"I don't know how complicated the passages are below, but Izcoatl has been traveling underneath, coming down from the ground, and going down from the ground. Therefore, there must be one hole in these three holes that is connected to the other two holes. There must be One side of a hole is connected to the passage he came from. If he doesn't go back the way he came, there's also a passage he left. So just jump into the hole he left, and it's easier to find the passage he left. And he leaves If you are being pursued at any time, you won’t have much room to spare, so the exit passage should have no forks.”
Ella explained her previous thoughts in this way.
"Is there any problem with this inference?"
"Well... it sounds like there should be no problem." Amy said, "No matter how many forks there are, these key passages must exist."
"But you also said that this excludes the possibility of him returning the same way he came." Glahid added on the side, "And he can also choose to go back part of the way and then dig a new tunnel."
"No, that's not right..." Ella's body suddenly shook. She turned back suddenly and asked the soldiers who were leading Bjorn: "How much time has passed from the time the first hole appeared to the time you escaped after the third hole appeared?"
"I...how do we know how much time has passed?"
"About! How much time has passed?" Ella yelled. "As long as he finds a passage and there are no detours beyond this time, isn't that the passage he left?"
"It's big...it only takes about two or three minutes."
"Three minutes?" Amy didn't believe it. "Can you dig such a complicated passage in three minutes?"
"Oops! This means that before the first hole appeared, he was digging holes underground and hovering." Glahid held his head with some annoyance: "The previous train of thought was completely messed up. He has not finished walking beyond this time. The road may not be his way to escape. Since he is so fully prepared, the previous inference is completely meaningless! Instead of digging a new hole, he can get rid of Bjorn through the existing complicated passage! "
"Grahid...what did you just say?"
Ella suddenly grabbed Grahid's hand
"You just said that rather than digging a new hole, it would be better to get rid of Bjorn through the existing complicated passage, right?"
Glahid looked at Ella with a blank expression. All of Ella's previous inferences were based on Izcoatl digging a new tunnel to escape. Since he would not dig too complicated a tunnel when escaping, there was still some hope of finding an escape tunnel. But if Izcoatl used the existing passage to avoid Bjorn, it would be completely impossible to track. He felt that his future was uncertain. But Ella's eyes were shining with hope for some reason.
"Only a fool would run around aimlessly, and only a god would suddenly appear out of thin air. Since Izcoatl is most likely to return the same way he came, then where is the 'original path' that allows him to return? "
"King of Sweden, what do you mean?"
"Grahid, you are from England. Are there any villages nearby? In which direction?"
"As for the nearby village, there is only one." Glahid pointed to the northwest, "A very small village. Originally, Bjorn's army would be plundered when they arrived, but since the King of Knights asked the villagers to dig in advance, If you know the tunnel, there shouldn’t be any problem.”
"That's the problem! Izcoatl also digs tunnels, and there is a high probability that he will find the hiding villagers! Listen, let's pursue in the northwest direction!"
"Hey!" Amy shouted toward the ground, "Focus on finding the tunnel leading to the northwest!"
"Report to the King of Sweden, there are some traces of fire in front of this passage!" A pirate shouted from below, "I'm afraid it was left by Bjorn!"
Ella and Amy looked at each other - Izcoatl's escape route was finally found.
"Should we still go through the tunnel?" Glahid said, "The underground is not conducive to the deployment of troops. Since we know the direction, it may be better to go above ground..."
"Our goal is to support Bjorn. Although the direction has been determined, Bjorn and Izcoatl may not be fighting in the village. Grahid, our troops are divided into two groups. You lead the troops by land. Ai and I Let’s chase along the tunnel!”
After making arrangements, Ella followed the rope and entered the cave without saying a word. The scene in front of her surprised her again - she had been held by Izkoatl while walking in the underground passage. The passage at that time was so narrow that Izkoatl himself had to bend his back. But the passage in front of her was enough for Ella to straighten her body and move forward.
Ella took a breath of cold air and couldn't help but warn the accompanying soldiers: "The scale of this underground passage is larger than I thought. Izcoatl's power has indeed increased a lot. Be careful, you must always do this after entering So ready for the fight!"
Since the narrow terrain was conducive to Izcoatl, Amy led a group of strong soldiers at the front, while Ella led the remaining pirates in the middle of the group. Bjorn's subordinates were frightened and even reared behind. Glahid led another force to pursue them by land, and some soldiers guarded the entrance of the passage to avoid being cut off from their retreat.
At first, Ella was worried that there would be more detours in the future, but her worries were unnecessary. Keep an eye on the northwest direction and move forward for a distance. The passage gradually becomes simpler, and soon there is only one long one left. After walking like this for a while, Ella felt a slight vibration. She tensed her nerves and walked forward a little further cautiously, when a message came from the front: the vanguard had arrived at the exit.
Ella rushed to the front and found that there was a hole in the top. Several flexible soldiers had climbed up first and put down the soft ladder to facilitate the climbing of large troops. In front, the dark passage continues to extend.
"I have sent a few soldiers to continue exploring forward." Amy said, "But I already feel that there is a huge magic power nearby. It is difficult for us to take advantage of the number of people underground. Since there is an exit here, I I think it’s better if we crawl out first.”
Ella nodded. So the pirates began to climb up the ladder one by one. Every once in a while, a vibration comes from the distance, conveying the message that "the enemy is nearby" to everyone. Although Ella did not give an order, the pirates consciously held their breath and tried to avoid making any noise to avoid alerting the enemy.
The exit is in the middle of a farmland, and not far away is a small village, presumably the one Glahid mentioned. But Glahid's troops have yet to show up. Taking the tunnel below is actually much faster than taking the road above ground.
There were some faint sounds coming from the village, but they were not very clear. The soldiers climbed out of the passage one after another and gathered in the farmland outside the village. However, due to the large number of people, it would take some time for the gathering to be completed.
The vibrations still came every once in a while.
(End of chapter)
