Mage Manual-Chapter 614 - 494: Successfully Ascended the Tower

Outside the banquet hall, the servants disposed of the refuse and remnants, then sat down nearby to rest.

Ash and the others exchanged glances and tried to stretch their bodies, realizing that the shackles of their positions had indeed been lifted.

The plan was simple and crude—if they were bound to their positions, then wouldn’t eradicating the positions mean no more work? If you bring a company down, can you continue to go to work?

Therefore, Yvalin and Nona contributed to a spectacular fight scene, turning the banquet scene into a crime scene. For them, there was no risk involved—aside from reputational damage, at worst they would pay a fine. The Belladett and Senheiser lacked for nothing, except they never lacked money.

And the plan unfolded smoothly as intended: The Empress chose to withdraw the banquet, which meant that they, the servants specifically assigned to the banquet, naturally shifted from ’working’ to ’on standby,’ temporarily achieving the freedom to slack off.

Without the constraints of their positions and being inside the Imperial Palace, they could finally proceed to the Tower to abduct the Princess—

"Just in time, follow me."

A distorted, hoarse voice came from behind them, startling Ash and company. They turned to see a black-armored Secret Guard appear on the stone slab path behind them, seemingly heading off to some task. He saw a group of ’wild’ workers nearby and pulled them into his work group.

As the poorly concieved plan staggered towards a successful endpoint, an unexpected complication arose at the last minute. Banjee couldn’t afford to blow his cover anymore and asked with as much composure as he could muster, "What do we need to do? Do we need this many people?"

"Hmm?"

The Secret Guard cast a strange glance at the blue-haired servant, causing the Funeral Ceremony group to tense up.

However, the Secret Guard did not seem to suspect why the compliant servant would question him, and instead he explained proactively, "Of course we need this many people; we have to clean the new Sovereign’s room, let’s go."

The new Sovereign!?

Hanna and others exchanged glances—were they being led by the Secret Guard to see the Princess?

But according to the map of the Imperial Palace, this direction did not lead to the Tower. Had the Yisu royal family suddenly moved the Princess’s location? Or before the official coronation, did the Princess need to get dressed and primped in a new room, waiting to appear at the banquet upon the publication of the Gospel List?

In a flash, Hanna thought of many possibilities, but their bodies were already obeying the Secret Guard’s orders to stand up. At that moment, Hanna and the others’s eyes widened as they saw Ash, still sitting, giving them a surprised look.

You follow the original plan.

After sending a signal with his eyes, Hanna followed the others and left with the Secret Guard.

Ash didn’t dare to move until their figures had completely disappeared around the corner.

He didn’t know why he hadn’t joined the Secret Guard’s team. Was it the influence of the Silver Blessing "Observer’s Appearance" that the Secret Guard had quickly glanced over and didn’t see him? Or was it the power of the Gold Blessing "Listener’s Lament" that wanted to interrupt his slacking off as ’malicious overtime’, so that thought was eradicated? Or was it the "Secret Keeping Authority" acting again, because Ash was sitting closer to the trash can, plus the oil and cake, so the Secret Guard mistook him as well?

Regardless, Ash was now free. He had taken only a few steps when he saw Liss peeking around a corner, and father and daughter successfully reunited.

Compared to Ash and the others, Liss’s infiltration was infuriatingly simple—the court banquet would naturally employ children to liven up the atmosphere, their job being to eat, drink, and add laughter to the event. Also, since it wasn’t considered work (being controlled by the Gospel to eat and play would be too strange), Liss hadn’t entered the ’Gospel employee’ status.

After the banquet ended prematurely, the other children had been sent back early, and that’s when Liss took the opportunity to slip away and find Ash.

When Ash proposed that Liss join their operation, Banjee and Igula unquestionably objected, Harvey abstained, and Hanna was noncommittal, choosing to speak privately with Ash. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

At that time, Ash was prepared to sacrifice his dignity and bribe his supervisor. However, Hanna only seriously asked if he had thought it through. When Ash gave an affirmative answer, Hanna instructed Ash to order Liss not to leak any information and allow her to join them.

Ash later realized that he had assumed Hanna would object because he thought Hanna would care about Liss’s safety as he did. But in fact, as long as Liss didn’t disrupt the plan, Hanna didn’t mind her joining them for the final adventure of the Funeral Ceremony—of course, she must have considered Ash’s feelings too.

Unlike Harvey who bashfully hoped that Alice would also work as a part-time servant, ready to serve at any moment, Hanna vetoed it outright.

Ash cautiously led Liss along the palace’s pathways, briefly explaining what had just happened and speculated, "Could your sister Nina no longer be in the Tower?"

Liss hesitated for a moment, glanced at a hand mirror, and said with some nervousness, "Before moving into the Tower, Nina always lived in the basement. Maybe Aunt Hanna and the others are cleaning the basement—that certainly counts as Nina’s room, too."

The basement?

