Griffith and Amber came to the main deck and prepared to enter the lower cabin from there.
The main deck of the Equinox is very open, with many tourists gathering to enjoy the sea. Guests in second class and lower cabins also rest here.
"Next, I'm going to the bottom cargo hold. I don't think it's suitable for you there," Griffith suddenly thought of something, "and the situation there is unknown. I will take the sailors down, and you will take care of me outside."
"Huh, what does this mean? Why don't I go down and you take over? Is this sexist?" Amber raised her eyebrows. "You may have misunderstood the power of the huntress."
"No, I'm not saying that there may be danger to you there, although the danger does exist. The main reason I say this is because..." Griffith laughed and rubbed the ends of his hair like a girl. , "Since it is the source of the stench, the place must be very smelly. There is probably something indescribable. It's up to you."
"Why didn't I think of it!" Amber took a step back, "Hey, hey, I don't do such dirty work. But ~ Mr. Police Dog, it may not be safe for you there. If there are signs of danger, don't go deep. I'll come down."
At this time, the security director came here with a sailor.
"This is Second Boatswain Makarov," the supervisor quickly introduced, "Although we can't be sure how effective it will be, the unusual odor noticed by the trainee knight itself is something that needs attention. It is necessary to go to the lower cabin to check."
The second boatswain, who was as strong as a bear, took out a huge wrench and patted it in his hand. "Let's go quickly. The disappearance of the purser has been spread among the sailors. We shouldn't embarrass the captain."
…
As the latest sailboat, Dongfeng uses a large number of metal components and pipes. In many places, wood is no longer the main material. The winding pipes are like the roots of a dense forest, making people wonder where they lead.
"What kind of stench is that?" Second Boatswain Makarov said as he took out a bottle of soju and took a big sip.
"Why are you hiding the wine again? Put it away quickly. If you are seen by the captain again, you will be demoted again." The security director frowned and said, "Speaking of smell, I also smelled it in Mr. Eck's cabin. It should be It’s said to be a disgusting smell mixed with sewer stench and rotten smell.”
"Then let's check the sewage tank on the ship. All the sewer pipes on the ship are connected there for the convenience of maintenance. Hiccup~" Makarov put away Vodka, "Let me think about it, Fes is on duty for this voyage. That slacker is probably dozing off."
When the three of them arrived at the sewage tank, Griffith smelled the special odor.
"I thought sewage was discharged directly into the sea," Griffith flipped through the duty list at the entrance. "I saw Griffith's record yesterday, but today's record is blank."
"Everyone spread out and search," the security director gave instructions on the intricate roads and pipelines. "Stay vigilant and don't go too far."
Griffith crossed the narrow road and moved forward carefully.
It's strange... Although there is a sewage pipe here, why is the smell so strong? Are the pipes always open? Griffith felt more and more suspicious and took out the corrupted feather sword and held it in his hand.
"Come here quickly! Apprentice knight, Makarov!" A few minutes later, the security director's voice suddenly sounded, and Griffith immediately ran towards the place where the sound came from.
The stench became stronger and stronger, like a cesspool that had been fermenting for days and nights.
Makarov, who looked like a bear, ran over from the side of the road and almost collided with Griffith. The two rushed to the safety director's position together and saw that a valve on the sewage treatment tank was open, enough for an adult to get in. The stench was coming from there.
"This is the source of the stench," Griffith nodded. "The sewer pipes in each cabin should be connected from here. This is where the remaining stench comes from."
"But the pipes are not wide, and there are partitions in the middle." Makarov held back his nausea and glanced at the dark sewage tank. "Even if he could get in here, he would not be able to climb through more than a dozen decks to get there." Top cabin, huh?”
"I didn't ask you to look at that," the security director said suddenly, "you should look here."
"What's wrong?" Griffith and Makarov turned their heads together.
Hanging on a pipe not far from the sewage tank is a sailor suit.
A belt and sailor's tie were tied neatly to his clothes, and his trousers covered a pair of loafers. The security director gently lifted up his trousers and saw two socks hanging on the uppers of his shoes.
The owner of the suit disappeared like a melted candle.
…
"The odor remaining in Mr. Eck's cabin is probably the odor in the sewer pipes, and the bizarre state of his clothes and that of the missing sailor's clothes also shows a correlation. But what is incomprehensible is that the two places are separated by Almost the entire ship is connected to the central node through multiple not-so-thick sewer pipes, which are very far apart." Griffith said as he pulled out a chair for Amber and asked the blond girl to sit down.
During the past day, Amber led people to cross-examine and investigate some guests, but nothing was achieved except causing some frightened commotion and suspicion. Griffith found nothing except that one sailor was missing.
