One piece : Armor of Justice

Raising an eyebrow, Bill became more serious. Although Fia was practically made of bronze and wouldn't be harmed by a cart's impact, for other people, a collision with a cart carrying lumber could be extremely dangerous.

If traffic rules aren't being followed, that needs to be corrected.

Bill: "Hold on, so was it the driver's fault?"

Shaking his head, Rance replied: "No, Fia just wasn't watching where she was going."

Bill was about to say something, but then Fia shouted: "RANCE! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO TOLD ME TO WALK WITH MY EYES CLOSED!"

Then she quietly added: "You said that's how you train your ability to sense your surroundings... and you didn't know a cart was coming!"

Rance panicked for a moment, looking at Bill, then at Fia, and back at Bill, before he said: "That really is how we train observation skills! But that's not the point! Listen, after the cart knocked Fia over, the driver flew out and dropped a bunch of papers."

Bill interjected: "And is the driver okay?"

Now more irritated, Rance replied with feigned calm: "Yes, he's fine. But that's not the point. Just listen. When the papers scattered in the air, Fie and I helped him gather the documents. One of them was clearly an invoice for sawn boards."

Bill: "Okay."

Rance continued: "The invoice was in a torn envelope marked 'confidential.' It was for a sale to some dock I've never heard of, ten bundles of Red Elm."

Nodding, Bill replied: "And Red Elm does grow on the islands around Vallipo."

Rance shook his head and said: "Yes, I know, but I've never seen anything except Super Rainbow trees at this sawmill. After all my years working as a lawkeeper, if they suddenly got Red Elm, I would have noticed."

"Hmm..." Bill pondered, then asked: "So you think this sawmill is selling Rainbow trees to someone?"

If that's true, it's a serious matter. The Marines directly controlled only a few logging areas worldwide. The Vallipo Archipelago was one of the best. Super Rainbow trees grew only here, and although they weren't top-grade shipbuilding wood, they were quite sufficient for constructing most vessels. This made them a protected resource. The Marines contracted traders for processed timber, and in return, the traders received payment for their work and access to other resources on the archipelago. These contracts were considered mutually beneficial. The Marines didn't have enough people to cut down and process hundreds of giant trees annually, and the traders gained money and access to new markets through other products produced on Vallipo.

Rance shook his head again: "I don't know anything yet, but something is suspicious. So, we wanted to find you and take a look around. If we don't see any stacks of Red Elm, we'll definitely have a reason to investigate."

Realizing he had a free day, Bill looked at the two and calmly said, "Alright, let's go."

With these words, the trio headed into town. Rance spoke about the case while Fia talked about her future as a cook. In general, Bill thought that even if nothing came of it, it was nice to just spend time together.

Soon, they reached the required sawmill. Looking up at the sign saying "Rainbow Mulino Sawmill," Bill said to the others, "Well, here we are. Let's stick together and walk around the fence. Hopefully, we'll see some stacks of Red Elm.Looking around the building, Fia asked Bill, "And what if we don't see anything?"

Rance, interrupting her excitedly, answered before Bill could: "Then we'll have to take a closer look!"

Shaking his head, Bill replied, "Let's look around first. If we don't find anything, then we'll ask a random worker if they process Red Elm. Depending on what we learn, we'll decide what to do next."

After getting a nod from the two children, the trio began to walk around the fence.

These sawmills were enormous due to the size of the trees they processed. Since all the trees needed to be handled after felling, a lot of space was required for drying the stacks. The average height of a Super Rainbow tree was one hundred meters, so plenty of room was needed.

As they circled the perimeter of the sawmill, Bill saw nothing but the standard logs for which the sawmill was named. When they returned to their starting point, Rance exclaimed, "See, I told you!"

Fia nodded, adding, "And I could go in and take a closer look; no one would notice me."

Shaking his head at her suggestion, Bill reiterated that they would now talk to a sawmill worker and try to learn something. By this time, he had already questioned Rance several times, and the boy insisted he had definitely seen a "confidential" invoice.

Entering through the main entrance, they approached a small building on the side, where there was a large open window through which a man was looking over some papers.

As they approached the counter, before the man could lift his gaze, Bill rang the bell.

DING

Startled, the man jumped in place and shouted in a nasal voice, "What the hell!?" Then, seeing the trio, he snorted before saying, "Hey, you kids! This isn't a place to play! You better leave before I call your parents or the Sheriff!"