Becoming a god starts with enhancing fire arrows.

Sunset District Streets.

Rhodes watched the town guards coming and going on the street, his expression gradually becoming serious.

These guards, in groups of four, pushed handcarts loaded with goods.

The handcart was loaded with burlap sacks, and a "whooshing" sound could be heard coming from inside the sacks from time to time.

Avira lowered her voice: "Where will these people in the sacks be sent?"

Rhodes said, "According to the official statement, they will be sent to the treatment camp that the mayor set up six months ago to receive petrification rehabilitation treatment."

"There's usually an underground entrance to the 'Black Hand' beneath the treatment camp."

Avira stared at the guards, lost in thought.

Rhodes considered it briefly:

"Give me that petrification potion, then go back to the inn and find Harvey."

"I'll go straight to the Adventurers' Guild."

Avira asked, "Don't you need me to come and protect you?"

"What's there to protect? I'm going to the Adventurers' Guild, not to blow up the mayor's house."

Rhodes waved his hand, took the petrification potion from the other person, and headed straight for the Adventurers' Guild.

He ran wildly into the guild hall.

The staff inside the lobby greeted him warmly: "Hello Mr. Rhodes, are you here for a transaction or a consultation?"

"Where's the president?" Rhodes asked without wasting any words.

"Huh?" The staff member was taken aback.

Is the chairman in his office right now?

"Yes, do you need me to go up and report this for you..."

"No need." Rhodes quickly went upstairs.

The staff instinctively tried to stop them but failed, and could only follow behind.

......

President Stanley, dressed in a simple shirt, sat upright in his chair, exuding a calm and composed demeanor.

He frowned slightly as he held a report on petrification disease in his hand.

At that moment, the door was knocked a few times and then quickly opened.

Rhodes and his staff entered.

The staff member said awkwardly, "President, this..."

Stanley waved his hand, signaling him to close the door and leave.

Then, in a gentle tone, he said, "Rhodes, it's been a few days. I wonder how your investigation is going?"

"Have you uncovered any new leads?"

"President, I now know the true source of the petrification."

"What?" Stanley thought he had misheard.

Rhodes simply took out a glass bottle containing a grayish-white liquid and placed it on the desk in front of him:

"This is petrification potion, found in the 'Black Hand's' underground warehouse."

"The potion's effects can cause petrification in humans who smell it, lasting for twelve hours."

"I suspect that Nathan created this to facilitate human trafficking transactions with members of the 'Black Hand'."

"Petrifying potion?" Stanley was clearly taken aback.

I stared in astonishment at the glass bottle in front of me.

He seemed to realize his lapse in composure, straightened his collar, and calmly asked, "Tell me, how did you find out?"

"I initially investigated the petrochemical incident, and then..."

Rhodes quickly recounted his series of investigations in concise language.

She subtly concealed some details about her secret.

Stanley's expression grew increasingly strange as he listened, and he remained silent until the entire recording was finished.

Rhodes didn't interrupt again, and quietly waited for the chairman's reply by finding a chair nearby.

The president picked up the medicine bottle, shook it slowly, and stared at the liquid inside, deep in thought.

a long time.

Stanley finally spoke, his usually calm tone now tinged with deep anger:

"This matter is extraordinary, and I will launch an investigation immediately."

"If everything you said is true, then it means that the entire town of Phil has long been infiltrated by the 'Black Hand,' and they have turned all the town's human residents into tools for making money."

"This is really..."

He spoke halfway through, as if he was angrily unable to find the right words, and ultimately left the rest of his sentence unfinished.

He paused, then continued, "When Nathan was young, he was an adventurer who only had money in his eyes."

"We were all working for the Adventurers' Guild back then, and no one made any accusations."

"I never imagined that someone would be so greedy as to treat their own kind as livestock for trade."

"Time really can change a person's nature."

Rhodes nodded: "I wonder what role the mayor played in this matter."

He wanted to test how much Stanley knew about the fact that "the mayor was a shapeshifter in disguise."

Unfortunately, Stanley seemed to know nothing about it.

His eyes flashed with murderous intent: "I don't think Nathan is capable of being the mastermind behind this. If there is a mastermind behind it all, I suspect that old man Phoenix first."

Rhodes carefully chose his words: "Is it possible that the mayor is also a pawn, or that there's more than one mastermind behind it all?"

"Oh?" Stanley looked at Rhodes with surprise. "What do you mean by that?"

Rhodes shook his head: "This is just speculation without any evidence."

No, we can't reveal that the mayor is a shapeshifter right now.

If it weren't for the system panel, a lowly mage like me wouldn't have been able to see through the disguise after the transformation using the Appraisal skill.

President Stanley nodded and handed over a report:

"This is the petrochemical workforce count report from this morning."

"A total of 139 people."

"It's a pity you discovered the 'Black Hand's' plot a day too late."

Rhodes carefully examined the report: "So they've already been moved to the treatment camp?"

Stanley nodded: "They moved very quickly."

"I will mobilize the guild's armed forces to immediately surround the treatment camp and prepare to forcibly take over the work."

"The safety of residents is the top priority."

"If the petrification on the victim's body really does subside after twelve hours..."

The president clenched his fists: "The trial of Phoenix will not be delayed until tomorrow."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Rhodes asked.

Stanley cast a sharp glance, not answering the question directly: "There's one more thing, Rhodes, Paril is your ally, isn't she?"

Paril?

Rhodes' first thought was that Paril had also shown signs of petrification and had been taken away by the guards.

Stanley continued, "According to my informant, this morning, Paril was taken away by the mayor's bodyguard, Ezra, on the grounds that she was a suspected source of the petrification disease."

What's this?

Is it retaliation from Mayor Phoenix?

Rhodes stood up abruptly, his tone becoming more serious: "President Stanley, please tell me where she is now."

"Don't rush," the president said.

"According to witnesses, she was taken to the south of the town, to a goblin camp."

Why did Ezra bring Paril to the goblin camp?

If it's just human trafficking, wouldn't it be easier to do it through illegal means?

The quickest way would be to send them directly to the treatment camp.

How did it get involved with goblins again?

Rhodes suppressed his doubts and thanked him verbally.

Once the arrangements were nearly complete, President Stanley swiftly assembled his men and marched toward the treatment camp.

Rhodes had a feeling that something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He left the guild in deep thought and returned to the inn.

Upon opening the door, they found Harvey, Clint, and Avira sitting solemnly on the sofa, the atmosphere serious.