With the impressive effectiveness of the Stellar Stealth skill, Howard and Aurelia effortlessly entered the house.
Once inside, they immediately sensed something was amiss.
There were no servants around, and the people they did encounter were either hurrying with a sense of urgency or had grave expressions on their faces.
Exchanging a glance, Howard and Aurelia decided to wait on the first floor, anticipating the return of the blue-robed man they had seen earlier.
Given the strength he had displayed and the tone he used when reprimanding others, he was undoubtedly a high-ranking member of the powers behind the scene.
Following him seemed their best chance at survival.
Howard was skeptical that these people, in their own stronghold, would be cautious enough to detect two individuals in an invisibility state.
Before long, footsteps approached, and as expected, the blue-robed man entered from the outside.
His demeanor was unchanged, seemingly unperturbed by Howard and Aurelia’s disappearance.
Howard, holding Aurelia’s hand, carefully followed behind the blue-robed man, timing their footsteps to coincide with his.
They followed him to a fireplace, which, upon being stamped upon, split in two like a mechanism, revealing a staircase behind the wall.
Descending the staircase, lights flickered on both sides, illuminating the entire passage.
Howard and Aurelia exchanged a glance and unhesitatingly followed.
As soon as they entered, the fireplace behind them returned to its original state.
Watching the blue-robed man continue forward, Howard felt a surge of relief.
Indeed, only by following someone of his stature could they hope to find a way out.
At least from what Howard had observed earlier, no one else had emerged from behind the fireplace!
The staircase was not very deep; it took less than a dozen breaths for the blue-robed man to reach a secret chamber.
A door crafted from jade, glowing with light, opened automatically, allowing the man to enter without any pause.
Howard was momentarily stunned by this sight.
What kind of mechanism was this? Did it have a detection function?
Caught off guard, Howard was thankful for Aurelia’s quick reaction, pulling him along just before the jade door automatically closed.
Realizing this, Howard understood that in this world, the use of jade wasn’t limited to combat but extended to daily life as well.
This revelation sent a shiver through Howard’s spine, hoping his moment of hesitation hadn’t aroused Aurelia’s suspicions.
Once inside the secret chamber, Howard’s gaze was immediately drawn to its occupants.
Apart from the blue-robed man, there was only a woman wearing a dark purple wolf-head mask, reclining on a stone platform covered with wolf fur.
“Lady!”
The blue-robed man bowed respectfully to the masked woman.
As he spoke, the woman turned around, revealing an outfit that left her chest conspicuously exposed.
However, her voice was notably cold, “How is the situation in the dungeon?”
The blue-robed man, seemingly accustomed to her demeanor, replied calmly, “Grein has not escaped. However, the group of wild beasts and the recently captured Aurelia have fled. It seems we underestimated the guard accompanying Aurelia. He not only broke through the iron bars under the restriction of the Sealing Stones but also removed the Beast’s Binders from those beasts.”
Pausing for a moment, the blue-robed man said, “Indeed, there are equipment and abilities that can negate the effects of Sealing Stones. But to remove the Beast’s Binder upon contact, I suspect… the Empire might also be aware of the existence of Shattered Stellar Jade. We must relay this back and ensure the Elders secure the safety of Shattered Stellar Ore. It must not fall into the hands of the Empire.”
“Oh?”
The woman in the wolf-head mask expressed her surprise, remaining silent for a long while before speaking, “It’s unlikely to be Shattered Stellar Jade. The Beast’s Binder has existed for over a thousand years, and many countermeasures have been developed against it. We must not underestimate Stano.”
“Then Lady, do we still need to capture Aurelia?”
The blue-robed man asked solemnly, “If we deploy the Heaven-Earth Net, as long as they haven’t left the manor, we can capture them!”
The masked woman shook her head, saying, “Aurelia is not important. As long as she can’t escape from here, that’s enough. Send orders to our agents outside to infiltrate the Stano household and place clothes with Aurelia’s scent into the Gugor family. This will sow discord between them.”
“As long as Stano and the other clans start fighting, we can use this as leverage to accuse him in the Empire, forcing his resignation. Then, Stormwind City will be within our grasp!”
