Astral Apostle

Chapter 221 – Picking Up The Pail And Running Away (1)

(TL Note: In China, many of the staff workers tend to stay in dorms around the workplace, and hence have to buy pails/large buckets to use for their washing of clothes. The title talks about how those workers, when fed up with their work conditions, would just throw all their items into said pail and make a run for it.)

Zhou Jing quickly took off his clothes and took down a bottle of medicine from the shelf. He poured out the ointment and smeared it on his body.

This was a homemade potion used to change one’s body odor. As a high-level pharmacist, concocting such a potion was child’s play. He came up with the formula within two months.

Through Little Black #1’s sense of smell, he repeatedly tested the effects. Now, the disguise effect of the “Scent Change” potion was already very outstanding. Even the dog could not recognize him after he put it on.

He quickly changed into the clothes of a servant and dressed up slightly to make his appearance less eye-catching. Then, he adjusted his posture in front of the mirror. His entire body was like a balloon that had been deflated. From a tall and straight posture, he lowered his head and bowed his shoulders. From a confident form, he turned into a servant-like person. His temperament had changed drastically. If one did not look carefully, it was difficult to recognize him as the same person.

In the past two months, Zhou Jing had been observing carefully. He had imitated the expressions of his servants and honed his acting skills. He was already very proficient at this.

It did not take long for him to change his clothes. Standing with his servants, he was almost indistinguishable.

A servant changed into his clothes and pretended that Bill was still in the room, leaving someone behind so as to match the numbers.

If Zhou Jing was lucky, he would be able to move for about a night’s worth of time. His absence would definitely be exposed when day arrived. The servant that he left behind was most likely dead, sent over as a death warrior arranged by Roman.

Little Black #1 squatted on the ground, while the Sword-Tailed Eagle stood on the bird stand. The dog and bird tilted their heads and looked at Zhou Jing.

“Stay here and don’t run around.”

Zhou Jing instructed in a low voice.

He definitely could not bring two pets with him when he ran off in secret. It would only increase the risk of being exposed.

However, he did not intend to throw them away. After all, he had nurtured them for a long time. The moment his disappearance was exposed, the Golden Castle would be in chaos. No one would care about Bill’s two pets, so he asked Roman to take care of them and let his subordinates take the two pets away in the chaos. They would send them to him when they met up later.

Because he was closer to Roman, if he disappeared, Roman would also be suspected, so the latter also had the intention to run away. However, Roman did not leave for the time being. He still had some motives for staying in the palace. He was not worried that he would end up being trapped in the castle. After all, with his strength, it would be much easier for him to leave.

The group was ready to go. Zhou Jing carried the clothes basket and mixed in with the servants. He felt a wave of nervousness and excitement. This kind of stealth action was exciting He took a deep breath and composed himself. He patted the lead servant and signaled for action.

The door creaked open, and the empty corridor came into view.

The few of them immediately closed the door and left as if nothing had happened. Although the guards were not guarding the door, they were all in the house next door. The door was wide open… Compared to guarding his security, they were more like a group of prison guards.

Sensing the commotion, Hudd, Lake, and the others subconsciously turned to size up the group of servants.

Zhou Jing’s back tensed up. Using the bodies of the other servants, he covered his face without leaving a trace. The clothes basket was deliberately carried in the direction of the guards.

Every step seemed to take seconds, under his fear that the guards would notice something amiss.

However, the guards only took a glance before looking away. They did not suspect anything.

It was only when he turned the corner and no one suddenly stopped him that Zhou Jing relaxed slightly.

The hardest part was over. As long as he could hide it from his personal guards, he would be half safe.

After putting on a show, the few of them carefully traveled. The patrol guards they encountered on the way only casually sized them up before looking away.

Although the huge Golden Castle was heavily guarded, it was impossible for the patrolling guards to interrogate every person they encountered. That would be too energy-consuming, so many servants could move freely in the Golden Castle. They would only be interrogated when they entered and left important places.

After all, the Terra Empire was primitive and did not have any surveillance facilities. Even if it was heavily guarded, it could only be judged from the standards of the Mutant World. It was inevitable that there would be mistakes and loopholes to be exploited.

Zhou Jing followed the servants and quickly left the main castle. He arrived at an auxiliary castle and found a hidden stairway before turning along it.

Soon, they arrived at a storage room that seemed to have been abandoned long ago. The wooden shelves were overturned, and many of them were already rotten. A team of patrolling guards was waiting at the door. The guard captain greeted the servant before looking at Zhou Jing. He lowered his voice and said, “I’ll take you the rest of the way. Change to a guard. The guard’s full equipment is ready. Master Bill, please change into it.”

This patrol guard was also under Roman’s employment.

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Zhou Jing was not surprised. In the past two months, in order to prove the feasibility of running away, Roman had revealed a portion of his background… He was in charge of the palace and had sent people to infiltrate it for many years. He had long planted his own people in every position in the Golden Castle.

Furthermore, Roman had established a huge piece of information. He had figured out all the various secret passages in the Golden Castle and formulated Bill’s escape route. He was so precise that he could determine when the real patrol guards would change shifts, which route they needed to change their disguises to avoid attention, and so on.

He walked into the storeroom. Not long after, he changed into an old guard uniform and walked out, blending into the guard squad. After making several twists and turns in the Golden Castle, Zhou Jing finally arrived at the entrance of a secret underground passage.

