Chapter 82: Town under martial law! Panicked girl? Mysterious orb?
The lockdown order spread like a plague among the adventurers on the eighteenth floor, and a tense, gunpowder-like atmosphere enveloped the entire Rivira Town.
To deter those unruly troublemakers,
Borus had already made public the news that a Level 4 adventurer had been killed, and that at least a Level 5 killer was lurking in the town.
In the central square, pure white and light green light intertwined.
The crowd was restless, a constant murmur of whispers filled the air, and everyone looked panicked.
After Arthur and Liya met up with Riveria and the others, they stood silently in a corner of the square, their sharp gazes sweeping over the increasingly large crowd.
Finn frowned, "It seems that, apart from us, there really aren't any other first-class adventurers in Rivira Town?"
Arthur shook his head calmly, his tone unwavering.
"It's to be expected; the killer isn't stupid, so he would naturally disguise himself."
He had just roughly calculated that there were no less than five hundred adventurers active in the town.
It would be no easy feat to screen so many people in a short amount of time.
Fortunately, the killer's gender was confirmed, so everyone only needed to focus on female adventurers.
After Riveria listened to Arthur and Liya's account of the hotel murder, a hint of helplessness flashed across her pretty face.
"If we assert ourselves as owners and forcefully investigate, it will inevitably provoke discontent from other Familias. Everyone, remember to proceed with caution."
Subsequently, under the guidance and supervision of Riveria and the others, the adventurers were divided into two lines: male and female.
Among the more than two hundred female adventurers, Amazons accounted for the majority.
At this moment, they were surrounded by a group of demi-humans, each looking impatient.
The male adventurers, led by Borus, all pulled out slick smiles and cheered loudly.
"Alright! Listen up, ladies! We're going to search all of you, so hurry up and take off your clothes!"
"Woof woof!"
The energetic men howled in response, their gazes burning, greedily eyeing the female adventurers' shapely figures.
The free-spirited Amazon warriors didn't care about this teasing at all; instead, they swarmed towards Finn, chattering away.
"Hey, Finn, why don't you check us, alright?"
"Please, Finn, quickly prove my innocence!"
"Be sure to check carefully, every corner of my body, okay~"
Arthur quietly took two steps back, looking at the group of Amazons beside him who seemed to want to devour Finn alive, and secretly clicked his tongue.
Should he say, as expected of Orario's renowned [Brave]?
Or should he sigh, as expected of Finn's counterpart in Celtic mythology?
This predicament with women is indeed well-deserved!
...
Meanwhile.
While Arthur was watching with relish, Tione's pretty face was already filled with murderous intent.
She looked fierce, as if she was about to devour someone, and was about to pounce forward, drawing her recurved short blade!
"These little hussies! The Captain is mine!"
Tiona hugged her sister's slender waist tightly from behind, crying out in alarm.
"Calm down! Calm down, Tione!"
"Also, don't talk about the Captain as if he's a toy!"
Tione struggled, "Let go of me, Tiona! The Captain is being pestered by a hateful female hooligan!"
Lili, beside her, gave a dry laugh, thinking that Tione was more like the female hooligan eyeing Finn.
Riveria sighed, rubbing her forehead, about to open her mouth to stop Tione.
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a few blushing girls actually approaching Arthur and talking to him in low voices.
Riveria: (#￣～￣#)
Seeing Arthur chatting and laughing with those girls, a strange sourness welled up in her chest, and her lips unconsciously tightened.
Meanwhile, Ais, the Sword Princess, as exquisite as a doll, calmly scanned the chaotic crowd of female adventurers, but unexpectedly caught a hint of something unusual.
A Dog-person girl, clutching a small package, had her ears drooping, and her wheat-colored face was filled with panic, as she quietly shuffled backward.
She took advantage of the commotion caused by the Amazons and agilely slipped towards the edge of the square.
Ais didn't have time to think; she called out to Lefiya beside her and then, like an arrow released from a bow, chased after the Dog-person girl!
Already accustomed to Magic Conduction, she subconsciously activated wind elements at this moment, a few wisps of light blue airflow swirling around her feet, and her speed suddenly increased!
At the same time, the real culprit, hidden in the chaotic crowd, trembled slightly at her fingertips.
A pair of eyes, harboring a fierce glint, stared intently in the direction Ais had gone, her thoughts racing.
'This aura... is it her?'
...
The Dog-person girl, panting heavily, ran for her life along the cliffside slope, the package in her arms bouncing and shaking.
Lulune plunged into a dark, narrow alley, breathing heavily, cautiously looking left and right.
She found that the Elf Magic Conduction user who had been hot on her heels hadn't followed. Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a sudden gust of wind howled from above her head!
Ais, wreathed in green energy, descended swiftly, her hands moving like lightning, seizing Lulune's arms and pressing her firmly against the wall.
"Don't move! Why are you running?"
"I... cough cough!"
Lulune, pressed against the wall, choked on dust and coughed violently.
During her struggle, the tie of the package in her arms came undone, and a tightly bound leather pouch rolled onto the ground.
Lefiya, a step behind, also arrived in the alley at this moment, bent down, and picked up the leather pouch, a hint of uncertainty in her eyes.
"This... could it be the confidential item the Captain and the others are looking for?"
The marigold-colored Elf girl looked up at Lulune, who was restrained by Ais with one hand and utterly defenseless, and tilted her head in confusion.
"Isn't the killer a strong person who can instantly kill a Level 4? How could it be..."
"You can tell I'm not the killer just by thinking about it!"
Lulune twisted her head with difficulty to look at Lefiya, her dusty little face full of grievance, as if she was about to cry.
"I just took on a messenger quest! How was I supposed to know I'd run into something so deadly!"
"A quest?"
Ais looked at the weak Dog-person in front of her, whom she could subdue with one hand, and her delicate brows furrowed slightly.
Lefiya's hand, holding the leather pouch, unconsciously tightened, her voice hesitant.
"Miss Ais... we should notify the Captain and the others as soon as possible..."
"No!"
Lulune let out a piercing scream, like the last struggle of a drowning person, abruptly interrupting Lefiya.
"I don't want to go to a crowded place!"
"The killer who murdered Hashana must be mixed in with that group of people! If she finds out about me... I'll be dead!"
Ais, usually expressionless, decisively let go, her gaze unwavering.
"We'll take the item back. You, hide yourself well."
Lulune lowered her head, rubbing her reddened wrists, her dusty face shifting between expressions.
After a moment of consideration, between the quest reward and her life, she smiled bitterly and chose the latter, nodding in agreement.
Subsequently, Lefiya took a deep breath and nervously untied the opening of the leather pouch, wanting to first confirm the true appearance of the so-called confidential item.
As the pouch opened, a dark green jewel came into Ais and Lefiya's view.
The surface of the jewel was covered with a translucent film, and inside was murky, viscous liquid.
And at the center of that liquid, a deformed fetus was clearly curled up.
Just a glance was enough to send chills down one's spine.
The fetus's body was curled up like a ball, and a pair of overly prominent eyes were wide open, staring fixedly, resentfully, at Ais, who was so close!