111 Warehouses (1/2)

Holding a spear with an oiled grip and wearing leather armor that didn't really fit him all that well, Daneel tried not to look up as he teleported onto the central island, right in front of the large hourglass in the middle where his prey lay.

With the system, it had been quite easy to mimic the handwriting of all those people. The letters had been placed where they were to be found by him, the thief, and the elf, but this job, he had left for himself.

It was the most dangerous one, of course, and knowing this, the elf had tried to insist that he would come with him…but Daneel had put down his foot, saying that he was more than equipped to deal with whatever came his way himself. They had also had enough reason to believe that he was telling the truth; as he had no option, he had had to reveal that he was more capable than he looked by drawing all of the fake rebel's plans in merely an hour.

Alex had looked over them and grunted with surprise before saying that they looked genuine enough. The elf had studied them, too, and stared at Daneel in a way that didn't make him comfortable, and then, both of them hadn't said anything about the rest of the plan.

They still had other parts to play, out in the islands, in case he took more time than he thought he would need. After all, the entire objective was to draw away all of the main guards from the central island to the surrounding islands, and if they weren't kept there, he would be trapped here as surely as if he was a fish in a bowl, ready to be plucked out and questioned.

It was imperative that they remain elsewhere, until he was done with everything he had come here to do. Managing to not glance up even a single time, he reached a large square filled with fountains, grass, and marble tiles, and there, unable to stop himself, he finally looked up.

Up close, the beggar king's residence was both grander, but also less domineering. From here, the metal tiles that made up the two pyramids could be seen more clearly, their surfaces appearing scratched and chipped due to years of damage from the wind and the weather. Its size was the main thing that awed people here, though. He had been wrong in his estimation before; it was easily as tall as a 15 story building, and at the very top, he could see faint outcroppings that might be residences that had been constructed there, with such a magnificent view.

Also, he saw that the point where the pyramid below and the one balanced on its tip above met was actually a thick, solid juncture that was reinforced by metal bars all around. From afar, it seemed as if they met at a single point, but that was an illusion brought about in a clever manner.

He could have tried kidnapping one of the guards, learning their mannerisms, and sneaking in without taking any such steps. However…if he did that, it would be the easiest thing for the beggar king to call his guards on him when he found out that the one talking to him wasn't who they were supposed to be, and after all, in such a plan, too many things could go wrong.

What if he met someone who was close to the guard? What if he was asked to do something that he didn't know how to do?

He had found no way to be thorough enough in his questioning to be sure that he would carry out the disguise in the best manner. So…the solution had been to reduce the risks, and that was exactly what he had done by emptying the entire island of all the guards that were supposed to be present here.

The entrance of the building was a massive arch inlaid into the pyramid, holding double doors made of shining, gilded wood. Two guards stood in front of them, looking at everything suspiciously, and as soon as he neared, he didn't even have to say anything before being waved inside.

The reason behind this was that he was carrying a parchment in his hands that could be a message meant for the king. He had also found out that in such times, any soldier could be commandeered to send a missive…and hence, he had no problem gaining entry.

A long corridor with a ceiling that was at a height of ten men standing on top of each other greeted him. He had wondered about how the inside would be, but he had never expected that it might have been constructed in this manner. The corridor he was in stretched the entire length of the pyramid. On both sides of it, large doors could be seen leading to rooms beyond, but apart from that, there seemed to be nothing else here.