"You have never been to the Fantasy Sea, and neither has Afifa. I have to arrange a guide for you."
"In addition, my father and the others have already left Questac for a day and a night. There is a high chance that you will not be able to catch up with the team."
Before leaving, Princess Rupert stopped them and said so.
Tianlan blinked after hearing this and asked, "Then what should we do?"
"Fly over," the princess replied: "There is a boat in the palace. It was left behind by my mother during her lifetime. It has not been driven in the past ten years, but it has been maintained by dedicated personnel. It is a small boat and may not be suitable for long voyages. But it should still be able to support the journey from here to the Phantom Sea.”
Fang Yu and the others looked at each other, then nodded gently: "Do as you say, Your Highness."
"Then I leave it to you—"
Princess Rupert hesitated to speak, and finally said softly: "Mr. Ed, please..."
Among the crowd, only Ms. Papamo was confident. She patted her flat chest and promised:
"Don't worry, just leave it to us."
"We will definitely bring Miss Afifah back."
"By the way, when I come back, I will talk to Her Highness the Princess about that evil dragon. Because compared to it, blind followers are nothing at all..."
But Fang Yu only met the gaze of the eldest princess and nodded lightly.
…
The princess's boat was parked in a small lake in the Kashan Palace. In order to hide it from others, they had to drive the boat out of the lake first, merge it into an artificial canal, and then take off from the outer city.
Fang Plover asked Sylvester and Tian Lan to stay while he took the others with him.
Sky Lan has little fighting power, and instead of going with them, the noble lady would rather stay in Questak to stabilize the situation. Because Tang Xin, Ai Xiaoxiao, and Miss Nightingale are still in the city, and if there is no one in charge here, once something happens, the remaining people may be like headless flies.
Although my cousin's mind is also very useful.
But compared to this world, she is still just a newcomer after all, and in some aspects, her judgment is far less accurate than Sylvester's.
What's more, my cousin is also recovering from a serious illness, so it's not certain whether she can take charge of the overall situation.
But the only thing that gave Fang Plov a headache was Pasha.
The latter must insist on going with them, for about the same reason as last time - and he can also sail, which is a 'craft' he has learned from Baggins these days.
Because Sylvide wants to stay, Miss Baggins and Siesta will naturally not go with them. Although Her Royal Highness the Princess can help them arrange for another sailor, Fang Plover may not be as good as Pasha if he wants to come. reliable. So in the end, he reluctantly agreed to the other party's proposal.
But still the same sentence:
"You must obey my command," Fang Plover said seriously, "otherwise there will be no next time."
The little boy nodded repeatedly.
Before leaving, Aleph arrived, and so did the earl's daughter.
At the Earl's residence, Ravalli followed their advice and came to look for Aleph, asking His Highness the Prince to help find Afifah's whereabouts. After the latter heard about this, he naturally obliged and sent people out directly. However, it took a lot of effort for the two of them to learn that Fang Plover and his party had arrived at the Kashan Palace.
Before they arrived, they had heard roughly what happened. This was what Fang Luo instructed Tianlan to tell the two of them. After knowing the facts, Ravalli felt a little calmer, because beside her father, the earl's daughter had more or less guessed something.
But Aleph pursed his lips tightly and just stepped forward and patted Fang Plover on the shoulder.
"I can't live without Questac. My father's side is left to you."
Fang Yu nodded to him.
"You also need to be careful here," he reminded: "The blind followers' first task is to resurrect Descartes, so their first target must be the 'green' fragments in the phantom sea, but from what they saw in Rupert Judging from the arrangements around the princess, they must also be prepared in Questac City——"
"Leave it to me, Ed," Aleph replied: "I will be optimistic about Questak. As for Afifah, it depends on you."
"I will take good care of her."
"It's them," Aleph corrected: "And Miss Afifah too. Do you still remember what your father said to you that day?"
Fang Plover was slightly startled.
He remembered what the King of Sand said to him sincerely on the night of the Star Ceremony. The other party entrusted him to take care of Afifah, but the tone did not sound like he was talking about his lost lover - it was more like he was talking about one of his daughters. He felt a little strange at the time, but now, he seems to have just come back to his senses——
"In the eyes of desert people, having the same name is a wonderful fate."