As the words fell, Aurelia’s pupils sharply constricted, her face painted with shock and horror.
Thankfully, Howard quickly covered her mouth, preventing any sound from escaping.
Fortunately, after the enhancement of the Stellar Stealth skill, their ability to remain hidden was stronger, ensuring even fluctuations in breath and spirit went undetected.
Howard also finally understood why, after their escape, the pursuers didn’t seem particularly concerned.
From the beginning, they hadn’t really considered Aurelia or him as significant threats.
Their sole objective was to disrupt Stano’s peace of mind and sow discord. .
Or rather, they aimed to compel Stano into actions unbecoming of a city lord.
Their ultimate goal was the entire Stormwind City!
This meant that the woman in the wolf-head mask likely held an official position within Stormwind City.
Otherwise, even if Stano were dismissed by the Empire, it wouldn’t be her turn to become the city lord.
With this realization, Howard scrutinized the masked woman more closely.
If they were to escape the manor, identifying her official identity would be crucial to gaining the upper hand.
However, just as Howard began to observe the wolf-head masked woman, her gaze suddenly turned icy cold.
Sitting up abruptly, her chest heaved tumultuously.
“What’s wrong, Lady?”
The blue-robed man, with a frown of concern, quickly inquired.
The woman, with a cold gaze like that of a hawk, swept her eyes around the room and spoke indifferently, “Fetch the Delusion Breaking Disc. You might have brought something with you when you came. It feels like someone is watching us!”
“…”
The man’s expression turned grave as he immediately turned and left the room.
Seeing this, Howard, holding Aurelia’s hand, quickly followed, his mind filled with surprise.
The woman in the wolf-head mask must possess a strength of at least Level 80 or above, with a notably strong soul.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have sensed being watched.
As for leaving?
They had to move fast. Once the Delusion Breaking Disc arrived, Howard and Aurelia’s cover would be blown immediately.
Howard even had a feeling that the wolf-head masked woman already knew they had entered the secret chamber and deliberately warned them to leave.
With his thoughts churning, Howard and Aurelia followed the blue-robed man out of the staircase.
The man hurried to fetch the Delusion Breaking Disc, while Howard led Aurelia to the opposite side.
“Howard… can you get me out of here quickly? If my father falls for their trap, our entire family will be plunged into crisis,” Aurelia pleaded, clutching Howard’s sleeve, her eyes filled with hope.
Howard nodded, “I’ll do my best. The immediate priority is to find a way out. The areas near the formation all have Delusion Breaking Discs; we can’t get close. We’ll look for other methods first. If all else fails, we’ll have to resort to force.”
According to the wolf-head masked woman’s words, Howard and Aurelia weren’t in great danger.
Even if they were captured again, they would likely just be imprisoned, not harmed.
Their goal was not to confront Stano directly but to make him lose his position as city lord or to win him over.
This meant that Howard and Aurelia needed to stay alive!
Knowing this, Howard was less worried about a forceful approach.
If it didn’t work once, they could always try again.
Nevertheless, they still needed to explore their options.
Howard, leading Aurelia, carefully examined each room one by one.
Fortunately, with people coming and going at intervals, no one noticed Howard and Aurelia.
Room by room they checked, until finally, upon reaching the top floor, they sensed a peculiar fluctuation. Surprisingly, the top floor consisted only of a large hall.
At the center of the hall stood a circular platform crafted from jade, flickering with light.
“This is a teleportation crystal array!”
Upon seeing the teleportation circle, Aurelia couldn’t help but exclaim in joy, “Howard, we’re saved!”
“…”
However, Howard couldn’t share her excitement.
Since this teleportation array was set in their enemies’ stronghold, its destination would undoubtedly be under their control.
Teleporting from here, wouldn’t they be walking straight into a trap?
Aurelia, realizing Howard’s grave expression, whispered, “Didn’t you say you have an artifact for short-range teleportation? Just because there’s a spatial restriction here doesn’t mean it’s the same at the destination. We could use that artifact to leave once we teleport, right?”
“…”
Hearing this, Howard’s eyes lit up.
Howard had overlooked this possibility.
Indeed, this could be their chance!
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