Slime Immortal.

Chapter 219 An Astounding Scheme
The city of Shield River is named after the river it was built around, but unlike the Emerald River that flows through Allenbridge Fortress, the water here is icy and clear, carrying the chilling scent of the snow-capped mountains.

Looking down from above, sparse snow-covered forests and dense coniferous forests are gradually distributed beneath the snow-capped peaks. Riding a horse down the winding cliff road, you can take in the entire ancient city, which is dominated by gray and green tones.

While most of the central region of the White Horse Kingdom is flat, there are occasionally high mountains like those around Shield River City.

Because of its advantageous geographical location, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, many important border cities and military fortresses of Stormlands were built in this region, echoing the long border defense line of the kingdom's western border.

As the knights' figures gradually disappeared into the towering gates of Shield River City, Earl Bran flapped his wings with all his might, soaring over the majestic city walls filled with arrow slits and patrolling soldiers, finally entering this unique border city.

Compared to the commercially prosperous and architecturally magnificent Fort Allenbridge, River Shield still retains a strong sense of wartime character.

The thick city walls we just climbed over, the training grounds and weapon racks that can be seen everywhere in the city, and the practical stone buildings all perfectly embody the characteristics of this military city.

Although it doesn't look as bustling and noisy as the central cities, you can already see many weary adventurers and mercenaries on the streets, as well as the Adventurers' Guild headquarters with eye-catching signs.

Count Bran flew over the intricate city for a while before suddenly landing on the roof of a magnificent church, coughing a few times with some embarrassment.

"Um... Your Majesty, we don't seem to know the way. Where is the Gardenia Street that the Snow Wolf family boy mentioned?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yu, who was perched on its head, opened its round little eyes and looked around.

His gaze swept across the vast expanse of gray rooftops below, finally settling on the northeastern part of the city, where a neighborhood with significantly more vegetation and brighter, more vibrant building colors stood out.

He pointed with his gel finger, "That place looks very beautiful and exquisite; it must be an affluent area."

“The Gardenia Street that Grann mentioned is probably there. Let’s go take a look.”

Count Bran immediately flapped his wings and took off, not forgetting to pat the slime's butt:
"Hahaha! As expected of His Majesty, your insight is truly remarkable."

"If I were to follow that directionally challenged Arthur, I would be lost in this maze-like city for days."

The city of Shield River is very large. Count Bran flew for another ten minutes before landing on the rooftop of the wealthy district.

Compared to the dark and old houses in other neighborhoods, the buildings here are mostly bright and clean, with carved balconies and courtyards planted with various flowers and green plants, making them appear exceptionally quiet and elegant.

It's uncertain whether this is the Gardenia Street area, but it's definitely a place where only nobles, professionals, and wealthy merchants can live in Shield River City.

He had originally planned to go with Count Bran to the café in the center of the neighborhood to see if they could find out any information about the society member, but unexpectedly saw several squads of fully armed knights knocking on doors and asking questions.

Further ahead at the street corner, several uniformed sheriffs and two clergymen in robes stood.

Chen Yu had a bad feeling.

Count Bran muttered to himself, "That's strange. Could it be that they've already discovered something and came to search ahead of time?"

"That's not right. Didn't that kid from the Snow Wolf family swear that it was a secret society with very few people knowing about it? How come they've been targeted so quickly?"

Chen Yu gestured for Count Bran to come closer and listen carefully to the conversation between the knights and the residents.

Sure enough, they vaguely heard common words like "witch," "traitor," and "fled."

The good news is that the society member seemed to have received advance warning and fled without even having time to pack up the cauldron and potions.

The bad news is that this cut off their contact with Louisa.

The slime was suspicious.

He felt that ever since he entered the territory of the White Horse Kingdom, everything had gone wrong and one bad thing after another had happened.

Is it Count Bran's strange luck playing tricks on him again?
Before he could figure it out, Count Bran suddenly pointed excitedly with the tip of his wing at an alleyway not far away.

"Your Majesty, look! Those knights seem to be chasing someone. Let's follow them and see if we can find anything unexpected."

After saying that, it immediately flapped its wings and followed.

Inside the alley, the sounds of a chaotic chase continued, and the knight issued a stern warning.

