The two sat diagonally against each other, leaning against the wall, looking at each other without saying a word.

It was a long time before Tails coughed and spoke softly:

"What's going on with Longxiao City now?"

Raphael opened his eyes.

"It sucks. ”

The pupils of the secret department shrank:

"Since the death of King Nunn six years ago, the White-Bladed Guards of the Meteorite have been showing their blades with murderous violation, and at any cost, they have gone crazy to cleanse the underground intelligence world of Longxiao City, almost turning the entire city into an airtight iron bucket, and even the Dark Room has suffered heavy losses, not to mention us. ”

"Now, there is such a thing as the disappearance of the Star Prince, which is too widely implicated and involves war...... Longxiao City has been completely blocked, no entry is allowed to go out, and they are searched closely from house to house, and they heard that the meteorite is furious, and they are crazy all over the city to pursue it, not letting go of any channel and news, and locking up all kinds of suspicious people batch after batch, including some big nobles, who don't recognize anyone's personal favor - and the always cautious Lisban even fully supports him behind his back. ”

Tails listened to the other man's narration without saying a word.

"So, it's stupid for you to go to Rumba today and disrupt our plans. ”

"And we took the risk of forcibly rescuing you, which is the best of the best. ”

Raphael's face was tense: "At least at this moment, there is tension in Longxiao City from top to bottom, and everyone is in danger...... At least, in the hands of the secret department, almost all the escape lines are useless. ”

Hearing this, Tails sighed heavily.

Seeing the prince's face, Raphael cleared his throat and changed his words: "But it's not without good news: listening to the political day is too wide-ranging, and the city is mixed with dragons and snakes. ”

"Your disappearance, whether it is the major vassal lords under Longxiao City, or the Qiyuan City with other plans and the menacing Black Sand Lord, these people are suspected of kidnapping you, and they also distrust each other, and even hostile to each other. ”

"This will involve the energy and attention of Long Xiao City, and the Meteorite and Lisban need time and means to sort them out one by one. ”

"At another time, maybe I wouldn't have met such a good time to risk rescuing you. ”

Listening to the words of reassurance, Tails forced a laugh.

The prince stiffened his spirits and asked, "Then we are trapped here and cannot leave?"

Raphael shrugged: "Viscount Putirai said he has a wild path and is contacting ......"

But before he could finish his words, a third man's words came from the dark passage:

"Soon, Your Highness, you will be setting off at dark. ”

Tails and Raphael stood up at the same time and turned to the other side of the tunnel.

There, a middle-aged man walked slowly with an inextinguishable lamp.

"Putira!"

Tails' eyelids jumped, and he was pleasantly surprised: "I haven't seen you since I came out of the hall...... How are you?"

The thin Putilai smiled reluctantly with a tired face: "Thanks to you, it's okay for the time being." ”

"When Rumba appeared in front of the hall, I didn't think it was good...... So I quickly slipped out to arrange things. ”

When Tails saw him, he only felt that his nervous and depressed mood suddenly improved.

Raphael chuckled, the emotion in his eyes inexplicable.

But Tails' expression froze.

"Wait, you say, I'm going to leave when it's dark," Tails chewed on the sentence, and then he was startled, and he looked back and forth at Raphael and Putile: "You guys, won't you come with me?"

Raphael and Putilla looked at each other.

"The disappearance of the Star Prince is such a big thing," the desolate bone man pursed his lips, and his expression narrowed: "Isn't it too suspicious if the Kingdom Secret Branch behaves indifferently and quietly?"

Raphael looked at the puzzled Tails and nodded:

"That's right, not only can I not leave, but I must show up immediately, anxiously asking for news, as a normal occultist would do—it is better to be discovered by the Meteorite again and put in prison to better cover your escape. ”

Tails froze.

He stared blankly at Raphael, who was dressed in white and acting calm, and was speechless for a while.

That's right.

"It's not just him. ”

Putile sighed, and pulled back the hand that had reached into his pocket for his pipe:

"The people around you too, even including me, we must stay in Longxiao City and maintain the status quo, not only for you to draw attention, but also to continue to inquire about the news until everything settles and you successfully return to China. ”

Tails pursed his lips.

Yes, he escaped.

But......

He has mixed feelings right now.

"Yes, Your Highness, although the arrangements are ready," Putile smiled slightly, but this smile seemed to Tails rather bitter:

"But the rest of the way, you'll have to go on your own. ”

Tails turned to Putira, his eyebrows twitching.

But Putile just looked at him silently.

Eventually, the prince held back the other emotions.

"Yes. He put away his superfluous expression and nodded indifferently.

"Besides, the people around you," Raphael said calmly, "who might know that you will escape from here today?"

