With Luo Li's current physical condition, jumping two or three meters high while carrying Izzy was no problem.
She grabbed Izzy by the neck and leaped onto the top of the wall, tossing him up as she landed.
Izzy's reactions were sharp; he extended his arms and hung onto the ledge.
Luo Li followed suit, supporting herself with one hand as she perched on the wall.
Tonight, it seemed most of the noble guards had been sent out.
This allowed the two of them to scale the wall and enter with ease.
Under normal circumstances, a noble's estate would not be so easy to infiltrate.
Not only would there be guards patrolling the courtyard, but nobles usually kept hidden experts and death-sworn guards for their protection.
Tonight, however, the Borgia estate was noticeably empty.
Luo Li looked down at the courtyard.
It was vast and open, with hardly a soul in sight.
From a side room not far away, she could hear the faint sound of voices.
They sounded like women?
Luo Li made a silencing gesture to Izzy and then flipped down into the yard.
Izzy followed closely. Although two or three meters was a bit high for an ordinary person, his physical condition was quite good.
He landed with a grimace, but after shaking out his feet, he quickly caught up.
Luo Li reached the lit side room first.
There was a fish pond and a garden here; clearly, this was the back courtyard of the manor.
Those living in the side rooms of a back courtyard were usually servants.
After checking that there were no guards around, she pressed her ear to the door and listened intently.
"Hey, what's going on today? Why was everyone in the yard sent out?"
The voice of a middle-aged woman reached Luo Li's ears.
It was accompanied by the sound of scrubbing fabric; they were likely doing laundry inside.
"How should I know? I heard they're searching for someone, but I'm not sure."
"Oh... has the master gone to bed yet?"
"Not yet. Didn't you see the lights in the rear hall are still on?"
"Sigh... if the master doesn't sleep, we can't sleep no matter how late it gets."
"Enough, don't think too much about it. The master and the young master are both in a foul mood today. Be careful not to get beaten and just finish the laundry."
The two women in the room spoke in hushed tones.
However, in the silence of the courtyard, they were still clearly audible.
From their conversation, Luo Li learned the location of the head of the Borgia family.
She also confirmed that these two were merely servants.
Luo Li did not rush in.
There were two people inside, and if anything went wrong and one of them screamed, it would be trouble.
She glanced back at Izzy, whose brow was furrowed as he looked toward the rear hall.
Sure enough, about two hundred meters away from this room, a building stood brightly lit.
In the rear hall of that residence, shadows could be seen moving behind the windows.
"Let's go take a look."
Luo Li mouthed the words to Izzy. He was clever enough to understand her immediately and followed with a nod.
They moved under the eaves, stepping through the grass until they reached the rear hall.
While other areas lacked guards, this was the residence of the family head.
Two guards stood at the entrance, looking sharp and alert.
They stood there like two gate gods.
The front entrance was out of the question.
Luo Li scanned the surroundings and led the way along the base of the wall, bypassing the main door and slipping around to the side.
They eventually reached the base of a window.
Izzy followed her lead, and the two of them crouched beneath the windowsill.
Listening closely, they heard heavy footsteps from within the room.
At the same time, the voice of a middle-aged man spoke.
"What is Casma doing? Why is he taking so long to return?"
"To answer the master... I heard... they haven't found the person yet."
"Still haven't found her?"
A middle-aged man with graying hair at his temples frowned deeply.
He slammed his hand on the table and stood up in a rage.
"Half the families in Moonrise City have sent out their private armies, yet they still can't find her? Even if she were a mere sparrow, she should have been caught by now!!"
Luo Li was slightly stunned.
She hadn't expected the Borgia family to be able to mobilize half the nobles in Moonrise City.
Recalling the ledger Aiya had recorded, it seemed the Borgia family had secret dealings with almost every other family.
These transactions were either for tax evasion or to hide things from public view.
In any case, they were things that could not be brought to light.
This was why the nobles of each city were so united.
They were all in the same boat; if one went down, they all went down.
If death came, they would all die together.
Therefore, the bonds between these families were incredibly strong.
It seemed that the 'slave trading rights' of a single Cavendish family wasn't enough to completely shatter this iron-clad alliance.
However, it wasn't entirely useless.
Everything starts small; as the saying goes, even a great dam can crumble from a single ant hole.
To make the dam known as the 'nobility' collapse, one must at least drill a hole first.
The Cavendish family was the rat drilling that hole.
By now, the hole had been made. The rest depended on how to make it larger.
Hmm... why did that thought sound a bit strange?
She shook her head, tossing those stray thoughts aside.
For now, the Borgia estate seemed like a safe place to hide.
"Let's go."
Luo Li mouthed the word and was about to turn away when a series of hurried and messy footsteps echoed from a distance.
A group of people carrying bright torches approached.
Luo Li instinctively looked toward the sound, and a figure came into view.
It was Casma.
Were those guards of the Borgia family behind him?
Luo Li stopped in her tracks.
Izzy whispered, "Are we not leaving?"
"Wait a moment."
Luo Li replied, then listened intently to the voices inside the room.
Casma's footsteps were hurried as he entered the house. His first words were:
"Father, I am back."
"You're back? Did you find her?"
"No..."
"How could you still not find her? Is that person really the one you recognize?"
"This... Father, I only thought she looked very similar. I cannot guarantee it was her."
"Everyone else, get out."
The middle-aged man spoke.
Soon, the room fell silent.
Luo Li hid outside the window, not daring to peek inside.
Powerful individuals were sensitive to the gaze of others.
If they noticed her looking, she and Izzy would likely be discovered.
