Becoming a god starts with enhancing fire arrows.

Walking down the empty street, Rhodes, seeing that no one was around, quietly opened the bag.

I go.

They were all silver coins.

That foul-mouthed old man is really generous.

But his reaction at the time was strange.

Getting angry is like trying to cover up a guilty conscience.

Was this assessment result obtained under duress or at someone else's behest?

Nathan's falling out with guild leader Stanley and his departure from the guild six months ago—is this also related to this incident?

Various mysteries shrouded Rhodes in a thick fog, making it difficult for him to see the way.

He walked back to the hotel, lost in thought.

Just as I reached the door, it opened from the inside.

Paril's thin yet delicate face was revealed.

"You've been waiting for me to come back?" Rhodes casually placed the silver coin on the table.

Paril nodded, staring at Rhodes.

"What's up?" Rhodes asked.

Paril thought for a moment, then shook her head and ran away, saying, "It's nothing."

Strange girl.

After a quick shower, Rhodes got into bed and his eyelids started drooping.

This day was so tiring.

Without any extraneous thoughts, I drifted off to sleep.

......

The next day.

It was a bright and sunny day outside the window.

The bustling sounds of people coming and going on the street filled my ears.

Rhodes stretched comfortably.

On the table next to her were buttered bread and sausages that Paril had bought from the street for breakfast.

Seeing that Rhodes was awake, the young priest sat obediently in the chair beside his bed and asked, "Are we going to investigate the neighbors of the petrification patients again today?"

Rhodes shook his head.

"Yesterday was too tiring, I'll take a rest today."

"Oh right, I'm going to the Adventurers' Guild in a bit to exchange for the Gnoll Ears."

Paril nodded.

She gently broke open the buttered bread, added the sliced ​​sausage to the middle, pressed it tightly, and placed it on the table next to Rhodes.

How thoughtful!

Like a timid young wife.

Rhodes washed up and ate in a good mood.

"Knock knock"

There was a knock on the door.

Rhodes put down his bread, opened the door, and saw that the person who came in was Harvey, the bard from next door.

Harvey wore a gorgeous dark green coat and a bright green soft hat.

Seeing Rhodes open the door, he removed his hat with his left hand and gave a graceful bow with his right.

"Oh, the sun is shining so brightly today!"

Rhodes mimicked Harvey's tone:

"Oh my God, seeing you this morning makes me as happy as if I had just eaten apple pie at the Griffin Tavern."

Harvey: ?

"You were once a bard?"

"No, I just speak a little bit of a translator's accent~"

Harvey didn't dwell on what Rhodes meant.

He closed the door behind him, dropping his exaggerated acting: "My investigation has made a breakthrough."

Oh?

Rhodes sat up straight and listened attentively to what followed.

Harvey slowly began, "After these two days of investigation, we have roughly figured out how the 'Black Hand' organization operates."

"The 'Black Hand' started as an organization formed by a few petty thieves to do some shady things."

"For some unknown reason, it suddenly rose to prominence eighteen years ago, and has continued to expand, transforming itself into the largest underground organization in the entire town of Phil."

"The whole town of Phil?" Rhodes noticed that Harvey emphasized the word "the whole."

Harvey nodded: "Yes, the whole town of Phil."

"It's not just the Sunset District that's involved; many other races from the Sunrise District are also participating."

"And as far as I know, their current leader is a drow."

"What is a Drow?" Paril was unfamiliar with this race.

Harvey turned his gaze to the silver-haired girl and said, "The drow are a branch of the elves. They don't live with the elves but instead live underground year-round."

"Over time, their skin turned a light gray to adapt to the underground environment, and they were called dark elves."

Rhodes nodded; it matched what he knew.

According to the original owner's memories, the Drow race is extremely powerful, and according to resource assessment standards, it is one of the three strongest races in the world.

The remaining two are dragons and orcs.

Seeing that Paril had no further questions, Harvey continued:

"The 'black hand' mainly engages in industries such as casinos and brothels, as well as illegal human trafficking."

"These are all highly profitable industries, and they have developed into an unshakeable force in the small town of Phil by relying on these industries."

"Besides being very profitable, this organization also has a very, very large intelligence network. They can quickly learn about news not only in Phil Town, but also in other cities."

Rhodes frowned as he listened.

The seemingly peaceful town of Phil actually harbors such an underground force.

"Should such a force be allowed to grow unchecked?"

Harvey shook his head: "The mayor has always ignored them. It's Chairman Stanley who has tried many times to gather people to take them down."

"Unfortunately, this organization has infiltrated all aspects of Phil town, and all the operations to suppress it have ended in failure."

Even Chairman Stanley is at a loss?

Moreover, the town mayor's attitude in this regard is quite ambiguous.

If the "Black Hand" organization was established by the mayor twenty years ago, and became his money-making tool, then many things would make sense.

Rhodes made a bold assumption.

He kept this to himself and continued listening to Harvey's story.

"Just yesterday, Clint and I accidentally discovered a deal they made with the witch."

Harvey glanced at Paril as he spoke, and offered an explanation:

"A witch is a cunning and evil spirit."

"They often deceive, enslave, and toy with humans, taking pleasure in their suffering."

"The hag I mentioned is named Rotton Tongue Hagra. According to the Adventurers' Guild, she is an elite-level being. She is also extremely proficient in disease and curse spells."

Diseases and curses?!

Rhodes' eyes lit up.

The investigation into petrification disease suddenly found a direction.

Harvey's tone also carried a hint of excitement: "The Corrupted Tongue Hagra often buys all sorts of humans from the 'Black Hand' to carry out its inhumane experiments."

"The transaction will take place in two days."

Rhodes stared sharply at Harvey: "What's your plan?"

Harvey said, "We don't know the exact location of the Rotten Tongue. I suggest we follow the members of 'Black Hand' to determine and mark its location."

"We'll sneak in and investigate when it goes out; maybe we can find some clues."

"Yes, but I can talk to the dead," Rhodes said.

Harvey's plan is too slow.

Moreover, any mistake during this period could alert the enemy.

Once a treacherous and cunning creature like the witch is disturbed, it will be very difficult to find her again.

Harvey didn't understand what Rhodes was trying to say for a moment.

I have some doubts.

Seeing this, Rhodes briefly explained his plan:

"We can track down the 'Black Hand's' men, kill them halfway, and ask the witch for her address."

"Then we went and killed the witch and asked her directly if she had any connection with the petrification disease."

"After you've killed them all, also search their hideout."

"What do you think?"