Run!

"Smack!"

A crisp slap.

Her soft, delicate body collapsed onto the hard floor.

Samuel's voice was filled with anger. "Who gave you permission to poison me?"

Hannah collapsed to the ground, clutching her swollen cheek, and chuckled, "Father had already made plans and arranged everything perfectly for Goth's men. However, the intelligence was wrong; there was a Cathayan on the ship. People felt he was different and not to be underestimated, so he made preparations in advance to avoid any unforeseen circumstances..."

Samuel said coldly, "Your poisoning him is the biggest variable! If he finds out, the whole plan will be drastically disrupted... Have I been too lenient in my oversight?"

Knight Lost sat to one side and said calmly, "Father, there's no need to be angry. You overestimate that Cathayan. The poison formula Hannah used this time was bestowed by the First Prince. Only experienced court officials, apothecaries, and master assassins could identify it. And that Cathayan?"

There was no disdain or contempt in his eyes, as if he were talking about someone completely unrelated to him. "Haven't we already tested him several times? Hong San said he doesn't know martial arts, Lynch said he knows nothing about the military and national affairs of Cathay or the customs of the nobility, and during the banquet, he actually defended the commoners. It's obvious that he's not some important figure in Cathay at all."

"Because no nobleman Cathay is ignorant of martial arts, nor are they ignorant of their own country's affairs, much less do they sympathize with the common people. Only those of lowly birth will genuinely sympathize with the common people, because they are all cut from the same cloth. Clearly, he is such a person."

"A sharp-tongued, deceitful, and cunning commoner who cheated and swindled the Goth People, a swindler, and..." Knight Lost said calmly, "... Joker."

"Does such a Joker even deserve to recognize the poison bestowed by His Highness the Crown Prince?"

The viscount's eldest son said, "While using this poison on that Cathay Joker is a waste, you don't need to be too harsh on Hannah."

Hannah sat up, touching the wounds on her face, and said with a grin, "Where did it go to waste? You wouldn't let me poison Tina because the Crown Prince specifically requested her, and you wouldn't let me poison that Knight Cleveland because he's the son of Prime Minister Goth, and he'll be useful in the upcoming battle."

"Since that's the case, then I'll poison the Cathayan. It's to avenge Knight Haren, and besides, he wants to see if this Cathayan, tormented by the poison and suffering excruciating pain, will still be as eloquent and arrogant as before. What I love most is seeing all sorts of people, of different statuses, react the same way to the same poison and the same pain..."

Samuel said with a grim face, "What if we're discovered? You all say that Cathayan is Joker, but how can someone of low birth have such composure and arrogance?"

Lost replied, "I'm afraid he's even fooled himself. Such pathetic commoners are sometimes quite laughable... Father, don't worry. Even if he weren't a commoner, it wouldn't affect the plan. We are fully prepared. The upcoming battle will be one of planning versus haste, strength versus weakness. Even if there's one more Cathayan, it won't make a difference. From the start of the war, Goth's fate was already sealed."

The Viscount sighed, "I still hope to subdue them peacefully and quietly..."

"Father, times have changed. Now that we have made our choice and completely side with the Crown Prince and the Empire, we should stop trying to please both sides."

Lost said, "Now that things have come to this, do you still expect the Grand Duke Goth to forgive you?"

Samuel shook his head, and just as he was about to speak, he heard footsteps approaching.

The butler knocked on the door and entered. Without even glancing at Hannah lying on the floor, he said softly, "Sir, Hong San reported that Kang De just opened the door, only peeking out, and upon seeing someone in the corridor, went back inside."

Samuel Samuel's expression suddenly changed, and a bad premonition began to form.

Rewind time.

In the room, Kang De Extraction the wine that Hannah had given him.

This is... poison.

Kang De was startled.

Somewhat incredulous, he reached out and touched the dark green orb of light. The Element surged into his fingers, and Kang De drew the dagger from his waist. He then drew it again, and the poison was absorbed into the blade.

He looked around and saw the fruit on the table. He rushed over, raised his knife, and sliced through it. An apple was cut open, and the cut flesh instantly turned black, as the toxicity that altered biological tissue was spreading rapidly.

It's poison.

Moreover, its purity is... extremely high.

Kang De remained silent for a moment, then took a deep breath.

He strode into the inner room, where his luggage was placed—two suitcases. Kang De took off his soft, casual clothes, revealing a stab-proof vest, tactical vest, nail gun, shotgun, Molotov cocktail, flashbang, Crimson Blood Flame Edge, Firekeeper's Round Shield, fire axe... all sorts of weapons were hanging on his body.

Skilled and fast.

"Damn it... damn it..."

As he quickly donned his gear, he muttered to himself, "I didn't bring enough, I didn't bring enough stuff, I should have brought the gas cylinder too... Damn it, damn it, what the hell is going on..."

