell us a story," the maids said, clearly eager.
"I saw a Hero in Netalei City. A level 20 Hero. He also headed toward the kingdom's capital."
All four maids' eyes widened.
"A Hero!"
......
Blackstone Town.
Madam Slater rubbed her temples and set the documents aside.
A large number of refugees had fled from the north, plunging the entire town into chaos.
On top of that, the undead army was rumored to be approaching, with wild talk about them leaving no survivors.
Fights and assaults were becoming a daily occurrence.
Even the Guild teams were stretched thin.
"What is Wen Mansa doing? Why did she start attacking already?"
"A woman from a gang... of course she's reckless."
Knock knock knock~!
There was a knock at the door.
"Come in!"
The door opened and four figures appeared. "Madam Slater, we hope we're not disturbing you."
She looked up, surprised.
She had expected Yuli, but it was several of the city's most well-known nobles.
"Please, come in," Slater gestured.
They entered and sat on the sofa, casting cautious glances at the skeletal figure standing guard.
The figure was tightly wrapped up.
But from rumors, they knew it was a high-level skeleton attendant.
Left specifically for Madam Slater's protection.
"What brings you here?" she asked, curious.
A chubby, curly-haired merchant spoke softly, "Madam Slater, is it true the skeleton army is headed here?"
Refugees were arriving nonstop.
It was hard to believe it wasn't real.
But people still clung to hope.
Slater glanced at them. "Several Guild members recently passed through Blackstone. From their reports, the information is accurate."
"Sigh..." the merchant sighed, then asked, "Will you be leaving Blackstone Town?"
She couldn't quite figure out their intentions but replied calmly, "It's hard to say, but most likely not. The other Guild members won't leave either."
"Because of your connections to Rentam City?"
Her brow twitched but she said nothing.
The merchant quickly clarified, "Please don't misunderstand, we just wanted to know if you have ties to Rentam. If so, could you help protect us?"
The Golden Cat in Blackstone had shut down and relocated to Rentam.
It caused quite a stir back then.
Many believed Slater had connections to Rentam.
"Why haven't you left yet?" she asked.
"The royal capital isn't safe either," the man replied. "If there's any way to keep us and our families safe, we'd be grateful."
As he spoke, he placed a small wooden box on the table and opened it.
Gold coins gleamed inside.
In a town like Blackstone, that was a sizable fortune.
Once the first offered gold, the rest began to speak up.
"Madam, I'll give you 20% of the profits from my mine."
"I've got savings, too. Please help us."
"..."
Promises and riches piled up on the table.
Slater looked on calmly.
Thanks to Gold Cat's recent profits, these offers didn't tempt her much.
After a glance and some thought, she said, "I can't just ignore this. If things turn bad, bring your families to the Guild. I'll protect you."
With Wu Heng's connection, Wen Mansa's troops wouldn't harm her.
She doubted they'd truly leave no one alive, like some claimed. That wasn't Wu Heng's style.
Protecting these people wouldn't be a problem.
"Thank you, Madam." Relief spread across their faces.
"Take your things back. If danger comes, just show up," she said.
"Oh no, we won't take them back."
They left their offerings, bowed, and exited.
Slater glanced at the items.
She casually stored them away.
......
She reorganized her documents.
Just as she was about to go home—
Knock knock knock~!
Another knock came. Before she could answer—
Yuli poked her head in. "Aunt, you got a letter."
Slater frowned and took the envelope.
Her brows knitted as she read, face growing serious.
"What is it, Aunt?" Yuli asked.
Slater put down the letter. "Cult intel. Ekow Kingdom really is a hub for cult activity."
"What happened?"
Slater took a deep breath. "Remember that Gold-Silver Island spy we let go during the Destiny Cult incident?"
"The guy from the Flying Fish Pirate Crew?" Yuli was shocked. She hadn't expected a letter after all this time.
"Yeah. He says several cults are gathering in Erjiro City. Looks like some kind of alliance targeting Ekow. Other areas are locked down, so he asked us to send word to Gold-Silver Island."
Cults?
Send word to Gold-Silver Island?
Yuli frowned too.
It sounded serious.
"Should I head to Rentam? They have that device to contact Wu Heng, right?"
Slater shook her head. "No. It's too dangerous. The army's on full alert."
In the past, sneaking out wasn't hard.
But now with tight military control, if Yuli flew as a hawk, she'd be shot down.
They'd seen what those weapons could do.
"Then what?"
"We wait. When Rentam's forces get here, we tell them," Slater said.
"Alright. I do kinda miss Wu Heng though. Why hasn't he come back?"
Slater's brow furrowed. "You miss him?"
"Why not?"
Slater tucked the letter away. "He's not right for you."
......
Gold-Silver Island, Steward's Residence.
The air carried a light floral fragrance.
The courtyard was meticulously tended by the elf sisters—flowers blooming, butterflies fluttering.
Sheila Grey sat in the pavilion, spacing out as she watched the butterflies.
Though she'd argued with Shiyali, she really was missing Wu Heng.
She should've agreed to visit the Island Lord's Mansion. Maybe they could've contacted him, chatted a bit, exchanged info.
Shiyali wasn't entirely wrong.
Without Wu Heng, the island just wasn't as lively.
"If only he'd come back sooner. It'd be more fun," she murmured.
As she mumbled, her eyes narrowed.
A magic array lit up in front of her, rapidly forming.
A teleportation scroll? A teleportation formation?
Someone dared to appear here?
Sheila Grey's eyes went sharp. She flipped her hand, summoning the cursed blade [White Phoenix].
A pale mist enveloped her.
"Daring to intrude on the steward's residence? You've got guts."
As the figure within the formation began to solidify, she charged forward, blade slashing down.