Izzy's face was ashen.
"If we leave, what about you? No, we must go together!"
Before he could finish, Aiya shook her head.
"No, we cannot go together!"
"Why?"
"If I stay here, I can distract them and buy you some time. If I go with you, none of us will escape."
As she spoke, Aiya's expression shifted, becoming incredibly gentle and filled with a deep, profound love.
Izzy was stunned by her gaze, frozen in place. He had never seen Aiya show such intense affection before.
The girl raised her slender hand and brushed it against Izzy's cheek.
"Do not worry, I will be fine."
Luo Li couldn't help but sigh as she watched the two of them flaunting their affection.
From her earlier conversation with Aiya in the room, she had learned the truth of the matter.
In truth, the story was not overly complicated.
Five years ago, two minor local noble families had been purged and their properties seized.
One was Izzy's family, the Capablanca family.
The other was Aiya's family, the Russell family.
The two families had been friends for generations, and in this generation, the two children had even been betrothed before birth.
Izzy and Aiya were a perfect match—childhood sweethearts who were destined for each other.
However, what should have been a happy union for both families was shattered by a sudden catastrophe five years ago.
The ancestors of both the Capablanca and Russell families had started as Temple knights.
Because of this, both families felt a strong sense of belonging to the Kingdom of the Moon.
By chance, Izzy's father, Georgia, a level 20 Hope Knight, discovered the Borgia family's secret transactions.
As a Temple knight stationed in Moonrise City, the thirty-year-old man was filled with an overwhelming sense of justice.
He could not suppress the rage burning within him.
Aiya's father gave him his full support as well.
Together, the two of them went to the Stuart family to report the crimes.
However, the layers of nobility meant that the officials shielded each other.
How could two minor noble families possibly win such a fight?
The final result was the Capablanca family being framed for 'corruption'. Izzy's father, Georgia, and his wife were executed.
The Russell family was accused of 'forcibly seizing land'. They were stripped of their noble title, their home was seized, and they were demoted to commoners.
At fifteen, Izzy left his ruined family home, taking his younger sister with him.
His former companions kicked him while he was down, even driving a carriage toward him to bully him.
Izzy's sister, April, pushed her brother out of the way to save him. As a result, her waist was crushed by the carriage wheels.
After Aiya's father was stripped of his title, someone poisoned him in secret.
Aiya's mother fell ill after her father's death and followed him the next year.
Just as it seemed that Izzy, April, and Aiya were about to be targeted again, someone finally intervened.
It was Byron, the lord of the Stuart family.
As the head of the family governing the region, his duty was to protect the Stuart family's interests and maintain local stability.
This series of events had caused panic among the local minor nobles.
To calm their hearts, Byron personally stepped forward to block the further persecution.
He saved the two siblings and Aiya.
That was the history of the situation.
The two people before her had long harbored feelings for each other. They truly were a match made in heaven.
"No, I am taking you with me."
Izzy's brow furrowed, but Aiya still shook her head.
"Izzy, you know I have no strength. If I go with you, I will only be a burden."
A trace of a happy smile played on Aiya's lips. It seemed Izzy's concern made her so happy she couldn't help but smile.
"Besides, I may not be in much danger if I stay. Lord Byron will not let Casma do as he pleases."
"But!"
"There are no buts. Hearing you say that is enough for me."
Aiya pulled back her smile and walked to a nearby cabinet. She opened it and revealed a hidden door.
"This secret door leads directly to the basement. The descent might be a bit intense, but it is safe down there."
She turned back to look at Luo Li.
"My Lady, please take this with you."
Luo Li hesitated for a moment as she looked at the ledger being handed to her.
"Is it really alright for me to take this now?"
"It is fine."
Aiya nodded, then turned to take a short sword from the cabinet and handed it to Izzy.
"Izzy, remember my words. No matter what, protect this lady."
Izzy did not know Luo Li's true identity, but Aiya's earnest warning put him on high alert.
"I understand..."
Even now, Izzy was still hesitant.
However, a flurry of frantic footsteps echoed from outside the door.