To reach this place, he had to find a cracked wall and take down the loose bricks, revealing a stone staircase. He had to go deep down the castle before he could find this place.

The entrance to the tunnel was blocked by a rotten iron fence. Inside, it was dark like a giant mouth that could swallow people. At this moment, in the narrow empty space in front of the entrance, there was a masked man holding a torch and a short blade at his waist.

Seeing Zhou Jing, the masked man walked forward and took off his mask, revealing a weathered face.

“I’m Anzar, one of Lord Roman’s secret guards. This tunnel is long and complicated. You have to follow me closely.”

Zhou Jing nodded, “Where does this tunnel lead to?”

“Outside the Golden Castle, the exit is the wine cellar of a standalone property in the Green Tree District of the capital. That is one of our strongholds. This tunnel is also one of our main channels to enter and exit the Golden Castle,” Anzar answered expressionlessly.

The Green Tree District was actually a wealthy district in the capital. All the high-ranking officials and nobles had property there, and the blood descendants of the various tribes that stayed in the capital usually lived there. Because they retained the beautifying plants, it was called the “Green Tree District”.

Roman’s subordinates relied on similar secret passageways to travel around the Golden Castle. After all, it was impossible for them to swagger through the main entrance when he sent spies out to receive information.

Zhou Jing followed Anzar into the dark tunnel and felt his way forward.

In the silent tunnel, only their monotonous footsteps echoed.

Zhou Jing looked at Anzar’s back and habitually cast a detection spell. He realized that this person’s strength was actually at the third enhancement.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Jing said, “You should be a Mutant Blood Warrior with quite a few enhancements, right?”

“Yes.” Anzar nodded.

“You said that you’re Roman’s secret guard. How many people are there like you?” Zhou Jing deliberately asked directly.

“You should ask this question to Lord Roman yourself,” Anzar said.

Zhou Jing was not surprised. He asked again, “Do you know what Roman does? How powerful is he?”

Anzar shook his head, “You don’t have to test me. Although I’m Lord Roman’s trusted aide, I don’t know much. Lord Roman usually only instructs us to do things and rarely mentions his intentions. Everyone is only responsible for their own piece. I’m mainly responsible for protecting his lordship, protecting the stronghold, carrying out assassinations, and so on.”

“Then why are you working for him? Is it because he gave you too much, or do you agree with his philosophy, or is it because of emotional factors… There has to be a reason.”

Zhou Jing raised his eyebrows. This was the first time he had come into contact with Roman’s close subordinates. However, Roman had instructed him not to reveal any information about sorcerers. Even his subordinates did not know about this.

“I respect Lord Roman. That’s the reason.”

Anzar did not want to continue this topic. After saying that, he changed the topic.

“When we walk out of the tunnel, someone will pick us up and escort us out of the city. After we leave the capital, you will follow us west, far away from the capital. After passing a few cities, you will reach our important base in the wilderness. Lord Roman will rush there later and meet you.”

Zhou Jing had no objections. In any case, he would leave Bill’s 50 kilograms of meat to the other party to care for.

The two of them stopped talking and continued on their way.

After walking for a long time, there was finally light in front of him. When he walked out, he saw a cellar. Another group of Roman’s subordinates were already here to receive him.

Zhou Jing changed his clothes again. This time, he dressed up as a merchant and followed Anzar and the others out of the stronghold. He bypassed the curfew patrol team and rushed to one of the city gates.

The captain of the guards here had already made preparations. The group disguised themselves as members of the caravan and expressed that they wanted to quickly leave the city to go to the town near the capital to meet the caravan leader. After paying a generous sum of money, they successfully left the city. After walking out of the capital city gate, Zhou Jing heaved a sigh of relief. He was secretly surprised that the operation went so smoothly.

It was almost impossible for him to walk out of the Golden Castle easily by himself. Without intelligence and power, even if he could escape the surveillance, he would not be able to find a way out.

Even Jason would have a hard time dealing with it. It was more likely that he would have to fight his way out of the main entrance, causing a huge commotion. He could not do it as silently as he did now.

It was only with the help of Roman, who had infiltrated the Royal City for many years and was known to have a grasp on everything, that he could run away so easily.

He turned around and looked at the capital in the night, his mood inexplicable.

Although he was very depressed about being grounded by the royal family, he had also made a name for himself in the capital with Bill. He was already quite familiar with this place.

This time, he had made a choice that would change his “life”. He would probably not return after leaving and would have to go to a new environment to start a new life. He felt a little emotional.

However, the royal family wanted to turn him into a canary in a cage. For the sake of freedom, he could only pick up the pail and run.

However, with Jason staying in the capital, Zhou Jing did not panic at all. He had a base to fall back on.

“Jason can see the response to Bill’s escape and the reaction of the royal family. It’s enough for him to continue wandering in the capital… This wave of escape will probably cause my Information State Particles to explode.”

Zhou Jing retracted his gaze and followed Anzar and the others into the long night.

And at the same time…

Shuni lay in bed with her eyes open, tossing and turning. The Queen’s words during the day repeatedly appeared in her mind. The joy of marriage faded, and her heart felt heavy. She could not sleep at night. On the other side, King Becky, who was sleeping, could not help but smile, as if he was dreaming of the future of the Empire.

The clear light from the same moon covered every face like a soft veil.