Fisher returned to the room they rented precisely on ti. When he ca back, Necolia repeatedly confird that no one had followed him, which ant that the first step of Mikhail’s plan to identify the elf traitor was complete. The next step was to let the Hooked kiss impersonate himself, and then take Fisher, Mikhail, and the others into the Jianmu Palace.
Because of the previous conversation with Gui, Fisher suddenly rembered that the identity of the transferee among them could be discovered by the elves. He thought they could use this to their advantage and let the Hooked kiss arrange for the three of them to be presented to the Elf King by Bai Hou.
Since the Elf King must have intentions for keeping the transferee who later stole the World Tree Tear close by, there was a greater chance he would also keep the three of them. At that ti, Fisher and his group, kept by the Elf King, could encounter the transferee in Jianmu Palace and uncover the truth behind the World Tree Tear’s theft.
That’s generally the idea. Moreover, since this was within Master Tao’s Barrier and not the real world, they didn’t even need to worry about a backup plan, as determining the truth and the traitor’s identity would likely lead to the Barrier unraveling on its own.
So, the only thing left to do is wait for three days.
As Fisher and the Hooked kiss discussed, Helair, who had been slacking off, also returned to the room with Fisher, looking quite miserable,
"Helair, you’re back... What’s wrong?"
Tangze Asuka greeted her, but seeing her expression couldn’t help but ask, not expecting Helair to reach out and pinch her face, complaining,
"I wanted to have a good ti here, but I forgot that there’s only the phantom of fate here; nothing tastes good..."
"Then why did you co back so late?"
Fisher rcilessly teased, prompting Helair to hide behind Tangze Asuka, using her as a shield, retorting,
"Didn’t you just co back too?"
"..."
Fisher looked at her hiding half her face behind Tangze Asuka, feeling more and more that her actions and deanor were quite feminine. Instead of responding, he glanced over at Mikhail.
Mikhail was systematically identifying the elves visiting the Royal Capital from the tree. Fisher hesitated for a mont but eventually ntioned the encounter with Gui, who had snuck down from the tree that afternoon, assuring that he hadn’t revealed any details of their plan.
Of course, Fisher deliberately omitted how he followed the faint, familiar fragrance from her, only ntioning that he found her suspicious.
The Hooked kiss stroked his chin, surprised,
"Are there really such bold elves? There aren’t many Eighteenth Rank marquis. Unfortunately, I only know a few of the more than a hundred elves on the Tree Continent... Helair, have you heard of an elf nad ’Gui’?"
Helair decisively shook her head, saying nothing.
Even Necolia, a local of Tree Continent, was not familiar, stating that she knew little about the elf kingdoms to the east, though her grandfather, the Minister, might know.
Lacking information on Gui, Mikhail rely stated that he would use robots to keep an eye on the list of elves presented.
...
...
Ti quickly passed, bringing them to the Third Day. Everyone in the room moved outside the city except Mikhail, who was still monitoring the elves. The others lay in ambush according to the Hooked kiss’s timing instructions.
Out of the thirty or so elves who ca, Mikhail had identified nearly twenty in two days. First, the elves were discreet in their residences within the Royal Capital, unlike outside, where they might display symbols of their identity. Mikhail determined their real identities by listening to conversations among their attendants and officials.
Secondly, Mikhail couldn’t continuously use the nanorobots; after a while, it affected his ntal stability. To prevent further incidents, the Hooked kiss strictly limited the ti he could use them, thus reducing identity confirmation efficiency.
But Mikhail assured them that he would identify all the elves once they replaced the Hooked kiss in the Barrier today.
And so, at dawn, the group ca outside the city, waiting for the solitary Hooked kiss to enter the Royal Capital.
At this ti, the World Tree Tear hadn’t been stolen yet, so the city’s defenses were less stringent than in reality, allowing Fisher and his group to leave without much questioning.
They covered their faces to avoid two identical people eting directly, posing as wandering bandits, which made it easier to act.
"You ca to the Royal City on this road? On foot?"
The Royal Capital was located on the northern coastal edge of Tree Continent, and they were currently waiting so distance east of the city.
Hearing Fisher’s question, the Hooked kiss, masked and dressed in black, explained,
"I ca back from ho, landed near the Royal Capital. It’s just a short distance; I changed my clothes and walked over... Don’t hesitate later. When you hit, you need to be quick and accurate. My wife always catches off guard, and I don’t want to have to manipulate your Five Internal Organs to make you uncomfortable."
User Comments
0 comments from readers