Aleph slowly replied: "I don't have a deep impression of the princess, but Afifah has always had a good relationship with me. In fact, the moment I saw the girl, I felt cordial in my heart, so I said that at that time." if."
"Afifah is my sister and so is she."
"My father must have finally understood this."
"Then do you remember what you promised him?"
Fang Yu looked at the eldest son of the king and nodded slightly.
What he didn't expect was that Princess Rupert failed to understand everything, but it was the prince who saw what the King of Sand was thinking.
As Count Nurman said, the Supreme One above the Sand Sea may have already accepted the failure of all this - he views Afifah just like another daughter of his. Let her learn and grow among the mystics without being disturbed by the outside world. Even she herself does not know her own life experience.
With such meticulous care, is it really like what the eldest princess sees, and is she just looking for a substitute for her own wife?
Since he has already accepted all this——
So what is this King of Sand pursuing now?
Or is it just as Deran said?
With these thoughts in mind, under the other party's gaze, Fang Plover turned around and walked towards the boat.
Everyone is already on board.
As the princess said, it was just a small boat.
It is even much smaller than the Seven Seas Traveler under design. The first impression given is that it is compact, but even though it is small, it has all the internal organs. There is a tall mast standing in the center of the ship, and the snow-white sail is like a wing. Beautiful patterns are painted on the hull, as if it carries a girl's past dreams and yearnings - it is not as luxurious as a royal item. , on the contrary, it is somewhat simple.
Ms. Papamo climbed to the top of the boat and lowered the sail...
It has been parked motionless in this place for ten years. Although it has been well maintained, it is not a new ship after all. Therefore, just completing the preparations before setting sail was enough for everyone to be busy from the sunset to the silver moon rising until the frost-like twilight enveloped the city in the desert.
The last one to arrive was Princess Afifah.
She seemed unusually taciturn, and she didn't say much as she walked onto the boat.
Fang Yu saw the little princess lowering her head and her eyes were a little red, as if she had just cried.
But in front of her sister and Aleph, she still acted strong, biting her lip and saying nothing.
Princess Rupert looked at her sister and couldn't help but sigh softly. She seemed to want to say something, but in the end she didn't speak.
The guide arranged by Her Royal Highness the Princess is an old acquaintance, Mr. Hummingbird of the Woodpecker Brotherhood.
When the latter saw Fang Plover, he took off his hat and said, "We meet again, Mr. Ed."
Fang Yu looked at the other party suspiciously: "Why are you here?"
The latter said with a smile: "Her Royal Highness the Princess is also our regular customer."
"Mr. Alfond is from the Temple of the Goddess of War. Apart from the Oath Keepers, they are the only ones who are completely reliable right now." The eldest princess explained at the side.
Only then did Fang Plover understand.
Only then did he remember that his first contact with people from the Woodpecker Brotherhood was introduced by Bishop Faris.
It is only natural that these Questac's demons and monsters are related to Her Royal Highness the Princess, whose hands and eyes can reach the sky. With people around him also being infiltrated, in order to avoid the eyes and ears of blind followers, it was an extremely wise choice for the other party to select people from the forces of the Goddess of War Temple.
And he also just learned that Mr. Hummingbird named Alfond is not only an information dealer - he is also a qualified warlock.
Although the other party is dressed like a ranger, it seems to be just a disguise. I saw the other party skillfully taking over the magic engine from Luo Yu, and then fiddled with it a few times. The boat swayed slightly, and then took off from the lake.
"Mr. Alfond was once an outstanding warlock," the eldest princess said, watching the scene below: "His mentor was also my mother's mentor. He knew where the phantom sea was and could avoid it. Some potential dangers along the way.”
"Potentially dangerous?"
Fang Yu suddenly realized that he seemed to have overlooked something.
But Alfond stepped in with a smile: "It's just a little trouble, Mr. Ed."
Fang Yu looked at this person suspiciously.
I hope so.
…
Ships cannot take off within the lake, so they must first drive along the lake shore into the canal, pass through the locks, enter the inner city, and finally reach the outer city and take off from there.
