The Rich Cultivator
Chapter 162 - 161. The Wedding (part 4)

Chapter 162: 161. The Wedding (part 4)

As Tyler worked in a secluded corner of the castle grounds, the map had led them to an ideal hidden spot for creating the arrays without being disturbed. While Tyler was focused, Lily, Mana, and Mathilda stood outside on watch duty, scanning the area to make sure no one approached.

Mana, growing bored of standing guard, floated back to Tyler, her curiosity getting the better of her. "What kind of array is this?" she asked, peeking over his shoulder.

Tyler glanced up from his work, patiently explaining, "The array in that building is a combination of an Alarm Array and a Lightning Array. The Alarm Array sends a signal to the main system somewhere in the castle when it detects an intruder. The Lightning Array stuns the trespasser and paralyzes them."

He handed Mana a small array disk, gesturing for her to take a closer look. "This one, though, diverts that signal. Instead of alerting the main array, it receives the signal and interrupts it. The only problem is the signal doesn’t travels in a straight line, so we’ll need to set up a bunch of these smaller arrays to cover the entire area and make sure the signal gets disrupted."

Mana’s attention waned, her eyelids drooping as she fought off sleep. "What about the paralysis part?" she yawned.

Tyler smirked. "We could use Anti-Lightning Charms, but I doubt they’d be strong enough. So, instead, I’m making Lightning Rod Arrays. They’ll absorb the lightning before it can hit us."

He handed her another array disk. "Help me copy these."

Excited to help, Mana grabbed the copper pot hanging at Tyler’s side and placed the array disk inside it.

Then she took an array disk out.

Then another one..

And another one...

Another one....

"How satisfying. It’s been a while since Mana did this," she said with a smile. But then, in a playful mood, she quickly snuck a chicken leg from her pouch into the pot and copied that as well.

Tyler noticed and raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

Mana gave an awkward laugh. "Nothing..."

"Give me some too," Tyler said, smirking.

A few hours later, Lily came back, checking in on their progress. "Did you finish it?" she asked.

Tyler tossed her two completed array disks. "All done."

Lily examined them, but after a moment, she paused, sniffing the air. "Wait... why do these smell like chicken?"

Tyler and Mana exchanged confused blinks, both trying to stifle their laughter.

"Mana... How could you eat without us?" Lily sighed, but a faint smile tugged at her lips.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

Night had fallen over the castle, casting long shadows along the stone walls as the final guests departed for their lodgings. A few special guests, those with deeper ties to the royal family, were allowed to remain within the castle’s guest suites. With the bustling of servants and maids fading into the background as they retired to their quarters, only the guards were left, patrolling the empty halls in silence.

In the dark, four individuals moved like shadows themselves, each masked by Phantom Masks that cloaked their presence. Among them, a young lady transformed into a phantom, her body shimmering as she became ethereal. Moving silently, she placed small arrays in every corner, her movements precise and calculated.

Tyler and his team quietly approached the buffet area, slipping through unseen. Their plan was simple but risky: jump to the balcony without triggering the lightning array, avoid detection from patrolling guards, and slip into the king’s chamber. Though the plan seemed straightforward, there were countless things that could go wrong, and they all knew it.

Tyler led them forward, using small floating charms to ascend toward the balcony. These charms were delicate and could only be used once, but quantity was never a problem for Tyler.

The group landed lightly on the balcony, with barely a sound to disturb the night. For a brief moment, the array in the building sparked to life, sensing their presence. But, thanks to the small discs Mana had installed earlier, the alarm was intercepted. The signals never reached the main array hidden somewhere deep within the castle.

They moved swiftly, leaping from the balcony into the shadowed hallway beyond. The air was thick with tension; they were now deep within the heart of the castle, closer to the king’s chambers where the highest security measures were in place.

"It would be nice if we had Isadora with us," Lily whispered.

Tyler nodded, fully aware that Isadora’s hypnotic abilities could have made sneaking past the guards significantly easier. But tonight, they were on their own.

