Chương 408: Chapter : 408

Ken tilted his head.

"Why can't they go into the deep waters? Did they forget how to steer their boats?" The vendor let out another exhausted sigh. He looked around the ballroom to make sure the snooty nobles were not listening.

"No, they know how to steer," the vendor whispered quietly.

"They stopped sailing deep because massive, terrifying monsters suddenly started attacking their boats. The beasts appeared out of nowhere. They destroy the fishing nets. They smash the hulls of the ships. It is incredibly dangerous." The vendor picked up his knife again. He pointed it toward the ocean outside the window.

"The fishermen are totally terrified," the vendor continued.

"They refuse to sail past the shallow reef. They only fish very close to the shore now. When you only fish near the shore, you catch significantly fewer fish. A restricted supply naturally drives the prices through the roof. It is just basic economics." The girls of the 13th Unit stood completely frozen behind the plant. Their jaws literally dropped open. The massive, complex economic syndicate theory vanished in a single second. It was not a brilliant financial conspiracy.

It was not a complicated political tax scheme. It was just a monster problem. The corrupt lords were simply taking advantage of a natural disaster to maintain their profits. Ken's lazy, hyper-direct slacker logic had effortlessly solved the mystery in two minutes. The elite girls had been overcomplicating everything. Princess Iris walked out from behind the plant. She stepped right up to the catering table. Sayma, Naomi, Laxmi, and Ira followed her. They were completely stunned by the mundane explanation.

"Monsters?" Princess Iris asked politely. Her violet eyes were wide with genuine surprise.

"Excuse me, sir. What exactly kind of monsters are attacking the coast?" The fish vendor looked at the beautiful girls in their elegant gowns. He shrugged his shoulders casually. He went back to slicing a large piece of salmon.

"I do not know, miss," the vendor answered simply.

"I just slice the fish and cook the shrimp. I do not catch them. I have never seen the beasts myself." The vendor pointed his knife toward the large glass windows. He pointed down toward the dark, sandy coastline.

"If you really want to know what is attacking the boats," the vendor suggested helpfully.

"You should just go down to the gritty docks tomorrow morning. Ask the actual fishermen. They are the ones out there on the water. They see the monsters every single day." Ken turned around. He leaned his back against the catering table. He looked at the stunned faces of his elite teammates. He gave them a massive, goofy, entirely satisfied grin. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"See?" Ken announced happily. He slouched his shoulders and put his hands back into his pockets.

"I told you guys. You just have to ask a simple question. Spying is way too much work." Naomi stared at him. She shook her head. She could not believe the lazy slacker had just bypassed their entire flawless spy operation with a single, blunt conversation. He did absolutely zero sneaking, and he got the exact answer they needed. Ken let out a loud yawn.

"Now that the mystery is solved, can we please find a comfortable place to sit down? My legs are officially exhausted from standing here."

The 13th Unit marched directly toward the docks. They left the fancy gala far behind them. The bright morning sun shined over the ocean. The sky was a clear, perfect blue. White seagulls flew in circles above the water. They made loud, annoying noises. The docks were very gritty. Salt stained the old wooden planks. The entire area smelled like dead fish and wet ropes. It was a massive change from the clean, polished floors of the luxury hotel. Ken Eliot walked at the very back of the group.

He dragged his cheap shoes on the wooden boards. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff. He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his wrinkled navy blue suit pants. His white shirt hung completely untucked over his belt. He slouched his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He looked incredibly miserable.

"This place smells terrible," Ken complained loudly. He wrinkled his nose.

"It smells like someone left a fish out in the sun for three years. My nice clothes are going to absorb this smell. I will smell like the ocean forever. I need a massive bottle of perfume." Naomi walked right beside him. She did not yell at him. She did not call him names. She just smiled a very warm, friendly smile. She bumped her shoulder playfully against his arm. She treated him like a very fun, lazy friend.

"Stop whining, Ken," Naomi teased gently. Her green eyes sparkled with amusement.

"We are on an official investigation. We need to gather clues. You can take a very long shower when we get back to the hotel. I promise you will not smell like fish."

"I will hold you to that promise," Ken mumbled lazily. He popped a small piece of strawberry candy into his mouth.

"I demand extra soap. And maybe a very large sandwich for my suffering." Princess Iris walked at the front of the group. Her violet eyes scanned the docks. She looked for anyone who could give them answers. She wanted to know the truth about the sky-high seafood prices. Sayma walked beside the Princess. The Vice-Captain held her neat notebook. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"The local vendors at the party mentioned a massive problem. They said the fishermen refuse to sail into the deep waters. We need to find out why." Laxmi cracked her knuckles. The fire user grinned wildly.

"Maybe a rival gang is attacking their boats. If it is a gang, I will gladly roast their ships. I am totally ready for a fight on the water."

"We do not know the cause yet," Zinia stated calmly. The strong earth mage carried a large bag of supplies on her shoulder.

"We must ask the locals. They know the ocean better than anyone else." Luna walked very slowly. She rubbed her sleepy eyes. She let out a massive, dramatic yawn.

"The ocean is too loud. The waves keep crashing. The seagulls keep screaming. I just want to find a quiet hammock on the beach and take a nap." Ira stood perfectly straight. Her pale face showed zero emotion.

"Statistically speaking, seagulls congregate near areas with abundant food scraps. We should avoid standing directly underneath them." Risa hugged her stuffed teddy bear tightly against her chest. She looked at a large pile of fish heads sitting in a bucket. She shivered.

"The fish have very big eyes. They are staring at me. I do not like it here."

"Just stay close to me, Risa," Princess Iris smiled softly. They continued walking down the gritty docks. They walked past dozens of small fishing boats. The boats were tied securely to the wooden posts. They bobbed gently in the water. Finally, they spotted a group of people.