Arthur and Galvin exchanged a glance. In order not to startle the person inside, they ultimately decided that Galvin would step forward and knock on the door.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
Galvin tried his best to make his voice sound gentle. "Hello, is this where Miss Belle lives?"
After waiting for a moment, there was no response from inside the door, only a deathly silence.
"Hello, we are adventurers from Ironboot Town..."
Just as Galvin was about to continue knocking, the door suddenly creaked open a crack with a "squeak." A pair of eyes, filled with wariness and exhaustion, cautiously scrutinized them from behind the crack.
"You... what do you want with me?" A young woman's voice came through, tinged with caution.
"Excuse me, are you Belle Brooks?" Galvin confirmed again.
At the same time, he slowly removed the hood that covered most of his face, revealing his own visage, which was more weathered and mature compared to over a decade ago.
He thought that with such a hint, the girl behind the door should be able to recognize him, or at least recall something.
Unexpectedly, the eyes behind the crack remained full of vigilance, showing no trace of familiarity or sudden realization.
But for some reason, the girl seemed to hesitate for a moment, ultimately pushing the door open hesitantly and making room for them to enter.
"I... I should know you," she said softly, but her tone was somewhat uncertain.
"Come in."
However, this time it was Galvin's turn to fall silent.
Not only did he not step inside, but he frowned, looking at the girl's now fully revealed face.
From her face, he couldn't see the liveliness, vivacity, and stubbornness of the little brat from his memory, only the numb weariness worn down by the pressures of life, and... a worldly air.
Moreover, this face differed too much from her childhood appearance, with almost no resemblance to be found.
That little brat back then, though mischievous, had bright eyes, seemingly endless energy in her body, and decent talent...
Galvin thought that even if she couldn't become a knight, she could at worst become an outstanding adventurer.
But now, it was completely different from what he had imagined.
Especially when he keenly caught the faint, pungent odor of cheap alcohol and cheap cigars wafting from deep inside the room, he became even more certain of one thing.
The girl before him was not the Belle Brooks they were looking for.
"Arthur, let's go, we need to leave here first."
Not only did he not enter the room, but he quickly took several steps back, simultaneously grabbing Arthur beside him and heading back the way they came.
Count Bran was instantly dumbfounded, immediately poking his head out to ask, "Caw! Big Ice Block, what are you doing? The Crown of Ignis might be right in front of us, why are you leaving instead?"
Galvin's steps were hurried as he warily observed their surroundings, his voice low and rapid as he explained, "Something's wrong. She's not Belle. I suspect this is a trap set for us."
Hearing this, Arthur also noticed the strangeness around them. The building, which had been somewhat lively before, had now become deathly silent.
The women who had been coming and going, the children playing, had all vanished without a trace in an instant, as if the residents here had suddenly evaporated.
The two exchanged another glance, tacitly lowering the sound of their footsteps as they slowly moved toward the direction of the backyard gate.
Galvin's perception was the sharpest. As he approached the back gate leading to the street, he suddenly sensed something abnormal, as if something was waiting for them outside the door.
He immediately stopped in front of the wooden door, raising a hand to signal Arthur to halt.
"Lord Chubby One, we need help," Galvin whispered, speaking to the Slime disguised on Arthur's face.
The Chubby One immediately understood. With a "plop," his round body bounced off Arthur's shoulder. Immediately after, his gel body began to gurgle and emit a large amount of white mist.
[Heat Mist Illusion]
Thick white mist rapidly spread out, completely enveloping the figures of Arthur and Galvin.
Even more miraculous was that this mist seemed to possess life, gradually changing color and texture, perfectly blending into the faded, old wallpaper of the wall behind them.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them seemed to have vanished into thin air from their original spot.
Inside and outside the building fell into a suffocating silence and oppressive atmosphere. After a good while, the ambushers finally couldn't hold back any longer.
"Boom!!"
The wooden back gate was violently smashed open from the outside. Amidst flying wood splinters, a group of people charged in.
"Where are they?!"
"Where are those two mercenaries?!"
Contrary to Arthur and Galvin's expectations, those who barged in were not Kingdom Knights in standardized armor, but rather a gang of sailors primarily composed of Dwarves.