"stop!"

"Colluding with traitors is a serious crime!"

Ahead, a lithe figure moved nimbly through the complex alleyways, responding to the knight's shout with a mocking chuckle:
Are you all stupid?

"I already said it's a serious crime, of course I have to run."

"Thank you all for your kind farewell, knights. We'll take our leave now, and chat again when we have time."

When the knights finally caught up with the thief at the alley entrance, panting heavily, he was nowhere to be seen. They could only stand there in vain, pounding their chests in frustration.

A few minutes later, the figure slowly appeared in the alley outside the Gardenia Street.

The woman clapped her hands. "Not bad, at least we got something useful."

As she was about to remove the cloak she was using for disguise, a male thief emerged from the shadows of the wall beside her.

He respectfully reported in a low voice, "Lady Belle, it's been confirmed for now, there are no 'tails' following us nearby..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly seemed to notice something and abruptly looked up at the sky.

"Wait, something doesn't seem right."

"There's a crow!"

"A magical pet? Or a druid's animal companion?!"

Bailey instantly became alert. Without hesitation, she grabbed her subordinate and ran quickly into the depths of the alley, not forgetting to say, "How did you do your reconnaissance? I'll dock your pay when we get back!"

Count Bran flew over, carrying an acorn he had hastily gathered. "Oh... Your Majesty, they're running away!"

“Throw the acorns over,” Chen Yu said.

Count Bran flew over the two men and tossed down the acorns.

"what?!"

Bailey caught a glimpse of something falling out of the corner of her eye and instinctively reached for her dagger.

[Every bush and tree seems like an enemy soldier]

[Hishu Ryu, Part 1]

The acorn in mid-air suddenly burst into a bright green light, and with a "bang," its shell exploded.

With a series of crackling sounds, like trees growing rapidly, a young oak tree guard appeared out of thin air and crashed heavily into the middle of the alley, completely blocking Bailey and Cohen's path.

“Nature magic?!” Bailey’s movements suddenly stopped, and a look of surprise and uncertainty appeared on her face.

Elf Druid?
When did she ever offend those long-eared people?
As various possibilities raced through her mind, the strange raven landed on the oak branch. It raised its head high, adopting an arrogant posture, and said, "If I'm not mistaken, your name is Bailey, um... Bailey Brooks?"

"So what?"

She remained vigilant, her mind racing as she considered how to escape.

However, what the crow said next gave her a sudden shock.

"Hahaha, we've found the right person!"

Earl Bran gestured smugly with his wings, "You're the one Arthur and Calvin have been looking for, uh... the little girl who left Ironboot Town back then, right?"

It flapped its wings and announced, "They sent this Earl to find you."

……

Half an hour later, deep inside a noisy underground bar in the old town.

Bailey walked past the patrons drinking cheap ale and talking loudly, lifted a heavy curtain, and went into the quiet room at the back.

She then placed the crow, which had been chattering incessantly and was wearing a strange gel cap on its head, on the wooden table.

After listening to Count Bran's account, which was filled with boasting and complaints, Belle crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, saying:
"So, you came back in search of the Crown of Ignis, and were then discovered and arrested by the Border Guard in Baron Langdon's territory?"

Earl Bran greatly appreciated her clear thinking and nodded in satisfaction: "Ah! That's right, the brains of living people are indeed more efficient. That dullard Arthur is much smarter."

After listening, Bailey fell into deep thought, and after a long while, she raised her head and slowly spoke:
"There are indeed rumors about the Crow criminals circulating in the border defense corps, but based on that alone, I still cannot fully confirm your identities and intentions."

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you the whereabouts of the crown."

"Gah!"

Count Bran immediately grumbled in dissatisfaction, "What do we need that broken crown for at a time like this? I'm here to find someone to rescue those two idiots, Arthur and Calvin."

Belle seemed lost in thought and ignored Count Bran's rant.

She took out an exquisite hand mirror with silver runes inlaid on the edge from her pocket, then stood the mirror upright on the table, facing Count Bran.

"This mirror should be a clue deliberately left by the witch of the society you mentioned, as there are obvious traces of arcane magic on it."