Hearing the noise, Aiya anxiously pushed Izzy.
"Go, quickly!"
She pushed Izzy and Luo Li into the secret passage, and Izzy nodded.
"Aiya, wait for me. I will definitely come back for you."
"Yes, I will wait."
Aiya nodded with a smile and immediately closed the secret door.
A second later, accompanied by their suppressed gasps of surprise, Luo Li and Izzy felt the floor vanish beneath them.
The two of them fell vertically from a height of twenty or thirty meters.
Then, with a loud splash, they plummeted into a pool of water.
Luo Li did not know how to swim. The moment she hit the water, she panicked and threw her arms around Izzy's neck, squeezing tight.
Izzy didn't even have a chance to catch his breath before his face turned bright red from the lack of air.
He frantically patted Luo Li's hand until she realized what was happening and let go.
Izzy quickly grabbed Luo Li's arm and swam with her to the surface.
Fortunately, Luo Li knew she was a landlubber and realized that if she panicked, they would both drown.
Once she understood the situation, she stopped struggling.
She held her breath and pinched her small nose.
It wasn't until the two of them burst from the water with a splash and crawled onto the shore that Luo Li dared to let go.
She lay on the ground, gasping for air.
"Huff... huff... Why didn't Aiya warn us? I thought I was going to die!"
Izzy looked just as disheveled, his fiery red hair matted against his head.
"How was I supposed to know you were a landlubber? Why would a landlubber even dare to take a boat?"
"...By that logic, should people without legs not be allowed to ride in carriages?"
She rolled her eyes at him and delivered a sharp retort.
Surprisingly, Izzy actually thought about it for a moment and then nodded.
"I suppose you have a point."
This guy... was a lost cause.
He stood up and surveyed their surroundings.
This was clearly a reservoir. Not far away was a passage, blocked by an iron gate.
However, the gate was clearly unlocked.
"It looks like the way out is over there. Can you still walk?"
Izzy glanced back at Luo Li, who nodded in response.
She had been startled by the fall and had to hold her breath underwater, but she hadn't choked.
She stood up. Although her dress was soaked, her current physical condition meant that being wet was not a problem.
"Then let's go."
Izzy led the way with his short sword drawn.
Luo Li followed closely behind. After walking about a hundred meters, they reached the iron gate.
As expected, it was unlocked and opened with a gentle push.
When they looked outside, they found they were no longer in the brothel.
Instead, they were on the street opposite it.
"We should be a bit safer here, but... Miss Li Luo, do you not think something is wrong with this situation?"
Of course something was wrong, that went without saying.
The fact that those people had returned for a second search meant they had received definitive information.
Otherwise, with such a high-profile search, failing a second time would make it very difficult for them to save face.
"What do you think?"
Luo Li did not answer directly, wanting to hear Izzy's thoughts instead.
She wanted to recruit Izzy, so everything could serve as a test.
She wanted to see how he reasoned and how he acted.
"I suspect they might already know about me. I fear... someone betrayed us."
"And who do you think it was?" Luo Li pressed.
Izzy pondered for a moment.
"Do you remember the carriage we took after leaving the pharmacy?"
That one? The one where Izzy spoke to the driver in thieves' cant?
"I remember."
"Yes. Right now, the driver is the prime suspect."
"The prime suspect... meaning you have other suspicions?"
Izzy's expression turned grim, and he let out a sigh.
"I do, but I am simply unwilling to admit it."
Unwilling to admit it?
A certain figure flashed through her mind.
"You mean... your friend Keane?"
"Yes. Aside from the carriage driver, Keane is the only one who knows the details of my contact with you."
"If it is him, then this second search makes perfect sense. He knows about my relationship with Aiya."
As they spoke, Luo Li and Izzy reached the main street.
However, as soon as they stepped out, a commotion erupted in the distance.
The sound of clashing armor filled the air. Clearly, the entire city was under lockdown.
Luo Li was about to say something when Izzy suddenly cried out.
"Aiya!?"
She instinctively followed his gaze.
