A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 280 Public Appearance

"Could there be a trap? Sacrificial offerings? Burial goods?" The poet was deeply shocked; he felt that no scene could move him now. Freddie quickly composed himself, telling everyone to be careful as if it were a trap, while hurriedly picking out easily portable gold items.

"If you carry them like that, the guards will definitely find them during a body search." Rorschach was speechless as he looked at Freddy with gold rings on all ten of his fingers. He first scanned the area with Arcane Vision but didn't see any spiritual light.

That's a bit strange, especially considering the wicked operation in the midship section. It's abnormal that these valuable items aren't dirty; something's very wrong.

Rorschach infused the items with magic, but there was no reaction; they were just ordinary cups, plates, and jewelry. However, he also noticed that the items in his hands had no patterns whatsoever, making them seem like something out of a minimalist Nordic style from his previous life.

After confirming several times that there were absolutely no problems, Rorschach put all of these items into his storage ring. "Remember, everyone gets a share, Lord Heisenberg," the poet said, unwilling to hand them all over, even though Rorschach assured him that he could return everything he took, but it would just be temporarily stored in the ring.

Like the midsection cabins, this was a relatively enclosed space, and access to the deck was not even possible. The three could only return to the stern the way they came. "We need to figure out what's going on and get to the deckhouse."

The stern leads from the engine room to the deckhouse, where everything was in disarray after the impact. When they reached the captain's cabin, not a single small item remained intact on the cabinets or walls. After the three of them struggled to climb up, Rorschach had to clear out a place to stand first.

The nautical chart was still there, but the drawer was broken; there was no need to break the lock, just take it off. Rorschach also found knife marks, bullets, and bloodstains on the broken table.

"This ship has been to El Isle and will travel up and down the Tams River." The poet found the navigation log and roughly deduced the shipping route the cargo ship often took from several place names.

Singhlev found something that shouldn't be there. He picked up a hat, and Freddie immediately recognized it: "Hey Is, isn't that the cop?"

The dwarf found a dark blue top hat in the corner. Since the infantrymen of Istani wore bright red uniforms while the officers wore dark blue, they were jokingly called "cooked lobsters" and "raw lobsters." Soon the golden insignia was also found, and there was a large tear in the hat.

"So the captain and the cops are fighting? And this is a smuggling ship?" The three of them naturally imagined a scene where a smuggling ship was discovered by customs officers and a fight broke out.

"It seems more like they didn't want the officers to discover what was happening inside the cabin." The tea and sugar were like misleading goods, piled up to cover the enclosed middle section, probably to evade inspection. Did the officers discover something was wrong and insist on a thorough inspection? Now we don't know; besides the hull and the remains, the other sailors and captain are nowhere to be found.

Looking out from the captain's cabin window, one could see the market street below, with people coming and going, and the thick smoke from pots and oil lamps mingling with the hazy fog. The others, unaware of what was happening, were only focused on the sugar and tea being transported out.

Just as Rorschach was about to leave, another group of people approached the shipwreck with a commotion. They were all wearing robes and hoods, and they looked like they were not to be trifled with. The others made way for the hooded men and watched as they confronted the guards.

A mage? Rorschach had never seen anyone dressed like that other than a spellcaster. He sensed that going down there would get him into trouble, so he grabbed the dwarf who wanted to leave: "Wait a bit before you go down."

The poet placed his hand behind his right ear, opened it, and listened intently: "They claim to be members of the Order; the ships are theirs. The cargo is optional; they want to get out."

Soon, the two groups began to push and shove. The guards were about to brandish their guns and clubs and give the fool a good beating, but the hooded man, who was in the lead, simply endured the attacks without moving or changing his expression, which made the attackers hesitate.

When Rorschach saw the magical energy gathering, he immediately realized that the guards couldn't stop this group. Sure enough, a burst of green mist erupted, knocking down a group of guards. The others who were still able to move screamed and ran away, just as the cult members were about to arrive.

"Prepare for battle." Rorschach glanced at the poet. "Why don't you stay in the captain's cabin?"

"I suddenly feel safer with you guys."

The three carefully moved to the deckhouse door. The makeshift wooden planks erected by the Earl's guards creaked as the cult members came aboard. Rorschach moved to a better vantage point and, using the mist in the shadows, activated [Mirror Flower, Water Moon].

"Damn it, the fog inside is even thicker." The members of the cult were almost overwhelmed by the stench as they came up. Instead of using magic to block it, they lit something. The flame flickered in the smoke, and a sweet fragrance spread out, barely suppressing the stench.

Of course, the combination of fragrant and foul smells made the cabin smell even stranger.

"The wall is breached, someone's been here!" The hooded man at the head of the group was startled and ordered his henchmen to search the vicinity.

There was no need to hide anymore. Rorschach reinforced his and his teammates' filters again, using the [Telecommunications] spell to give the order: "Attack!"

From the cult members' perspective, the smoke suddenly became incredibly thick, turning their vision into a white blur, allowing them to make out only the figures of their closest companions. As a high-energy piece of music began to play, a massive hammer suddenly slammed into their faces from within the thick smoke.

The first guy who was attacked cried out in pain as his nose was smashed to pieces, and his head slammed as he fell backward.

The hammer, having succeeded in its grasp, immediately changed direction and cleaved horizontally, striking the chest of the cultist beside him. This time, it broke his ribs, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Rorschach quickly used a teleportation spell to remind the dwarves: "Leave a few alive."

In the spirit of "benevolence," he used the [Frost Ray] in conjunction with the water vapor of the white mist for effective control. He used the enlarged [Protective Palm] to forcefully push away the daggers that were about to get close, leaving the attacking cultists dazed and confused.

"It's probably in that direction!" Because Rorschach and his group attacked from behind, the leader who was originally at the front became the one in the back row. He used the sound to locate the source of the background music in the thick fog and threw a burning herb pack towards the source of the background music.

"Ouch!" The voice was Freddy's, of course. The bard who had shielded everyone in front of him became the first one to be injured in the battle. He forgot that when vision is restricted, hearing becomes an important tool for the enemy to make judgments. He had been trying to buff Rorschach and Singrev, making him an easy target.

Green smoke erupted, but fortunately, Rorschach had already learned his lesson and this time, with the protection of the filter bubble, the leader's attempt failed. When the smoke cleared, only the cultists lay on the ground, while two tall and one short enemy remained standing.

The leader immediately realized something was wrong, grabbed his deputy, and shoved a seed into the man's mouth. Before the poor fellow could react, his nutrients were drained, and thick vines burst forth from his body as he lashed out at Rorschach.

The mage raised his staff and unleashed a [Melting Ray], slicing through the vines and splitting the ship's cabin in two. To spare the survivors, he deliberately avoided hitting any of the cultists, much to the leader's delight, who prepared to leap from the broken gap into the damned sinking ship.

The ship was breaking apart and about to crash to the ground. The leader could escape by leaping from a safe height.

However, Rorschach's prepared spell, [Reverse Ray], was ready. He drew it again in reverse of the previous trajectory, directly pinching the cargo ship that was about to collapse into two pieces back together.

The leader stared blankly as the crack healed, then knelt down before Rorschach with a thud.

(End of this chapter)