Chapter 33 In a critical moment, Eleanor looked up, and a pair of large hands reached out from...

Watch out behind the door.

Eleanor waved her hand, and everyone nodded in understanding.

This secret passage is only wide enough for one person to pass through at a time. Assassins cannot bypass the guards in front and behind; if they want to assassinate the noble person in the middle, they can only choose to hide in the secret room and wait for an opportunity to strike.

Scarface walked a little further ahead, deliberately leaving the hidden door open so that a servant could walk around from behind her and gently press the mechanism.

La la la la — plop plop!

As soon as the hidden door opened, the servant rolled in sideways and forcefully swung the dagger in his right hand, stabbing the air three times!

Sha, sha, sha.

Every strike missed its mark; the place was empty.

After Scarface and his servants had circled the room, they went in to check. Once they were sure there were no assassins inside, they turned back and said, "Your Highness, there are no assassins inside."

"That's good. Let's wander around for a bit."

Eleanor led her guards inside, leaving Coral to guide Manju to continue "exploring" the forks in the road.

Manzhu has an excellent sense of space, while Shanhu has an outstanding memory. The two of them will memorize all the paths they will take and draw them into simple and clear diagrams.

I wonder if the slaves outside have found a chance to escape?

Eleanor deliberately stalled for time, stopping in front of the blankets piled in the corner, and then couldn't resist half-squatting down to rummage through them.

Upon closer inspection, something seemed amiss: these rolled-up blankets were not simple felt, but exquisitely embroidered tapestries, with gold threads shimmering faintly in the dim light.

Eleanor ran her fingers over the surface of the blanket, which was not only embroidered with gold thread but also adorned with pearls and small gemstones; it felt a little sharp to the touch.

She thoughtfully withdrew her finger.

She hadn't had time to improve the weaving tools; these heavy fabrics woven with gold thread and wool required a great deal of manual labor. These blankets, adorned with embroidery and pearls, were undoubtedly luxuries.

That's very interesting... Who would store such an expensive tapestry in an underground passage for a long time?

"You put these on the ground~ Ha, aren't you afraid they'll get moldy?" Eleanor laughed like a little fox.

Hmph. It's obviously just temporarily placed here, ready to be transported out of the city that day—or maybe it was just brought in from outside the city and hasn't had a chance to be delivered to the buyer yet.

No wonder they built such a secret passage; it's quite a tax evasion scheme.

Scarface blushed, and she quickly rolled her remaining eyeballs around. Finally, she gritted her teeth and said frankly, "These are gifts I wanted to give to my friends. Since you like them, why not accept them?"

After she finished speaking, she picked up a slightly smelly but dazzling purple brocade blanket and vigorously shook it open towards Eleanor.

Ding ding ding ding!

The sharp metallic clang startled Eleanor, who jumped back. Upon closer inspection, she was both amused and exasperated.

I thought it was a dagger, but it turned out to be a pile of chopped gold and silver pieces and gems.

Eleanor initially thought Scareye was trying to bribe her, but when she looked up, Scareye was even more surprised than she was: clearly, the servants and stewards in charge of transport had betrayed their master.

Of course, it's also possible that some people who yearn for freedom are temporarily storing their belongings here, since they'll need money to pave the way everywhere once they're out in the world.

Her smile deepened; either way, it was a wonderful thing.

"Your Highness..."

"It's nothing." Eleanor smiled slightly, pretending not to see the pile of gold and silver jewelry on the ground.

She walked towards Scarface. Despite being such a small child, her approaching aura sent shivers down Scarface's spine.

The little princess tiptoed and whispered in her ear as she bent down, "Today... consider it a gift from me to little Elsa."

A gift? Does this mean you're going to let it go easily?

Scarface could only understand this much but dared not define herself. Based on her past experience, she thought for a moment: His Highness probably didn't want these mundane things, but rather something more precious, such as a favor.

She forced a bitter smile and replied, "Yes."

Well, thankfully she's just a princess, not a prince, so she won't ask for the most dangerous reward.

