Upon seeing this, for some reason, Anderson suddenly calmed down.
The reason was quite simple.
The barrier had disappeared, and the rope was severed.
Moreover, Ainola’s strength was considerable; she would not be taken down by such goblins.
Furthermore, Anderson analyzed the goblin tracks; they were extremely shallow, with clear signs of being dragged.
Without a doubt, this was a scene staged by Ainola.
Having learned his lesson once before, Anderson would not be fooled a second time.
“There are no other towns nearby. The only place Ainola could possibly go is Clear Spring Town. I hope this brat doesn’t get lost.”
***
On the other side, Ainola was determining her location.
Fortunately, with Spark’s help, it did not take much time.
“This is the Southern Mountains of the Glory Empire. Ten kilometers to your left, there is a place called Clear Spring Town.”
Spark was truly a talented fairy; her navigation functions were impeccable.
Upon hearing that there were people nearby, Ainola breathed a sigh of relief. She did not want to experience wilderness survival again; she only wanted to find a place to have a good sleep.
Ainola had experienced wilderness survival once before. If not for Anderson’s intervention, she likely would have died in the primeval forest.
This time, regardless, Ainola decided to make thorough preparations: find a place to stay, rest properly, and then figure out how to leave this godforsaken place.
She would also change her disguise to avoid being discovered.
Soon, Ainola arrived at the gates of Clear Spring Town.
Before entering the city, she saw a Wanted List posted on the wall. The person on it was, without a doubt, herself.
However, the poster did not list her assassin codename, only her name.
“Tsk… Those Temple Knights are fast. I thought I had traveled far enough that I wouldn’t have to act like a coward, but in the end, I still have to hide like a rat.”
With no other choice, Ainola performed a simple disguise, dressing like a refugee to avoid being spotted by the guards.
After putting on tattered hemp clothes, smearing coal ash on her face, and messing up her hair, Ainola walked toward the city gate.
As expected, the two guards could not see through Ainola’s disguise. They said with disgust, “Where did this beggar come from? Can you afford the entrance fee?”
Ainola tremblingly took two dirty Gold Coins from her pocket and handed them over.
“A mute too? Tsk… get moving, get moving.”
The guards impatiently made way for Ainola.
Once inside the city, she found a secluded spot, removed her disguise, and scrubbed her face clean.
At this moment, Spark said vigilantly, “We got in, but finding a place to stay won’t be easy.”
“I have my ways.”
As an assassin, maintaining multiple hideouts was a fundamental skill.
Even in an obscure place like Clear Spring Town, Ainola knew the location of a local assassin organization’s node.
For some reason, the node here had been abandoned, which meant Ainola could sleep soundly for a while.
Following the directions from her intelligence, Ainola soon found the assassin’s base.
To be precise, it was an abandoned school.
“So much dust…”
Ainola walked into the school and continued forward.
The living quarters of this base were likely located in the direction of the faculty dormitory.
After wandering around for a while, she finally found the dormitory.
Pushing the door open, she saw an environment completely different from the abandoned school.
It was clean and tidy, with water and electricity supplies.
It was safe to say Ainola could live here for a month or two without any issues.
But she still had to run; otherwise, she would eventually be caught by Anderson.
“But he should be lured to the goblin nest by those tracks by now, right?”
“Normally, that is highly likely.”
Spark echoed her sentiment, let out a large yawn, and said, “It’s daytime; I’m going to sleep. Ainola, be careful.”
As a fairy, Spark usually slept during the day and only came out at night.
Ainola nodded and said, “Good night. After I take a bath, it’s time for me to get some sleep too.”
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Anderson had also arrived at Clear Spring Town. Unlike Ainola, who had entered the city looking wretched, the local branch of the Temple Knights had been waiting for him for quite some time.
“Greetings, Prince!”
“No need for formalities,” Anderson said, waving his hand. “I am a knight as well, and we are all comrades. Formalities are unnecessary.”
“Yes!”
Upon hearing this, the Temple Knights finally felt their tensed nerves relax.
They had been terrified when they heard the Prince was coming, but seeing him now, they realized he was quite easy to get along with.
“Arrange a place for me to stay. A larger room would be best.”
“Understood!”
Surrounded by a crowd of Temple Knights, Anderson arrived at a luxurious mansion.
He waved his hand to dismiss the knights and entered the house.
The residence was huge, and there were maids cleaning inside.
Anderson did not pay much attention to them; he returned to his bedroom and began drawing a Magic Formation.
“Miss White Wizard, can you still track Ainola’s trail?”
This type of magic formation worked like a video call, though it was usually only affordable for noble families like Anderson’s.
On the other side of the projection, the White Wizard shook her head and replied, “I need a medium from her, but the previous one has been depleted.”
Something of Ainola’s?
The first thing that came to Anderson’s mind was, of course, her clothes.
He had placed the clothes he washed for her into his Spatial Ring.
But those clothes had been washed, so they likely retained none of Ainola’s scent.
After thinking it over, Anderson looked at the item in his pocket…
The fabric inside was naturally Ainola’s panties.
Would this work?
Uncertain, Anderson had to ask the White Wizard, “Can her undergarments be used?”
“Clothes? Of course they can.”
“Got it.”
Without hesitation, Anderson placed the panties from his pocket into the micro-teleportation formation.
As the white light faded, the White Wizard received the garment.
Then, Anderson heard a look of absolute horror from the other end of the formation.
“Wait a moment? What on earth did you just send me?!”