A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 258 This place is full

The corridor lights suddenly went out.

As darkness fell, the thief darted and weaved through the corridor.

The tranquil moonlight streamed in through the window, bathing the deep, wide corridor in the same hue as the night, creating areas of interplay between light and shadow. He moved nimbly among the lines where light and shadow met, his figure swaying like a cunning rabbit leaping through a palace.

It was a long corridor that you could see the end of at a glance, and the only usable obstacles on both sides were artworks or ornaments that couldn't hide a person at all. Yet the thief's figure seemed to blend into the darkness, taking advantage of the night to hide, and disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.

Quinn narrowed his eyes slightly. "You run pretty fast and professionally."

For an ordinary person, the moment the candle went out, they would lose sight of the man, but Quinn's eyesight was comparable to a hawk's, and darkness was his best hunting ground.

The masked man rushed around the corner. Instead of taking the stairs downstairs, he climbed over the windowsill and jumped down!

The starry sky reflected in Mirror Lake unfolds on the horizon, and three pale blue moons seem to be watching the tiny figures leaping out from the buildings from the bottom of the lake.

This is one of the four most prestigious lakeside manors in Axwell, equipped with arcane security measures. If he lands on the ground, it will trigger an anti-theft restriction, and the surrounding security will be notified of the intrusion.

The thief used both hands, not landing, but clinging to the Baroque-style lines of the building's exterior wall, swinging his body forward like a monkey by alternating his hands.

He seemed to know the manor intimately, not only where the anti-theft arcane arrays were located, but also the architectural details. He clung to the shadowy side where the moonlight couldn't reach, the vast building shrouding him in darkness, almost blending into the darkness itself.

Despite such a vigorous movement, not a single sound was made.

The law enforcement officers patrolling outside the manor were completely unaware that someone was flying up the wall of King Ron's manor.

His gaze fell on the stables on the side of the palace. Behind the stables was a lush garden, where a hidden path led directly to the side gate. It was the usual passage for the servants and was not protected by any arcane magic array.

The manhole cover is right outside the side door. Drill down into the intricate Aiswell drainage system, and no one can catch him!
The thief sneered inwardly with smug satisfaction. Having been in this line of work for so many years, he had experienced countless such unexpected situations. Thanks to prior reconnaissance, thorough research, and planning, he always managed to escape easily.

This wasn't luck, but rather a matter of skill.

He went to the balcony closest to the stables, spread his arms, aimed at the carts loaded with fodder below, and leaped into the air!
He really enjoyed this tense yet slightly pleasant feeling of escape, like being bathed in the wind, as if God was protecting him.

Therefore, he called it a leap of faith.

The haystack rustled as it was crushed, but no one noticed as the thief rolled to the ground. His presence was so faint as to be almost invisible; even the finest horses in the stables didn't notice him passing by. His body slipped through the gate like rubber, his joints moving with a dehumanizing agility. He ran silently across the leaf-strewn forest path, always finding the firmest spot to land.

The moment he stepped through the side gate and into the manor, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

It seems no one is chasing us; even the alarm hasn't gone off.

The manhole cover is right in front of us.

As long as I can get to that place, I can get to that place.
He picked up the manhole cover with ease, and then heard a "Stop!" coming from inside the manhole.

Quinn pinched his nose and jumped out of the well. "This place is already full," he said slowly.

Although it was her first time here, Aqua never went into battle unprepared. Previously, she had regarded Rin as a hero, and the escape plan for the hunting operation was to escape from King Ron's manor to the Kingdom of Ron via a teleportation array. Aqua had devised twelve routes specifically for this manor and knew them inside and out.

The moment the thief escaped to the window, Quinn lost track of him. The other party was clearly a superhuman, and a superhuman skilled in infiltration and concealment, whose rank couldn't be too low, otherwise it wouldn't have been possible to sense Quinn across half a corridor.

Following them might lead to their capture, but the safest approach is obvious. By simply putting yourself in the thief's shoes, you can easily deduce their route.

In a thief's eyes, anyone who could walk openly inside the palace at midnight must be a steward or guard. Since he'd been exposed, the main gate was obviously out of the question, and the law enforcement officers outside the manor would all be gathered there. The only remaining route would be the side paths. The manor was so large; there were actually many places to escape, but if Aqua had the choice, he'd definitely choose the Old BJ Wisdom Diamond Tunnel.

Quinn simply went straight to block the way, and he actually succeeded.

The thief probably never imagined he would be so unlucky as to encounter a spy of the Demon King. Where could he possibly seek justice?

The masked man was frozen in place and unable to move.

Quinn ripped off his mask, revealing his true face.

He appeared to be a man in his fifties, with Caucasian skin and a very thin build. Most peculiarly, he had shaved his beard and hair clean, even his eyelashes and eyebrows, which, combined with his pointed ears and monkey-like features, made him look quite frightening.

Shaving?

Quinn subconsciously felt that this disguise was very convenient; his face was like a blank canvas, from which any image could be drawn at any time.

Quinn took the package off his shoulder, opened it, and was immediately puzzled.

Based on his experience doing paperwork for Amamiya Nene, these were all handwritten notes by Amamiya Nene, and most of them were related to arcane or academy work.

Now he was a little unsure. Was this really a thief? Why would he steal this junk?
If these were notes or insights from ordinary academy teachers, they would certainly fetch a large sum of money in the arcane world. However, they are very difficult to sell. After all, most transactions in the arcane world are conducted through auctions, and knowledge-based goods require finding suitable buyers. The circle is only so big, and few people dare to risk offending the academy by buying these things.

What's more, these are Professor Cavendish's notes.

The little witch is a complete lazybones; most of the book is just tic-tac-toe games she and Quinn drew. Any arcane insights or inspirations she has are just random jots down, written down whatever comes to mind as she dreams. Her research is always a "do it today, finish it tomorrow" approach. Since Amamiya Nene took over the Divination Department, it hasn't produced any decent results for three years; it's all been mediocre papers. Her contribution to the academy is almost on par with the newly recruited Quinn.

Why steal this worthless junk? This royal estate at least contains some treasures from the Ron royal family; those antiques and works of art are easy to sell and are priceless.

Quinn thought for a moment and then decided not to act.

About a second later, the immobilization spell ended and exploded.

Judging from the brief duration of control, the opponent's mysterious status should not be low.

(End of this chapter)