Chapter 204 We Only Have One Chance
Vassago looked at the City Lord's Residence from the treetops and eyed the servants who were doing their duties with a dumb look on his face.
Poca was doing the same, but she was situated on the opposite side of the residence.
This allowed the two Pocopocos to cover more ground, making sure to memorize the names, faces, and voices of the people whom they saw that day.
Since Thirteen, Arthas, and Netero were unable to move freely, it was up to the two birds to do the scouting for them.
The only saving grace was that Netero had only booked the Inn for two days, so they were able to relocate to a different inn without arousing suspicion from their watchers.
Two days later, the three of them left and even thanked the Innkeeper for his hospitality.
This time, Thirteen did the picking to ensure that they wouldn't be subject to anyone spying on them.
The inn that the seven-year-old chose was called Colorful Autumn Wind, which was located at the city center.
Due to the younger boy's suggestion, Netero booked the biggest room, allowing the three of them to stay in the same room.
They had already wasted two days, so they decided to make up for it by starting to formulate a plan to infiltrate the City Lord's residence.
But according to Thirteen, infiltration was nigh impossible.
Unlike Paven, Gael was a truly meticulous man.
He had employed five Champions to guard his residence, making it a challenge for Arthas and Netero to slip past their defenses.
But that didn't mean that they had no options.
Compared to the two Barbarians, Thirteen took this infiltration mission more seriously.
Aside from Vassago and Poca, he also brought another helper with them.
Rocky, hidden deep underground and only waiting for Tiona's order to resurface, was in Drada City as well.
In fact, the Rocky Bal-Boa was currently hiding under the Colorful Autumn Wind Inn.
The younger boy had given Rocky two Divine Abilities, and they were Silent Digger and Mobile Stronghold.
The Silent Digger ability allowed Rocky to dig on the ground undetected by Champions and, to a certain extent, by Thrones as well.
It was a powerful stealth ability that only worked underground. It was used by one of his previous hosts, who was both a Grave Robber and a Treasure Hunter.
Mobile Stronghold, on the other hand, allowed Rocky to swallow up to fifty creatures and carry them inside his body wherever he went.
In short, Rocky became a storage ring of sorts that allowed living objects to be stored inside his body.
The funny thing was that the creatures he had swallowed would find themselves in a fertile land with fruit bearing trees and a small lake, where they could fish and draw water.
There were even twenty cottages inside, which could be used as accommodations.
Rocky was the perfect monster for these two abilities, allowing Thirteen to travel undetected underground.
This was his last resort if things went South.
Although he believed that he had a chance of allowing the Wanderers to clear their mission and return to Pangea, his defeat against the System God made him more cautious.
Also, even if the Beacon of Hope was lit, he would still remain in Solterra, so having the Rocky Bal-Boa as a mobile fortress was a game changer for him.
"I've got some good news," Thirteen said with a smile. "A tournament will be held two days from now, and the City Lord will be there to personally preside over it. It is the perfect opportunity to infiltrate his residence because some of those Champions will accompany him as his guards.
"However, we only have one chance, so we cannot fail in this mission. So, I propose that I be the temporary leader of this operation. As long as both of you cooperate with me, I am confident that we will be able to accomplish our goals, and leave this place undetected."
Arthas and Netero glanced at each other before nodding their heads in agreement.
Truth be told, they came to Drada City without any plans. They thought that they could easily infiltrate Gael's Residence and neutralize him because both of them were Champions.
The City Lord was only of the Grandmaster Rank, so they were confident that they could handle him easily.
They didn't expect him to have five Champions guarding him, which came as a surprise to Arthas and Netero.
It didn't take long for Arthas to realize that these five Champions might be the same Champions that had infiltrated his residence, and stolen things from his treasury.
Thirteen's goal for bringing Arthas and Netero to Drada City was to convince the two of them that everything he said back in Gronar City was the truth.
As long as they found evidence of Gael's betrayal, the younger boy would gain two allies, which would help him operate in the Barbarian Lands.
"We still have two days, so we should explore the city and have fun," Thirteen said. "I believe that we are still being held under suspicion, so I want the three of us to act as tourists."
"Will we find evidence by acting as tourists?" Arthas arched an eyebrow.
"We won't." Thirteen shook his head. "But, Tiona will."
The seven-year-old then rubbed the head of the Black Snake that was coiled around his neck with his finger.
"She will handle the rest," Thirteen said. "All we need to do is keep a low profile."
Before leaving Gronar City, the boy fed the Black Snake a few Beast Cores, which allowed her to gain some new abilities.
Of course, since the abilities that she could gain were completely random, it was a hit and miss.
However, it didn't matter because he had plenty of Cores at his disposal, allowing him to gear Tiona for this mission perfectly.
He had calculated the risks involved, and he would never allow the Black Snake to get hurt no matter what.
She was his Beast Companion, and he cared for her, just as much as he cared for his Family and Cristopher.
That night, Tiona dug underground and crawled towards the direction of the City Lord's Residence, while being accompanied by Rocky.
Their mission was to find any hidden underground basements, or places, where an Altar could be placed.
After seeing the Altar in Paven's Residence, Tiona could detect similar artifacts, as long as she was within its range.
Her Master had also amplified her detection abilities, extending its range.
With this, she would be able to remain hidden underground, without the need to risk her life in trying to find the location of the Altar, where Gael was using to communicate with Arundel the Destroyer.
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