Slime Immortal.

Chapter 206 Operation at Allen Bridge Fortress

Allenbridge Fort.

The name originates from the giant stone arch bridge, Allen Bridge, which spans the main channel of the Emerald River and has a history of hundreds of years. It is a city located in the central-eastern part of the White Horse Kingdom, built on the banks of the Emerald River, and guards the transportation hub of the "Golden Harvest Plain", the rich granary in the eastern part of the kingdom.

Its predecessor was originally a military fortress of the kingdom, a key military stronghold in the kingdom's expansion of its initial defense line, and now it has become an important commercial hub in the southeast of the kingdom.

In the early morning, deep in a dilapidated alley in Allenbridge, a small, seemingly long-neglected community church stands quietly.

The church doors creaked open as someone pushed them open from the inside, and Arthur's tall figure stepped out.

Compared to when he left, his attire now included a slightly worn but clean knight's plate armor, and an inconspicuous gray cloak over it.

He turned around and gave a knightly salute to the kind-faced old man inside the door, dressed in a simple priest's robe.

"Thank you for your generosity and guidance, Father Joseph. May the sun's radiance bless you and this church."

Father Joseph nodded slightly and drew a holy emblem on his chest: "May the light guide your path, lost knight."

“Belle’s life is not easy. She often goes to Mrs. Mary’s in the Waterside neighborhood to do sewing and washing jobs to supplement the family income. If you can’t find her at home, you can go there to look.”

His gaze swept over Arthur's dusty cloak and boots, and he kindly reminded him, "But please note that the Waterside Quarter is a place for respectable people and is not very welcoming... If a vagrant like you wants to get in, you'll probably need to pay a little more attention to your attire."

Then he pulled out a package wrapped in a clean cloth from behind him and handed it to Arthur. "This is the church's relief for this month, some black bread and cheese. Please take it to that child who is still so devout."

Arthur nodded, said nothing more, silently accepted the package, and turned to leave.

Just as I stepped down the church steps, a flock of white doves took flight from the old fountain, soaring across the street in the morning light, their wings gleaming white.

He calmly straightened the slightly crooked slime mask on his face, his gaze following the movement of the white doves, finally looking towards the main castle of Allenbridge, which stood at the highest point in the city, to the north of the bridge.

Almost all of Allenbridge's wealthy neighborhoods, business headquarters, and noble residences are clustered around that ancient castle.

But that was not his destination.

He needed to follow the street address given by Father Joseph, cross the famous Allen Bridge, and reach the Lower Town south of the bridge, a place where urban sewage, stench, and poverty converged and accumulated.

After leaving the church, he turned right into a dark, narrow alley filled with garbage.

Deep in the alley, a figure leaned quietly against a mottled wall, waiting. Even more peculiar was a raven with glossy black feathers perched on his shoulder.

These were the companions who accompanied him back to the kingdom in search of the Crown of Ignis—Count Bran and Knight Calvin.

Since Calvin was still on the Kingdom Knights' wanted list, he was generally not allowed to appear in public. Therefore, the task of gathering intelligence and negotiating with others often fell to Arthur, whose identity was relatively "clean".

Thanks to the disguise of the slime mask on his face, Arthur traveled smoothly from the border town all the way to Allenbridge Fortress, and no one has yet discovered his true identity as the undead knight.

Count Bran breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Arthur return safely. He then resumed his arrogant and haughty demeanor, flapping his wings and swaggering off Calvin's shoulder to land on Arthur's broad, armored shoulder.

"Well, my entourage, I reckon this trip has yielded quite a bit of success."

Arthur nodded: "As expected of Earl Bran, just as you thought, Father Joseph does indeed know Bailey."

"It's just that we don't know if the Crown of Ignis is still in her possession, and the priest said that she hasn't been doing well these past few years. She's been struggling financially and barely makes ends meet with the church's charity."

Upon hearing this, Count Bran lightly tapped Arthur's iron helmet with his wing, making a clanging sound, then arrogantly raised his head:

“What is there to worry about, poverty? In my opinion, it is not a problem at all.”

