Chapter 448: "He Helped Himself Behind Your Back?

Chapter 448: Chapter 210: “He Helped Himself Behind Your Back?

“Sir, can I ask you something?”

“Ah, go right ahead.”

Seeing that Sean was handsome and carried himself with a noble air, the vendor’s face immediately broke into a sycophantic grin.

“Have any strangers come through town in the last couple of days?” Sean asked.

“‘Strangers?’ The vendor faltered, a troubled look on his face. ‘Well, that’s a tough one, sir. This town is right on Bodonas Bay, on the main road to the harbor. People are coming and going all day long. To me, they’re all strangers.'”

“‘Let me be more specific, then,’ Sean rephrased. ‘Anyone on horseback?'”

“‘People on horseback… Yes!’ The vendor recalled after a moment’s thought. ‘A big group, you mean?'”

Sean nodded. “Right. When did they get here?”

“If I remember correctly, it was yesterday morning,” the vendor said.

Sean then asked, “Which way did they go?”

“That way.” The vendor pointed in a direction for Sean. “They were probably heading into the city, too.”

Less than 80 kilometers north of the town was the Port of Bodonas, the only major city in the region.

“Got it. Thanks.” Sean tossed the vendor a couple of bills, casually picked up a seashell from his stall, and strode off.

The vendor happily stuffed the bills into his pouch, muttering cheerfully, “Man, this is easy money…”

Selling the same information twice—once yesterday and once today. He’d made 400 just by flapping his gums. Wasn’t that a hell of a lot easier than selling seashells?

People had been asking about that group on horseback for two days straight. It was clear they were important.

But the vendor didn’t care about any of that. His only concern was making money. He wouldn’t ask a single question he wasn’t supposed to.

Meanwhile.

Sean tossed the seashell to Elise.

“For you.”

Elise’s eyes curved into a smile. “What an ugly seashell. Thank you, Mr. Writer. I love it.”

Sean said irritably, “If you think it’s ugly, just throw it out.”

“I couldn’t possibly,” Elise said, tucking the shell into her bag before getting down to business. “So, what’s the word? Were they here?”

“They were, but they’ve already left,” Sean said.

The bad news was that they still hadn’t caught up and were a full day behind.

The good news was that they were on the right track and were *only* a day behind.

“We have to keep moving.”

“Alright…”

Elise sighed and rubbed her legs. “Well, since you got me a present, I guess I can keep going for a little while longer.”

So, the two found a restaurant for a quick bite and then got back on the road.

This time, Sean picked up the pace, and it only took them an hour to get from the town to Bodonas Harbor.

His gut told him Fan Ke’er and the others were likely heading out to sea, and he hoped they might be able to catch the same ship.

But once they entered the city, Sean realized he’d gotten his hopes up.

The city was far larger and more prosperous than he’d imagined. Compared to the towns they’d passed through, it felt like a different era entirely. Skyscrapers lined the streets, traffic was a ceaseless flood, and the harbor was absurdly massive, with over a dozen piers. He almost got lost just navigating it.

Hundreds of ships came and went every day. If Fan Ke’er’s group had made any arrangements at all, they would have booked tickets in advance or chartered a private vessel. After all, the Church Court wasn’t short on cash; they could leave whenever they pleased.

He and Elise were a day late. It was impossible to catch the same ship as Fan Ke’er’s group. Their only option was to find out their destination.

And that’s when the real headache began.

「Inside an office.」

Sean “borrowed” a staff member’s computer and looked up the departure time for Fan Ke’er’s group.

At first, the staff member had been highly uncooperative. Seeing Sean and Elise push the door open, he had started shouting—

“Who are you?”

“Who let you in?”

“Can’t you read the ‘Staff Only’ sign on the door?”

“Get out now, or I’m calling security!”

But Sean wasn’t about to give him the chance to call security.

A single Truth Technique later, the staff member became instantly compliant, his eyes turning clear and serene.

With the employee’s “voluntary” assistance, Sean used his account to log into the harbor’s intranet. He searched for the name “Fan Ke’er,” and a result popped up in less than a second.

The result, however, left Sean stunned for a full three minutes.

Vina Goddess; Departure Time: 16:25 (y); Destination: Austin Castle · Sheldon’s Golden Coast

Fan Ke’er’s group had sailed on the Vina Goddess. The “y” stood for yesterday. And their destination… was actually Austin Castle.

Elise, standing nearby, gloated.

“See? I told you we should have just gone straight to Austin Castle.”

“All this chasing, and we still have to go there in the end.”

Sean: “…”

‘So I’m really being forced to go to the Blazing Angel Family, huh?’

‘Fine, then! I’ll go. It’s not like I’m scared.’

‘After all, Austin Castle is just a vassal territory of the Blazing Angel Family, not the actual Medanzo Flame Territory. I refuse to believe I’d be unlucky enough to just happen to run into Daeli.’

‘My wife is the Clan Leader of the Blazing Angel Family. She’s swamped with work day in and day out. What time would she have to be hanging around Austin Castle?’

‘As long as I stay the hell away from the Medanzo Flame Territory, no one will be able to ‘accidentally’ run into me.’

“Come on. We’re buying tickets!”

To get to the bottom of things with Chris and the passage, and to uncover the truth behind the Witch Hunt Operation, Sean decided to go for broke. He grabbed Elise and headed straight for the docks.

As luck would have it, a cruise ship was departing in an hour, also bound for Sheldon’s Golden Coast in Austin Castle. There were still a few VIP tickets left, so Sean bought them without hesitation and boarded.

A personal butler then led him and Elise to their suite, where Sean promptly collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.

Elise: “Hey, hey, hey, it’s not even dark yet.”

“We have such a beautiful ocean view, and you’re not even going to look at it?”

Sean: “Be quiet. I’m thinking.”

“Thinking about what?” Elise asked.

Sean: “How to slip past a pair of fiery, golden eyes.”