The two of them sat diagonally facing each other, leaning against the wall. They looked at each other in silence.
After a long time, Thales coughed and spoke softly.
"What's the situation in Dragon Clouds City up there now?"
Raphael opened his eyes.
"Very bad."
The pupils of the person from the Secret Intelligence Department shrank.
"Ever since King Nuven passed away six years ago, the Star Killer's White Blade Guards have been brandishing their blades with a murderous aura. They've been madly cleaning up Dragon Clouds City's underground intelligence network at all costs. They've practically turned the entire city into an airtight iron bucket. Even the Secret Room has suffered heavy losses, let alone us."
"Now, the Prince of Constellation's disappearance has too many implications, and it involves war … Dragon Clouds City has been completely locked down. Entry is allowed, but exit is not allowed. Strict searches are conducted from house to house. I heard that the Star Killer flew into a rage and madly chased after the Prince of Constellation all over the city, not letting go of any channels and information. He locked up batch after batch of suspicious people, including some great nobles. He doesn't acknowledge anyone's favor, and the cautious Lisban is even supporting him from behind."
Thales listened to the person's narration without saying a word.
"So, you went to Lampard today and messed up our plans. That was really stupid.
"And we risked our lives to rescue you, which was the worst of the worst."
Raphael's expression was tense. "At least at this moment, everyone in Dragon Clouds City is tense, and everyone is in danger … At least, almost all the escape routes in the hands of the Secret Intelligence Department can't be used anymore."
When he heard this, Thales sighed heavily.
Raphael saw the prince's expression, cleared his throat, and changed the topic. "But it's not that there isn't any good news. The day of the state affairs hearing involves too many people, and there are all sorts of people in the city.
"Your disappearance, whether it's the vassals and suzerains under Dragon Clouds City, the City of Faraway Prayers with ulterior motives, or the aggressive Black Sand Region, these people are all suspected of kidnapping you. They don't trust each other, and even view each other as enemies.
"This will take up Dragon Clouds City's energy and attention. The Star Killer and Lisban need time and means to investigate them one by one.
"If it were any other time, they might not have encountered such a good opportunity to take the risk to rescue you."
As he listened to the comforting words, Thales forced a smile.
The Prince braced himself and asked, "Then we're trapped here and can't leave?"
Raphael shrugged. "Viscount Putray said that he has an unorthodox way of getting in touch …"
But before he could finish speaking, a third person's voice came from the dark tunnel.
"Very soon, Your Highness. You have to leave before dark."
Thales and Raphael stood up at the same time and turned to the other side of the tunnel.
There, a middle-aged man holding an Everlasting Lamp slowly walked over.
"Putray!"
Thales' eyelids twitched, and he said in pleasant surprise, "I haven't seen you since I came out of the hall … How are you?"
The thin Putray looked exhausted and forced a smile. "Thanks to you, I'm fine for now."
"When Lampard appeared in the hall, I had a bad feeling … So, I quickly slipped out to make arrangements."
When Thales saw him, his anxious and gloomy mood instantly became much better.
Raphael chuckled with an indescribable emotion in his eyes.
But Thales' expression immediately changed.
"Wait, you said that I have to leave before dark," Thales mulled over this sentence and was immediately shocked. He looked back and forth between Raphael and Putray. "You … You're not coming with me?"
Raphael and Putray exchanged a glance.
"The disappearance of the Prince of Constellation is a huge matter." The Barren Bone man pursed his lips and his expression changed. "If the Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Department appears indifferent and quiet, wouldn't it be too suspicious?"
Raphael looked at the puzzled Thales and nodded.
"That's right. Not only can I not leave, but I also have to appear immediately and anxiously gather information everywhere, just like a normal person from the Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Department would do. It would be best if I'm discovered by the Star Killer and thrown into prison. Only then can I better cover your escape."
Thales was stunned.
He stared blankly at Raphael, who was dressed in white and appeared calm. He was momentarily speechless.
'Is that so?'
"It's not just him."
Putray sighed, and withdrew the hand which he had put into his pocket for his pipe.
"It's the same for the people around you, including me. We all have to stay in Dragon Clouds City and maintain the status quo. It's not only to divert attention from you, but also to continue gathering information until everything is settled and you successfully return to the kingdom."
Thales pursed his lips.
'Yes, he escaped.
'But …'
He was feeling very complicated right now.
"Yes, Your Highness. Although the arrangements are in place," Putray smiled faintly, but to Thales, this smile was rather bitter.
"But you will have to walk the rest of the way on your own."
Thales turned to Putray and raised his eyebrows.
But Putray only stared at him silently.
In the end, the prince suppressed his other emotions.
"Is that so?" He put away all unnecessary emotions and nodded indifferently.