"If you really have a connection with Arthur and the others, then you should know how to use this mirror."

Count Bran looked at the mirror and his bewildered bird eyes widened in surprise.

“Your Majesty, that brat from the Snow Wolf family never mentioned such a thing.”

"How do I use this?"

It scratched at the mirror with its paw, and unexpectedly, the mirror suddenly emitted a hazy halo, revealing the outlines of two figures, along with a woman's soft laughter.

“A raven? Interesting. I never expected that the ‘black nobleman’ foretold in the revelation of the Lady of Rebellion would be a believer in animals.”

"A heretic?!"

Count Bran was so frightened that he took several steps back, his feathers standing on end.

As if suddenly realizing something, it jumped up and down in anger, squawking loudly: "I knew it! Why have I been plagued by bad luck ever since I stepped into this White Horse Kingdom? It turns out that you wicked women have been secretly manipulating my fate!"

Chen Yu hadn't expected that the witch Grann had mentioned was actually a heretical believer. He had only seen two such believers before, and they were even rarer than dragons.

Listening to Count Bran's conversation with the woman, he asked curiously, "Are you afraid of her?"

Earl Bran lowered his voice and muttered, covering his beak with his wing, “Your Majesty, you don’t understand. Seeing your fellow bird is not a good thing.”

"As fellow dissenters, we can more easily see each other's fate. If she has ulterior motives, she can be quite ruthless when she betrays her own kind."

The woman on the other side of the mirror seemed to hear Count Bran's mutterings and chuckled softly.

"It seems there is still a small misunderstanding between me and this Lord Raven."

"But please don't forget that, like Her Highness the Princess, I am currently wanted by the entire White Horse Kingdom."

"If it weren't for Lady Rebellion's revelation, I probably would have left the White Horse Kingdom long ago and gone to the Golden Valley to pan for gold."

"Alright, enough with the formalities. This spell won't last long, so let Her Highness the Princess speak with you personally."

The image in the mirror flickered, and a soft footstep could be heard.

Another figure gradually approached, and she seemed to be facing the mirror, gracefully performing a noble curtsy.

“Luisa, in the name of the White Horse Princess, greets His Majesty Slime, Lord Raven, and this young lady.”

“I am aware of what happened in Shield River City. I am deeply saddened and angry about what happened to Grann and the others, but rescuing them will be extremely difficult and we will need your country’s help.”

“Your Majesty the Slime?” Bailey, who was standing to the side watching, looked surprised and re-examined the gel cap that she had been ignoring.

The lump of gel bounced slightly, as if nodding in response, and Count Bran immediately puffed out his chest and relayed the message:

"His Majesty told Your Highness that you need not stand on ceremony and to speak freely if you need any assistance."

Princess Louisa in the mirror nodded slightly and began to explain her plan:
"According to reliable intelligence, a storm originating from the coastal area of ​​the Wuwan Port Business Alliance could sweep in at any time in the coming days."

"At that time, all the garrison of Storm Fortress will have to be on high alert and do their best to resist the summer demonic tide. Consequently, the forces remaining inside Shield River City will become relatively weak, which is our opportunity."

“But that’s far from enough. To lure Commander Lid away from Shield River City, we need to… unless Storm Fortress falls and monsters rush into Golden Harvest Plains.”

Bailey exclaimed in surprise, "Aren't you a princess? Why would you do this...?"

She was halfway through her sentence when she realized that the princess had been convicted of treason, and a person driven to the brink of despair was capable of doing anything extreme.

Louisa could have chosen not to explain, but she said softly, "The real control of Stormhold has long been in the hands of that great demon. Without doing this, there is almost no chance of breaking the deadlock."

"As long as the Slime Kingdom can help the Demon Tide break through Storm Fortress, my secret legion will immediately take action to rescue Grann and the two knights from Shield River City."

“What about those people…” Bailey hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

Princess Louisa bowed. "If I'm not mistaken, you must be Miss Belle of the Blade of Vengeance."

“No, I’m not,” Bailey denied sheepishly.

Princess Louisa nodded slightly, as if she hadn't heard, and continued, "It's good that it's you. To ensure that I have enough power to protect the people, I need to rely on you, and even more organizations."

(End of this chapter)