It flapped its wings as if displaying a treasure: "Look at this noble feather of mine, just one of it is worth tens... no, hundreds of gold coins. If I were to give away just one of these feathers, it would be enough for her to live a rich and dignified life."

It suddenly lowered its voice, brought its beak close to Arthur's ear, and whispered, "The important thing is whether the crown is still in her hands. Don't forget our real purpose for coming here."

Calvin, who had been listening to their conversation, spoke up at the opportune moment: "So much time has passed, who knows if she has lost that crown."

"If we think about it in a worse direction, perhaps this girl has already handed over the Crown of Ignis to the border guards."

“Once we go there, there might be several knights bewitched by demons waiting for us to walk into their trap.”

Count Bran glared at him, raising his voice a few decibels: "Hey! Can't you say something nice, you big ice block? What if it actually works?"

Arthur was not swayed by this pessimistic speculation. He calmly nodded and said to Count Bran, "Count, there is no need to worry. If there is indeed an ambush, I will take care of the potential rangers or archers first to cover your retreat."

"You can confidently spread your wings and leave first, ensuring your safety as a priority."

Count Bran was overjoyed and extremely pleased with Arthur's enlightenment. He folded his outstretched wings and raised his head high.

"Gah! You truly are my most outstanding squire. Your loyalty and awareness are enough. How could I, the Earl, be the kind of coward who deserts in the face of battle?"

“If necessary, this Earl can scare away those ungrateful fellows with just a flap of his wings.”

Calvin listened from the side, his face showing no change in expression.

After all, the fact that a mere flap of wings could scare away a knight was nothing more than a trivial matter in the Count Raven's endless boasting.

Even more outrageous are stories of defeating a four-armed giant wielding a giant sword, discovering a mysterious assassin hidden in a fallen rice paddy ahead of time, and escaping from a dragon whose wings cast shadows that could cover an entire mountain range...

However, having traveled with the raven for so long, Calvin had only ever seen the Count Raven peck at his own people and flap his wings, but he had never seen it personally deal with any decent enemy.

Out of concern for potential dangers and out of his usual caution, he decided to make more thorough preparations.

So he asked Arthur, "How is it? Have you been able to contact His Majesty the Slime? With His Majesty's help, our operation will be much safer."

Arthur shook his head slightly. "Allen Bridge Fortress is too far from the swamps on the frontier. His Majesty said before that beyond a certain distance, that strange 'signal' can no longer reach here."

In the mainstream perception of the kingdom's people, the vast swamps on the western frontier were nothing more than a wild and barren land, so impoverished that even adventurous people with a pioneering spirit were unwilling to set foot there. To say that it was located on the edge of civilization was to be quite polite.

Moreover, within the kingdom, there is absolutely no news about the "Slime Kingdom".

People's attention was increasingly drawn to the dark places, a popular destination for the desperate, the fugitives, and the ambitious.

In that vast and chaotic dark world, there are no written laws or decrees; power is the only rule.

Even if someone is killed, they can simply find a hole to bury the body anywhere, or even leave the body on the roadside and no one will care.

Inside the kingdom, however, the situation is completely different. Here, causing a disturbance can result in arrest by patrolling sheriffs or knights, and a trial.

"Still can't get in touch..."

Calvin turned his back away from the wall. "We can't wait any longer. Let's set off. Even without His Majesty's favor, Little Fatty is more than capable of helping us deal with most challenges."

Upon hearing someone mention his name, Arthur's chubby little face popped out with a "pop," becoming round and plump, and landed on Arthur's shoulder, making a happy, indistinct humming sound.

"Ben...Ben is very powerful, you can go without worry."

Earl Bran curiously leaned closer and gently poked the chubby little boy's soft body with his beak: "Speaking of which, little chubby boy, can His Majesty see what you've been through all this time, such as what we're doing now and what we're saying?"

The chubby little thing happily shook its bouncy gel body, "When there's a signal, the main body will know. The main body is powerful, and Benm is powerful too."

Upon hearing this, Earl Bran broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead with his wing and muttered to himself, "Thank goodness... thank goodness... I don't think I said anything disrespectful."

