"You haven't been to the Phantom Sea, and neither have Afifa, so I'll have to arrange a guide for you."

"Besides, Father, they have been away from Cuestak for a day and a night, and there is a good chance that you will not be able to catch up with the team."

Before leaving, Princess Rupert stopped them and said so.

Sky Blue blinked and asked, "Then what should we do?" ”

"Fly over," replied the princess, "there is a boat in the palace." It was left by my mother before her death, and no one has ever opened it for ten years, but it has always been maintained by a special person. It's a dinghy, and it may not be suitable for a long voyage, but it should be able to support it from here to the Phantom Sea. ”

Fang Yu and the others glanced at each other, and then bowed their heads slightly: "Do as you say, Your Highness the Princess." ”

"Then I'll give it to you—"

Princess Rupert wanted to speak again and again, and finally only said softly: "Mr. Ed, please......"

Among the crowd, only Ms. Papamo was full of confidence, patted her flat chest, and assured:

"Don't worry, just leave it to us."

"We'll definitely get Miss Afifa back."

"By the way, when I come back, I'll tell Her Highness about the dragon. Because the blind followers are nothing compared to it......"

And Fang Yu only met the gaze of the eldest princess and nodded slightly.

……

The princess's boat was parked in a small lake in the Kasan Palace, and in order to hide her eyes, they had to drive it out of the lake, into the artificial canal, and then lift off from the outer city.

Fang Yu left Sylvid and Azure behind, and he took the others with him.

Sky Blue is because she has no combat power, and the noble lady should stay in Cuestak to stabilize the situation instead of going with them. Because Tang Xin, Ai Xiaoxiao, and Miss Nightingale are still in the city, and if there is no person in charge here, once something happens, the rest of the people may be like headless flies.

Although his cousin's mind is also very useful.

But compared to this world, she is still only a newcomer after all, and in some ways, she is far less accurate than Sylvid's judgment.

What's more, his cousin is also recovering from a serious illness, and it is not certain whether he can preside over the overall situation.

But the only thing that gave Fang Yu some headaches was Pasha.

The latter must stick with them for about the same reasons as last time – and he can sail, a 'craft' he's learned from Baggins these days.

Because Sylvid was going to stay, Baggins and Miss Shesta naturally wouldn't go with them, although Her Royal Highness the Princess could help them arrange for another sailor, but Fang Yu thought that he might not be as reliable as Pasha. So in the end, he reluctantly agreed to the other party's proposal.

But it's still the same sentence:

"You must listen to my command," Fang Yu said solemnly, "otherwise there will be no next time." ”

The little boy nodded repeatedly.

Before leaving, Alepf arrived, and so did the count's daughter.

At the Earl's Palace, Lavalli followed their advice and came to find Alepf, asking His Royal Highness the prince to help find Affa's whereabouts. After the latter heard about this, he was naturally obligated to send people out directly, but it took them a lot of effort to learn that Fang Yu and his party had come to the Kashan Palace.

Before they came, they had heard roughly what was happening. This was what Fang Ou instructed Tianlan to tell the two of them—and when Ravali learned the facts, she calmed down a little, because by her father's side, the count's daughter had more or less guessed something.

Aleph pursed his lips and only stepped forward and patted Fang Yu on the shoulder.

"I can't do without Questak, my father will leave it to you."

Fang Yu nodded at him.

"You need to be careful on your side, too," he reminded, "The blind followers' first task is to resurrect Descartes, so their first target must be the 'green' fragment in the illusory sea, but judging from their arrangements with Princess Rupert, they must also be prepared in Questak City-"

"Leave it to me, Ed," replied Alepf, "I'll take care of Questak, and as for Afifa, it's up to you." ”

"I'll take care of her."

"It's them," corrected Alef, "and Miss Afifa too, do you remember what your father said to you that day?" ”

Fang Yu was slightly stunned.

He remembered what the King of Sand had said to him on the night of the Star Ceremony. He was entrusted with taking care of Afifa, but the tone didn't feel like he was talking about his dead lover—it was more about one of his daughters. He felt a little strange at the time, and now, as if he had just come to his senses—

"To the desert people, it's a wonderful fate to have the same name."