Beside him, Raphael said calmly, "Apart from that, who else among the people around you could possibly know that you would escape from here today?"
"We have to consider the worst possibility."
Thales tried his best to dispel the gloom in his heart and pulled himself together.
"No one knows." The prince pondered for a moment. "Apart from Aida and Genard, who could not avoid it, among the others, I only gave Wya some hints."
'Poor Wya.
'I hope you can remember why I told you: no matter what happens, do not panic.'
'Fortunately, before I left, the sensitive Ralf should have sensed something.'
"Very good," Raphael said seriously. "Are there any loopholes or threats?"
Thales shifted his gaze and pondered carefully.
"Justin's subordinates, among the Grand Duchess' Guards that are in charge of protecting me, there are four people specifically assigned to monitor my movements. Some of them might suspect Jenny, but it doesn't matter. I've destroyed all communications."
Thales shook his head. "One of the archduchess' maids is on a mission. She has been eavesdropping on my conversations with the archduchess for the past six years, such as my farewell to the archduchess this time. But it should be fine. She will think that I said goodbye because I was going to Black Sand Region.
"The servant who cleans my room is Lisban and Nicholas' informant. He often stealthily flips through my books, letters, and even scribbles when I'm not around. But I've confirmed that I didn't leave behind anything suspicious."
Thales continued to speak as he pondered. Every time he mentioned a point, the other two frowned a little more.
"Aida told me that an Archduchess' Guard who used to be a scout and was in charge of guarding the roof can use a reed to eavesdrop on my conversations with my subordinates in my room at night. So, when he starts eavesdropping, I will deliberately change the topic. And these few days, I have rarely talked to them about my recent situation.
"Nicholas and Ginghes will judge whether I am abnormal based on my daily routine and habits. But for this reason, I have tried my best to be as casual as possible, whether it is my resting spot in the palace or my daily routine. I should not be able to find any pattern. And this time, I came out in the name of meeting Lampard, so it will not arouse suspicion.
"Lord Justin has a small notebook. Every time I come out to play chess, he secretly pays attention to my every move, the person I talk to, the route I take, and even my movements when I ride a horse. Even after the game is over, he will come up and record my final game. Justin suspects that it is a secret code. But fortunately, everything I do in the chess room has nothing to do with this cellar.
"I can't think of anything else at the moment."
Thales finished speaking and looked at the other two again.
Raphael and Putray looked at each other. Both of them seemed a little surprised.
'This young man has been in Dragon Clouds City for the past six years …
'How did he come here?'
'In fact, it's not just this,' Thales thought quietly.
'Sigh, in the future, I can probably write a book called' The Prince in the North: The Days I Battled Wits and Bravery with the Star Killer '.'
Raphael coughed and said a little unnaturally, "It sounds alright."
Putray sighed almost imperceptibly. He nodded.
"Very good.
"I have already made arrangements for leaving the city. I asked some of my friends for help. Even though it is not as reliable as using my own people, it should not be a problem."
Thales hummed in acknowledgment, but he immediately thought of something.
"What about after we leave the city?"
The prince frowned and said, "I can guarantee that after such a major incident, the roads leading south from Dragon Clouds City are all checkpoints. They are strictly guarded against every thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy.
"The same is probably true for Prestige Orchid Region and Black Sand Region. To prevent me from returning to Constellation, the area around Broken Dragon Fortress will definitely be under martial law again. Even birds cannot fly over.
"How do I return to Constellation?"
This time, Putray and Raphael exchanged glances again. Both of them seemed to be smiling.
"That's right, Lampard will not let you freely pass through Black Sand Region." Putray smiled and shook his head. "So, no, we are not going south."
"Not going south?"
Thales thought for a moment and said solemnly, "Alright, the other directions … going north is impossible, unless I want to seek refuge with the orcs at Quiquer Glacier. So, I can either go east, travel a thousand miles, pass through Beacon Illumination City to Elaphure City, then take a boat south to Constellation — "
But before Thales, who was thinking hard, Putray only raised a finger and shook it slightly, interrupting him.
"No, we are also going east, and we are not taking a boat." Raphael snorted softly beside him. "Neither."
He said resolutely and decisively, "You go west."
Thales was slightly startled.
"West?"
Raphael's expression did not change. He continued to nod. "First enter the territory of the City of Faraway Prayers, then head south to the Great Desert, then head east from the desert to Constellation's Western Desert Hill."
'Wait a minute.'
Thales recalled the words Quide often used to threaten them a long time ago when they were child beggars in the Abandoned House.
'"Son of a b * tch, tomorrow! Tomorrow, I will sell you to the Great Desert, you little brat! You will become a meal for the Barren Bone people! "
"Head south to the Great Desert?"
