I Got Reincarnated a Chapter 417 - 414 – Observation

Chapter 417: Chapter 414 – Observation

That night, Eldridge was shrouded in thick, damp darkness, as if the entire city was holding its breath. The oil lamps and torches along the main street began to dim one by one, leaving the stone roads in a quieter and more vigilant atmosphere. Only the occasional footsteps of patrolling guards or the distant barking of stray dogs could be heard at the edge of the city. The mountain wind blew gently, carrying a bone-piercing cold and the scent of damp soil mixed with nearly extinguished wood smoke.

In the small room of the "Black Stone Restaurant" inn, the faint light of a beeswax candle glowed on the old wooden table, illuminating the faces of the three girls sitting around it. The air inside the room felt heavy, mixed with the sweet scent of the candle, damp old wood, and a faint lingering aroma of spices and grilled at rising from the dining hall downstairs.

Sylvia sat on the edge of the bed with a calm and upright posture, her gray rchant cloak already removed and hanging neatly on the wall. Her long black hair cascaded freely down her back like a waterfall of dark silk. Her cold red eyes stared unblinkingly at the candle fla, as if reading sothing invisible behind the small fire. Beside her, Stacia sat on a simple wooden chair, her ancient grimoire open in her lap. The thin pages rustled softly from ti to ti, as if the book itself was responding to the tense night atmosphere. Alicia stood in the middle of the room, her human body still appearing slightly stiff, though much better than the previous days.

"I’ll return to my spirit form tonight," Alicia said softly. Her voice was gentle but firm, without hesitation. "It’s easier for

to move undetected. I want to observe the guards’ positions around the dinsional rift directly. With Stacia’s magic, I should be able to pass through without being detected."

Stacia nodded and raised her right hand. A soft silver-purple light glowed at her fingertips, swirling slowly like thin mist. "I’ll strengthen the invisibility spell. This is a stronger version than I usually use. I’ve combined it with a soul concealnt layer. But be careful, Alicia. That dinsional rift is not an ordinary place. Its energy can disturb even a pure spirit body. If you feel any strange pull, retreat imdiately."

Sylvia simply nodded once, her voice cold and calm like a winter wind. "Go. Observe as much as you can. We don’t need to rush in tonight. The most important thing is accurate information. Patrol patterns, number of guards, types of detectors, and their weak points."

Alicia closed her eyes. Her human body slowly beca transparent, her pale white skin lting into thick black mist that floated gently in the air. Within seconds, she had returned to her original spirit form a thin, almost invisible figure with silver hair flowing like smoke. Thanks to Stacia’s spell, her spiritual aura was now completely hidden, as if she were nothing more than an ordinary gust of wind in the cold, dark night.

She floated out through the small window gap without making the slightest sound, her spirit body passing through the inn’s wooden wall as if it weren’t there. The night in Eldridge felt even colder to her spirit form. The mountain wind blew gently, carrying the scent of damp soil, dying torch smoke, and a faint tallic sll from the blacksmith workshops still lit in the distance. Alicia floated high above the rooftops of stone and wooden houses, her sharp spirit eyes sweeping over the entire city from above.

The dinsional rift was located on the northern mountain slope, about two kiloters from the city center. Even from afar, Alicia could see the thick blackish-purple mist enveloping the area. Its faint glow pulsed slowly like an open wound in the world, as if breathing. A strong pull of energy could be felt even from a distance like a silent call that was both tempting and threatening.

She floated closer with extre caution, moving between the shadows of rooftops and tall trees.

The security around the rift was extrely tight, far stricter than they had guessed from the lunchti conversations.

Dozens of fully ard guards patrolled the area around the purple mist. They were divided into several shifts that rotated every four hours, leaving no gaps in coverage. So were elite soldiers in heavy iron armor with large shields, while others were mages in gray robes holding purple detection crystals in their hands. In front of the wide, gaping entrance to the rift like a giant’s mouth there were even double barricades of wood and iron, plus two small watchtowers constantly guarded by at least four people each.

