Although there had been some discussion within the Yellow-robed Monks regarding this matter, with Madam Lisa holding down the fort, everyone continued diligently carrying out their respective duties.
As for matters concerning Puning Harbor and the other ports, they were all handled by Caius on Hastur's behalf. Only when major issues arose would he leave them unresolved and wait for Hastur to return and deal with them personally.
There was only one problem at present. The investigators from the three major Churches had been unable to meet Hastur for a long time, and with certain people deliberately fanning the flames, news had already spread from Backlund claiming that Earl Hastur Campbell had secretly murdered two successive Grand Dukes of Southville for his own selfish interests.
The new king of the Loen Kingdom, Jevington II, had already revoked Hastur's previous appointment to assist with the coastal defense line and ordered him to return to Backlund to report for duty before the New Year. Otherwise, his title of Earl would be stripped away, and he would be charged with treason.
The matter had already spread throughout Backlund. The Negan family and Earl Hall, who had previously spoken on Hastur's behalf, had also been suppressed. Many of their powers had been taken away, leaving them sidelined.
Yet no matter how the situation outside changed, Puning Harbor remained absolutely stable. No one could disturb the peace here.
The members of the Yellow-robed Monks had also done quite a few things to counter the situation, but without Hastur there to make the final decisions, their hands were ultimately tied in many matters.
Caius had originally wanted Miss Sharon to handle these matters in Hastur's place, but Miss Sharon had no interest in them whatsoever. She merely told everyone not to disturb her and to quietly wait for Hastur's return.
Outside Puning Harbor, the investigators from the three major Churches had all gathered together.
Three months was more than enough time for them to investigate many things thoroughly.
Now, every clue pointed toward Earl Hastur Campbell. Yet strangely enough, ever since they arrived in Southville County, Earl Hastur Campbell had never shown himself. It was as if he had disappeared.
"Could Earl Hastur Campbell have become entangled with the supernatural phenomena in Puning Harbor? Or perhaps he has already been killed?"
Someone proposed this possibility, but it was quickly rejected by the others.
Most of the investigators were even more convinced that Earl Hastur Campbell was the true mastermind behind this entire series of incidents and was now deliberately refusing to show himself.
"Request assistance from the Churches. If the situation becomes serious enough, we can simply erase the entirety of Puning Harbor as well."
"But there are still so many ordinary residents living inside…"
"We'll say it was retaliation from pirates."
With just a few casual words, they easily decided the future of the entire harbor.
"Puning Harbor really is too terrifying."
Some people couldn't bear the thought, but the feeling Puning Harbor gave them was simply too strange and too frightening.
During this period, they had tried many different methods, yet none had allowed them to glimpse the secrets of Puning Harbor. It was as if a thick layer of fog constantly concealed the place.
The members of the Church of Storms couldn't help but think of Bansy.
Back then, when abnormal phenomena had appeared in Bansy, the investigation team had been dragged into the incident. In the end, it was only when the Lord of Storms descended that Bansy was erased and the matter completely resolved.
If things continued developing like this, sooner or later a deity would descend upon Puning Harbor as well.
…
"So this is Southville County? The weather really is much better than Backlund. The faint sea breeze is nice and cool. It's nothing like how dry Backlund is."
At the Southville County steam train station, a steam train from Backlund quietly stood at the platform.
A group consisting of two people and one dog stepped out of the steam train carriage. As they admired the scenery of Southville County, they walked out of the station and hired a carriage to take them to Puning Harbor.
Once they had boarded the carriage and were seated inside, Fors finally turned a deeply resentful gaze toward the blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl sitting beside her.
"Miss Audrey, you really are crazy. You actually sneaked out of Backlund just like that."
"Don't I have you and Susie accompanying me?" Audrey, who had been lifting a corner of the carriage curtain, withdrew her hand and reached down to stroke Susie, who was lying beside her feet. A faint smile appeared on her face.
In truth, she herself also thought this was rather crazy.
After realizing that something was wrong in Southville County, coupled with Mr. Hastur's suspected disappearance, she had suddenly developed the idea of making a trip to Southville County.
Of course, she had left Backlund under the pretext of coming to Southville County to visit her second brother, Alfred.
Before leaving, she had specifically gone to find Xio and Fors. Xio still had matters to deal with and didn't want to leave Backlund, so in the end, only Fors could accompany her on this journey.
With Fors accompanying her, Audrey felt considerably bolder. Furthermore, both she and Susie had advanced to Sequence 6 Hypnotist during this period, greatly increasing their strength. They were capable of dealing with most situations.
If they truly encountered a dangerous situation, she could still seek help from Mr. Fool, while Fors could ask the Stars for assistance. Their safety was sufficiently guaranteed.
"I'm already regretting leaving Backlund." Fors sighed.
"Miss Fors, think about the reward of 1,000 gold pounds." Audrey's voice carried a tempting note.