Alef replied slowly: "I don't have a deep impression of the princess, but Afifa has always had a good relationship with me, in fact, I felt cordial in my heart the moment I saw that girl, so I said that at that time. ”

"Afifa is my sister, and so is she."

"Presumably, my father finally understood this."

"And do you remember what you promised him?"

Fang Yu looked at the eldest son of the king and nodded lightly.

What he didn't expect was that Princess Rupert didn't understand everything, but it was His Royal Highness the Prince who saw the mind of the King of Sand.

As Count Nurman had said, the Supreme One on the Sand Sea may have accepted all this failure—he looked at Afifa as if he were his other daughter. Let her learn and grow among the mystical sorcerers without being disturbed by the outside world, even herself, who is not aware of her background.

Is this kind of meticulous care really as the eldest princess sees, looking for just a substitute for her own wife?

Since he had already accepted all this—

So what is this king of sand pursuing now?

Or is it as Deran put it?

With these thoughts in mind, under the gaze of the other party, Fang Yu only turned around and walked towards the boat.

All of them are already on board.

As the princess said, it was just a dinghy.

It's even smaller than the Seven Seas Traveler in its design, giving the first impression of being small, but the sparrow is small and has all the organs. There is a tall mast in the center of the ship, the snow-white sail is like a wing, and the hull is painted with beautiful patterns, as if carrying the dreams and yearnings of a young girl in the past - it is not as luxurious as royal goods, but a little simple.

Ms. Papamo climbed to the top of the boat and lowered the sails......

It has remained motionless in this place for ten years, and although it is well maintained, it is not a new ship after all. So just the preparation before setting sail was enough to make the people from sunset to silver moonrise until the frosty twilight covered the desert city.

The last to arrive was Princess Afifa.

She seemed unusually reticent, and walked into the boat without saying much.

Fang Yu saw that Her Royal Highness the little princess lowered her head, and her eyes were a little red, as if she had just cried.

But in front of her sister, in front of Aleph, she was still strong, biting her lip all the time, and did not speak.

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 still didn't speak.

The guide arranged by Her Royal Highness the Princess was an old acquaintance, Mr. 'Hummingbird' of the Brotherhood of Woodpeckers.

When the latter saw Fang Yuan, he also took off his hat and signaled to him: "We meet again, Mr. Ed." ”

Fang Yu looked at the other party suspiciously: "Why are you here?" ”

The latter grinned: "Her Royal Highness the princess is also our old customer." ”

"Mr. Alfond is a member of the Temple of the Goddess of War, and at the moment, apart from the Oath Keepers, they are the only ones who can be completely relied upon." Princess Celestia explained.

Fang Yu realized this.

Only then did he remember that his first contact with the Brotherhood of Woodpeckers had been introduced by Bishop Farris.

And it is only natural that these Questak's bull ghosts, snakes, and gods have a connection with Her Royal Highness the eldest princess who has hands and eyes to the sky. In the case that the people around him are also infiltrated, it is an extremely wise choice for the other party to choose people from the power of the Temple of the Goddess of War in order to avoid the eyes and ears of the blind followers.

And he also learned that this 'Hummingbird' named Alfond is not only an intelligence dealer - but also a qualified warlock.

Don't look at the other party dressed like a ranger, but it seems to be just a disguise. I saw that the other party skillfully took over the magic guide engine from Luo Yu's hand, and then fiddled with it a few times, then the small boat shook slightly, and then took off from the surface of the lake.

"Mr. Alfond used to be an excellent warlock," Princess Celestia said, watching the scene below, "His mentor, who was also my mother's mentor, knows where the Phantom Sea is, and can avoid some potential dangers along the way. ”

"Potentially dangerous?"

Fang Yu suddenly realized that he seemed to have overlooked something.

But Alfond interjected with a smile: "It's just a little trouble, Mr. Eddard." ”

Fang Plover looked at this person suspiciously.

I hope so.

……

Ships could not take off inside the lake, so they had to follow the shore of the lake all the way into the canal, and from there through the locks, into the inner city, and finally to the outer city, from where they took off.

The woods darkened, and the lights were lit, and in order to facilitate their movements, it was announced that overhaul work was underway in advance. The lake was lit up all night, and outsiders did not suspect him, and the arrangement between the day finally worked, and everyone worked together—with Seychelle's help, Princess Celestia easily replaced the men sent by the Craftsmen's Guild with those of the Oath Keepers.