Do we need to go back to Earth to get it?

No, the ability to travel through time can only be used once a day and has extremely strategic value. This ability is not only useful for retrieving supplies, but more importantly, in extremely dangerous situations, it can provide Kang De with an absolutely safe Shelter. It is a god-like skill in terms of evading pursuit and concealing one's tracks.

Under the current circumstances, it cannot be used lightly.

"We should inform Tina and Cleveland first; it's best to leave..."

Kang De always had a great sense of crisis and was wary of foreign lands. The wine Hannah gave him was poisoned, so no matter who poisoned it, he would not stay here. This was Glimmering Sand Castle, the territory of Samuel. He had to leave as soon as possible and then start investigating the matter.

If it's retaliation for humiliating Knight Glenn, that's one thing, but what if it's a conspiracy by the Glittering Sand Viscounty against the Goth People...?

Kang De's mind raced, and he quickly made a decision.

He was on good terms with Goth People, and could not leave them in danger... They should go together.

With this in mind, he opened the door and went next door to find Tina.

But as soon as he pushed open the door, Kang De felt a chill. He peeked out and glanced around. There were maids standing in the corridor. When they saw him, they looked surprised and then bowed.

Kang De smiled at her and calmly retreated.

"Damn, I was out of my mind, that was close..."

He slapped his forehead—he was fully armed, with various pieces of equipment on his body. Even if the maid didn't recognize a shotgun, she would certainly recognize an axe. If the maid saw him dressed up like he was going to chop someone up, she would be shocked and terrified, and might even report it, thus alerting the enemy.

"Luckily, Tina is right next door..."

Kang De paced back and forth, pondered for a moment, then pulled open the wardrobe in the room, revealing the wall. He placed his hand on it, channeling his spiritual power to bind the wall before him, Extraction and unfolding it.

Matter gradually eroded, transforming into scattered, shimmering light of Element.

Kang De stepped inside; this was the inner room of Tina's room. He turned around, pulled the wardrobe back to cover the opening, and then pushed open the door leading to the bedroom.

A bright spring day greeted her eyes. Tina stood in the center of the room, and the head maid, Bedela, was unbuttoning her elaborate and luxurious dress. Kang De could see her breathtakingly smooth back, as white as snow.

Tina and Bedela's maid turned around when they heard the sound.

Then I saw Kang De dressed like a Delta Force, just like on the island.

In the lady's bedroom, while she was changing clothes, a man barged in.

Tina's eyes widened, her small mouth involuntarily opening, seemingly unaware of what was happening. Then, her face flushed red rapidly, and a scream was about to escape her lips.

But the head maid of Bedela reacted quickly; her eyebrows furrowed, and she was about to reprimand her.

But the next moment, Tina suddenly covered her mouth, forcibly suppressing the scream, and nudged the head maid of Bedela with her elbow.

Kang De turned around, his back to Tina, and said in a deep voice, "Don't shout! Don't make a sound!"

His voice was calm, devoid of any lust, and his attire made him seem nothing like a voyeur. Kang De, with his usual straight-man demeanor, won the subconscious trust of the two ladies.

"Head Maid of Bedela."

Kang De said, "I need you to go to Cleveland as if nothing happened and ask him to come here. Tina, you need to change out of this outfit as quickly as possible and get into something easier to move in!"

Tina whispered, "Kang De, what's wrong?"

"Time is of the essence, so I'll explain as you work!"

Kang De succinctly stated, "Hannah came to apologize to me, bringing me a bottle of wine—the wine was poisoned!"

Tina exclaimed, "What? This... how is this possible? Your Excellency Kang De, are you mistaken? Hannah likes to mix some strange drinks, some of which are indeed quite unpleasant, but..."

Kang De's voice betrayed a hint of anxiety. "It's an extremely potent poison! Don't hesitate!"

Before Tina could say anything more, Kang De heard the head lady-in-waiting Bedela, say, "Your Excellency Kang De, please do not turn around until Her Highness the Princess gives permission."

Kang De said, "Good!"

He then heard a violent tearing sound of fabric, Tina's scream, and then the sound of clothes falling to the ground—it was obvious that it would have taken Tina a long time to take off the dress normally, but the head maid of Bedela had stripped the girl naked in the most violent way.

Head Maid of Bedela hurried past Kang De, retrieving inner armor, boots, a robe, and a staff from the wardrobe. "Your Highness, please dress yourself."

She was decisive and efficient; she shoved the clothes into the princess's hands and said, "Please hurry, I'll go find the knight right now..."

These words were more powerful than any advice. The princess hurriedly began to dress, and the head maid of Bedela pushed open the door and left, her steps and demeanor becoming more composed.

Kang De remained with his back to Tina, motionless.