Scarface sighed inwardly. No matter how precious the little princess wanted, even if it was a huge pearl from the seabed, he would obediently bring it to her.

Anyway, she can make huge profits every year just from this smuggling route.

Eleanor didn't care about Scarface's thoughts. After receiving a response, she went straight back to the blanket and examined the pearls and gems on it.

Pearls are truly beautiful. In her past life, as the most beloved little princess of Norlana and the most noble Angie of Hetuya, she naturally possessed all sorts of pearls.

Nearly perfectly round, lustrous, and sparkling pearls are strung on necklaces and hairnets... They all say, "This suits your hair perfectly."

Gentle and lovely—that was the same impression her mother and Andra had of her, just like Pearl.

However, Eleanor soon lost her love for pearls after becoming Angel.

At that time, Andra conquered Belei, a land known as the Lake Kingdom, and as Ange, she naturally had to appease her subjects and people.

Eleanor's wisdom was widely admired, and a gaunt pearl diver led her and her guards to the sea.

“Angel, great Angel, I beg your mercy.” The pearl diver, who appeared to have a deformed mouth and ears and cloudy eyes, led Eleanor to their settlement and lifted the lid of their damp hut—

A stench assaulted their nostrils, and the guards drew their swords on the spot, only to be shouted back by Eleanor.

This is not an assassination.

This is not an assassination attempt...

Her tears fell uncontrollably. The pearls that the pearl divers worked so hard to produce were incredibly valuable, yet even though she had forcibly abolished slavery, their lives were still no different from those of slaves.

"Anqi, Anqi."

People of different ages and skin colors, but all the same, were emaciated and prostrated themselves at her feet, pleading softly.

The pearl diver waved his hand to silence the murmurs and said loudly, "We beg you... to reduce, to reduce some of the pearl tax. Our children are still young, they really can't take it anymore."

“Alright, ma’am, please tell me... what exactly happened with the previous pearl tax?” Eleanor grasped her aged, wrinkled, and scarred hand and agreed emotionally.

"I...I can't accept that!" The pearl diver hurriedly knelt on the ground. She dared not shake off or pull away the noble Angie, so she swayed precariously like a gourd hanging on a vine.

Her next words made Eleanor tremble as well.

“Great Angel... I, I’m only 35 years old this year.”

35? 35.

She's even younger than her.

Eleanor looked at her face speechlessly; the pearl diver's skin showed signs of aging everywhere.

She listened for a very long time that day.

She had long known that tax adjustments could not be accomplished overnight. In the "modern" world, lacking lower-level officials and managers, she could not ensure that a single decree would be effective nationwide, especially in a newly established territory like Belair.

However, the inability to solve all the problems does not mean that we should not try to solve them.

Before her health was completely ruined, Eleanor personally visited all the places Andra had conquered.

She and her team of sages, gathered from all over the world, embark on a vibrant transformation wherever they go, and through various connections, they strive to maintain the key aspects of the transformation as much as possible.

As for the pearl divers, their transformation was not merely about breaking free from the shackles of slavery.

Eleanor abolished the original pearl-collecting system in Baelai, ceasing the collection of pearl taxes from the people, and also voluntarily wore glass ornaments in public...

Unfortunately, she was never able to replicate cultured pearls in the end.

Placing foreign objects directly inside pearl oysters can only produce poor-quality, irregularly shaped pearls; there's probably some key knowledge that hasn't been mastered yet.

Eleanor loosened her fingers and stopped fiddling with the pearls on the ground.

She was simply reminded of many things by these pearls, including the port of Belly.

I wish I had Beile too.

She couldn't help but think that.

This would not only save the pearl divers from their suffering more quickly, but also provide them with a high-quality outlet to the sea.

Eleanor still remembers Andra's assessment of Belacus: all bark and no bite.

Bailey's navy is unparalleled on the continent, but its ground forces are utterly ineffective.

In his previous life, with the help of the excellent shipwrights and captains recommended by Eleanor, Andra quickly caught up with the gap between the two fleets and won easily with lightning speed, leaving almost no impression.

