Chapter 438: A Door That Must Not Be Opened
Chapter 438: A Door That Must Not Be Opened
Upon noticing the same strange transformation occurring within himself, Leon paused for a moment before turning to gaze in the direction of the palace.
Although the exact cause was still unclear, he estimated that the source of this transformation was most likely within the palace, with a certainty of over ninety percent. As for the reason behind such a conclusion...
It was fortunate that he had maintained the habit of diligent study in both his past and present lives.
Slightly squinting, he observed the citizens undergoing transformation in the distance and deduced a rough arc-shaped boundary. Leon then retrieved a charcoal pencil from the Mirror World and a map of the area near the palace from the rebels. He drew a somewhat accurate arc on the map with the pencil.
According to Emma's work knowledge, large-scale anomalies like this typically had two activation modes.
Either all individuals meeting the conditions would be instantly affected, similar to his own Wild Ambition Heart, or the anomaly would spread outward in a ring pattern with the anomaly holder as the center.
Currently, all the citizens near the palace had transformed into iron plate people, but those further away had not yet been fully influenced, showing a clear distinction of "before and after." Therefore, it could be determined that the activation mode of this anomaly was the latter.
Now that it was known that the effective range of the anomaly was a circle, and it was continuously spreading outward with the palace as the center. The next step was a classic geometry problem.
Given an arc of a circle, how could one find the center of the circle?
The answer was to create points A and B on the arc, connect AB, and draw the perpendicular bisector of AB. Then, find point C, connect BC, and draw the perpendicular bisector of BC. The intersection of these two perpendicular bisectors was the approximate location of the center of the circle.
After making a few marks on the map with the charcoal pencil, Leon observed the two perpendicular bisectors intersecting at the palace. He then drew a large 'X' on the map, marking the approximate location of the "iron plate anomaly."
His initial guess was correct; that thing should be inside the palace.
Furthermore, it was almost certain that the anomaly was not in the Glory Square, Royal Gallery, Museum, Royal Stables, or Foreign Ministry Office, and could directly pinpoint the Imperial Palace in the rear half of the palace complex.
According to the intelligence he had obtained, the Princess should be under house arrest in the Imperial Palace. It would be best to hurry over and check on her, and also... the coup could not be stopped!
Looking at the 'X' on the map, Leon stretched out his hand, which appeared normal but felt cold and hard like iron plate. He immediately decided to continue with the plan.
Although he didn't know what effect this "iron plate anomaly" had, he had the substitute death ability of Wild Ambition Heart.
Even considering his identity as the leader of the rebels, if there was any danger, he could declare war on the kingdom and activate the combat immortality effect of the Battle Unicorn. This would give him an additional layer of immortality.
If he still couldn't survive with two layers of immortality, then it was truly fate.
Additionally, even without considering the potentially endangered Princess, such a good opportunity for a coup was not something that came along often.
If it weren't for the Director receiving news about the Snow Maiden, discovering that the female journalist who followed the Aquarius Director had possibly infiltrated the Soulfall Abyss, and rushing to the Dream Realm to capture her, Leon might not have dared to lead the rebels to storm the palace.
It was common knowledge that the Director's hair was inside the palace.
Once the Director's Slaughter Blood Hair sensed the presence of an anomaly, with her speed, it would take less than half a minute to reach the palace.
Only when she was in another world and unable to sense the aura here could Leon lead the rebels to raid the palace. If it were any other time, he would have to rely on sheer numbers.
Therefore, facing such a heaven-sent opportunity, regardless of what this iron plate anomaly was, it was worth taking a risk!
"Guests?
"As Lyon lifted the freckled prince back onto the coach, the steel coachman's mouth opened slightly, revealing a simple but eerie smile.
"Is your business done?"
"Yes, it's done."
After nodding to the steel coachman, Lyon spoke, "Let's continue forward. The palace doesn't allow outside coaches to enter. Take us through the square in front of the palace, and you can stop at the registration area... Here's the fare."
"Alright!"
After receiving a silver coin from Lyon, the steel coachman's smile became more genuine, and the coach parked by the roadside started moving forward again amidst the piercing whinnies of the steel horses.
However, due to the joints of the steel horses, which couldn't match the flexibility of real horses, the coach would suddenly brake every so often, causing the freckled prince, who was huddled in his seat, to turn pale.
Hmm... It seems that the sudden brake that allowed Joshua to unexpectedly dodge my hammer last time must have been caused by this.
After understanding the reason, and under Joshua's terrified gaze, Lyon pulled out the small silver hammer wedged in the seat and asked with concern, "Are you feeling very uncomfortable? Do you want me to help you sleep for a while?"
"..."
Looking at the small silver hammer in Lyon's hand, the freckled prince, who was already numb, shivered. Instinctively, he wanted to get off the coach and run away again, but thinking of the cold and eerie steel world below, he couldn't bring himself to take that step.
Although it seemed that staying in the coach meant getting beaten, the person in front of him at least looked human, and with his princely identity, he should... perhaps... not be able to get rid of him... right?
But the pile of strange steel people below seemed less predictable. The cleaners wouldn't get rid of him, a prince, but those ghostly things might not care about his status. So, if given a choice, staying in the coach and getting beaten seemed like the safer option.
"Can... can you put the hammer away?"
After mustering some courage, the freckled prince looked at the gleaming hammer in Lyon's hand and said with a mournful face, "Can you just hit me with your hand like before?"
"..."
"As you wish."
...
"Bang!"
Just as the freckled prince successfully negotiated for better treatment, in the rear part of the palace complex, where the imperial residence appeared calm as ever, there was a constant, piercing noise that made the lady-in-waiting outside the princess's bedroom turn pale.
"Clang!"
The location of this sound suggested that the desk had been overturned by Her Highness!
"Clang!" "Crash!!!"
This sound... It seemed like the bed frame was being dismantled, and it was probably completely taken apart!
"Bang!" "Squeak---"
It's over. It's likely that the cabinet was pulled down by Her Highness, scraping the carpet, and then dragged forcefully across the floor! What... What should we do?
Just as the lady-in-waiting outside was anxiously pacing, wanting to go in but unable to, a series of angry footsteps echoed through the corridor.
"What's going on!"
Hearing the constant, piercing noises coming from Princess Veronica's bedroom, the Queen, who had rushed over after receiving the news, scolded with a furious face, "You're just standing there watching her? Letting her make a ruckus inside?"
"Your Majesty..."
Hearing the Queen's reprimand, two ladies-in-waiting immediately knelt down. One of them, mustering her courage, said, "The door was locked from the inside by Her Highness. We... we don't have the key, and we dare not enter, so..."
"Useless things!"
After glaring at the lady-in-waiting who had spoken, the Queen's face showed two parts rage, three parts arrogance, and five parts haughtiness. Her demeanor was identical to Joshua's before he was beaten, and she shouted angrily, "Break the door open! I want to see what she's doing in there!"
(End of Chapter)
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