Then it immediately put on a righteous expression, "My loyalty to His Majesty is so great that even the noisiest poisonous frog in the swamp knows it perfectly well, Little Fatty, you should understand."

The chubby boy shook himself. "Of course, Earl Bran, the kingdom's wisest minister."

Brambo's face lit up with joy, and he laughed triumphantly, flapping his wings wildly. "Ha ha ha, that's too much... This Earl isn't actually that fond of empty titles like 'crow'."

"Okay, we should go."

Calvin glanced at the crowd and was the first to walk out of the filthy alley.

Arthur quickly put on the slime mask, hid Count Bran in his chest, and followed Calvin toward the lower town of South Bridge.

Although the upper and lower towns of Fort Allenbridge are separated only by the shimmering Emerald River, the architectural styles and cleanliness, as well as the demeanor and clothing of the citizens, are completely different, as if they were two different worlds.

Compared to the elegant ladies on the other side of the river, dressed in gorgeous gowns and exquisite hats, or the gentlemen in formal attire carrying black staffs, Arthur and his companion, dressed in tattered cloaks covered in dust, looked more like the homeless who often mingled in the slums and dock areas.

Including his old, ancestral plate armor, he could barely be considered a down-on-his-luck mercenary.

But in this commercial capital teeming with nobles and merchants, such attire was still considered a symbol of being low-class.

When the businessmen around them, dressed in respectable formal attire, saw them, they not only frowned but also subconsciously avoided them.

Several noblewomen sitting in the magnificent carriages saw Arthur and Calvin's tall and imposing figures through the cracks in the windows, and chuckled as they tossed a small note out of the window.

The note fluttered in the air for a few moments before landing in a shallow puddle filled with sewage.

Calvin had just glanced at the note when Arthur, who was walking ahead and seemed preoccupied with the crown, didn't notice the little incident. He stepped forward and accidentally stepped the note into the murky mud.

Seeing the strange look Calvin gave him, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

Calvin took a deep breath and said in a muffled voice, "It's nothing, just another loss."

"It seems my focus is still not as good as yours."

"Just keep walking."

Although Arthur couldn't understand, he still followed.

After navigating the dirty and crowded streets of the lower town and catching the third pickpocket who tried to steal their money, they finally arrived at the address Father Joseph had given them—14 Chestnut Lane.

However, unlike the detached house they had imagined, what came into view was a two-story tenement building with large areas of peeling paint and rotten wooden doors and windows.

Inside, women carrying wooden basins, preparing to wash clothes by the river, were constantly going in and out, along with some barefoot children chasing and playing at the door.

It seems that quite a few people are crammed into this old building alone.

Calvin stopped a woman carrying a wooden tub as she walked out, and before she could show any suspicion, he took out a shiny silver coin and waved it in front of her.

"Excuse me, ma'am, does Bailey Brooks live here?"

When the woman saw Calvin and Arthur's tall figures behind him, she instinctively appeared somewhat intimidated and shrank back slightly.

But when her eyes fell on the silver coin, a flicker of desire flashed in them, and she ultimately couldn't resist the temptation.

She nodded meekly, "Yes, yes, sir, Bailey lives in the basement, behind the stairs."

"Okay, thank you." Calvin thanked her briefly, placed the silver coin in the woman's rough hand, and then strode into the yard filled with miscellaneous items without saying another word.

Little did anyone know, Count Bran, hidden inside Arthur's breastplate, was secretly grumbling to himself after witnessing this scene: "What a spendthrift! Just asking for directions, a copper coin would have been too much, but he gave me a silver coin! That's enough for me to buy so many shiny little trinkets."

It poked Arthur's breastplate with its wing. "Arthur, you should handle asking for directions from now on. You're more... reliable."

“Okay.” Arthur agreed, following Calvin’s footsteps, through the narrow corridor filled with clutter, avoiding the old clothes drying in the sun, and arrived near the stairwell.

There was a stone staircase leading down to a low wooden door, which should be the basement the woman had mentioned.

(End of this chapter)