They carried the fishy stench of a catch, clearly having come from the Jade River docks.
Most of this group were stocky Dwarf Warriors wielding Battle Axes, but there were also human mages in shabby robes, holding wooden staves.
"Hurry, find them!"
This group rushed into every room, roughly rummaging through chests and cabinets, searching everywhere for any sign of Arthur and Galvin.
The human mage began to chant softly at this moment, a faint light glowing at the tip of his wooden staff, as if he intended to cast some kind of tracking or revealing spell.
Right then, Arthur and Galvin's figures appeared. Galvin punched him directly, knocking him unconscious.
"They're here!"
"Don't let them get away!"
The Dwarves reacted, chasing after them one after another.
But Arthur and Galvin had already rushed out of the building, sprinting wildly toward the crowded areas outside the block.
"Chase them! Don't let them escape!"
The Dwarves, wielding axes, shouted and yelled as they chased after them. Rangers and assassins hidden among the crowd also launched attacks against Arthur and Galvin.
The intense jolting and sudden attacks made Count Bran, hidden inside Arthur's breastplate, dizzy and disoriented, causing him to curse angrily.
"Caw! Damned local gangs, so utterly rude!"
"When did this Count ever offend them?"
Galvin punched away a charging Dwarf Warrior, saying in a low voice, "It's probably a trap set by those knights corrupted by the Demon."
"After all, this isn't the kingdom's border. Knights from the Border Garrison can't easily show themselves and act directly. But if they commission these local gangs and mercenaries, they don't need to have such concerns."
Arthur was startled. "So they know Belle took the Crown of Ignis?"
"Hmm..."
Galvin nodded gravely. "That child may have already met with misfortune, but the Crown of Ignis probably hasn't fallen into the hands of that Greater Demon yet."
He blocked a Backstab from an assassin while speaking quickly. "Otherwise, they wouldn't have needed to spend over a decade setting up this scheme, waiting for me to walk right into the trap."
According to the information known to those fallen knights, Arthur was already dead, and in fact, he had indeed died once.
But Galvin was still alive, hiding in the Dark Realm all this time, and he knew the secret of the Crown of Ignis.
This scheme by the fallen knights was most likely aimed at him.
Count Bran hurriedly said, "Quick, let's get out of the city. This place is probably full of their informants."
"Let's go!"
Galvin immediately turned a corner, leading Arthur into a narrow, complex alleyway, attempting to use the terrain to shake off their pursuers.
"They ran that way! Hurry, surround them!"
Several agile assassins caught up, weaving through the shadows of the alleyways.
In truth, given Arthur and Galvin's strength, even if you tied all these gang thugs and low-level assassins together, they wouldn't be enough to fight them.
What was worrying was the demonic force hidden behind them.
Since the other side had long since assessed Galvin's strength, those sent to intercept would at least be Elite Professionals, and they would likely arrive very soon.
"This way."
Just as Galvin was about to dash out of the alley, a sudden sense of warning rose within him. Instinctively, he twisted his neck to dodge.
"Whoosh—!"
A blazing flame arrow whizzed past his ear, violently crashing into the wall behind them and causing a fierce explosion.
"Right ahead, on the tower of that clock tower, there's an archer," Arthur reminded.
"His level isn't low, and he probably has companions..."
Before Galvin could finish his sentence, he saw Arthur swing his armguard horizontally. With a crisp "clang," he parried a dagger thrusting out from the shadows.
A blurry figure was forced to stagger back by this force, revealing its outline.
This was a Stealth master.
And simultaneously, at the alley entrance behind them, a figure draped in a gray cloak and wielding a swift longsword slowly approached, blocking their retreat.
Judging from the glimpse of the fine plate armor style exposed beneath his cloak and his steady gait, this was definitely a knight who had received formal training.
They were surrounded by three Elite Professionals.
One archer responsible for long-range suppression, one assassin for close-quarters harassment and control, one knight for frontal assault—a classic small team composition.
The knight slowly walked forward, the dull sound of iron armor clinking coming from beneath his cloak. He lifted his hood, revealing a weathered, aged face.
"Knight Galvin, long time no see."