Not far away, in the middle of a group of soldiers, was a blue-haired young man with a face full of rage.
Behind him, several soldiers surrounded a woman.
The moment she saw the woman, Luo Li's brow knit into a tight knot.
She glanced at Izzy and saw the veins bulging on his hand as he gripped his sword hilt.
Luo Li quickly stepped forward, grabbing Izzy's arm and covering his mouth.
"Do not be reckless! If you act now, she is as good as dead!"
"Let me go!!"
Izzy tried to struggle, but he had no real strength and had never undergone training.
Luo Li, on the other hand, was already level 16.
Her attributes had long since surpassed those of an ordinary person. Her current status was:
Level: 16
Strength: 19
Agility: 21
Endurance: 21
Recovery: 51
Mana: 75
Attribute points: 70
Skill points: 62
Skills: Invigoration Level 1, Healing Level 10, Swordplay Level 5, Light Sword Level 1, Chain Healing Level 10.
Two special class skills:
Light up the Brilliant Night with My Moon Banner and Protect the Brilliant Night with My Moon Banner.
Three Special Authorities:
Hero Creation, Moon's Protection, and Eyes of Judgment.
Her strength was already close to twenty points. Even the strongest of ordinary men only had about ten points, with the average being five or six.
Her attributes were nearly double the limit of a normal human.
While she couldn't literally deal double damage, her physical strength was far greater than any commoner's.
Izzy was completely unable to resist Luo Li's grip.
"Izzy! Calm down. If you rush out now, you will only confirm her guilt."
"Those soldiers will kill her before you even get close. Going there is useless!!"
"She is only being taken away. Without definitive proof, they will not harm her!"
Izzy's eyes were wide with fury, his teeth clenched tight.
As she was being escorted away by the soldiers, Aiya seemed to sense the two of them in the corner.
She offered a faint smile in their direction.
It was clear that although she was in a dangerous position, she was safe for the time being.
Izzy seemed to understand the reality of the situation.
Although Aiya was being escorted, she was not bound in any way.
The soldiers were merely surrounding her, not using force.
For now, she was fine.
"With so many troops deployed, Lord Byron will not just sit by. He will certainly intervene."
"He will not let anyone touch Aiya. You must calm down first."
Luo Li only let go once she was sure his emotions had settled.
"Where did you get so much strength?" Izzy asked, rubbing his wrist while watching Aiya disappear in the distance.
"What do you plan to do next? It looks like the whole city is under lockdown."
"As for Keane, I cannot be certain he betrayed us, but for now, it is best if we do not contact anyone."
Luo Li's brow furrowed at his words.
With the city under lockdown and unable to rely on local connections, they seemed to have no way out.
However, the strange and incredible knowledge from ancient China always seemed to find a path through a dead end.
"Izzy, do you know where the Borgia family estate is?"
"What are you doing? Didn't you see Casma out here searching for you personally? Are you trying to walk into a trap?"
"No. As the saying goes, the darkest place is right under the lamp. We will find life by walking into death."
Luo Li looked up at Izzy.
"Izzy, let me ask you. In a city-wide lockdown like this, where is the one place that needs no guards?"
Izzy was stunned. He stared at Luo Li in disbelief for a long time.
"I have to ask... how on earth do you come up with these ideas?"
"I am simply following the wisdom of those who came before me. Let's go to that place that needs no guarding."
He took a deep breath and nodded, leading the way.
Under the guidance of Izzy, the local expert, they moved almost entirely through back alleys.
They encountered several patrols along the way, but they managed to avoid them by scaling walls or hiding in the grass.
They reached the noble district without further incident.
This area was filled with high walls and grand estates. The shortest walls were over three meters high.
The tallest were almost like miniature castles.
"Which one belongs to the Borgia family?"
To be honest, an outsider would be completely lost here.
With so many high walls, it was impossible to tell who lived where.
Fortunately, Izzy was very familiar with the layout.
He had likely lived in this area for the first decade of his life.
"That is the one."
Izzy pointed to a high wall in front of them.
The girl suddenly grabbed his collar.
"Don't make a sound!"
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