Chapter 1578: The Bleulle Escape
They also had many, many, other strategies to continue confusing people.
For example, the carriages actually had adjustable covers from within, so they could change the logos around them every few streets.
There were many other carriages going around in the City back then, so it wouldn’t be easy to trace their routes. Even if they did, who would say they were the ones at the party? It was a City; the number of beast carts was no joke.
That said, all carriages that exited during this time would’ve probably been monitored. This was one of the sources of aether letters, after all, so it was expected for them to have better communications than others who’d probably take a few hours to recover and regain bearings after what they had done.
It was why they rushed so much to get out, even risking bumping into other carriages, which ultimately added them to the suspicious carriage category. However, it was still better than being locked in.
Another thing Bleumrick and they didn’t know was that even if some high-level folks went out to follow, the carriages took a lot of paths.
The two carriages separated a bit, and made some confusing turns before heading Northwest to Mount Rushless and—after a few days—to the Alterra Region.
They also had other safeguarding methods, one of which was the newly released Special Beast Attracting and Repelling Bombs, fresh from the Research Center.
They didn’t know the details, but apparently Master Hoffen and Miss Althea had been working on some improvements, so what they would call ’special’ must really be so.
If it could be used in a City, then special would be an understatement.
Some prototypes of this had been shown during the Basset-Alterra War, and it seemed like they had perfected it in a short amount of time.
They only had a few, though, so they were warned to use them sparingly. Very sparingly.
For instance, after they were certain the other carriage had passed through a narrow pathway that the trackers were sure to take one day or another, they would throw one downhill so it wouldn’t accidentally follow them instead.
Cringe.
It was supposed to (well, in theory, they’re technically the beta testers) have a very long-lasting effect and delayed activation to give them time to run away.
The Special Beast Attracting potion would apparently only activate when a creature with higher-than-average mana passed by.
The plan was to get their pursuers to trigger it and widen the gap.
It wasn’t foolproof because a random passing beast could trigger it too, but it was better than nothing. Besides, even if a beast did step on it, it’d be when the Alterra-bound carriages had long gone, and the mob it would attract would only serve to block the path and clear their traces.
Their carriages were also coated with Special Beast Repelling potions.
These new versions could easily deflect Level 30 monsters, though it was still very low on stock because Miss Althea had to make them personally.
According to Rin, there were only five bottles in existence when they left Alterra.
Most of them were now in their hands. They felt very honored, okay?
This special potion not only affected City-level monsters, it would also last a decent amount of time. One had to know that the more powerful the beast a potion could repel, the shorter it could work. Miss Althea’s potions worked much longer than those.
By estimate, it would last just long enough until they left the scope of the City, which was just what they needed.
Some ten kilometers or so outside the gate, they had also met Gregor, who may or may not have caused trouble to those sent to find the Golds back then, triggering the beginning of major losses for the two noble families.
Then, the following weeks, while Veronica’s team handled their own mission, Gregor had been covering his own and his master’s tracks, appearing here and there as a ghost and a rumor, but solid enough to be believed.
And, for the next few hours, the travel was indeed relatively smooth. They did not attract beasts and repelled them, and the unlucky ones that happened to be in the way would get kicked by Gregor and the others.
Each carriage had at least one melee and one long-distance guard so they could do this.
It was just that... how could it be so smooth until the end?
This was still a City, after all... and their potions’ limit did not guarantee safety here.
The potion could easily repel even level 30 monsters.
What if they were stronger?!
Well, they did have backup plans for those, too but sadly, except for Gregor, who had been waiting nearby, the rest of them were a bit late this time.
And they really did need them because about two hours after the carriages left the gates, they heard one of the eeriest sounds they’d hear in a while.
KKRRRRKKKKKHHH!!
It was a loud, terrifying screeching sound that seemed to echo kilometers across the forest. It resonated around them, touching their skins and making them shiver to their cores.
The screeches were followed by heavy footsteps quickly approaching them. Rin and Taho, who were driving, and those looking out, could see the trees shake from a distance while the carriage was moving.
The beast cart moved fast, but the newcomers were quickly catching up.
Soon, they saw the traces of monsters—huge ones.
"Oh...orcshit..." Taho cursed, shivering, and then he blew the whistle harder to get the monster to move faster. Not that it was possible, considering the beasts were really moving as fast as they could by instinct, but he tried his best to push them to the limit.
It wasn’t enough, however, because the footsteps just got closer, heavier, and they could barely hear their own palpitating hearts anymore.
KHHHRRRKKKKKHHHH!
Soon, new figures emerged—massive ones—almost as big as houses. There were two of them, too.
It was people from the City who recognized them faster. They all paled.
"Level 50 monsters!?"