Was the Yisu royal family’s strategy to raise their children in austerity... But the concept of a girl in a basement sounded oddly familiar, didn’t it?

They walked through the shadows, and miraculously did not encounter any servants or guards along the way, spotting the target Tower within minutes.

At that moment, Liss let out a soft exclamation, "There are guards standing at the base of the White Tower!"

"I’ll take care of it," Ash said with full confidence. "A few guards are nothing for me to handle, unless—"

"It might be the Holy Sanctuary," Liss clutched the corner of Ash’s clothes tightly. "The captain of the guard is a Holy Sanctuary Mage. It wouldn’t be impossible for the captain to personally stand guard tonight on such an important occasion."

Holy Sanctuary... Ash tugged at the corner of his mouth. Although he was also half a Holy Sanctuary Mage, he knew all too well the gap between himself and a formal Holy Sanctuary one.

Not to mention defeating one, if he came across a Holy Sanctuary Mage skilled in the Space Faction, Ash might be killed instantly. Many Magic Factions, like the Space Faction, could undergo a qualitative change, making their combat methods even more elusive and unpredictable. For example, the Sword Maiden once mentioned a case: a Fist Claw Holy Sanctuary had a miracle that could extract a heart from a distance.

Only by opening a Holy Sanctuary could one defend against these unpredictable Space Miracles. It was just too easy for a Holy Sanctuary Mage to fight someone who wasn’t part of one.

"I’ll figure out a way to lure the guards out. When that happens, you find a way to go up and bring your sister out."

"Dad, can you beat a Holy Sanctuary Mage?"

"No, I’m not sure."

"Then what will you do?"

Ash patted Liss’s head. "If you need to be sure about everything in life before doing it, then I’d still be in prison now, discussing with Igula the best way to cook lala fat. Don’t worry. I’m not stupid enough to directly challenge them head-on. Once the guards are lured away, I’ll run."

"Really?" Liss looked at him sorrowfully. "Are you really not stupid?"

"...I remember now. Later, I’ll have Hanna spank you."

"But if you’re not stupid, then why are you so nice to me?" As they got closer to their destination, the more uneasy Liss felt. "You struggle for my sister’s sake and work hard for my wishes..."

"Let’s not mention that all this is Hanna’s task." Ash squatted down and gently embraced the melancholic little girl with white hair. "But the reason I’m nice to you is that you’re worth it."

"Am I really that good? The best little girl?"

"To be honest, Reya in the list is a little better than you."

Liss grabbed Ash’s face with her hand and huffed. "You’re not allowed to like other little girls!"

"Don’t make it sound like I’m committing a crime," Ash said, with a helpless mix of laughter and tears. "I only consider you as family. Come on, we don’t have much time left. Let’s not keep your sister waiting."

Strangely enough, although they only made some inconsequential talk, Liss’s heart cleared of the gloom, and even a bit of hope emerged.

Perhaps the very reason Liss had chosen Ash at first glance in the hall of the Four Pillars God Sect was this indescribable sense of reassurance radiating from him.

It was not until they approached Yalan Lake that they realized the previous discussion was a complete waste of time—there were no guards under the Tower. There were no boats on the lake, but Ash possessed a swordsmanship movement miracle called ’Rushing,’ so he directly teleported across with Liss in his arms.

The Whitedoves surrounding Lake Heart Island curiously observed this uninvited pair, as Ash and Liss cautiously made their way to the Tower’s entrance. Although there were no guards outside, there had to be some inside— it wouldn’t make sense for there to be no one guarding the Princess.

However, when Ash pushed the door violently open, ready to wreak havoc, he saw that the Tower’s interior was also completely empty. The Long-burning Lamp was bright, and the floor was spotless, but there was no sign of life.

Could the guards all be hiding in the passage? Ash surveyed the spiraling corridor along the Tower wall, trying to discern any trace of enemies. That’s when he noticed Liss staring at the passage leading down. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing," Liss glanced at her hand mirror. "I just didn’t know the Tower had a basement before..."

"To increase the volume ratio, it’s quite normal to have a basement," Ash cautioned. "Keep your distance from me; we might encounter a battle right in this corridor."

Liss nodded, and the two of them carefully climbed the Tower.

A minute later, Ash and Liss stood outside the door to the topmost room, facing each other in disbelief—had it really been that easy?

No guards, no alarms, no obstructions; they reached their destination without any effort.

"Could it be that Sister Nina is really not in the Tower?" Liss murmured.

This completely undefended state could only prove that there truly wasn’t anyone worth guarding in the Tower.

"If she really is on the other side, Hanna and the rest would definitely find a way to get me over there. After all, I am an indispensable part of the ineffective ranking," Ash said comfortingly. "We still have a chance."

Liss nodded and turned her head towards the room door. Even though it was her first visit, her sisters had been imprisoned here for many years, giving her a strange feeling of familiarity.

Although they could be certain that the room was empty, it would be foolish not to check. So Ash turned the doorknob and pushed the door open to enter.

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