Chapter 3671: Return Journey
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
At noon.
Sea God Island.
The guards stationed at the island’s sentry tower noticed several ships approaching in the distance.
Hm? Were those Fang Heng’s Chamber of Commerce merchant ships?
Had they returned that quickly?
Strangely, Oz Empire warships had also come back with them.
Brigit was puzzled, but he still brought people to the harbor to receive them.
Fang Heng was the first to leap down from the merchant ship, bringing Cao Ge and the other two with him as they walked toward Brigit.
"Mr. Fang Heng, you came back so quickly. Did you run into some trouble?" Brigit gave Fang Heng a slight nod, glanced at the Oz Empire warships docked at the harbor, and asked, "And those ships are?"
"We ran into them on the way. The Empire’s warships encountered a bit of trouble, so they’re traveling with us for now. Don’t worry, they only need some basic supplies. They won’t be coming ashore."
Before arriving, the group had discussed it and decided to temporarily conceal the fact that Princess Willow was also aboard the ship, so as not to provoke the Lyman Empire.
"I see."
Brigit assumed Fang Heng had been delayed after encountering the Oz Empire warships midway and had no choice but to return to Sea God Island, so he asked again, "Are you planning to set out again today?"
"Set out? We’ve already returned. Set out for what?"
As Fang Heng spoke, he glanced toward the tall tower at the center of the island and curled his lips into a faint smile.
"The mission was already completed. Take me to see Sawyer."
"Oh... alright..."
Brigit answered, then suddenly froze. He turned and stared at Fang Heng, his eyes filled with shock.
"What did you just say? The mission was already completed?"
"Naturally."
Fang Heng nodded. "Take me to see Sawyer."
Brigit looked Fang Heng up and down several times, then signaled one of his subordinates to hurry ahead and report to High Priest Sawyer first.
What a joke.
Fang Heng had only left Sea God Island that morning, and it was not even afternoon yet.
There had not even been enough time for a ship to reach Whispering Island.
What exactly was he up to?
Brigit had no idea what Fang Heng was planning, but he only said, "Very well. Please follow me."
Soon, Fang Heng followed Brigit into the central tower and met Sawyer in the lounge.
Sawyer had just received word that Fang Heng had already completed the mission, and like Brigit, he found it strange.
How long had it been? And the mission was already complete?
He did not believe it.
Forget four hours—even if Fang Heng had been given forty hours, he would not have believed it possible.
The false god occupying Whispering Island was no weak opponent.
Over the years, he had tried every method and used many means, but all had ended in failure.
Whispering Island was an extremely troublesome enemy.
In truth, Sawyer had suffered several losses there.
Sawyer picked up the teacup beside him on the wooden table, took a light sip, and asked, "Fang Heng, I heard you already completed the mission."
"Yes."
Fang Heng nodded lightly, flipped his wrist, and revealed the divine authority in his hand.
"Ahem—cough, cough..."
The moment Sawyer saw the divine authority in Fang Heng’s hand, he choked on his tea and began coughing violently. He waved away the subordinate who tried to help him and stared fixedly at the dark-gold divine authority in Fang Heng’s hand.
Divine authority!
It really was divine authority!
What the hell?
Where had he gotten that divine authority?
Had it really come from Whispering Island?
Had he defeated the false god on Whispering Island?
For a moment, Sawyer’s mind was filled with questions.
The priests in the lounge were equally stunned. They all stared at Fang Heng in disbelief.
"High Priest Sawyer." Fang Heng calmly extended the divine authority toward him. "Would you like to inspect it?"
"Fine."
Sawyer took the divine authority from Fang Heng.
The moment it entered his hand, Sawyer’s heart skipped a beat again.
It was real!
Divine authority could not be forged. The moment one touched it, its authenticity was obvious.
Cao Ge saw the disbelief on everyone’s faces and felt utterly satisfied. He chuckled and asked, "High Priest, is there any problem with the divine authority?"
Under everyone’s burning gaze, Sawyer nodded.
"There is no problem with the divine authority. It is real."
"Then what about the divine statue you promised us?"
Sawyer frowned inwardly.
His original plan had been to provoke mutual hostility between Fang Heng and Whispering Island, letting both sides wound each other.
But now Fang Heng had actually completed the mission and returned openly with the divine authority, looking completely unharmed.
At the side, Priest Darcy stepped forward and said with a smile, "Please do not be impatient. Sea God Island has always kept its word. We will certainly fulfill what we promised. However, this happened too suddenly. To be honest, we did not expect you to complete the mission so quickly. Please give us a little time to confirm whether this divine authority truly belongs to Whispering Island."
Fang Heng knew this was merely a delaying tactic and said coldly, "How long will it take? We do not have time. We will depart before nightfall."
Darcy chuckled.
"In such a hurry? Please do not be impatient. We will arrange accommodations for you. Stay here for a while in peace. Once we confirm the situation on Whispering Island, we will immediately take you to receive the divine statue."
"No need for the trouble." Fang Heng shook his head. "Then just pretend I never came back. I’m sure someone else would be interested in the divine authority."
As Fang Heng spoke, he looked at Sawyer and extended his hand, signaling for the divine authority to be returned.
Sawyer’s brows knitted tightly.
He had finally gotten his hands on divine authority. How could he willingly give it back so easily?
Sawyer said, "Fang Heng, let sunset be the deadline. Before sunset, I will give you a clear answer."
"Fine. Then I’ll trouble you all with it. I’ll wait for your reply."
As Fang Heng spoke, he did not withdraw the hand he had extended toward Sawyer.
Cao Ge smiled and added, "You only need to verify news from Whispering Island. You do not need the divine authority for that, do you?"
Reluctantly, Sawyer handed the divine authority back and said to Brigit beside him, "Brigit, take them down to rest first."
"Yes!"
The senior priests of Sea God Island watched Fang Heng and the others leave the lounge.
"Mm..."
High Priest Sawyer pondered for a moment and asked, "What do you all think?"
"High Priest."
An elderly priest stepped forward, his eyes burning with excitement.
"This is undoubtedly real divine authority. Whether or not it came from Whispering Island, it is of immense importance to us. We must obtain it."
That struck directly at Sawyer’s heart.
Whispering Island was only an excuse. The divine authority was real, and since it was real, they had to get it.
"But Fang Heng is a problem."
Another priest said, "If he truly took the divine authority from Whispering Island, then that means he is even harder to deal with than the false god of Whispering Island. Moreover, we cannot possibly hand over the divine statue bestowed by the main island to Fang Heng."
The room fell silent.
Indeed.
Everyone had witnessed what happened at the sea monster nest the previous night.
Though there was no proof, they all felt certain that Fang Heng was absolutely connected to it.
That boy was trouble at first glance.
If things really escalated, they were not confident they could suppress Fang Heng at all.