Thales frowned in disbelief. "That chaotic Great Desert filled with desert bandits, rogues, criminals, and even the Barren Bone tribe and orcs?
"That terrifying, bloody, complicated, dangerous Great Desert filled with all kinds of strange legends that even the Ancient Empire could not conquer?"
Raphael did not speak. He only stared at him.
The prince clicked his tongue and repeated the adverb three times. "That is much, much more difficult than heading south to Black Sand Region. Are you serious?"
Putray snickered.
"Yes, Your Highness, what you need to pass through is a certain part of the chaotic Great Desert that was' once 'filled with desert bandits, rogues, criminals, and even the Barren Bone tribe and orcs …" The thin middle-aged man sighed.
Thales instantly grasped the keyword.
His brain seemed to have stopped for a moment before it instantly restarted.
"Wait." He opened his mouth wide in surprise. "You mean … 'once'?"
'Once?
'No way.
'That means …'
A wonderful thought flashed through his mind like lightning.
Thales' gaze became unfocused. His breathing began to quicken uncontrollably.
At that moment, his heart skipped a beat.
The prince raised his head abruptly and stared at the smiling Putray. His tone was tense.
"Putray.
"Constellation's army … two thousand cavaliers or something. They crossed Blade Fangs Dune Camp in an unprecedented manner, crossed a small part of the desert, and arrived at the border between the City of Faraway Prayers and the Alliance of Freedom …"
Putray laughed again when he heard the prince's words.
Thales looked at his expression and became more certain in his heart.
He finally asked in shock, "They did not go to support the Alliance of Freedom, did they?"
Raphael snorted coldly and turned his head away.
"Of course not." Putray took over the conversation. He stopped smiling and said flatly, "The Alliance of Freedom? Hmph. "
He shook his head and said disdainfully, "Since that group of people could not obtain the Great Dragon's friendship, what makes them think that they can obtain Constellation's friendship?"
Thales widened his eyes to the maximum.
"So, Constellation's army, their goal, they are, they are …"
Raphael shook his head and clicked his tongue.
Putray snorted softly and sighed. "That's right."
At that moment, Thales finally understood.
'Constellation's army …
'They are …
'They are …'
"I see."
The prince leaned against the wall weakly and heaved a sigh of relief.
At that moment, his emotions were incredibly complicated. There was a mixture of realization, sadness, and relief.
"I also found it strange that in Gilbert's letter, Madam Jines, who has always been swift and decisive, actually nagged me to 'eat more Western Desert's bitter vegetables'. Ha, Western Desert's bitter vegetables. Ha, Western Desert, she meant …"
Thales smiled bitterly. His tone was hoarse and his emotions surged. He could not continue speaking for a moment.
Putray looked at the prince's expression and nodded slowly. He continued Thales' sentence.
"Yes, over the past month or so, thousands of Constellation's soldiers have set off from Western Desert and marched all the way to the northwest. As an unparalleled force in the desert, they swept through the northeastern part of the Great Desert at all costs, as well as the desert between Eckstedt and Constellation …"
He let out a long sigh. "As for the City of Faraway Prayers, since Roknee thinks that we want to interfere with the Alliance of Freedom, he will place all his troops on the western border of the kingdom and defend the direction of the Alliance of Freedom. He will have no time to care about the east and the interior of the desert …"
Thales closed his eyes gently.
Putray's voice continued to ring in his ears, "And those Constellation soldiers, they did not care about the cost, the cost, and the casualties they suffered as they ventured deep into the desert. They drove away and eliminated all the threats from the desert bandits, orcs, and Barren Bone tribes along the way. They even forced the City of Faraway Prayers to withdraw their troops.
"It was for you, the second prince, the heir to the kingdom in Northland."
At that moment, Thales felt an indescribable heaviness in his heart.
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
'For me.
'Sending troops west, venturing deep into the desert …
'For me!'
No one could understand how he felt at that moment.
"As long as we get out of Dragon Clouds City …"
Putray's voice was still calm, but there was a terrifying sharpness hidden beneath his words. It was a sharpness unique to the Western Peninsula's Shield.
"From the City of Faraway Prayers to Western Desert Hill, be it the powerful and threatening Northlanders or the once insurmountable, chaotic Great Desert, be it the army, the checkpoints, the bandits, or the orcs, all obstacles have been completely cleared.
"Only Constellation's own army and flag are left behind, waiting for your return."
At that moment, Thales gritted his teeth lightly. His expression was tense.
Putray said calmly and without losing his vigor, "With thousands upon thousands of soldiers advancing wave after wave, countless officials working hard day and night, and the kingdom recovering day by day …"
"Your Highness Thales.
"From now on, your journey back to the kingdom begins."
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