Alicia tried to get closer. Her spirit body floated low, slipping between large rocks and wild bushes. She passed through stone walls and tree trunks silently, searching for any possible gaps.

There were indeed a few small openings on the looser edges of the patrol area on the east and west sides, where only two or three guards kept watch with considerable distance between them. But the closer she got to the rift’s mouth itself, the denser and tighter the security beca. Even Alicia, in her invisible pure spirit form, began to struggle.

Various magical detectors were installed around the entrance. Large purple crystals pulsed slowly on wooden poles, emitting invisible waves of energy that could detect dinsional disturbances or spiritual presence. Every ti Alicia tried to get too close, she felt a strange and uncomfortable pull, as if the rift’s energy itself was trying to "look" toward her like an invisible hand groping through the darkness.

Several tis she was forced to retreat quickly because she sensed the detection waves nearly touching her spirit body. The sensation was like being pricked by icy needles.

"Too many..." Alicia thought to herself, her voice only audible in her own mind. "There’s no gap at all in front of the rift. The shifts rotate continuously without pause, and those detectors... are extrely sensitive. Even I, hidden by Stacia’s spell, was almost detected twice."

She floated around the area for nearly two full hours, carefully morizing every guard position, patrol pattern, location of the detection crystals, shift change tis, and even the small blind spots that could potentially be used as distractions. This observation was enough. There was no need to take further risks tonight.

She quickly returned to the inn, passing through the room wall without a sound, and returned to her human body in front of her two sisters. Alicia’s body reappeared with slightly labored breathing, her silver hair slightly disheveled from the energy she had used.

"How was it?" Sylvia asked imdiately, her voice cold and calm as always.

Alicia sat on the edge of the bed, steadying her breath before speaking. "The security is very tight, especially right in front of the rift itself. They rotate shifts continuously every four hours. There are detection crystals everywhere, large purple crystals that can detect anything. Even I, in my invisible pure spirit form, was almost detected twice. There’s no gap at the entrance. But on the outer edges of the area, there are a few looser points on the east and west sides. They could possibly be used as distractions or alternative entry routes."

Stacia closed her grimoire with a soft thud that echoed in the quiet room. "So the rift is indeed guarded like the most valuable treasure. This city ruler isn’t playing around. He knows exactly what’s inside."

Sylvia was silent for a mont, her red eyes staring at the slowly burning candle on the table. The firelight reflected in her pupils like two drops of blood. "Good. This information is enough for tonight. Tomorrow we’ll go to the market and taverns. We need more detailed information about the shift schedules, who’s on duty at night, and whether there’s a way to create a large enough distraction without raising suspicion."

She smiled faintly and coldly, the corner of her lips barely visible. "We don’t need to enter roughly or by force. We just need to create a small gap... then calmly take what we need."

Alicia nodded. "I can draw a map of the guard positions tomorrow morning. There are a few patrol patterns we can exploit if we know the exact timing."

Stacia smiled slightly, her eyes gentle yet full of calculation. "In that case, let’s sleep peacefully tonight. Tomorrow will be a long day."

They extinguished the candle. The small room fell into complete darkness, with only the faint red moonlight seeping slowly through the gaps in the wooden window. Outside, the mountain wind blew gently, carrying faint whispers from the sleeping city, the distant footsteps of guards, the barking of dogs, and the wind slipping between the rooftops.

Sylvia lay down on her bed, her red eyes open as she stared at the dark wooden ceiling. Her mind was already spinning rapidly, coldly and ticulously planning each step. That dinsional rift held the pure death energy she needed, energy that could help her break through to new levels of power after fusing with her sisters.

In the sa room, Stacia had already fallen asleep with steady, calm breathing, her thin novel lying beside her pillow. Alicia sat for a mont on the edge of her bed, her hand touching her chest, feeling the stable and warm heartbeat before finally lying down as well.