Chapter 4: Exploration (3)
In the dimly lit streets, Lin Nan and her companions held their breath, like stones hiding from the world. Anyone walking by would never guess they were here.
Once a small patrol passed by, Lin Nan and her friends sprang into action. Before the poor souls could shout for help, they had choked them into unconsciousness and dragged them into a nearby ruin, turning them into a pile of unfortunate soldiers.
The next steps were as clear as day.
They changed into Cold Wind City soldier uniforms and tied up these unfortunate fellows, gagging them with cloth strips to prevent any loud wake-up calls.
Lin Nan decided to keep the patrol leader for herself.
Little did she expect him to be so stubborn, shouting, “The Cold Moon Great King will avenge me! Go ahead, k*ll me if you dare!”
Lin Nan sighed, realizing that questioning him was a lost cause. With one swift chop, she knocked him out.
Luckily, she had communicated with Liuli beforehand, so she wasn’t completely lost.
Trissa couldn’t understand why Lord Lin was treating these feeble little demons so kindly. If it were in the hands of the demon race, they would definitely slit their throats to ensure nothing went wrong.
Lord Lin must have her reasons.
Regardless of whether her true identity made her a demoness or not, she clearly didn’t want the struggles of the upper classes to damage these innocent monsters.
With a heart as compassionate as a bodhisattva despite her fierce methods, Lord Lin surely was a powerful harpist favored by the God of Harmony. Trissa realized she was miles behind her.
Thinking of herself as a genius chosen by the Harpist Academy, she had been proudly flaunting her skills. If she hadn’t met Lord Lin this time, who knows how far down the wrong path she would have gone? Maybe she’d only realize the meaning of humility and compassion when it was too late.
But let’s not dwell on Trissa’s growing admiration for Lin Nan…
Once they had dealt with the unconscious soldiers, the group began to move stealthily along the original path of the patrol around the Sky Tower.
On the way, they encountered other patrols, but sticking to their silent and low-key principle, nobody suspected a thing.
Thanks to Trissa’s quick questioning of another little demon, they learned the shift change time. Seeing that the hour was nearing, this now swapped-out seven-person team began to stroll towards the exposed white ground lit by firelight.
Lin Nan led the way.
As they neared the towering city walls, everyone felt their palms get sweaty and their hearts race, as if in front of them lay the door to life and d*ath. One misstep, and they could plunge into an abyss from which there was no return.
The six others, aside from Lin Nan, gritted their teeth, having prepared for a showdown that might decide their fate against the Sky Tower.
However, under Lin Nan’s orders, not only did they have to complete the mission, but they also had to leave alive, which added a whole new level of difficulty to their task.
The hundred-meter distance flew by in their tangled emotions.
“Password!” a guard shouted as they reached the city wall.
Lin Nan looked up, her helmet giving off a rusty vibe, revealing her lovely face with messy hair covering one eye.
The guard, initially bored, suddenly perked up and asked with a strange tone, “Hey girl, who’s your commander? I don’t remember seeing you before.”
Lin Nan quickly lowered her head and replied, “Our Great King said we shouldn’t show our faces to you guys, oh dear… how did I forget that?”
The guard couldn’t help but laugh, “Come on, this isn’t the ancient times! You can’t still call them Great King, you know?”
“Oh, oh… I got it, thank you, big brother,” Lin Nan said, scratching her helmet with an adorably blank expression.
“Enough chit-chat, what’s the password for today?” the guard finally put on a serious face.
Lin Nan counted on her fingers, “Um, is it… ‘Morning Sun’?”
The guard shook his head, “Wrong!”
“Then it must be ‘Grain Rain’!”
The guard rolled his eyes, “Look, girl, if you get this wrong again, you’re not getting in today. You think I’m joking? If it were anyone else, I would’ve shot them full of holes, you know?”
Lin Nan looked up and saw the guard surrounded by crossbowmen, their icy arrows pointed directly at them.
She immediately felt like crying.
“Waaah… I’m just so stupid… please don’t scare me, big brother… let me think, it must be one of ‘Morning Dew, Spring Breeze, or Colorful Clouds,’ right?”
With tear-filled eyes, Lin Nan rapidly recited all the preset passwords.
What choice did she have? That cursed patrol leader was so stubborn, they couldn’t go looking for another patrol either.
This, of course, raised their chances of being exposed.
So when facing the guard’s question, all she could do was play the clueless sweetie to slip through.
After reciting all the passwords, Lin Nan wiped her tears and looked up at the guard captain with big, pleading eyes, “Big brother, waaaah… I really can’t remember.”
The guard captain exchanged glances with his buddies and all sighed simultaneously.
“Bro, this girl is definitely one of ours…”
“Well, obviously, she could recite all the passwords! Anyone else would be stuffed with spaghetti by now!”
“But… just letting them in like this isn’t really protocol…”
“Come on, she did get the password right—it’s right in her rambling!”
“Hey, you little punk, are you turning into a mushy mess just because there’s a girl around?”
“No, I’m not! I just feel sorry for her! She must be under the Butterfly Demon General. Though the General hasn’t shown up personally, she did send some underlings to help the Tiger General. Finally saw one today, hee hee, usually, it’s hard to catch a glimpse of them…”
“Fine, fine, let’s allow them in first.”
The guard captain shot Lin Nan’s cute face another glare, then waved his hand, “Open the gate.”
“Thank you, big brother!”
Lin Nan quickly bowed, and Trissa and the others behind her hurriedly followed suit with low heads of respect.
Their faces mostly hid beneath helmets, so even after disguise, even the demon race’s golden hair would blend in, making them look as human as possible. Close inspection wouldn’t easily reveal their true identities.
The wooden door slowly creaked open, and Lin Nan and company slipped through the gap.
They had expected the Sky Tower to resemble an average tall tower, just a bit wider and rounder on the ground floor.
But what lay before their eyes left Trissa and the others speechless.
Especially the first three floors of the Sky Tower, which spread out like a palace, looking grander and more magnificent under the flickering firelight.
Undoubtedly, the underground entrance should be on the first floor, but trying to find it and completely destroy it with so many guards around seemed nearly impossible.