The idea of ​​acquiring Bailey quickly subsided in her mind; after all, she didn't even have a shipyard, let alone an Andra-like leader.

Eleanor, while daydreaming, led everyone on a tour of the entire secret passage.

She unknowingly walked to the front of the line, almost level with Scarface.

Her walking posture was so natural, and Coral was scouting the side road on the other side, that no one noticed.

Tick-tock, patter.

She thought she heard the sound of dripping water. Eleanor looked up and around, but saw no water stains.

"What's wrong, Your Highness?"

Scarface thought she was tired and offered to explain, "This is a backtracking path; we can't exactly take you out of town to play."

"Okay, can we use these side paths to get back to where we started?"

Eleanor turned around and saw that she was facing a fork in the road.

"Yes... Be careful!!!"

At the same moment Scarface screamed, Eleanor instinctively gripped the pendant and lunged downwards.

She was only a little over 10 years old, and after lowering her center of gravity, she immediately curled up into a small ball.

Whoosh—

A gust of wind brushed past my scalp, and the arrow pierced the passage with a soft thud, embedding itself firmly in the gap between two stone slabs.

Eleanor twisted her body and pushed off the ground with both feet, running straight back.

"Your Highness!" "Princess Eleanor!"

Manzhu's voice was close, while Jingji's voice was a little further away. Just a little faster, just a little faster and we'll be safe!

Snap, patter.

The very light footsteps behind her suddenly became heavier, and a figure rapidly approached her.

That was definitely not an ordinary assassin, not the kind of guy who could be bought off briefly with a bowl of noodles or some gold coins.

Eleanor's eyes focused on the other person's name, in deep blue letters: [Torna].

Oh dear, we can't just waste the chance to go back!

Eleanor gritted her teeth and pulled out the dagger from her waist. She had no way to dodge it, and with her current strength, she couldn't escape at all.

The little princess twisted her ankle and lunged forward, forcefully turning her body so that the tip of the knife pointed upwards.

This is a last-ditch effort. A highly skilled assassin would never willingly walk into a trap at such a moment, unless—

"Aaaaaahh ...

Suddenly, a young man with bloodshot eyes rushed out of the dark passage.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and she swung a wooden stick that she had picked up from somewhere straight ahead!

*Snap*

The wooden stick snapped the moment it struck the assassin's shoulder.

The assassin staggered and turned around in disbelief: she hadn't completely missed the footsteps following her, but she simply hadn't had time to pay attention. After all, they were just slaves at most... How dare they?

"Ha, ha, ha." Hudora held the broken wooden stick across her chest, her eyes filled with the joy of her guess coming true.

Ha... what merit could be greater than rescuing a noble person? Even if she dies, she should leave her family with wealth, rather than be thrown into a mass grave as a traitor to be executed!

The little princess was probably going to take the opportunity to escape, both Hudora and the assassin thought so.

But the next second, as the assassin subconsciously turned around and took a step to continue chasing the princess, he suddenly touched something furry.

That's the princess's bangs, and—

sharp knife!

The little princess didn't let out a scream as if she were killing someone for the first time; she didn't even close her eyes.

Tolna saw a ripple suddenly appear in those amber eyes, clear as a lake.

It was a sense of steadfastness, compassion, and...joy?

rustle.

The dagger pierced the soft abdomen with the help of inertia. In order to play the role of a liaison, the assassin was not wearing any armor.

But it doesn't matter. As expected, the princess has no experience in killing people. A stab from this angle won't kill someone in a short time.

The well-trained Torna coldly raised her hand.

The master said the princess must be left with her body intact, so let's break her neck.

Don't worry, Your Highness, I'll be there soon.

Eleanor looked up as a pair of large hands came crashing down from above!

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Author's Note: Thank you for the lucky find today! [Sprinkling flowers] I'll try to add an extra chapter tonight!

Don't worry, everyone, I won't give up writing! [hugs] This piece might be a bit niche, but my heart is burning with passion! Keep going! [sprinkling flowers]