Capítulo 968: Chapter 966: A Strange Atmosphere
Morning.
Richard woke up, finished his simple wash-up routine, and walked out the door to wander around the vicinity of his living quarters. On one hand, he attempted to familiarize himself with the layout of the Pompo Family’s residence to avoid getting lost; on the other hand, he was pondering the problems he encountered yesterday.
Through yesterday’s exploration in an out-of-body state, he could confirm that the mission-required “Void Book” was indeed kept in an underground secret chamber in the estate outside the Pompo Family’s city, guarded by Allen Pamp himself.
So, how could he get his hands on it?
Stealthily sneak into the chamber and steal it?
This was clearly not a good choice. Last night when he went in an out-of-body state, Allen Pamp sensed it. If he went in person, there’s a high chance he would be discovered.
If not that, maybe he could be flexible, find a way to negotiate with the Pompo Family.
For instance, wait for Annie to leave the city again, directly kidnap her, then demand the Pompo Family to exchange her for the “Void Book.”
This method is somewhat viable but also has certain drawbacks.
For example, it’s difficult to determine how the Pompo Family would respond, and it would reveal his intentions to them. If the negotiation fails, trying other methods to get the “Void Book” would become significantly more difficult.
Or maybe, just simply use the most straightforward way — forcefully snatch it?
In terms of snatching, he isn’t intimidated by confronting Allen Pamp, the Third-level Wizard, directly. However, there’s a camp of Magic Knights stationed next to the estate; if the battle drags on and attracts the Magic Knights, it could become tricky.
After all, he only wants to get the “Void Book,” not to fight to the death with the entire Pompo Family.
Honestly, if he had more time and could quickly gain the Pompo Family’s trust, he would prefer using gentle means, slowly building a good relationship with them, and obtain the “Void Book” through trade.
Richard kept thinking as he heard a dense sound of footsteps beside him.
“Tatatata, tatatata…”
Turning his head to look, Richard saw a squad of twenty Red Armor Soldiers running over, all fully armed with Iron Swords, carrying Mechanical Crossbows, with grim expressions and a fierce aura.
A tall soldier leading the squad ran to Richard’s vicinity, as if he didn’t see Richard, waving his hand to command his subordinates.
“You, you, you three, go guard over there.” The tall leading soldier pointed towards the right front.
“You, you, you, and you, four, go guard over there.” The tall leading soldier pointed towards a corner on the left front.
“You guys, go…”
Richard looked at the soldiers, recognizing them as members of the Pompo Family’s Guard Army, who usually maintained order within the Pompo Family, but not in such quantity.
What’s going on today? What’s happened?
The confusion in Richard’s heart wasn’t able to be voiced before the tall leading soldier finished instructing his subordinates, turned his head around, scrutinized Richard briefly, and said seriously, “Hey, you should be the attendant of some young master or miss, right?
I’ll tell you, what we’re doing now, it’s best you don’t ask about it or inquire; it won’t do any good for you. Just do your job well and stick to your duties.”
Richard opened his mouth but couldn’t speak; he saw the tall soldier rushing to a side quickly leaving, as if in a hurry to report to someone.
Richard closed his mouth, raised his eyebrows, looked at the soldiers seriously guarding around him, thought for a moment, and then walked towards a side.
After walking over a hundred meters, passing several courtyards, Richard saw soldiers guarding everywhere, and more soldiers arriving, dispersing into every corner of the Pompo Family’s grounds. Unconsciously, the atmosphere at the Pompo Family’s residence became a bit tense; listening closely, hardly any sounds were coming out, as if they were deliberately suppressing.
What’s really happening?
Could it have been caused by his night exploration of the estate?
But the reaction is too extreme. Besides, why aren’t all these people guarding the estate instead of coming to the family residence for what? Could they have already pinpointed his night-time exploration of the estate, assuming he’s stationed at the family residence?
Not realistic.
Or perhaps, some changes have occurred in Saint Louis City, causing the Pompo Family’s alertness?
This is a possibility.
After all, just the afternoon he arrived in Saint Louis City, there was an assassination attempt on the Pompo Family’s young lady, and the words Annie spoke in the restaurant yesterday indicated several forces are stirring. However, relatively speaking, the Pompo Family’s reaction seems a bit excessive. After all, the situation in Saint Louis City should be something the Pompo Family has long been aware of, and shouldn’t react so abruptly.
The confusion in Richard’s heart deepened as he walked towards the gate of the premises, preparing to leave and inquire about the situation through the intelligence organization under the Black-faced Elder’s command—he believed that the sudden, significant movements by the Pompo Family would surely have some information collected by them.
Nevertheless, as he approached the gate, he was stopped.
Two Red Armor Soldiers extended their hands in front of him, and a square-faced Red Armor Soldier Captain walked over, seriously asking, “Who are you?”
“The wizard apprentice just recruited yesterday, is there a problem?” Richard looked at the soldier captain and asked.
He noticed the Red Armor Soldier Captain’s expression tighten a bit, and after hearing his words, one hand quietly pressed on the hilt of the longsword at his waist. Clearly, upon knowing his identity, the captain grew even more vigilant rather than relaxed.
This was not normal.
“The wizard apprentice recruited yesterday? What’s your name, what exactly do you do?” the soldier captain asked in a deep voice.
“The name’s Richard, and what I do specifically is protect Miss Annie; more precisely, be an attendant to Miss Annie.” Richard calmly provided the answer.
The soldier captain looked sideways, and a squint-eyed short subordinate nodded toward him, saying, “Captain, the information matches.”
“Whew—” The soldier captain breathed a sigh of relief, yet still didn’t relax his hand from the sword hilt, continuing to look over and ask, “Since you’re the wizard apprentice responsible for protecting Miss Annie, why aren’t you keeping watch by Miss Annie’s side and instead wandering around alone?”
“Miss Annie loves to sleep in; she won’t get up before afternoon, so naturally I don’t need to stay by her side right now. Hence, I have time to stroll around. What, is it not allowed? I don’t recall being told during the recruitment yesterday that my freedom would be restricted?” Richard looked at the soldier captain and asked, trying to get some hints.
However, the soldier captain was tight-lipped, speaking out, “Your freedom isn’t really restricted, just that things are a bit special now, so… never mind, you wish to go out, right? Alright then, go ahead.
But I’d advise against staying out too long, come back quickly. Otherwise, if the young lady wakes up and can’t find you, she’ll throw a tantrum; though I haven’t met the young lady personally, I’ve heard things about her temperament.” Saying so, the soldier captain cleared the way.
Richard stepped out and said to the soldier captain, “Thanks for the heads-up, but don’t worry, I’m just taking a stroll, I’ll be back soon.”
“Alright then.”
Richard walked towards the distance, and once he was far away, his expression grew serious. At this point, the confusion in his heart was not alleviated but rather intensified; he was certain that during the time just past, something significant had happened somewhere unbeknownst to him.
But what could it be?
…