Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

"You didn't receive information from your underlings since you went to the port town, right?" Rain asked when the group landed in a dark alley.

"Yes… do you think that thanks to that, I missed a bunch of information sent by my subordinates?" Branden asked and then frowned. "How did you guess that I had informants anyway?"

"It was fairly obvious," Rain replied. "Anyway, where can we find your guy here?"

"Probably in some tavern," Branden replied. "The city is unusually quiet, but a place like that is always working, and it is the best place to gather Intel."

The group cautiously exited the dark alley, attempting to hide their appearances by pulling their hoods over their heads. However, despite their efforts, the distinct clinking of Seadir, Sirenus, and Coraline's armor made some noise.

Strangely, there was no one nearby to hear the metallic noise. The streets were empty as they continued on their way. Soon, they arrived at a small square where two taverns stood. Only one had its doors open, casting a faint glow onto the cobblestone pavement.

With Rain leading the way, the group approached the inviting warmth of the open tavern. As Rain entered the establishment alone, the sides of the entrance parted to allow his passage. Inside, the people briefly glanced at him with his hood down but then returned to their own conversations and drinks.

However, Rain couldn't shake the feeling of a lingering gaze from the corner of the room, where a solitary figure sat quietly.

Apparently frustrated by the unwelcome attention, Rain clicked his tongue in annoyance and decided to leave. He rejoined his group outside the tavern. A short while later, as they found themselves back in the dark alley, the man who had been observing Rain earlier entered the alley. He was a member of the king's blade, and he recognized Rain earlier.

"... Lord Branden, I didn't expect that you would come here in person," The informant said. "I take it that you just arrived in incognito since I didn't hear anyone in the city talking about your arrival."

"Yes, sorry for going straight to the point, but we don't have time to idle chat," Branden said. "We are in a race against time to look for the culprits who started the situation on the coast. Did you find any suspicious cargo arriving in the city and straight to the lord's house in the last two months? We also want to know if he has been acting suspiciously as of late."

"My apologies, but I didn't hear or see anything like that," the informant replied. "Still, while this is a mining city, the lord still makes a lot of money by using ships. A lot of food comes from the sea as well, and thanks to that, the city has been kind of quiet and down lately."

Right from the beginning, the group faced a tough situation. Their informant hadn't given them much to work with, leaving them with plenty of unanswered questions. It was clear that they needed to invest time and effort into a thorough investigation to make any progress.

They spent a good amount of time brainstorming how to verify the innocence of the city's lord. It was a complex challenge, and they needed a way to be certain that he wasn't involved in any wrongdoing. Read first at NovelFire _em _pyr.

Ultimately, it was Seadir who managed to confirm the lord's innocence. Not because of his sharp observations or quick thinking but because he had come prepared to really search for the last prisoner.

"There is no one here," Seadir declared.

"... I take that you needed some time to check that," Rain said while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Still, what if there was someone here and that someone died. We can't still rule out the lord here, can we?"

"For now, this much is fine," Branden said. "Our current goal is to find the last prisoner as soon as possible. Thank you for your hard work, and please be sure to inform the organization if you find anything odd regarding this situation."

"Yes, sir," the informant said.

Branden's words triggered a thought in Rain. He began to ponder why the sea folk had chosen to take action now after decades of enduring kidnappings. Something significant must have occurred to push them into action at this particular moment.

As he contemplated the situation, Rain couldn't help but assume that the most recent disappearance among the sea folk must have involved someone of great importance to their community. This would explain why Seadir, a formidable sea folk person, had been dispatched to investigate and seek answers.

Rain felt the urge to inquire about what everyone knew concerning Seadir. Still, he found himself unable to do so with the man in such close proximity. In the end, the group soon departed again on another earth chamber, and this time, they moved south toward Teria city. Recently, one of the guys who had the most ships after Orcis moved there in order to expand his business.

"This smells fishy… a rich guy who has ships and moved to Teria a few months after it was recovered," Rain furrowed his eyebrows.

While Rain immersed himself in his thoughts, Seadir, Sirenus, and Coraline kept a watchful eye on him. They observed him closely, attempting to unravel the enigma that was Rain. It was puzzling because, initially, they had perceived Rain as a skilled warrior due to his combat abilities. However, he now showcased magical talents that were on par with the most skilled mages among their own people.

This unexpected turn of events left the trio of sea folk feeling perplexed and bewildered. Rain, despite his relatively young appearance, possessed seemingly limitless potential as a human. This raised concerns among the three sea folk about what the future might hold.

If humans like Rain continued to emerge with both formidable combat skills and potent magic, it would undoubtedly pose a significant challenge for the sea folk in their interactions with humans.