Everyone activated their Phantom Masks, turning invisible. The Phantom Masks cloaked their bodies in invisibility as they moved closer to the heavily guarded doors. Yet, as they neared the entrance, they noticed another set of arrays glowing faintly in the dark.

"Looks like getting inside is harder than expected," Lily murmured, scanning the area.

Tyler, who was already analyzing the complex structure of the array, furrowed his brow. "This particular array can only be deactivated from within. It’s designed to trigger automatically if disturbed from the outside."

"Hmm..." Lily began, her voice trailing off.

MODE GHOST

Mana fused herself with Tyler, who was already in Phantom mode. The combination of the Phantom Mask and Mana’s powers rendered Tyler nearly non-existent. Even Lily, who stood just a few feet away, couldn’t sense him at all. It was as if Tyler had vanished from the physical plane.

Without hesitation, Tyler phased through the array, his form moving like a wisp of air as he slipped inside. He carefully pushed open the door, his movements slow and deliberate to avoid making a sound. The old man lying on the bed didn’t stir as Tyler’s eyes scanned the room for the core of the array. He ignored the sleeping figure, his focus solely on the glowing rune hidden near the far wall.

"This, hmm... this and that.." With quick precision, Tyler disabled the array. A soft click echoed in the silent room as the protective magic faltered. Outside, the guards patrolling the hall were none the wiser. Tyler’s mastery of arrays was impeccable; not even the keenest mage would have sensed the disturbance.

Mana disengaged from Tyler and quickly returned to guide Lily and the others inside. This time, with the array disabled, they could slip in using just their Phantom Masks.

Inside, they found themselves face-to-face with the king, Astrid’s father, who lay still on the bed, unconscious. His once regal features were sunken and pale, his breathing shallow.

"So, this is the king," Tyler whispered, his eyes drifting over the frail man. "Astrid’s father."

"So Astrid’s mother must be beautiful," Lily commented.

"Why do you say that?" Tyler asked.

"I mean, look at his face. Just average. Astrid must have inherited her beauty from her mother," Lily said.

"Is this really the time to discuss that?" Mathilda asked, tilting her head in confusion.

Mathilda began diagnosing the king. She checked his eyes, took his pulse, and used different test tubes to take a blood sample with a needle. After testing it, she frowned.

"He’s been poisoned by some sort of soul poison. It’s tormenting him. He’s in a deep sleep, trapped in nightmares. The poison isn’t in his blood; the veins in his head are green, meaning all the poison has rushed to his brain. His thalamus, medial prefrontal cortex, and posterior cingulate cortex are totally affected," Mathilda explained.

"Is there any way to cure it?" Tyler asked.

"Curing this type of poison is difficult but not impossible. With Astrid’s angelic powers and healing magic, I’m sure she can heal him," Mathilda said.

"That explains why they didn’t let Astrid meet her father," Lily noted.

"So they did all this to take over the country?" Tyler asked.

"Probably personal vendetta," Lily suddenly said.

"Huh?" Mathilda, Mana, and Tyler looked at her.

"They could have used a simple poison. But the fact that they used this kind of poison shows they wanted to torture the king," Lily said. Her expression suddenly changed. "Someone’s coming."

Tyler reacted instantly, reactivating the array to mask their presence. They all faded into the background, just as the door creaked open.

A man in a black cloak entered the room, deactivating the array as if it were second nature. His face remained hidden in the shadow of his hood, but his aura was unmistakable.

"He’s the one who spied on our ship that day," Lily whispered.

"Probably the same one who knocked Isadora out on the Silver Eye Pirates’ ship," Tyler added, recalling what Isadora had mentioned about this mysterious person.

"He’s likely the middleman between the prime minister and the Silver Eye Pirates," Tyler said.

The cloaked man knelt beside the bed, his voice low and filled with malice. "Tomorrow, I will marry your daughter. Tomorrow, I will finally..." the man murmured something inaudible.

Tyler and the others were surprised. Tyler’s eyes widened in realization, ’So this is the groom.’

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