That single sentence was enough to silence Fors.
She and Xio still hadn't managed to escape poverty. Under the assault of Miss Audrey's power of gold pounds, the defenses around Fors' heart had ultimately crumbled completely.
"Woof." Susie barked as well.
The meaning was clear: if you took the money, you had to do the work.
"…" Fors said nothing more. She simply unfolded the map of Southville County she had purchased, found the route leading to Puning Harbor, and made the corresponding plans.
Although she wasn't particularly good at such things either, she was still better at them than Audrey, who had never traveled far from home before.
While planning the route for their journey through Southville County, she could vaguely hear Miss Audrey and Susie whispering to each other.
The general meaning was: "Susie, we can finally go on an adventure! Mr. Hastur has helped us so many times in the past. Now it's our turn to save Mr. Hastur!"
Susie always cooperatively responded with a bark.
"…" Fors wanted to tell them that adventuring outside was extremely dangerous, but in the end, she remained silent.
She thought to herself that she would have to do more this time so that she could properly protect Miss Audrey.
In a villa in Puning Harbor, Alfred had returned to settle here after Prince Leonard's death. He had originally intended to find an opportunity to remind Hastur to be careful of the dangers coming from Backlund, but unexpectedly discovered that Hastur had vanished without a trace. No one could find him, and all daily affairs were being handled by Hastur's butler in his place.
In a letter sent from Backlund a few days ago, Earl Hall had mentioned that his younger sister Audrey would be coming here during this period and instructed Alfred to make sure he took good care of her.
Yet before Alfred had even caught sight of Audrey, someone entrusted by her had already come to deliver a message, saying that she had gone ahead to visit Mr. Hastur and that he didn't need to worry about her safety.
"…" Alfred could only sigh. He then headed to his study to write a letter to Earl Hall, who was worrying about his beloved daughter back in Backlund, assuring him that there was no need to worry.
As for Audrey's safety, Alfred wasn't particularly concerned.
In a place like Puning Harbor, Hastur's word was the sole authority. As long as Audrey stated that she was Hastur's friend, she wouldn't encounter any danger here.
Elsewhere, Audrey arrived outside the gates of Hastur's residence with Fors and Susie.
They had someone announce their arrival, and after waiting for a while, they were welcomed inside.
Caius personally came out to receive and entertain them while also sending someone to inform Miss Sharon.
"Mr. Hastur still hasn't returned?" After sitting quietly for a while, Audrey directly asked the question.
"The Earl went out traveling and has yet to return."
"Approximately when will he return?"
"I'm not sure. As a qualified butler, one should not excessively inquire into one's master's whereabouts."
"Then do you know how to contact him?"
"I'm not sure."
No matter what Audrey asked, as long as the question involved Hastur, Caius tried his best to avoid the subject. He absolutely refused to mention the mysterious disappearance of his Earl.
Having failed to get any useful answers, Audrey thought for a moment before blinking her beautiful eyes and giving Susie, who was lying nearby, a meaningful glance.
Susie immediately understood.
She quickly stood up and suddenly began barking several times, completely drawing Caius's attention toward her.
A faint light seemed to flicker within Audrey's eyes. Her originally crisp and elegant voice also seemed to gain an irresistible allure that made one involuntarily sink into it.
Her hypnosis could finally be put to use.
With Susie providing a distraction and Butler Caius having little reason to be on guard against her, she should be able to succeed.
"Where exactly did Mr. Hastur go?"
Caius felt his mind suddenly go blank. The words left his mouth before he could even think.
"I don't know. The Earl has already been missing for more than three months. We have been unable to find any trace of him."
'Yes! Audrey, your hypnosis worked!'
Sure enough, a true Hypnotist needed a golden retriever assistant by her side to cooperate with her.
"Then do you know why Mr. Hastur disappeared?" Audrey leaned slightly forward, her bright eyes seemingly rippling with circles of invisible waves.
"I'm not sure. We only suspect that it might be related to Hastur advancing to a higher Sequence."
After answering two questions in succession, a struggling expression appeared on Caius's face. His eyelids twitched, and his brows knitted tightly together.
Audrey revealed a satisfied smile. She straightened herself in her seat and lightly snapped her fingers before turning to Fors beside her.
"It seems Mr. Hastur really isn't home. Let's come visit another day."
"Uh, alright."
Although Fors found the whole thing baffling, she could only follow Audrey's lead.
Caius, who had already regained his clarity of mind, first glanced at the large golden retriever that had stopped barking, then frowned and stared at Audrey for a while. However, he couldn't find anything unusual.
He could only suppress the strange feeling in his heart and politely say, "If the Lord returns, I will promptly inform him that you came to visit today."
"Thank you."
Audrey stood up and was just about to leave with Susie and Fors when a small black cat suddenly approached with elegant steps.