The two of them listened and sensed inspiration without giving up, but they were not the same material. They heard nothing and sensed nothing.
The two of them don't know how to divination, so they can only wait until dawn tomorrow to conduct a thorough search of the bottom cabin.
The root of the problem still lies in the shortage of manpower, which simply cannot cope with an investigation of this scale. If more Beyonders are present, we can start investigating the bottom cargo hold where the problem is most likely to go wrong today during the day. The area is large, the lighting is poor, and the terrain is complex, making it an easy place to encounter ambushes and traps. If the visits and other area investigations revealed anything, Griffith wanted to avoid it as much as possible.
Even if the manpower is tight, the configuration is also very poor. Griffith discovered that Amber served as a melee assaulter in the team for attack output, and his position was somewhat overlapping with his own. That nagging Pella who can serve as a chasseur will be more useful than her here.
There is a lack of scouts and hunters, which is why Griffith avoids the bilge. He is here to perform a mission, not to rush into an ambush and die. Only at the last moment would he let the sailors go down to the bottom and then follow up.
"What a failure!" Amber rubbed her hair and sat down, quickly glancing at the menu, "Fried salmon and veal! You can watch the rest! Where did the missing sailor come from?"
"The missing one is the Fez sailor who was on duty in the sewage tank for inspection today." Griffith took a sip of his appetizer. "Now we can rule out the possibility that Mr. Eck jumped into the sea. The fallen mage on this ship and the weapons he carried Dark magic items are posing a threat to us."
"Speaking of searching for cultists and their dark magic items," Amber put her arms on the dining table and tilted her head to one side, "I got some information before coming here, and there is a sealed artifact on this ship. "
"Sealed object?" Griffith almost jumped up.
"A sealed artifact called "The Collection of Linyuan" is not the target of our mission. Don't get excited. It is currently being kept by a member of the Arcane Council. He is a first-class passenger. I have already made inquiries and am not sure. Could it be related to the cultists?" Amber took out a small notebook and handed it to Griffith, "It would be better to show it to you."
Member of the Arcane Parliament Milovan Neville holds a sealed item? Griffith nodded and opened the notebook of the trainee investigator.
"Memo about the Sealed Artifact "Lin Yuan Collection"
"Sealed Artifact: "Lin Yuan Collection",
"Danger level: Level 1 (danger).
"Special sealing measures: Do not open it. As long as the pages are not opened, there seems to be no danger in this ancient book. You can even hold it in your hand.
"Description: This is a bound manuscript of 404 pages, written in clear and exquisite writing. The ink used still has a wonderful fragrance to this day, and there are a few marginal notes in red writing. Scroll The title page is wrapped with a white silk lining and has a brand-new navy blue paper cover, showing no traces of time. In fact, even if this manuscript is soaked in water or thrown into a fire, it will not cause any damage. Just from From the outside, this is an ordinary ancient book that does not cause any uneasiness. However, once the reader opens the pages, whispers and dangers will follow.
"Characteristics: This single copy of the codex is filled with corrupted and chaotic knowledge. It led to the death of a learned and powerful wizard when it was first presented to the authorities. Read this codex for a long time The investigator claimed that footsteps and gasping sounds appeared behind him, but nearby bystanders found nothing unusual.
"Mythical knowledge: This terrible ancient book records the story of a distant foreign land, about how disaster befell the peaceful and beautiful village, how the kind residents fell into madness, and were imprisoned in the endless cycle of killing and death. Hidden in the text There are methods of creating and controlling undead creatures, rituals and necessary sacrifices to summon and bind mythical creatures, and many terrible spells and methods of using sealed objects and their consequences. There are various signs that the residents of the recorded villages worshiped a certain person. The ineffable ancient god.
"Note: Reading this ancient book will cause the loss of sanity, but it is possible to obtain certain mythological knowledge and magic spells. Known magic spells that can be obtained include: resurrection of the dead, domination of the undead, devouring and healing spells, and powerful heat. Shields, high-level summons, and sacrificial rituals.”
Griffith looked at it several times and looked up at Amber, "You want to track this?"
"It can't be said to be tracking. As an official institution, Beacon Academy came into contact with some residents who had a lucky escape. "Lin Yuan Collection" is a sacred object guarded by their hometown, but they lost all their minds before telling us enough information. The villages in the ancient books The specific location cannot be verified," Amber said. "They lost a lot of memories after leaving their hometown. This time my mission also includes meeting with Milovan Neville, the arcane councilor who holds this ancient book, and then report To the Bureau of Investigation and the Academy.”
"Be careful, don't investigate alone, and tell me the detailed arrangements." Griffith nodded and handed the notebook back to Amber.
