Chapter 233: The Canary
The night deepened in Port Beren.
Several dark figures moved through the dense crowd, eventually converging in a relatively secluded alleyway before disappearing into an unremarkable residential building.
Upon reaching their destination and confirming they were not being followed, the group finally relaxed.
“Philip, how many times have I told you, this is Port Beren, not the training grounds in the capital,” said a man with a tall bearing and a stern face, wearing the same dark uniform as his companions. “You must remain vigilant during operations, don’t always be so rash and flustered. We are the Kingdom’s law enforcers, the guardians of order, not street thugs who charge blindly, understand?”
The young man named Philip’s face turned bright red, and he lowered his head further. “Yes, Lord Anles, I understand.”
“Captain, that person just now…” The副官 (fùguān – adjutant/deputy) Helena ignored the two new and old members who were exchanging pleasantries. She turned to the man who was examining the window for any signs of intrusion. “His aura was very dense, not like an ordinary person, and he seemed to have noticed us.”
The man stood tall, his face mostly obscured by the shadow cast by a wide-brimmed hat, revealing only a sharp jawline and tightly pressed thin lips. He wore a dark grey long trench coat over a fitted dark uniform, the collar buttoned meticulously to the very top.
“Mm,” Captain Edgar replied noncommittally, his gaze still warily scanning the outside. “Port Beren is a melting pot, and it’s not unusual to encounter some peculiar individuals. Our mission is paramount; don’t create unnecessary complications.”
They were a special operations squad directly under the purview of the Kingdom’s General Inspection Bureau. Their original mission objective was far away in the Black Dragon Territory to the north, investigating the corruption of Pastor Mog of the Candle Sun Church in Ark Town and tracing clues related to the possible existence of the “Dark Dawn” society behind it. However, just as they were preparing to depart, a top-secret encrypted order issued directly by the highest echelons of the General Inspection Bureau urgently redirected them to this port city on the eastern coast, “Port Beren.”
The content of the secret order was chillingly simple: abandon the investigation in the Black Dragon Territory, infiltrate Port Beren secretly with the entire team, and complete a “special mission” that absolutely cannot be revealed, at any cost.
Edgar still felt a heavy pressure regarding the specifics of this “special mission.” The target of the mission made even him, an inspector accustomed to darkness and bloodshed, feel a chill. The thought of the cold words on the secret order made his temples ache faintly.
“Captain, regarding Mog’s case…” Lina, another, more taciturn female member of the squad, spoke softly. Her voice was faint but carried a hint of worry. “Are we just abandoning it completely? The Black Dragon Territory…”
“It’s headquarters’ order, we can only execute it,” Edgar interrupted her, his tone leaving no room for doubt. “For Mog’s case, headquarters will assign other personnel, or the Leicester branch will take over. Our current priority is here in Port Beren.”
He paused, his gaze sweeping over each team member’s face, confirming their expressions. “Remember, our actions here must be absolutely covert. We cannot attract any unnecessary attention, especially, we cannot reveal our true purpose.”
“True purpose?” Philip subconsciously repeated, a look of confusion on his face. The official mission brief they received was to investigate the illegal activities of the Divine Cult of Eternal Blessing in Port Beren and potential threats. Such a straightforward mission, even if exposed, shouldn’t be a problem.
Anles shot him a glare. “Don’t ask what you shouldn’t. Just follow orders diligently.”
While they were communicating, Deputy Helena had completed her inspection of the premises. The setup here was consistent with the intelligence; it was one of the few backup strongholds reserved by the bureau in earlier years and should not have been exposed yet.
“Alright, let’s exchange intelligence now,” the captain instructed.
Helena took out a hand-drawn simple map of Port Beren and spread it on the table.
“The mission target… well, the ‘Divine Cult of Eternal Blessing,’ is as active as anticipated,” Helena said, taking out a pen and marking key points on the map. “They have established a church in the port district and also occupy a shipyard. They have numerous followers and strong infiltration capabilities, even exerting influence within local businesses and some lower-tier officials. They publicly preach ‘Eternal Life’ and ‘Resurrection,’ employ eerie methods, and possess a certain degree of extraordinary power or artifacts.”
“Resurrection? Player?” Anles’s expression turned cold. “Hmph, truly there are always these disgusting flies everywhere.”
“It’s too early to draw conclusions,” the female member Lina added softly. “Port Beren has deep historical issues. This so-called ‘Eternal Life’ and ‘Resurrection’ might be related to necromancy.”
Upon hearing this, Edgar frowned.
“Historical issues? Are you saying the target’s reason for coming to Port Beren might be related to ‘that incident’?”
“Probably?” Lina said uncertainly.
Meanwhile, the newcomer Philip hadn’t understood what his teammates were discussing at all. “Captain, what does ‘that incident’ refer to?”
At these words, everyone in the room fell silent. They exchanged glances, and finally, Helena sighed and explained, “Over a hundred years ago, before Port Beren was even built, the Archmage ‘Lord Secret Seal’ Esveer of the Sun Cultivation Institute killed an extremely powerful soul-path transcendent in a certain sea area outside Port Beren. Although they are long dead and much time has passed, due to the special nature of the Decayed Lineage, the power and influence of death may still linger and poison this area.”
“Hey, hey, hey, Philip, aren’t you a graduate of the Forbidden Institute? I thought every student of the Forbidden Institute knew about such glorious feats,” Anles couldn’t help but say at this point, while also vigorously rubbing Philip’s brown short hair with his large hand.
Philip could only give an awkward dry laugh, “Y-yes, that’s right…”
Without further involvement in his teammates’ discussion, Edgar looked out at the deep night sky, contemplating the details of this mission, while Anles’s initial words echoed in his mind.
Murderer? Who isn’t one?
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing all distracting thoughts. Regardless, the order had to be carried out; this was the fate of an inspector, and a responsibility he could not evade.
“By the way, Captain!” Philip suddenly became excited at this moment. “We haven’t decided on a codename for this operation yet. Have you thought of one, Captain?”
“Let’s call it… ‘Who Killed the Canary.’ Shortened to Operation Canary.” Edgar rubbed his temples.
