86: Whispering Place

Chapter 86: Whispering Place

Commander Jaffar was not in his simply furnished office.

Arthur found him in Lookout Fort's granary.

With him were two Mother Earth priests.

Seeing Arthur approach, the Commander raised a hand to interrupt the priest.

"Lord Arthur, is there something you need here?" The Commander's tone was not friendly.

"I heard your rations had some issues," Arthur replied.

Jaffar subconsciously glanced at the stacked wooden crates around him. "That's none of your concern, My Lord."

"It's just some spoiled food; we were about to clean it out."

As soon as he finished speaking, the short priest beside him stepped forward and asked, "Are you also a Mother Earth priest, brother?"

"Yes, and you are?"

"I am the army priest assigned by the Bull Family. You can call me Juan. Do you know how to use the Goddess's power?" the priest asked. "Of course."

Jaffar interjected, "What is this for, Priest?"

"My Lord, I think Brother Arthur might be able to help."

"Of course, provided he knows how to use the Goddess's power to purify food."

"Purify food with the Goddess's power."

Jaffar looked at Arthur, his suspicion and wariness receding slightly, and asked, "Can you really do it?"

"I can try."

Arthur stepped into the middle of the wooden crates containing the food.

A foul odor of rotting food continuously wafted from the boxes.

He chanted a spell, and the scepter in his hand glowed with an emerald light.

The green light spread out, enveloping all the wooden crates.

A moment later, the light gradually faded, and the stench from the wooden crates vanished without a trace.

Jaffar walked forward and opened one of the boxes.

The potatoes inside, which had been black and rotten, now looked as fresh as if they had just been dug from the earth.

"Thank you for your help, Baron," the Commander said stiffly. "At least we salvaged some of the rations."

"This isn't just simple food spoilage, is it?" Arthur asked.

The Commander sighed and nodded, signaling the priest to explain.

The grain convoy encountered Night Mist the night before last.

"Because the rations were delayed, the Commander realized something was wrong and dispatched cavalry to investigate."

"We only found these rotten foods at the scene, but no trace of any living creatures."

Arthur asked again, "Why not have those above send more rations?"

The Commander waved his hand. "That won't work."

"The rations here are provided by the Bull Family and the Calimshan people, respectively."

"Neither side is willing to make a losing deal."

"This attacked convoy belonged to the Bull Family."

"There's no way they'll provide another batch."

"And the Calimshan people, they already provided one last time."

"That's why I don't like having too many partners," Arthur said.

"I completely agree," Jaffar shrugged. "Thank you again for your generous help, My Lord."

"If you need anything, feel free to come find me."

Arthur seized the opportunity to say, "I plan to personally lead a team to investigate that Night Mist."

"At that time, my deputy will stay behind to look after my people. If they encounter trouble, I hope you can lend a hand."

"That's easy to arrange."

After breakfast, Arthur led the investigation team towards Whispering Place.

They traveled along the main road and arrived at their destination at noon.

Compared to the monastery where Arthur had previously stayed, Whispering Place was much larger.

It was built around a small manor.

To the west of the manor was a newly developed paddy field area, with strip fields using the three-field system separated into a checkerboard pattern by low wooden fences.

Walking down the stone-paved post road, one could see more than twenty thatched cottages scattered among the fields.

The scent of roasted rye bread wafted from the thatched and stone chimneys.

Village women walked to the well with wicker baskets, and men, having put away their farm tools, were walking home.

Arthur and his group attracted a lot of attention.

Before they even reached the manor, several priests holding long staffs hurried over from that direction.

As they drew closer, Arthur called out, "Brothers, I am a Mother Earth priest."

"Abbot Garcia introduced me."

The priests' steps slowed.

The one leading them continued walking towards Arthur while asking, "Is it Garcia from Marmot Prairie?"

"Yes, it is him."

The priests stopped not far from Arthur and his group.

Arthur had his other attendants wait where they were, then dismounted and walked towards the priests.

When he got closer, he took out his holy emblem and the letter of introduction, handing them to the leading priest.

The other man took them and looked, clearly not caring much for holy emblems issued by city folk.

But the letter of introduction confirmed Arthur's identity.

"Come with us, brother," he said.

Thus, Arthur and his group successfully entered the manor, just in time for lunch.

Arthur was invited to dine in the kitchen.

There, he met the robust, nimble-handed, and short-tempered priestess.

It was clear she was the person in charge of Whispering Place.

After preparing the chicken, the lady wiped her hands on her apron and then sat down opposite Arthur.

"Is Garcia doing well, brother?"

"He looks quite well."

"My name is Flora, and yours?"

"Arthur."

"Alright, Brother Arthur," Flora asked, "You didn't just come here for a free meal, did you?"

Arthur smiled faintly and took out the information Jasmine and Forni had given him.

The priestess's brow furrowed, and she asked, "Did something happen to them?"

"No, nothing, they just entrusted me to investigate the matter of Night Mist."

The priestess pondered for a moment and asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Of course."

"Then let's eat and talk."

Catherine, following the information Airo left, found the Black Goat Caravan.

She brought Newt, Jessica, in case of unforeseen circumstances, and also the newcomer, Paul.

As Godwin had said, this young man was indeed talented.

He was not only proficient in arithmetic, but also organized in his work and good at planning.

Since he joined, Catherine's workload had significantly decreased.

So now, no matter what she did, she would bring this young man along.

The Black Goat Caravan's location was near the fort's post station.

As a subordinate organization of the wealthy Little Finger Merchant Guild, they had leased a large plot of land here.

When Catherine proposed to speak with the person in charge there,

the shop owner clearly showed a wary expression.

"Sorry, Miss, our caravan leader is not available to see anyone."

"If you have any needs, just tell me directly."

Catherine took out a Chult artifact from her bosom and asked, "Can you handle this?"

The shop owner's eyes lit up, and he was about to reach for the artifact.

But Catherine was quicker, pressing down on the artifact and saying, "Answer my question first."

"Listen—listen, Miss, we don't have an appraiser here, so—"

The noble lady put away the artifact and said, "Then I'll just pretend I never came."

The shop owner quickly said, "Wait, wait, Miss, I'll go call the caravan leader to speak with you right away."

Catherine stopped, turned to look at him, and nodded.