When night finally fell, the once bustling and lively port town had already sunk into a state of quiet and tranquility.
The bright full moon rose from the sea horizon, softly draping a thin layer of silver gauze over the entire harbor town.
At this moment, Lynn was standing on the top floor of Pedro's residence, gazing down at the entire town. Perhaps it was an illusion, but the port seemed especially quiet tonight. There wasn't a single hint of insect noises, and this abnormality made him sense a tinge of danger in the air.
"071, report energy reserves," Lynn silently inquired in his mind after putting away his notebook.
[Energy remaining: 40.2%...]
"Unfortunately, still a bit short..."
Lynn thought to himself silently. The full moon nights over the past four months had increased 071's energy reserves by about 30%, which was already very fast, but could only sustain overload mode for about 200 seconds.
Only in such a state could he unleash the full power of the White Phosphorus Fire!
Despite a vague unease in his heart, Lynn had no intention of changing the plan. Tonight was their only chance to save White Dove and Johnny!
After all, the only passage to the Wizard Land opened on Moon Monday, and tomorrow would be the public execution day...
Lynn took out Loth's notebook from his pocket and placed it on the corner of the table.
After today, whether he succeeded or failed, he would no longer be able to stay in the harbor town, and Loth's identity would naturally be irrelevant to him.
This notebook would be left as Loth's final testament to Baron Pedro and Ivina. Though he didn't expect it to change anything, it was all he could do.
After packing up, Lynn walked out of the room alone, his mind recalling the intelligence gathered by the "Ship Gang".
Adrian... newly appointed priest of the harbor town, right-hand man to Bishop Anluoke, born of noble blood, and champion of the last Nordland Territory Knight Assessment, possessing commendable swordsmanship.
Most importantly, his routine was extremely regular. Every night at this time, he would definitely go out to an unknown destination, suspected of attending some noble's dinner party.
As for the rescue plan, Lynn had thought of several methods, the smoothest of which was to capture and replace Adrian directly.
This would not only allow him to ask directly about the captives and their locations, but Adrian's identity as the bishop's right-hand man would also be extremely useful.
When the full moon hung high in the sky, the "Ship Gang" would stir up a ruckus at the docks, driving away unrelated personnel and setting fires everywhere using the White Phosphorus powder he had prepared in advance.
Once this unstoppable "Hellfire" spread, it wouldn't be something a few hundred garrison troops could handle, and it was also his signature magic.
At that time, whether Anluoke acted to extinguish the fire or capture Lynn, he would most likely take action himself and even deploy his elite guards hidden in the shadows.
Moreover, the large amounts of goods piled up at the dock had been quietly replaced by the "Ship Gang" with special black gunpowder. Once ignited, the warships docked at the pier and the supporting guards would be blown to the skies in an instant!
If Anluoke could be blown up as well, all the better. Even if not, it would be quite some time before the archbishop could return.
Meanwhile, Lynn could assume Adrian's identity to enter the place where Johnny and the others were held. Using the chaos in the harbor town as an excuse, he could falsely transmit the archbishop's order to transfer the prisoners to a safer location.
Once outside, he would be met by Laud's trusted subordinates.
Of course, this was all under the assumption that everything went smoothly. Countless unforeseen circumstances might occur in the process.
For example, if he were discovered while disguised as Adrian to enter the detention site, or if the guards refused to follow his orders, he would have to rely on his own strength to resolve it!
The worst-case scenario would be if Anluoke chose to remain still, allowing the "Hellfire" to spread rapidly at the docks. Then Lynn would have no choice but to put out the fire himself to prevent involving large numbers of ordinary residents.
If left unchecked, the entire harbor town would turn into a sea of flames.
Lynn continuously simulated possible scenarios in his mind. A harsh 'creak' sound approached from the distant corridor, gradually drawing nearer.
Vigilant, Lynn immediately halted his steps and looked up, soon spotting the figure at the end of the corridor.
A brown-haired girl stood in the shadows, holding a long, floor-scraping thin blade. As she walked, her red and black attire looked particularly eerie under the silver moonlight.
"Ivina, what are you doing here?" Lynn asked puzzledly, while placing his hand on the sword hilt. Her room should be on the second floor, after all.
"Why?" the brown-haired girl asked softly.
"Why, no matter how hard and excellently I perform, does father never acknowledge me, while you, who can't even pass the knight assessment and fail time and again, always easily get everything I desire..."
Ivina lowered her head, her words carrying an unquenchable anger. She gritted her teeth, seemingly using all her strength to contain her rage.
However, she quickly regained her composure, her voice turning cold.
"My dear brother, you are an obstacle in my path..."
Lynn's pupils contracted. Just as her words fell, Ivina charged with her thin blade at the ready.
Clang~
Accompanied by the crisp clash of metal, Lynn drew his steel long sword from his waist, parrying the airborne thin blade. He could clearly feel that her strength and speed were much greater than during their sparring matches. Evidently, this was her true power!
Ivina's dark golden eyes glimmered with coldness and murderous intent. The thin blade streaked through the air as a cold light, slashing towards Lynn once more.
"You're always so indifferent..."
"Tell me, why didn't you tell father about this?"
"You knew all along that I have always wanted to kill you!"
With each sentence Ivina uttered, the speed of her blade grew even faster, her complex emotions fixated on her brother...