Chapter 45: A Thousand-Mile Delivery
The content of the second diary roughly ended there. Su Xiao set it aside and opened the third diary.
The third diary contained the notes left by Grisha Yeager after the Maria Wall was breached. It detailed the origin of the Titans and the war history of the "Eldian Empire," among other things. Su Xiao was already familiar with this information.
Su Xiao tossed the three diaries aside. After reading them, he had a deeper understanding of the Marley Empire.
Currently, the Eldians in the Marley Empire were not in a good position, though it was far better than within the Walls.
As Su Xiao discarded the diaries, a photo fell out from between the pages.
The photo was a family portrait of three: Allen's father, Grisha Yeager; his ex-wife, Dina Fritz; and a young Zeke Yeager.
From the photo, it was clear this family was happy. Grisha Yeager was dressed in a sharp suit, and the background indicated they were not impoverished.
"My father... was he royalty of the Marley Empire? Such expensive clothing..."
Allen stared in shock at the photo on the wooden table.
"Royalty?"
Reiner's tone carried a hint of sarcasm.
"This is just standard attire for middle-income earners in the Marley Empire. Don't compare our empire to what's inside the Walls.
Even though the empire has been at war for years, the citizens still live quite comfortably."
Bertholdt also puffed out his chest with pride.
Su Xiao ignored their conversation and continued searching the desk.
Although these three diaries were valuable, the haul didn't quite match the significance of this basement.
Three minutes later, Su Xiao had turned the desk upside down without finding anything else.
"Is that all there is?"
Su Xiao pulled out the drawer and placed it on the wooden table, inspecting the desk's interior. Nothing.
Just as Su Xiao was about to give up, he noticed something off about the drawer on the table.
Compared to the drawer's overall width, the internal depth was a bit shallow. Inside, some symbols were haphazardly carved, seemingly as a hint for someone. They were barely visible without close inspection.
It was a hint from Grisha Yeager to Allen!
Su Xiao tapped the inside of the drawer.
Thump, thump, thump~
Empty.
Su Xiao pulled out a dagger and pried at the bottom of the drawer. With a crack, the bottom came loose, and a faint blue light appeared in the drawer's hidden compartment.
Su Xiao's eyes lit up as he reached into the compartment.
"What's in there?"
Annie's curiosity was piqued, and the others were also eager to know what was hidden. Exploring the basement felt like a treasure hunt.
"Didn't find anything."
Su Xiao picked up the drawer and smashed it. It shattered into a pile of wooden splinters with a clatter.
"I thought there'd be some secret. What a disappointment. You're not secretly pocketing something, are you?"
Ymir's sharp tongue struck again.
"There's nothing else in this basement. Let's move."
Su Xiao calmly walked toward the ground level. In his storage space, a test tube occasionally flickered with blue light.
(Half-Finished Product)
Quality: Blue
Type: Experimental Drug
Rating: 60 (Note: Blue items have ratings from 31 to 70; higher ratings indicate greater value.)
Description: This potion can be completed upon returning to Reincarnation Paradise, costing 13,000 Paradise Coins.
Completed Attributes: After injection, Strength +2, Agility +2, Stamina +2, Intelligence +2.
Selling Price: 8% World Source
Su Xiao had no intention of selling this blue potion. For 13,000 Paradise Coins, he could complete it, and injecting it would grant him a total of 8 attribute points.
Su Xiao felt a bit relieved. He was glad he had thoroughly searched the basement; otherwise, he would have missed out big time.
From this basement expedition, Su Xiao had gained 14% World Source and a highly valuable blue-quality potion. It was quite a fruitful haul.
The return mission required 15% World Source, and Su Xiao was close to completing it.
Stepping out of the basement, the bright sunlight shone down, and a warm breeze gently brushed his face, lifting Su Xiao's spirits even more.
The breach in the Maria Wall was right ahead. After Reiner transformed into the Armored Titan, the group climbed onto its shoulders and continued their journey.
The Armored Titan headed toward the opening in the wall. Once they passed through, the Survey Corps wouldn't be able to find them. From there, it would be a wide-open escape.
"Finally back here. Finally, we can return home."
Bertholdt sighed, his joy undisguised.
As the Armored Titan crawled through the ten-meter-high opening, Su Xiao's pupils suddenly contracted.
He leaped down from the Armored Titan's shoulder and peered back through the breach into the Maria Wall.
"Such dedication."
Su Xiao pressed a finger to the ground, feeling faint vibrations.
"What's wrong?"
Bertholdt looked at Su Xiao, confused.
"If I'm not mistaken, the Survey Corps has caught up."
Su Xiao considered a possibility. If that were the case, being caught up by the Survey Corps didn't matter much.
"What?"
Bertholdt was shocked and immediately jumped down from the Armored Titan's shoulder.
"I don't see... that's impossible."
Bertholdt stared in disbelief at the distance, where a dark mass of cavalry was rapidly approaching.
"Nothing's impossible. The Survey Corps each brought extra horses. If they rode nonstop, they could have checked the 'Forest of Giants' first and then headed straight here.
We wanted to leave the Maria Wall in the shortest time possible, and this was our only route."
Even knowing the Survey Corps would catch up, Su Xiao would still come here. The basement of Allen's house was too valuable to abandon.
"Let's go. Time for a chase."
Su Xiao and Bertholdt returned to the Armored Titan's shoulder. After orienting itself, the Armored Titan sprinted at full speed.
"Allen!"
A shout came from behind. It was Mikasa's voice.
Allen froze at the sound.
"Mikasa? Could it be...?"
Allen's eyes lit up. The Survey Corps had caught up!
"How did they track us? We've been moving at full speed."
Bertholdt was panicked. The nearly eight hundred Survey Corps members put immense pressure on him.
Annie clenched her fists. If they were caught, everything would be over.
Unlike the two tense individuals, Su Xiao sat leisurely on the Armored Titan's shoulder.
"I don't know where your confidence comes from, but it looks like we might be saved."
Ymir smirked at Su Xiao.
"Oh? Are you sure?"
Su Xiao's calm demeanor made Ymir frown.
"After traveling nonstop for a day and a night, no matter how many the Survey Corps brings, it won't matter. They just swapped horses, not riders.
I doubt they still have any fighting strength after a full day and night of travel."
Su Xiao pulled out binoculars to observe the pursuing Survey Corps.
Commander Erwin looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes. His cracked lips indicated they had little food and water.
Su Xiao's lips curled into a smile. A few hundred soldiers couldn't solve their food problems by hunting.
Looking at the Survey Corps' horses, each rider was riding one horse and leading two others.
After the intense travel, white foam was forming at the corners of the horses' mouths. They hadn't had water in a long time.
"Reiner, can you hold out for four hours?"
The Armored Titan, Reiner, nodded. There was no need to conserve stamina now. Even running to exhaustion, four hours was doable.
"Since you've come a thousand miles to deliver yourselves, I'll gladly accept."
A long-barreled revolver appeared in Su Xiao's hand. The Survey Corps had no ranged attack capabilities, but he did.
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