Chapter 323: Infiltration (1) [GT Bonus Chapter]

Leon returned to the inn, feeling excited. As he passed by the receptionist, he even spared her a polite greeting.

The woman watched him climb upstairs, then shook her head. "Sigh, if only I weren’t an old woman."

Unaware that someone had taken an interest in him, Leon locked the door to his room and sat on the bed.

He immediately took out a book and a paper, scribbling down the things he had noticed in today’s scouting journey.

’Since the Heart is in the hands of the Royal Family, I just have to go to their castle and search for it. However, I’ll need a permit to enter the inner city.’

He frowned a little, looking at his sketch. Only nobles were allowed in the inner city, and he certainly wasn’t one.

Rubbing his nose, he realized there were more problems. From his observation, the inner city’s security was tighter.

He couldn’t just walk around with a cloak; that would be too conspicuous.

’I’ll need to sneak around again.’

He kept the book in his storage ring and stretched. "I should get some sleep."

Knowing that tomorrow would be hectic, he needed proper rest. The young man closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, he woke up, feeling as though he had forgotten something.

’Another dream? Damnit!’

Checking the progress of his last requirement, he realized it had increased to sixty-nine percent.

’Oh, well. As long as it benefits me.’

He quickly got into the bathroom again, washed himself, emptied his bowels, and reapplied the coloring to his skin. Once it dried properly, he stepped out of the bathroom and put on his clothes in the room.

Then, he added the cloak with its hoodie to cover his head and ears.

After eating another plate of tasteless mutated chicken, he stepped out of the room and locked the door.

When he got downstairs, the receptionist greeted him cheerfully.

"Hello, young man. It’s a good morning, isn’t it?"

Leon paused and turned to her with a charming smile. "Indeed, it’s a special one. I hope you had a good night sleep."

The woman nodded. "A little, I guess. You’re headed out again? Work?"

Leon shook his head. "I’m going to meet up with a friend of mine since his daughter is going to school today."

"Wow..." The receptionist smiled. "That’s nice. I remember taking my kids to school too. Sadly, they’re all dead now."

A flicker of shock passed Leon’s face before he said, "I’m sorry about that."

She smiled faintly. "It’s alright. It’s not exactly a rare occurrence. "I might have died too if I hadn’t been cowardly enough to hide inside the Dome."

Leon stared at her for a moment, then looked away.

"You call it cowardice, I call it wisdom. To them, it’s bravery, but to me, it’s stupidity. Sometimes, the safest things are painted to look worse."

With that, he stepped out of the inn, leaving the woman in a daze. Her ears and cheeks darkened as her face heated up.

’Does that mean... he thinks I’m wise?’

Meanwhile, Leon left the inn and headed to the entrance of the inner city. Instead of going in immediately, he hid and studied the entrance properly.

He noticed that anyone who went through the gate had to show a permit to the guards, especially the merchants who simply went there to sell goods.

Leon remained in the same position for an hour, waiting and watching. Soon, he found the right prey. An old man pulled an empty cart out of the inner city, having just sold goods to one of the nobles.

The guard checked his permit and nodded before handing it back to him.

The old man pocketed the card and continued on his way while dragging the cart. Leon moved, deliberately crashing into the man. He held his nose in pain while he pushed the old man slightly with his hand.

"Gosh, shouldn’t you watch where you’re going?" He scowled, sounding offended.

The old man glared back at him, but before he could say anything, Leon had already walked past him. The old man scowled and decided to ignore the young brat.

"Youngsters these days. I bet that one has never been outside the Dome."

Leon waited for ten minutes before approaching the gate of the inner city, and he was immediately stopped by the guards.

Without a word, he handed the permit he had stolen from the old man to the guard.

The guard frowned, feeling like he had seen this card before. Unfortunately, there were no names or pictures on the card so he couldn’t confirm. He didn’t think much of it and simply handed it back to Leon. Still, he didn’t let him go.

"Why are you covering yourself so much?"

Leon avoided his gaze and flicked a green note towards him. "I’m going to see my girlfriend, who gave me the permit. Please keep it a secret."

The guard caught the money, then grinned. "Oh? Forbidden love, eh? Interesting. Go on."

Leon nodded with a smile and entered the inner city. He glanced around and immediately sneaked into an alley.

Unlike the outer city, the roads here were neat and less crowded. Everyone who moved about carried themselves with the grace expected of nobles, making Leon feel like the odd one.

Well, he was indeed the odd one since he was a human and they were all Vaelari.

So instead of walking in open daylight, he stuck to the dark alleys and moved between buildings. There was another problem to that, though.

Tier One guards frequently patrolled the dark alleys, ensuring that no one trespassed or committed any crime.

Leon had a hard time avoiding them, and it only got harder as he moved closer to the palace at the center of the city.

"There were no longer any dark alleys where he could hide, and he had to move in broad daylight.

Scowling, he climbed onto the roof of a house and lay flat on it, scouting the area. He remained there for two hours, mapping the routes of the patrol guards and making a way out for himself.

’If I time it properly, reaching the castle itself should be easy.’