Tina rustled as she dressed, the sound alone sparking endless imagination. But Kang De felt no romantic thoughts whatsoever; instead, he was filled with a chill, a nameless anxiety and unease lingering within him.

"... Kang De."

The princess, suppressing her embarrassment, dressed herself while saying anxiously, "Hannah, Hannah wouldn't do such a thing. Perhaps that Knight Haren holds a grudge, or..."

Kang De was able to accept this matter quickly because, as an Earthling, he had no connection with the other world and no relationship with the Good Family. Upon encountering this situation, he was able to immediately change his stance and unhesitatingly regard the entire Good Family as a potential hostile force without any psychological pressure.

But Tina is different.

The Taidariel Family and Good Family families are old friends, Tina often interacts with Samuel Samuel's family, Goth and Glittering Sand have a basis for mutual benefit, and the official and private relationships between the two sides are extraordinary. When Kang De said this, Tina's first reaction was disbelief.

Kang De said in a deep voice, "I don't know either. I have no interest in the truth. The fact is that I was poisoned, and the entire Glittering Sand Viscounty can no longer be trusted. This may just be revenge against me, or it may be a conspiracy against the entire Goth delegation. I must leave. To be on the safe side, I hope you will come with me."

Tina said, "I... I'm changed..."

Kang De turned around. Tina, now dressed in a blue robe embroidered with gold patterns and white boots, holding a staff, looked at Kang De with a worried expression. "Kang De, I don't doubt you, it's just..."

She said, "I've already told Uncle Samuel about the Veil Invasion. This is a matter of life and death for the world. Besides, he knows I sent the coordinates to my aunt. If he were to attack us, he would face my aunt's wrath. I think Uncle Samuel definitely didn't participate, perhaps..."

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Bedela's maid and the Knight Cleveland arrived.

Cleveland, fully armored and about to go out for his evening practice, rushed over and, upon hearing Kang De's account, was immediately incredulous.

"This was a despicable poisoning, but it should have nothing to do with the Viscount."

The knight said, "But Kang De, I understand your feelings. Just to be safe, we should leave quickly, just in case..."

Head Maid of Bedela nodded and said, "I agree with both of you."

Now that the three people present had made their decision, the princess could no longer insist. She said, "Then how do we leave? What reason? How do we explain? The captain and some sailors are still feasting in the annex..."

Kang De grew increasingly impatient. He glanced out the window and said succinctly, "What's there to explain? We're just charging out! Anyone who tries to stop us will be killed! If Samuel has nothing to hide, he'll be utterly astonished upon hearing this. He'll only send someone to find out what happened, not to hunt us down. We'll charge all the way back to the Penguin, killing anyone with ill intentions who gets in our way!"

"Once on board, set sail immediately, then send a messenger to inform Samuel about the poisoning incident and ask for an explanation. If it truly is a misunderstanding and Samuel is entirely innocent, then the rift in our relationship caused by this matter can be gradually mended. What do you think?"

The princess whispered, "What about the captain and the others?"

Kang De said decisively, "Leaving them alone is fine! You need to understand that if the Good Family really has ill intentions, then their target is most likely you! If you are safe and sound, the captain and the others will be safe too, at most they'll suffer a little, but we'll always find a way to rescue them. If Samuel is innocent, then the captain and the others will be even safer, at most they'll be detained for a while, understand?"

Cleveland suddenly said, "The wine? Where's the wine? We need physical evidence."

Kang De was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, you guys get ready, I'll go back and get it!"

He wanted to turn around and go back to his room through the inner room, but suddenly he stopped, listened carefully, and just to be safe, he slowly reached out his hand, focused his mind, Element Extraction, and drilled a small hole in the wall.

Peeking into his room through the hole.

He opened his eyes and looked over, his heart suddenly jolted.

Inside the room, at the table, Samuel held the bottle of wine, examining the remaining liquid on the table.

In a flash, the Viscount sensed something. He suddenly looked up, his sharp eyes shooting in this direction, meeting Kang De's gaze through the small hole.

The next moment...

"Boom!"

The thunderous roar and explosive sounds were like the galloping of warhorses. Kang De leaped back, and the next moment, a sharp sword cleaved through the hard, thick earth and stone, almost collapsing the wall!

Kang De shouted sternly, "Run!"

He tilted his head back and gulped down a bottle of strength potion, then grabbed the princess around the waist, smashed open the window, and leaped from the third floor!

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: First update, 4,500 words. That's the basic update for today! The following chapters are bonus chapters for the reward!

PS2: Let's calculate the bounty blades. After opening the bounty last night, I checked the monthly rankings. There were a total of over 4,400 blades. I'll give you 4,000. The current number of blades is over 24,800. I'll give you 25,000. That means there are 21,000 new blades, which is equivalent to 42,000 words and 21 chapters.

PS3: Not many.