She could only eavesdrop on the voices inside.
After a long while, Casma suddenly let out a long sigh.
"Sigh! If the news from the demons had arrived earlier, I would have intercepted her on the boat!"
"Shh! Lower your voice! Do you want to die!?"
"But Father, if the demons used long-distance communication, wouldn't we have received the news sooner? Why do they insist on sending letters?"
"Do you have no brains? If the signal were intercepted, wouldn't that tell everyone we are demon colluders?"
"But Father, we have an encrypted communication room in our home!"
"Those communication rooms rely on magic towers. Every message leaves a trace in the tower. Think about it. If the demons sent a message across the sea, it would first go to the Temple's main communication room before being transferred to us. What if the Temple people discovered it? What would we do then? Start an immediate rebellion?"
Casma was silenced by the lecture.
After a moment, the middle-aged man's voice spoke again.
"These demons are truly something. The information they gave is so vague."
"Father, what did the letter actually say?"
"See for yourself!"
Casma's voice echoed again, but this time, he sounded agitated.
"What kind of news is this from the demons? The Saintess might not be dead? She might have already returned to the continent? There isn't a single shred of certainty here!"
"So, all this effort I've put in is for this half-baked piece of news?"
"Forget it. Being given such a message is better than nothing."
"Ultimately, our relationship with the demons is just business. We are far from being on the same side."
"Father, what about Keane's request?"
"Since a promise was made, the Borgia family is not so petty. It is just a commander position. Give it to him."
As he spoke, Aubrey looked up at his son.
He knew his son was capable and far more shrewd than he was at that age.
However, in some matters, he was still too young and impulsive.
"I heard you went to that brothel? You took Aiya away?"
"Yes, I sent her to the prison. I truly didn't expect that woman to still be in contact with that boy."
"Did you mention this to your Uncle Byron?"
"This... not yet."
"Sigh. Go and inform him. Also, tell the people at the prison not to mistreat her."
"Father! That woman is nothing but a decoration. Why be so serious?"
"You!"
Aubrey shook his head helplessly.
"She is a decoration, yes, but she is a decoration for others to see."
"She is a valuable showpiece. If she breaks, the people of those minor families will start crying out!"
"It is not easy for your Uncle Byron to maintain order in Moonrise City. Go and inform him. Do not mistreat her. If she is truly maimed or broken, how will your Uncle Byron explain it to the other families?"
Casma gritted his teeth and replied, "I understand."
A period of silence followed; father and son seemed to have little else to say.
However, Casma soon moved to another question.
"By the way, Father, I've always had a doubt. Who exactly sent us the message?"
"That person... even I am not sure. But since they could pass this information along, they must be one of us. Likely someone from the other three major families. It doesn't matter."
At this point, Aubrey looked up at his son.
"Casma, continue the search. Even if you have to turn the city upside down, find her. I don't want her alive; I want her dead! Dead men tell no tales."
"I understand, Father."
Listening to the conversation between the father and son, a logical path began to form in Luo Li's mind.
Everything that had happened today finally had a reasonable explanation.
When Casma first noticed her, his family hadn't received the news from the demons yet.
Therefore, their initial search was likely kept quiet and not done openly.
This afternoon, before Luo Li contacted Brilliant City...
The demon's letter arrived. Given the situation, the letter probably came from the south.
The message was simple: the Saintess might not be dead and might have returned to the continent.
Combined with Casma's encounter with Luo Li a few days ago...
The ruler of the Borgia here, Aubrey, immediately realized that 'the Saintess is in Moonrise City'.
Then, someone leaked the news of Luo Li's call to the Alchemists' Association to the Borgia family.
The process was incredibly swift, likely utilizing the encrypted communication room in a noble's home.
The Borgia family reacted just as quickly, ordering General Bill to search the Mage Association.
At the same time, the information the Borgia family was seeking finally bore fruit.
Keane had betrayed Izzy.
He did so in exchange for an official position.
Keane knew Izzy well, so he knew exactly who Izzy would hide and where.
Thus, Bill began the first search of the brothel.
But because they were underprepared, they were turned away by Aiya.
Then, Casma personally led a second search and took Aiya away.
That was likely how the events had unfolded.
Until now.
Luo Li now had a clear picture in her mind.
Several major forces were involved in her pursuit.
The demons far away on the demon island, and the local nobles led by the Borgia family.
At the same time, someone in the Alchemists' Association in Brilliant City had leaked the information.
Clearly, that person had overheard her conversation with Nina.
Wait, if that was the case, had something happened to Nina?
If something happened to Nina, who would pass the message to Camilla that she was in Brilliant City?
Hiss!
This was bad!
This was going to be a problem!
If that was really the case, Nina might already be dead.
Luo Li's brow furrowed as she looked at Izzy.
If Nina hadn't passed the message to Camilla, then she had completely dragged Izzy into this mess.
Setting everything else aside, even if Luo Li could safely escape the city now...
Izzy's family would surely face retaliation.
Things... seemed to have reached a critical point.
"Izzy, let's go."
Luo Li notified Izzy with a mouthed command, then slipped along the wall until they reached an empty room in the back courtyard.
As soon as she opened the door, she turned back to close it and stared intently at Izzy.
"Izzy, it seems something unexpected has happened."
"What happened?" Izzy asked, his face full of confusion.
"There's no time to explain. I need to contact Brilliant City immediately."
"Again?"
"I must. Otherwise, I have no way of being sure I can save your Aiya."
If Nina hadn't delivered that message to Camilla, she would be completely finished.
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