The woods darkened and lights were lit. In order to facilitate their movement, it was announced in advance that major repair work was being carried out. The lakeside was brightly lit all night, and outsiders did not doubt his presence. A series of arrangements made during the day finally worked at this moment, and everyone worked together - with the help of Secher, the eldest princess easily The manpower sent by the Craftsman Association was replaced by people from the Oath Keepers clan.
The person responsible for covering up the situation at the Artisans Association was none other than Ms. Erna.
People on the shore watched the erected sail getting further and further away——
LaVallee felt slightly uneasy watching this scene and couldn't help but turn around.
Aleph gently patted the latter's shoulder and comforted her - although there were some problems with the orientation of the earl's daughter, this did not hinder the friendship between the two.
Soon the only sound left in the darkness was the sound of water.
Aleph also silently watched the shadow disappearing in that direction.
"I'm sorry to trouble you, Ms. Elna," Princess Rupert was thanking the djinn female president: "I shouldn't have brought you into this, but we can't think of a better candidate at the moment."
Erna shook her head unconcernedly, with just a hint of worry in her eyes. "What can I say? I also grew up in this place, and I can't go back to the Island of the Giants like I did in the past. The experience of studying in Questac is still vivid in my mind, and it has helped me in this city. There are many people... This matter is so serious, and I don’t want them to be involved in this huge whirlpool.”
She paused.
"And since the Giant War, the Dark Believers have always been the enemy of civilization. The history of the alchemists is not the history of fighting against them. How can I be second to others? How can I serve Her Royal Highness the Princess? Every Ques Everyone in Tucker is happy with it.”
"Excessive praise, President Elna." Princess Rupert said softly from the side.
But Erna was very serious: "Your Royal Highness, the story of you and your mother is familiar to every Istanian."
Princess Rupert turned back and looked at Aleph, who was only one year younger than her.
She stared at the dark shadows in the woods behind her and replied softly: "Actually, I have heard of you, Madam President."
Erna couldn't help but blush after hearing this.
She has no reputation, so how could the other party have heard of her? However, during the time when Questak was studying, he was 'famous'.
But she would rather not have such 'fame'.
She said: "...Those rumors may not be true, Your Highness."
Princess Rupert couldn't help but smile slightly.
She watched as her youngest brother, the future Sand King of Istania, left Lavalli and walked towards her.
The eldest princess hesitated for a moment before speaking:
"I'm sorry, Aleph, there are things I didn't tell you."
Aleph was silent for a while, then nodded slightly: "I understand."
"But my father has given all this to me."
"Whether it's power or responsibility."
He took a gentle breath: "Therefore, the future of Istania, and the future of this city... I will be responsible for the affairs between you, Afifah, and the princess, and one day the truth will come to light - —”
"I promise you that."
Rupert blinked slightly.
For a moment, she thought she saw the King of Sand.
…
In the darkness, everyone on the boat watched silently as the lock rose not far away and made a low roar.
The lake water roared, rolled out, hit the side of the boat, and made the boat shake slightly.
But fortunately it is suspended on the water and does not shake too much.
Fang Plover looked at the hands in the darkness and understood that they had naturally been replaced a long time ago - the ones guarding there now should also be the hands personally assigned by Sesher and Aleph.
In fact, since the right minister and the crown prince had already closed the city gates during the day and strengthened the martial law in the city, this order in the evening did not actually cause much disturbance. Even if the blind followers knew the news, they would probably only laugh with disdain, understanding that this was the consequence of the hijacking last night.
But what good would that do?
The person has already been replaced from Questak, and should be almost reaching the Sea of Illusion at this moment.
At this moment, the twilight was dark and low, and there was almost only the last dark red glow left on the horizon.
In the other direction of the Cassan Palace, standing on the palace wall, Achilles had a bird's-eye view of most of Questac, silently counting the time in his heart. After a while, he turned around and looked at the brightly lit Kashan Palace in that direction with his dark eyes - how long had he been here?
ten years?
Twenty years?
A look of hesitation flashed in his eyes, and the face of Her Royal Highness the Princess flashed past in his thoughts.
But soon everything turned dark.
The alchemist silently took out an object from his chest, considered it for a moment, then sighed softly and took it back. He took one last look at the grand scene in front of him, as if to remember it in his heart, and after a moment, he silently walked down the city wall.
It's time.
he thought to himself.
…
Miaoshuwu