"We have to think about the worst-case scenario. ”

Tails tried his best to dispel the gloom in his heart and cheer up.

"Nobody knows," the prince pondered for a moment, "except for Eddar and Jenard, of all the others, I only gave Wyaa few hints." ”

Poor Wya.

I hope you can remember why I told you: no matter what happens, don't panic.

Thankfully, the sensitive Rolf must have sensed something before leaving.

"Very well," Raphael said seriously, "are there any loopholes or threats?"

Tails rolled his gaze, pondering.

"Justin's men, there are four people in the Grand Duke's guard who are responsible for protecting me, and there are four people who have specially arranged to monitor my travels, and some of them may suspect Jenny, but it doesn't matter, I have destroyed all communications. ”

Tails shook his head: "One of the female servants of the Grand Duchess is on a mission, and for the past six years, she has often eavesdropped on my conversations with the Grand Duchess - for example, this time I said goodbye to the Grand Duchess, but it should be fine, she will think that I am going to the Black Sand Collar to say goodbye." ”

"The servant who cleaned my room was the eyeliner of Lisbane and Nicollet, and he often secretly looked through my books, letters, and even drafts when I was away, but I made sure that nothing in question was left behind. ”

Tails continued to think as he spoke, frowning the other two with each point.

"Edda told me that a guard who guarded the roof of the house and worked as a scout could use a reed pole to listen to my conversations with my men in the room at night, so I would deliberately change the subject when he started to listen, and I rarely talked to them about the situation these days. ”

"Nicolai and Jinx will judge whether I am abnormal according to my routine and habits, but for this reason, whether it is the rest place in the palace or the time of work and rest, I have tried to behave very casually in the past few years, and I should not find a pattern, and this time I came out in the name of going to see Rumba, so it will not arouse suspicion. ”

"Lord Justin has a little notebook, and every time he comes out to play chess, he secretly pays attention to my every move, who I talk to, the route I walk, even the movements I make when I ride a horse, and even when it's over, he comes up to record the end game of my chessboard - Justin suspects it's a contact code, but luckily, everything I have in the card room has nothing to do with this cellar. ”

"Anything else, I can't think of it for the time being. ”

Tails finished speaking, and looked back at the two of them.

Raphael and Putile looked at each other, both of them looking a little surprised.

This little guy has been in Longxiao City for six years......

How did you get here?

In fact, Tails silently says there's more to it than that.

Alas, I will probably be able to publish a book in the future: "The Prince in the Northland: The Days I Fought with the Meteorites".

Raphael coughed and said unnaturally, "Sounds okay." ”

Putile sighed imperceptibly, and he nodded:

"Good. ”

"I've already arranged the way out of the city, and I've entrusted some friends with the way, although it's not as secure as my own manpower, but it shouldn't be a problem. ”

Tails hummed, but then he remembered something.

"And what about after you get out of town?"

The prince frowned and said, "I dare to guarantee that if such a big thing happens, the road southbound from Longxiao City is already full of checkpoints, and every thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy is strictly guarded." ”

"The same is true for the Willan Collar and the Black Sand Collar, in case I return to the stars, the area around the Broken Dragon Fortress must be under martial law again - not even the birds can fly over. ”

"How do I get back to the stars?"

This time, Putile and Raphael exchanged glances again, and both of them seemed to smile a little.

"That's right, Rumba won't let you cross the Black Sand Collar freely," Putile smiled and shook his head, "So, no, we don't go south." ”

"Not going south?"

Tails thought for a moment and said solemnly, "Okay, other directions...... It's impossible to go north, unless I want to go to the Quegur Glacier to seek refuge with the orcs. So, either go east, trek thousands of miles, pass through Fengzhao City to Elk City, and take a boat south to the stars......"

But in front of Tails, who was thinking hard, Putile just raised a finger and flicked it lightly, interrupting him.

"No, we also go east, and we don't take a boat," Raphael next to him snorted softly: "Neither." ”

He said categorically: "You go west." ”

Tails was slightly stunned.

"To the west?"

Raphael's face remained unchanged, and he continued to nod: "First enter the boundary of Qiyuan City, and go south to the Great Desert there, from the desert to the east, until the western wilderness of the stars." ”

Wait a minute.

Tails fished out from his memories a long, long time ago, when they were beggars in the abandoned house, Quaid often used to threaten them:

[Raised by a son of a bitch, tomorrow! Tomorrow I will sell you little cub to the great desert!

"To the Great Desert South?"

Tails frowned in disbelief, "That chaotic desert full of sand thieves, hooligans, criminals, and even the Bone Tribes and Orcs?"

