Anchor Bay City, the headquarters of the Haichao Chamber of Commerce, the meeting hall.

The atmosphere was as oppressive as the sea before a storm.

Next to the huge nautical chart, several well-dressed but sullen-faced men sat around.

Sitting in the main seat was a middle-aged man with a gloomy face and a carefully groomed short beard. He was the head of the Haichao Chamber of Commerce, Cole Haichao.

His fingers tapped irritably on the smooth mahogany table, making a dull "thump thump" sound.

Below, the tattooed bald man who had fled back in a panic now had a bleeding cloth wrapped around his forehead and his wrists were simply fixed.

He was describing what happened on the beach with exaggerated words:

"...President! They're being unreasonable! We were just following the rules and asking about the acquisition, and that guy with the badge started attacking us!"

"And that elf, his arrows were so fast and so poisonous! Brothers... brothers were all badly beaten! He even said... he even said that the rules of our Haichao Chamber of Commerce are bullshit! He doesn't care at all!"

"Finally... finally, they swaggered away without even glancing at our brothers soaking in the sea! If it weren't for some kind-hearted person who saw us and saved us, we would have been swept into the sea by the tide today!"

He deliberately ignored the fact that he was taught a lesson after failing to force the purchase, and portrayed Mark as a tyrannical and provocative person.

Of course, he felt that even if he didn't say it, the president should know the style of their Haichao Chamber of Commerce.

"I heard that young man was wearing the emblem of the Church of Holy Light. What does it look like?"

Cole Haichao's voice was low, with a hint of barely perceptible fear.

"It's... it's two crossed swords. There seems to be a number underneath... There seems to be fire on the swords!"

The bald man tried hard to recall. The badge that shone coldly in the sunlight left a deep impression on him. "Look at it... it looks like rubbish. The holy light on it is not even as strong as the necklace of the priest in our country church. I suspect he is a heretic impersonating the Church of Holy Light. Why not..."

A thin steward nearby had a change of expression and whispered, "President... the crossed swords of judgment... and the numbers... this sounds... like the emblem of the Holy Knights of the Church of Holy Light! Although the style is slightly different..."

There was a sound of gasps in the conference room.

The Holy Knights? That was the true violence machine of the Holy Light Church, directly under the Holy City, and possessed almost utter power over the region!

Not to mention that they are a foreign chamber of commerce, even the Bishop of Dragon Slaying City would have to be polite when meeting them!

What's more, I heard that a big figure from the Holy Knights is cleaning out the derelict members of the Dragon Slaying City Diocese recently!

Cole Haichao's expression became even uglier.

He waved his hands irritably. "Enough! Real or fake! Anyone wearing that badge is no pushover!"

"We were just at the west end of the dock... and we hadn't even finished processing that batch of goods, when people from the Church of Holy Light showed up at West Bay Beach... and clashed with us? What a coincidence! Are they here for that little bit of seafood, or... something else?"

He glanced at everyone present with suspicion, suspecting that the news had leaked from within.

"Then... what should we do now? They are staying at the Surge Inn..." another steward asked cautiously.

Cole took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Don't force it. Send the visiting card in my name!"

"As you wish, we will write it immediately with the most official 'Haichao' seal and send it off now." The thin steward replied quickly.

"Humble your attitude! Just say that our men's reckless behavior today was a misunderstanding. To express our apology, we are hosting a banquet at Hailan Pavilion tonight. We sincerely invite Sir Mark and his companions to attend. The Haichao Chamber of Commerce is willing to apologize in person and offer a small gift."

Cole quickly recited the contents of the invitation. "We must find out their purpose! Is it a routine patrol, or... specifically targeting us or the West Pier area! Also, go to the Blue Shell immediately! Clean up all traces! Don't let the guards know anything until we've figured out their details!"

"Yes!" The subordinate responded quickly and left in a hurry.

Cole Haichao stayed alone in the meeting room, looking out the window at the busy yet undercurrent harbor with a frown on his face.

Why would the Holy Knights... appear in the tiny city of Anchor Bay?

Didn't they say that apostates from Dragon Slaying City had formed a rebellion and attacked the main city? How could they have the time to care about this place?

And it happened at this critical juncture!

He vaguely felt that an invisible net was tightening, and there must be some unruly people who wanted to harm him.

In Anchor Bay City, in a secret underground warehouse somewhere, the light is dim.

The air was filled with the salty smell of old wood and sea water, and a faint smell like a mixture of grease and metal.

A thin figure wearing a gray robe, his face hidden in the shadow of a hood.

He was using his fingers in black leather gloves to carefully adjust a half-human-height bone construct in front of him, with faint magical runes gleaming on the joints.

This person just raised his head slightly to reveal a white mask with a pattern of ice crystal vines and star tracks entangled!

This person was none other than the "Puppet Master", one of the wise men of the Enlightenment Society.

An unassuming man in a dock laborer's jacket stood respectfully to the side, his hands lowered. He reported in a low voice, "...Sir, it's confirmed on the beach. The target team is Mark Spence, led by them. They also include the elven archer Anna, the appraiser Monica, and the dwarf Enzo."

"The insignia they wear... looks like the insignia of the apprentice inquisitors of the Thirteenth Holy Knights of the Church of Holy Light."

“Crack.”

The puppeteer's fingers that were adjusting the construct's joints paused slightly, and the construct's joints closed perfectly, making a slight sound.

The shadows beneath his hood seemed to deepen.

"Also, the Haichao Chamber of Commerce is in a state of disarray. They have just urgently sent a formal invitation to Mark Spence, inviting them to a banquet tonight to apologize." Coolie continued to report.

silence.

The only sound in the warehouse was the subtle turning of gears inside the construct.

After a long while, the puppeteer finally spoke in a voice as dry and flat as sandpaper.

There was a hint of irritation in his voice that he tried to suppress but still couldn't hide:

"Stone Hammer swallowed my Holy Light, Osborne ruined my plans, and the Rot Dragon Swamp destroyed my altar... Is Alfonso blind, this haunting brat? Can't he see he's a heretic? And why is he showing up in Anchor Bay again?!"

The puppeteer slammed the precision tool in his hand onto the tool table next to him, making a crisp "pa" sound. Even an experienced person like him was extremely unhappy.

"The badge of the Knights of the Holy Light... Trainee Inquisitor... Humph, Alfonso Lin couldn't be the same as those previous commanders!" He paced two steps and snorted disdainfully.

The guys in the Holy Light Church are really just worthless trash. Even the most outstanding leader of the Knights of this time is so incompetent!?