Chapter 1066: Chapter 72 Marchioness
"Brother, keep your voice down. If your master finds out, you’re guaranteed to suffer,"
"I’m not afraid. My master’s manor is nearly ruined by his own hands; he can’t even afford to keep bodyguards. If he doesn’t pay me soon, I’ll find another place. It would be great to work at the Marchioness Mansion as a coachman. Have you seen how arrogant those coachmen there are? They act as if they’re nobles themselves."
"Come on, brother, stop complaining. They really do have it better than us. The Marchioness has plenty of money! That’s the power of backing."
Upon hearing this, Ah Dai turned to everyone and said, "It seems that the Marchioness is hosting some kind of banquet. Those coachmen are with the guests."
Yan Shi thought for a moment and said, "Now that there’s a banquet, the guards are naturally tighter. Let’s wait a bit. Once the guests leave, the guards will surely relax a bit, and we can slip in to find the person."
Zhuo Yun nodded approvingly and said, "That’s a good idea. Let’s wait then."
A gleam of joy flashed in Yan Shi’s eyes, and he glanced at Zhuo Yun before returning his gaze to the manor. The four of them quietly waited in the tree.
Two hours had passed, and it was deep into the night. Yan Li grew impatient first and was about to suggest that they move now when suddenly, the manor’s castle doors opened. The wide drawbridge lowered amid laughter; several people, dressed extravagantly and stumbling as if drunk, walked out. The four felt a surge of joy as the nobles, escorted by guards, left the gates and boarded their carriages to depart. Silence returned to the manor. The guards extinguished half of the torches, and the patrolling seemed to have diminished. With a solemn voice, Yan Shi said, "Let’s go, it’s time to move."
The four quietly slid down from the tree, donned black cloaks they had prepared beforehand, and stealthily slipped to a corner outside the wall. Ah Dai said, "I’ll go in first." Being the most skilled among them, it was safest for him to enter first. After signaling the others, Ah Dai floated up, light as a leaf, and landed on the top of the fence. He crouched low, pressing his toes against the fence, looked around, and seeing no guards approaching, waved to the three below before gently floating down into the manor.
Yan Shi and Zhuo Yun followed him inside. They landed next to Ah Dai, but then, a squad of guards approached their direction. The four hurriedly hid behind some bushes. The guards walked past the bushes on the gravel path, allowing the four to breathe a sigh of relief. Just as Yan Li was about to move, Ah Dai stopped him. Yan Li looked at Ah Dai with surprise.
Ah Dai pointed in front of him, and Yan Li looked down to see a very thin wire on the ground with several small bells attached to it. It turned out that while the guards had passed earlier, Ah Dai had seen something glinting in front of Yan Li using the light from their torches, and upon closer inspection, discovered the trap.
In a low voice, Yan Shi said, "It seems the Marchioness has quite the setup here. We need to be careful."
Ah Dai communicated to Yan Shi telepathically, "Big brother, the guards here don’t seem that strong. Why don’t we just rush in and search? They won’t be able to stop us."
Before Yan Shi could respond, Zhuo Yun interjected, "No, brother, calm down. I want to rescue our clan members as much as you do, but remember the lessons from Dark City? With the Marchioness’s vast influence, couldn’t she call upon the city’s soldiers? If we charge in and alarm the authorities, we could find ourselves cornered again."
Ah Dai nodded and said, "Alright, sister, I’ll listen to you."
Yan Shi smiled and said, "Besides, given the massive wealth of the Marchioness, she must have hired experts to protect this place. We might not know what the inside of the castle is like. It’s best to remain cautious. Ideally, we should rescue the Elves without anyone noticing."
A cold glint flashed in Ah Dai’s eyes, "Hmph, there’s not a single good soul in the Empire of Sunset City; who knows how many people the Marchioness has harmed?"
Feeling the violent aura emanating from Ah Dai, Yan Shi frowned, worry rising within him, "Alright, let’s go. Ah Dai, you scout ahead, and be careful."
Ah Dai nodded, heightened his spiritual sense to its limit, and carefully moved towards the castle. Among the elegant foliage, traps were hidden everywhere. If it wasn’t for Ah Dai’s exceptional vision, they would have been discovered long ago. It took them half an hour to reach the periphery of the castle by the river.
Looking at the towering castle, Ah Dai said, "Big brother, look, there’s light only in the room at the very top. The Marchioness must be staying there, right?"
Following the direction Ah Dai pointed, Yan Shi saw a faint light emitting from the room at the top of the castle; everywhere else was pitch black. He nodded slightly and said, "That must be it."
Ah Dai said, "I’ll go up first and take a look. You guys watch for me from below." Saying this, he took off his coat to reveal the black Giant Spirit Snake Scale Armor underneath.
With no better plan, Yan Shi nodded and said, "Be very careful. If you’re spotted, don’t force anything. We’ll retreat and figure out another plan."
