Plop——

On the morning sea surface.

A shadow suddenly burst out from beneath the sea.

Then he steadily landed on a small boat heading towards several steamships outside Capen Port.

"Who is it!"

"Is it a monster from the sea?"

"Be careful!"

"..."

"Don't panic, it's one of us!"

The scene of the sea beast attacking the city had just ended, and the people of Grade were preparing to return to the ship. Naturally, this caused some commotion.

But soon, a calm male voice on the small boat halted everyone's panic.

"It's Ronald back; take a good look!"

"..."

"Ronald?"

"It's true; it's truly Ronald!"

Under the surprised gazes of the crowd, Ronald shook off the water droplets clinging to his clothes and gave an apologetic smile to the surrounding Casters and the detective Swift, who'd just backed him up:

"Everyone, I sincerely apologize."

"I came up without a word, which can indeed be confusing."

"And thank you, Swift."

As Ronald responded, the detective attentively studied the man before him.

Swift didn't take long to notice many details from his inexplicably water-emerging old friend, and then he greatly relaxed the expression on his face:

"Ronald, looks like you really handled this?"

"I wouldn't say that," Ronald returned Swift's knowing smile, "If it weren't for your timely information, Capen's troubles might not have been resolved today."

"So truly, the real hero is still you, Swift."

The detective modestly replied:

"As detectives, isn't it our job to solve various troubles for various people? And this affair also showed my personal shortcomings; without your help, I wouldn't have resolved it in any way."

After exchanging greetings,

Swift led Ronald towards the bow of the ship.

During this period, they quietly conversed in tones only audible to each other:

"By the way, Ronald, do you mind explaining the situation in detail?"

"Onshore can't compare to being at the scene; maybe there's something I deduced wrongly?"

Hearing Swift's inquiry, Ronald couldn't help but admire the detective's attitude.

Though Swift had uncovered the truth with his extraordinary investigative ability, he was not complacent and remained rigorous about his conclusions.

Even when the dust settled, he continued seeking the truth of the matter.

For such a detective, Ronald nodded immediately:

"Of course, no problem."

"Everything originated just as you previously investigated, involving the mysterious factions within Capen City..."

"..."

Ronald patiently explained everything he had seen to Swift.

After finally understanding the full picture of the affair and confirming no further crisis in Capen, Swift finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"With this, I can also be at ease."

Then, the detective questioned once more:

"Since that's the case—Ronald, you've adjusted the sea creatures, then what will happen to them?"

Hearing this question, Ronald's gaze deepened.

He turned to look at the sea surface beside him, continually rippled by the pouring rain, and then thoughtfully answered Swift:

"I merely resolved their crisis of attacking the city, and didn't interfere much beyond that." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"These sea creatures, though altered by human Casters, have evolved these traits and indeed developed various new characteristics in this fresh era."

Speaking of this, Ronald couldn't help but continue his speculation:

"Perhaps it won't be long before more fantastic creatures beyond imagination will emerge in the future world, whether deep sea, land, or sky, a new scene will unfold."

Though Ronald spoke simply, he precisely expressed his thoughts and predictions for the future.

Having heard all this, Swift, proficient in information analysis and deduction, naturally shared the same complex expression as Ronald.

"..."

At this moment, Swift seemed to see the dawn of a colorful world about to arrive. How this diversity would impact people's lives remains uncertain.

Contemplating this, the detective couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile:

"For our profession, this is truly dire news."

"Without spending enough time understanding these emerging entities, continuing to judge by past standards in the new world could easily ruin a detective's reputation."

Plop——

The moment their words fell, the water next to the ship suddenly splashed open from someone below.

Then Il's figure leaped onto the deck directly before Ronald.

Looking up, Ronald saw this guy holding Costate in his arms.

With Capen's issue resolved, these two joined the returning steamship crew in this manner.

But before Ronald could greet the two,

strong Magic Fluctuations burst from Capen City's direction. Ronald immediately sensed one belonging to an old acquaintance—Great Witch Teresa!

What's going on?

Ronald was sure he'd spent the whole night ensuring the sea beast threat was completely resolved.

Yet, in a mere turn of the head, the city seemed ready for another fight!

With questions swirling in his mind, Costate slipped down from Il's embrace and explained to Ronald:

"Sir, after resolving the sea beast attack, the Casters guarding the port had a conflict." After pausing, as if feeling the explanation lacked detail, Costate added, "Due to various issues during the defense and related profit distribution, they couldn't unify their points of view."

"..."

Hearing such an outcome, Ronald couldn't even begin to comment.

He looked back at Capen in the morning, leaving only regrets for the turn of events and helplessness towards people's choices on his face.

Costate watched the silent Ronald.

After a few seconds, she softly asked:

"Sir, should we intervene?"

Ronald gave a wry smile to the maid in front of him, then shook his head:

"No, not this time."

"Let people handle their issues. Why should we intervene at this moment..."