Arthur and Galvin stood back-to-back, warily guarding against the enemies on both sides of the alley.
Hearing the old knight's voice, Galvin narrowed his eyes and asked, "Are you from the Border Garrison?"
The old knight stopped walking. "It seems what the lord said is correct. You indeed know the whereabouts of the Crown of Ignis."
"Hand over the crown. I don't want to see another promising knight follow in Arthur's footsteps."
Faced with this hypocritical facade, Galvin sneered coldly.
At the same time, he quickly inquired of Arthur through the gel communicator in secret, "Three Elite Professionals. Are you confident you can handle them in a short time?"
Arthur thought for a moment. "I alone can handle them, but it would take considerable time, and that archer is at a vantage point. It's troublesome."
And what they lacked most right now was time.
The longer they dragged it out, the more reinforcements the enemy might have.
The corner of Galvin's mouth twitched. Actually, he could handle these three by himself too, but why did this cool line always get said by Arthur first?
What was even more infuriating was that this guy was completely unintentional, just stating facts.
He forcefully suppressed the competitive desire within him, steadied his breath, and said to Arthur, "We can't waste time on them. Let's take down this old knight in front first, open a gap, then figure out how to shake off the other two and escape Allen Bridge Fort."
Just as the two resolved to break through, a familiar voice suddenly rang in their minds.
"No need for such trouble. Immediately find a way to break their line of sight. Even if it's only for a few seconds, I can help you hide from them."
Hearing this familiar voice, Count Bran was overjoyed. "Caw haha, Your Majesty, you're finally awake!"
Chen Yu continued, "The signal here just stabilized a bit. Do as I say. First, get out of their sight."
"Excellent!"
Delight surged within Galvin and Arthur's hearts. With Slime Majesty intervening, the situation was completely different.
But now, time was pressing;
it wasn't the moment for catching up. Galvin immediately gave Arthur a meaningful look.
However, the Professionals surrounding them didn't seem in a hurry to capture them immediately. Instead, they seemed to be waiting for more manpower to arrive, ensuring absolute success.
Galvin suddenly sneered, addressing the old knight, "You don't really think Arthur is dead, do you? You don't really think what you did back then is truly unknown, do you?"
Hearing this, the old knight's brow furrowed sharply, a bad premonition rising in his heart. "What do you mean to say?"
"What he wants to say is exactly what I want to say."
A deep and familiar voice sounded from behind Galvin. Arthur slowly turned around, lifting his head to face the old knight.
Those soul flames flickering faintly in the shadows were fully exposed before the old knight's eyes.
The flickering, ghostly blue flames caused a violent tremor in the old knight's heart, his pupils abruptly contracting.
"You are Arthur?!"
"How is that possible?!"
And it was in this instant that the two moved, swiftly charging toward that old knight.
The old knight was just raising his sword to parry when he saw the two directly pass by him, turning into the alley behind him without looking back.
"Damn it, cunning bastards!"
The old knight realized he had been tricked and immediately turned to give chase.
However, when he rushed into the alley, he instantly lost sight of Arthur and Galvin's figures. He couldn't even hear the sound of their running footsteps. The two seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Before he could continue searching, the assassin's figure appeared not far away, panicking, "Dimaian was ambushed! Someone is helping them from the shadows."
The old knight's face instantly darkened. "Damn it, it's the Blade of Vengeance, those damned chaos worshippers again, causing trouble at this very moment."
"You continue the pursuit. I'll deal with them."
"Alright!" The assassin nodded, his figure becoming blurry again as he swiftly chased deeper into the alley.
However, he carefully searched along the alleyway, even expanding the scope, scouring the entire nearby block, yet he couldn't find any trace of Arthur and Galvin.
"Really, seeing ghosts..." The assassin could only curse his bad luck under his breath, giving up the search helplessly and turning to leave to rendezvous with the old knight.
What they didn't know was that the wooden cargo crate Chen Yu had transformed into had long since hidden itself inside a cargo wagon.
This wagon, following a wagon train, swayed and jolted its way out of the chaotic lower city district, merging into the flow of people and vehicles leaving the city, silently carrying Arthur and Galvin as it headed out of Allen Bridge Fort.