“Hello, Mr. Ron, it’s been a long time,” Phil Gray said as he stepped forward.
The merchant stood up, his eyes nearly popping out of his head in surprise, but quickly his expression turned to excitement. "It's you! Long time no see! I've looked for you at the Dotz Inn many times, but you were never there. Thank goodness you're back!"
"What do you need us for? I see you squatting here looking so worried," Phil Gray asked.
“Yes, there’s a problem. Something strange happened in my warehouse. I don’t think it was done by an ordinary person, so I’d like to ask you chosen ones for help,” Ron said in a low voice.
"What's wrong?" Eli also perked up his ears.
“As I mentioned before, I mainly acquire delicacies from various places and then sell them to shops and restaurants. One of the ingredients I acquire is called the Fireblood Fish. You can see flames in its blood. It lives in ancient volcanoes and can withstand extremely high temperatures and pressures. Its body has black scales, like armor. Its flesh is spicy and sour, and eating it can remove some negative effects, such as curses and mild diseases. It can be said to be a very precious ingredient. I have special acquisition channels, but I can only acquire two or three each month. After that, I sell them to the Church of the God of Food or royal nobles.” Ron said slowly, “After acquiring them, I put them in a secret room in the warehouse and wait for the buyer to arrive before taking them out. But in the last two months, all six Fireblood Fish I acquired have disappeared!”
"Disappeared?"
“Yes, we first discovered it when the buyer came to pick it up, and there was only an empty box left where the fish were!” Ron said dejectedly. “I thought they had been stolen, so I hired some people, strengthened the warehouse security, and had my brother check on them from time to time, but I never expected the fish to disappear again!”
“What? Could it have been stolen by an insider?” Phil Gray asked.
"I changed the guards of the warehouse again, and I didn't tell them about the secret room inside. But the third fish went missing too. Several customers were waiting for this fish, and we couldn't afford to lose it again. After the fish arrived, I personally guarded the secret room, watching the fish every day, even while eating..."
"Then what?"
"The fish was stolen again! In the blink of an eye, a dark shadow flashed by, and there was only an empty box left! I asked the people guarding outside, but no one came in!" Ron said angrily. "Then, I called my brother, and we kept watching the sixth fish day and night. Then we saw another dark shadow flash by, and the fish disappeared! My brother chased after the shadow, but it was just a fleeting shadow, and there was no trace of it. This is something that no human could do. I went to the church, and they sent two priests to check, but they found nothing. I came to you hoping you could help, but you're not in Duer City anymore."
The merchant sighed, "These six fish are worth half of my fortune. My customers have already paid and are urging me to pay. I really have no other choice."
"Why can't we just hand the fish over to the customer? Why put them in a secret room in the warehouse?" Eli asked, puzzled.
"First of all, it's uncertain when the fish will be caught. I can only notify the customer that there are fish here once they've been transported to me. Secondly, the fish have too much fire in their blood when they're caught. Eating them at this time will burn their internal organs. They must be left to sit for a few days, and they must be placed in ice to neutralize some of the fire. The secret room in my warehouse is like an ice cellar. I usually use boxes filled with ice to store the fish," the merchant patiently explained.
"A fish thief! Even if you're watching closely, the fish can still be stolen. Could it be a ghost?" Phil Gray thought that only a ghost could steal fish without leaving a trace.
“Could it be that some kind of divinely favored individual possesses special skills that allow them to steal from a great distance?” Eli speculated, but quickly dismissed his own idea. Based on his understanding of the various divinely favored systems, it seemed that no skill bestowed by any god could be used for stealing.
"Oh, I was just thinking of going back to the church to ask them to let the Chosen Ones help me, and then I saw you guys. Can you help me? I've already notified the client in advance that the fish will be delivered to my secret warehouse tonight, and the client will come to pick it up first thing tomorrow morning. It'll just be left overnight. Can you guard it for me tonight? I can give you a generous reward." Ron looked at Phil Gray earnestly and said in a pleading tone.
Phil Gray thought for a moment. Although they had to travel, it wouldn't hurt to check on Ron. It was only one night, and if it was an undead, he, as the god of death and the chosen one of the day prophets, could sense it. It wasn't a difficult matter.
“Okay, no problem. We’ll go upstairs to hand in the mission first. You wait for us here. We’ll go to the warehouse with you after we come out.” Phil Gray looked at the sky. It was still late afternoon, probably around four or five o’clock.
"Okay, thank you so much!" Ron's mouth trembled. Compared to the priests of the Church of Life who only knew how to appease him, these guys seemed to be more capable.
"Damn fish thief!" He clenched his fists, gritting his teeth, as if he had already figured out what to do with him after catching him.
However, the thought that the thief might be a ghost sent chills down his spine.
...
Phil Gray and his two companions walked into the mission hall and saw the floating Mirror of Fate, which was full of new missions.
They walked up to the long table where the two pastors on duty were sitting.
"Hello, we're here to collect our reward for the mission," Phil Gray said with a smile.
"Which mission number?" The young priest seemed not to recognize them.
“Mission number 2445,” Phil Gray replied.
"Let me look." The young priest rummaged under the table and found a leather bag. The bag had previously contained information about the mission targets and later their mission records.
“There’s been no feedback on this task, so it must still be in progress. The client is our church…” the young pastor said. “The church doesn’t have any record of you completing the task.”
Eli raised an eyebrow. "We did complete the mission, delivering the target alive to the Kingdom of Puna. Your church issued the mission itself; shouldn't you verify it?"
"Excuse me, I'll go ask Pastor Malken." The young pastor apologized and then ran to find the person in charge of the pastors' office.
Phil Gray and the others waited quietly. Perhaps because it was afternoon, there weren't many people in the mission hall. A few people stood scattered in front of the Mirror of Life, picking and choosing, weighing which mission was more worthwhile.
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