Seeing that Weaver had no further intelligence to provide, Ebner pondered for a moment before asking another question, "Do you know which foreign faction is backing the Winsto tribe?"
Generally speaking, the resistance forces in Loen's colonies were often supported by intelligence agencies from other nations—whether it be Feysac, Intis, or even Feynapotter…
Weaver hesitated and said with some difficulty, "Sir, I've only been in charge for a short time… I'm not entirely sure about that yet." He thought for a moment and then added, "However, based on my assessment, it's probably not Intis or Feysac… Otherwise, Winsto wouldn't have such a moderate stance in their resistance."
So, it really might be Feynapotter backing them? That would explain why Judy, as a representative of the Earth Mother's Church, was so respected by the tribal elders… After all, they're the ones funding them.
With this conclusion in mind, Ebner proceeded to ask about the subordinate that Judy had released. He intended to perform some damage control.
Originally, Weaver had planned to give the man a sum of money and send him far away from Bayam. However, hearing his employer's question, he gritted his teeth and decisively declared, "Sir, don't worry. I'll take care of him immediately!"
…So, in your eyes, I'm that ruthless?
Feeling somewhat exasperated, Ebner emphasized, "I meant bring him to me before tomorrow's gathering—I will ensure he forgets what he shouldn't know."
Since he was just a regular person, a simple "suggestion" would be enough to erase everything from his mind. Besides, even if it became known that Ebner was the true owner of Amyris Leaf Bar, it wasn't a big deal. With the Earth Mother's Church backing him and no criminal record, the Punishers wouldn't arrest him over this—at most, it'd be an inconvenience.
Not harming the innocent was one of Ebner's core principles, and he intended to stick to it.
Hearing this, Weaver let out a relieved sigh and responded, "Understood, sir."
With his message delivered, Sea Serpent Weaver didn't linger. After bidding Ebner farewell, he departed Fragrant Manor by carriage.
Once Weaver was gone, Ebner picked up Judy's handwritten letter again. He carefully read it several more times but found no hidden messages.
After a moment of contemplation, he activated Pure White Eye to extract the remaining aura from the letter and trace its origin.
A few minutes later, as the colors in his eyes returned to normal, Ebner placed the letter back on the table and rubbed his chin, murmuring, "The residual aura does contain Judy's presence… but there are also traces of something else mixed in—it's not completely pure…"
As for the 'tracing'… since I'm not at the scene and lack sufficient clues, even with the 'cheat' of Pure White Eye, the effect wasn't great. I could only get a rough glimpse of 'Judy' writing the letter…
He absentmindedly tapped his fingers on the desk—just like "The Fool" used to do—as he weighed the risks.
Finally, he decided:
Tonight, I'll investigate the Winsto tribe.
As for whether to attend the meeting, that would depend on what he found.
The way Judy invited him, along with the wording in her letter, felt off.
If that 'foolish but earnest girl' truly wanted to see me, she wouldn't have sent a letter—she would've come directly to my door, just like she did in Backlund.
Even if she couldn't leave, writing a letter in this particular manner was uncharacteristic of her…
A Feynapotter girl writing in Loenese—and using the handwriting style of the alias she once assumed—was highly unusual.
Is she in trouble?
Letting out a faint sigh, Ebner walked to his bookshelf, retrieved a map of Bayam, and began studying it carefully.
As her friend, he couldn't just ignore Judy's plight. She had helped him many times, and he had yet to fulfill his promise of collecting unique plants for her.
Besides…
If something truly happened to Judy, how could I face Closfia afterward? Let alone ask for her help in completing my Sequence 5 advancement ritual…
Just as Ebner pinpointed the exact location of Winsto, a knock came from his study door.
Helene entered and reported, "Mr. Bryan, there are two ladies and a young man here to see you… The boy is the same one we encountered at the herb shop earlier."
"So, Gwen, Lydia, and Tran have arrived."
Putting down the map, Ebner pondered for a moment before ringing the servant's bell. When the butler arrived, he instructed, "Prepare the finest ingredients we have in storage—I'll be dining with my friends."
A banquet was out of the question… He still had to investigate that tribe tonight, and he didn't want anything going wrong before departure. A simple dinner would suffice.
...
In the living room, Gwen and the others sat on the sofa, chatting in hushed tones.
After some searching, they had ultimately failed to find a satisfactory inn due to price and various other factors. Encouraged by Lydia, they had instead come to Fragrant Manor to ask for lodging.
"I actually visited this place when I was a kid. Back then, the butler was Mr. Harvey's grandfather," Lydia said while glancing around. "The decorations are different now… Last time I was here, this living room had a bunch of famous paintings."
Since her identity as a vampire had already been exposed, Lydia no longer held back in front of Gwen and Tran.
"Maybe Mr. Bryan doesn't like oil paintings," Gwen replied with a soft chuckle, then gently reminded her, "Lydia, as a guest in someone else's home, you can't behave as you please…"
Then, she turned to Tran with a serious expression. "And you, Tran… You can't keep indulging Lydia. You can't just give her however much she asks for."
Tran's face immediately flushed red. He stammered, trying to explain, but he didn't even know where to begin… Captain Gwen still believed that Lydia was only after his blood, but in reality…
Lydia didn't particularly mind Gwen's assumption, but she didn't want to lie to her, so she merely hummed in acknowledgment and swiftly changed the topic, "Speaking of which, that maid earlier was a little strange."
"What do you mean strange? I thought she was both beautiful and competent—certainly more reliable than you two," Gwen asked curiously, her attention successfully diverted.
"She carries a hint of 'corruption,' which suggests she's been through certain experiences… But oddly enough, her body remains pure. Isn't that strange?" Lydia smacked her lips.
"You always focus on the weirdest things…" Gwen nearly covered her face in exasperation.
"As a vampire, isn't it only natural to pay attention to whether my 'food' is still… fresh?" Lydia blinked playfully.
Gwen was about to say something else when she saw Ebner push open the door and enter the living room. She immediately rose to her feet and greeted him with a respectful bow.
Ebner returned the courtesy to all three in turn before sitting down and engaging in casual conversation with them…
...
Southwest of Bayam, deep within the jungle, at the bottom of a cliffside valley…
Inside a hastily constructed protective barrier, the elite Desolator squad members, Cullen and Judy, struggled to hold their ground. Using their mystical items and the terrain to their advantage, they barely managed to fend off the relentless assault of the valley's frenzied plants.
Behind them, their team captain, the half-giant Arsenoff, lay unconscious on the ground.
Seated on a rock, Cullen focused on recovering his nearly depleted spirituality while addressing Judy, "That 'cherry' explosion had the destructive power of a demi-god. If Captain hadn't shielded us from most of the impact, our barrier wouldn't have lasted a second…
"But even so, we won't be able to hold out much longer… Judy, how certain are you that the 'plant substitute' you sent out before the valley was sealed will bring reinforcements?"
Judy wiped the sweat from her forehead, then shook her head dejectedly.
"I don't know… I tried my best to copy a portion of my memory into 'her,' but with the valley's seal in place, I have no way of knowing how much she actually retained…"
Cullen sighed. "That's going to be a problem… We can't even perform a summoning ritual for Silica here. If no powerful reinforcements arrive in time, we might really be doomed this time…
"Sigh, we were too careless… Who would've thought the original owner of this valley—a so-called 'ancient alchemist'—would also be proficient in spatial 'secret arts' that only high-sequence Apprentice pathway Beyonders can arrange…"