"That terrifying, terrifying, bloody, complicated, dangerous, even the ancient empire could not conquer the great desert, full of all kinds of strange legends?"

Raphael didn't speak, just looked at him steadily.

The prince snorted and repeated the adverb part three times: "That's much, much more difficult than going south to the Black Sand Collar, are you serious?"

Putileh chuckled.

"Yes, Your Highness, you need to wear it," the thin middle-aged man sighed, "it's the one that 'was' a chaotic desert full of sand thieves, hooligans, criminals, and even the Bone Tribes and Orcs, a certain part of ......"

Tails instantly grasped the key word.

His brain seemed to stop for a moment, then restart in an instant.

"Wait," he said, his mouth wide open in surprise, "you mean—'ever'?"

Once?

No way.

That is to say—

A wonderful idea swept through his brain like lightning.

Tails' eyes glazed off, and his breathing began to speed up uncontrollably.

At that moment, his heart skipped a beat.

The prince jerked his head up and stared at the smiling Putirai, his tone nervous.

"Puttilai. ”

"The army of the Kingdom of the Stars...... Two thousand cavalry or something, they crossed the Dune camp of Bladetooth for the first time in history, crossed a small part of the desert, and reached the junction of Qiyuan City and the Freedom Alliance......"

Listening to the prince's words, Putirai laughed again.

Tails looked at his expression, his heart becoming more and more affirmed.

He finally asked in shock, "They're not there to support the Freedom League, are they?"

Raphael snorted coldly and turned his head away.

"Of course not," Putile took over, put away his smile, and said lightly, "Freedom League?" ”

He shook and said disdainfully, "If those people can't get the friendship of the dragon, then why do they think that they can get the friendship of the stars?"

Tails widened his eyes to the maximum.

"So, the armies of the stars, their purpose, they are, they are ......"

Raphael shook his head.

Putirai snorted and sighed, "That's right. ”

At that moment, Tails finally understood.

The army of the Kingdom of the Stars......

They are......

They are......

"I see. ”

The prince leaned feebly against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief.

At this time, his mood was extremely complicated, mixed with abruptness and gloom, as well as relief in hindsight:

"I also find it strange that in Gilbert's letter, why Ms. Jenny, who has always been resolute, would actually tell me to 'eat more bitter herbs from the Western Wilderness', heh, the bitter herbs of the Western Wilderness, heh, the Western Wilderness, she means ......"

Tails smiled bitterly, his tone was harsh, and his emotions were surging, and he couldn't speak for a while.

Putile looked at the prince's expression, nodded slowly, and took his words:

"Yes, for more than a month, thousands of Star soldiers have set out from the Western Wilderness and marched all the way to the northwest, as an unrivaled force in the desert, sweeping the northeast of the Great Desert at any cost on the way, sweeping the desert area between Exeter and the stars......"

He let out a long sigh: "As for Qiyuan City, since Ronnie thinks that we are going to meddle in the Freedom Alliance, then all his heavy troops will be placed on the western border line, and the direction of the Freedom Alliance will be strictly guarded, so that he will not have time to take care of the east and the interior of the desert......"

Tails closed his eyes gently.

Putilai's voice continued in his ears: "And those soldiers of the stars, the reason why they went deep into the desert at any cost, regardless of the cost, regardless of casualties, drove and eliminated all the threats of sand bandits, orcs, and desolate bone tribes on the way, and forced Qiyuan City to shrink their forces, the reason why they did this ......"

"It's for you, Second Prince, heir to the kingdom of the Northlands. ”

At that moment, Tails only felt an indescribable heaviness in his heart.

Cold sweat oozed from his forehead.

For me.

Sent troops to the west and went deep into the desert......

For me!

No one could understand how he was feeling at the moment.

"As long as you get out of Longxiao City......"

Putilai's voice was still calm, but there was a terrifying edge hidden under the words, which belonged to the shield of the Western Continent:

"From Qiyuan City to the Western Wilderness Territory, whether it is the powerful Northlanders who are full of threats, or the once impassable chaotic desert, no matter the army, the checkpoints, the bandits, the orcs, all obstacles have been completely cleared. ”

"Only the stars have their own army and banner, waiting for your return. ”

At that moment, Tails clenched his teeth lightly, his face tense.

I only heard Putilai say lightly but without losing his spirit: "Thousands of soldiers have followed one another, countless officials have worked day and night, and under the power of the kingdom that is gradually recovering......"

"His Highness Tails. ”

"This is the beginning of your way home. ”

"It's been a smooth road. ”

Don't doubt it, I'm the real Swordless myself, because I'm going to play roughly tomorrow, so it's only two shifts.

It's not because of the reward plus more!

(End of chapter)