I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

The church's influence in the port city far exceeded that in any inland town.

From the uniforms of port tax collectors to the holy emblems on the chests of patrolling guards, from the auspicious runes above shop doors to the small altars of holy light standing on street corners, everything is a standard template of theocratic management.

All matters, including public security, justice, and taxation, are coordinated by the church. Even port scheduling requires the bishop's signature to be effective.

Recently, a lot has happened at sea, so Bishop Villar simply moved his office to the police station.

When Ji Tian led Elena and the others through the door, the magic crystal lamps in the hall were already lit, and the warm yellow light clearly illuminated the outlines of the counter and the long table.

Bishop Villar was sitting behind his desk reviewing documents when he heard his subordinate's report. Without saying a word, he put down the documents in his hand and got up to greet him.

"Hero? You're back so soon? Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No need. I've confiscated almost all the new cannons at sea. I'll just store them in my spatial ring and dispose of them properly later."

"What?!"

Villar almost thought he had misheard.

What do you mean by confiscating all the cannons that have been scattered at sea?! My original request was simply to investigate the origin of the cannons!

Moreover, the pirates roam the high seas, and catching them all is like finding a needle in a haystack. Is it really something that can be accomplished in less than half a month?

Even with prophetic abilities, it's impossible, right?

But the cannons that Ji Tian took out from his spatial ring proved that what he said was true. These cannons were neatly stacked on the open space of the hall, and soon filled the space.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and collect it! This is only a small part."

"Oh, okay, okay!" Villar took out his spatial ring and began to put away the cannon.

One high-level spatial ring was far from enough, so Veral borrowed another spatial ring from a high-ranking deacon, which was just enough to fit all the cannons.

"The finished products from the Castro Island factory are in White Gull Harbor. These cannons were seized from nearly a thousand pirate ships, so nothing should have been missed."

"Hero, how did you manage to do that?"

Ji Tian briefly recounted the origin and destination of the artillery, as well as his contact with the isolated reef on the island.

Of course, he glossed over the part about Prince George and the royal family, and made no mention of the golden crown.

Bishop Villar listened quietly, his expression growing increasingly grave, before finally slowly sitting back down in his chair.

"The establishment of the orc kingdom by the Pirate King is not something the Church should concern itself with. Eliminating so many pirates in one fell swoop is certainly doing a service to the people. But... the supply chain for those cannons operated right under the noses of William's family in the Southern Territory, how come they didn't notice?"

"Yes."

This is troublesome; only royalty or the church possess such power.

On another note, could it have been done by high-ranking members of other factions within the church?

After all, there have been far more outrageous things in the history of the church than this. It is said that for a long time there were even heroes trained specifically to conduct forbidden magic experiments.

Thinking about this, Villar also became somewhat uncertain.

"I will report this matter to the Pope as soon as possible, as it is beyond the scope of what the local diocese can handle on its own. I will write this matter in a confidential letter and send it to the Holy City through the Church's internal encrypted channels as soon as possible."

"Hero, the Church will remember everything you have done for the Southern Seas. When all is said and done, your deeds will be celebrated throughout the entire sea."

Ji Tian didn't care whether it was spread or not, but since Bishop Villar had brought it up, he didn't mind either.

The two talked for a while about the recent changes in White Gull Harbor. Bishop Villar mentioned that Adrian, the second son of the William family, had been formally arrested and was currently being escorted back to the capital on charges of "suspected involvement in arms smuggling."

After hearing this, Ji Tian speculated that Adrian had most likely been completely abandoned by the William family and was being used as a pawn to quell the situation and preserve the family's dignity.

However, it remains to be confirmed whether it was Adrian himself who was arrested.

I'll go to Baiou Port again later and take care of some personal matters while I'm there.

……

Meanwhile, the Adventurers' Guild Hall on the north side of the port area remained brightly lit.

This three-story stone building is only two streets away from the port police station, and the sign in front of it sways gently in the night breeze.

Because the golden dragon was too large to enter the Adventurers' Guild, Mia had to walk into the hall alone.

The heavy oak door creaked as it was pushed open.

The noisy chatter in the hall seemed to be paused, and several adventurers who were accepting quests at the counter turned their heads at the same time, their eyes falling on Mia.

First, there was her full silver-white armor, then the S-rank adventurer badge hanging at her waist, and then her quiet, almost restrained demeanor as she entered.

Someone gasped for breath and then whispered to their companion.

The sound was initially very soft, like tiny ripples spreading when a drop of water falls onto the surface of water. In a moment, the sound surged from every corner of the hall, surrounding her completely.

"It's that dragon knight!"

"The legendary S-rank adventurer Mia..."

"Why did she come alone? Where's the dragon?"

"Are you blind?! How big is the door? How big is the dragon? Can it even get in?"

Mia looked even more flustered, pulling her metal helmet down further so that only her eyes were visible.

Hmm! There are so many people. I'd better hurry up and settle the task rewards, find a new task, and leave as soon as possible.

However, I wish Xiaohua could come with me.

Her pace quickened unconsciously.

Soon, she finally stood in front of the counter that was specifically for adventurers of rank A and above.

The Adventurers' Guild in the island city does not prohibit alcohol, so the guild is always very noisy. The clerk, hearing the commotion, did not realize that an important person had arrived and was tidying up the documents on the table.

He paused for a moment when his gaze fell on the S-rank adventurer badge with a specific number on Mia's body, then hurriedly put down his pen and subconsciously stood up.

"Dragon Knight! Do you wish to accept a quest, issue a quest, or collect your monthly S-rank adventurer allowance?"

Mia took the mission completion certificate from her pocket and placed it on the counter:

"I...I'll settle the bill."

Both people in the conversation were very nervous.

The clerk took the voucher, glanced at the number, and immediately turned around to take a locked iron box from the cabinet behind her.

She checked the stamps and dates on the voucher several times to make sure they were correct before carefully saying:

"Dragon Knight, your mission reward is 1 Platinum Coins. The Association will take a 5% handling fee, so you can directly receive 9500 Platinum Coins. All payments will be settled in cash. If you wish to exchange them for gold coins of equal value, that's also fine."

Lionfang City is a famous port city with relatively fast capital circulation. If it were an adventurer's association of similar size in the inland areas, they probably wouldn't be able to come up with so much cash.

Mia answered almost without hesitation, "Gold coins, please."

Xiaohua loves golden things the most, and has complained to herself more than once that the nobles' use of platinum coins is too tacky and that they have no idea of ​​the charm of gold.

"Okay, I'll arrange for the staff to prepare right away. Lionfang City happens to have plenty of funds, so we can quickly raise enough gold coins."

Mia breathed a sigh of relief, then, remembering something, added, "By the way, is that large S-rank mission in the Northern Territory, the one in the Flower Sea Mountains, still recruiting?"

The receptionist checked the records: "The update two days ago said we were still short three S-rank adventurers. We haven't received any notification that we're full yet, so we're probably still short-staffed."

Mia nodded: "Alright, I'll take this mission."