Pillar of Yita

But thinking about it, he probably understood. With Istania’s strict hierarchical system, how many adventurers from the outside could actually meet a noble lady like this? It’s said that Count Nulman treasures his daughter like a jewel, naturally protecting her meticulously, keeping her secluded, so how could he let ’lower-class people’ sully his daughter’s eyes?

Fang Hong couldn’t help but shake his head at this. This Little Fatty’s dreams are even more outlandish than Parker’s, but the other party probably never cared about this aspect?

Is this the so-called... dead... dead fat otaku?

Truly terrifying.

But he didn’t mind, yet ZXC nearly dragged this unreliable guy out to kill him. Although Fang Hong knew the other party was doing this deliberately, he still stopped ZXC with a wry smile. Normally, he wouldn’t mind if this guy suffered a bit, but right now there were only eight of them, so it’s better not to stir up any trouble.

Fortunately, after the Clockwork Fairy flew into the fourth floor, he finally made some discoveries.

That luxurious room, the numerous maidservants, and that exquisitely dressed little girl, Fang Hong thought that if he could mistake this, then he must be an idiot.

He immediately retrieved the Clockwork Fairy and then said to everyone, ”Think of a way to get to the fourth floor.”

”On the fourth floor?”

Fang Hong nodded.

”That’s just right,” Wu Xiaopang answered, ”The patrolling guards just passed by. We just checked earlier, the stairs to upstairs are in that direction, let’s move quickly.”

Saying this, he was ready to head out.

But just at this moment, Luo Hao grabbed the man’s shoulder and pulled him back inside. Fang Hong actually heard the footsteps coming from afar at the same time. In just a moment, they saw a beam of light appear from the corner over there. The glow from a lantern swept over, and behind the light, a group of knights was approaching with the clanging sound of metal clashing.

Wu Xiaopang, who was pulled back by Luo Hao, stared wide-eyed at the scene.

He wasn’t brainless; he had been estimating the patrol time of these people, but no matter what, this time the other party returned too quickly. Could it be that he was exposed? Wu Xiaopang suddenly turned pale, thinking of a terrifying possibility, but seeing the others maintaining their composure, he didn’t dare to show such emotion.

But things weren’t as he imagined —

The knights hurriedly approached, but they didn’t notice them hiding in the corner. Holding their lanterns, they swiftly passed by this direction without even glancing back. The jumbled footsteps continued through the end of the corridor, and finally, the lights disappeared in that direction.

After a while, Wu Xiaopang faintly heard the sound of a door opening coming from that direction, followed by the gradual fading of the messy footsteps.

He turned around, looking incredulously at everyone and said:

”What’s going on here? They never went in that direction before.”

”They probably discovered something.” ZXC, at this moment, realized.

Among the few, only Luo Hao remained calm. He glanced over there and then said quietly to everyone, ”That’s the direction we came from.”

”We—” Wu Xiaopang was stunned and suddenly remembered. Actually, they didn’t take that route when they arrived, but the courtyard beneath the city wall in the Inner City they reached seems to be in that direction— His mind jolted, and he couldn’t help but look at ZXC and the others.

Two members of the Shield of Lufu also looked at Fang Hong with a lingering fear. Fang Hong had previously said that the Arcanists might have already discovered them, and at first, they were reluctant to believe this, thinking they were stealthy and unnoticed. However, judging from the knights’ reaction, clearly, the big shot was right again.

Moreover, due to the inclement weather, there would likely be some delay in relaying information from the Arcanists, so calculating it, it seemed they detected it shortly after they arrived in the Inner City.

Wu Xiaopang broke into a cold sweat. The security in the Inner City was much stricter than outside, and he knew how many patrolling knights there were here. If the other party took action, what place in a mere castle could they hide in? He wiped the sweat off and quickly asked, ”So what do we do now? Do we charge up?”

Originally feeling certain of victory, now they suddenly felt hope fading away.

However, Fang Hong had long passed the stage of being easily startled by such things, and simply shook his head, replying, ”No need. Fortunately, given the current weather, their information feedback is similarly greatly delayed. But sooner or later, the knights will realize there’s an intrusion, and at that point, they’ll mobilize. Until then, we are still safe.”

He looked ahead, ”So the time we have left is not much. Now that this side is temporarily safe, let’s go over to the stairs.”

At this point, Wu Xiaopang and the others had completely shed their underestimation of their opponents and simply nodded seriously.

Indeed, as Fang Hong said, they passed through the first floor’s corridor and entered the second floor via the stairs, finding the surroundings seemingly unchanged from before. However, because on the second floor, they took extra time to avoid the Arcanists’ spies. Upon reaching the third floor, they heard a commotion coming from below.

It seemed that someone was issuing orders, followed by waves of chaotic footsteps. Clearly, the defensive forces within the castle had been mobilized, having discovered someone had invaded.

There was one more floor to go before reaching their destination.

And it seemed like the other party hadn’t found them yet. From the appearance, this place seemed temporarily safe, but Fang Hong had already sensed a hint of danger.

He suddenly halted, looked up—

If the Arcanists and His Excellency the Governor weren’t stupid, they should have realized that the information they grasped was delayed— Gita wasn’t in this Inner City from the start, and there were only a handful of valuable targets here for them. Especially for His Excellency the Governor, he would surely prioritize thinking about his daughter.

Expecting them to search from the second floor upwards was unrealistic. Each floor in the castle had defensive forces, and it was possible that the guards on the fourth floor had already been mobilized.

As long as they retained even a little bit of luck and hesitated for a moment, they would miss the last chance.

Thus, without thinking much, Fang Hong took out a golden Clockwork Fairy from beneath his coat.

Given the current situation, only through strength could they break through tactfully.

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