"There's a chance," Xu Huo nodded. "But before, we might've been chased by the guards. Now we might get chased by the item people."
Yan Jiayu took it in stride and waved a hand. "It's a C-class instance. It can't be that simple. I'm worried more and more players will find a way into the castle, and then the Queen won't be in the mood to watch the performance. I'll go find a maid to talk to."
Xu Huo agreed that they should split up. At the fork, they went their separate ways.
Aside from the guards, maids were the most common people walking around the castle. Everyone in Gemstone City was happy to help, but as a stranger and a man, Xu Huo would attract attention if he approached anyone. So he didn't strike up a conversation with anyone. Instead, he avoided the castle workers and headed toward the main keep.
Entering someone else's house without an invitation was illegal. Unsure whether the castle's rooms required their owners' consent, Xu Huo didn't go inside. Instead, he tentatively sent his mental power through the entrance to scout the room.
There was nothing unusual about the materials used to build the Ancient Castle. Once the Spiritual World opened, the vertical pupil that replaced Xu Huo's eyes could move freely throughout its range.
Choosing just the right spot, he followed two maids into the King's Study Room.
The vertical pupil wandered through the room, slid down the wall to the floor, crossed the spotless surface, and climbed onto the desk.
One of the maids was tidying the books spread across the desk. "Oh, the King's written another law."
"'No one may touch the King's treasure box'..." the maid said, puzzled. "But weren't the gems in the box stolen?"
The other maid glanced