And the person in charge of covering up on the side of the Craftsmen's Guild is none other than Ms. Erna who has come.

The people on the shore watched the erected sails farther and farther away—

Lavalli looked at this scene and felt a little uneasy, and couldn't help but turn away.

Alepf gently patted the latter's shoulder and comforted her - although there were some problems with the Earl's daughter's orientation, this did not hinder the friendship between the two.

Soon all that remained in the darkness was the sound of the water.

Alepf also silently watched the disappearing shadow in that direction.

"Excuse me, Lady Elna," Princess Rupert thanked the Djinn Ladyess, "I shouldn't have been involved in you, but we couldn't think of a better person for a while." ”

Erna shook her head unconcernedly, only with a slight hint of worry in her eyes. "Well, I grew up in this place, and I can't go back to the Giants Island like I used to. I still remember the experience of studying in Cuestac, and there are many people who have helped me in this city...... This is so serious, and I don't want them to get caught up in this huge maelstrom. ”

She paused.

"And since the War of the Giants, the dark cultists have been the enemies of civilization, and the history of the alchemists is not the history of fighting against them, how can I be left behind? What's more, being able to serve Her Royal Highness the Celestial Princess, every Questak is happy to do it. ”

"It's too much, President Elna." Princess Rupert whispered from the side.

But Erna was very serious: "Your Royal Highness the Celestial Princess, the story of you and the Queen Mother will not be unfamiliar to every Istanian. ”

Princess Rupert turned her head and looked at Alepf, who was only a year younger than herself.

She stared at the dark shadows in the woods behind her, and replied softly, "Actually, I've heard of you a long time ago, Madam President." ”

Erna blushed when she heard this.

She doesn't have a good reputation, how could the other party have heard of it? However, when Questak was a student, he was 'famous'.

But she would rather not have such a 'reputation'.

She cried out, "...... Those rumors aren't necessarily true, Your Highness, Princess. ”

Princess Rupert couldn't help but smile slightly.

She watched as her young brother, the future Sand King of Istania, left Lavalli and walked up to her.

Celestia hesitated for a moment before she spoke:

"I'm sorry, Aleph, but there are some things I didn't tell you the truth."

Alepf was silent for a while before nodding slightly: "I understand." ”

"But my father has given it to me."

"Both power and responsibility."

He took a soft breath: "So the future of Istania, and the future of the city...... I'll be in charge of the affairs of you, Afifa, and the princess, and one day it will come to light—"

"I promise you."

Rupert blinked slightly.

For a moment, she thought she had seen the Sand King.

……

In the darkness, everyone on the ship silently watched as the lock not far away rose and let out a low roar.

The lake roared, rolled upside down, and slammed into the side of the boat, causing the dinghy to shake slightly.

But luckily it floated above the water and didn't shake too much.

Fang Yu looked at the men in the darkness and knew that they had naturally been replaced—and the people who were guarding there now should also be the ones personally assigned by Sesher and Alepf.

In fact, because the right minister and the crown prince had already closed the city gates and strengthened martial law in the city during the day, this order in the evening did not cause much trouble. Even if the blind followers knew the news, they would probably only laugh and understand that this was the result of the hijacking last night.

But what good is that?

The man had already been replaced by Cuestak, and he should be on the verge of arriving at the Phantom Sea by now.

At this moment, the twilight was dull and low, and there was almost the last dark red light left in the sky.

On the other side of the Kashan Palace, standing on the palace wall, Achilles had a bird's-eye view of most of Questac, and only silently counted the time in his heart. It was a long time before he turned around, his dark gaze at the brightly lit Kashan Palace in that direction—how long had he been here?

Decade?

Twenty years?

A look of hesitation flashed in his eyes, and Her Royal Highness the princess's face flashed in thought.

But soon, everything fell into darkness.

The alchemist silently took out an object from his chest and looked at it for a moment before he sighed softly and took it back again. One last glance at the grand scene in front of him, as if to remember it in his heart, after a while, he silently walked down the city wall.

It's time.

He thought to himself.

……

Wonderful Book House