Chương 73: Desperate Situation

"So, they really did choose to go to sea?"

Inside the temple, Elijah listened to Bill's report and stared at the map in front of him, deep in thought.

Oliver, standing nearby, looked disgruntled; the long wait and the sudden bad news had made him anxious.

"Your beloved disciple foresaw their location but failed to stop them. This is his second mistake. Now that they have a boat, they can appear anywhere at sea!"

"Don't worry, Baron. At least we've confirmed their location."

Elijah offered a word of comfort, drawing a semicircle on the map with his hand: "Besides, they can only find the cheapest, most dilapidated fishing boats in Shell Village, and those little boats can't go very far..."

Elijah stopped abruptly halfway through his speech.

He thought of Richard and others' professions.

A knight-errant, a druid, a bard, and that overly righteous personality... could it be...?

His gaze shifted to a location on the map, and a confident smile appeared on his face.

"Baron, I think I know where their final destination is."

"This time, we won't let them get away again."

"I will personally lead the team to stop them, in the name of the goddess, to ensure the stability of our cooperation and to ensure that every investment we make yields a return!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Elijah stood up, his luxurious robes billowing without wind, and a golden light shimmering in his eyes.

Upon seeing this, the surrounding priests all bowed their heads in respect.

Oliver wanted to say something more, but seeing the aura emanating from Elijah, he swallowed his complaints.

Since the high priest has decided to take charge personally, there shouldn't be any problems.

How could a few worthless scoundrels possibly be a match for a church that takes things seriously?

but……

To demonstrate his support for the church, he should send another influential subordinate to help.

Thinking this, Oliver whispered to Jason beside him, instructing him to accompany Elijah on his next mission—as the steward of the Phoenix family, the latter, though seemingly an office worker, was a rather experienced sorcerer in his youth.

Upon hearing his master's command, Jason bowed and turned to leave.

He was determined to complete the task well, both to relieve his master's worries and to leave a good impression on the high priest.

After all, he knew all too well that Oliver was not a magnanimous nobleman.

He had already disappointed Jostein once by recommending him to guard Big Gold Tooth; there couldn't be a second time...

The relatively peaceful period passed quickly.

On the fishing boat.

As the sun began to set, Richard and his companions finally saw the large island with mountains and water at the horizon.

Thumb Island, we've arrived.

This is an island located just west of Phoenix, named for its thumb-like shape.

It's neither too big nor too small, and it doesn't have many resources.

However, due to its beautiful scenery and strategic location, the nobles of Phoenix City developed it extensively, building a port, a small fortress, and a palace in the center of the island to entertain guests in the summer.

"It feels so quiet, there's hardly anyone on the shore..."

After the fishing boat docked, Levin was the first to jump in.

He looked around and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Hammer was about to chime in when Mendel covered his mouth with a snap.

"Pah! What are you doing, you brat?"

"Have you forgotten what happened before? I think you'd better stay silent."

"Alright, stop bickering."

Levin shook his head and pointed to the cliffs in the distance, saying, "Let's keep going. Ignas Bethan is currently in his palace in the center of the island. Once we reach that place, we'll have succeeded!"

Everyone perked up and immediately started walking.

Richard and Grace were responsible for bringing up the rear.

Before walking away, he turned back to look at the fishing boat and shouted to the Mediterranean man on board, "Here's your boat back. Good luck!"

The latter nodded and silently rowed away.

Richard sighed and caught up with his teammates.

however……

They had only taken a few steps when they saw several white lights flashing from a lighthouse on the shore!

Immediately, a huge team of more than thirty people emerged from the lighthouse, which should have been empty and cramped!

Richard's eyes widened immediately.

This is... a teleportation array?

Oh no! There's an ambush!

The others also looked surprised, but Iron Hammer, amidst his astonishment, glanced at Mendel defiantly, his eyes clearly conveying: See, I'm not the only one who jinxes people, Levin is too!

But soon, after seeing the opposing team's lineup, the naturally optimistic dwarf lost all interest in joking...

opposite.

The force that arrived was none other than the combined forces of the Church of the Goddess of Wealth and the Phoenix family.

Among them was the team leader, High Priest Elijah, who had recently been promoted to a high priest. Under Richard's Eye of Insight, his level was displayed as 11, with the rest being question marks.

Next to him was Bill, who was level 6, one level higher than the original captain Jostein. It seemed that he had recently been blessed by the gods and successfully advanced.

Then there were a total of 8 golems!

Unlike the fakes Bill made with the Phantom, these eight are all real!

Then there were about 10 church warriors and about 10 mercenaries led by Jason, a level 6 warlock and steward of the Phoenix family.

This fighting force is far stronger than the Killing Cult that previously occupied the Stone Fortress!

Compared to them, Richard and his group were no longer at a disadvantage; it was like a little toe hitting a table leg, or a Shandong man facing a bean peg!

"Everyone, do you have any good ideas...?"

Looking at the sea of heads opposite him, Mendel swallowed hard and asked in a trembling voice, but no one could answer him.

Then Elijah spoke.

"Greetings, my name is Elijah, a devout servant of the goddess. Most of you have probably seen me at the harvest festival celebrations."

"I came here to put an end to this farce."

"I must admit that you are excellent and impressive as adventurers, but unfortunately, you have chosen the wrong path and become a group of lost sheep."

"You should not be enemies of the Church, and you should not place your hopes on the Harpists' Covenant."

"In the end, you don't think we don't know that someone like Ignas is here, do you? Well, to be honest, another high priest of our church is currently in the palace on the island having talks with him."

"Therefore, whether for the sake of interests or to maintain the dignity of the meeting venue, I cannot allow people like you to go in and cause trouble."

Let's leave it at that.

The high priest wore a smile, and his expression could almost be described as compassionate.

But his words turned Levin's face pale.

"Damn it, they found out already...?"

Richard, however, just pursed his lips.

What a big smiling tiger! He finally understood where Bill learned that disgusting smile from!

But disgusting as he was, there was really nothing he could do about that expression.

It must be admitted that he has once again fallen into a desperate situation.

What should I do...?

Beside Richard, Grace sighed softly and reached out to put her hand on his shoulder.

She was ready to transform back into her dragon form in the next second and drag Richard and as many other people as possible away from the island.

Although it would be troublesome to explain afterward and would cause the plan to seek justice to fail completely—after all, it's hard to convince people that a red dragon is righteous—at this point, saving one's life is the most important thing.

"It seems you already know your fate."

Elijah took in everyone's tension, then approached slowly, as if taking a stroll in a garden.

One step, two steps, three steps...

Each step forced Richard and his companions to retreat.

Then, Elijah, like an ordinary pastor about to preach to his believers, confidently spread his arms and said:

"Then why not lay down your weapons and surrender? That way everyone can save some time, and as we all know, time is money..."

"Shut up! You heartless old dung beetle!"

Suddenly, a rough, unrestrained shout, honed by wind and sun, interrupted the high priest's words.

Everyone turned around and saw that the fisherman, who should have already rowed away, had rowed back and was waving at them:

"Get on the boat quickly!"